"Ethan, what do you mean where the hell have I been?"

"The security feeds have been down for the last half hour. We've been trying to get them back up but nothing is working."

"Damn it," I thought I had trained all of the men the process for troubleshooting if the feeds were to go down, apparently, I was wrong. "Did you do a hard reset of the system on the main computer?"

"Yeah, that was the first thing I tried."

"All of the cables are connected?"

"Yes, boss."

I take a look behind the main computer to check on the port which connects to the security cameras to the computer itself. The green light which should be rapidly flashing is nonexistent. I press the reset button on the port, and nothing happens.

"The port connecting the cameras to the computer must have shorted out. Call the security company and have them deliver a new port ASAP."

"On it."

Thank God I'm able to figure out what went wrong quickly. Note to self, make a list of troubleshooting steps if the cameras go down. I don't need this happening again if I need to step away. Since the cameras are currently down, I will have to put off checking on those feeds for now, which means that I can check to see if there are any new files to be reviewed at the loft.

I scan through the feed and find two audio recordings that need to be reviewed. The first one from early this morning is Claire singing while she is getting ready for her shift, nauseating to say the least. Toward the end of this file, I hear Claire utter, 'Damn it, Eve. You promised.' I wait to hear more hoping that maybe Eve has come to the loft or they are talking over the phone, but nothing more is said. My guess is Claire got a text from Eve. I'll have to tell Ciara to try and get a look at Claire's phone to look at her texts and see if she can find anything. The second was recorded about a half hour ago and makes me smile, 'Ben, I love you and I wish you were here with me right now.'

The message my girl has left me instantly puts me in a better mood. I text Ciara to let her know I got her message. 'I love you too and wish I were there with you.' It doesn't take long for her to respond.

Ciara: I meant every word. I miss you.

Ben: If you get the chance, I need you to take a look at Claire's text messages. When I was listening to the feed, I heard her say 'Damn it, Eve. You promised'. I think she said that after reading a text she got.

Ciara: I'll see what I can do. She usually takes a shower after she's done with her shift. If she leaves her phone out, I'll see what I can find.

Ben: You're the best. Did you get your reading done?

Ciara: Yes.

Ben: Good. Then you can get a nap in. You promised you would take it easy.

Ciara: I'll do it right after this. I have a couple of hours before I have to head over to Lydia's to work on our project. Did you get to visit your sister?

Ben: I did, and we had a good talk. I had some of my suspicions confirmed and she gave me permission to go and see David.

Ciara: She did?!

Ben: Yeah, she actually said that Rafe never talked to her about me being able to see him.

Ciara: He lied to you. He lied to me. Why the hell did he tell me that he would talk to Jordan if he had no intention of doing it? Ohh…the next time I see him I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind.

Ben: You'll do no such thing. You need to take it easy and it's not worth it. Jordan gave me permission now so it's a non-issue. You were gritting your teeth when you were typing that weren't you.

Ciara: How did you know?

Ben: I could see you doing it in my head. You always do that when you're angry/frustrated.

Ethan comes into the security office, "The security company is here."

"Great."

Ben: I gotta get going. We had the cameras go down while I was away and needed to have the security company come out to bring a replacement for a part that fried, they are here now. Anyway, you need to get that nap in. I love you, Ci.

Ciara: I love you too, Benny Boo. XOXO

Ben: grrr… XOXO

The security tech guy quickly installs the new port and then checks to make sure that everything is functioning properly. I check the feeds Stefan had requested and then grab a quick sandwich before it is time to start interviewing for Ethan's replacement. Each of the candidates were all really qualified, but I decided to recommend a guy named Marty. He's former military and an expert in surveillance and reconnaissance.

I turned in my recommendation to Stefan since he returned home a couple of hours ago. He looked it over and approved my hire. I call Marty to tell him the good news he accepts the job offer and thanks me for the opportunity. By the time I finish my call to the other candidates, it's 5 pm and I'm free to run the rest of my errands.

I head to Chicago to sell my mom's ring and to buy the one that I have been eyeing for Ciara. I didn't want all of Salem talking about that fact that I was buying an engagement ring, Salem isn't exactly the cone of silence on a normal day, with average people. My past makes me a bit more gossip-worthy, buying a ring for Ciara would sure get that mill moving, especially since Ciara and I are pretending to be broken up. God, I love her, and I can't wait to make her my wife. I already have a ton of ideas rolling around in my head about how I want to propose to her. I know that I want it to be super romantic. She never lets me spoil her like I really want to but proposing to her is an event where I plan to pull out all the stops.

I head over to the jewelry store which is just across the street from where I was able to park. The feeling of anticipation that runs through me is unbelievable. Buying Ciara this ring is just the first of many things that I never thought that I would be doing. I didn't think I would truly fall in love and have a woman return that love to me. I didn't think I would ever get the chance to be a father and now Ciara and I are expecting twins. I walk into the store and cheery bells jingle to announce my presence to one of the men at the counter. I swagger up to the jewelry counter and I feel a confident grin forming on my lips.

"Hello, how can I help you today sir?" the man at the counter greets me.

"I want to sell this," I take my mom's ring out of my pocket, "and buy an engagement ring."

"Wonderful, my name is James my family owns the store. What is your name?" he asks extending his hand.

"I'm Ben," I state reaching out to shake his hand.

"Well then, let's get started and have a look at what you want to sell first shall we."

"Okay," I smile, and I hand James the ring.

He examines it thoroughly using a loupe and some sort of tool to measure the diamond by the millimeter. "This is a beautiful ring. Why aren't you keeping it?"

"Ahh…it was my mom's, but that ring doesn't exactly have happiness tied to it. I don't want to give that to my girl."

"I see," he compares the diamond in the ring to a set of loose stones. "These are benchmark stones that will allow me to determine the color of the diamond in the ring you have here."

"Alright," I grin.

James continues to examine the ring and makes notes about his findings, "So here is what I come up with for your ring," he turns the pad round that he has been writing on, "the diamond in the ring you have here is a one carat round diamond with a very good cut. It has VS2 clarity and rates an H for color. The value of the diamond I would say is $1950. The band on the ring is 18 karat gold and I have determined it to weigh 8 grams meaning a value of $190. The value of your entire ring I would say is $2140."

"That seems fair," I tell James, in actuality, it's more than I thought I would get for it.

"So, what is your price range? Do you want to find something worth just the value of the ring you are selling or do you plan to put a bit more money toward a new ring?"

"Actually, I already know which ring I want, as long as it is still here."

"Well then, let's have a look."

I walk over to the third display case, "I've been eyeing it up for a while now." I look through the top of the case and there it is. It is a 1 ¼ carat solitaire diamond set in white gold; a princess cut because she is my queen and I plan on treating her like one for the rest of my life. "It's the ring on the second shelf, the seventh ring in from the left."

"Excellent choice, Ben. I'll take it out for you to look at." James takes the ring out of the case and places it in front of me."

"May I pick it up?"

"Of course."

I pick it up off of the ring finger stand it is resting on and put it on the tip of my right index finger. I move it around so I can see it catch the light and arrive at the conclusion that it is the second most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on; the first being, Ciara. "This is definitely what I want. My girl needs a size 5 ring."

"And that is what that ring is, a size 5. How will you be paying for this today? Will you need financing?"

"Well besides the value of that ring I will pay for the rest with my bank card."

"Alright then. I'll polish this up for you and then you Ben will get to walk out with your girl's ring today. What is her name?"

"Ciara," I can feel the grin get bigger if that is even possible.

"Ciara, that's beautiful. I can tell that you really love her."

"I do, with all of my heart."

I take out my bank card and give it to James. He rings up my purchase and then takes the ring back to be polished. When he returns James has placed Ciara's ring in a box to show it to me. It sparkles even more than before, and I nod my head in satisfaction. James closes the lid on the box and then places it in a bag before handing it to me.

"Well, Ben it has been a pleasure serving you today. Congratulations, I wish you and Ciara the best of luck."

"Thanks, James," I put my hand out and he reaches out in return to shake my hand.

I walk out of the store with the ring and feel a sense of relief. I was actually able to get my girl the ring that I wanted for her and sooner than I thought. I hop into my car and take the short drive back to Salem.

When I arrive back at the DiMera mansion. I head directly into the security office; I check the feeds for the grounds to make sure they are still properly working and then the feed for the loft. Nothing of interest to use. Ciara was right though, Claire headed for the shower after she was done with work. I'm guessing she wasn't able to get to Claire's phone since I haven't heard anything back from her. By the time I finish checking everything over I'm ready for bed. I've been doing a lot of running around today but it has been very productive. I walk out into the living room and Stefan is sitting on the couch with a drink.

"What do you have there, Ben?" he points to the bag I'm carrying.

"Oh, ahh, it's an engagement ring I bought for Ciara."

"Well, congratulations. When do you plan to pop the question?"

"Soon, I hope. Once I clear my name, I plan on asking her to marry me."

"Well then let's hope that's soon. How is this sting operation going?"

"Slower than I would like," I sigh.

"Because you want to propose to Ciara right now."

I nod my head.

"Can I see it?" he asks pointing to the bag again.

I'm a bit embarrassed to show him what I've chosen because I know that it is nothing compared to what he would be able to get the woman he might want to marry, but never the less I take the box out of the bag and give it to him.

Stefan opens the box and examines it. "You have good taste, Ben."

"I know it's nothing in comparison to what you might be able to give to who you would want to marry but…"

"Ben it's not about the amount of money that you spend on it or the size of the ring that you get Miss Ciara, it's about the love that you plan on giving it to her with; a gift from the heart. That's what counts. And I know that you love her and that she loves you back. That's what matters."

"I do love her, with all of my heart."

"I know you do," he closes the box and hands it back to me, "I wish you and Ciara the best of luck. I truly do."

"Thanks, Stefan. I'm going to head back to the gatehouse," I point over my shoulder, "It's been a long day."

"Sure, goodnight Ben."

"Night, Stefan." I walk out of the mansion and over to the gatehouse. I change into some pajama bottoms and lay down in my bed. I lay back and send Ciara a text. It's been a long day and I'm heading to bed. I hope you and Lydia made some progress on your project and that you haven't been overdoing it. Goodnight, Beautiful. I love you and I wish you were in my arms right now.

I turn out the lights lay my head on my pillow and pray that tomorrow we will be able to make some progress clearing my name and then I will be one step closer to being able to make the woman of my dreams my wife.