Jeremy Danvers walked into the second place he called home.

Blood, so much blood.

He had called Nikita the minute he got off his plane in New Orleans. What he did not expect was to have New York's special victim's unit answer the phone. There was an incident back at the studio, and he was asked kindly to come back and identify a body. Jeremy jumped on the next available plane back to New York. His heart pounded furiously in his chest. This cannot be happening played on re-run in his mind. Nikita was fine; she had to be fine.

His entire life growing up had not been easy. Malcolm was not a loving father, and the Pack had never been welcoming of him. The only person who had shown him any type of kindness was his grandfather and Antonio. His adoption of Clay was not intended, but a blessing. Nikita was something else. Never in his right mind had he ever thought that a woman would ever fall for him. Never had he thought that he would have had the daring to approach her. It had happened though despite all his father had done to him. She offered him something his father had never been able to provide: love. She loved him and she gave him the most amazing gift: a daughter. He could not imagine his life without her. Stepping into the studio, Jeremy felt as though his life had taken a thousand steps back.

Crime scene investigators were walking around tapping off certain areas while police were talking to neighbours. The floor was covered in blood, her blood. Jeremy could smell Nikita everywhere, her laughter, her smile, and her fear. Her fear permeated every inch of the place. Jeremy felt small and alone, a feeling he had not felt in years. Looking up from a pad of paper where Nikita wrote down her messages by the phone, a young police officer took note of Jeremy standing in the entrance, hands in his pockets.

"Jeremy Danvers?" the policeman asked, stepping towards Jeremy. Jeremy nodded, shaking the man in uniform's hand. "I figured it was you from all the pictures Ms. Simmons kept in the apartment."

"Yes, Nikita loves to take pictures" Jeremy said softly. He noticed a small frame on the coffee table of them two on a hiking trip. Nikita's cheeks were the same colour as her face, but her eyes sparkled like tiny green gems. It had been her first big hiking trip.

"You are also her emergency contact person. We thought you should see this." The man led Jeremy over to a large space behind the couch where a large white sheet lay. Jeremy stilled, his hands becoming moist. He had noticed the blood, and how everything in the studio was askew, but nothing had prepared him for this. "Are you ready? This might come as a shock."

Jeremy crouched down, and let the policeman slowly peel back the white sheet. Jeremy thought his heart stopped, and he had to force himself to breathe. Nikita lay on her back, pale skin beneath a dusting of freckles. Her red curls were matted with blood. Jeremy gripped the sheet, and pulled back further. He needed to see. Her long, pale, elegant throat had been ripped out at the side. Bloody holes were in each of her shoulders. Her right arm had been snapped at the elbow. Everything had been executed with distinct precision. Brushing a stray blood encrusted curl out off of her forehead, Jeremy looked up at the hardwood floor. There were claw marks, large claw marks all over. A few feet away lay a chef knife, and a bit further, a shattered vase. She had defended herself. His beautiful girl had defended himself.

Jeremy's nostrils flared at that moment. Malcolm, Nikita's blood was tainted with Malcolm's smell.

"We are trying to discern what exactly killed Ms. Simmons" The policeman cleared his throat. "It looks like an animal mauling, but we are still unsure of who or what caused her death. We also noticed the baby items in her room." Jeremy's heart definitely stopped then.

"Yes, we have a four month old daughter. Is she alright?" Jeremy asked, panic gripping his body.

"Well, there is no trace of the girl, but we did find a dog"

"W-What?"

"A dog, well a really young puppy. My partner loves dogs and pinned the canine at being no more than a few months old. It seems to be a cross between a husky and a German shepherd." Jeremy's hands stilled. He had not noticed that they had started to shake.

"Yes, a dog. Where is she? She must be terribly frightened." The policeman led Jeremy to Nikita's room. The sight of it made his heart break. So many tender memories in this room…

"We heard her clawing on the closet door, but when we opened it, she refused to come out." Jeremy approached the closet, and sat on his haunches in front of the open door. Placing his right hand out, palm facing upwards he waited, holding his breath. A little wet, black nose gently poked his hand gently. Slowly, a little black puppy walked out, unstable on its four legs. It was so tiny. It looked like a ball of dark chocolate fur. The eyes are what confirmed the truth for Jeremy. They were caramel coloured and almond shaped, a lighter version of his eyes. The puppy jumped into his arms, burying itself in his chest. Shaking, the puppy began to whine.

"I'll be taking her home with me officer, if that is alright. She has suffered enough and is scared out of her mind." Jeremy said, stroking the animal's soft fur.

"Usually we do not permit something of this nature, but in light of the circumstances, I think we can permit this." The officer smiled slightly, brushing his hands on his pants. "We are deeply sorry for your loss. We will be in touch shortly for questioning, so don't leave town. About the baby-"

"I just remembered, she is spending time with her grandfather in Montreal. I had completely forgotten Nikita had left her with him."

"Right, well, don't leave town, and we will get to the bottom of this."

Jeremy stood, puppy in his arms. He grabbed a rubber elephant from a desktop in the room, and walked out of the door, and out the studio. Gently rubbed the puppy he now had tucked away inside his shirt.

"Don't worry Liz, I've got you. We'll figure this out."