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. 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, 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. 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.

Later, Harley 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). 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. Luckily, Beth and Phillip were rescued and returned to Springfield.

In early 2000, 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! While stranded in San Cristobel , he and Beth were certain they were going to die and made love. Edmund found out and blackmailed Phillip. 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 interrogations 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. Meanwhile, 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. Finally, 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.

However, Harley's 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. Meanwhile, 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.

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, Gus surprisingly proposed to Harley, and she accepted.

Months later, 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.

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. Gus begged her for forgiveness but 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! 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 who unbeknownst to everyone else was involved in a hit and run. Phillip 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! Later, 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. Suspecting that Buzz killed Phillip, Harley decided to protect her father. 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 as he tried, and failed, to find other viable suspects. 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. . 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. Unfortunately, Harley was found guilty. 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. Despite favorable testimony from Alan (under duress from Gus), Harley was sentenced to 25 years.

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 to 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 led to a dead end. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to everyone, 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. 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. 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, 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 wouldn't give it. However, when Harley saw Lena about to take Harley's place on the transfer bus, she 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. 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. Knowing the notes were coming from New York, Gus and Harley fled there.

Realizing that the mystery man who was sending Gus notes was staying somewhere near the Brooklyn Bridge, they finally located his hotel. Unfortunately, the mystery man, Dr. Wallace, was out. Unfortunately, just as Gus and Harley arrived at Wallace's room, Sebastian, who was hired by Alan to permanently silence Wallace, pulled the fire alarm as a diversion to get to Wallace. 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. When Harley and Gus 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 knew, the police showed up. By the time the pair went back into Wallace's room, the man was dead. Later, after making love on the closed set of a TV show, Harley received a call Mallet warning her that Alan knew where she was. Mallet traveled to New York and, later, 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 anonymously 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. Suddenly, 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 warehouse, 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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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, 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. 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. Meanwhile, after weeks of Gus and Harley 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. 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, using the limo's GPS device, she and Mallet 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. 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. Finally, the FBI arrived to take over the case. 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. 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 crashed. 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. 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.

Meanwhile, the FBI gave up on finding Gus, but now that Harley had her badge back, she intended to do just that. Meanwhile, one day Harley came across a very agitated Beth at Company. 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 that although he survived the crash and had been convalescing at the cabin, Gus fell through the ice after the crash and perished. 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 was 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. 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 him with an injured leg and an addiction to pain medication. Gus's pill-popping didn't go unnoticed by Dinah who promptly informed Harley. 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 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. AMeanwhile, 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, 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 was 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.

A few days later, 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, he walked out on her. Knowing Gus couldn't be on the force 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. As the weeks went by, Gus continually refused Harley's help. Fed up with him using her affair as an excuse, Harley told him he was on own; she was leaving town with the kids. While she was gone, Gus got his act together. Weeks later, Harley slipped into town and watched Gus from a distance to make sure he was alright. It didn't take long to realize that he was and they reunited at the site of the home that he built for her.

Afterwards, Harley resigned from Spaulding and returned to the police force. 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 she finally became pregnant. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a false alarm. In the meantime, Gus and Harley learned that Sydney's grandmother had died and the baby was 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.

In 2007, Gus and Harley prepared for the custody hearing with help from their attorney, Jeffrey. When Jeffrey explained that he'd need to get a statement from Susan, Harley's first-born. Harley left a message for her, and then admitted to Gus that she'd been out of touch with her. Gus suggested they pay a surprise visit to Susan at school. However, when they arrived, Susan wasn't in her dorm room. Not only that, but apparently she was going by Daisy now and was not the sweet, innocent girl that Harley thought. Daisy's friend suggested that she might be with a boy named Ryan, who in turn told the pair that Daisy hung out with older guys and made periodic visits to Springfield. Harley was devastated to learn that Daisy had made several visits to town, to see Reva, not her. Harley e-mailed Daisy asking her to come home ASAP. A few weeks later, Harley was shocked to see Daisy in Springfield. Daisy claimed that she'd just arrived for her cousin Tammy's funeral. In the meantime, the man who struck Tammy with his car, Gillespie, was apprehended. Questioned by Harley about drugs found in his car, Gillespie claimed they belonged to his girlfriend. Finally, the day of the custody hearing arrived. Though Daisy was uneasy about testifying, Harley told her it was necessary and tried to assure her that everything would be fine. Unfortunately, the Driscoll's attorney, Donovan, uncovered evidence linking Daisy to Gillespie. On the witness stand, Daisy first tried to deny knowing him and then was forced to admit she was Gillespie's girlfriend. Having caught her in a lie, Donovan tried to paint Daisy as a junkie and even suggested that she may have been driving the car that struck Tammy. Suddenly, Gus got up and stated that he had proof that Daisy was not driving. He then confessed to finding her at the scene strung out in the back seat. While court was in recess, Harley blasted Gus for keeping this from her; Gus defended himself by stating that he was only trying to protect Daisy. After expressing concerns that Harley's absentee parenting had an adverse affect on Daisy, the judge called it a day.

Unfortunately, Daisy continued to clash with an overeager Harley who continued to do things that infuriated Daisy—such as when she invited a guy (Bobby) to Daisy's prom. At the same time, Daisy continued to bond with Gus. Concerned that Daisy was spinning out of control, Harley accepted Buzz's suggestion that Daisy be sent to a boot camp run by a friend of his from the Army. Later that evening, as Harley and Gus argued about Daisy (mainly about Gus being too lenient), they realized that Harley's car was gone. Not only that but so were Daisy and Zach. Suddenly, they heard about a slight accident and rushed to the scene. Though Gus tried to downplay the situation by pointing out that everyone was fine, Harley was furious and accused Daisy of endangering her little brother's life. Harley then announced that she was sending Daisy to boot camp for six weeks. Daisy looked for Gus to help her but he kept silent. Though Daisy tried to hide out at Reva's, she was forced to go back home. Later, despite Reva and Daisy's wishes, Harley was adamant about her going to boot camp and decided to drive her there. However, an emergency with Jude forced Harley to stay home and Gus volunteered to drive her. They stopped at a motel for the night. The next morning, Harley got a visit from Dylan who informed her that he was moving back to town permanently. He also expressed his concerns about Gus, a former drug addict, being around Daisy. As Harley was defending Gus, she got a call that Gus was hospitalized following a fire in the motel. With Dylan, Harley rushed to the hospital and learned that Daisy identified herself as Gus's girlfriend. Daisy stated that she only did that to get information on his condition. When Dylan asked if the fire was Gus's fault, Daisy stated that Gus took some pain pills that night and passed out. Dylan took that to mean that Gus was high, but Harley continued to defend her husband. When Gus woke up, he implied that the fire was his fault. Afterwards, Harley reconsidered her plan to send Daisy away. Days later, when Gus was released, Dylan unexpectedly tried to attack Gus. Incensed, Harley confronted Dylan who informed her that the tox test at the hospital confirmed that Gus was on drugs that night. He then showed Harley a disturbing videoblog in which Daisy confessed her love for Gus.

While Dylan believed that Gus instigated these feelings, Harley still defended Gus. After going back inside, she kept an eye on the pair and couldn't help notice that while Daisy was attempting to get physically close to Gus, he kept moving away. Harley then went to Gus who finally told her that the night of the fire Daisy had told him that she loved him. During their discussion, they realized that Daisy must have drugged Gus that night and the pair confronted her. Days later, Gus and Harley found out that Daisy had been cutting school and gotten a traffic ticket in Chicago. Since this was a violation of her parole, Daisy was called before the judge. Asked how she, as an officer of the law, would give Daisy direction, Harley confessed that she could no longer handle her daughter. The judge took Harley's words to heart and sentenced Daisy to three months in juvenile detention. Though Harley tried to tell the judge that was not what she meant, his decision was final and Daisy demanded to be sent to detention as soon as possible.

Later that day, Gus and Harley went to a party for Josh at Company and Buzz introduced them to his newest employee—Natalia. Harley was surprised that Gus and the new waitress seemed to know each other and Gus stated that they were childhood friends. Afterwards, Gus confessed to Harley that Natalia was more than a childhood friend—she was his first love. Not long after, Harley saw Natalia at juvenile hall, Though Natalia claimed to be visiting Daisy, Harley was suspicious and accused her of using her family to go after Gus. Again Natalia insisted that she was not after Gus but Harley didn't believe her and got Buzz to fire her. Later, Remy tried to tell Harley that Natalia needed the work to take care of her son. After learning that Natalia had the kid after high school, Harley realized that it was Gus's son. After confronting Natalia, Harley learned that the reason Natalia was staying in town was because her and Gus's son, Rafe, had been arrested and was in juvenile hall. Later, at juvenile hall, Gus came across another altercation between Rafe and the guard—this time Rafe was holding the guard's gun. When Gus pulled out his own gun to talk Rafe down, Harley ran in and shouted that the boy was his son! Almost immediately after, Natalia arrived and Gus demanded to hear the truth from her. Natalia admitted that it was true; it happened when he left Chicago and she had no clue where he was. Gus testified on his son's behalf and Rafe was released from juvie.

Upon learning that Natalia had gotten an apartment in a rough neighborhood, which is all she could afford, Gus suggested that Rafe live with him and Harley for a year. Unfortunately, it was not a smooth transition for anyone. After Harley falsely accused Rafe of stealing money, Daisy blurted out that she was in love with Rafe. Apparently, the pair had met in juvenile detention. Everyone objected to the teens living under the same roof and dating at the same time. Harley insisted that Rafe move out but Daisy volunteered to live with Dylan. Afterwards, Harley informed Gus that Daisy would be moving back in, thus Rafe had to move out. This added more tension to her marriage since Gus accused her of putting her child before his. Soon Alan got in the act by suggested to Harley that Rafe move in to the mansion. Though Harley refused since she knew Gus would not approve, it became a moot point when Natalia allowed it. A few weeks later, Dylan kissed Harley again at her house just as Gus walked in. Outraged, Gus punched Dylan and when Harley let it slip that this wasn't the first kiss, Gus went ballistic and beat Dylan to a pulp. The commotion frightened Jude, who called the police. When the police arrived, Harley insisted that it was a family dispute and later went to Dylan's to beg him not to press charges against Gus since it could cost him his job. Dylan agreed as long as Harley did what he wanted-- some family time every week with her and Daisy. Unfortunately their first dinner wound up on the same night Gus wanted a family dinner with Rafe and his mother, Natalia. After Harley called Dylan to tell him that she had to stop by the Spauldiings' first, Daisy suggested to Dylan that they meet Harley at the mansion. Unfortunately, that only increased the tension in the Aitoro marriage with both sides insisting on dining with their own children. Neither would budge and Harley ended up leaving while Gus stayed at the mansion. Since Daisy had stalked off after a tiff with Rafe, Dylan and Harley wound up having dinner alone and Dylan took a tipsy Harley home to his place. Later, as Dylan was taking Harley home, there was an accident and Dylan was injured and taken to Cedars.

Days later, Dylan told Harley that the night she passed out, he crawled in the bed with her to get some sleep and later, thought he saw Gus standing in the doorway. However since he was half-asleep he couldn't tell if it was real or a dream. Realizing that Gus must have believed that they slept together, Harley ran off to find him. However, before she had a chance she ran into Alan who wasted no time in telling her that Gus slept with Natalia.. Though Natalia assured Harley that Gus still loved her, Harley was unsettled and accompanied Dylan to a to a physical rehab clinic out of town without contacting Gus. Though Gus tried valiantly to locate her, Harley refused to be found. Harley finally returned weeks later and after an argument with Gus informed her that she never slept with Dylan. However he had slept with Natalia and that was something Harley found hard to forgive so Gus moved out. Unfortunately, he moved to his father's house which is where Natalia was staying. Though Gus tried to argue that he wanted to be near his son, Harley found it unacceptable. Later, while telling Cassie about what happened on the night she passed out, Harley realized that she did not have enough to drink to pass out the way she did. Cassie suspected that someone must have drugged Harley's drink. Though she initially accused Natalia, suspicion soon turned to Alan and he confessed. Soon after, Harley and Gus tried to put their marriage back together by renewing their vows. Unfortunately, Alan ruined things by giving Gus a false message that Rafe was ill; causing Gus to miss the ceremony. Unable to trust that Gus would put her before Natalia, Harley told Gus that it was over.

As Harley was going through this drama, Marina was dealing with her feelings for a master criminal named Cyrus Foley. Finally, Marina was kidnapped by Cyrus's partner, Griggs, and Cyrus was apprehended by Harley. Cyrus was as in love with Marina as she was with him and Harley convinced Frank that he could help them locate Marina, however to do that she had to work with Cyrus alone. As she was busy looking for Marina, Harley was rocked when Dylan and Reva informed her that while she was in New York, Daisy learned she was pregnant and had an abortion. Harley lit into Reva for not telling about the pregnancy earlier and accused Reva of taking advantage and treating Daisy like her own daughter. The argument escalated with Harley demanding that Reva stay out of Daisy's life. With Alexandra's unwilling help, since Alexandra was the one who paid Griggs to kidnap Marina, Harley arranged to meet Griggs and pay him to release Marina. Cyrus followed and though Marina was rescued, Cyrus was captured. Soon, Harley realized where Griggs had taken Cyrus and arrived to rescue him. Unfortunately before they were able to escape, Griggs returned and held them both at gunpoint. The pair tried to escape but where caught again by Griggs. However, Harley was able to snake Griggs's inhaler and when he had an asthma attack, he crashed through a hole in the floor. In the meantime, Cyrus and Harley were trapped in the building which they were horrified to learn from a flier was being demolished that very day! Though they struggled with a way out, it soon became apparent that it was hopeless and they braced themselves for death. With a terrified Harley freaking out, Cyrus tried to distract her while they waited for the end. Soon the building came down around them and miraculously they survived buried under the rubble. Cyrus's calls for help became weaker and Harley realized that he was badly hurt. As the roof caved in on top of them, Harley and Cyrus tried to keep their conversation alive, so neither would asleep. Desperate to keep Harley alive and hopeful, Cyrus kissed her gently.

In the meantime, Marina was determined to find the missing pair and was convinced that Alex knew where they were. Her determination paid off and she tricked Alex into revealing their whereabouts. Thankfully, the pair was rescued. In the end, Alexandra avoided prosecution for the kidnapping in exchange for keeping quiet about Cyrus's theft. Shell shocked, Harley taken to Cedars. As she was released, Gus rushed in to see if she was alright. As Gus offered to take Harley home and take care of her, Harley saw papers sticking out of his pocket. Grabbing them, she was shocked to see they were annulment papers. Distressed, she asked if Gus knew what an annulment meant. It meant that the marriage never happened. It never mattered. Gus tried to convince her that it was not as callous as it sounded but Harley was too emotionally wounded to deal with it and simply told him she'd think about it. When Cyrus was released, he moved back with Marina but checked in to see if Harley was okay. Though she claimed to be, Harley was obviously affected by her near death experience. Later, Gus came to Harley and suggested that she tear up the annulment papers since he did not like the idea of someone saying their marriage never existed. However, by now all the fight was out of Harley and she insisted that the annulment go through so that he could have a family with Natalia and Rafe.

As time went by, it was becoming evident that Harley was attracted to Cyrus. After a disastrous Thanksgiving dinner, a frustrated Harley went to Towers bar where she ran into Cyrus. They shared a drink, toasting to the first moment of the day that felt just right. As they were enjoying themselves, Lizzie walked in and floored Harley by mentioning that Gus and Natalia were engaged. Cyrus quickly hustled Lizzie out and as Cyrus tried to console Harley, she surprised him with a kiss. Later, Harley's detective agency opened for business but Harley wasn't quite so sure of working with Marina and Cyrus now. After Harley went to Frank to ask for an indefinite leave of absence, she returned to find that Cyrus had already found their first client—Alan who wanted them to find Phillip. Apparently Phillip had sent Emma a gift for her 7th birthday. Though the team debated on whether to take the case, Harley finally decided to take it, thinking it would be best to know exactly where he was.

After Marina left, Cyrus asked Harley about Phillip. Sensing how the subject distressed her, Cyrus wondered if they shouldn't drop it but Harley insisted that she could handle finding Phillip. After talking with Beth, Cyrus and Harley tracked down the delivery man who delivered a present to Beth from Phillip. While chasing him down the stairwell of the Beacon, Harley suddenly began having a panic attack and held on to the banister for dear life. When Cyrus saw what was happening, he was able to talk Harley down. Later, Cyrus tried to get Harley to open up about what she was feeling but she kept insisting that nothing was wrong. Though she insisted that she simply became dizzy, Cyrus saw through her lies. When he admitted that he had dreams, Harley finally broke down about her panic attack. Cyrus took Harley in his arms and convinced her that she would be okay. Weeks later, Harley had another panic attack when she was putting the star on the Christmas tree but luckily Cyrus rescued her again. After the boys were sent to bed, Harley lamented to Cyrus about how lost she felt and how she just wanted to feel safe. Cyrus offered to stay the night. That night, when Harley had a nightmare about being buried in the rubble, Cyrus comforted her. The next morning, Harley finally admitted to Cyrus that she had feelings for him and he confessed that it was mutual. Days later, Harley found Zach with a pair of new sneakers and he confessed that they were from his father.

As Harley started freaking out about Phillip, Cyrus comforted her and the pair almost kissed. A noise outside prompted them to stop and the pair decided to admit their feelings for each other and move on for Marina's sake. The next day, Harley got a text message apparently from Cyrus asking if Marina suspected anything. Harley replied what is there to suspect. Days later, Harley and Marina learned that Cyrus dropped the Phillip case for Harley's sake. In the meantime, Harley was still not emotionally over her ordeal in the church. Around Christmas, Harley and Cyrus shared drinks together and almost kissed again. Later, Harley and Cyrus were both served with finalized divorce papers. Cyrus was elated and began calling Marina until he saw how sad Harley was. The two got drunk and a drunk Cyrus tucked Harley into bed before passing out himself. The next morning, the pair woke up naked but with no memory of how they ended up that way.

In 2008, Buzz shocked Harley by confronting her about what happened between her and Cyrus. Harley insisted to her father that nothing happened. Realizing her feelings for her niece's man were wrong, Harley resolved to stay away from him. The next time Harley suffered a panic attack she called Marina. Harley confessed that she'd been suffering from the attacks ever since the building collapse and Cyrus had been helping her through them. When Harley confessed how weak and helpless she felt. Marina comforted Harley and assured her that she was not alone—she had her family. At that point, Harley asked her if she sent the text pretending to be Cyrus and Marina admitted it. Harley promised Marina that she'd never hurt her by going after Cyrus. Meanwhile, Bill Lewis was caught in a suspicious fire and Marina suggested that perhaps Phillip was involved. Cyrus came up with a plan to lure Phillip out of hiding. While Later, Remy informed Harley that Phillip was in New York City and Harley went off to find him. Cyrus followed and urged her to stop denying the pull they had toward each other. Cyrus urged Harley to make the leap so they would be together. Though Harley initially refused for Marina's sake, she decided that Cyrus was the one who made her feel safe and secure. However, when Harley returned to Springfield, Cyrus and Marina were engaged. Apparently, immigration was breathing down Cyrus's neck and he needed to be married right away. Days later, Harley saw an immigration letter being slipped under Marina's door and quickly grabbed the sender—it was Remy. When Remy accused Harley of going after Marina's man, Harley realized that Marina was lying about immigration targeting Cyrus. Harley then went to Cyrus and admitted that she wanted to be with him. However, this time Cyrus was determined to do the right thing and stand by Marina. As Cyrus tried to fight his feelings for Harley, the pair's closeness was not lost on Marina. Finally, Cyrus and Marina decided to move to France. However, the night they were supposed to leave, Cyrus met with Harley and confessed that she was the one he loved.

As Harley and Cyrus made love, Marina was injured while pursuing a drug dealer. When Cyrus learned that Marina had been injured, he decided that it might be best to wait before telling her about him and Harley. Though they resolved to stay apart until after Marina recovered from her knee injury, neither Cyrus nor Harley could resist the pull they had and made love. Afterwards, they decided to keep their affair a secret. Later, Cyrus finally broke down and told Marina that he loved Harley. Marina angrily lashed out just as Frank approached with Harley. While Harley tried to tell Marina that she never meant to hurt her, Marina refused to be pacified and called Harley a whore before warning her that Cyrus would hurt her as well. That day, Harley invited Cyrus to stay at her place. As they were kissing, Frank stopped by and railed at Harley for hurting his daughter. Harley's relationship with Cyrus didn't sit too well with Daisy either who lashed out at her mother for hurting Marina and letting Cyrus stay at their house. Daisy then announced that she was going to move out. Though Harley wanted her family to accept her and Cyrus, it was becoming clear that that wouldn't happen any time soon. In the meantime, a woman named Phoebe blackmailed Cyrus with knowledge that he scammed her. To keep Cyrus out of trouble, Harley took out a second mortgage on her house in order to pay her off. Unfortunately, this put Harley in a financial bind. In the meantime, Harley was rocked when Buzz informed her that Gus had been in a serious motorcycle accident. Before Gus was rushed into surgery, Harley saw him and tearfully admitted that he was the love of her life; he admitted that she was his as well. Tragically, the extent of Gus's head injury was too severe and he died on the operating table. It wasn't until Gus died that Harley realized that she never stopped loving him and took for granted that they'd be together again. Gus's death brought about a brief rapprochement for the Coopers as they rallied around Harley and the boys in their moment of grief.

Though she was not Gus's widow, Harley threw all of her energies into planning Gus's funeral and didn't care about the cost, insisting that Gus deserved the best. Harley's mourning for Gus wasn't lost on Cyrus who tried to be supportive. Unfortunately for him, Harley was focused on her grief and memories of Gus. When she learned that Gus left money in his will to start a Boys and Girls club for children without parents, Harley was anxious to get involved, despite Cyrus's argument that she did not have the money. Soon, Cyrus found himself competing with a dead man and, one day, he and Harley argued over the fact that he would never be Gus. Later, Marina informed Harley that Cyrus had been harassing Vanessa, in an effort to force Vanessa to hire Harley to uncover the culprit. Instead of being angry or surprised, Harley instantly forgave Cyrus. Meanwhile, Harley went back to the police force with one goal---the close Gus's cases. When Harley froze after being out in the field with Marina, Mallet (the new Chief), relegated Harley to desk duty. A few days later, a kid was busted for having a fake ID. When asked to give up the name of the person who sold him the ID, the kid admitted that it was Daisy. Harley was in for another shock later when Cyrus admitted that he knew what Daisy was doing and helped her in order to raise some extra cash. Afterwards, Harley asked Cyrus to move out, not because of what happened with Daisy, but because it felt as if she was cheating on Gus. Though the pair made love the next day, when Cyrus came to pick up his stuff, Harley maintained that he had to stay away so that she could get her life together.

In the meantime, Josh shocked Harley with news that Cassie cheated on him and asked Harley to spy on Cassie in order to learn who she'd had her tryst with. Though Harley was reluctant to spy on her best friend, when she discovered that her credit card was maxed out, she realized that she needed to take the job. Days later, after another round of love-making, Harley told Cyrus about her new case and he offered to spy on Cassie for her. Soon after, Cyrus got the name of the man who Cassie had her one-night stand with. Meanwhile, at work, Harley suspected that Gus had so many unsolved cases because a leak in the department was obstructing them. Harley took her suspicions of a crooked cop to Mallet and to Jeffrey who both agreed to look into it. Unfortunately, no progress was made for weeks. Finally, Harley herself put it all together when she learned from Alan that someone named within Gus's case wasn't a criminal—he was a defense attorney: Fred Grundy. Harley paid Grundy a visit and saw a plaque from the American Heart Association on his desk. Suddenly, Harley put the pieces together: Gus was doing favors to move Olivia up the transplant list. Though Mallet already tried to hide the fact that Gus was the leak, to preserve Gus's reputation, Jeffrey had gone full steam ahead with his investigation and had no choice but to release a statement. As a courtesy, Mallet shared this information with Rafe. Unfortunately, Rafe acted impulsively by threatening Jeffrey with a gun. While Jeffrey tried to talk Rafe down, Mallet walked in and, due his distraction, Rafe unintentionally pulled the trigger. Horrified at what he'd done, Rafe ran off to the house that Gus bought for Natalia. Daisy found him and, later, brought Harley to him. Desperate to save Gus's son, Harley decided to flee the country with Rafe. After getting some money from Buzz, Harley shared a hug with Zach and Jude before fleeing the country. Although Buzz arranged for a worried Natalia to visit Harley and Rafe, when Harley feared that the authorities were on to them, she and Rafe slipped away again.

Over the course of several weeks, Harley had no contact with anyone in Springfield except for Buzz. Finally, one day, Harley was floored when Cassie got on the phone and confessed that Cyrus was her one-night stand. Distraught, Harley asked Buzz to bring Zach to her and told her father that they'd be staying at least through summer. A few months later, Rafe went to the states alone without Harley's knowledge. Later, Harley shocked her father and Daisy by announcing that she would be staying in Greece. She also got Rick's permission to let Jude live with her abroad. Although she didn't say so directly, Buzz had the feeling that there was a man involved.