“Mm, what smells so good,” Carrie asked, walking in the door of the Brady Pub.

“Carrie! It’s so good to have you back from school. You’re going to have to tell us all about your first year,” Caroline cried, rushing over to give her granddaughter a hug. With an efficiency born of many years of practice, she effortlessly herded the children toward the big table in the corner where Shawn was already setting down a pot of his famous chowder.

“Grab a chair everybody, we’ve got celebrating to do,” he called with a grin. “The whole clan is finally back in town!”

Marlena held Roman’s arm, smiling as her three children chatted excitedly with their grandparents. Looking up at her husband, she noted for the third time that hour the distant look in his eyes. “What’s wrong Roman, you seem a little distracted?” she prodded, knowing his tendency to withdraw from her when he was very angry or very afraid.

“Just a case I’m working on, Doc. Sorry, I’ll try and be better company,” Roman answered, careful to keep the tension out of his voice. His wife was a hard woman to fool, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

“Want to tell me about it?”

“Naw, it’s probably nothing anyway. But how about you? How was your day? Cure any crazy people?” He smiled as he teased her, suddenly aware of how very lucky he was to have her by his side. He couldn’t lose her. Not again. He refused to even consider the possibility.

“Your attempt to change the subject is even more feeble than usual,” she said, quirking a brow in a gesture he had always thought of as regal. “Besides, ‘crazy’ is not a term we psychiatrists use.”

“Hm- as I recall, you use the term on me all the time, ‘Dr. Evans’.” He held the chair out for his wife, chuckling as she slapped him lightly on the arm. Bo walked in the door and Roman’s easy demeanor died.

“Well,” called Shawn, “One more place at the table! Come grab a seat Bo.”

Bo stood in the doorway of the pub looking distinctly uneasy. “Sorry Pops, but I need to see Roman for a minute. Just some work stuff.”

Roman gave Marlena’s shoulder a quick squeeze and walked wordlessly to meet his brother. The two men exchanged knowing nods and stepped outside, closing the door behind them. Marlena’s concerned gaze followed them, every instinct she had screaming to her that something was very wrong. There was something going on and she had a strong hunch that she was not going to like it. If Roman thought he was going to keep it a secret, he had another thing coming.

Roman gazed guiltily through the window of the pub, well aware of Marlena’s feelings about secrets. He kept his voice low, as if that might somehow mitigate the deception. “So what’s up, Bo? Did your snitch confirm that the smuggling operation is Dimera’s work?”

Bo shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, looking everywhere but at his older brother. “It didn’t pan out. Looks like we got bad intel. Sorry, Roman- I really didn’t mean to get your hopes up about this.”

“You sounded pretty sure about it this morning. What the hell went wrong?” Roman snapped, his anger flaring unexpectedly.

“Hey, I told you this wasn’t a sure thing. The snitch couldn’t tell me anything. It was a bust. It happens. What do you want me to say?” Bo shrugged defensively and started edging in the direction of his bike.

“Hold it right there, Bo Brady. You think I’m going to accept such a lame-assed report, you better think again. I want to know exactly what happened at the meet, down to the last detail.”

“The snitch was dead, Roman,” Bo replied, his voice subdued. “When I got there, he was dead. It was the only lead and now it’s gone.”

“What? You weren’t going to mention this to me?” Roman hissed. “What exactly happened to the snitch?”

“I got to the meet and he didn’t show. I went outside to look around, and, well.... Forensics is over there now. I found him hanging from a hook outside the warehouse. It looks like he was beaten to death. I think somebody cut his tongue out. If I had to guess, I’d say somebody was sending a message”

“Christ! I knew I should have gone with you! This has Dimera’s name written all over it!” A smile that Bo didn’t like crossed Roman’s face, but the older man was oblivious to the scrutiny.

“Look,” Roman continued. “I know it’s late, but can you get me a full report on everything you know, everything that you suspect, by morning? Have the department make me a plane reservation. I’m going down to New Orleans tomorrow.”

“It’s a bad idea, Roman. There’s no proof that Dimera was involved. I doubt it’s even him down in New Orleans. Why not just alert the locals, have them look into it?”

“Dimera belongs to me, Bo. I’m not going to let him slip away this time. Not again. Make the reservation, I want to be there tomorrow.”

“Why don’t I make it two reservations? You could use the backup. Besides, I love creole cooking.”

“No way, Bo. Hope will have my head if I take you with me on some wild goose chase in Louisiana. This is just a scouting trip, I can handle it on my own. I don’t want to get everyone upset until we know more of what’s going on.”

“Hope won’t mind. Heck, she’ll probably be glad to have me out from underfoot for a few days. I really think I should go with you Roman- you need someone you can trust.”

“You’re kinda insistent about this, aren’t you little brother?” Roman asked, his eyes narrowing in sudden suspicion.

“It’s just that the New Orleans P.D. doesn’t exactly have the best record when it comes to corruption, and you know that wherever Dimera is, he’ll have contacts within all of the important agencies. It’s too risky for you to go alone. If something happened.... Roman, I’m the one who got the tip. I’m the one who should go.”

“I’m the Police Commander, I say who should go. I go and I go alone, end of discussion.”

“Marlena won’t like it,” Bo replied, playing his trump card.

“You threatening me, little brother? I wouldn’t suggest it,” Roman said, his voice flat and hard.

“I’m not threatening anything, Roman. I just meant- well, you are planning on telling her, aren’t you?”

“What I do or do not tell my wife is none of your business. And I don’t need you or Abe playing mother hen. You can convey that message to your Captain. Comprendes?”

“I’m just worried about you, okay? So sue me,” Bo replied, irritated to be read so easily.

“Don’t worry- and that’s an order,” Roman said, softening his words. “Look, if we both go down there, Marlena and the kids are sure to get suspicious. I don’t want them worried until I know for sure there is something to worry about. It took this family a long time to heal from the wounds Stefano left. Marlena still has nightmares and the kids.... Hell, I want my kids to have some semblance of a normal life. I don’t want them looking over their shoulders, wondering if someone is watching. Wondering if one day their family is going to be ripped apart again. I won’t put them through that until I have good cause.

“Bo, I promise to keep my head down- just check out the scene, see if I can catch a whiff of Dimera’s handiwork. I’ll be back within the week and then we can sit the whole family down, let them know if there’s cause for concern. I don’t want to put them through that without good reason. I’m not going to do anything to put the family at risk, Bo. I just want to sort things out before I make any plans.”

“You promise you aren’t going to do anything stupid?”

“Anything like what?” Roman asked with feigned innocence.

“Anything like play Russian roulette with some snitch’s head. Anything like cold-blooded murder. You know- anything like that,” Bo challenged.

“Abe talks too much,” Roman said gruffly.

“He’s worried about you. It kinda sounds like he should be.”

“That was a long time ago and I thought Marlena was gone. It was not one of my finer moments.”

“That wasn’t exactly the promise I was looking for.”

“It’s the closest thing you’re gonna get right now.”

Peering through the shadows, Bo tried to read his brother’s face. He wondered if the crooked grin was meant to be reassuring. If it was, it failed miserably. “I still think it’s a lousy idea,” he finally muttered. “If you aren’t back within the week, Abe and I are coming down to get you.”

“Your faith in me is touching,” Roman said dryly, slapping the younger man’s shoulder. “Now, how about we stop making trouble where none exists? Come on in and have dinner with the folks.”

“I’d like to, but I’d better get home to Hope and Shawn D. Besides, I’ve got to make sure everything’s set for tomorrow.” With an uneasy nod to Roman, Bo turned and disappeared into the night.

Roman watched until Bo was lost to the darkness, his thoughts drifting back to the bad times when he thought Marlena was gone. He had almost forgotten the incident in the warehouse, but then again, he didn’t remember much of the long years he had spent without her. He didn’t want to remember, the pain of it something he could do without. Trust Abe to remember. That’s what came of working with a man so closely that you grew to read each other’s minds. Abe had pulled him through that rough time, maybe even more than his family had. Abe had been there. Always, Abe had been there. When the hate had burned so bright that it threatened to blind him, when the only thing that seemed to offer relief was to lose himself in violence, Abe had held him back. Roman had known that Abe would be there, backing him up no matter what he did. He might have been willing to throw his own life away, but he had refused to drag his partner down with him. Men had lived who would have otherwise died, all because his partner had known enough not to trust him.

Roman chuckled grimly, recognizing that once again, his partner didn’t trust him. Of course, once again, his partner was right. Stefano Dimera was a dead man. Roman wouldn’t leave the bayou without seeing his blood.

Leaning against the side of the building, Roman watched through the windows as his family talked and joked and laughed. The words were lost to him, but the emotions came through loud and clear. He was blessed and he knew it. His mother caught him staring and waved him in, the smile on her face not quite disguising the concern in her eyes. Having two cops for sons had taught her to be wary, and he hated fact that he caused her worry. He flashed her a grin even as he wondered what she would think if she knew his plans. His Catholic guilt should have been gnawing at him, but it wasn’t. Stefano’s death would be one sin he would not repent. His smile broadened at the thought, and he opened the door with only one concern still nagging. Killing Stefano would be a pleasure. But lying to his wife, that was something else entirely.

“It was nice having everyone together for dinner,” Marlena said, sitting down on the edge of their bed and running a brush through her long blond hair.

“Mm hm,” Roman muttered vaguely. He finished tying off a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and slipped beneath the cool cotton sheets. Propping his head on his arms, he lay still and permitted himself the privilege of watching his wife. He loved her little rituals at the end of the day. Hell, he loved everything about her. He would die before he would lose her again. Stefano Dimera was a threat, and so Stefano had to go.

“Too bad Bo couldn’t stay,” she continued, ignoring his refusal to play her game. “Why did he come by? That case you were worrying about earlier? You know- the one you wouldn’t tell me about.”

“Subtle,” he replied, grinning despite himself.

“You’re going to tell me about it now, though- aren’t you?” She dropped the brush on the nightstand and flipped off the light. Easing across the bed, she tucked herself in beside him. Her head nestled comfortable against his shoulder, she draped her arm across his chest and whispered in his ear. “My dear and loving husband would never try and keep secrets from his wife, now would he?”





“He would if he thought he had a prayer of succeeding,” he whispered back.

“But my husband is not so foolish as to think such a thing, is he?”

Her laughter tickled his ear, the almost-touch making his skin ache. With a soft sigh, he surrendered. “No, your husband is not that foolish. It’s just, I didn’t want to upset you. I wanted to try and enjoy the first night out with Carrie. I’m sorry, babe, but it looks like I might have to leave town for a couple of days. I know the timing’s bad, but....”

She pulled away from him, the sudden movement stopping him short. Rolling over to face him, she searched for his face in the darkness. “Anytime would be a bad time to leave, Roman. We haven’t been apart since… we haven’t been apart in years. I don’t want to start now.”

He cursed under his breath, his fingers reaching out to find her cheek. “Hey, Doc. Don’t get upset on me, here. It’s just a day or two and then I’ll be back. It’s important. Really.”

“Important as in dangerous? Roman, police commanders do not run around on assignments! They sit at desks and they come home in time for dinner!” Fear made her words harsh and she almost wished she could take them back.

“It’s not dangerous, honey. I promise you, it’s not. Just a fact finding trip. The case is really important to Bo. I told him I would check it out for him.”

“If it’s Bo’s case then let Bo go on the trip.”

“I hate arguing with you. You do realize that?”

“Then don’t go,” she replied, and he felt her body shift away from him in the big bed.

“Marlena, Hope is 6 months pregnant! I don’t want Bo going out of town right now. You know I’m right about this.”

“Roman Brady, you are in charge of an entire police force. I’m certain that if you put your mind to it, you could come up with at least one person you could send in your place.”

Her tone could have caused frostbite and he grimaced, wondering just what it was he was doing that was so wrong. If he weren’t such a lying sack of shit, he might have been mad. As it was, he was merely frustrated. “Doc, it’s Bo’s first case as a lieutenant. He wants to do a good job, make a good impression. He’s the one who wanted to go down to New Orleans- talk with their detective division and get some intel on a smuggling operation he’s working on. I’m the only one he would let take his place, largely because I can order him to do it.”

“Bo made lieutenant!” she said, her voice softening.

“Yea,” he said with a chuckle. “Being a cop must run in the blood.”

Marlena sighed and let herself be tugged back down into the comfort of his arms. “Just my luck, marry a guy who carries a gun.”

“It just makes sense for me to go down there, babe. You see that, don’t you?”





Her hand crept across his chest, seeking its rightful place above his heart. “I’ll miss you,” she finally said.

“I’ll miss you too.” Holding her in his arms, he stared into the darkness and listened to her breathe. He was still listening when the first rays of sunlight washed through their room.

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