Summary: A case that begins as a simple murder evolves into much more as Richard Castle finds out that his cousins were victims of this murderer. The detectives at the Twelfth are faced with the task of finding the murderer before he strikes again, as well as helping a young woman rebuild her life once again.

Author's Note: This idea, or a similar one, came to me while I was working on a novel for National Novel Writing Month this past November. I've been a fan of Castle since it came out, so I figured I would try my hand at writing a fanfiction for it. I know that I probably shouldn't have, but this idea was just too good to keep it to myself. This is AU, and I only own two characters.

Disclaimer:As much as I would love to own Castle, I don't.

- Murder and Injury –

The soft sounds of Frank Sinatra floated out of the speakers of an iPod dock. The music enveloped the room in a Christmas mood that suited what the calendars showed. It was only five days until Christmas, but the apartment had been decorated since the tenth. A young woman sat on her bed with pillows at her back, her hands holding Heat Rises as her eyes scanned the pages. The lamp on her bedside table provided just enough light to read by while keeping most of the room dark. The snow that had been falling for the past day blanketed the streets of Manhattan, only adding to the holiday mood. She came to the end of the chapter and doge-eared the page, loath to get out of her bed while she knew that she had to. She closed the book and climbed off of her bed, a sigh escaping her lips.

She stretched slightly before she said, "Now is a good time to come out of my room and spend time with Vanessa."

She held Heat Rises close to her chest as she exited her room, shutting the door behind her. Tip-toeing down the hall, she heard Vanessa ask, "Anne, do you ever stop reading Derrick Storm novels?" Laughing slightly, Anne resumed a normal gait and replied, "Vanessa, it was a Nikki Heat novel this time." She soon found herself in the living room, sighing as she saw her sister in a plush chair.

The chair was near their Christmas tree. The tree was not as big as usual, but they dealt with it. Vanessa held a picture frame in her hands, tracing her mother's face with a fingernail. Anne set her book down on the coffee table before she walked over to her sister. The picture that Vanessa was looking at was from a trip to Coney Island. It had been a regular trip for the two sisters, their mother, and their great-aunt Martha. The trip took place during the summer. That is, until five years before. Their father left when Vanessa was only five and they found out that he had died in California.

"Mom would want us to be happy, Ness. I'll get us some eggnog, so please turn on the television," Anne said before walking to the kitchen.

Vanessa sighed and replied, "Put Southern Comfort in the eggnog." Anne chuckled and opened the refrigerator, retrieving the eggnog and the alcohol. Vanessa put the picture frame up before she ran her fingers through her hair. She cast her gaze to the tree, counting the ornaments that she could see.

The ornaments were from Hallmark, the same as every year. It was one tradition that they couldn't give up. There were many Disney brand Hallmark ornaments, as Disney films had been an escape for the sisters. Reaching for the remote, she turned on the television and quickly found the movie channels. Vanessa settled on the channel that was playing Tangled as her sister came back with the two glasses of eggnog.

"Hey, do you think that you could get Deadly Storm for us to read together?" Vanessa asked as she took a glass from her sister.

Anne took a sip of her eggnog before setting it down near the picture frame. She bit her lower lip slightly before she turned around. She headed to her room to pick up her cousin's first Derrick Storm novel.

Watching as her sister disappeared behind a wall; Vanessa stood and cracked her back. There was a rattling at the door, and it soon opened of its own accord. A man stood at the doorway, a hood over his head that cast a shadow across his face. .com/blog/dish/201112/dallas-cowboys-replaced-americas-teamanessa gasped and she rushed to grab the bat near the closet. The man backhanded her, which caused blood to come out of her nose. He came behind her and held a blade to the right side of her mouth, pressing the blade against the corner of her lips. He pulled the blade through her cheek at an angle. He quickly switched sides once he was satisfied with his work.

Anne ran out of her room and came to the living room just as Vanessa broke away. The man had pulled out a gun and she could tell was a Sig. He pointed it at Vanessa with very little expression on his face.

"Not my sister!" Anne yelled, her book clutched to her chest.

The man glanced at Anne and growled, "Not to worry, I'll let you live."

Anne nearly felt her heart stop as he fired the fun three times. The man dropped his weapon and shifted the knife in his grasp. It was then that his eyes fell on the bat, the same one that Vanessa had wanted to get. He walked over to where it lay and picked it up. Then, he slowly walked over to Anne. He swung at her left leg and a smile crossed his face as he heard a crack. He had missed her knee, but he was pretty sure that he had just shattered a bone in her leg. She fell to the floor with a look of shock on her face. He knelt down beside her and grabbed her chin with his left hand. He still had the knife in his right hand.

"Let's put a smile on that face," he said as he inserted the knife tip into her mouth. He cut through her left cheek before mimicking the action on her right cheek.

He got up and ran out of the apartment. He had left the knife on the ground near Anne. She pulled out her phone with shaky hands and dialed 911. "Yes, my sister was just murdered. I'm injured and I need help," she said, her phone still in her hands as she began to lose the fight with unconsciousness.

A.N.: Vanessa is twenty-five and Anne is twenty-two. Alexis is twenty. Kate and Rick have been married for a year and seven months.

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