Author's Note: Well, for better or worse, here it is, the last part of Sanctuary. Thanks to dontyousassmemister828 for being my beta and enduring all my whining, love ya twinny! It's been a bumpy road getting to the end, for me and for Chris. I poured all I had into this story, and I hope it shows, because I am very proud. This story started out just as me wanting to be original, and I knew it would be a big undertaking, but I had no idea how much fun it would be, too. All you reviewers had a big part in that fun, so I'm gonna take this time and thank you.

dontyousassmemister828: Thank you, for being a friend, beta, comedian, and all around awesome person. You're the best friend I ever had, and I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with, so thanks for being there for me, no matter what.

DrewFullerFanLifeDid you read Asylum first? Just wondering because you said start, and this is actually the second installment. I think there has been some confusion about that with other people, too. I just wanted to clear that up. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

alienangle19852003: Thank you! I'm so happy to hear you say that. I hope this last part lives up to expectations.

chattypandagurlThanks for all the compliments :blushes: In the past I used to loathe Bianca, and promised myself I would never write a story with her in it, but I really like her now.

shadowhisper Thanks for the review.

Wild Force Ranger: Glad you liked it, and don't worry about the quote. I think the only person that knew was my beta. You're the first person that even acknowledged it.

Thanks for all the fantastic reviews, you all truly rock. Well, no one won my contest, the answer was "Read any good prophecies lately?" I'd go into a boring explanation of what scene and episode of Angel it's from, but you probably want me to shut up and get on with the story, right? Fine, fine, I'm leaving. All I ask is that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed. If I did, Kern would be tortured to death, the writers would be replaced, and Alyssa would be forced to eat something.

ATTENTION:

If you have not already done so, please go read Asylum and Redefinition in that order.


Six months after the barrier had gone up the city was mostly stable again, and with the stability came the attacks. Witches had begun to try to challenge Wyatt, and he sent his demons to take care of them with orders to bring their powers back to him. With each different power he acquired his arrogance and cruelty grew. He began having the demons capture the witches, and Wyatt would then interrogate them. Most of the witches were on the run, but they couldn't hide for long. When Wyatt had turned the Cleaners evil they had turned into elite magic detectors. No witch could use his or her powers without Wyatt knowing it.

Things only took a turn for the worse when he pulled Excalibur out of the stone permanently. He was rarely ever seen without it, and it seemed to be infecting his mind. He seemed to take great joy from the sword, if a demon angered him he didn't even use magic on them anymore, simply killed them with Excalibur.

The only company Wyatt had now was that sword and demons. Chris still wouldn't talk to him, and probably never would. The only thing that bothered Wyatt about that was that he really didn't care anymore. He had done this all to protect Chris, to create a better life for Chris, but now he just wanted power and control. Chris was barely a blip on the radar. He still loved him because he was his brother, but it wasn't like the connection they had had.

Chris and Bianca had grown closer in the four months they had known each other, though it had taken awhile for him to break through her hard surface, and he initially only let her in because he had no one to talk to. Even looking at Wyatt made a mix between anger and pain boil in him. Things were getting out of hand; he had to put his personal issues aside and think about the rest of the city. He was a witch and a Halliwell, he was supposed to protect innocents, not stand by as his brother killed them.


Chris paced back and forth on the grass; Bianca sat perched on a stone bench. They had discovered this place some time ago and now came here to talk. The witch muttered quietly to himself, and Bianca watched, slightly amused. He growled and used his telekinesis on a row of roses; the flower parts popped off and hit one of the walls. "There's got to be something we can do!"

Wyatt had recently held a meeting that Chris had been barred from, but Bianca had attended and reported to Chris immediately. Wyatt planned to expand his rule to the rest of the state, then country. Chris knew it would be a lot harder for Wyatt to do than it had been to just take over the city, but it could be done. And right now Chris couldn't find any way to stop him.

The witches and outside forces like the U.S. government weren't affecting Wyatt in the least - the witches could be easily handled, and the barrier kept everything out. The only problem that might arise was if the government stopped all imports into the city - but, then again, he had a plan to handle that, too. Something needed to crumble Wyatt's empire from the inside, and Chris was in the perfect position to do so, but he still needed a plan.


Bianca had been a huge help, constantly watching Chris had endeared her to him, but she would admit to no one that she had begun to love the witch. She took a huge risk in playing spy, but she knew Chris appreciated it, and that was all she needed. "Chris, stop pacing and sit down. You wont be able to think if you're frustrated." Chris sighed and sat down beside her. He rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. She gently placed a hand on his back, and he looked up at the sky, his chin rested on his fists.

He took a few deep breaths and said, "We need a plan."

When Chris returned to the Manor later that day Wyatt sat in the dining room, wiping Excalibur clean. Chris could still see a few drops of blood on it, and really didn't want to know if it was human or demonic. "Hey Wyatt," Chris said, trying to make his tone sound as normal as possible.

"Chris?" Wyatt asked, surprised.

"I've been thinking…" He was a little thrown off when Wyatt didn't say something sarcastic, a comeback would have seemed so natural just a few short months ago, but now everything had changed. He shook off his odd feeling and plunged on. "This is ridiculous, we shouldn't act like this. I think we've forgotten that we're brothers."

"I haven't forgotten," Wyatt said icily, "You're the one that quit talking to me."

"That's because—," Chris stopped short, he would not let himself think about his friend, that would ruin the whole plan. "It doesn't matter now. I know there was a meeting that I was excluded from. I want to be included next time, I can help."

Wyatt looked at Chris, as though sizing him up. There was nothing really that Chris could add, but an alliance between them would definitely be more of a plus than what they had now. And Chris thought differently than Wyatt, he could assess a situation with a different outlook than his brother. That could be useful. "What are you willing to do for me?"

"What?" Chris hadn't anticipated this.

"You have to do something for me. I can't just trust you, what if you double cross me? You have to prove yourself."

Chris feigned anger, "I'm your brother. What more proof do you need? Why would I double cross you?"

"Because you blame Adam's death on me. So I have to ask, why would you join someone that supposedly killed your best friend?"

Chris didn't miss a beat, "Because I realized that it wasn't really your fault."

"Bull, Chris. It's only been six months, and I know you. You don't forgive that easily. You still blame mom's death on yourself."

"Maybe I've changed, maybe I don't want to lose the last part of my family," Chris wasn't faking the anger anymore.

"You'll never change. I'll always be able to figure you out. According to you Adam's dead because of me, and you'd never join a murderer. You think I'm evil. So what gives Chris, what are you planning?"

"I'm not planning anything, I just don't want to lose my brother," Chris said quietly.

"Prove it then."

"How?"

"Kill a witch."

Chris was startled, "What?"

"To prove yourself. Kill a witch. They're becoming a problem."

"Wyatt, I can't—,"

"Then don't. I'm not forcing you to do anything. Things can continue just as they are now, or you can get rid of a witch and prove to me that you're serious."

Chris' jaw clenched, he was furious and a little nauseous now. Wyatt thought for sure that he would back down, but then Chris said, "Fine."


Bianca had to restrain herself from running to Chris and hugging him when he orbed into his room. Instead, she casually said, "How'd it go?"

Chris looked up, startled. He had forgotten that she was waiting for him. He felt bad because after he had talked to Wyatt he had gone to a park to think for an hour, and she had been waiting the whole time. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were—,"

She impatiently waved a hand, "Forget about it. Just tell me what happened." She watched Chris as he lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. When she saw him lying there she was reminded just how young he was, not even a legal adult yet. It shocked her, he was so fiercely determined and had so many things on his conscious that he came across much older and wiser than he was. She shook off her need to comfort him; there was no use going mushy right now. "Well?"

Chris kept his eyes on the ceiling as he said flatly, "Wyatt wants me to prove myself."

"What? Why? How?"

"Who, where, and when?" Chris added with a small half smile, "He says he can't trust me, because he doesn't think I've forgiven him. He's completely right, I just didn't expect this."

"What does he want you to do?"

Chris was about to open his mouth to speak when some sort of an explosion was heard; the shockwaves rocked the Manor. "What the hell was that!" Chris asked no one in particular. He could hear Wyatt barking orders in the hallway and opened his door. "Wyatt, what happened?"

He smiled wryly, "It's time to prove yourself little brother." And he was gone- down the stairs as he followed more demons. He quickly followed his brother and took the steps two at a time. He looked out a window in the living room and saw a line of people and magical creatures.

"Who are they?" Chris asked Wyatt.

"They," said Wyatt with a sneer, "Are a pathetic excuse for a front line. What do you say little brother, think we can take them out in under a half hour?" He almost laughed when Chris turned slightly green. "Remember, this is your choice."

Chris looked at the people as they launched some sort of green energy at the Manor, only to be met with a miniature version of the Bubble that surrounded the city. The energy bounced back and wiped out about ten people. Chris heard the demons around him laugh, and was sickened when he saw that Wyatt was laughing, too. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, and nodded resolutely. Wyatt gave him a smile and a pat on the shoulder. Chris smiled weakly, "Shall we?" Wyatt's grin only widened.


Chris was locked in a one on one battle with a witch with telepathic powers, so she knew every move Chris was going to make before he made it, and if not properly distracted she could also channel his powers. Unlike Phoebe, she didn't just deflect powers; she absorbed them and used them as her own. Her side was quickly losing the battle, and he knew she would retreat, but he knew she knew he knew, and he knew…it was just too confusing, nonetheless he was prepared when she channeled his powers and orbed out. He tracked her easily because he was basically trying to find himself and followed, too caught up to think that he should just let her go. He orbed out, unaware that Wyatt had been watching his every move and followed.

When Chris materialized he immediately had to avoid an energy ball aimed at him- he had no idea where she had gotten that power. It wasn't his, and it wasn't hers or she probably would have used it back at the Manor, unless she was just stupid. He retaliated with his own power zap, just enough to stun her. He didn't count on her stumbling back, tripping over a box, falling backwards and impaling herself on a broken piece of wood.

He jumped and turned around when he heard clapping behind him, the sharp noise echoed off the alley walls. "Wow Chris, never thought you'd actually do it. You could be of use yet. You've finally proved yourself, isn't that what you wanted?"

Chris was shaken, but his voice remained firm and defiant, "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

Wyatt raised and eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I know…"Chris faltered, "I know you thought you were helping. By going after Barbas and Zargos. But it should have stopped there. You still try to convince yourself that you're s helping in some way, still making my life better. But you just made me kill, Wyatt. Not just a demon - a witch, a human."

"I didn't make you do anything. I gave you a choice and this is what you chose. Now you're just trying to find a way out of the guilt by blaming me. But I told you that you didn't have to do it. So you have to live with the guilt now." He saw Chris inhale, ready to say something, but then Wyatt's words sunk in and his brother wilted. His cocky stance was gone, and his eyes softened to the point of tears. "That's right Chris. It's time to deal with all your guilt; I'm not going to shield you anymore. You have to find yourself before you can join me." Chris' face held desperation and confusion, before he closed his eyes and turned his head away, as though he were ashamed. When he orbed out Wyatt looked at the empty space left for a few moments, then down to the body of the dead witch, before he orbed out as well and returned to the Manor.


The battle had ended in under half an hour, and like Wyatt had predicted, most of the witches were either dead or injured. Bianca watched with a nauseated expression as the Vulture demons set to work on the dead bodies from both their side and the other. Bianca had seen Chris follow the witch he was battling, but couldn't follow because she had her own people to fight.

She waited around for another five minutes, waiting for Chris to return. She finally decided to look for him once she knew that Wyatt was back, but first she had to see if she could get anything from him. She went back inside the Manor and sought him out. She found him lounging on the couch in the living room. She gave a short bow and said, "Wyatt."

"What is it Bianca?" he asked, a hint of distaste in his voice.

"Chris hasn't come back yet." She stood tall, but didn't meet his eyes.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. Thank you."

"Do you want me to go looking for him?"

Wyatt sat up and looked her over, and then smirked, "I'm sure Chris can handle himself, but he might need his little girlfriend right now."

Bianca showed no reaction, though she was flooded with emotion. What had happened to Chris? Did Wyatt really know that she and Chris were close? She said nothing, waiting for Wyatt to dismiss her. If he didn't tell her that she couldn't go after Chris she would, consequences be damned.

"You may go." She almost sighed in relief and shimmered to their spot, she figured it was the best place to start a search for Chris. The garden was completely empty. She sighed and tried the park he sometimes went too. That took a little longer to search, but he wasn't there either.

She checked other places, each one getting less likely, and her hope was diminishing quickly. As a last ditch effort she shimmered to the mausoleum where his mother was laid to rest, next to Prue, Phoebe and Paige with her. She found Chris under his mother's grave. His knees were curled up to his chest, his hands clasped in front of them. She couldn't see his face because it was downcast, but she saw the tears that dropped onto his shirt and added to the wet spot formed by previous tears. He hadn't noticed her yet, and she didn't know if she should disturb him, but he sensed her presence and looked up. He looked so lost that she immediately knelt beside him and put an arm around him. He stiffened and she thought he was going to pull away, but instead he brought her into a full hug, hiding his face in the crook of her neck like a child. He started sobbing as she stroked his hair and made comforting noises.

Bianca let Chris cry himself out, not letting him go. When he pulled away, she still didn't let him go completely, and used her thumb to wipe away the tears that were still evident on his face. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"I did it…" he said quietly, "I did what Wyatt wanted."

"Chris…Chris, look at me," she grabbed his chin and tilted his face up, forcing him to meet her gaze. "You had no choice," she said slowly and forcefully.

He jerked out of her grip and barked out a laugh. "Yes I did Bianca. He gave me a choice. I didn't have to kill that witch…but I did…it was the same way with mom. Everything is my fault." He attempted to get up, but she grabbed his arm and yanked him back down.

"No it's not Chris! You were tricked. And you had to kill that witch. Wyatt needed to trust you, to believe that you would do whatever he wanted. Now think of all the good you can do. You can crumble Wyatt's empire from the inside."

"Kill one to save millions, is that it? Don't you see Bianca, it doesn't work that way," he locked eyes with her and she could see all the emotion there, and it made his green eye dance.

"Yes it does! You just refuse to see it. You'd rather feel guilty and trap your emotions underneath than deal with the fact that the world is not two-toned. Your brother isn't evil, do you realize that?" Bianca asked softly.

"What? How can you say that? He's killed, and he deals with demons. How is that not evil?" His face was a mask of disbelief.

"Sounds like someone I know, Chris. You've killed, twice. Whether it was your fault or not, your mother, that witch, their blood is on your hands. And what am I Chris, if not a demon? You're more like Wyatt than you think. He's lost, not evil. This was his twisted way of dealing with what happened to your family. He's always taken care of you, but now it's your turn to help him. He needs you."


It was completely white, and Chris didn't know which way was up. His breathing and heartbeat seemed to echo off the walls. He resisted the urge to call out to anyone that might be there, knowing it could be an answer he didn't want. He heard a whisper behind him and spun around. The world tilted sickeningly, but there was nothing there. He heard a louder whisper to his left, "Chris…"

"What's going on?" His vision swirled suddenly and he had the feeling he was hanging upside down. The whisper was coming rapidly now, gradually growing louder.

"Chris…. Chris, Chris, CHRIS!" It ended in a harsh shout and then it was gone, the syllable of his name still echoing off the unseen walls. He took a step back and was flipped again. "The end…find them."

"What end? Find who? Find who!" He had the sickening feeling of falling and woke up in his bed, his hair plastered to his forehead. He sat up, panting, then groaned and fell back onto his pillow. He had been having nightmares since he killed the witch, but this was different and somehow worse. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling until the sun rose. He got out of bed and got dressed, making his way down to the kitchen. He hoped that he would be alone, but knew the chances of Fate being that kind were almost zero.


"Good morning, Chris," Wyatt said pleasantly. When Chris said nothing he asked, "What are you doing up so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," Chris muttered. Though he didn't even want to pretend to be friendly with Wyatt he had to play along to keep Wyatt trusting him.

"Not still fretting about that witch, are you?" Christ grabbed a banana out of the bowl on the counter and shook his head. "Good."

Chris leaned back and tried to imagine his brother wasn't there, attempting to enjoy the early morning peace. It worked for a few minutes and he finished his banana and tossed it in the trash. "You might want to eat more than that," Wyatt said, "I've scheduled a training session for you and I don't plan to take it easy on you."

Chris quickly glanced at his brother, "Why?"

"Because you need it," was the only response he got.

Chris wanted to sigh or roll his eyes but he didn't do anything and said, "Whatever."


"Now, I want you to concentrate, where am I going to strike next?" Wyatt said, standing to Chris' right.

"The force is on my side, right?" Chris asked dryly.

"You watched too many movies with Aunt Phoebe. Now, focus." They were in the attic, and Wyatt was trying to fine tune Chris' sensing ability. Chris had been blindfolded, and was told to try and keep track of Wyatt at all times. His footsteps were miraculously silent on the creaky attic floor as he walked slowly around Chris.

Chris, despite being the one that agreed to this, was nervous. Very nervous. He was alone in the attic, blind folded, with an Excalibur wielding Wyatt. He knew in his heart that Wyatt would never hurt him on purpose, but he knew in his mind that Wyatt had all the power right now. He tried to pinpoint Wyatt's exact location, and it was usually easy because of the blood relation, but Wyatt must have found a way to block sensing.

C'mon Chris, it's a small attic, at least take a guess, Wyatt thought, as he stood poised as though ready to strike. Chris finally seemed to decide on a direction and flung his telekinesis out, and it glanced off Wyatt's shield. "Not quite, but better. Now refocus, you've almost got it," Wyatt said, changing his position. Chris suddenly lashed out and sent Wyatt flying, he orbed out before he hit anything solid. "Bravo! That actually kind of stung. You're not trying to hurt me are you, little brother?"

"Yes," Chris said through gritted teeth.

"Good to hear. You have no mercy, useful trait."

Chris' body stiffened with anger and he opened his mouth to say something before he closed it and clenched his jaw. "Why are you doing this Wyatt?"

"Your fighting technique is sloppy - that witch practically killed herself. And remember, you agreed to this," Wyatt grinned lopsidedly. Chris knew Wyatt was toying with him, trying to convince him that he was acting under his own free will.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Quit with your mind games, Wyatt. I'm not going to be on your side if all you do is jerk me around!"

"Temper, temper," Chris was sickened at how much Wyatt sounded like Barbas, and doubted Bianca's words about Wyatt for what felt like the millionth time. "I think we're through here. You can go now." Chris gave his brother a mock bow and leveled him with a cold glare before he orbed out.


That night he had the same dream again, but this time the mysterious voice also told him to fight. The next day he was frustrated from lack of sleep and the cryptic dream and ended up snapping at Bianca.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Chris, what's wrong? Has Wyatt—,"

"Wyatt has nothing to do with this," he said quickly, then paused and said, "Or maybe he does. I don't know." She gave him a questioning look. "I've been having a really strange dream and I know it's trying to tell me something." He explained it to her and she looked thoughtful for a few moments before she grabbed his hand.

"Come on, I have something to show you." She shimmered them to a grimy alleyway in an industrial complex.

Chris pulled his hand away and shook off the odd feeling of shimmering, it was so much different than orbing, "Where are we?"

"You'll see," she moved towards a door that was partly open and slipped quietly through, motioning for him to follow. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the dark, but once they did he got a shock. There were perhaps two hundred people milling around, with sleeping bags and air mattresses strewn on the ground.

"Who are they?" Chris asked Bianca quietly.

"They're the ones fighting Wyatt. They were driven out of their homes because the Cleaners could detect the magical residue. I found them about a week ago when I was supposed to be scouting. Wyatt had gotten word that they were hiding out somewhere around here, so he sent me looking for them. He still trusted me enough to believe me when I told him I didn't find anything."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"You have to ask? I'm on your side Chris, and besides, I couldn't just hand all these people over to Wyatt. I think these are people you really need to talk to. They can probably help you with your dream."

Bianca took Chris around and introduced him to the main people of the group, at first they were wary of him, but soon realized that he was nothing like his brother, and that he wanted to help, not hurt them. They spent a few hours there, and by the time they left Chris knew what his dream meant and what he had to do.


"Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?" Bianca asked him.

"No, this is between me and him. Are you sure you're okay with me doing this? Things are gonna get ugly for both of us," Chris said, looking into her eyes with a worried expression.

She pulled him to her and kissed him, "I'm positive." She laughed at the stunned look on his face and said, "Go, you have a world to save."

He winced, "Don't say that. It makes me think I'll screw up somehow. I mean what if—,"

"You're stalling. It's now or never Chris." She bit her lip as she watched him walk up the front steps of the Manor. It had to be done, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy.


Chris found Wyatt in the dining room in the middle of a meeting. He gestured to a map and said, "We've eliminated all of these places, and there is only so much city. Why haven't we found the witches yet?"

A demon spoke up almost fearfully, "You see, m'lord, we thought—,"Wyatt vanquished him with an energy ball.

"Thinking isn't good enough! I want you to know. Do you understand?" All the demons nodded and left before they suffered the wrath of Wyatt. "What is it Chris?"

Chris had had time to gather himself and now there was a confident tilt to his stance as he and Wyatt faced off. "I'm never going to give up Wyatt."

Blue eyes studied his face intently, his little brother had grown into a confident man before his time. Chris' eyes held the soul of a sixty year old, and he was only seventeen. They had both changed so much since their family was killed, it was amazing for Wyatt to look back at the person he was then, the person Chris was. It had been a mistake introducing Chris to Bianca, she had given him something to fight against Wyatt for. "Never going to give up on what, Chris? Never going to give up on your pathetic illusion that you can stop me, 'save me'?" Chris looked momentarily shocked, "Yes, I know that you and Bianca have been planning against me. Don't you think I would be smart enough to bug your room when you spontaneously decided you wanted to be my second in command? You always saw the world as black and white. All the lines were clean cut."

"No, my world turned grey when mom died, when Adam died, when you turned evil," he kept his eyes locked with Wyatt's and sensed him waver, but neither backed down.

"I'm not evil. Evil is part of the black and white world, if you see the grey then you understand power."

Chris looked at his brother sadly, "You're still my brother Wyatt, but I wont follow you." He turned around and grabbed the handle of the door behind him, as soon as his skin contacted metal Wyatt spoke up.

"If you walk out that door, don't even think about coming back." The door slammed in his face.