Hello...I'm almost too embarrassed to post this chapter as it's been soooo long since the last one and no matter how much I promise the next chapter will be up shortly it never seems to happen! So I'm sorry. Very sorry. Please keep reading! I haven't abandoned this story – it is planned out to the very end so keep a look out for the next chapter as it's very exciting! There's very little Wyatt in this chapter but I promise in the next chapter there will be more Wyatt and Chris interactions and Excalibur stabs someone... At least according to the plan that is!
Anyway I have included a short summary of the previous chapters in case it's been too long and you've all forgotten what happened! If you have an amazing memory (if you do then I will be very jealous) then just scroll down and start reading at Chapter 18: the Double Rescue (and I hope you get the pun otherwise the title won't make much sense as I had to cut the chapter off earlier than I planned!)
Enjoy. Autumn-371
Chap 1 Summary: Chris has a dream of Wyatt killing him with Excalibur, while down in the Underworld, Wyatt holds a meeting with his inner circle of demons. Although separated, Chris and Wyatt both think of each other.
Chap 2 Summary: Demon attacks are on the increase in SF, and Chris is helping Darryl to prevent the murders. Meanwhile Wyatt looks in the BOS for a solution to his problem with Chris and Prue has dream of Wyatt killing her with Excalibur.
Chap 3 SummaryChris searches Magic School Library for information on the demon attacks and realises that they are a result of a new source. He orbs to the Underworld and overhears Wyatt ordering an attack on San Francisco.
Chap 4 SummaryThe attack on San Francisco has begun. Demons and Darklighters are combining forces to kill as many witches as possible and Chris is called back from the Underworld by Prue and Sheila. Leo issues an order to the Whitelighters telling them to stay in the Overworld for protection instead of helping their charges.
Chap 5 Summary Rumours are rife about the force behind the murders and Chris and Prue decide they need a plan to stop Wyatt. Wyatt orbs up to the Overworld and comes face-to-face with his Father, Leo.
Chap 6 SummaryChris and Prue decide they need to bind Wyatt's powers, however they will need the BOS to do that. Wyatt commits the unspeakable act of killing his own father.
Chap 7 Summary At the police station, Darryl is coming under fire from his superiors about the attacks. Wyatt orders the demon Dracnis to lead the forces for a take-over of the City Hall. The Police station is attacked while Darryl is on the phone to Chris.
Chap 8 SummaryChris and Prue arrive in the aftermath of the attack at the Police Department and find Darryl missing and many of the police dead. Wyatt is in control of City Hall and has captured Darryl. Meanwhile news reports have picked up on the attack and Chris, Prue and Sheila watch the TV in dread as it is revealed that the city has been barricaded by magical barriers and magic has been exposed.
Chap 9 SummaryWyatt has a meeting with Darryl and boasts about his take-over of San Francisco. He is impressed by one of Daryl's captors, a demon named Kezlar, and orders him to kill Dracnis. Chris sends Prue home to protect Sheila and attempts to enter the City Hall to spy on Wyatt. However he is seen and Kezlar is ordered to take a team to capture Chris and take him to Wyatt.
Chap 10 Summary An Elder arrives to take Prue and Sheila to 'Sanctuary' to hide them as an angry Wyatt demands Darryl tells him where the two are hidden. Chris fights with the demons but is eventually captured.
Chap 11 Summary Orion, the Elder, shows Prue and Sheila around Sanctuary and tells them of Leo's death. Darryl refuses to tell Wyatt any information and is sent back to his cell just as Chris is taken inside City Hall and also put in a cell to await Wyatt's summons.
Chap 12 Summary Chris has another dream of his death by Excalibur, but is awoken and taken to see Wyatt. Chris is unable to use magic due to an anklet Wyatt had invented that prevents it's wearer from performing magic. Prue watches a news report stating that the outside world cannot contact the city or its inhabitants, while wondering if Chris has been captured or killed.
Chap 13 Summary Wyatt and Chris argue. Both try to get the other to see their view point but are unsuccessful. The meeting ends in Chris being sent back to his cell.
Chap 14 Summary Wyatt uses a form of magic to attempt to psychologically brainwash Chris into changing sides, but Chris is strong enough to resist the spell. Kezlar is ordered to find Prue and Sheila by hunting down the Elders, while in Sanctuary Prue comes to the decision that she must make a rescue attempt. Wyatt questions Chris about Leo, and lets slip that he killed their father. Chris attacks Wyatt, but without magic is easily overpowered.
Chap 15 Summary Wyatt prepares to make a speech to the world in front of the news cameras. Screens appear in Chris and Darryl's cells so they are able to watch Wyatt's speech, and in Sanctuary, the meeting of Elders' is interrupted by the sight of Wyatt in a magical seeing pool.
Chap 16 Summary Wyatt's speech exposes magic and he declares that it is his intention to create a new world in which magic flourishes freely. Wyatt arranges a meeting with the President of the United States and Chris once again refuses to join Wyatt.
Chap 17 Summary Prue discloses to Sheila that she has come up with a plan to rescue Chris and Darryl and the two head off to Darryl and Sheila's home to get some vital ingredients. Meanwhile, Wyatt meets with the President and makes his demand: he wants California. The President refuses and Wyatt promises to take it by force, declaring himself unstoppable.
Chapter 18
A brief burst of light illuminated the Morris' attic as Prue and Sheila materialised. Cardboard boxes were stacked haphazardly in the dusty corners, surrounded by pieces of old or broken furniture, but it was the cauldron and potions ingredients scattered around that struck a jarring note.
Prue stepped over to the sluggishly bubbling potion congealing in the blackened pot and wrinkled her nose, "Ooops, I forgot we were making this."
Sheila peered down at the murky concoction and asked, "What is it?"
"It's an invisibility potion." the teenager replied, "Chris and I were going to use it to stea..., retrieve the Book of Shadows back from Wyatt." She reached for a nearby wooden spoon and tentatively started stirring the potion, which reluctantly swirled into a darkened whirlpool.
"Yeah, I think I should maybe make it again." she decided, watching the liquid gloop off the spoon and back into the cauldron with a plop, "It can help me get into City Hall without anyone noticing. After all, I daren't risk walking straight in through the front door when I have no idea where Wyatt is."
Sheila nodded in agreement, "You have to be careful," she told Prue concernedly, "Otherwise someone will notice that there are two Wyatt's about. And I don't want you getting caught either."
"Don't worry, I won't!" chirped Prue, forcing some optimism into her voice, "Now, what do we have that belongs to Wyatt?"
"Oh, ummm..." Sheila wandered over to a teetering pile of dusty cardboard boxes and began rummaging through them. "How about these?" she asked, holding up an old pair of jeans and a few plain t-shirts.
Prue frowned, "Will they have been washed?"
"I should jolly well hope so!" the older women made herself laugh, "But, oh, I see what you mean. There won't be anything of Wyatt on them if they're clean."
Prue shook her head dejectedly, "Nope."
"Ok, so what else have we got..." Sheila flipped open the top of another box and broke into a true grin, "Will this work?" she asked holding up a faded teddy, its sandy face lumpy and misshapen.
"It's Wyatt's old teddy!" Prue exclaimed, "He loved this thing! It'll work perfectly."
"Right." Sheila said, determined to get her family back together as soon as possible, "Let's get started. What can I do to help?"
With a flourish, Prue pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, "Here's a list of all the ingredients we need. I think it's safer if we make the potions in Sanctuary. This'll probably be the first place Wyatt will look for us, if he hasn't already."
Prue paused, noticing a flicker of worry pass across her guardian's face. "Auntie Sheila..."
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine." Sheila quickly replied, "It's just..." here, she sighed and turned away, blinking back the tears which had suddenly sprung to her eyes, "...it's hard, you know? Remembering Wyatt as this sweet little boy who I used to babysit, who used to play with Darryl Jr. before, well, before the attack. And now, now he's ruthlessly attacking everyone, he's captured my husband, and not to mention Chris too. And Chris's as good as a nephew, or...or a godson, or, well family at any rate.
"And now he's after us too." she finished, "And you're about to go after him, and what if you get caught too? You're my responsibility, I'm supposed to look after you, keep you safe...and I'm just about to let you go straight to him!"
Prue walked up to her and wrapped her arms around the older woman. "I know," she said, "Wyatt's my cousin, for god's sake, and I'm talking about him like he's just another demon! But...it's the only way I know how to cope with this. Because I know, if I think of the boy who used to give me piggybacks and tease me mercilessly, then I won't be able to do this. And I have to. I have to get Chris and Uncle Darryl back, and I'm the one who has to do it.
"I know you're worried. To be honest I'm more than slightly worried too! But even if something does happen to me, which it won't, it still wouldn't be your fault. After all, if you and Uncle Darryl hadn't taken care of us after the attack then maybe we would have been turned by Wyatt, maybe we would have followed him blindly, simply because we would have had no-one else."
Sheila hugged Prue back, "No you wouldn't." she assured her, smoothing back Prue's hair, "You have a heart of gold, and so does Chris. You would never have followed Wyatt, never have done the things that he's done."
Prue pulled back and gave her a watery smile, "Yeah..."
"Let's get these ingredients then, shall we?" Sheila shook her head to clear it, and managed a reassuring smile.
-------
Later, at Sanctuary, Prue stepped back from the table as a small explosion rocketed a cloud of sparkling steam towards the ceiling.
"Potion's done!" she sang out, capturing Sheila's attention, from where the older woman had been staring, mesmerised, at the artificial clouds dancing along the cavern's roof.
Sheila hurriedly rushed over, "Are you sure?" she asked anxiously.
"Yep." replied Prue, reaching for a ladle to spoon the blue-grey liquid into a glass. "I just have to drink this, cast the spell to make me look like Wyatt, and ta-dah!"
"And you've got the spell ready?"
Prue nodded reassuringly, "It's right here. Might not be a literary work of art but hey, it should work."
"Well okay then," Sheila peered doubtfully at the potion, steaming slightly in the glass, "When do you think...?"
"Right now." Prue decided forcefully, "There's no point waiting, and the sooner we get them back, the better." She picked up the glass and tipped back her head to take a gulp of the potion. "Hmmmm," she muttered thoughfully, "It just tastes like water."
Sheila studied her charge as if expecting a visible change, "Do you feel alright? Has it worked?"
"Well," replied Prue slightly apprehensively, "There's only one way to find out."
She cleared her throat and recited:
"Away from danger, in this safe place;
Wyatt's appearance I shall embrace."
Swirling lights engulfed Prue and when they receded it was Wyatt standing there, his dirty blonde hair hanging in loose curls, skimming broad shoulders.
"Prue?" Sheila asked hesitantly, unable to stop herself from double checking.
"Yeah it's me," the high pitched and undoubtedly feminine voice issued incongruously from the thin lips.
Prue blinked, heavy lids closing smoothly over blue eyes, then helplessly let out a small giggle. "Ooops." She snorted, "I guess I didn't word the spell specifically enough to give me Wyatt's voice box too!"
"Is that a problem? Can you fake it?"
Prue coughed, and spoke in a deep voice, "Is this better?"
Sheila nodded reluctantly and Prue continued in her normal voice, "It shouldn't matter too much. I'm assuming Wyatt doesn't stand around chatting to his minions and no doubt he's got them too scared to question him if he happens to sound a little strange."
"When are you going?"
Prue tapped her now much larger foot decisively. "Right now. We can't leave them there for any longer than we have to."
"Just..." Sheila's voice broke, "...be careful. Please Prue, be careful."
-----
In the city hall of San Francisco a keening wail was echoing throughout the sweeping corridors and penetrating even the heaviest mahogany doors.
Prue, straightening her six foot two frame so as to look as imposing as possible, strode down the (luckily empty) corridor she had recently appeared in and headed towards the main centre of frantic instructions and barking shouts that interspersed the alarm.
"Milord!" gasped one demon, bowing low, terror evident both his voice and shaking figure.
More followed suit, until the entire space was filled with frozen demons, each looking terrified to be in the presence of the person they believed was Lord Wyatt.
Prue arched an eyebrow menacingly and glared around the room. She was hoping desperately that some demon would volunteer the information she needed without her having to risk exposure by speaking.
Her luck held. A gigantic brute demon headed towards her, snarling at the others to get back to investigating what had set off the alarm.
"My Lord," he growled, "We are instigating a search of the entire building to find the cause of the alarm. Rest assured, if anyone has forced entry then we shall find them, and quickly."
"Good." Prue barked shortly, "The prisoners?"
An approximation of a quizzical face almost floated over the brute demon's face, no doubt at 'Wyatt's' abrupt speech, before he remembered himself and forced it into a more neutral expression.
"Extra guards are being sent to the dungeons right now, my Lord. If this is a rescue attempt then the intruders will not get to the prisoners in one piece."
Prue noticed with disgust the excited gleam that lit the eyes of the demon at the mere thought of blood and fighting.
"And Chris?" she asked, hoping for a more precise location.
The demon obliged. "The lower cellars are impossible to enter undetected, of course my Lord. They are, after all, your spells protecting the area. Your brother and the cop will be staying put."
'Oh really?' Prue giggled in her head, 'I beg to differ.'
She nodded abruptly and strode off without another word towards the nearest staircase. "Right then," she muttered, "The lower cellars aka the dungeons. Chris, Uncle Darryl, here I come!"
Prue headed down the flight of stairs, ending up on the ground floor near the back of the building, She cast her gaze inconspicuously around her, trying not to show any triumph as her eyes alighted on a plain door flanked by two pairs of demon guards.
'That must be it!' she thought, 'It looks as likely an entrance to the cellars as anything else, and above all its guarded pretty heavily.'
She walked over to the door, the demons making no move to stop her. In fact, one even pushed the door open, the others bowing their heads respectfully.
Upon entering through the door, Prue found herself confronted by a number of passages. The entire area felt dark and dank and had the appearance more of the Underworld than the cellars of the city hall. Magic had obviously played a part in creating these dungeons.
Looking around, she noticed only the one passage that sloped downwards. Heading towards it she whispered, "Hold on, Chris. I'm coming."
-----
Chris was half-sitting, half-lying down, with his back resting uncomfortably against the cold stone of his cell wall. His eyes were half open and he was staring mesmerised at the flickering flame of the candle attached to the roughly hewn wall on the other side of the bars. Chris had never realised how incredibly boring being a prisoner could be.
"Give me anything to break the monotony." he muttered vaguely.
Almost as soon as the thought had reached his mind, footsteps began echoing down the passage, and he found himself wishing that it was Wyatt. A good argument would ease his boredom considerably and give him something to stew over in his mind for a while afterwards.
"Chris?" a voice barked gruffly, more like a cough than a shout.
Chris sat up intrigued, that wasn't Wyatt's voice. He approached the bars of his cell and pressed his face against the cool metal, eyes straining in the gloom.
"Chris!" a second voice exclaimed happily upon seeing him.
The teen in question, watched incredulously as someone who appeared to be Wyatt rushed up to his cell and curled their hands around the bars, almost jumping in excitement.
"I found you!" The voice, unmistakeably Prue's, combined with Wyatt's unlikely actions make two and two quickly slot together to make four in Chris' mind.
He smiled in relief, "Prue?"
"Uh-huh." An uncharacteristic smile lit up Wyatt's face. "And look what I have." she grinned, jangling a set of keys under Chris' nose.
"Prue you are a genius." Chris exclaimed fervently, "How on earth...?"
"Well," Prue swiftly started slotting keys into the lock while she was talking, "Seeing as I look remarkably like a certain someone who is calling himself Lord and Master these days, I simply asked the demon guard nicely and there you go. Ta dah!" she added as a soft click signalled Chris' freedom.
Chris swung the door open and stepped into the corridor, enveloping his younger cousin in a swift hug. "Thank you." he whispered.
Prue was the first to break away, "Come on," she instructed, "We have to get to Uncle Darryl too, and I have no idea how long we've got until someone finds out there are two Wyatt's about."