"You're child will never have to worry about anything Mallorie", "Thank you Niko, but a child without a father has a lot to worry about"​. That exchange, during the hardest phone call Niko had to ever make, the anguished, grief-stricken words of his cousin's widow, rang in his ears harder then the shots that took his cousin's life on the steps of this church, during what was, a second ago, the happiest day of his life. Niko was quietly enraged and devastated, he saved his cousin once, but he couldn't a second time. As if things couldn't get any worse, as Niko was firing round after round into the Henchman's chest, he sees a Maybach sedan slowly roll up and driver's side rear window roll down. Everything happens so fast, but Niko clearly sees it's Pegorino as he raises his Kalashnikov and fires, killing his girlfriend Kate McReary instantly. As the driver sped off, Niko jumped back into the yellow Ferrari F360 coupe he came in and gave chase, running through the gated shifter as fast as he was running up the revs on the V12 in front of him trying to keep up...

Making it to the docks, he parks and climbs up a roof-access ladder on a building that gave him the best vantage point and, unslinging his Heckler and Kotch PSG1 sniper rifle, picks off all the guards on the Platypus' deck and the docks. Abandoning it for his Mossberg 500 shotgun, he climbs down off the roof and boards the ship...As Niko sat in the front row of that very same church, at his cousin's funeral, his mind drifted back to everything the two of them had been through, in Serbia and New York...As Niko boards, he heard a familiar voice from inside the cargo hold, it had a muffled, echoed quality to it, but the veteran recognizes it instantly as his nemesis Dimitri Rascalov "I didn't work this hard to share the spoils of victory-goodbye". Niko just makes it to the doorway in time to see Rascalov fire a single bullet into Pegorino's throat! Niko pulls up on Dimitri, just as the man notices him and just misses getting his head blown off, instead, the steel wall where he just was, gets a big hole punched into it! 

The men chase each other down into the lower hold of the ship, with Niko handily dispatching the henchmen with 2.3/4 inch slugs in chests and a couple heads, before killing Dimitri the same way as he begged for his life! Niko was shaken from his reminiscent trance by the priest-the same man who married the happy couple-calls him up to say a few words. "Roman was a good man, with a good heart, loving and caring, he always did the right thing, and always willing to have fun at a moment's notice, and the only man who could out drink me!" Niko smiled at this and a few people chuckled as Niko remembered the two of them going to the Comrade's bar-where he took Kate on their first date-and they shot through the last bottle of Vodka after Roman won at darts, and Niko at pool....

With the funeral over, Niko drives back to his loft on Middle Park East, it was his favourite safehouse throughout the chaos, so he bought it with the money he earned working for Dimitri. Niko's phone rings, he picks up and it's a shocked Mallorie, "Niko, I just checked my bank account and there's a deposit in here for $250,000 dollars!" "I told you you're child will never have to worry about anything Mallorie". Niko answers, a smirk on his face and in his voice. "Roman told me secretly that you were pregnant and that he set up a trust fund for the child". What Niko omitted was that he obtained the money from a heroin deal with Pegorino that went bad, forcing the two of them to shoot their way out of some shady warehouse deal. "I don't know what to say." Mallorie stammers out still shocked." "You don't need to say anything, I gave you my word and I kept it". Niko responds. "If you need anything else, I'm here for you". Niko adds. "Thanks for everything Niko". Mallorie replies before they click off...

Nine months later Mallorie gives birth to a healthy baby girl she names Novi, Serbian for "new" as in new beginning, a fresh start from all that's happened...As Niko hold's his new niece, he notices she has his brother's eyes, and wonders what the future will hold for her. He hopes she will have everything that's good in his brother and none of the bad that's in him...As Niko promised, he stayed in his niece's life, teaching her, protecting her, and providing for her as a driver at Bellic cab service, his brother's company, his cousin's cremated ashes, having a place of pride on Niko's desk beside a picture of the two of them as boys back home...Eight years later as he reads the news at his favourite internet café, he comes across a story that his old commander in the army Radovan Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years for the genocide in Srebrenica. Niko was a transport pilot at the time in the 138th transport aviation brigade, flying Gazelle helicopters on scouting missions. He also got an email from his uncle saying his mother had died, so Niko flew home to Yakutsk, taking Roman's ashes with him on the plane. Mother and son were spread together in a small ceremony. Niko then flies home and resumes his life, taking care of his niece and sister-in-law, and driving his cab, throughout all of this, he remained friends with Little Jacob, and Brucie Kibbutz who were also in attendance at the wedding and funeral...Nine years go by, and Novi has grown into a beautiful 18 year old, Niko, Malorie, Brucie, and Little Jacob are all there to cheer her on and watch her proudly receive her diploma and dedicate the moment to her mom, uncle, and late dad, to applause, and tears of joy from Mallorie. When Novi gets off stage, Niko and Mallorie hug her and Niko tells her that her father would be so proud and that he sees a lot of him in her. "Thanks Uncle Niko". She hugs back. "So what do you plan to do now?" The proud uncle inquires. "I'm going to go to NYU for Humanitarian studies to improve the lives of people like my grandparents and you and dad". Niko almost cries, but it gets lost in a thousand yard stare. "Your dad would've liked that." Niko chokes out....

Unfortunately, Niko wouldn't get to see any of that, a week later, the 48 year old was driving a fair from the Bronx to Hell's Kitchen when the man pulls a knife, Niko fought valiantly, still remembering his hand-to-hand combat training from the Yugoslav People's Army. He grabs the man's right wrist with his right hand, and bends it back with his left hand, disarming his assailant, the knife dropping with a slight thud on the vinyl-covered passenger seat. before throwing his head back and head-butting him, breaking his noise. Both men scramble out of the yellow Town car, just as Niko hits the panic button, causing a yellow light to flash on the Lincoln's trunk. Both men stand face to face, Niko, getting in close, punching the man twice in the face with two quick jabs, left then right, sending the would-be attacker to the ground, flat on his back, out cold. As Niko called the police and climbed back into his cab, two men run up and unloaded their magazines into Niko's windshield, apparently, his fair had friends, or maybe it was someone from his past?

The crime to this day remains unsolved, Niko was cremated and spread along with his mother and cousin. A small plaque is mounted in Central Park beside Roman's, it simply reads: Niko Bellic 1978-2026.