Harley Cooper

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Harley Davidson Cooper is a fictional character on the popular CBS daytime soap opera, Guiding Light. The character is the child of Frank Achilles (Buzz) Cooper, Sr., and ex-wife, the late Nadine Corley. She was named after her father's favorite motorcycle. Beth Ehlers originated the role in the fall of 1987 but then left the show in 1993. She would return to guest-star in two episodes in January 1997 and when fans demanded to see the character return on a permanent basis, Ehlers would return four months later on a contract. Barring maternity leave, she has been with the show ever since. Ehlers has also garnered four Daytime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Younger Actress, Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Lead Actress for portraying Harley, the latter being in 2006.

In 2005, Ehlers and co-star, Ricky Paull Goldin, won an award for "Most Irresistible Combination" at the Daytime Emmy Awards for their portrayals of Harley and Gus Aitoro.

Contents 1 Character History 2 Family & Relationships 2.1 Parents 2.2 Sibling(s) 2.3 Martial Status 2.4 Past Marriage(s) 2.5 Children 2.6 Other Relatives 2.7 Flings & Relationships 3 References

[edit] Character History

Harley Davidson Cooper (named by her mother after her father's favorite motorcycle) grew up in the wrong side of Springfield's 5th Street and was raised by her older brother, Frank, ever since the death of their father and their mother's desertion. Since they had no parents (only their grandfather, Pops, who had immigrated from Greece to America and opened the Diner), they were forced to depend on each other. When Harley became pregnant, it was Frank who took care of her and made sure she was comfortable and safe. On her way to the hospital to give birth in late 1987, the car a 17-year Harley was riding in with Frank was hit by a motorcycle being driven by the Spaulding rich kid, Alan-Michael and his girlfriend, Dinah Marler. Harley's daughter was delivered by Dinah, and named Daisy. It was to be a brief moment of happiness for the young girl, as she had already decided to give her up for adoption, a decision that both Frank and Dinah knew about. Despite being caught by Dinah in the act of stealing her bracelet, the pair became friends while Alan-Michael hated her and tried all he could to make her life miserable. About this time, Harley began dating working-class Cameron Stewart and lied to him by claiming to be a virgin. But when Cam learned about Daisy, he was disturbed that she lied to him and broke things off and resumed his relationship with Dinah. Despite some initial antagonism on both sides, Harley and Alan-Michael formulated a plan to make some quick money in 1988: they'd marry so that he could collect his trust fund. About this time Nadine returned to town and tried to reunite with Harley but it took Harley a long time to forgive her mother for leaving the family. While Nadine was elated that Harley was marrying into money, the Spauldings were horrified and so Alan-Michael’s brother, Phillip tried to seduce her in order to break up the relationship. When he was unsuccessful, he grew to respect her. They became friends and Phillip taught Harley how to act as a Spaulding. Though Harley and Alan-Michael got married in February 1989, thanks to Phillip and Alex, Alan-Michael didn't succeed in collecting his trust fund, and he and Harley worked at the Diner and eventually fell in love. Not long after, Harley's ex-boyfriend and Daisy's father, Dylan, came to town, but kept his distance from the newlyweds. When he learned about Daisy, he got a job at the Lemay's, the family that had adopted the child and renamed her Susan. When Harley also saw her daughter, Dylan convinced her that Susan belonged to them, so she and Alan-Michael offered the Lemays a large sum of money to give her back to them. It was a failed attempt and when Alan-Michael told the Lemays about Dylan's true identity, a furious Harley wanted to leave him and even slept with Dylan. So Alan-Michael kidnapped Susan to hold on to Harley while Dylan was accused of the kidnapping. Incredulous, Harley decided to bring Susan back and once again had to accept life without her daughter while Alan-Michael was forced to serve community service. Though Harley was again in love with Dylan, she was crushed when he told her that he really loved his girlfriend, Samantha Marler. Harley schemed to win Dylan back but didn't succeed. In January 1990 while Harley falsely thought she was pregnant by Dylan, Alan-Michael learned that she was in love with Dylan and threw her out of their house. About this time, Roger Thorpe tried to buy the 5th Street property with help from his henchman Scully and though Scully threatened the occupants, including Harley who owned an antique shop, they refused to leave their homes, so Scully torched 5th Street and to Harley's grief, her beloved Pops died in the fire. By now Harley came to the decision to divorce Alan-Michael and make a lot of money in the process. To do this, she needed to prove that her husband had cheated on her and while she knew that he had an affair, she didn't know that it was Blake Thorpe. Although Alan-Michael caught Harley just as she was leaving from setting up the video camera in his apartment, she promptly seduced him to shut him up. Her efforts seemed to pay off when managed to record a video of the two in bed; however, the tape was stolen by Gary Swanson who would later blackmail Blake with it. Harley and Alan-Michael considered reconciliation when Harley suspected she might be pregnant. Then the videotape happened to show up at Alan-Michael's apartment, but it was severely doctored. It showed Harley faking her pregnancy test and Blake faking one as well, but Alan-Michael didn't see Blake doing so. It also showed Harley and Alan-Michael in bed. When Harley also found evidence that Alan-Michael was trying to steal a rival of the Spaulding's, Lewis Oil's plan for a homeless shelter next to the planned Waterview Towers, Harley tried to blackmail Alexandra with this evidence and the videotape. Alan-Michael got Harley out of there and away from Alex. Later Alan-Michael forced Harley to have a second pregnancy test and this one came back negative and they went through with their divorce.

Single and broke, Harley took a job as a nanny for Josh and Reva Lewis' children, Marah and Shayne. Though Josh didn't like that idea, Reva (who was depressed after the birth of her second child), convinced him. While accompanying them on family vacation to Florida, Harley helped Reva when she lost unconscious one day and had to promise her that she would take care of her children if something would happen to her. A few days later, Reva drove her car off of a bridge and was presumed dead. Harley did her best, after some struggle with herself, to care for Marah and Shayne, while trying to comfort a grieving Josh. However when she mentioned Reva's death, she was fired. Realizing he had acted rash in his decision, Josh asked Harley to come back to work for him. One night, after befriending Reva's mother, Sarah Shayne, who was against Harley at the beginning, Harley became determined to force Josh to let his wife go, and burned all of Reva's clothes. Furious at first, Josh lashed out at Harley. The two argued passionately and ended up making love. However, Harley remained convinced that Josh was still in love with Reva and left. She then began working with Josh's niece, Mindy. As part of her job selling Mindy's clothing designs to Matt Weiss, Harley went to New York. Though Weiss stole the designs in January 1991, Harley was able to expose him. Realizing he couldn't live without her, Josh followed her to New York and the two became engaged. Part of her dream wedding to Josh included a dream honeymoon, so Harley purchased some travel videos to help them decide where to go. While watching one, Josh’s brother, Billy, and Sarah noticed a woman in the background that looked exactly like Reva. At first, Josh was determined to ignore it, but after a while though, his feelings for his "late" wife overcame him. So he told Harley that, although he loved her with all his heart, he had to go to see if Reva was in fact alive. Though Josh stated that he would only stay briefly in Italy, he later wrote a letter to Harley and left her while he let his children and Sarah follow him to Italy. Harley pretended to understand, but was left heartbroken. Harley then began working for Alan-Michael and created a password for Spaulding's accounts that only Alan-Michael knew. Unfortunately, Harley was drugged by John Davis, a friend of Roger Thorpe and revealed the password, enabling Roger to embezzle money from Spaulding. Though Alan-Michael and Blake accused her of corporate espionage, Harley couldn't remember anything and was soon able to prove that she'd been drugged and had Davies arrested. A few days later, Harley met friends in a bar on 5th Street and discovered the corrupt cops Hutchins and Murry who were demanding protection money from the barkeeper and threatened her friend, Tracey, a hooker. When the cops arrested Harley for prostitution to get her to keep quiet, Harley was able to expose the corruption and the cops by filming them in action with the help of Eleni. She then went to court with attorney Ross Marler’s help and the cops were ousted from the Police Department.

On her own yet again, and inspired by Judge Francis Collier, Harley decided to become a police officer and enrolled in the academy at the Springfield Police Department with Det. A.C. Mallet as her instructor. Though hard on Harley at first, in time she impressed him and they secretly fell in love with each other. When Hutchins again threatened her, she and Mallet were not only able to arrest him but also his criminal partners. Around the same time, Harley was a part of an investigation of the murder of Jean Weatherill in 1992. Though her friend, Samantha convinced her that Holly Lindsey's fiancé, Daniel St. John, was the murderer, both Mallet and Ross suspected Roger. Going against orders, she continued her investigation and was suspended from the force when Mallet found out. But Harley didn't give up and found the murder weapon in Daniel's office. Harley had the lab test the soiled felt from the back of the nameplate on Daniel's desk and learned it matched Jean's blood. As Harley hid out in Daniel's office, she heard Holly and Daniel were planning to elope to the Bauer cabin. Harley followed to try to warn Holly. Daniel locked Harley in a root cellar during a blinding snowstorm and took Holly hostage. Mallet rescued Harley, who was suffering from hypothermia. As he lay in a sleeping bag with her to keep her warm, a delirious Harley said she was in love with him. She miraculously recovered and the two finally moved in together. Harley and Mallet went on vacation after her appointment to the Springfield PD, and they met jewel thief Jenna Bradshaw at their hotel. Jenna hid a brooch in Mallet's luggage and followed them back to Springfield. Harley worked undercover to catch Jenna, taking a job as her assistant but Jenna caught on when a clueless Nadine told her that Harley and Frank were brother and sister, not lovers as Jenna had been led to believe. She also found out that Mallet was a cop and put two and two together. She devised a plan to plant evidence on Harley and then use Mindy's wedding case to hide to rest of the jewels and have an unsuspecting Mindy carry them out of town. Then the Blackout hit the Towers and Jenna was stuck in the elevator with young Michelle Bauer. Instead of escaping up the shaft, she remained to calm Michelle's fears but was arrested by Mallet while Harley found the jewels in Michelle's clothes. Harley and Mallet were very happy until Mallet was injured by a bomb that Alan-Michael's henchman, Pierre, had set to kill Musette, a girl Alan-Michael had hired to come between Frank and Eleni. As a result of his injuries, Mallet wasn't able to hear and tried to leave Harley but she supported him and gave him a hearing dog as a present. Then Harley accidentally found Pierre hiding into the Spaulding stables and was kidnapped. When Pierre tried to escape with Alan-Michael's plane, Mallet shot and killed him while Alan-Michael (who never meant for anyone be killed, let alone hurt) rescued Harley. Then Mallet found out that he also might be sterile as a result of his injuries and again tried to leave Harley, but she found out the real reason he was leaving and talked him into staying. They reunited and he asked her to be his wife. Soon Mallet recovered from his injurious, including his hearing loss. Settling back into their life together, Harley and Mallet decided to take a vacation and visit the Vietnam Memorial in January 1993. Searching for her father's name, Harley was confused when it wasn't there. Despite efforts by Nadine to convince her otherwise, Harley soon found out that her father hadn't died in the war. In fact, he was alive and well and now even in Springfield! It was Mallet who finally uncovered Buzz Cooper's true identity and forced him to confront his family. Like Frank, Harley didn't want anything to do with her father, and it took her some time for her to come around. In order to make amends, Buzz threw a surprise wedding for Harley and Mallet, who went to the Florida Keys for their honeymoon. While they were there Mallet got a job offer and the couple decided to move to Florida.

In January 1997, Harley visited Springfield for the 60th anniversary of the founding of Cedars Hospital. Soon after arriving, Harley felt the need to confront Reva about her quick marriage and divorce to Buzz. angry that a "returned from the dead" Reva broke Buzz's heart by leaving him, she softened when Reva stated that she married Buzz because she needed him but was leaving him because she respected him too much to stay and hurt him. Though Harley claimed to just be visiting, Frank noticed that she was "working", and Harley was forced to admit that she was an insurance investigator and was there to catch a thief. Luckily the Anniversary Ball was uneventful and Harley left town, after telling Buzz's new flame, Jenna Bradshaw, that she was afraid that she may have gone back to being a jewel thief. Months later, Harley returned to town to investigate a big case and ran in to her ex-brother-in-law, Phillip. After fielding questions as to where Mallet was, Harley cryptically asked Phillip if he's ever been cheated on, hinting that that's what Mallet did. Soon, the subject of Harley's investigation became apparent--it was Jenna who had mysteriously gone back to her husband, Jeffrey Morgan. Noticing some discrepancies in Jenna's story (why would she go back to Jeffrey is she was so in love with Buzz earlier?), Harley tried to force the truth out of Jenna by locking her in a (non-working) freezer; cornered, Jenna was forced to admit that admit that Jeffrey was forcing her to go back to him. So Harley offered to help her get rid of him by acting as a swindler named Starla Russo. But when Phillip accidentally met Harley during her act in the Country Club, he was very intrigued and offered to help. Jeffrey had plans to set Phillip up for a $ 25 million. In the process of conducting the sting, Phillip and Harley started having feelings for one another which culminated into a kiss. Later, the pair left for New York to trap Jeffrey. Making it seem like "Starla" was going to get money from Phillip, the pair acted as though she was trying to seduce him, proving it by showing Jeffrey a surveillance tape of Phillip and Starla "making love." However, once the camera was shut off, the fake lovemaking became real as Phillip and Harley gave in to their passion. Later Phillip lied to Jeffrey stating that he killed Harley during wild sex and when Jeffrey was ready to turn him to the police and to flee with Jenna, he was arrested for fraud when Harley and Jenna exposed him. Meanwhile, Harley and Phillip agreed to forget about that happened that night and remain just friends. Then Harley and Jenna decided to join forces and began a detective agency. Their first assignment was to help Reva to find her long-lost sister. Not long after, Harley received a call from Mallet telling her that he wanted a divorce since he was in love with another woman. Hurt and angry, Harley was consoled by Phillip. Meanwhile, Jenna and Harley learned that Reva's nemesis, Annie Dutton, may have information on Reva's sister, and so they went to the mental hospital where Annie was staying. But when Security caught them snooping around, Jenna passed Harley off as her sister, Caitlin, and, to Harley's dismay, checked her into the mental institution. "Caitlin" then became Annie's roommate and apparently befriended her. Although Phillip tried to get Harley out of there, Harley was determined to follow through with the plan. Unfortunately, Annie discovered who her new "friend" was and with help of the guards, drugged Harley with a psychotic drug. Luckily Phillip came to her rescue and admitted that he too was falling in love with her. When Phillip's ex-wife, Beth, returned to town with their daughter Lizzie, Beth was determined to win back her ex and wasn't happy to find him now sharing his life with Harley. Harley, meanwhile, wasn't happy to see Beth either, especially since she was insecure over Phillip's feelings for Beth. Her fears compounded when Phillip expressed his displeasure at Beth's new friendship with Ben Warren. Although Phillip tried to assure Harley that his heart belonged to her, Harley couldn't quite be sure. However, in 1998, Phillip proved his love for Harley by asking her to move in with him. Elated, Harley accepted the offer but was still disconcerted over the bond Phillip and Beth shared. When Beth thanked Harley for finding a lost Lizzie, she antagonized Harley by telling her to give Phillip some time to be with his family and continued to provoke her by mentioning the phone call she made to Mallet. Angry, Harley attacked Beth but was pulled off by Eleni. To Harley's relief, Phillip wasn't angry but instead understood. Unfortunately, their relationship took a step back when (after Phillip made it clear that he didn't love her) Beth attempted suicide by throwing herself in front of a car. Guilt-ridden, Phillip offered to stay at the mansion to take care of a rattled Lizzie. After overhearing Lizzie ask Phillip not to make her take care of her mommy alone, Harley got suspicious and starting investigating Beth's past in Arizona. In the process she learned that Beth had accidents before. She also discovered that Beth had a boyfriend in Arizona named Carl. Harley decided to find him in order to ask him about Beth. Learning that she was being investigated, Beth blasted Harley, who remained undeterred. Finally, Beth admitted to Harley about her abusive relationship with Carl but left insulted when Harley continued to interrogate her. Beth then told Phillip about Carl and Harley’s meddling before Harley got to tell him her side of it. When Harley finally got to Phillip, he knew the whole story and yelled at Harley for interfering and jumped to Beth’s defense. Not long after, Carl, upon learning that Harley was asking about him, arrived in town threatening Harley to stay out of his business. Although Carl denied hurting Beth, Harley is soon able to trick him into admitting it. Later, she convinced Beth to help her arrest Carl. Using Beth as bait, the plan was for Harley to tape record Carl admitting his abusiveness. Unfortunately, Harley, realizing that she forgot her gun, left the scene before Carl got there. When she returned, Carl was dead and Beth was the prime suspect. During the investigation, Harley became unnerved at Phillip's attempts to protect Beth, even going as far as him suppressing evidence. Later, when Beth confessed to killing Carl in self-defense, both Harley and Phillip were unconvinced and investigated further. They soon discovered that the true killer was Phillip's daughter, Lizzie! Worried about Lizzie, Harley left Phillip so that he could be with his daughter in her time of need. But Phillip wouldn't have it and convinced Harley that he could be with her and be a part of his daughter's life at the same time. When Phillip proposed, Harley happily accepted and the couple made plans to marry, however when the wedding plans seemed to get out of hand, the couple decided to elope in New York. However, to their surprise, their elopement wasn't quite the secret they thought it was and they found that Buzz and Phillip's Aunt Alex arranged a beautiful wedding for them at City Hall.

Trouble began to brew again with the arrival of Harley's daughter Daisy, now called Susan, who was in search of her real mother now that her adoptive mother had passed away. In 1999, after telling Harley and Phillip that her father had "changed" after her mother's death, Harley allowed Susan to stay the night at her place, to Phillip's disapproval. After calling Susan's father, Jim, Harley suggested that they stay in Springfield for the holidays. Pleased to have a mother figure again, Susan was determined to fix Harley up with Jim and kept manipulating them to be alone together. Determined to stay in Springfield, Susan overdosed on medication. The plan worked with a guilt-ridden Harley wishing she could have seen the signs and suggesting that Susan should stay in town. However, Phillip disagreed and tried to encourage Harley to let go and allow Susan and Jim to go on with their lives. As Phillip and Harley continued to debate about Susan's presence in their lives, Harley learned that she was pregnant. After learning of Harley's pregnancy, a hurt Susan left Springfield to live with Jim but later corresponded with Harley by phone. Later, Susan called Harley asking for help after she shoplifted a dress, telling her she was at a strange bus station outside Springfield. So, Harley has arrived at the bus station outside of Springfield to collect Susan. While there, a creepy man who had been eyeing Susan turned his attention to Harley. The two of them struggled, and Harley managed to kick him in the groin. Meanwhile, Jim arrived and flattened the perpetrator. When Phillip showed up, he and Jim argued about Harley's involvement in Susan's life with Jim complaining that Susan was envious of the life that Phillip and Harley lead. Phillip offered to solve the problem by moving the two of them to Springfield and gave Jim a job at Spaulding. Unfortunately, Harley was forced to mediate between Phillip and Jim who did not get along with Jim even ended up quitting Spaulding to work at Lewis Construction. However, Phillip continued to grate on Jim, and when Jim threatened to leave town, Harley convinced Phillip to give him a reason to stay. So, to please Harley, Phillip bribed Jim to stay (although by now Jim was dating Beth so he was already planning on staying anyway). While pregnant, Harley had to deal with Phillip's assertion that Susan was jealous of her unborn baby, something that Susan continually denied and Susan's new relationship with teenager Max Nickerson. That summer, Harley finally gave birth to a son, who was named Alan Cooper Spaulding, with Harley deciding to nickname him "Zach" after the lead in Phillip's novel. Things couldn't have been better when Harley and her new family agreed to join her best friend, Cassie Layne, and her new fiancé, Prince Richard for a Thanksgiving celebration in San Cristobel. After the celebration, Phillip, Beth and Jim were forced to leave early for business reasons, unfortunately, their plane crashed into the mountains. All three were o.k., but Jim opted to leave and brave the cold on his own in an attempt to bring help back. Stranded and convinced they were going to die, Phillip and Beth began to reminisce about the past and Lizzie. Overcome by emotions, the two made love. Eventually, they were saved and reunited with Harley and Jim and decided to keep what happened a secret. Things remained calm for a brief time. Eventually, however, all hell began to break loose again, most of it without Harley's knowledge. In the midst of all of this, Harley also helped Blake hide her pregnancy from her husband ex-husband Ross, since she was convinced that he no longer loved her, and snuck her in and out of town to let her see her sons. In early 2000, Phillip and Beth not only found out that the evil Prince Edmund had a videotape of their tryst, but that Beth was pregnant with Phillip's baby. After deciding to stick to their plan and keep their secret by telling Jim that the baby is his, tragedy struck: Lizzie was stricken with leukemia. During the course of Lizzie's illness, Harley tried to be there for Phillip but sensed that something was bothering him. She was especially concerned about his antagonism toward Edmund and demanded to know the reason. When Rick told her that Edmund was blackmailing HIM, Harley, who was told to butt out, took it upon herself to investigate Rick's past. She visited Rick's former mentor Claire Ramsey in Chicago who avoided answering her questions, so Harley broke into Claire's house to find info on Rick and finally uncovered his dark secret: he wasn't really a doctor. That wasn't the only secret Harley would learn. With Lizzie's condition worsening, her only chance of surviving was a bone marrow transfusion from the baby Beth was carrying. When Jim refused to have his child delivered prematurely in order to save Lizzie, Phillip blurted out the horrible truth: the child Beth was carrying wasn't Jim's; it was his! Though relieved that the child could save Lizzie, Harley refused to forgive Phillip and asked him for a divorce. Though she tried to forgive Philip and give their marriage another try, she was still insecure about his friendship with Beth and decided that she could no longer trust him.

The ending of her marriage devastated Harley and to help her get over the divorce, her family threw her a "divorce party" in 2001. Though upset because Philip was in San Cristobel with Beth, Harley tried to put up a brave front. Then after all the men had passed out, Harley went upstairs and cried. The next thing she knew, Rick was by her side trying to comfort her. Knowing that he understood her pain and needing someone to make her feel special, Harley and Rick kissed then made love. The next morning they woke up and vowed to never acknowledge what happened and tell no one. In the meanwhile, Harley had to contend with the arrival of FBI agent, Gus Aitoro. To help his investigation of Springfield mob families, Gus enlisted the help of the Springfield Police Department, working very closely with Harley. Though recognizing that Gus had a job to do, Harley was very unnerved with Gus's determination in bringing down the Santos family. However, Harley had no choice but to cooperate in the investigation, despite the fact that Gus was having her do questionable things, such as planting a bug in the Bauer home (where Danny and Michelle Santos were living). While listening in, Gus and Harley get a clue that Danny might have been involved in his mother's death. On a hunch, Gus had Carmen Santos's ashes examined and learns that they are the remains of a dog! Armed with this information, Gus accused Danny of faking Carmen's death. However, Gus's interrogation lead Danny to realize that his home was bugged. While Gus was trying to build a case against Danny, it was obvious that the investigation into her friends' lives was making Harley physically ill. Soon, Harley realized that it wasn't Gus making her ill; she was pregnant!! Throughout her pregnancy, the one person whose sensitivity surprised her was Gus's. Soon, despite herself, Harley found herself having feelings for the man. Near the end of her pregnancy, Harley was stopped for speeding in a little town called Brewster's Point. Though she tried to explain to the officer that she was a cop, he didn't believe her and had her thrown into the town's one-person jail. Though she tried to call Rick but somehow there was a mix-up and Gus wound up taking the call. Thoroughly enjoying Harley's predicament, Gus went to Brewster's Point. However, Gus's amusement ended when suddenly Harley started having contractions in the empty police station and Harley informed him that he'd have to deliver her baby! Freaking out, Gus tried to get Harley out of the cell and ended up getting himself locked in the cell with her! Luckily, Rick, who figured out the phone mishap, found them and although he couldn't get in the cell, he talked Gus through the delivery. Despite it being a breech birth, Gus successfully delivered Harley and Rick's baby boy who, with a little help from Gus, Harley named Jude Cooper Bauer. By this time Gus and Harley's attraction to each other had grown, and Gus found it difficult to get Harley out of his mind. Knowing that Harley was considering going into a loveless marriage with Rick, Gus tried to dissuade her and later set her up to see Rick in an embrace with the woman he loved, Mel Boudreau. Unfortunately, Harley learned about the set-up and, after denying that she had any feelings for Gus, she kicked him out of her house. Although Harley, angry at his attempts to arrest Danny, stated that there was no reason for him to stay in town, Gus was finding himself very attracted to Harley. Touched that she'd care so much about him to be angry, he decided to stay. Despite everything she told everyone, including herself, Harley couldn't deny her feelings for Gus. However, Harley was determined to marry Rick so that they could be a family. Hoping to get Harley to change her mind, Gus asked her to work for him to nail Danny, which would give him the added benefit of getting Danny in jail. Unfortunately, despite his pleas, Harley refused. Not long after, Gus became a hero when he saved Danny from a fire at a warehouse. Despite claims that he only did it so that he could see Danny thrown in jail later, Harley was impressed. Soon Gus and Harley were unable to deny their feelings and it wasn't long after that he drew her into a kiss. Although she tried to pass it off as nothing, it was obvious that Harley was smitten. Meanwhile, Gus decided to make a change and joined the Springfield Police force--where Harley ended up being his supervisor. Harley still kept her distance from Gus though, knowing that her entire family and the fathers of her two youngest children despised him. However, in 2002, while investigating the Tory Granger case, she gave into her passion. This culminated in a hotel room nearly burning down and Harley and Gus being arrested as they made out in a car. After Gus dropped his vendetta against Danny Santos in order to be a better man for Harley, Touched by his efforts to change, Harley opened herself up to Gus.

Then Harley's niece, Marina, who thought Gus was abusing Harley, planted herself in his bed and pretended he had seduced her. Harley believed in Gus throughout and he moved into her house. Although Marina eventually confessed her lies, the damage had been done, as Frank had uncovered Gus's juvenile record. Phillip also got a copy, from Alan, and handed the evidence over to Harley, letting her decide for herself. It was then that Gus told Harley that he had been jailed for pushing a man off the roof, but that he was actually taking the blame for a girl, Eden. Harley believed him, but when Phillip learned Gus was still living with her and helping raise children with her, he was livid. He took Zach and planned to file for sole custody. Harley broke into the mansion, only to be caught as she attempted to flee with her son. She was jailed and suspended from the force pending a hearing. When Gus refused to tell Phillip or the police of his covering up for Eden, she threw him out of her house. After she learned Phillip had left the country with Zach, and after she had an ugly and public outburst at Alan during Richard Winslow's memorial service, Harley decided to go look for Eden herself, believing this was her only real chance to clear her name as well as Gus's. Harley tracked grifter Eden down, and when Eden refused to help clear Gus' name, Harley handcuffed herself to her and dragged her back to Springfield. There Harley learned that Eden was Gus's sister and Gus had taken the blame because he had sworn to his father, Joe, whom he idolized and who was shot and killed by the Santos family when both Gus and Eden were kids, that he would always protect Eden. Harley begged and bullied Eden to tell the truth for once. Unfortunately for Harley, when Eden learned from Phillip that she would probably go to jail if she claimed to have pushed the man off the roof, she not only blamed Gus for this crime, she also falsely accused him of beating her! The arbiter granted full custody to Phillip, and Harley swore vengeance on Eden. She uncovered Eden's dirty, ugly past, but Gus continued to stay loyal to his sister. Harley, disgusted by what Gus had brought into her life, broke up with him in order to have a better chance at seeing Zach. But her heart belonged with Gus and she was unable to stay apart from him. She was still in a custody dispute with Phillip, although she did manage to get her badge back. After Eden took a bullet for Gus in a sting operation Harley had instigated, Harley tried to tolerate Eden's place in their lives, in spite of Eden working for mafia queen Carmen Santos. But after Carmen's arrest for attempting to kill Danny Santos, Harley caught Eden trying to steal the disc containing Carmen's confession. Eden was being blackmailed by Carmen because Carmen knew Eden had pushed the man off the roof and covered up her crime. The man turned out to be Frederico Santos, the father of Tony and Ray Santos. Eden told Harley she had pushed him because he was going to tell everyone that her and Gus's father, Joe, was a dirty cop. Harley, knowing this would break Gus' heart, began privately investigating Joe's life in order to find out the truth, starting with Joe's old partner Roy. Gus caught her trying to break into Roy's closet safe one day, and put the pieces together. Refusing to believe his father could ever be on the take, he worked with Harley to help clear Joe's name. Then Eden was sent packing for an extended period by Phillip's Aunt Alex, who had offered to help Harley in her custody battle. Suspicious of Alex's generosity, Harley and Gus became even more suspicious when Alex appeared to have known Joe Augustino and so the pair decided to unearth her secrets. Unknown to the pair, Roy had been blackmailing Alex, but was felled by a stroke in early 2003 and shipped off to a Swiss hospital by Alex before he could tell Gus the full details. Later, while reading through old letters his parents had written around the time of his conception, Gus was devastated to realize that his mother was most likely barren. Though Gus offered to drop the investigation into his past, for fear of angering Alexandra and thus having Harley lose Zach, Harley encouraged him to continue looking into his origins. Not long after, after Zach was injured after being struck by a car, Phillip dropped his custody suit against Harley. Now free to continue their investigation, Harley and Gus learned that his father had walked a beat near the Spaulding mansion. A young woman had been found dead soon after Gus's birth, in a warehouse owned by none other than Miguel Santos, the man he had despised for decades! After threatening and even arresting Alex, Gus and Harley figured out that the young woman had been a recent arrival from Italy who worked as a nanny for a very young Phillip and was fired for being involved with Miguel Santos. Gus got confirmation that she was his mother, and with Harley's help, managed to find a picture of her and visit her grave. As Gus tried to come to terms with losing a mother he had never even known, the mystery of who his biological father was and why he was placed with the Augustino family continued to eat at him. During the course of the investigation, it became likely that Miguel Santos was Gus’s father, an idea that unsettled Gus. On a tip from Eden, Gus looked up Lucia Renaldi, an old friend of the family who stopped coming around when he was still a kid. Told that she was dead, Gus didn't believe it and ending up meeting her. Unfortunately Lucia was no help, simply saying that she knew his birth mother who gave him up to give him a better life. Steeling himself for the possibility that he was a Santos, Gus submitted to a DNA test that came back negative. Confused, he and Harley went over the evidence and realized that all roads led back to Alexandra, who'd been lying to them for weeks. Believing that Alex must be his mother, Gus and Harley confronted Alex only to come face to face with Lucia, aka Regina Tessori. It was then they learned the real truth, Gus was a Spaulding--Alan's son! Apparently, Alan had had an affair with Phillip's nanny, Regina, years earlier and Alex, trying to protect everyone involved gave the child to the Augustinos. Not long after, Harley and Gus both responded to a domestic disturbance and Harley was shot. Lying in the hospital, she had a vision of her mother, Nadine, who convinced her to hold onto her life. As Harley recovered, Gus was temporarily thrown off the force for reckless endangerment. Though he was cleared with Alan’s help, Harley was shocked when Frank (now Chief of Police) dictated that Gus and Harley could no longer be partners. Furious, Harley quit the force and told Gus that it was partly because she wanted to keep safe for her children. Not long after, Gus surprisingly proposed to Harley, and she accepted.

At about this time, a serial killer started murdering people connected to Eden’s escort service, and despite the fact that she had quit the force, Harley couldn’t resist and started looking into the matter. with Blake's help, Harley tried to piece together the clues. Unfortunately, Blake and Harley found themselves on opposite sides, with Blake trying to get a case against Eden and Harley looking in the other suspect, Blake's former stepbrother Ben Reade. Unable to get information from Rick about the victims, Harley peeked into his briefcase where he kept his files. There she discovered a key piece of evidence--the 2nd victim, Ramona Hendon, had a ring impression on her neck; a man's ring impression. Armed with this information, the police started to suspect that perhaps there were two murderers. Not long after, they were proven right when Mitch Hendon confessed to killing his wife, but that still left the mystery of who was killing the other women. Finally, a break in the case came when Gus, in Europe investigating Ben's past, sent Harley a fax regarding a teacher at a boarding school who was fired for molesting young teenaged boys. With help from Blake and Ross, Harley figured out that the killer must be Ben. That same evening, Marina was kidnapped by Ben! Though Marina came through unhurt, Ben killed himself. Soon after the investigation, Harley received a surprise visit from Alan who offered to finance Harley's own detective agency. Though knowing Alan was only being nice to her to ingratiate himself with Gus, Harley liked the idea of doing something useful and productive and so she approached Blake and Mel with the idea of opening a detective agency/protection/legal aid service. The Angels first case happened not long after when Brenda Jensen asked them to locate missing daughter, Lori, a Spaulding employee who had disappeared. Though Mrs. Jensen had gone to the police, they refused to do anything because enough time hadn't elapsed for the adult Lori to be declared missing. Soon the investigation focused on the man Lori had been having an affair with, her boss Brad Green. Though Mrs. Jensen said Lori was going to end the affair with the married Brad, he claimed that he was ending the affair with her. During the investigation, Harley spun 3 theories 1) Lori threatened to tell Brad's wife, Marie, about the affair and Brad killed her to keep or quiet 2) Brad kidnapped Lori and snuck her away to keep her quiet or 3) Lori left town of her on accord, possibly to frame Brad. In the course of the investigation, Brad was looking guilty of murder. Finally the police declared Lori a missing person but to Gus's annoyance, Mrs. Jensen still retained Harley. Though the situation with Lori was tense, Gus and Harley made a bet on who would find her first. However, they kept blocking each other's progress, such as when after speaking to Harley about her knowledge of Brad's affair, Marie refused to talk to the police at all. However, the situation grew more serious when Gus couldn't locate Harley after she'd gone to question Brad. convinced she was in danger, Gus tried to locate her, after finally convincing Blake that this wasn't about the bet--Harley could be in danger. Finding her with Brad on his boat, Gus made a move to arrest him for kidnapping. However, to his surprise, Harley maintained that while Brad did drag her to the boat, he was simply a desperate man who panicked; she didn't think he was a killer. On a hunch, Harley and Gus came up with a plan to get to the truth. Enlisting the help of Mrs. Jensen, they put out information stating that she'd had a severe heart attack. As they suspected, Lori came back to town and was forced to confess that she and Marie arranged her disappearance to get money out of Brad. Not long after, Jeffrey "kidnapped" Harley in order to convince her to work for him by telling Harley that the father of one of her children could be in trouble. Realizing he was talking about Phillip, Harley listened as Jeffrey warned her that something was wrong at Spaulding Enterprises and he needed her help in finding out what it was. Instructed to keep her investigation from Gus, in 2004, Harley started investigating Spaulding, specifically Spaulding's head of the Pharmaceutical Division, Brad Green. Playing off of Brad's tremendous ego, Harley flirted with him to find out something to take to Jeffrey. Although she gained Brad's trust by "convincing" Jeffrey to drop the charges against Brad's wife, Marie, instead of getting any useful information from Brad, all she got was frustration at having to fend off his sexual advances. It also got her into trouble with Marie who warned Harley to stay away from her husband. When Harley's investigation was becoming fruitless, Jeffrey approached her with the news that he had an inside informant at Spaulding--Gus! To Harley's shock, Gus was at Spaulding investigating how shipments of a drug called Antimonius was being sold on the black market. At the same time, Harley had become intrigued by the case of Carrie Caruthers, who was shot and apparently killed by Marah Lewis. Having learned the story of how 27 years earlier, Buzz and 4 other Springfield men covered up the accidental death of Carrie's niece, Maryanne, Harley was convinced that Carrie had her revenge all planned out. On a hunch, Harley began to suspect that Carrie had faked her death. Going to the Fairgrounds (where the shooting took place) Harley met up with Reva, who had gone to the Fairgrounds to do some investigating of her own. Going down to the underground tunnels under the trap door Carrie fell through, the ladies discovered Carrie alive! Although Carrie was able to escape, thanks to Harley, her confession was on tape. However, even that wasn't enough, they had to find Carrie. Desperate to help Marah, Reva had herself hypnotized so she could finally speak with Maryanne. The plan worked and Maryanne showed Reva what happened that night in October 1977. Under hypnosis, Reva learned it was Carrie who caused Maryanne's death that fateful night in 1977 when she strangled Maryanne, who had washed ashore at the other side of the riverbank. Harley and Frank were able to find proof of Reva's story when Jeffrey ordered an immediate exhumation of Maryanne’s grave. Rick examined Maryanne’s exhumed body with Frank and Harley as witnesses. During the investigation, Rick discovered ligature marks on the neck and a crushed windpipe that convinces them she died of strangulation, and not by drowning. Armed with this new evidence, Harley and Frank were able to apprehend Carrie. Meanwhile the investigation into Antimonious was going into high gear with Harley trailing Brad, Gus hitting the streets, and Danny Santos infiltrating to mob. Although an undercover Gus was able to locate a dealer for Delirium and thereby secure a shipment, the investigation was hampered by Eden herself! Being forced into working for Salerno one last time, she got the drugs to him but then angrily flushed them down the toilet. Now an enemy of Salerno, the DA's office was forced to fake Eden's death and she entered the witness protection program, leaving Springfield forever. Weeks later, Gus and the feds got another chance to nab Salerno and his supplier at Spaulding. That summer, the sting went down and the mob and Brad Green went down for dealing in drugs. Unfortunately, Harley felt justice was not served since Brad died of a heart attack the night he was arrested, leaving no one accountable for what happened, his last words merely being "God free." However, like Harley, Frank had doubts that Brad was working alone and he continued to investigate the case. Unfortunately, in the middle of the investigation, Frank found himself under scrutiny by Internal Affairs when someone phoned in a tip stating that he was dirty! Although Ross refused to believe the charge, there was evidence in Frank's briefcase that showed he was Brad Green's accomplice! With no other choice, Ross was forced to suspend Frank while Gus was made Acting Chief of Police. Despite all this turmoil in the Cooper family, Harley and Gus's wedding plans went on. Then the evening before their wedding, Harley was shocked when Frank's fiancée, Darcy, accidentally called Alexandra "Mrs. Godfrey." Suddenly, Harley realized that in his last breath, Brad was trying to implicate Alex! As she railed at Alexandra for her lies and deception, to the shock of both women, Gus stepped in and demanded that Harley back off his family. Wanting to give Gus, whom she was convinced knew nothing about Alex, the wedding he deserved, Harley agreed, but later demanded that Alexandra break up with Buzz to spare him the pain she’ll undoubtedly cause him once he learned the truth. Although Alex tried to dump Buzz, she didn't go through with it. Finally, the day of the wedding, Frank would stumble across a security tape that proved that not only was Alexandra Brad's accomplice, but Gus knew about it since the evening of Brad's death. Though both Frank and Buzz tried to dissuade Harley from viewing the tape, she did and was utterly devastated by what she saw. Although Gus (who had just planned to confess all), tried to beg for her forgiveness, Harley would hear none of it and called off the wedding. Weeks later, still reeling from Gus's betrayal, Harley was shocked to learn that Phillip was planning to demolish Company! Desperate to stop Phillip, Harley went to the one Spaulding she thought would help her--Gus. Soon, the two got close and Harley admitted that she still loved him and stated that if he disowned his family, they could have a future. However, Gus was unwilling to forsake the only family he had left and refused. With his refusal, Harley returned his ring and the pair went their separate ways. Later, Harley was incredulous to learn that he was working as legal counsel (thus helping Phillip to destroy Company), Gus tried to reassure Harley that although he couldn't stop Phillip, he could stall the proceedings in order to give the Coopers more time to stop him. Meanwhile, due to all of this stress, Buzz suffered a heart attack and while being wheeled into surgery asked Harley to forgive Gus. Although Harley agreed, to Gus's disappointment, she only said it to make her father feel better. As Buzz was wheeled into surgery, Harley was disappointed to learn that Gus had slipped away to attend to Spaulding business (unaware that he was trying to stop Company's immediate destruction)

Now finished with the Spauldings, Harley still had to deal with Phillip and knowing that Bill Lewis was out to knock down the powerful Spaulding family, she offered to help. She and Bill then concocted an audacious plan that would get her on the inside track at Spaulding. Disguising herself as a middle aged, frumpy woman (complete with wig & fake nose) named Ruth Karloff, Harley and Bill set up a scene in front of Phillip where he'd see Bill pleading with his assistant "Ruth" to stay on the job. As expected, "Ruth's" directness impressed Phillip and he hired her as his own assistant. Over the course of several weeks, "Ruth" made herself indispensable to Phillip, while her unfailing loyalty helped Phillip feel secure. Although she almost succeeded in breaking into Phillip's briefcase to get a look at his files, she was almost caught by Phillip. Luckily, she was able to come up with a good excuse as to how Phillip's briefcase broke and he remained oblivious. Although Harley unknowingly sent out a fax speeding up Company's destruction, thankfully, Phillip’s plans were foiled when it was discovered that the area was a nesting place for a rare bird. Angry that he'd lost, Phillip vindictively tore down Harley's house. Furious, Harley confronted Phillip who told her that Gus was aware of what he'd done. Meanwhile, Phillip's malice towards the Coopers wasn't lost on Zach, who distanced himself from Phillip. Although the Coopers denied it, Phillip was certain that they were poisoning Zach's mind against him. Soon after, while posing as Ruth at the Spaulding mansion, Harley was spotted by Zach who seemed to recognize her! Luckily, she got him to keep her secret while Phillip was there. That same evening, Harley snatched Zach and left town! Days later, Harley returned and appear to call a truce with Phillip. However, it was just a ruse for Phillip to let his guard down so she could get her revenge. In the meantime, Phillip was becoming paranoid that someone was conspiring against him and demanded that Gus find out who the mole was. Unfortunately for Harley, the first on Gus's list was Ruth! Fortunately, "Ruth's" tendency to avoid eye contact kept Gus from figuring out who she was, though it did make him suspicious of her. His suspicions would grow when he'd find himself behind a locked door at the Spaulding mansion. On the other end was "Ruth" who in an attempt to get proof that Phillip called the INS on Olivia got her wig stuck in the shredder. Afraid of getting caught, Harley tried to dissuade Gus from entering the room, but he, believing she was involved in illegal dealings at Phillip's behest, Gus threatened to kick the door down. Luckily, at that point, Bill showed up and snuck her out of the mansion. He then showed her something astonishing he'd found on Spaulding property--a junked car that matched the one that struck Sandy Foster weeks earlier. Doing some investigating, the pair figured out that it was the same car and deduced that Phillip must have been the one involved in the hit and run on Sandy. In the meantime, Gus was becoming more and more suspicious of Ruth, especially after all of her references seemed fake. While Gus was becoming concerned that the mole was actually Ruth, Phillip expressed his doubts. Unfortunately, when "Ruth" started asking questions to both Lizzie and Phillip, he quickly realized that Gus was right and decided that Ruth needed to be neutralized to protect Lizzie. (since he suspected she knew about the hit and run) To accomplish this, he arranged for a man to run "Ruth" down! Luckily for Harley, Gus saved her life and in the process, discovered that Harley was Ruth! To her surprise, Gus agreed to keep her secret. Later, Harley, as Ruth, confronted Phillip about her nearly fatal accident. In front of Gus, she threatened to reveal all if Phillip didn’t do what she demanded - put her on top at Spaulding Enterprises. Although Gus himself tried to get Phillip to confess, he had no success. Very soon after, Harley and Gus would learn that Lizzie, not Phillip, was guilty of the hit and run. That same day, Harley received a notice to meet Phillip at the mansion only to find herself alone with Olivia and Beth. Finally, Phillip showed up and apologized to the women for all the pain he'd caused and stated that he was calling a truce. He then left, leaving the woman skeptical as to Phillip's sincerity. That same day, the women were shocked when they discovered that Phillip had made off with all of his children! Although Zach used Phillip’s cell phone to call Harley but Phillip quickly hung up. A few days later, Harley confronted Phillip when he returned (alone) to the mansion and tried to get Phillip to tell her where the kids. Unfortunately, he didn't respond to her threats and her attempts to appeal to his compassion failed. Although Phillip stated that he'd give her the location if she begged him (just as he begged her to forgive him when they were married), he reneged on his promise and cruelly shredded the paper containing the location in front of Harley. That same night, Phillip asked several people to meet him at Company at 9pm, telling each person that if they came, and told no one else of the meeting, their children would be returned to them. At 9pm, the various citizens of Springfield converged at Company to find Phillip shot! Although he was rushed to the hospital, it was too late and Phillip was declared dead. But Gus was concerned because one person was not there at the scene--Harley! That same night, Harley, dressed as Ruth, came to Company. However, she was dazed, disheveled, and apparently had been in a scuffle. Having no memory of that night, all she could remember was a scuffle with Phillip and a gun. After convincing Harley to keep quiet, Gus was able to locate the missing children. For days, Harley was consumed with the thought that she killed Phillip, especially when she, without trying, found the gun at Company. Distraught, Harley was sure she'd killed her son's father until Gus walked her through that night by asking about Company's security system (since somehow the system was shut off that night). While going through the details, Harley remembered that she didn't know the code to shut off the alarm, but she knew who did--Buzz. Although Harley told Gus that she wouldn't protect Buzz the way he protected Alex, days later she admitted to Gus that she did intend to protect her father. Later, despite Gus's misgivings, Harley came up with a plan to protect Buzz---frame "Ruth" for Phillip's murder. Harley them came up with the plan to, disguised as Ruth, tape a confession and then stage a suicide. Afraid of what could go wrong, Gus refused to help her. Unfortunately, Gus was correct and things went horribly wrong. After learning from Frank that Ruth was spotted on the bridge. Gus rushed to the scene. At the same time, Frank arrived, yelled for "Ruth" to surrender. Panicked, Harley tried to run. Despite Gus's pleas for Frank not to fire, Frank pulled out his gun and fired a warning shot. Suddenly, Harley lost her footing and went over the bridge. As the police searched for Ruth on the rocks below the bridge, Gus found Harley hidden on a beam under the bridge. Harley pleaded with Gus to help cover for her and say he saw the body washed away by the current. Days later, on Christmas, Gus and Harley unexpectedly shared a kiss while putting Zach's star atop the tree at Christmas. Unfortunately, the moment was broken, when Frank came in to arrest Harley--he recognized her on "Ruth's videotape. As Gus passionately defended her, Harley agreed to go down to the station with Frank. After kissing her again, Gus swore he'd find the real killer.

Throughout the early part of 2005, Gus worked relentlessly in proving Harley's innocence. Although Jeffrey tried to offer Harley a deal--a lesser sentence if she pled guilty, Gus continually refused to let her accept it. Gus gave Harley the deed to her house which he has obtained using his Spaulding assets. She was moved to tears as Gus promised her they will get through their hardships. Convinced that someone else killed Phillip, Gus started looking at members of his own family, beginning with Beth. Gus got a clue about Beth’s own potential guilt when he stumbled upon her giving a red stained dress she wore the day Phillip died to charity. convinced that Beth was hiding something, Gus started questioning her about Phillip's death. At the same time, he had Harley locate the dress. Harley succeeded in finding the dress, but unfortunately it had been bleached clean. Later, upon learning that Beth had left town to go to a spa, Gus advised Harley not to confront her since she'd be jumping bail. But Harley refused to listen and snuck out to confront Beth. During the confrontation, Harley learned that while Beth was hiding a secret, it was not that she killed Phillip. At the same time, Gus spoke to Lizzie and began questioning her on Beth’s whereabouts. Lizzie begged Gus to drop his investigation and let her father rest in peace but in the process, she told Gus something that contradicted with what Beth told Harley. The next day, when Harley's pre-trial hearing went poorly, Harley tried to convince Gus to take a day off from her case and then used the down time to try and prepare her family for life after she was sent away to jail. However, Gus realized what she was doing and refused to give up on her. Later, Gus and Harley figured out the discrepancy in Lizzie and Beth’s stories and discovered that Lizzie was missing an alibi for the night of the murder. As her pre-trial was approaching, Buzz, who was also worried Harley could be guilty, offered to fly her and the boys out of Springfield to escape prosecution. Although tempted, Harley declined and decided to face her fate. At the same time, Gus's relentless questioning of the Spauldings drove a wedge between him and Alan and when Gus quit and declared that he want nothing to do with the Spauldings, Alan made it clear that would lose everything-- his job, his inheritance and his home if he went against the family. However, Gus didn't care; all that mattered was proving Harley's innocence. Trying to come to terms with her future, Harley moved into the Springfield Inn in order to protect Zach from the media circus that had been hounding her. She also asked Danny to fix the jury, as a test to see if he was truly a changed man (and thus worthy of Marina). To her relief, he passed the test by refusing her request. Soon after, Harley learned that Gus had, by coincidence, moved into the Inn as well after being disowned by Alan. Worried he was spending too much time on her case, and it was costing him too much, she tried to fire him but he refused to abandon her. At the same time Gus was trying to prove she was innocent, Harley kept having doubts and wondered if she actually did kill Phillip. Gus continually refused to acknowledge the mere possibility, even going as far as to interrupt a hypnosis session when Harley was about to have a memory breakthrough. Even though Harley was all set to say goodbye to her life, Gus refused to let her give up on her future. Finally the trial began with Gus relentlessly going after his main suspect--Lizzie. Unfortunately, that cross examination led nowhere. Later, Gus further angered Alan by calling him on the stand and stating that it was Alan's bad parenting that caused Phillip's death. Although Bill offered to help Harley on the stand when he testified, realizing he was offering to lie, Harley informed him to simply tell the truth on the stand. Soon after when Harley learned of Alan's intention to sue for sole custody of Zach when she's convicted she offered Alan a deal--she'd plead guilty if he allowed Zach to be raised by the Coopers. Alan agreed but the plan hit a snag when before she was able to plea, Frank found a witness who claimed that Phillip was still alive when Harley left Company. Unfortunately thanks to some spying by Olivia (under coercion from Alan) it was discovered that that witness had been paid by Gus to lie! Later, Bill offered to rig the jury in order to keep Harley out of prison. While she was touched by his offer, she declined but wanted to know why he was willing to risk so much for her. He then told her of Olivia’s betrayal. Surprisingly, Harley understood Olivia's motivation to protect her child. Meanwhile, with this new evidence, Harley was convicted of murder. Although he talked about making plans to appeal, Gus had worked himself so feverishly over the course of the previous months that he suddenly collapsed from a bleeding ulcer! Although he was encouraged to stay in the hospital, he refused and kept on with his intention to free Harley, even though she tried to order him to get some rest. Determined to be near the woman he loved, Gus bought an apartment right next to the prison, a prospect that horrified Harley since she wanted him to get on with his life. Soon Gus collapsed again. When he awoke in the ER and realized that Harley was gone, he became desperate to find her, knowing it was her last night before sentencing. Although Buzz tried to reason with him, Gus managed to drag himself out of bed and left the hospital. At the same, Harley was distraught over the upcoming sentencing and got amazing support from Bill. Their mutual comforting took a surprising turn when they began to kiss. Harley stopped their imminent love making, and the friends drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Gus found the pair together and Harley let him believe that she and Bill had slept together. Bill said nothing to contradict Harley's story and agreed to keep up the lie for Gus's sake, since Harley had perpetuated the lie to push Gus away so he'd go on with his life while she was in prison. Although an angry Gus (who knew she only did this to push him away) refused to attend her sentencing hearing, in the end he relented. Despite favorable testimony from Alan (under duress from Gus), Harley was sentenced to 25 years. Later, Gus pulled some strings and came to visit Harley and while sharing a painful good-bye, she realized the attention she is attracting. Not wanting anyone else to think she got special treatment, Gus and Harley staged a fight and he left her, heartbroken.

Now incarcerated, Harley met her new cellmate, Lena, and the warden--Mallet! Alone, Mallet tried to apologize for the pain he caused her. But, Harley wasn't interested and blasted him for cheating on her all those years ago. After unreasonably blaming him for the situation she was in, Harley began to break down as he wrapped her in his arms to try and comfort her. Later, Harley faced the threat from her fellow inmates but was saved by Lena. Harley and Lena began a tentative friendship while Mallet offered her the cushy new detail of being assigned to his office. Resentful of his kindness towards her, Harley accused him of applying for the new warden job to be near him. However, he denied it, citing he had no ulterior motive for getting the job. He nonetheless wanted to make her life easier and allowed her to use his private phone and go out on his balcony (both one-time deals). It was out on the balcony that Harley had her first real memory of the night Phillip was killed--she smelled jasmine that night! Although believing that Harley should make the best of her life now instead of hoping for an early release that might not ever happen, Mallet helped to obtain perfume samples for Harley to see if she did indeed smell perfume. Unfortunately, that lead to a dead end and Harley got more bad news when Buzz informed her that Gus was missing. Fearful that he was in grave danger, Harley tried to talk her father into breaking her out of jail but he refused. Desperate, she tried to seduce Mallet in an effort to have him let her out for the day, but he quickly saw through her attempt. Unbeknownst to both of them, Alan had paid a guard in the prison designed to make Harley's life hell and Harley was put in danger when Mallet fired a guard that was on Alan’s payroll. The other guards sought payback and targeted Harley. Just when things were about to get ugly, Mallet came to her rescue. Harley though suffered a blow to the head and Mallet took her back to his office to have her checked out and the two grew closer. Just then, Gus, fearing for Harley's safety, arrived at the prison. Meanwhile, Mallet received orders to transfer Harley to the harshest correctional facility, otherwise known as Hell House. Mallet split up the reunion between Gus and Harley with the news of the transfer. While Gus set off with his latest lead (Olivia), Mallet decided to manipulate the system to keep Harley in Springfield. He then asked Harley to trust him since he had to keep her isolated from everyone. Later, while holed up in Mallet’s office, the two battled over their breakup and Mallet revealed that he wrote Harley countless letters, apologizing and trying to make up for the pain he caused her. Stunned, Harley figured out that Frank must have intercepted the letters but couldn't find it in herself to be angry since she knew he was just trying to protect her. Harley was touched but unable to state whether or not she would have returned to him if she had read the letters. Soon after this exchange, Mallet was called away to a meeting about the transfer, while ,at the same time, Gus got a lead to Olivia's whereabouts. Now alone, the stage was set for Harley's transfer! Luckily, Mallet and Gus figured out the set-up and Mallet arrived at the prison in the nick of time and got Harley off the bus. Later, holed up in his office, Harley asked Mallet why he wrecked his career for her, but the look in his eyes confirmed for Harley that he did it for love. Later, Harley and Mallet become shocked when Frank walked in, acting as a hostage negotiator. Though he tried, he failed to get them to reconsider their actions and come forward. Later, Mallet admitted to Harley that this was his way of atoning for all the pain he caused her. He then forced Harley to confront her own feelings for him. Although there was still some kind of bond between them, she confessed that she loved Gus. That same day, Harley overheard Lena calling Alan and realized that Lena had been spying on her all along! Harley confronted Lena who admitted that Alan was threatening her daughter and asked for Harley’s forgiveness but an upset Harley wouldnt give it. Mallet returned and things suddenly went from bad to worse when the SWAT team began to close in. A desperate Harley figured her only choice was to turn herself in but, in an attempt to change her mind, Mallet passionately kissed her. She quickly pulled back, reminding him that she was in love with Gus. Fearing the worst, Harley made emotional phone calls to her kids and to Gus. The SWAT team then threw a tear gas grenade into the office, prompting Mallet to ask Harley to run away with him. Although doubtful, Harley accepted the offer. When they reached the yard, Harley saw Lena on the transfer bus and learned she was taking Harley’s place. Harley refused to let Lena suffer for her, even though Lena betrayed her. Harley then thanked Mallet for all he was willing to sacrifice and let him know they were now even, right before knocking him out cold. She then got aboard the bus and tried to get Lena to leave when suddenly, the door closed. Harley and Lena were on their way to Hell House! Just when things looked hopeless, the bus suddenly flipped over and caught on fire leaving her and Lena trapped. Just when it seemed as if they were doomed, Gus (who had spotted the transfer bus on the road) appeared and pulled Harley to safety. the pair then struggled to free Lena but it was too late and the woman died in Harley's arms. Harley and Gus now had the perfect opportunity to escape, yet Mallet found them and stood in their way. Mallet and Gus each made a case for why he was the one to best protect Harley in the wake of her prison escape. But Harley’s heart belonged to Gus and Mallet was forced to let her go, sacrificing himself to the authorities to give them time to escape. After buying a vendor's ice cream truck for transportation, Gus and Harley resolved to find the person who had been sending Gus notes about Phillip's murder. While reviewing the security tapes from Spaulding they spotted a goateed man leaving a note on the table. Convinced he was their man, Harley and Gus headed off for New York (since the notes were written on stationary from a hotel in that city) Unable to find a hotel that matched the stationary logo, all looked lost for Harley until Gus saw the Brooklyn Bridge and realized they were searching in the wrong place. Realizing that the mystery man who may know who killed Phillip was staying somewhere near the Brooklyn Bridge, they finally located his hotel. Unfortunately, the mystery man was out. . As they debated their next move, the pair was recognized by federal agents who had already seized their ice cream truck and the duo was forced to run on foot through the streets of Brooklyn. They dashed into a building that looked like a warehouse, only to find themselves backstage at a soap opera. While hiding out at the closed set, the pair kept watch on the hotel across the street. To their luck, the saw the man go in and then quickly donned disguises to slip in and find out what room he was in. Unfortunately, Alan (who both were aware put a bounty on Harley's head) sent his henchman, Sebastian, to New York to permanently silence the man, Dr. Wallace. Unfortunately, just as Gus and Harley arrived at Wallace's room, Sebastian pulled the fire alarm as a diversion to get to Wallace and Harley and Gus barely got away without being seen. Luckily that same night, Harley and Gus saw Wallace once again outside the Brooklyn hotel and rushed out to confront him. Unfortunately, just as Wallace was about to reveal the identity of Phillip's real killer, a cab, driven by Sebastian, came out of nowhere and ran Wallace down. Wallace was rushed to the hospital but remained comatose. Realizing that they may have lost their only chance to learn the truth, Gus tried to persuade Harley to just take the boys and go on the lam with him. But Harley wasn't ready to give up hope yet and she and cautiously returned to the hospital to find Dr. Wallace awake. When they finally got a moment alone with him, Gus made an emotional appeal for Wallace to help Harley clear her name. Unfortunately, before Wallace could reveal what he knows, the police showed up. Luckily, the police didn't recognize the couple--they only wanted their statements about the hit and run. Unfortunately, by the time the pair went back into Wallace's room, the man was dead. Later, after making love on the closed set, Harley receives a call from a released from jail Mallet warning her that Alan knew where she was. But, Mallet’s warnings seemingly came too late. Harley and Gus heard noises and realized that the police were closing in on them. After deciding to split up, Harley heard a gunshot and rushed back to Gus. She found him lying in a pool of blood, shot by none other than Mallet. Though she was desperate to save him, Mallet managed to pull her away, leaving Gus in the care of a NYPD cop. Mallet then took Harley to a seedy New York hotel room where she angrily blamed him for shooting Gus deliberately. Mallet tried to explain but Harley didn't him the chance until he finally blurted out that Gus was alive! At the same time, a very much alive Gus overpowered the cop watching him and made his getaway as Mallet revealed to Harley the plan he and Gus came up with to distract the police and give Harley a chance to escape. Unfortunately, Sebastian discovered where Gus was and called the Springfield police. As Gus was being carted away by Frank, Mallet got a lucky break when he found a note in Wallace's possessions that named Phillip's killer--Alan! Days later, obvious as to what Mallet and Harley found, Gus ran into an increasingly paranoid Alan at Company. Incredulous, Harley set a trap for Alan by anonomously asking him to meet her at Company. Knowing he'd been found out, Alan brought a gun to the meeting and waited. The first person he saw was Gus and, assuming that Gus knew the truth, Alan had a gun and appeared on the brink of silencing Gus the same way he silenced Phillip. But, Harley arrived and explained that she was the one who uncovered the truth. Alan stonewalled but Harley tricked him into confessing. Outraged and completely over the edge, Alan raised his gun, determined to keep the truth of what happened to Phillip a secret. Luckily, at this moment, Mallet arrived with gun in hand and stopped Alan. Trapped, Alan tried to recant his confession, but was shocked when Lizzie, Alex, Beth, Rick, Bill and Olivia, who were all summoned by Harley, appeared and revealed that they heard Alan’s admission. Though Alan tried to weasel out of it, Alex stepped forward and revealed that she had physical evidence that Alan shot Phillip. With Alexandra's testimony, Harley was cleared of all charges and Alan was sent to jail. Their ordeal finally over, Gus proposed marriage again and Harley accepted. Later, Alan shocked Gus and Harley by blurting out that Phillip was alive Alan faked his death! Although Gus didn't believe Alan's claim that a mentally disturbed Phillip was living out his life in an abandoned warehouse, Harley wasn't so sure. Against Gus's wishes, Harley spoke with Alan and agreed to get him released from jail if he showed her where Phillip was. Unfortunately for Alan, when he took Harley, Mallet (who had returned to the Springfield PD) and Frank to the wharehouse, Phillip was nowhere to be found. Believing that Alan was either crazy or just manipulating Harley, Gus tried to convince her to focus on their wedding and not investigate Alan's claim. However, stubborn as ever, Harley wouldn't listen and enlisted Mallet's help in helping her prove Phillip was alive. Doing some investigating, Mallet learned that Alan did have a medical staff on his payroll, but that wasn't proof that Phillip was alive. Thinking there was just one option, Harley tried to get Lizzie's permission to exhume Phillip's body but the teen refused. Not taking no for an answer, Harley went off to the cemetary to do it herself and was surprised to osee Mallet there ready to help her. But Harley's actions weren't lost on Gus and after learning that she'd asked Lizzie permission about exhuming Phillip's body, Gus suspected that Harley would do it without permission. It turned out he was right. When he got to the cemetery, Harley and Mallet had been trying to get into the crypt before Mallet was knocked unconscious. After arguing with her about the dangers of grave-robbing, Gus, upset and afraid for her safety, asked Harley to make their upcoming wedding s priority over Phillip’s case. Although she agreed, she later got Gus suspicious by unexpectedly leaving town. Gus tracked Harley and Mallet to Mallet’s apartment, crushed to realize that Harley put their wedding plans on hold to pursue the truth about Phillip. The situation took an awkward turn when Gus realized that he’s standing in the apartment Harley and Mallet shared when they were married. In the middle of their argument about Harley's insistence on continuing the investigation, Gus gave her the choice of staying and following Mallet's new lead or leaving with him. Determined to finish was she started, Harley stayed, but quickly reconsidered and returned to Springfield to marry Gus. But before marrying Harley, Gus had to make sure her fears about Harley were put to rest and Gus tricked Alan into signing an exhumation order for Phillip's grave. The day of the wedding, Rick performed the exhumation and informed Harley that Phillip was indeed dead.

Later, Gus and Harley returned from their honeymoon and stumbled upon an unconscious Coop, moments before a dangerous gas leak could do any serious damage. Coop turned out to be alright, although Lizzie informed the pair that she thought Alan had orchestrated the accident. Although the pair investigated, they came up with nothing to prove that Alan was involved. Meanwhile, Gus was preparing to take over at Spaulding Enterprises. However, on the day of the stockholder's meeting to vote him in as CEO, Gus suddenly froze and ran out. Harley quickly finished his speech and got a most unexpected result: the board was so impressed; they elected her to be the new CEO, instead of him. Blake, India and Lizzie encouraged her but when Beth arrived, she was not happy with the news. When Gus encouraged Harley to take the Spaulding CEO job, she pushed him to go after his badge, knowing it is what he really wanted. Harley then met with Alan who told her that she would ultimately fail in trying to run Spaulding. Later, Harley had just about made up her mind not to take the job when an upset Zach ran in, saying he was being teased about being a crazy Spaulding. In comforting him, Harley decided that she had to take the job so she can help make being a Spaulding something her son can be proud of. Weeks later, Blake created a scandal by publishing a thinly disguised book about Harley and Mallet's relationship. Although Gus tried to act like he didn't care, it was obvious that he was concerned about any lingering feelings Harley might have for Mallet. Meanwhile, Beth, who had married Alan in an attempt to hold onto her interests at Spaulding, fanned the flames of tension between the three of them but Harley and Gus ultimately prevailed. Meanwhile, Harley made it clear to Mallet that she did not share the thoughts and emotions of Blake’s heroine, "Marley". Later, after reading the book, Gus asked Harley if she slept with Mallet in the prison. Harley said no, but admitted that she and Mallet made peace with each other while they were in prison, leaving Gus unsettled. Meanwhile, several weeks later, Gus and Harley became aware that she was being set up to take a fall at Spaulding. Figuring that Alan was working, from the outside, to give Harley faulty accounting information, the pair foiled Alan's plan by getting the correct information. Later, Gus confronted Harley about a tape he'd seen of Harley and Mallet kissing while they were in prison. Harley tried to assure Gus that she loved on him, but despite himself, he remained unsettled. Days later, at Mallet's request, Harley agrees to interview her old friend, Dinah, for a job at Spaulding. After Harley and Dinah bonded in a stairwell during a blackout, Harley remembers why they were friends to begin with and offered Dinah a job. On her first day, Dinah proved her worth by outing Harley’s assistant as the gossip mole who had been leaking information to the press. Meanwhile, an increasingly tense Gus arrived at Spaulding and Harley assured him that while Mallet may be her past, Gus was her future. A few days later, Harley was thrilled when a newly-divorced Alan-Michael paid her a surprise visit. Although Harley thought he was returning to the company, Alan-Michael assured her that he had no intention of working at Spaulding again--all he wanted to do was live the carefree life. Meanwhile, Harley was rattled when Gus tried to force a double date with Harley, Dinah and Mallet and admitted to a reluctant Harley he was doing it because he felt Mallet wouldn’t give up on Harley unless he had someone else to focus his attention on. Though Harley told Gus he was being ridiculous, Gus wasn't so sure when he heard her tell Mallet she just didn’t like the idea of him seeing another woman. Mallet was thrown but Gus was so angry that he lashed out at Harley for lying to him while Dinah, Beth and others witnessed it. The next day, the couple had another public fight, however that was just for show. By now Gus and Harley realized that Beth was working with Alan to oust Harley and worked out a plan to eliminate the threat. However Harley realized she needed help and asked Alan-Michael to return to the company in an effort to watch her back. At the same time, Harley was struggling with her unresolved feelings for Mallet, and the feelings she learned he still had for her. Although the pair tried to, as Harley put it, repress their feelings the tension was picked up by everyone, including Alan-Michael and Dinah. When Harley, however, urged Dinah to give Mallet a shot, assuring her that he’s a wonderful guy, Dinah challenged her boss, wanting to know if Harley wasn’t married to Gus, would she marry Mallet all over again? Harley said that she would, just as Mallet and Gus overheard. Meanwhile, after weeks of staging arguments, Beth finally took the bait and offered Gus a deal - help her get Harley out of Spaulding and save his marriage as a result. The trap was finally set at the Spaulding Christmas party when Beth privately told Gus to issue Harley and ultimatum--the company or him. The entire conversation, including Beth's desire to get rid of Harley and grab power for herself, was played for everyone in the room to hear and Harley promptly fired Beth. Days later, Gus was unnerved to hear that Alan was going to be released from the mental hospital. Meanwhile, after offering Alan-Michael a position at Spaulding (after he saved the company from a bad business deal) she confessed about her recent dreams regarding Mallet. The confession - and an unexpected chat with Olivia about tossing out the old to make way for the new - prompted Harley to return a “My First Christmas" ornament Mallet once made for her. Meanwhile, Gus’s phobia about what a newly freed Alan might do to Harley caused him to tackle an innocent intern who was just shadowing Harley as a part of his training. Harley then tried to assure Gus that there was nothing to worry about; Alan couldn’t do anything to her. At year's end, Alan was released from the mental hospital and Harley found a letter from Gus telling her goodbye--he was leaving to take care of Alan once and for all. In 2006, terrified that Gus might be doing something drastic, Harley informed Mallet that she would be helping the police look for Gus. She also asked Mallet look the other way if Gus had done anything criminal. Mallet agreed but made it clear he would do it for Harley--not for Gus. The next morning Harley admitted to Mallet that she might still harboring some residual feelings for Mallet. When Mallet asked if Gus weren’t in her life, the two of them might have gotten back together, Harley couldn’t deny it but reminded him that Gus was in her life. Apparently satisfied, Mallet told Harley that they had a lead on Gus--on New Year's Eve he had apparently rented a limo. At the same time, Harley got a call from the medical examiner asking her to identify a body that could be Gus's, but to her relief, it wasn't. Meanwhile, using the limo's GPS device, they were able to track the limo which had crashed but abandoned. Due to a violent snowstorm the search had be postponed. Reeling from the realization that gus could be dead, Harley broke down and Mallet comforted her. At that moment, Dinah walked in. Although she played it cool, she made it clear to Harley that Mallet was her man now. When the local police officer announced he was calling his men off the case since there was no proof of any foul play, Harley went ballistic. After Mallet smoothed things over, he yelled at Harley about acting like a professional if she wanted to get anywhere. Later the pair thought they found Gus when they tracked his cell phone but, unfortunately, the cell phone (and Gus's wallet) was in the possession of a drifter who'd stolen them from a "lifeless" man. Afraid that Gus was dead, Harley fell apart and Mallet convinced her to lie down and rest while he stepped out for some food. Harley agreed, but once he’d gone, she climbed out the window to continue her search. Out in the snow, Harley first injured her leg, then hallucinated seeing Gus, who urged her not to give up hope. Luckily, Mallet found a barely conscious Harley and tried to drag her home, but she screamed that he didn’t understand what it was like to love someone as much as Harley loves Gus. Fed up, Mallet screamed that he did know it - because it was how Mallet felt about Harley! Unable to deal with it, Harley told Mallet to keep his feelings to himself. Their mutual denial was interrupted by an FBI agent who had come, with Frank, to take over the case - and take Mallet and Harley off it. Harley at first resisted, then went home, where she stubbornly insisted that Gus would be found safe and sound - despite her own private fears that Alan killed Gus, or vice versa. Harley returned to work but then unexpectedly got a lead that Alan was in Florida. Accompanied by Dinah, Harley headed to Florida where they learned that the lead was false. As time went by, things were looking especially bleak although Harley refused to believe that Gus would not return. Unfortunately, her faith was shattered when police discovered Gus's coat and wedding ring in the frozen river where the limo had crasehd. Although there were no bodies, the consensus seemed to be that both Alan and Gus had drowned. Distraught, Harley went to a bar and got drunk and almost got seduced by a man she thought was Gus until Mallet stopped her. Not wanting her kids to see her drunk, Mallet took her to a motel and got her sobered up. Devastated, Harley raged against Gus for breaking his promise to always be there for her. Mallet comforted her and, before either one of them could fully think it through, they made love. The next morning, Harley immediately regretted what had happened and insisted to Mallet that they pretend it never happened. After Mallet couldn't be so cavalier about it and asked Harley if there was a chance for them now that Gus was gone. If so, he'd end things with Dinah; if not, he'd totally commit to Dinah and banish all thoughts of reuniting with Harley. . Harley informed Mallet that while she did love him, Gus was her soul mate and couldn't be replaced so Mallet might as well give up hope. Meanwhile, on Valentine's Day, Marina shocked Harley by informing her that Harley had made a huge error at Spaulding. Although Alan-Michael fixed it before too much damage was done, it could have cost the company millions of dollars. convinced by Marina that she should take a break in order to grieve, Harley stepped aside and, knowing Alan-Michael wanted nothing to do with the company, named Dinah CEO of Spaulding. Harley then decided that in honor of Gus, she should return to the force and requested Mallet as her partner. Although neither Frank nor Mallet thought this was a very good idea, Dinah convinced both men it was a good plan since Mallet needed a partner anyway. Harley then asked Frank to pile on the caseload as heavy as he liked, as long as he also let her handle Gus’s case. The FBI gave up on finding her husband, but now that Harley had her badge back, she intended to do just that. Afterwards, she and Mallet became slightly suspicious when they found Beth at the crash scene but dismiss it. Weeks later, Harley read a note from Gus (really Alan-Michael) that urged her to get on with her life and find love again. Crushed, Harley attempted to kiss Mallet, but he stopped her. Meanwhile, one day Harley came across a very agitated Beth at Company. Not only had Beth ordered a drink early in the morning but she badmouthing Alan as if he'd deserved to be dead. Harley’s suspicions grew even stronger when a key to a cottage fell out of Beth's purse. Harley quickly theorized there was a connection between Beth and Gus, Mallet agreed and the two tailed Beth to an old cottage where they found Alan! Alan informed the pair although he survived the crash and has been convalescing at the cabin, Gus fell through the ice after the crash and perished. Although Harley didn't believe it at first, she was forced to accept it. Devastated again, Harley and Mallet, alone at the cabin since Beth took Alan home, kissed but this time Harley broke it off. It was then that they found a "G" carved in the cottage floor. Alan explained that he'd carved it as a memorial to his son, but Harley wasn't sure she believed it. Later , in Springfield, Harley tried to convince Beth to tell her what really happened to Gus, but Beth refused. At that moment, Alan entered the room and Harley was able to swipe his cell phone after overhearing him answer a call and quickly told the caller he'd call back. On a hunch, Harley had Marina trace the number which took her to a mental hospital. There, after disarming a guard, Harley came face to face with Gus! Gus and Harley’s tearful reunion at the asylum was cut short by a guard with orders from Alan to shoot on sight. Luckily, Gus and Harley managed to overcome the guard and escape. Finally reunited, Gus told Harley that he'd kidnapped Alan on New Year's Eve with the intention of forcing him to sign a confession that he'd willfully murdered Phillip. The limo crashed and the pair were locked up for over two months by none other than Beth. Gus then made a deal with Alan--if Alan left Harley alone; Gus wouldn't press charges against Beth (now pregnant with Alan's child) for kidnapping. Although Alan could have pressed charges against Gus for kidnapping also, he realized they were at a stalemate and agreed. Harley then decided to step down permanently as CEO and named Dinah as her replacement.

Meanwhile, Marina learned that Alan-Michael was holding a vote of the board to oust Dinah out of Spaulding, and make himself CEO. Harley got there in time though and announced that she was not stepping down; which meant there would be no vote. She then promptly fired Alan-Michael. Afterwards, Harley asked Dinah if she was still on her team and Dinah said yes. . Soon after, Mallet informed Harley that he told Dinah about their tryst months earlier. Harley quickly went to Dinah and asked for her forgiveness. Dinah couldn’t quite give it, but suggested that maybe they should just move on instead.Very soon after, Springfield was rocked with the news that Ross’s plane had gone down and , with no bodies found, the FAA ruled there were no survivors. Soon after, Harley told Dinah, in light of Ross’s death, she should take some time off; Harley already hired a replacement. Meanwhile, Gus’s imprisonment left with an injured leg and an addiction to pain medication. Gus's pill-popping didn't go unnoticed by Dinah who promptly informed Harley. Off Dinah’s suggestion, Harley decided to stay home and look after Gus so Dinah can make Harley’s upcoming speech at the policeman’s Ball. At the last minute though, Harley decided to give the speech via video. Later, when Harley confronted Gus about why he was still taking the pills, he insisted it was no big deal and gave them to her, saying he didn’t really need them Gus's reliance on the pills was becoming more and more noticeable, even though he kept insisting to Harley that he didn't have a problem. However, it was clearly getting to Gus. In the meantime, Harley realized that she hurt Dinah by not letting her give the speech at the Policeman’s Ball and decided to make it up to her by ordering her to take time off at Spaulding. Dinah though was far from grateful and insisted that she needed to work. In the meantime, Harley dragged Gus to see Rick and check out his bum leg. Gus declared that the whole thing was a set-up to cross-examine him about the pain pills and that his own wife didn’t trust him! Again, Gus insisted that he didn’t have a problem, but Harley wasn’t convinced. Meanwhile, Dinah approached Harley asking her let her return to work. Harley refused and fed up, Dinah threw her affair with Mallet in her face. Just then, there came word that Gus and Mallet were involved in a shoot-out. Fortunately, both men were fine, with Mallet only being shot in the shoulder. Realizing Gus was high, Harley had him checked into rehab. A day later, Gus checked himself out and told Harley he'd get help--just not there. He wanted to be with her at the cabin where he was held. With Harley's help, Gus was able to get through his withdrawal symptoms, but then she was suddenly called away on an emergency. At the end, though, Gus came out healthier for it and he and Harley returned home to their kids. Throughout all this, the police had ruled that Ross’s plane might not have gone done by accident. The prime suspect was Alan-Michael whom the police suspected had the plane sabotaged. Despite Mallet's concerns, Dinah refused to stay out of the investigation and was determined to nail Alan-Michael. Later, Dinah asked Harley for Spaulding resources to track Ross’s killer, but Harley didn’t want her company involved in Dinah’s vendetta and refused. However, after having a vision of Nadine (where she compared Harley to Alan) Harley reconsidered and decided to help Dinah by providing her the Spaulding jet. Just then, Gus, Harley and Mallet learned that Dinah disappeared—so had Mallet’s gun. Realizing that she'd gone to a resort in San Gabriel after Alan-Michael, the group rushed there to find her before she did something rash. There, Gus and Harley snooped around Ross's suite and found a private investigator's business card (the same P.I. who died in the crash with Ross). After having called the number and spoken with the P.I.'s partner, they received a fax about the case she was working on. The fax contained a photo of Phillip! Apparently, Alan's original statement was correct--Phillip was alive. Harley guessed that Ross found out Phillip was alive, and was trying to find him to convince him to come home when somebody stopped him. Gus and Harley then learned Alan and Beth have come down to San Gabriel and decide to confront them. Alan stated that Phillip is alive and reminded them that he told everyone that over a year ago. However, he stated that he hadn't heard from Phillip since the winter he disappeared from the warehouse and so had nothing to do with Ross's plane going down. At that point, Rick arrived and confessed that he was the one, at Phillip's request, who made sure Ross’s plane was sabotaged. He admitted that the plane was never meant to take off; the crash was never meant to happen. He then confessed that he lied last year when he stated that he exhumed Phillip's body. Afterwards, Mallet confessed that he too knew Phillip was alive since the day of her wedding but kept quiet since he wanted her to be happy. That same day, when a caterer arrived to deliver food and flowers for Beth and Alan’s vow renewal, Harley decided (since Beth and Alan had left) she and Gus should renew their vows, instead. Athough Gus was Reluctant at first, he finally agreed. However, during the ceremony, Gus unexpectedly called for the ceremony to stop. Thinking he was still upset about Phillip, Harley urged him to let go of the past. Her words of love moved Gus and he went ahead with the ceremony. A few days, Harley realized Gus had gone back to the pills. When she confronted him about being stoned, he informed her that he knew about her and Mallet! Harley tried to get Gus to see that in her time of grief, she needed someone. Gus demanded to know if Harley could have slept with anyone, or did it have to be Mallet? Harley admitted she needed Mallet. Their fight woke up Zach and as Harley went to put her son to bed, Gus walked out. Weeks later, Dinah confessed to Harley that weeks earlier she’d plotted against her with Alan-Michael. However, Harley forgave Dinah since she had more important things to worry about-—her husband. Knowing that Gus had left, Dinah asked if Gus’s exit meant Harley would go after Mallet again, but Harley stated it was Gus or nothing. A few days later, a strung out Gus came home to get his things. Harley begged him to stay even as she realized he was high. Gus kissed Harley good-bye. Knowing Gus couldn’t be on the phone in his condition, Harley placed a call to Frank who suspended him. That day, Gus came upon Harley on Main Street and lit into her for contacting Frank. As Harley tried to convince him that he was in no condition to be on the force and needed help, he accused her of being concerned about Mallet, not him. Later, Harley went to Rick about Gus. Rick apologized for hiding Phillip, stating that he trusted Phillip when he said he’d stay away. When Rick asked what he could do to gain her forgiveness, she told him help Gus. Rick stated that it was really up to Gus but told Harley he’d try. Later, Harley saw Gus on the street talking to a man. He stated that the man dropped his wallet and he found it for him. Just then the man returned looking for his cell phone and asked if the "had a deal" His comments made Harley suspicous and she searched Gus's pocket and found pills. Apparently Gus found the guy buying the drugs and promised to let him off if he gave him hte drugs. When Harley confronted Gus, he became defensive and stated he's in pain--but not from his leg. Harley tried to get Gus to get through to Gus by showing him that he was so desperate for drugs that he was willing to throw away his career but he refused to listen. When she pointed out that he's started lying, Gus called her a liar--thus bringing up her affair with Mallet again. Fed up with him using that affair as an excuse, Harley told him he was on his; she was leaving town with the kids. Gus tried to get her to stay but saying that he needed her but she told him she couldn't see him the way he was now. Gus asked where she going but Harley refused to answer and left. Afterwards, she called Mallet to ask him to keep an eye on Gus but he didn't think that was a good idea since he wasn't exactly Gus's favorite person right now. A few weeks later, Harley quietly returned to town, specifically the house Gus was building for her. Although he looked healthy, Harley couldn't be sure and snuck out and saw Dinah. Dinah informed her that after hitting bottom, Gus got his act together and had been clean for a little over a week now. Despite Dinah's concerns that Gus needed Harley, Harley wasn't sure if Gus was truly okay and decided to keep her return a secret.The next day, Harley revealed herself to her family. Still uncertain about Gus, Harley went with Buzz to Gus’s place at the Beacon to snoop around. (since she knew he was out the site of their house) Although Buzz thought the place was mess, Harley was overjoyed—it was a manageable mess. Buzz became concerned when he saw a box of pills in the bathroom, Harley became even more excited. It was a full container of pills and if Gus was going to kick his habit he’d want to do it with the pills in plain sight! Later, at Company, Harley attempted to call Gus. Just as she was saying hello, Rick came up behind her and hung up the phone. Rick told Harley that he saw Gus at the construction site and he was out of control and incoherent. Harley tried to assure Rick that he was wrong. She’d done some investigating and the old Gus was back. Rick didn’t believe it; he maintained that Gus still had a serious drug habit. When Harley again tried to deny it, he accused her of being an enabler and threatened to go to court to get custody of Jude if she went back to Gus. Shocked, Harley told Rick to try because she would win. She then stalked out of Company and found a shiny new bicycle---the bike that Gus had promised to put together for Jude. She then met with Frank who verified that Gus was trying to get his life back together. Suddenly, Frank got a call: a jumper was spotted on the roof of Cedars; the officer on the scene was Gus. Frank took off and Harley followed. When they got there, they found Lizzie on dangling from a broken metal railing and twisted up in rope. Although Harley wanted to run to Gus, Frank stopped her since Gus needed to focus on getting Lizzie to safety. As Harley looked on, Gus was able to calm Lizzie and rescue her. Before getting Lizzie to safety, though, Harley rushed off unseen. Later that day, she went to the house that Gus was building. As they looked into each other's eyes, Gus assured he that he was clean. She told him she could tell and admitted that she had broken into his room at the Beacon anyway. Unfortunately, their one obstacle was Rick who at the Bauer Barbecue informed Harley that he didn’t believe Gus was clean and reiterated that he didn’t want him near Jude. Harley tried to convince Rick that he was wrong but Rick didn’t believe it. In fact, he wanted Jude to move in with him if she insisted on going back with Gus. The next day, Gus decided to prove his love for Harley by finishing their house. Although Harley thought he was nuts to do it himself, Gus, with help from Buzz, Frank, Mallet and Dinah, completed it. He also had help from Rick who informed Harley that he was wrong and was sending Jude back to her. With the house completed, Harley told Gus she would only move in if he moved in with her; he agreed.

Meanwhile, Dinah asked Harley to be one of her bridesmaids; to Harley’s displeasure, Olivia was the other. Soon after, Mallet made a startling discovery—a website called “Springfield Burns’ which included a picture of Dinah and Gus kissing. Believing the site was designed to embarrass both Dinah and Harley, the trio thought Alan-Michael was behind it. When the confronted him (with Mallet punching him) Alan-Michael retorted that since they already believed he’d done it, why should he deny it. Though no one trusted Alan-Michael, Mallet wasn’t so sure he was the culprit. That day, Harley found herself in a dangerous situation when she walked in on a robbery at Company. At the same time, Gus arrived and the pair staged a fight to distract the robbers who were holding Tammy Winslow hostage. During the process, one of men shoved Tammy headfirst into the bar. When Gus and Harley went to help her, the robbers got away. Afterwards, Harley resigned from Spaulding and named a surprising person as CEO—Alan-Michael. She just had two conditions: 1) some of the company legacy goes to Zach and 2) Dinah stays. Alan-Michael agreed while Dinah was surprisingly fine with the decision. Afterwards, Harley told Gus that she was returning to the police force and wanted to partner with him. Gus supported her, however, when Harley talked to Mallet about it, she saw Gus shaking his head as if to tell Mallet he didn’t want to partner with Harley. When Harley grilled Gus about his change of heart, thinking that perhaps he suspected she wanted to keep an eye on him. Gus assured her that wasn't it; he was just afraid he’d get too used to her. However, due to injuries Mallet incurred in the Beacon fire, Gus was forced to work with his wife. Their first case together revolved around who was behind SpringfieldBurns--a website that not only posted a photo of Gus and Dinah kissing, but also FBI surveillance reports that Mallet had written on Dinah. Although Dinah seemed to be the target, when the website ran a video of Blake and Jeffrey making love, Gus and Harley realized that the webmaster didn't just have one target. Later, Gus and Harley shared a theory with Dinah--whoever was behind the website may have started the fire at the Beacon. Dinah suddenly became nervous and asked what kind of evidence they had. Gus admitted that they had none, it was just a hunch. Though he and Harley wanted to ask Dinah some questions about the night of the fire, Dinah suddenly made an excuse and rushed out. Later, the fire inspector, thanks to a tip from Mallet, suspected that Dinah started the fire and she was arrested. Though Frank ordered them off the case, Gus and Harley tried to help Dinah by questioning her and determining if the fire was an accident. Unfortunately, Dinah was incredibly defensive and refused to answer their questions. In short order, Jeffrey got the arson charges against Dinah dropped. Meanwhile, the police department continued to investigate SpringfieldBurns.com without any luck. Although a promising lead lead the pair to Vegas, they lost the blogger but ended up finding Reva and Billy who were about to get married. Gus and Harley agreed to stand up for the couple, but after talking with Harley, Reva decided against getting married.

Soon after, while raiding a drug dealer’s apartment, Gus and Harley found an abandoned baby. Since the police department was swamped, they brought the baby home for night. The whole family fell in love with the little girl, whom they called Gracie. The next day, the baby (whose name was Sydney) was turned over to her grandmother. Spending time with Gracie got both Gus and Harley thinking about parenthood and they decided to try having a baby of their own. Although there were obstacles, namely friends and family who kept barging in talking about their problems, Harley and Gus were elated when finally became pregnant. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. In the meantime, on Election Day, Blake’s victory was marred when she collapsed while making her victory speech. Soon it was determined that she was poisoned. Investigating, the police discovered that the blogger was none other than Blake! After lingering in a coma for a week, Blake regained consciousness. Confronted by Gus and Harley, Blake bemoaned the fact that nobody took her seriously after Ross died and all her friends abandoned her--even Harley was now closer to Dinah than she was to her. She explained that she felt she had to do something to make herself matter again. She used to have all the power, back before she simply became a wife and mother. Once she started the blog, she couldn't stop; she felt like she had power again. After becoming distraught, Blake slipped back into a coma after telling Gus that she kept his secret. However, Gus had no clue what Blake was talking about. Weeks later, in an effort to find out what Blake had on him; Gus and Harley went through Blake's things and found a disk labeled "GA". Putting it in the computer, they found a photo of a woman named Bailey Brook but Gus had no idea who the woman was. Later, the pair tracked the woman down. Brooks claimed to have been an old lover of Gus's when they were in the FBI but was obviously unrecognizable now since she'd had some work done. Brooks stated that a woman bearing Blake's description claimed to be Gus's wife and asked for his FBI file. However, the file was sealed and the woman never came back. In the meantime, Gus and Harley learned that Sydney's grandmother had died and the baby was to placed in foster care. Before the child could be placed in foster care, though, she was kidnapped from the police station. Immediately after, Gus began working very long hours. Or so he told Harley—according to Mallet, Gus hadn’t. Later, Gus shocked Harley with the news that he had been hiding Sydney. He then went on to confess that according to the fertility specialist he couldn't have children. He then suggested that they could adopt the girl. Appalled at the kidnapping, Harley was still intrigued. However, there was now a kidnapping charge to contend with. So Harley and Gus went on Dinah's new TV show "Light of Springfield" and told their story hoping the authorities would take pity on them. It worked; the charges were dropped and the Aitoros were named Sydney's legal guardians.

[edit] Family & Relationships

[edit] Parents

• Frank "Buzz" Cooper Sr. (Father)
• Nadine Cooper (Mother, deceased)

[edit] Sibling(s)

• Frank Cooper Jr. (Brother)
• Lucille "Lucy" Cooper (Paternal Half-Sister)
• Henry Cooper "Coop" Bradshaw (Paternal Half-Brother)
• Ian Stavros "Rocky" Cooper (Paternal Half-Brother, via adoption)

[edit] Martial Status

• Augustus "Gus" Aitoro (Married)

[edit] Past Marriage(s)

• Alan-Michael Spaulding (Divorced)
• A.C. Mallet (Divorced)
• Phillip Spaulding (Divorced)

[edit] Children

• Susan Lemay (Daughter, with Dylan Lewis) {Given Up For Adoption}
• Alan Cooper "Zach" Spaulding (Son, with Phillip Spaulding)
• Jude Cooper Bauer (Son, with Fredrick "Rick" Bauer)
• Sydney (Legal Ward, with Augustus "Gus" Aitoro)

[edit] Other Relatives

• Dante "Pops" Cooper (Paternal Grandfather; Deceased)
• Stavros Kouperakis (Great Uncle)
• Marina Cooper (Niece)

[edit] Flings & Relationships

• Dylan Lewis (Lover)
• Cameron Stewart (Dated)
• Joshua "Josh" Lewis (Dated/Engaged)
• Phillip Spaulding (Lover)
• Fredrick "Rick" Bauer (Dated/Engaged)
• Augustus "Gus" Aitoro (Dated/Engaged)
• A.C. Mallet (Affair/One Night Stand)

[edit] References

• Harley Cooper from soapcentral.com