The Unknown Destiny
by Lady Dawson
Chapter Fifty-one: Abandoning Destiny?
Lucas held Brooke against him, trying very hard not to look at Peyton's still form. His numb mind was unable to accept the scene that was sitting straight in front of him, unable to accept the facts that he saw with his own eyes. Peyton was dead. Peyton was dead.
This can't be happening, he thought, not noticing that tears were falling down his face. We can't be losing an Innocent and one of our friends. This has to be a dream; it's just got to be. Please, let this not be real. Let this be a dream, a nightmare. Don't let this be real.
He looked up as Susan turned away, leaning against the doorframe, her tiny frame curling into herself as she sank onto the ground, drawing her knees up and hugging them tightly, pressing her forehead against them. When she raised her head once, he saw her anguished and tortured face. The moment that he saw his sister's face, he knew that this was real. There was no denying that pain and agonised look.
As he stared at her, Lucas could see a million emotions portraying in her eyes as he looked at his younger sister. Anguish, fear, and horror he could see in them plain as day. But there was also doubt, self-punishment, and guilt as she leaned her head back against the doorframe. Anger and rage spilled out, as well as trauma, dread, and terror.
Brooke was clinging to him like a child, every sob racking her body and she was trembling underneath his touch. But before he could say just a moment of comfort, if he could even come up with anything to say, a low chuckle emerged from the side of the room, startling all five of the surviving humans.
"Well, not exactly the one that I was aiming for, but it will do just the same," he commented. "And now for the rest of you . . ." He conjured an energy ball into his hands.
Susan scrambled to her feet, blue-green eyes blazing with rage. "I told you," she said angrily, "nobody is going to be dying today."
"Little late for that, isn't it?" Anderson inquired, still looking all so calm at the situation in front of him. His eyes fixed on Peyton. "It's all . . . so interesting, how this turned out. Why, I couldn't have done this better if I had planned it this way."
"Arrogant, two-faced—" Susan hissed. She was breathing very heavily. "Your days are over."
"We call upon the Power of Three."
Lucas's voice broke Susan out of her fury and she turned to look at her elder brother.
"We call upon the Power of Three,
to spread throughout this home.
From place to place,
we travel to be,
in the area we roam.
Let this power return to our home.
Orbing power return, let it be known."
Looking down at Brooke, he kissed her forehead and whispered, "I'll be back." She started to protest as he scrambled to his feet, racing towards Susan, grabbing her hand as Nathan seized the other one. "Orb us to the basement, NOW!" Lucas ordered.
Susan hesitated, but closed her eyes and white lights appeared before them before they disappeared, reappearing inside the basement. "Now what?" she demanded as Anderson shimmered in.
"This day is over for you," Nathan growled. "This is for all the people that you've taken from us—"
"And have tried to take," Susan added, picking up on her brothers' plan. "And for all future Innocents whose lives you have threatened."
"I am light," Lucas chanted the first part of the spell.
"I am one too strong to fight," Susan continued.
"Return to dark," Nathan added, "where shadows dwell."
"You cannot have this Halliwell!" Lucas said forcibly. Lights appeared from the ceiling of basement, encircling Anderson. He looked around in horror.
"Go away and leave my sight," Susan shouted.
"And take with you," Nathan finished the spell, "this endless night." A shadow was forced from Anderson's body as he dropped onto the ground, agony crossing through him in a series of fits and spasms.
The shadow finally broke free of his captor and dropped back down into the hole where it had been released, sealed up again . . . for the time being.
Anderson was breathing heavily as he got to his feet, glaring at the siblings in fury. "Well . . ." he said slowly. "I have to admit, I have underestimated you. It seems that the prophecy was right after all. The most powerful witches every to be born in the history of the magical world. And this is only the beginning. Your legacy will continue into the next generation. But it isn't over yet. Even if you live, never to be taken down by any demon, they will still come after you. They will come after your children and your children's children. It will never be over! This isn't over yet, witches!"
Susan reached in her back pocket and threw the green potion at the demon. The moment that it hit, he exploded in a series of fire and blasts before it finally vanished. And when they disappeared, Anderson too was gone, the only thing left a scorch mark where he had been standing.
"It is for you," she said quietly. One of the worst demons they had ever gone up against, one that had threatened their family both present and future, was finally gone.
But were they any safer than they had been before?
--
Two funerals in less than a year, Nathan thought gloomily, is too much for one family. He sat with Haley and the rest of the family behind Peyton's family as the priest spoke of Peyton and her great attributes. A great and compassionate friend; loved by many; true to the end. Cherished daughter and beloved child.
Larry Sawyer was sitting in the front row, his shoulders sagging as he stared at the casket that held his beloved daughter, his only child. Nathan had never really known the man, having always been at sea while he and Peyton were dating, but even a perfect stranger could feel the sorrow that the man was emitting. It was clear all the way across the room.
Susan was sitting between Nathan and Shawn, staring at the casket with a gloomy look on her face. Slowly, she got up and walked out the hall, her face paler than it usually was. Shawn was about to get up and follow her, but Nathan stopped him, going after Susan. She needed her brother more than she needed her boyfriend right now.
Closing the door behind him so that it didn't interrupt the service, Nathan walked out after Susan, seeing her standing over the balcony, her hands gripping the railing so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
Walking up to her, Nathan wrapped a comforting arm around his sister's shoulders, trying to comfort her. But what she said surprised him so much that he pulled away.
"I never should have left home."
Nathan started, his arm dropping away as he looked at his sister in shock. Her blue-green eyes were reflecting the cloudy day. Why is it that it was always raining whenever there was a funeral? he wondered vaguely.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded, seriously not understanding what she was going on about.
"After Mom died. I never should have left home. Things would be better if I had just stayed away from Tree Hill." She shook her head wildly, dark hair swinging into her face. "If I had just stayed where I was, then none of this would have happened. If I had just had the common sense to stay put, then Peyton and Keith would still be here!" Her voice echoed brokenly.
"You don't know that," Nathan protested, shaking his head. "Sue, you are meant to be here, just like Luke and I are. Okay, Tree Hill is your home. It's where you were meant to find us, where we were meant to unravel our destiny, our heritage."
"Have you ever once considered that we may not be doing the right thing?" Susan asked softly. Nathan stared at her. "Nathan, if we hadn't gotten involved in this . . . if we hadn't become witches, Anderson never would have come after us. Dan never would have come after us."
"But I think he would have come after Keith," Nathan told her. "There was a lot more going on than just our Charmed destiny, Sue. Trust me, it wasn't just about that when Dan pulled the trigger on him. I'm pretty sure that he would've done the same thing, whether we had become witches or not."
Susan sighed. "I wish that I was as sure as you, little brother," she said quietly, her voice choked.
Nathan shook his head. "My mom tried to kill Dan once," he said quietly. Susan's head snapped towards him. "If Lucas hadn't pulled Dan out of the fire, then he probably would have died there. And I'm pretty sure that Dan didn't think that Mom did it. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he thought that it was Keith."
"That sucks," Susan said. "For Keith, I mean. It's not really fair to Keith's memory. But at least Dan didn't come after Deb." She paused. "Nathan, what was the point of telling me this?"
"Because . . . what do you think is going to happen to all the future Innocents that we're meant to protect, if we just quit now? Even if we do bind our powers, our kids are going to be witches, Sue. Wyatt is going to be twice-blessed: part witch and part Whitelighter."
"From what Chris and Keith were hinting at, he's probably going to be a lot more than just that," Susan muttered, remembering what Shawn had told her. When Nathan looked at her questioningly, she shook her head. "Forget about it."
"All right. But my point is that no matter what happens, we are always going to be exposed to magic. Wyatt and Melinda are going to witches. Keith, Peyton, Penelope, and Laura are all going to be witches. Chris and Ben are going to be witches. How do you propose that we protect them if we don't have powers to protect them with?"
Susan sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know," she whispered as she ran a hand through her dark hair. She looked towards the funeral hall, her blue-green eyes filling with tears as she turned her head away from it again. "But how many more, Nathan? How many more people are we going to lose that are close to us? Because they are going to keep coming after us, no matter the cost. You know that they'll want to stop the Charmed Ones. And Anderson isn't going to be our biggest battle, nor is Peyton going to be the last sacrifice we make. We both know that."
"Yeah, I do," Nathan said quietly. "But I also know that if we hadn't become witches, then we would not as close as we are today. In many ways, it's defined as siblings. And you brought Lucas and me together as brothers. If you hadn't come along, then we would still be farther apart than most brothers are. So don't ever doubt that you made the wrong decision in coming here. Witches or humans, you did make the right choice when you came to Tree Hill." He sighed. "Now about this quitting idea. If you guys want to bind our powers until we're old enough so that we can really handle it, then I'll do it. But only if all three of us agree."
"You would seriously do that?" Susan asked, looking at him sceptically. A small, wry small was tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Give up that premonition power?"
"Hey, you're the one who loves being a witch and you're talking about quitting," Nathan pointed out. "Besides, you know that Lucas and I would do anything for you. Just like we know that you would do anything for either one of us. We're family."
--
AN: Okay, there's only one more chapter left after this, so after I get a couple reviews, I'll post it. But don't worry, guys, there is going to be a sequel. It's going to pick up right after the twins' birth and right before Wyatt's. So if you guys have any ideas for some titles, then could you please tell me in a review? I'm open to ideas.
Thanks!
Lady Dawson
