Ben walked into the loft and saw Ciara sitting on the couch with her feet up on the coffee table rubbing her belly. Ben couldn't help but smile. Ciara looked up and saw Ben standing there. "Hey. How long have you been standing there?" Ben shrugged his shoulders, "Not too long. Just admiring my beautiful girlfriend." Ciara chuckled as she struggled to stand up, "You mean your ginormous girlfriend?"

Ben walked up to Ciara and rested one hand on her belly and the other on her cheek, "Ciara, you are beautiful to me. Always." Ciara smiled and shook her head slightly, "How did I get so lucky?" Ben leaned his forehead into Ciara's as he rubbed her belly. "I ask myself that question every day. Just a few more weeks right?" Ciara nodded, "Yeah. I can't wait to meet this little guy or girl." Ben took a deep breath, "Me neither." Ben couldn't believe that in only a few weeks, he would be holding his son or daughter.

Ben sighed nervously, "I have a surprise for you." Ciara turned her head slightly, "You do?" Ben nodded and Ciara continued, "What kind of surprise?" "Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, right?" Ciara chuckled, "I guess not."

Ben held his hand out and Ciara took it as he led her out of the loft.

Ben stopped the car and helped Ciara out. Ciara looked around recognizing her surroundings. The place where Ben had brought Ciara had good and some not so good memories for the couple. Ciara furrowed her eyebrows at Ben, "I-isn't this where the cabin is-or was?" Ben nodded slowly, "I know that this place has some not so great memories for you-for both of us but it's also the place where I fell for you." Ciara couldn't fight the smile that came to her lips, "Yeah I, uh, I couldn't admit it at the time, but I fell for you too." Ben returned Ciara's smile.

Ben clapped his hands once, "Anyways, I wanted to do something special for you. I haven't been working as much at the mansion as you thought." Ciara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and crossed her arms, "What were you doing?" Ben sighed as he and Ciara walked forward, "I've been giving more responsibility to Andrew and I fixed up the cabin. Totally new from top to bottom. Structurally it was dead, so I literally built it from the ground up." Ben swallowed, "I-I thought it would be nice to have a place that we could go. When we need a break from the prying eyes of Salem, this place could be our little hideaway. A place where the three of us can be a family."

Tears began to well in Ciara's eyes as she thinned her lips to a line, "I can't believe you did all this." Ben unlocked the door, "Shall we?" Ciara laughed lightly, "We shall." Ben chuckled as he opened the door and Ciara walked in. Ciara couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't believe it was the same cabin. It had so much light to it. It didn't look nearly as dark or gloomy as it did the last time she was there. There was even a mini-nursery set up in the corner, complete with a crib and a stocked changing table.

Ciara wrapped her arms around Ben's neck, "I love you Ben. You never cease to amaze me." Ben smiled and captured Ciara's lips in a kiss.

Ciara walked Ben backward slowly until the back of his knees hit the bed. Ben pulled back, "Are you sure?" Ciara bit her lip and nodded, "Unless you don't want to?" Ciara's face fell, "Like you're not attracted to me anymore?"

Ben pushed a piece of Ciara's hair behind her ear, "You have never looked more beautiful." Ben leaned down and kissed Ciara's belly through her shirt once. Ciara chuckled as she looked down at her stomach, "I look like I shoved a yoga ball under my shirt." Ben caressed Ciara's cheek, "You are never not attractive to me. Ciara. Seeing you grow my child has only made my love for you grow. Something I did not think was humanly possible." Ben chuckled, "And that's our baby you're calling a yoga ball." Ben playfully poked Ciara's stomach. Ciara shook her head slightly and chuckled at Ben.

Ciara pushed Ben's chest and he laid down on the bed and Ciara gently laid on her side. Ben gripped the side of Ciara's neck and kissed her passionately. Ben gently pulled Ciara on top of him. Ciara pulled away after a moment, "I love you Ben." Ben moved some hair out of Ciara's face, "I love you too."

Ben pulled Ciara to him and wrapped his arms around her back. Ben felt some wetness coming from Ciara and pulled back and chuckled, "Someone's excited." Ciara rolled her eyes and pulled back, "It's not what you think. I-I think my water just broke." Ben's eyes widened, "Your-your… are you sure? Isn't that supposed to be like a gush?" Ciara shook her head, "It's not the movies, Ben. It's not always this massive gush. Sometimes it's more like a trickle."

"Are you sure that's what this is? The baby isn't just kicking your bladder or something and you wet yourself?" Ciara slowly stood up, "Pre-pretty sure." Ciara winced and gripped her lower belly, "Yeah, definitely sure."

Ben stood up, "Bu-but you're not due for 5 more weeks." Ciara rubbed the bottom of her belly, "Yeah, well I think someone wants to make an early appearance. I guess those contractions I've been feeling all day weren't more Braxton Hicks." Ben looked at Ciara in confusion, "You've been contracting all day?" Ciara nodded and Ben continued, "Why didn't you say anything?" Ciara inhaled deeply, "I-I didn't want to alarm you and like you said I wasn't due for five more weeks. Ah."

Ben nodded and took a deep breath, "O-okay. I'm gonna call an ambulance." Ben pulled his phone out of his pocket, "Dammit, dead." Ben turned to face Ciara and saw she was giving the end of the bed frame a death grip.

"Um, uh Ci, I hate to say this, but my phone's dead. Where's yours?" Ciara chuckled as she sat down on the floor ungracefully, "At the loft. I-I didn't think to grab my bag." Ben ran a hand through his hair, "O-okay, everything's going to be fine. I-I'm gonna go start the car and get my phone charged enough to call an ambulance."

Ciara screamed out in pain, "Ah! Ben, I-I don't think we have time for that. I think this baby is coming, NOW!" Ciara took a deep breath as the contraction passed, "You're-you're going to have to deliver the baby Ben." Ben's eyes widened at Ciara, "M-me?! I don't know anything about delivering babies!" Ciara sighed, "We-well you've been through a delivery before, right?" Ben sighed heavily knowing exactly what Ciara was referring to. "I-I guess, but I wasn't the one who delivered." Ben sighed sadly, "I-it was Wendy." Ben began pacing the cabin as flashbacks to that night came racing back.

Ciara sat on the floor watching Ben go to that place in his mind. "Ben, baby, I-I need you to focus right now. I need you, the baby needs you." Tears began to well in Ciara's eyes.

Ciara's voice dropped to a pleading tone, "Please Ben." Ben whipped around and looked at Ciara. Ciara's voice pulled Ben out of his own thoughts. Ben walked over to Ciara and knelt down in front of her. Ben caressed Ciara's face, "Hey, it's okay. We're gonna get through this like we get through everything: together."

Ciara tearfully nodded as another contraction hit and screamed out in pain. Ben gave Ciara his hand, "It's okay, but those are getting closer." Ciara looked up at Ben and muttered "Yeah". Ben sighed as he stood up, "I-I'm gonna go see what I can find to help us." Ciara nodded as another contraction hit. Ciara turned slightly looking at Ben, "Ben, hurry!"

Ben nodded as he scrambled around the cabin grabbing towels and a small blanket as well as a knife.

Ben sat in front of Ciara, "Are you ready to do this?" Ciara shook her head and chuckled, "No." Ben took a deep breath and smiled a small smile, "We can do this, okay. We have done FAR more with far less." Ciara swallowed and nodded her head.

Ben helped Ciara undress from the waist down and placed the towel under her. Ben sighed, "Okay next contraction, push." Ciara nodded but after a moment her face changed and tears began to fill her eyes. Ben caressed Ciara's cheek, "Hey, it's going to be okay. You're going to be just fine, the baby is going to be just fine. Babe, we can get through this."

Ciara shook her head as tears fell, "No. I-I was wrong. I-I can't do this, I can't do this here Ben." Ciara leaned back slightly and against a chair, "We need to be in a hospital, Ben. This baby is 5 weeks early."

Ben gripped Ciara's cheek and pulled her back to him, "Ciara do you remember what I told you before I kissed you the first time?" Ciara yelled out in pain as tears filled her eyes and Ben continued, "I told you that you have more fight in you than a bag full of bobcats. And you know what that means? So does this baby. C'mon, us combined? There is nothing this baby can't do or overcome. Ciara, you can do this." Ciara inhaled deeply, "Okay." Ben's eyes widened slightly, "O-okay?" Ciara nodded and a small but pained smile spread across her face, "Yeah, let's do this. Let's bring our baby into this world." Ben nodded as he mentally prepared for what was about to happen.

Ben rested a hand on Ciara's knee and Ciara gripped it as the next contraction hit and she pushed. Ben bit his lip trying not to show Ciara his pain knowing hers was far worse. He had seen enough movies to know the man should never let the woman know that he's in pain. And Ciara was pushing the baby out au naturale. Totally going against her birth plan.

Ciara pushed and pushed but felt like nothing was progressing. Ciara leaned back slightly and sighed, "I-I can't, I can't do this, Ben. This isn't working."

Ben moved some of Ciara's hair back, "Ciara, I know you can do this. You are my bobcat and so this baby has as much fight in him or her as their Mama." Ciara inhaled deeply, "O-okay. Let's do this." Ben moved his hands to in between Ciara's legs, "You've got this. I-I see the head. Full head of black hair. C'mon Ciara. One more push. You can do this."

Ciara screamed out a blood-curdling scream that Ben was sure could be heard for miles. Ben gently guided the baby out of Ciara, supporting the baby's neck. Ben smiled up at Ciara, "You did it, baby. He's here." Ciara let out an exhausted sigh and tears welled in Ciara's eyes, "'He'? It's a boy?" Ben tearfully nodded.

The silence worried the couple. Ciara tried to sit up, "Wh-why isn't he crying?" Ben placed the baby on the blanket next to Ciara and cut the cord with the knife. Ben carefully wrapped his son in the blanket and handed him to Ciara. The baby looked up at Ciara and let out a scream. Ciara sighed a breath of relief and Ben kissed the side of Ciara's head, "We have a son."

Ciara smiled at Ben and repeated his words, "We have a son."

Ben and Ciara laid in the bed just staring at their son. Ciara kissed her son's head, "Hi. You just couldn't wait, could you?" The baby looked up at Ciara and Ben chuckled as he gently ran his thumb over his son's cheek, "You're just like your mom, huh? Stubborn as heck. You wanted to come and you didn't let anything stop you."

Ciara chuckled lightly and rested her head in the crook of Ben's neck. After a moment she picked her head up and looked back at her son, "So, what are we going to name this little boy? Naming him Alice and after your mom is out." Ciara stared at her son for a moment, "What about… what about Beauregard Oliver but calling him Bo?"

Ben smiled, "After your dad and-and me?" Ciara nodded, "Yeah. The two strongest men I know." Ben smiled at his son, "You like that? Bo Oliver?" The baby opened his eyes fuller for a moment before closing them and Ciara and Ben both chuckled. Ciara sighed, "I think he's said his piece. Welcome to the world Bo Oliver Weston." Ciara kissed Bo's forehead.

Ben's smile got bigger hearing Bo's last name. "Weston?" Ciara nodded, "Yeah, I want our son to have his dad's name." Ben wrapped an arm around Ciara, "I love you."

Ciara looked at Bo and chuckled. Ciara quietly said, "Hi." Ciara turned to face Ben, "You know you and I…" Ciara sighed deeply, "…we are both a little broken…" Ciara turned to look at Bo, "…but somehow we came together and made something just absolutely perfect." Ciara inhaled her son's scent and kissed his head.

Ben started to stand up, "I wish we could stay here forever, but we should probably get our son to the hospital. Just to make sure everything's okay, Mama too." Ciara nodded, "Yeah." Ciara turned to look at her son's now sleeping face, "But I think Daddy did just fine. Didn't he Bo?" Ben kissed Ciara's forehead, "I think Mama's just being nice. She did all the hard work."

Ciara chuckled, "Ben, I never could have done this without you. It's because of you that our son came into this world safely. If you hadn't been here… this could have turned out very differently." Ben leaned forward and kissed Ciara's lips once.

Ciara watched as Ben walked out of the cabin. Ciara turned back to look at her son. "Bo Oliver Weston, you are in for QUITE the ride my boy but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you hit the jackpot in your daddy."

Ciara tearfully looked up at the ceiling, smiling slightly, knowing somehow someway her own dad was watching over her. Ciara looked back down at her son and tearfully kissed Bo's cheek.

TBC