John arrived back to his apartment and flipped on the television. He couldn't believe what he was hearing at first, that Terry Berg was attacked in his residence by an unknown assailant.

His campaign spokesperson, Jai Lee, was trying to keep his composure as he read a statement from Terry's parents, asking for privacy during this horrible ordeal.

Of course, that wasn't going to happen. Terry was a public figure. He was a gay man running for the open New Jersey Senate seat.

There have been protests leading up to an election that is still a month away. Religious groups protested daily in front of his campaign office. They were opposed to the civil unions he proposed. There were even death threats.

John called Kyle immediately and told him to meet him. He didn't know what to expect from Kyle, what kind of reaction he would have. He thought he would've went ballistic after hearing the news, but was surprised how subdued he was. There wasn't even a hint of inflection in his voice as they talked.

They went to the authorities to get whatever information they could. They were told that there wasn't any sign of forced entry. They surmised that he was stabbed by one of his own kitchen knives, as one was missing from his cutlery set on the counter top. Multiple times. They were interviewing those close to him. They were developing a few leads based on the information they gathered thus far.

The authorities learned that he had an argument with his ex-boyfriend, David, a week before his murder. There was a heated exchange in Terry's office. His campaign workers noticed tears on David's face as he left, slamming the door behind him. David, as they put it, was a "person of interest."

There was a knock on John's door. It was Jade. She saw the news report. She wanted to know what she could do. What the plan of action was.

"We're going to let the authorities do their job," responded Rayner.

They went to his funeral, along with countless others. They thought the family was going to keep it private, but the Bergs opened it up to the public. Terry affected a lot of people's lives. Mrs. Berg wanted to give them a chance to say their farewells.

Merayn, who's been a part of the D.E.O. for several years now, came. She would've been at John's side, if she thought he needed to be comforted. But Onyx filled that role nowadays. They've been together for about a year now.

Jade was with her husband and Alan.

There were people from Feast Magazine. Campaign staff. Friends of his from the gay community. Radu and other tenants from the apartment. Allison. Lee and Li. People he didn't even know. Even the Republican and Democrat nominees for the Senate seat. They knew a photo op when one presented itself to them.

David was there as well.

David was at the Bergs' side. The authorities got a statement from him the day before. They let him go because there wasn't any evidence to hold him.

He was obviously distraught.

After the ceremony, they went to the Berg's residence. Before they entered the house, Kyle pulled David aside to ask him a few questions of his own.

"Kyle, I could never do anything to Terry," he said. "I loved him."

"What was the argument about then. The one you had with him a week ago?" inquired Rayner.

"We were having some problems," he responded. "The campaign really took a toll on him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to continue or not. His Dad and Mom were being harassed. Hang-ups at all hours. Vandalism. Threats. He was used to it. But he didn't want to put his parents through that.

"It took a toll on our relationship. We took a break. But that's all it was. I wanted to stay by his side, no matter what. But Terry just didn't want anything to happen to me.

"I told him I wasn't going to run away this time...that I wouldn't leave him again."

"So that was the last time you saw him?" asked Rayner.

"No, it wasn't. I saw him the day before he was murdered," he answered. "We talked everything out. He wanted me with him. He even..."

"What?" said Rayner.

"He even thought that we should be together...as partners, for life. He wanted to have a civil union between the two of us," he said. "We were going to announce our plans in a couple of days."

Kyle saw the pain David was going through and knew that he couldn't have been responsible for Terry's murder.

Kyle offered his condolences to Mrs. Berg. She told him that Mr. Berg was in Terry's old room.

Kyle knocked on the door and opened it.

"Mr. Berg, I'm so sorry for your loss," said Kyle.

"I'd rather be alone," he said.

Kyle decided to leave him with his thoughts, but before he could close the door fully, Mr. Berg said, "If the cops find who did this...if you find the person...just give me five minutes alone. Five minutes. That's all I ask. Because...no matter what I thought...what I felt...what anyone else said about him...He was my boy."

"He was my boy."

Kyle headed towards the stairs. Something caught his attention outside. Someone. He looked out the second floor window. He saw a guy with red hair. He was wearing a black trench coat. He was looking up towards Kyle. With a smirk on his face.

Alex Nero.