Chapter Sixteen:

Almost the entire time that Chris had been in Prue's mind Leo, Bridget, Brian and Sean had just sat there in silence waiting, and hoping. It had seemed like an eternity had passed when Chris eyes finally fluttered open. "Is she okay?" Sean immediately asked hoping Wyatt had not done anything to harm the girl that he loved so deeply. "Was she able to tell you where she is?"

Chris took a second to get his bearings before answering Sean's questions. "She's alright" he told them. "She knows she is being held somewhere in the underworld, but she doesn't know exactly where." "Oh" Bridget replied disappointed that they still had no idea just where her best friend was. "It's okay though because Prue told me what Wyatt is planning, he wants me to give myself up in exchange for letting Prue go and I plan to take his deal." The others looked on, not knowing what to say.

"I doubt Prue liked that idea" Sean said breaking the silence. He knew his girlfriend very well. She had probably begged Chris not to go through with the exchange. "She tried to talk me out of it, but I finally convinced her this is the thing to do. After all if I were to refuse the deal, she would no longer be of any value to Wyatt and who knows what he would do to her then. I will not let him hurt her."

Leo understood Chris' point but he hated the idea that he would have to give up his son in order to save his niece. "Wyatt has not brought up the deal yet though right?" Leo inquired. "No." Chris answered. "According to Prue, Wyatt is waiting so he can be sure I will be desperate enough to take the deal." "Okay then…" Leo began. "Then since he doesn't know you know of his plan, we continue to try and find another way to save Prue, until he comes to you about the deal. We should only make the exchange as a last resort." Leo was desperately hoping that somehow they would find another way.

"No…" Chris asserted. "I don't want to leave Prue at his mercy any longer than I have to."

Leo, however was not about to give in. "But you said yourself that he won't hurt her as long as she is of value to him. She is his bargaining chip." Chris was not seeing his father's point at all. "He may not be hurting her physically, but I know that just seeing him makes her think of Aunt Phoebe. She was reliving her mother's death in her nightmares when I cast the spell. Plus, we all know that Wyatt is big on mental torture. I will not let him put Prue through any more pain."

Surprisingly, Sean Morris stepped in, siding with Leo. "She will be in pain either way. If anything, losing you will cause her more heartache than having to deal with Wyatt." As desperate as Sean was to get Prue back, he knew Prue would want her cousin safe, and would rather die at Wyatt's hand. Sean was not that selfless however he wanted Prue safe, and believed that if there was no other way, the exchange was the right thing to do, but only as a last resort.

Chris did not react mildly to the opposition. "Sean I thought that you of all people would be on my side here. You love Prue as much as I do, or at least I thought you did." he exclaimed. "I do love her… more than I ever thought possible. If it was me I would exchange myself in a heartbeat. But Chris we still have time, Wyatt has not even proposed the deal yet. Maybe we can find another way. This way Prue won't have to lose the only family she has left." Chris understood his point, but he also did not believe there was another way, so why delay the inevitable.

"Maybe I will consider what you guys are saying if you have some ideas, on this possible 'other way' to save Prue." There was a long silence as not one person could come up with anything. "See, there is not any other way. Putting this off is not going to change anything in the end. I rather Prue be safe as soon as possible." Leo was starting to realize there would be no convincing his son, but he did make another, last ditch effort.

"What happens once you are gone then. We will all be vulnerable without you, it does not matter how much power we have, you are the only one who can stop Wyatt. Besides, do you really think Wyatt won't come after all of us, including Prue after he has you right where he wants you?" Brian, who had remained quiet throughout the entire debate nodded in agreement. Although he knew if it was one of his baby sisters, he would give himself up in a heartbeat, it was true that without Chris, they would be at greater risk. "Believe me I want to save Prue, but without you we will not have enough power to go up against Wyatt," The male witch told his ally.

"Then you don't go up against him. You keep yourselves hidden, you have enough magic to cloak yourselves from Wyatt. And eventually I will find a way to either escape, or stop Wyatt myself. As his prisoner I will know of his plans." Leo was not so convinced by his son's words. "Not necessarily, and besides how are we supposed to stand by while Wyatt takes innocent lives. Self preservation is not what we are about. We need to fight for the greater good." Chris although he agreed was angered by his father's words.

"You don't need to tell me where you stand Leo, you chose the greater good over your own family. Never mind that you could have also done good by staying with us. Maybe then mom and her sisters wouldn't be dead." Leo was devastated by his son's words, mostly because they were all true. Chris however regretted his outburst, he hated when he let Leo get to him.

"Besides that, preserving good magic is in the end for the greater good. Wyatt is just too powerful, but he won't be around forever. And when his time does come, forces of good will be needed to repair the damage." At this point Chris was starting to believe there was just no way to stop Wyatt. Everyone in the room was silenced, seeing that Chris, the most powerful one of them all thought the situation was hopeless. Bridget however eventually spoke up.

"We still have to try. It is who we are, good witches. We are meant to protect the innocent…or die trying. You know that Chris, we all do. I see that there is no way to talk you out of giving yourself up, but there is no way you can convince us to just hide, and not try to stop the torture that Wyatt intends to inflict on the entire world." Brian smiled at his sister so proud of the woman she was becoming. "She's right Chris, with or without you we will keep fighting."

"Your right." Chris relented. "I can't expect you all to hide even if I am not here. I promise you all though, that just because I intend to take Wyatt's deal, does not mean that I am giving up . I will find a way out, and keep Wyatt from becoming Tyrant to the entire world. Sorry if I was beginning to seem hopeless… It's just saving Prue is just something I have to do. So I am going to see Wyatt now." And with that Chris orbed out, not giving any of the others a chance to respond.

Chris orbed into a closet down at City hall, where he had sensed his brother. Wyatt had been meeting with the mayor again, setting things in motion for Wyatt to officially take his place as head of the city. Chris stopped Wyatt as he was heading toward the main entrance. "Wyatt." Chris called, getting the source's attention. "Chris." Wyatt answered. "I didn't expect to see you here. What do you want little brother."

"You know what I want, you to release Prue. There has to be something you want from me that you would trade her for no?" Wyatt was quite surprised that Chris was opening the negotiations that he planned to initiate the following day, but he figured that his little brother was just completely desperate. "Okay, let's talk." Wyatt said before they rounded a corner and orbed to the manor.

"I am willing to make you an offer." Wyatt began. "If you will agree to stay in my underworld lair, giving me the opportunity to make you understand my ways then I will let our sweet little cousin go." Chris was not surprised by the offer as Prue had already told him of it. "And if I don't come to understand your ways." Chris asked. "Then you will just stay down there as my prisoner for the rest of your life." The older brother asserted. "but I have faith that in time you will be at my side." "Whatever." Chris scoffed, then after a moment he continued.

"I'll take your deal, but only if one I get to see that Prue is safe first, and two, you agree not to go after her or anyone else I care about after I am your new prisoner." Chris stared his brother down, determined to make Wyatt see that these two things were not up for discussion. "Fine, you can see Prue, and I won't go after any of your silly friends as long as they do not get in my way." Wyatt had no intention of keeping the second part of the bargain, at least not for long. But he knew he would have to agree to get Chris to take the offer.

"Then we have a deal." Chris declared. "Now I want to see Prue." "No problem" Wyatt said. "Bring her." he commanded, and with that a room full of demons shimmered in, Prue in tow. "Reinforcements, so you don't try anything tricky, Oh and don't waste your time calling for your fellow witches I have this place blocked. Try anything and you both will be my prisoners." Wyatt laughed devilishly. "Prue, thank God." Chris ran over to his cousin and took her in his arms. She eagerly returned the embrace, she had seen him in her dream, but this was just more real. "Chris it's not to late you don't have to do this." Prue pleaded, hoping she could somehow change her cousin's mind. "You can orb out, don't worry about me."

"We have been through this." he whispered. "Don't worry I will find a way out." Chris then turned to Wyatt. "I want to know that she is safe, before I go anywhere with you." He exclaimed. "Of course." Wyatt answered calmly. "You can be the one to write a spell to transport her to safety. Wherever all your witches are hiding." As much as Wyatt did not like having to give up one of his hostages, he did not want to anger Chris either. He needed him to see that joining him was the right thing. "Okay." Chris said before giving Prue one last goodbye and then beginning to chant:

Powers of the witches rise

Help my cousin cross the skies

To the safety of our place

Let her now travel through space

Chris looked on as Prue disappeared in a flash, sure that his spell had worked. Indeed it did as Prue materialized in the office at P3. The others were clearly glad that she was okay, and Sean immediately took her into his arms.

"Prue thank God." He exclaimed. "I'm sorry" she told them all. "This is all my fault, I did a stupid thing going after Wyatt on my own and now because of that he has Chris." She paused, grabbing hold of Sean again, needing to know that he was real. Yeah Wyatt and later Chris had told her that Sean was still alive but it was overwhelming to see it with her own eyes. "I'm sorry." She said again.

"What's done is done." Leo told her, not wanting to be too hard on his niece. Prue just nodded, and paused before speaking again. "We need to find a way to save Chris, we can't leave him down there." They all nodded in agreement, but they simply did not know how they would be able to pull it off.

"We will find a way." Bridget told her best friend before giving her a hug. "We are not going to give up, and we know that neither is Chris." "One way or another we will stop Wyatt and get through this." Sean added knowing how his girlfriend must feel. "Don't worry somehow, everything will be right again."

END CHAPTER SIXTEEN