"Son, you can't do this." Clyde started to beg with tears in his eyes as he stood between Ben and the door."
"Get out of my way Dad. Vincent doesn't get to get off easy by a life sentence." Ben angrily tried to push past his father, "Hypocritical right? I took Wendy, he takes Ciara. He wanted me to walk in the exact same hell and torture I put him in. I was sick, I didn't mean to kill Wendy. I didn't mean to kill any of them. But I did. No excuse. I killed them. For years I made Sonny walk the road I'm now walking. I made Eve and I made Vincent. I made my punishment. They wanted to punish me. They wanted a life for a life. But they didn't get the real life they deserved. They took an innocent life. They didn't just want to make me feel what they felt. They wanted me to know that Ciara died because of me."
"By making you Ciara's killer." Clyde took his hand and brushed away his tears, "They are nothing but cowards. Keeping their hands clean. But if you ask me they are worse than you. You didn't set out and kill Wendy. Vincent and Eve sat and plotted to have Ciara murdered. It became their obsession. They screamed justice for their loved ones but by doing what they did was plain murder. Ciara didn't deserve that period. From the short time I knew her from how you described her and how she fought to get you freed from death row…." Clyde's voice shook, "She was definitely something. And when she came to Statesville trying to find anything that would help her find you when you were kidnapped nothing but determination and love. For the short time she was family I was proud that she was my daughter-in-law."
"Then that's why Vincent needs to pay for what he did to her." Ben pleaded, "That's why I need to do this."
"Then what? You'll go back to death row, son. They'll kill you this time for sure. Your Ciara wouldn't want that for you." Clyde was hysterical.
"You're not listening! I have nothing without her!" Ben exploded then went eerily calm, "I'm not going back to prison Dad. After I kill Vincent I…I…I love you Dad. Just know that."
Clyde began to panic at what Ben's intentions were, "No, no. You're my son. We've come so far. I can help you. We'll get through this. I know what it's like to have someone taken from you. Jordan did that to me with your Mom. You'll get through this one day at a time."
Ben was solemn and made peace with his decision, "Good bye Dad." He proceeded closer to the door.
"No, no. I won't let you destroy your life." Clyde began to make himself an obstacle for Ben to try and pass.
"Get out of my way Pop." Ben growled trying to physically push past his father.
Clyde then yelled loudly, "No!" he then punched Ben square in the face with as hard as he could, knocking him to the ground and out unconscious.
Seeing Ben lying on the floor Clyde knelt beside him and tried to wake him, "Son, son please wake up. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Two hours later Ben woke up in the room he shared with Ciara at the Salem Inn and found a young girl in her teens strutting back and forth methodically. The young woman looked familiar yet he couldn't place where he met her before or having ever. He remembered Clyde hitting him and began to question his visitor.
"Who are you where's my Old Man?"
The young woman turned and answered with confidence, "He left. About time you woke up Ben. So much needs to be done and you sleeping isn't going to help. We need to hurry."
"Hurry? Hurry to do what? Who are you?" Ben was not sure what his unwanted guest was up to.
"Harley. And we're going on a small journey." The girl continued her pacing now with her hands behind her back.
Ben sat up fully on the bed, "Look Miss, Harley. Not to be rude but I have something to do and no time for trips or journeys."
The visitor replied boldly, "Like you had a choice. This isn't voluntary Benjamin Oliver."
Within a split second they had gone from the Salem Inn to the cemetery.
Ben found himself fully standing and realized what was going on.
"You're a dream or nightmare and aren't real." He replied in disdain.
"I'm not a dream or nightmare as you just deemed me." She mused, "Currently I'm not real. Let's just say I'm going to be a work in progress someday."
Ben shook his head in disbelief, "Well whatever you are why the hell did you bring me here."
Harley then pointed, "To show you that." She then emotionlessly informed him, "It's been six months since you carried out your plan for Vincent Bellman."
Ben then saw Marlena walk to a grave kneel down and start crying. Harley and Ben approached and he was shocked at what he saw. His name Benjamin Oliver Weston with his date of birth and death.
"She's the one who buried you after you blew your brains out after killing Vincent." Harley then moved behind the headstone, "Nice inscription. Devoted husband, son and friend. It's beautiful what she had done."
Ben felt as if he couldn't breathe, "Doctor Evans. I'm so sorry. I…"
"She can't hear you or see us." Harley continued to march around the grave and Marlena then continued," I what? Sorry for making you feel that you failed me? Sorry that you feel like you're a terrible doctor because you couldn't help me." Harley blasted, "Sorry for being the only person besides Ciara to give a damn about me and I wound up betraying you in the end."
As Harley lectured him Ben felt that she seemed very familiar for a moment, "Stop. Just stop. I get it. She's going to feel so hurt by what I did."
"Hurt? What you do to Vincent is going destroy her entire life. Note I didn't say career, because thanks to you that's going to be nothing but a memory." She chastised.
"What are you talking about?" Ben was perplexed.
"Shortly after you did something ever so selfish. She resigned from Bayview and the hospital. She started to doubt herself. She felt she missed something in her last conversation with you. Doctor Evans started to feel she couldn't be a good doctor anymore to anyone. She is, was a good woman who not only wanted to see her patients get better, but some won her heart. Some she thought of more than patients. Like family so to speak. You were one of them."
Ben knelt behind Marlena and hugged her from behind, "I'm so sorry I did this to you. You cared about me and made me feel like more than just a patient you made me feel like one of your own. Like I was your child and I never took that for granted." He then began to cry, "Until now. I'm so sorry for hurting you like this."
Harley's voice was steely and cold, "Get up. We have somewhere else to be."
He turned to acknowledge the prognosticator without a word. Ben couldn't understand why someone so young had a tight hold on him. There was something about Harley that commanded it. As he looked at her, for the first time he noticed something about her. She was wearing a guardian bell on a silver type necklace like Ciara's bell, around her neck. He looked closer and he couldn't understand that it was exactly like Ciara's. Ben grabbed her arm and realized he could actually feel her arm. It wasn't like Doctor Evan's where he hugged her and his arms just went through her.
"What the hell is going on? I can touch you like you were real. It wasn't like that with Doctor Evans." Ben was confused.
"I'm real to you but for her you would be just a memory. Like for another." Harley was solemn.
"Where did you get that necklace? Why would you be wearing Ciara's bell? I know this is a dream and they don't make sense. But this one is off the charts." Ben was rattled.
"You know all that yet you ask questions?" she shook her head back and forth in annoyance, "I got Ciara's bell from my mother. She gave it to me on my sixteenth birthday when I learned to drive my grandfather's motorcycle which he left to her when he died."
Ben's world started to spin in front of him as Harley's information shook him, "How is that possible?"
"Think Ben!" she shouted impatiently, "Think long and hard. Stop letting your mind tell you what's not possible and let your heart tell you what could be."
He stopped walking and stood still. Ben grabbed Harley by both arms spun her around and looked hard at her. The way she tilted her head. Harley's fighting spirit and no holds barred attitude. She was so much like Ciara. Her green eyes. Her smile when she did smile. Her long beautiful dark hair. It wasn't possible, "You can't be." His voice trembled.
"I won't be if you don't get your head from up your ass and start thinking clearly like Clyde said." She took Ben by the hand and led him to the Kiriakis Mansion.
Harley opened the door and led Ben inside. They saw Victor sitting in his chair looking at a picture of Ciara. Xander walked in and sat on the sofa.
"Uncle I…I got the final report from when they found Ciara's body."
Ben turned to walk away but Harley grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Why did you bring me here? Why are you making me hear this? He killed Ciara and I'm going to kill him. I am so sorry for Doctor Evans and what she'll go through. I really am but Ciara needs to be avenged. It's not going to matter where Ciara's body is found because Vincent will be dead and I will make sure her death is avenged and it won't be in vain. So enough with your predictions."
Xander continued though Ben didn't want to hear more and Harley blocked his way to leave, "Uncle I don't want to say any further. Ciara has been found and we will lay her to rest next to her father."
Victor sat up straight, "Damn it Xander I am not a child tell me everything." He saw a folder in Xander's hand, "Is that the report?" he grabbed it from his hand.
"Uncle please stop. It won't do you any good. There is nothing you or anyone could have done." Xander's voice broke, "There is no way we could have known what that man would have done what he did because Vincent was dead and couldn't pay him anymore. There was no way you could have known that Vincent had lied and Ciara was still alive."
Ben broke from Harley upon hearing the news and ran towards as he opened the file and read about Ciara's condition at the time of her death.
Upon reading Victor let out a painful cry and Ben dropped to his knees and let out an inhuman scream.
Victor broke down and Xander grabbed him in his arms to comfort him. The family patriarch crying," My granddaughter. My great grandchild. No. No."
Ben continued to cry and wail uncontrollably. Harley sat on the floor next to him and held him in her arms. He composed himself and for the first time since her appearance he finally knew everything or so he thought.
Meekly he asked, "You?"
Harley fought her own tears, "No not me but…"
The room changed and Ciara walked into the room carrying a baby girl in her arms around a year old dressed up in a pink dress.
"Glad you're finally up Pumpkin Pie we can finally have the party. I know you wouldn't want to miss it." She kissed her daughter on her forehead.
Ben smiled as he saw Ciara and the baby girl and then he saw himself walk into the room carrying a boy about two years old in his arms.
"Mommy party!" The boy yelled enthusiastically.
"No, Baby it's your Birthday. Happy 2nd. Birthday Bo. Harley woke up just in time to wish her big brother a happy birthday."
Ben gasped, "Ciara is alive?" his voice trembled, "You and you have an older brother?"
Harley held Ben's hand, "Daddy please wake up and find us. Find Mommy and Bo before it's too late for all of us."
Ben cried a few more tears, "Where do I begin?"
Ciara turned to him," Hurry Ben we need you."
He swallowed hard, "Babe, I'm going to find you. I'm going to find you both. But I don't know how to start. Where?"
The room changed to the interrogation room of the Salem Police Department. Ben saw a man in his early thirties wearing a badge that read Detective Weston. With Ciara and Harley at his side the man handed him a marker for the white board.
He then declared, "How about at the beginning Dad?"