Disclaimer: Joss and Russell own it all!

Warning! Rape implied.

CHAPTER 10

"Inara, good to see you," Vera opened the vid-link coming in from the companion's shuttle.

"You too, Vera," Inara replied. She was wearing a flowing burgundy dress and a soft orange shawl about her shoulders.

"How long do you need?" Vera asked, examining the sensual light that bathed the shuttle background.

"I've only got one more, so give me… two hours," she said with a smile, "I can't wait to get back."

"Can't wait to see you. Give us a buzz when you're ready."

"See you soon!" Inara pressed a button above the monitor and returned to her space.

There was a knock at the door. Inara stood up and went to open the portal.

"Ms. Serra," the gentleman took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"Atherton, what are you doing here?" Inara pulled away from the well dressed man, "You've been blacklisted. How did you know I was here?"

"Leave no stone unturned, bao-bei," he smiled and stepped in, "Not much has changed, same bed, same pillows, same sheets even, I'm surprised."

"Yes, and you are the same (insert appropriate Chinese here) that you were at the ball," Inara turned away from him with her arms crossed, "The captain and I have grown very close thanks to you."

"Was that a 'thank-you' that I heard come from you?" he touched her shoulder, causing the loose wrap to slip further down, revealing even more of her perfect skin.

"No, I'm not thanking you," Inara readjusted the stole to cover her shoulders again, brushing Atherton's hand aside. She walked to her chair b the monitor and sat down.

"Inara, you're forgetting something… you're here for the soul purpose of pleasing your clients," he grinned cruelly, "and I'm that client, so start the pleasing." He pulled out a small hand gun and held out in front of him.

Inara slowly spun about to face him fully; in the process she brushed her fingers over a small button on the underside of her console. "Where shall we start, Ath?"

"Mal! I'm getting a distress call from Inara's shuttle!" Vera called into the com-unit.

Mal was on the bridge in a flash, leaning over the console before him and Vera, "Wait… this distress wouldn't happen to be in anybodies pants, would it?" he looked at Vera skeptically.

"No, you're the only one that would pull that kind of stunt, this is serious," Vera glared at the sarcastic sergeant.

"Well, I'll go alert the troops."

"Yeah, how did that go last time?" Vera turned away from the captain and pressed the com button again. "Attention all crew, we're going to be meeting up with the Ambassador a mite bit early. If your hear anything outside the ship when we land, just push Jayne out first."

"Good one," Mal patted Vera on the shoulder and walked into the bunk corridor where Jayne was stomping toward him.

"I don't wanna go first!" he crossed his arms and glared at Mal.

"Don't tell me about it, I don't care," Mal pushed past him and went into his bunk.

"Let's start with a little lesson in respect, shall we, whore?" Atherton motioned for her to get up and come to him, "Now, down on your knees."

Inara obeyed, fearing that if she didn't there'd be naught but a corpse awaiting her beloved captain and crew. She knelt down dejectedly and hung her head.

"Inara, look at me, this is for your own good," Atherton brushed her cheek with his free hand, and lifted her face so that he could look into her eyes. They were filled with fear, guilt, and most of all, anguish.

She closed her eyes for a moment and shuddered, reviling the lewd act that she was being forced into. As her eyes opened, all previous emotions had disappeared, only to be replaced with contempt and terror. "Atherton, please, anything but this. If you're going to shoot me then just shoot me. Rape, besmirch, defile me in any way other than this… please."

A tear slid down her soft cheek and was brushed away by Atherton's thumb gently, "I'm not going to do any of those things, not to you, not yet at least. I'm going to wait until that captain of yours is sitting right there," he motioned to the bed, "unable to move, because he's been fatally wounded, and he will watch as I commit all of the above, then leave you both here, dying in each other's arms."

"V, how much longer?" Mal's voice was urgent and strained. He had returned from his bunk after tucking away all potential emotions.

"We'll be there in two minutes," Vera replied, her eyes were intent on the console before her.

Mal began getting very twitchy and fidgety, which annoyed Vera to no end. "Stop it! If you're going to be in here, be still. If not, then get out… please."

"I'll stop, it's just… I'm so gorram worried about her," he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, "So…how much longer?"

Vera craned her neck and glared at him, "We'll get there when we get there. Believe me, you'll be the first to know."

"There's her shuttle!" Mal leaned forward to see further out the window then pointed to the small shuttle parked in a small clearing in the middle of a densely wooded area, "Can you land there?"

"She sure like seclusion, doesn't she," Vera exhaled loudly, "I can't land, there isn't anywhere to land."

"Then how are we going to get there?"

Atherton shifted his weight slightly as he stared into the pained eyes of his twice upon a time companion. Can I really do this to her? He asked himself as he saw the grief on her face. Nope, but I can sure as hell try. "No hands."

Inara's face went from painfully distraught to unbearably hopeless. I'm left with my teeth, she thought, remembering back to the first time that Atherton had called on her, always one for the out of the ordinary… that (insert Chinese here). She leaned forward, perfectly white teeth bared slightly. No hands, no hands, no hands… why no hands? What is his deal with no hands? She bit down on his zipper pull lightly and tugged it down, then leaned back as he undid his own belt. As the pants slid from his pasty legs, she grimaced at the thought of what she was about to put in her mouth.

"We could send someone in the other shuttle," Vera suggested after setting down just outside the forestation, "You, Zoë, and Jayne, then I'll keep her running for a quick getaway."

"It'll work," Mal sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He turned about the bridge, then his eyes settled on a blinking mauve button. He walked over and pressed it. The monitor screen crackled to life with an image of the inside of Inara's shuttle. He then stepped out to find Jayne and Zoë.

Vera sat forward in her chair watching the events unfold inside the lavish shuttle, "Oh my god…" she put a hand over her mouth as Inara shuddered and leaned in toward the man in front of her and began her least favourite activity. Vera turned away when she couldn't bear to watch anymore. Why in god's name does Mal have a live-feed from the shuttle? She thought while trying to ignore the horrific picture laid out before her.

Inara tried to pull away from Atherton, but found that the gentle hand that had been resting on her cheek could in fact tighten just under her jaw, restricting any and all movement. Tears were streaming down her face as she continued to caress his less than pleasing piece with her unwilling tongue and lips. This is the end... I just know it. He already said that Mal and I were going to die. At least we'll have each other…

Atherton tilted his head back and loosened his grip on Inara's jaw bit by bit. He let out a groan then stepped back, finally allowing Inara to release him. "You're fit for your trade, I'll give you that," he admitted while zipping up his pants, "You've got a little something, right there," he gestured to his bottom lip with his forefinger.

Inara rubbed at the spot on her face with the back of her hand and then wiped that on her shawl. "You're despicable," she growled as she stood up in front of the (insert Chinese here).

"I'm not done with you yet," he put a hand roughly on her shoulder and forced her back down on her knees, "That was just the pre-game, the foreplay, my little pep-talk. It's not even half-time yet, whore."

"So, where're we goin'?" Jayne asked as they took off in the small shuttle.

"To Inara," replied Mal through gritted teeth.

"Why?"

"Because she needs us."

"But…" Jayne began to speak again; Zoë turned and glared at him.

"If you ask one more question, I'm going to use your head to break the door down," she stated dead seriously.

"Why'd we stop?" Jack walked casually into the infirmary where Simon was measuring out a syringe full of a viscous orange substance.

"We're at Sihnon," he said, not bothering to look at the naked intruder.

"Inara's in trouble," River peeked around Simon's shoulder, "Mal, Zoë, and Jayne are going to go rescue her."

"Not that you care," Simon gave River the injection, "Unless you're planning on sleeping with her too. Of course, you'd have to pay. Business is business no matter how much of a pretty boy you are."

"You think I'm pretty?" Jack leaned up against a set of cabinets and put a hand to his bare chest, "I'm flattered."

Simon couldn't think of anything to say in reply to the suggestion that he thought of another man as pretty.

"Alright, let's go do this," Mal straightened his brown coat and put a hand out to knock on the door of the shuttle. He stopped when he heard raised voices.

"He's not coming for your sorry soul, Inara!" Atherton shouted at Inara, who was lying on the ground clutching her cheek, which had just been slapped by the man in front of her.

"H-he is… he p-promis-sed!" she cried; the tears were streaming down her cheeks like there was no end.

"There's something that you need to learn about men," Atherton paced before her, looking down at the grieving woman with no pity, "We very rarely keep promises."

"Not all men," Mal strode into the shuttle, "I prefer to honor the promises I've made, on pain of death."

Atherton whipped around and shot the first thing that he laid eyes on: the captain. Mal stumbled back clutching his wounded abdomen. He spit out a mouthful of blood before falling onto the bed.

"Pain of death? I hate to say 'I told you so', bao-bei," Atherton smirked smugly at Inara, who had jumped off the floor and was now seated on the bed beside Mal running her fingers through his mussed brown hair, "But its just so fitting." He sauntered over to the pair and put a firm hand on Inara's shoulder. "Now, about the raping, besmirching, and defiling… all according to plan…"

"Funny thing about plans," Zoë side-stepped into the shuttle with her pistol cocked and ready, "They tend to change a lot when you're with the captain." She fired, hitting Atherton in the knee cap.

He fell to the floor clutching his injured appendage. Zoë walked over to him and put a booted foot on his cheek. "Shall I shoot him now, sir?" Zoë looked up at the semi-cognizant captain.

"Don't," Inara stood up, "I'll do it."

She took Zoë's pistol gingerly and aimed it at Atherton's forehead. "Is this pleasing enough?"