Dark Destiny

by Lady Dawson

Chapter One: How it All Began

Sylvia Chandler had met the Halliwell brothers the first day of that she had moved next door to them, with her family. Her mother Cecilia was suffering from a divorce and her younger twin brothers Eric and James moved with them, though Eric was furious and angry about the move and even more so about the divorce, mostly because he worshiped their father. But neither Sylvia nor her mother had the heart to tell him that their father was the one who had destroyed the marriage, by cheating on Cecilia with another woman.

But this is not the story of Sylvia's childhood and how her parents had split up. Nor is it the tale of how Sylvia Chandler became a teenager. This is the story of how she became a woman, a far greater challenge altogether. Especially in this tale, for she had to undergo challenges beyond her own expectations. And in order to do that, she would have to face dangerous trial, menacing enemies, and friends that she would never have expected.

But most of all, she would have to save the man she had loved since the day she met him, when she was all of fourteen and he just a year older than she was. Chris Halliwell met her the day that she moved in next door to him and his heart was lost to her, something that would keep him on the path that he would one day forget about and cross over.

But his brother Wyatt also saw her and found her captivating. By this time, he was much further gone than his brother and was determined to destroy the world that his family had fought so hard to create. The world would be better off under the command of one person and who better for it to be under than the twice-blessed son of the almighty Charmed Ones? And his brother was to be his second-in-command, naturally.

However, if he was to be the Source of All Evil, then he would need a queen. And the moment that Wyatt Halliwell saw Sylvia, he knew that she possessed great power and that was enough to make her worthy to sit alongside the throne next to him. Besides, she was certainly pretty enough to become the queen of the world.

But he would wait; he would bide his time until she was ready to come to him and when that happened, no one would ever dare challenge him. It wasn't until his brother's sixteenth birthday that he began to destroy their family and take over.

Sylvia was best friends with Chris, though she knew her feelings had developed much deeper than mere friendship, though she never told him. She didn't want to ruin their friendship, so she kept her true feelings towards him a secret from him. Chris's family, however, and Sylvia's could see that the two were meant for each other.

When the demons attacked and killed Chris's mother that day, Sylvia and Chris were out in the backyard, talking. "Mom's gonna freak out if we're not back in there soon," Chris remarked as Sylvia lay back on the grass, staring up at the sky.

"You're not telling me that you actually want to go back in there and have her getting all teary-faced and complaining that her baby boy is all grown up?" Sylvia teased him.

Chris grinned slightly and lay down next to her. "No, being out here definitely trumps that," he agreed as he slowly began to work his arm around her shoulder. Sylvia didn't seem to mind, however, and she laid her head onto his chest, her vivid blue eyes meeting his green ones. Chris reached out and brushed a piece of her blonde hair out of her face.

"I don't know I would do if I didn't have you in my life," Chris told her softly and she smiled up at him. "You are . . . so amazing, Syl." She looked amused for a minute, but shook her head.

"No, I'm not," she told him. "Compared to you and Wyatt, Chris, I'm very low on the rank of witches." She looked away as he frowned at her. "Come on, we both know that it's true. You can blow things up just by flicking your hand, Chris. All I can do is telepathy and precognition."

"Syl, you are always underestimating yourself," Chris insisted. "You can attack demons without even lifting a finger with your telepathy. That's a rare and impressive power." She lifted her head to look at him. "If I were going to sneak into a demon's lair, then you are one witch that I'd take with me. You'd be able to tell me, without rousing suspicion, if there were more on the way."

Sylvia considered this and looked at him. "I suppose so," she sighed as she lay back down. "I just wish that I had some kind of active power. I'd love to have telekinetic power. It's cool the way that you're able to use it."

"Well, I've had my long enough that I can use it effectively," Chris said, grinning wildly. She smiled as she leaned back, staring up at the stars as they began to twinkle in the sky as day slowly started turning into night. "Don't worry about it, Syl, my Aunt Phoebe had premonitions first and it took the longest time for her powers to develop into an active power, but it happened."

"Yeah, yeah." Sylvia rolled her eyes as she turned on her side to look at him. "Hey, Chris?" He looked towards her. "What's going on with Wyatt lately? I saw him downtown the other day and he orbed out. The thing is, his orbs were a bit darker than they're supposed to be. If I didn't know any better, then I'd say that they were Darklighter orbs."

Chris frowned, but said nothing and she detected something behind his green eyes. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, he's just going through some stuff right now," Chris said simply and she detected the lie of his words. "You know, late rebellion and all. It's a good thing we soundproofed the walls, otherwise we'd all be at the mercy of blasting music to cover up the make-out sessions with him and whatever girl he's brought home this week."

Sylvia stared at him. "Chris, what's going on?" she demanded. He blinked. "I know you as well as you know yourself, we both know that, and I know when you are lying. Spill it," she ordered.

"It's nothing," Chris mumbled. "He's just got some plans that he's thinking about going through with and he wants me to help him with. I promise, nothing bad is going to happen."

She wasn't sure whether she believe him or not, but she sighed and lay back down to stare up at the stars. "You ever look at the constellations?" she asked, glancing over at Chris. He was too busy watching her to pay much attention to what she was saying. "Chris, hello? Focus, please?" she requested and he chuckled.

"Sorry," he told her. "It's just that . . . you're so beautiful."

"Stop it," she said, shaking her head.

"I'm serious," Chris protested, looking at her as she looked away, a blush rising to her cheeks at his attention. She shifted uncomfortably as he reached out and turned her chin towards him, forcing her to look at him. "I've always thought so, right when you first moved here. Remember that day? Your brothers almost killed me with that skateboard of theirs."

"Just Eric," Sylvia replied with a wry smile. "James didn't." Chris chuckled and shook his head.

"Syl . . . there's something that I've been wanting to tell you for awhile now," he began, but a blast from inside caused both of them to sit up straight. They heard Piper's yell as something crashed and Chris jumped to his feet, heading inside.

"Chris!" Sylvia called as she hurried after him to find the entire household under attack. She shrieked as Chris grabbed her, pulling them both down as an energy ball came flying out of nowhere, nearly killing both of them. "We have got to get out of here!"

But Chris didn't answer as he stared at the figure that was lying in front of him and he crawled to the prone body of his dead mother, taking her hand into his. "Mom . . ." His jaw tightened as he gripped her hand and Sylvia grasped his shoulders before looking up at their surroundings.

Just as a demon came barrelling towards them, she pressed her fingertips to her temples, concentrating towards the demon. He howled, clutching his forehead as flames consumed him and he exploded. Letting out a soft gasp, Sylvia looked around. There were too many of them.

"Chris, please!" Sylvia grabbed him and made him look at her. "There's too many of them, we have to get out!"

"What's going on here?" Wyatt had arrived, his blue eyes narrowing with fury as he saw the scene in front of him. The demons all looked towards the new arrival as the twice-blessed witch glared at them. "No one messes with my family," he said threateningly. He raised his hands and a blinding light exploded from them and every demon in sight was vanquished.

As Sylvia wrapped her arms around Chris as he held his dead mother, she felt him shaking underneath his touch. But she also sensed Wyatt's gaze on her, filled with desire and yearning, and shivered involuntarily.

She had the feeling that they had come to a very sudden halt on their paths and were forced on another one that none of them would choose, if given the choice. But amongst them, one had forced them on this path because of his own ambitions and goals. And it was not one that would make their mother proud or pleased.

--

The skies above them wept with sorrow as Piper Halliwell was buried along with her niece Prudence. Phoebe, Prudence's mother, was beside herself and beyond distraught. Nobody could talk to her, not even her husband Coop, who understood her more than anyone else. Sylvia watched it all, knowing they were heading towards something that none of them could understand.

While the family was in the living room with friends of the family and people who had come to give their condolences, Sylvia walked upstairs to Chris's room to find him sitting on the bed, still in his suit, but his tie and jacket were tossed aimlessly on the floor.

Sylvia didn't say a word, just picked them up and folded them carefully, placing them on the dresser.

"They've got loads of food downstairs, are you hungry?" she asked him. Chris didn't say anything. "Yeah, me neither," she said, uncomfortable with the silence. He had barely eaten anything since Piper had died and hadn't even spoken to anybody. All he did was sit there and stare gloomily ahead. "Some of the food's from the restaurant, though, it's better hot than cold." Sylvia sighed as Chris remained silent. "Chris? Chris, please say something."

Walking over to him, she bent down and placed her hands into his, squeezing them tightly. He blinked and looked down at her. "Don't lose yourself to this, Chris," she told him softly, her voice shaking. "I need you here."

Chris swallowed at her words and silently slid down onto the floor, falling into her arms. "Why did this have to happen?" he whispered. "Why does everything have to happen to this family, Syl? Mom and the aunts are the all-powerful Charmed Ones, the most powerful witches of all time. But if this family is so powerful, then how come we can't save the people that we care about?" He was crying by the time that he said this. "Huh? What good are our powers if all it does is get the ones we love killed?"

"Chris . . ." Sylvia didn't know what to say to him. She had never suffered the death of a loved one, but she could imagine the pain of losing a parent. She had lost her father, maybe not to death, but she had lost him and she could still remember being so angry, all the time, and the pain and fury. "We are meant to have these powers to protect people. Those who can't defend themselves against the forces of evil."

"And we pay the price for our unselfishness," Chris said harshly. He yanked free from Sylvia's hold and blasted apart his desk, making Sylvia jump at the noise. Downstairs, people's conversations ceased as they heard the noise.

"What is the point in fighting for the forces of good, if this is how it goes?" Chris demanded as Sylvia stood up, staring at her best friend. "If this is the way that it goes, if we can't save the people that we love, then what are we fighting for? We'll never have peace, not so long as the eternal battle between good and evil is going on."

Sylvia said nothing as she reached for him, but he yanked free, and she dropped her hands to her side. "I hate this," he mumbled. "Syl . . . what am I supposed to do now? I don't know what to do. Mom was always the strong one in my life. I've always had something to do with her, always something planned with her or something. Now . . . tomorrow's an uncertainty."

"Tomorrow always is," Sylvia told him. "But you're a survivor, Chris, and you can live through this. I have faith in you," she said softly. He couldn't even smile at her. "And I promise you that I will be right here next to you, no matter what happens." She reached up and stroked his cheek tenderly. "Chris, lean on me for a little while. Let me carry the burden."

He hesitated, then nodded and she took him into her arms, pulling him on the bed and she held him, slipping into his mind. Chris tried to block her almost instantly, but she got under his guards and blotted out the memories of what had happened that day, filling them with good ones, of him and his family down at the beach, them building a sandcastle. Anything, really, so long as it kept him from thinking about his mother's death.

It didn't take long for Chris to fall asleep in his arms. He was worn out, both mentally and physically. Sylvia held him tightly, frightened for him as she felt some darkness hover over them, close by and closing in on them.