A/N:
Lost Witch, Wicked R, Blue Eyes6: Thanks for your nice words :-))
I'm glad there are some people out there like me who like Charmed stories emphasizing Cole.

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Missing

Cole was awoken by the pounding on his door. He swiftly got up and into his jeans. He hurried to the door and opened it bare-chested. Jason was standing right in front.

"Ming is missing", he told Cole with a desperate voice.

"Are you sure?" Cole asked going back in the room and putting on his shirt swiftly, "Maybe she is just in the woods?"

Jason went in after him. "We have been looking for her everywhere", Jason negated.

"Then we need a witch to scry for her", Cole said putting on his shoes and aiming for the door.

"To scry?" Jason asked. He had thought he had gotten the hang on this magic stuff the night before. But it looked there was so much more to know.

"Your wife will know what I mean", Cole answered not waiting for Jason to catch up to him as he jogged towards the main house.

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Ming awoke with a splitting headache. She sat up and swayed a little bit. It took some seconds for her to orientate herself. She was in a dark room, more a cave. There was no natural light. Either it was still night or she was somewhere underground. She was freezing. The only light was coming from some torches on the walls. She rubbed her numb hands against each other. She wore just her thin robe and her slippers. She wrapped the robe tighter around her and stood up to investigate the room and maybe get a little warmer from the movement.

She established that she had never been here before. She turned towards the door and hammered against it. She was sure her father had taken her and she wanted to talk to him. As soon as she could tell him she couldn't help him, he would let her go. What else could he do? She hammered against the door several times but when there was no response, she sat down on the couch again. She found a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders and waited.

Finally the door shrieked and a person stepped into the room. She didn't recognize him at first, because he was wearing a dark robe with a hood. But when he folded back the hood she recognized her father instantly.

"Father", she said with a pleased voice and stood up. She was really glad to see him. Being alone in this silent and dark room was intimidating.

"Ming", he said indifferently, "I'm relieved you are finally with me again." He stepped towards her and hugged her. She didn't shy away but responded to his hug, found solace in the familiar tenderness of his arms. Everything was going to be alright soon.

"I was worried for you", he told her, stroking her long hair tenderly, leaning his chin against her head.

"Why" she wondered, "I'm fine," She spoke into his shoulder and leant into his embrace. How different a father's touch felt from a lover's, she noticed, now that she knew the difference.

"You were in the same house as a demon, my dear. Of course I'm worried for you", Wu Wei answered and held her at arms length to be able to look at her. "Are you all right? The demon, he didn't hurt you?"

Ming looked at him questioningly and suddenly very alert. Of course she knew that he talked about Mr. Turner. But how would her father know that he was a demon? A bad foreboding made her gut squirm. Spontaneously she decided to play the unknowing, aunt Zin always insisted you followed your instincts.

"A demon?" she breathed acting frightened, "no, he didn't hurt me."

"Didn't you know? Your great aunt's friend is one of the vilest demons there is. I just wanted to get you out of danger." Wu Wei said sincerely.

"But why didn't you tell us?" Ming asked, "If you knew this all along, there shouldn't have been all this trouble in the family."

She looked at him with big scared eyes. She was playing the role of the naïve daughter very well, despite not all of her fear was acted. Ming was a having misgivings how her father knew about Mr. Turner's identity.

"I couldn't do that easily in front of him, now could I", Wu Wei avoided her question, but continued to defend his actions.

"The demon made a point to be with your aunt all the time. He lured her into trusting him, into letting him into the house. That's what demons do. That's how they mislead their targets. Besides, your aunt always had a soft spot for foreigners." Wu Wei led Ming to the couch and they sat down together.

"I understand", Ming said submissively. "I'm sorry for misjudging you, father. You know how inexperienced I am with magic. Can you forgive me?" Wu Wei nodded contentedly. It looked like he had her convinced.

"But you frightened me, father. Why did you attack Uncle Jason?" She just couldn't let go of this one, even if she knew it probably wasn't smart to touch this topic.

"Your uncle is under the influence of the demon. Probably he jinxed your aunt too," Wu Wei insisted.

"This demon is very powerful and has probably manipulated their minds. I saw no other chance to get you out of there, when your uncle refused to let you go. Unfortunately the demon was on the watch and fought me off." Ming could detect a hint of suppressed anger and wounded pride in her father otherwise calm voice.

"Uncle Jason could have died", Ming responded reproachfully.

"He is not dead?" Wu Wei asked and couldn't hide is surprise completely.

When Ming threw a dismayed look at him for his comment, he added hurriedly, "I'm glad. I didn't want to kill him, it was an accident. I just wanted to make him understand that I meant business and then it got out of control."

"I never believed you wanted to kill him", Ming said, completely little girl.

She felt a great relieve that her father was not as bad as she had thought. A foolish voice in her had suggested that maybe it was just a big and unfortunate misunderstanding.

She wanted to trust her father again, but another voice in her mind told her to be on her guard. He was talking nicely to her and he was kind but something was wrong about him. There was a flicker in his glance from time to time that let her shudder. She couldn't remember having seen it ever before. Somehow she felt she was better of if he thought that she believed him.

"Great aunt Zin told me you need my power for something. Is that right?" Ming asked changing the subject.

She didn't want to make up a story about how her uncle had survived. She wasn't good at lying to her father and hoped he would jump at the distraction.

"Your aunt always was a smart woman. Same like your mother." Wu Wei said.

Ming pulled back at looked at him. He hadn't mentioned her mother since she had died. "What do you want me to do, father? Why didn't you just ask me? You know if would have helped you if I could. Or is it something evil?" She asked fearfully.

"My little butterfly", Wu Wei stroked Ming's cheek with the back of his hand. "I'd never force you to do something evil", he said sounding honest. "But it is true. I need your power to help me with a ritual tonight. It is restricted, that's why I couldn't tell your aunt or you beforehand."

"And it is not evil?" Ming asked again. He hadn't answered her question and once more evaded it.

"No, nothing evil comes from the ritual and you don't have to do anything. You just need to be there", Wu Wei promised. Her father seemed genuine.

It was definitely not the right moment to tell her father that she hadn't her powers anymore. She would just go through with the ritual hoping he didn't recognize it. Ming lent back against the couch. All this panic and excitement because of a secret ritual that wasn't evil. It would almost be funny, if Uncle Jason hadn't nearly died because of it.

"Why do you imprison me?" Ming asked, "Now that you told me about the ritual, I won't run away."

"I'm not imprisoning you Ming. I need to hide you from the demon. He has means to find you magically, if you go out of here. Therefore I ask you to stay here for a little while longer and not try to sneak out. We go home as soon as the ritual is completed," he promised his daughter.

The demon was the one thing that stood between him and the fulfilment of his dreams.

Suddenly conscious of the ring Mr. Turner had given her, Ming tried to hide it from her father's sight. Better not to enrage her father when the ring was probably useless anyway. She had no magical power anymore, she had freed herself of it.

Wu Wei spotted the gesture and grabbed her hand. He looked at the ring clueless. "What is that?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's just a present", Ming tried to give her voice an easy tone, and failed miserably. She struggled to find an excuse but none came to her mind, since it went totally blank. A sudden rush of fear squeezed the air out of her lungs.

"Who gave it to you?" Wu Wei queried, starring hard at her, demanding an answer, "Speak!" His good mood was gone.

Ming was driven into a corner. "Mr. Turner", she whispered hardly audible.

Wu Wei let go of her hand and grabbed her shoulders hard and shook her heftily. She squeaked startled.

"What did you do that he gave it to you", Wu Wei demanded is anger flaring up. "Did you sleep with him? Did you defile our family honour?" He was trembling with rage now and yelled at her, "Did you give him your virginity?"

Ming was about to admit it to his face, so that he just let her go and all the madness was over. But there she saw it again. This flicker in his eyes, which made her cringe.

"No", she said looking straight into her father's eyes and trying an offended voice, "I would never sleep with a stranger. Someone not Chinese even. I'm an honourable woman," She defended herself, raising her voice in indignation.

Her father wasn't convinced. "Why were you alone in the garden?" He interrogated sharply.

"I couldn't sleep. The night was sticky and the moon was so bright. I wanted to take a walk to cool down and think. So much happened today."

It wasn't a straight lie. She was walking around at night often – her father knew this. She looked at him unwaveringly, pleading to whatever higher power that he bought her lie. She was afraid of what would happen if he didn't.

Wu Wei seemed finally convinced and let go of her. "You are better still a virgin", he told her sternly. He stood up and went for the door. "I come for you when the time is right". He closed the door behind him with a thud and she heard him locking it up again.

She sighed relieved. Alone in the dusky cave again she lost the battle for composure and hugged her knees with her arms, trembling on her whole body.

What would happen to her when her father discovered that she had lost her powers along with her virginity? She didn't want to be alone with him then.

She hoped Mr. Turner would find her before that happened. She clasped Mr. Turner's ring with her hands and concentrated on thinking of him.

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"What do you mean you don't know anyone who can scry?" Cole was irritated. "That is a basic witch power. Never knew a witch who couldn't do it." He was stalking up and down the living room of the main house agitatedly.

"Mr. Turner, it seems that our powers are working differently from the witches in the west", Zin said patiently, watching him attentively.

Zin was sitting composedly at the coffee table, but threw a concerned look at her husband, which he returned. Mr. Turner was obviously turning into his dark mood again, the one she was not entirely comfortable with.

She was worried for her great niece too, but didn't assume Wu Wei could hurt her like he had hurt Jason. She was his daughter after all.

"We have to find Ming", Cole huffed, throwing his arms in the air.

He was chiefly upset because he blamed himself for her disappearance. He shouldn't have let her go alone from his room in the middle of the night. What had he been thinking?

Unfortunately he knew pretty well what had distracted him. He had been thinking of Phoebe, solely of Phoebe. Meeting Phoebe had thoroughly cut him to the quick.

"Can't you reach her with your ring?" Jason asked into his brooding silence, he felt totally helpless in this situation, "Wasn't that the reason you gave it to her?"

"With the ring she can call me", Cole grumbled, "Not the other way round".

"And now she can't even do that because I was the fool who took her magic away" he chastised himself silently.

Of course he wouldn't tell this to her family.If something happened to Ming, he would never forgive himself. This was another prominent entry on his list of bad choices.

Where had been his brains this night? He had endangered Ming. If her father was only half as vile as he thought, Wu Wei wouldn't take it easy that Ming had forsaken her powers. Not when she was alone and defenceless against his wrath.

Cole stopped pacing and brushed his hand through his hair. He needed a witch. Fast. He would have to get someone of his family.

"I go and get help", Cole informed Jason and Zin and expected no protest, "You need to find an item that is dear to Ming. Have it ready when I get back," he ordered shortly and shimmered out. Cole wasn't in the mood for politeness anymore.

Jason starred at the place Cole had vanished and then slowly at his wife.

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Zin and Jason were sitting at the coffee table waiting. They stood up when three people appeared in their living room out of thin air. Jason flinched visibly. His rational mind couldn't get used to these absolutely inexplicable appearances. One came the same way Mr. Wyatt had come in a swirl of blue orbs, the second stranger – a woman – held onto Cole.

"Do you have the item ready?" Cole asked stepping forward focused on the task at hand. The woman let go of his arm and looked at the surroundings.

"Of course Mr. Turner", Zin answered her usual calm and polite self, "but maybe you introduce your friends to us first?" Some rules of hospitality she couldn't forsake. Not even in a grave situation like this.

"My nephew Wyatt – he is the son of Leo, and my daughter Grace", Cole said curtly pointing at his family members.

Zin greeted both and Jason shook their hands. Wyatt reassembled his father, but was more bulky and wore his brunet hair longer. Grace couldn't deny being Cole's daughter either. She was tall, slender and had his brilliant blue eyes.

Jason looked for a trace of Phoebe in Grace but couldn't find any. From Cole's reaction to Phoebe's mention before he had assumed that they had gotten together at last. But Grace didn't look like Phoebe's daughter. He would ask Grace later, maybe she was more approachable than her father. Now they had more pressing matters to attend.

"We need a map of the nearer environment and the item", Cole urged Zin.

Zin reached into her pocket and gave a navel piercing to him. Cole looked at it incredulously. "You are kidding me."

"Ming loves this piercing very much", Zin smiled, "she had it made despite the ban of her father. I think it's the perfect thing to .. scry for her, is that the right word?"

"Yes it is," Grace smiled at the old woman. "I'm sure it will work", she stepped forward and fished it from Zin's hand.

"I have the map", Jason announced. He put an atlas on the coffee table. Grace assembled the piercing on a string and started to oscillate it over the map.

Jason and Zin watched her in amazement, while Cole kept pacing the room. Wyatt stood next to Grace watching the pendulum vigilant.

"It is not working", Cole growled after some minutes.

Grace threw him a venomous look, "Dad, please, I have to concentrate."

He looked back at her unimpressed, "Maybe you need a larger map? Maybe he has demonic help and brought her out of country or to the underworld?" he suggested, stopping in front of the map, eying it, like it was the maps fault that the pendulum didn't settle someplace.

"Cole, please, let her do her work, she knows what she is doing", Wyatt took Grace's side and she sent her cousin a thankful look.

He father was unbearable at the moment. She continued scrying but threw him a hidden glance. Why was he so agitated about this girl? He had rescued many innocents and he had never been this stirred.

After some more minutes Grace stood up. "I can't find her. Wyatt maybe if you try it?" She gave the pendulum to him. Wyatt took it and scried again. This time over a map of the whole planet. They couldn't even identify the country.

"Damn", Cole cursed. He had started pacing the living room again. He needed to vent of his frustration.

Wyatt turned to Cole a grave expression on his face. "We can't locate her. They must know that we will try to find her magically and shield themselves from us."

"I knew I shouldn't have let him go", Cole said to himself.

"What do you mean?" Zin asked not understanding his comment.

Cole looked at Zin with hard eyes. "If I had killed that bastard when I had the chance, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Zin gasped. Mr. Turner talked about killing like other people talked about washing their cars. She threw a shocked glance at her husband, who looked equally appalled.

"Dad!" Grace called him to order indignantly, "you know killing is not an option. We vanquish only in self defence and only demons. Never humans."

She threw an apologetically glance at their frozen hosts and hoped they still believed that they were to good guys.

"I'm sick of these rules", Cole shouted at no one in particular, hitting the wall with his fist.

Zin flinched at his outburst. Jason hurried over to her and took her protectively in his arms. He looked at Wyatt who himself looked at Cole worried and Grace who looked slightly confused by her father's behaviour.

Grace hurriedly went to Cole's side and grabbed his arm, squeezing it. "Dad, you are frightening our hosts", she said looking him straight in the eyes.

She was not nearly as successful in calming him down as her mother had been. Ever so slowly but unmistakable his behaviour showed that her appeasing influence was missing.

Gently but firmly he freed himself from her grip. "I will go down and see if I can find out something."

Cole had to do something. The guilt of his deed was making him furious with himself. He had made Ming even more vulnerable to her father. He had presented her to him on the proverbial golden platter.

Grace didn't agree with him, but who was she to stop her father. She knew her attempts would be to no avail, once he had set his mind to it. "Be careful", she pleaded retorting to the little girl routine. It almost always worked with him.

"Always", Cole answered softly and kissed her temple, then turned to Wyatt.

"Protect them while I'm away. I'm not sure that Wu Wei won't attack again out of revenge." Without waiting for Wyatt's confirmation Cole shimmered out.

"Where is he going?" Jason asked cautiously. He couldn't deny that he was glad that the angered man had left his premises.

"The underworld", Wyatt answered annoyed. His uncle had one of his very bad days today.

"The underworld?" Zin asked, "What is it?" She was relieved that Mr. Turner had left. She had become afraid of him.

"Its were demons live", Grace told them, "It is hell."

Zin and Jason looked back at her with disbelieve and awe on their faces.

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tbc
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