Mike did enjoy a good mystery from time to time. He didn't do much reading outside of graphic novels, but he had made it through an impressive number of Sherlock homes books when he had been just a boy, and he had watched a lot of television shows centered on detectives solving crimes. His video games also gave him a taste for crime solving. Many times he had to pick up on subtle clues to move up to a different level or on to a different world. It wasn't a talent he flaunted or could use to solve a real, serious crime like a murder, but it did help him find his missing dog.

He had a couple of suspects. Frankie, Howie, Grant, and Jackson were all on that list. Frankie and Howie had a reason for taking Emily's beloved dog, and if Frankie could be believed, Grant or Jackson had asked for dog treats and neither of them owned a dog of their own.

Mike had told Grant he would stop by the following day, and that was exactly what he had done. After football practice, Mike got on the first bus that took him almost to Grant's doorstep. He rang the door and waited for an answer. It was Grant who greeted him and invited Mike into his home without hesitation.

Unlike Jackson.

"Any leads work out for you?" Grant asked and Mike shook his head.

"Nothing yet. Emily's pretty worried. You know."

"Yeah. My parents are out of town so we've got the place to ourselves. Wanna work in the kitchen and I'll order something to eat? Pizza or Chinese?"

"Actually, I can't stay long," Mike said, "Don't bother. My sister in-law's going to have dinner ready for me when I get home."

"I thought you were coming here so I could help you figure this out? Losing a dog is rough stuff. Some people don't get that. Take Jackson for example. After you left, he just went on and on about how stupid you were being."

"I guess I can spend a couple of minutes," Mike shrugged his shoulders. "I've got a few more leads to check out today, and maybe a second set of eyes can tell me if they're worth following."

"Alright, awesome. The kitchen is…"

"A kitchen?" Mike shook his head, "Seriously, how many cops solve cases in their mother's kitchens. Got a basement or something? You know, like a secret hideout?"

"I…. uh… it's a bit of a mess down there. You wouldn't want to…"

"Messes don't bother me. Just ask anyone who knows me, I can make the biggest mess you'll ever see in your lifetime. Besides, I'll be cool."

"Not really," Grant shook his head, "What about my dad's office. He works for a big company so he's got all this high-tech stuff in there. We can't use it, but it'll…"

"I'm kind of into the whole underground crime-solving stuff. Is the basement here?" Mike pointed to a closed door that didn't look like it was a bathroom or closet. When he reached for the door to open it, Grant got in his way.

"You know, if mom found out I took someone to our messy basement…"

"I'm not going to say anything," Mike gently pushed Grant out of the way, "And I won't touch anything, I swear. I just like the atmosphere."

"Mike…"

Nothing Grant could say would stop Mike from getting to the basement. It was a long shot, but if crimes shows had taught him anything, than he was sure he was reaching the end of this one. Grant was a little too eager to help him out. He had been polite and kind to Serena and James, which was a little odd considering Grant, like Howie and Jackson, had been one of the toughest guys in school. He insisted on doing everything he could to help find a dog he had never met to help out a woman who had broken his best friend's nose and threatened to do the same to him.

Though Frankie was the obvious choice and kidnapping Storm would be a way to get Emily to come to him, there was too much that could go wrong. Mike hated the boy's guts, but he knew Frankie was a smart guy. Mike had made it very clear that Frankie would never get to be alone in a room with Emily. If he had considered kidnapping Emily's dog, he would have to consider the idea that when Emily came to retrieve her dog, not only would she be furious, but she would bring with her a very angry husband, and possibly her sister.

If Frankie had taken Storm to draw Emily in, he also would have made it known by now that he had her dog, or he would have tried to get in contact with Emily, claiming to have information about her missing dog. He would have tried something more than a simple comment.

Howie had made quite the turnaround from when he and Emily had last seen each other and the more time Mike spent with Howie, the more he saw the young man was genuinely trying to be good. It was easy to fall back into old habits but Howie didn't strike Mike as the kind to kidnap a dog for fun. He was on Mike's list, but at the very, very bottom.

Jackson seemed like another obvious choice. He didn't like Storm, he was grumpy, he had never been a very nice person, and he didn't want to help at all in the search for the dog – but there was no reason for him to want to help. He didn't know Emily. He didn't know Storm. Whether the dog was returned home or not had no impact on his life at all. He had moved on from high school.

Grant was the most suspicious, and in a way, the least obvious. If he had taken Storm there was no reason for him to want to help – unless it was to throw Mike off his track.

Then Mike had to consider why Grant would take Storm, and the answers had been given to him by Grant himself. Mike knew all about what had happened to the football team after Serena had intervened in the school. Howie had been kicked off and the team lost their star player. They failed to make it to the playoffs and for some that cost them their only ticket into college. Grant had mentioned losing his scholarship to Mike, and he had also mentioned not having strong enough grades for any college to take him seriously. As a result, in a time of his life where he was supposed to be feeling strong and independent, he was stuck living with his parents.

Stretching from Serena to Emily to Storm wasn't very far. Grant had witnessed Emily beating the shit out of Howie. It didn't take a genius to figure out Emily and Serena were very close. Taking Storm would upset Emily, which would upset Serena. Emily had also helped Serena at the school by delivering a speech that had changed a few minds on the bullying policy, which affected the football team as well. Mike knew better than anyone that the football team's favourite pass-time was tormenting the younger students. It helped them focus better on the field. With that taken away from them, games were much harder.

Grant didn't want Mike going downstairs, but Mike got his way. He opened the door to the basement, turned on the light and went down the stairs. Grant was right behind him.

"Seriously…"

"Your parents have been out of town for a while, haven't they?" as Mike got closer to the bottom of the stairs he heard a familiar whining. Grant hadn't been lying when he said the basement was a mess. It was a maze of boxes and junk that had been left to collect dust. Mike followed the sound of the whining through the twisted maze and finally set his eyes Storm. She was chained up to a stationary bike with a bowl for food and water. Before Mike could let her go, he turned around, grabbed Grant and smashed him into a pile of boxes.

"Go near my wife or my dog or any animal ever again and you're going to be the one disappearing. Am I understood?"

"She…"

Mike let go of Grant's shirt and let him fall to the floor while he removed his jacket, removed Storm from the chain and wrapped her up warmly. Storm recognized him and realized she was safe so she nestled into his arms, trembling slightly. Mike kissed the top of her head.

"Time to go home," Mike nodded. He glared at Grant, "I meant what I said."

"Dude, c'mon, be cool. It's just a dog."

Mike scoffed, shook his head, and walked out, "One stop, Storm, just to make sure the bad man doesn't hurt anyone else again, and then we're going home to see Emily."

Storm lifted her head when she heard Emily's name and her tail started to wage. Mike chuckled and rubbed her head.

"One stop first. Don't get too excited."

-Samurai-

Mike had lied. It was two stops. He was too angered with Grant to let him get away with abducting Storm, but knew better than to take matter into his own hands. He had gone to the police station. He knew he didn't have much proof Grant had kidnapped Storm. She was safe and sound in his arms. So, just to see how far it could get him, Mike asked for the chief, and then mentioned he was a friend of the Shiba family. The chief gave him a wink and brought him to a backroom, where Mike spent half an hour talking with what he assumed was one of Ji's friends.

Because of the lack of proof, Ji's friend couldn't promise much, but Grant's name was now in the system. It was good enough for Mike whose only concern was the safety of his family. Storm was a very important part of that family.

Instead of going home after that, Mike made a stop at the pet store and bought Storm a new collar. Being in Mike's arms made Storm feel safer, and him using Emily's name got her happy and excited. Mike wanted Emily to feel just as happy and excited when he brought her home. He got a collar with a big bow attached. Putting a dog in a box was mean so this would make Storm the perfect present without going overboard. He clipped the collar on Storm when they got to the front door of the house. The little dog was wagging her tail and whining. She looked to Mike, begging he let her inside because she knew that behind that door was Emily.

"Sit," Mike had to make that command several times before Storm took a seat. She was so anxious to get home and see her mistress, but Mike wanted her return to be a real surprise. He had picked up a few treats from the pet store and used them to distract Storm as he walked into the house. He kept the door open so Storm could run right in.

"Em?" he called and saw Emily in the kitchen with James, Serena, Lauren, Ji, and Kate. He had promised her he would come home with good news, and so Mike saw a look of excitement on her face, which was quickly replaced with disappointment. She saw he was empty handed and sighed.

"It didn't pan out?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want to lie, but he really wanted to see Emily's face light up.

"Did anyone call?" no one but Lauren was supposed to know Emily had gone to the doctor's for a pregnancy test so he tried to stay subtle. Emily nodded her head.

"I'm positive it was just a wrong number."

Mike tried to contain his excitement and nervousness. Fortunately, he didn't have long to stay on the topic of the pregnancy. Storm would finish with her treats quickly and she would come running into the house. It would be tricky but Mike planned on having excellent timing.

"I followed my lead today and went to check up on Grant. He seemed a little too eager to help me, so I thought I would take him up on his offer."

"You think Grant took Storm?" Emily asked and turned to Serena and James. They had a different theory. Grant had been so kind and helpful when they had run into him, it was hard to imagine he would have been the one to take a dog and lie about it so smoothly.

When Emily said Storm's name, the little dog heard it from outside. She recognized Emily's voice and her name, barked, and darted into the house. Emily, when she saw the dog, fell out of her seat and on her knees as Storm jumped into her arms. Storm licked Emily's face like it was made of peanut butter while Emily hugged her dog tight and looked to Mike.

"You found her?"

"I took care of everything," Mike nodded his head. "She's a little on edge. Grant didn't exactly give her the TLC she's used to getting from you, but she was excited to come home so…"

Mike was interrupted when Emily jumped up and pulled him in for a kiss. He was happy to see her so happy and so wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. He didn't care that Serena and James were both watching, or that Storm was caught in the middle of the kiss by being in Emily's arms.

The smell on Emily's face did bother him though. Storm had done an excellent job coating Emily's face in smelly dog drool. He pulled away, wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

"You stink."

Emily looked to Mike with a shrug. She set Storm down so the little dog could greet the others. Then she took Mike's hand.

"I'll wash up, but come with me, there's something we need to talk about?"

Mike followed Emily up the stairs and into the bathroom. She locked the door when they were inside and Mike could finally let his smile out.

"You're pregnant?"

"The doctor called this afternoon to confirm it. I am one hundred percent pregnant."

"Emily, that's…"

"Great, I know," Emily gently pushed Mike away as he came in to hug her, "But I've been thinking…"

"Carrie would want this for us. I miss her too, but this is what we've wanted since even after she died. We're going to have to just move on and…"

"I know, I know," Emily nodded, "I know we talked about this before. All of this, but… what are we going to do, Mike? Babies don't come cheap and we're having one. I… I kind of hope we do miscarry again…"

"But we're not," Mike shook his head, "The only reason you're not still pregnant with Carrie is because of Serrator. He's gone now. All the Nighlok are gone. You're perfectly healthy, we'll keep up to date with doctor's appointments, you'll take care of yourself and the baby…"

"How are we going to afford this, Mike?"

"We will. I promise you, we will. I'll work two, three jobs if I have to…"

"Then I'll never see you. I don't want that."

"We can stay here. Maybe a little longer than…"

"Really? You want to stay here? With my sister, her husband, their baby, and their possibly growing family?"

"Is Serena pregnant?"

"I hope not," Emily shook her head, "But don't you feel like we're… in the way?"

"You're free babysitting."

"James is a stay at home dad. Besides, I would be free babysitting whether I was here or in a home with them."

"Emily, we don't have another option," Mike shook his head and took her hands, "This baby is coming no matter how much money we make. I think we're going to have to swallow our pride and just…"

"Stay?"

"Serena raised Terran at the Shiba House."

"That's different, Mike. The house was bigger, she had her own room, and the Shiba House is the house of the Samurai. It technically belongs to her."

"This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Mike asked. "You really want us to get our own place."

"At least before the baby comes. But not if it means we have to work all the time to earn that kind of money. I just…"

"Are you crying?"

"No," Emily turned away from Mike and grabbed a Kleenex. "We killed Carrie. The least we can do for her little sibling is give the baby everything it deserves."

"You are crying. Hormones, Em?"

"No…"

"Look," Mike turned Emily around and gave her a smile, "Apartments might still be really cheap. That's how Jackson's parents could afford one. If we can find a cheap place, I'll be more than happy to move in there as soon as possible. I can work at the school and maybe do a few odd jobs from time to time to earn a bit more cash."

"You make it sound like we'll be fighting every month to make ends meet."

"That's what's going to happen. People are coming back. Getting a house isn't cheap anymore. Unless you want the Nighlok to come back…?"

"We'll look for apartments," Emily sighed. "It might not be perfect but… at least we'll have our own place. I've been leaning on Serena my whole life and… I don't want to do that anymore. She needs to have her life and I want mine."

"It's going to work out," Mike promised and he gave Emily a kiss. "We'll just take it a day at a time. Now, baby to the baby, when can we tell the others? I'm bursting at the seams with excitement, Em. I won't be able to hold it in for long."

"As soon as Lauren and Kate and Mentor leave, we can sit Serena and James down, swear them to secrecy and then tell them. I don't think they'll believe my vomiting is nothing for much longer anyways."

"It's a good thing I know how to clear a room," Mike smirked. He gave Emily one more kiss and then left the bathroom, "Excuse me."