Title: A Little Less Murder, A Little More Mystery

Author: Queen of Cliffies

Summary: Don's little brother was murdered when he was only 12 and after reading an article in the newspaper of a little girl's murder, he goes to comfort the father. Charlie's family was killed when he was 7 in a home invasion and when his oldest child is killed, an unexpected visitor offers his condolences. One death brings a family back together and reopens a mysery.

A/N: I know 'A Million' isn't quite done yet, but I sent the last chapter off to be beta. I also know that I was supposed to post a different story before this (Bruises and Lies) but I want to majorly edit that one because it is the story that I think will mean the most to me and I want to make it as perfect as possible. So anyway I hope you enjoy this prologue!

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23 Years Ago

A young boy held his little brother gently as blood drained from the wound in his head, the men had killed him and gone upstairs. His brother was so still, so cold and the blood warm and sticky. He wished he had treated the younger boy better while he had the chance. Maybe God was punishing him for his cruelty by taking his brother away forever... but he wouldn't let Him. Maybe, just maybe, if he held onto his brother tightly enough, whispered he was sorry enough and told him he did love him, God would give his brother back.

He couldn't help the tears that fell down his cheeks, this just wasn't supposed to happen, not to his brother, not to him. Creaking footsteps from upstairs caught his attention and he squeezed the younger boy more tightly, praying he would hug him back. The men had come back down and were standing over him. Fear reflected in his eyes and he knew they could see it. Bravely he told them, "Go away! Leave us alone!"

"Shut up brat!" The larger man spat at him as he grabbed his brother's body and tried to pull it away from him.

"No, you can't take him! Please..." All the bravery drained out of his face and more tears began to fall. If they took him, it would all be real and Charlie would really be dead.

The other man smacked him brutally and pushed him away from the body, "Friggin kids..." he turned to his partner, "You sure this is the right one?"

"Yeah, unfortunately. Why the hell did you shoot him?" The man Don had named Fat Jerk asked Charlie's killer.

"I thought it was the other one. C'mon no use crying over spilt milk. Let's go," Killer said easily as Fat Jerk threw the body over his shoulder.

Don stood up in front of them and yelled, "No! Please, you can't take him!"

Killer rolled his eyes and grabbed him roughly, quickly tying his hands and feet together before shoving a dirty rag into his mouth, "I said shut up and now you will. I don't like killing kids, your brother startled me, but if you somehow get in my way again... I will kill you and your parents. Got it?"

He nodded silently from his spot on the floor as the two men left and waited for his parents to come downstairs, if the men hadn't killed them too.

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21 Years Ago

"Charlie congrats! The Cranbrooks have decided to adopt you!" The woman who owned the orphanage told him cheerily, but the nine year old just looked up at her sullenly. He didn't want a new family, he wanted the old one, before they had been killed. It was two years ago now that he was shot and his brother and parents murdered. He never got to go to the funerals, just woke up in a hospital far from LA being told he had no family.

"Oh..." he looked up at the young couple who smiled down at him, "Where do you live?"

"You mean where do 'we' live and to answer your question, we live in Los Angelos... have you ever been there Sweetie?" Mrs. Cranbook asked him gently.

"Uh huh, I used to live there with Mommy, Daddy and Donnie," he sniffled as tears streaked his cheeks.

Mrs. Cranbrook gathered him in her arms and whispered softly, "Charlie, I want you to remember your old family and love them, but they would want you to be happy and with a new family, not in an orphanage."

He nodded quietly into her shoulder and asked in a muffled voice, "What do I call you?"

"Does Mama Gina sound good to you and Max could be Papa Max? That way you can still remember your parents as Mommy and Daddy," she offered sincerly.

"Okay," was the small reply.

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19 Years Ago

"It's your fault! Why did you let me die!" The gastly young figure asked accusingly, pointing his long finger at him, "You hated me, no matter how much I tried to get you to like me! You hated me!"

"No! I swear Charlie, I swear I didn't want it to happen!" He cried and pleaded with his brother to believe him.

Don awoke from the nightmare with a start and shoved his face into his hands. Four years since his brother's death and still the nightmares never stopped.

"I swear Charlie," he whispered to himself, "Someday I'll find out who took you from us and make them pay. I swear someday I will protect people the way I never protected you. I promise." It would be a promise he would do anything to fufill, if it was the last thing he did.

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11 Years Ago

He walked out of the recruitment office with the feeling he had done something right. Like he was finally fufilling the promise he'd made. He knew joining the FBI would not bring Charlie back, but he could stop other people like Charlie from dying. He could finally protect someone and get justice for his little brother.

He wasn't a scared little kid anymore and he was going to do something about the crime that plagued his world. He knew his parents would be proud of him and something deep down told him Charlie would have been too.

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10 Years Ago

"Melissa? Can I ask you a question?" A young man asked his girlfriend while swallowing thickly.

"Go ahead Charlie," she told him with a bright smile.

"Will you," he started as he dropped to one knee and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket, "Do me the honor of being my wife?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" She allowed him to slide the ring on her finger and pulled him to his feet before wrapping her arms around him happily! "Let's go celebrate," she added with a sly wink.

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9 Years Ago

"Mr. and Mrs. Cranbrook, I'm happy to tell you she's a healthy baby girl!" The doctor told the smiling parents as he placed the beautiful infant in her mother's waiting arms.

"What should we name her?" She asked her husband and he looked solemn for a moment before answering.

"Margaret Donna, but Meg for short... do you like it?" He suggested and waited for her feedback.

"I love it! Just look at our baby, she's so beautiful," she told her husband with a huge grin.

"Like an Angel," he agreed.

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6 Years ago

"Charlie! I can't take this anymore! Here take Eddie," she shouted at him angrily and shoved the six month old into his father's hands.

"Mel, please. Don't do this!" He pleaded as his wife shoved clothes into her suitcase.

"I'm sorry Charlie, we got married too young. I just can't do this, I'm not ready yet," She told him, looking at him in a way that pleaded for him to understand.

"Mama?" Meg asked quietly from the door way.

"Babygirl, Mommy has to go away for a long time, I'm so sorry," Mel told her as she gathered up her things and left, ignoring the child's cries not to.

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4 Days Ago

"Meg be careful okay?" He told his little girl before she left to walk to school. It was only a block away, but he still worried about her all the time.

"I will Daddy, don't worry so much," she told him as he helped Eddie put on his coat.

"Don't talk to strangers and hold your brother's hand until you get there. I'm trusting you Angel," he replied firmly on the day he finally relented and let his kids walk to school by themselves for the first time.

"Yes Dad!" She cried exasperatedly and grabbed her brother's hand, "Bye, love you to the moon and back!"

"Me too!" Eddie smiled as their father gave each of them a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you guys too, now scoot. School starts in 15 minutes," he grinned as they took off down the street, but a second later gunshots shattered the air and he threw the door open.

In his barefeet he ran out onto the sidewalk and saw Meg laying over her brother, "Meg, Eddie!" He screamed as his feet carried him as fast as he could towards his children. Eddie was crying, but Meg wasn't moving and covered in blood. She wasn't beathing and her heart had stopped completely. She had saved her little brother and died in the process.

He folded a shaking Eddie into his arms and cried as his daughter lay against the sidewalk, now truly an angel.

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A/N: This is just a prologue chapter, the second will come as soon as I get the chance. Going to a new school is hard and I'm on dial up (ugh), but I will do my best. If you review I will love you forever, lol! NO FLAMES!

Tons of Love

Nicole aka

Q of C