Just a brief note:I changed my pen name from AutumnAngel-371, so just letting you know it's still me!

Well, I know Wyatt and Chris future-fic have been done to death and then back to life again but I know I still like reading them. So hopefully you will too! This is not related to my other Wyatt and Chris future fics 'Blood Ties' and it's sequal 'Reversing Morality': it's just a completely new idea that came to me. But obviously feel free to read my other fics as well. I wouldn't complain!

Wyatt is about 20, Chris 18 and Prue (Phoebe's daughter) 15 or 16ish. Although this isn't set in stone.

Reviews will be much appreciated!

Autumn-371

Chapter 1: A Nightmarish Reality

"Excalibur."

The harsh, controlled voice rings out through the darkness and a moment later the bright white orbs, which bring the legendary sword to my enemy, blind me.

When I open my eyes again the inky blackness of the cave has descended, although torn in places by the evil glinting of the sword.

The sword.

I hear the air swishing as it moves in deference for it. Nothing stands in the way of Excalibur or it's master. Except me.

I feel the roughness of the ground beneath me. A lone stone hits me, carelessly kicked by the holder of Excalibur, as he makes he way through the shadows. Towards me.

I scramble to my feet, my heart beating fast. Where is he? I strain my eyes but I can see nothing. The sword must be motionless, lest a telltale spark from it betrays its master's position.

He could be anywhere.

I listen, but all I can hear is the pounding of my heart. It is so loud I am sure he will hear it.

Stillness is all around me. He has stopped. Maybe he is listening too.

I hold my breath.

'Please don't let him find me.'

I don't know to whom I am pleading. There are no Elder's left anymore; they all felt the cold steel of Excalibur.

Maybe I am pleading to a higher power than the Elder's. One I am no longer sure even exists. How could anybody let this happen?

A soft laugh echoes ominously around the cave. The echoes seem never-ending. They fade eventually, distorted.

I still do not know where he is.

'Please. Let him go away.'

I have never felt so scared in all my life. I have never felt someone so powerful and so evil in all my life. I have never been so betrayed in my life. I have never been so alone.

But I am not alone here.

He is still here.

Watching.

Waiting.

With Excalibur.

I clench my fists.' I must be strong.' I tell myself, ' I must stand strong in the face of evil; no matter whom they are. No matter that my hunter is the one who knows me above all others. I must not be weak.'

"Face me."

I call out to the darkness. Will he answer?

Footsteps sound in front of me.

I steel myself.

A faint hiss is the only warning I get as the sword swishes towards me. I duck, throwing my hands up.

Excalibur slashes my skin and I feel warm blood dripping down my arm.

The black air is still impenetrable around me.

I push my uninjured hand out in front of me, mentally blasting the area.

But the sword protects. And now it protects him.

Excalibur reflects my power and the resulting explosion throws me backwards. I hit the wall hard and collapse on the ground.

I raise a hand to the back of my head; it is sticky with blood.

Malevolent laughter.

He is laughing.

I use the wall to pull myself to my feet I take a step forward and stop short. Shock roots me to the ground.

He is right there.

Right in front of me.

With Excalibur raised high.

The air whistles as the sword curves a wicked arc through it.

The blade stabs through my stomach and I gasp in pain.

Coldness.

It is cold.

Cold…

-----

A loud bang echoed throughout Chris's room.

Chris fought for air as he sat up, still half asleep. "Cold." he gasped.

Chris looked around him. He was in his room. His cousin Prue was standing at the newly slammed open door with a confused expression on her face.

"What's cold?" she asked perkily, bounding in to sit on the end of his bed.

Chris shook his head to dispel the last traces of the nightmare. "Nothing."

Prue stared sceptically at him, "You look funny. Are you ok?"

"Thanks." retorted Chris sarcastically, then at Prue's persistent gaze, "It was just a nightmare."

"What about?"

Chris paused, reflecting. He had been in a cave, with Wyatt. Wyatt and Excalibur. "Wyatt." he admitted softly.

"Oh." Prue moved her uncomfortable gaze to stare out of the window.

Chris ran his hand over his stomach. There was no injury, no mark. "It was just a nightmare." he repeated, as much for his benefit as for Prue's.

"Auntie Sheila sent me up to tell you that if you want breakfast you have to get up now and stop being such a lazy bones." Prue told him, now rooting through a large wooden weapons chest at the base of Chris's bed.

"She did not say that." contradicted Chris, reaching forward to take an athame out of Prue's hand and place it back in the trunk.

Prue shrugged her shoulder, "Well, maybe I embellished it a little." she admitted grudgingly, "But still, if you want any breakfast it's not going to be on the table for much longer."

"Ok, I'll be down in a bit." Chris sighed in exasperation as Prue began hunting through one of his drawers, "Can you stop being so nosy?" he grumbled, "Did no-one ever tell you that curiosity killed the cat?"

Prue looked mock insulted "I'm not a cat." she returned mischievously.

In response Chris chucked a pillow at her.

"Hey!" Prue protested.

"Serves you right for being cheeky." Chris told her, grinning, "I was never that bad when I was your age."

"No, you were worse, what with all your sarcastic comments." agreed Prue, ducking as Chris threw his other pillow at her too. She giggled as it missed her. "I'll go tell Auntie Sheila you'll be down in a sec." Prue informed him, "Bye!" she called out brightly as she ran out of his room and down the stairs.

Muttering to himself about annoying younger cousins, Chris got dressed and dragged himself downstairs.

"Hey Chris"

Darryl's wife Sheila was standing in the kitchen, watching the morning news as Chris entered.

"Hi" he replied, settling himself down at the table and reaching for the milk, "Anything major up?" he asked nodding to the TV.

A sad expression appeared on Sheila's face as she nodded. "It looks like there were more attacks last night. Darryl's had to go into the office early." Her eyes were worried, as she pressed mute on the remote while the weather was read out, "I don't know how much longer he can keep covering up that these are all demon attacks." she admitted.

Chris chewed thoughtfully on hiscereal as he considered this news. The number of demon attacks had increased dramatically over the past three months; ever since, Chris felt his heart constrict at the thought, ever since the Power of Three had been broken, since his Mother and two Aunts had been killed.

Chris missed them terribly. But somehow the loss of Wyatt was even more painful.

Sometimes Chris wished that Wyatt had died in the attack that had claimed the lives of the Charmed One's. Better that than what he was now, an evil, power hungry tyrant who was uniting the underworld under Excalibur.

Sheila seemed to realise where his thoughts were going. "Prue said you had a nightmare last night. About Wyatt." she ventured.

Chris nodded, staring glumly into his bowl of cereal. "We were fighting." he whispered, "He…he stabbed me." Chris swallowed painfully, "With Excalibur."

Chris could feel Sheila's sympathetic gaze on him as he felt tears spring to his eyes.

A moment later, Prue entered the kitchen and swung herself into a chair, dropping her backpack onto another. "We going soon?" she asked Sheila.

"Yes, in a minute." Sheila assured her, "You sure you'll be okay here Chris?"

Chris nodded, managing a weak grin, "It's not like you don't take Prue to school every day." he told her, "I'll be fine. It was just a nightmare."

"Y'know." Prue began, an uncharacteristically harsh look in her eyes, "I say we go find Wyatt and give him a good kick up the arse. Maybe that would knock some sense in him."

Chris grinned for real this time. "Don't tempt me." he laughed.

"I was being serious." protested Prue.

"Come on," cut in Sheila, "We'd better go. You don't want to be late."

Sheila led Prue to the front door as Prue's voice filtered back to Chris, "It's school. Of course I want to be late."

Chris shook his head in a mixture of amusement and disbelief at his cousin's attitude. Nothing could get Prue down; she saw the silver lining in every cloud. Sometimes Chris felt that he got through the loss of his mother and aunts only by the support of his little cousin, though of course Sheila and Darryl had helped tremendously too.

But no one could help him come to terms with what had happened to Wyatt. Wyatt was a problem Chris was determined to sort out by himself. If Wyatt thought that Chris would just sit back and watch his elder brother, his mentor and his best friend turn into some kind of monster, then Wyatt was mistaken.

Chris would save him. No matter what it took.

-----

Wyatt strode through the immense cavern, a cruel smile twisting his once innocent features. Wyatt's formerly baby blue eyes now held the look of steel, of calculation and of determination. Wyatt Halliwell was a force to be reckoned with.

As he passed demons, warlocks and other creatures of darkness bowed low, almost to the ground, and Wyatt could sense their fear and respect for him.

'As well they should.' he thought grimly.

Wyatt was the twice-blessed child, the bearer of Excalibur and now he had shed those useless notions of good and evil there was nothing that could stand in his way.

Except Chris.

Chris. He was Wyatt's only problem. A problem he had to deal with but couldn't erase. Because Wyatt couldn't harm Chris; he wouldn't.

'Well,' Wyatt considered this, 'I won't kill him anyway.'

Wyatt reached the centre of the cavern. The sculptured roof was almost twenty feet tall here, adorned with grotesque stone demons and lit by black candles.

A circle of demons was awaiting him, their heads bowed.

Wyatt stepped up to a gap in the circle at which point the demons began their deferential greetings.

"My liege." "My lord." "Master."

Wyatt held up a hand and immediately the demons fell so silent that only their husky breathing could be heard. When Lord Wyatt demanded silence, silence was what he got.

"Report."

Wyatt made sure his voice was commanding, harsh and brooked no argument.

A hooded demon stepped forward and bowed before his report. "The coven was wiped out. Completely." he announced, respectfully keeping his eyes lowered to the ground.

The demons in his so-called "inner circle" knew that Lord Wyatt did not appreciate flowery speeches, but preferred direct statements.

Wyatt permitted himself one curt nod as the demon stepped back. Gradually all witches that could possibly be a hindrance to him and his plans were being exterminated.

Except Chris.

'And now everything comes back to Chris again.' mused Wyatt, as more brief reports were given, 'And Prue too, I suppose.'

Silence had fallen round the circle and Wyatt realised that all reports had been given and all was satisfactory.

"Dismissed."

His command rang out through the cavern and he strode back out towards the entrance. There was no movement among the demons; they all knew they were only dismissed after their Lord had left the cavern.

Wyatt's thoughts were still on Chris as he made his way to his quarters.

Wyatt would turn him. No matter what it took.