A/N: Not my first story ever published on FanFiction, but my first attempt in the Charmed Universe. This one will be primarily set in the future and centered around the next generation i.e. Wyatt, Chris etc. however the sisters will be a major feature. Honestly, I love Charmed but I never watched the final two series completely. After S6 and Chris I sort of lost touch with the show. I've dabbled with the remaining episodes, but I've yet to sit down and watch them all completely. I know the main outline of what happened, and I'm aware that the show has been carried on the comic world. That said, I can and most likely will stray from what has been established. It won't be massive, but names and dates of birth of the 'Charmed Children' will likely be the major variance. I hope that doesn't cause a problem.
I've had the idea for this story bopping around in my head, literally, for years and I suddenly decided to sit down and write it after catching up with a little adult Wyatt and Chris. Originally I plotted it out as an entire series for S7 so I'm working from that outline but will alter it a bit. I hope you enjoy reading, obviously I don't own anything from or affiliated with Charmed, I'm just a fan writing for interest and enjoyment. Please read and review, but flames are best used by The Source so keep 'em to yourself. I disclaim! - Fox
Sins of the Mother
Prologue
A soft breeze disturbed grass and leaves that were lying on the ground around him. It rippled across the black, long sleeved tee-shirt that covered his lean, muscular torso and disturbed the loose strands of dark hair that floated around his forehead. Still he remained unmoving, unblinking, as night settled all around him. He was acutely aware of every sound and movement from within his surroundings. Nothing passed his notice, not the fox hiding in the bushes behind him or the earthworms burrowing in the ground beneath, and certainly not the red robed Seer that cautiously approached him from behind.
She walked slowly, inching up in the incline of the hill to reach the face of evil itself. He sat statue like, straight backed and unmoving as an ungodly monolith of the night. Just being in his presence sent real fear rippling up her spine, but she couldn't retreat now. She had been given orders, a mission even, and there would be no place she could hide from him if she failed to report back. Even the surface of his angelic features could not hide the deep well of midnight that acted as soul for this beast. His beautiful face was a mere mask that hid the horrors of all the evil of the world within. Merely being in his presence was enough to feel his power, even if it was raw and uncrowned. He was the Source of all Evil, and she was nothing more than a slave to his will.
Finally, she reached the crest of the hill and stood silently behind him. In the distance, the city sparkled in the night as artificial lights created enough illumination to give the city life after dark. He remained unmoving, almost as though he were gazing into the heart of San Francisco and could see beyond what others could, even her, as a Seer of all things. If he had noticed her arrival, he made no show of it. He seemed content to watch the city below in uncomfortable silence.
Indecision choked her. Should she announce her presence, explain what she had learned or wait for him to speak? After all, he wasn't known to be the most balanced of people. Rumour had grown of his existence, and more importantly, his temper. The wrong thing said at the wrong time would result in the speaker being rendered to little more than a pile of ash and dust. She hadn't foreseen such a thing happening to her, but she wasn't about to tempt fate either. Instead, she adopted the silent approach, deciding that it was better to wait to be spoken to rather than intruding on her master's self-imposed silent contemplation.
"You've learnt something, then." His voice cut the silence with the finesse of a serrated blade. Each vocalised syllable made her squirm where she stood. As a Seer she should fear nothing, yet he brought out her darkest fears. The undertone of malice and near contempt in his voice almost brought tears to her eyes.
"I have, my master." Should she explain now, or wait? The indecision slayed her, particularly as she was one who would speak with direct authority normally. Demons and various creatures of the Underworld came to her for advice and wisdom, to know what she saw in their futures. They cowered at her feet, and she wasn't enjoying the feeling of being in their shoes, practically trembling in the presence of greatness.
"Go on," he invited so softly that she barely heard it over the whisper of the night breeze. He hadn't moved since she arrived, and yet she felt the burning gaze of his eyes upon her fiercely nonetheless.
"The signs all point to the time of the Rebirth being almost upon us," she explained. "Soon the children will all be of age and they will inherit the mantle of the Charmed Ones. The power will pass to their generation and be reborn for this age."
She shivered at the grin she could see, but definitely felt slither across his kissable lips. "When will this inheritance take place, Seer?"
"On the third night of the Blue Moon, my liege. It is the rarest of Astrological events, not seen for millennia or more. On that eve the children will inherit the Charmed magic and its power amplified by their half-breed blood." The thought of a new hybrid generation of Charmed Ones struck fear into her heart, almost as great as that presented by her master. "I have foreseen it thus."
Silence descended once more. He said nothing, made no sign to show that he heard what she had said or even cared. It went on for so long that the Seer almost wanted to reach out and touch The Source on his shoulder, to make sure he had heard her. She knew better, of course. To lay a hand on him meant certain death, regardless of his mood.
"You have done well, Salome." He said finally, turned his head slightly so that a sliver of his profile was visible in the moonlight. "I am pleased with the information you have brought me. I will remember this night when I become sovereign of the Underworld."
Her unease weakened, but only very slightly. "My liege, I believe if we strike before the third night of the Blue Moon we might be able to prevent the Charmed Ones being remade. We can destroy the children and ensure the mantle of the Charmed Ones can never be passed down."
The Source turned even more, so that she could see more his face. Under the light of the moon, the mask of beauty he wore seemed thinner than ever. On the surface, he appeared as any other man in his early twenties, full of the first flush of manhood. He was almost delicately handsome, yet even without the power of Foresight she could almost see the hideous face of true evil beneath its porcelain shell. "Stop the inheritance? Why on earth would I want to do that, Salome?" She looked dumbstruck, realising she'd said the wrong thing without knowing how to put it right or even why it was wrong. "Why kill them when it is the Charmed mantle that is my ultimate prize?"
Salome looked confused, instinctively taking a step back and forcing her gaze to the floor as The Source slowly stood to his feet. He wasn't that physically imposing, being just under six feet tall with a lean frame. "No, we will let these new Charmed Ones inherit what is theirs. It will make my ascension even greater when I have their hybrid Charmed magic as my own."
It made no sense. It was nigh on impossible to steal the magic of the Charmed Ones, especially when it was manifested in the three sisters. By passing it onto their children, combinations of Warren Witch blood and Whitelighter powers meant it would forever be untouchable to the Underworld. Surely The Source understood this? "My liege, it is impossible to take the powers of the Charmed Ones completely. Why not destroy them now so that they-"
The Seer had no chance to finish her sentence as The Source lunged at her, grabbing her by her jaw and slamming her hard up against the tree behind her. His vice grip felt like it would crush her face as her feet thrashed, suspended above the ground as he held her there for moment, murder masking his features.
"Never question me, Salome. You wouldn't like what happens next." His eyes, black with demonic rage seared her skin with their gaze until she felt the tears leak out of the corners of her own. Finally he released his death hold, dropping her to the ground where she mewled pathetically, clutching at her face that throbbed with pain.
He turned back to the night sky, peering down on San Francisco. "It's not enough to destroy just them, Salome. I want to ruin the entire line in every single way I can, to make them feel true terror and pain so that they beg for the end long before I decide to deliver it. And I'm not going to stop with this younger generation. By the time I'm through with the Charmed Ones, Melinda Warren herself will writhe in agony from my power and I will finally have what belongs to me."
"M-my liege?" Salome mumbled, dribbling onto her robes as she tried to make her jaw function properly again. "I don't understand."
"You're not meant to," he spat, eyes blackening once more with demonic rage, "all you need to know is that soon the Underworld and the Upper World will belong to me. I will be crowned and take my rightful place as The Source and then I will have the Power of Three as my own." He grinned manically, staring upwards to the glinting stars. "And once I do, the Heavens will be next. The Charmed Ones will be nothing more than a long forgotten memory."
Smiling darkly to himself, The Source turned back to the crouched figure on the floor. His plan was perfect, and slowly, everything was beginning to fall into place. "Now, be a good little pet and find out which faction is currently the strongest in the Underworld. I want to know which hoard of vermin I need to crush beneath my heel first."
Clearly dismissed, Salome didn't wait for a follow up instruction, instead allowing herself in fade away in a ripple of magic. The Source watched her go, staring a moment at the space where she had been before resuming his cross legged seating position on the ground.
He could feel the future within his grasp now. Soon, the entire city would cower before him as he ruled over them all. He would be the ultimate expression of power, both Source and sole Charmed One, and all would bow before his magnificence. But most importantly of all, those who had abandoned him would live to regret it. Those who had cast him out would be reminded of their treachery and he would see them pay. He would make them pay. By the time he was finished with the Charmed Ones and their families, they would wish he merely wanted them dead.
A soft peal of laughter broke the silence once more as The Source faded into burst of fire and left the hilltop as silent as the grave.