Disclaimer: I just love this little Verse that Mr. Whedon and friends created and own. I am so happy I can sneak in and visit. It's very fun!

The Butcher (2 of 4)

The Companion and Preacher slowly walked back to Serenity. Simon stayed at the house overnight so that he could watch over his patients. River had gone back to the ship with Kaylee and Wash soon after dinner. The evening was marginally cooler than the day. Inara produced a fan from some hidden pocket, flicked it open and began to fan herself as they stepped off the front porch..

“Our young Doctor did some amazing work today.” Book observed. “As did you. Simon said you were invaluable to him today.”

She was too exhausted to blush at the compliment, but the fan paused for a beat. “I really didn’t do much more than follow Simon around.”

“You did much more than that, my dear. You have a wonderful touch.”

“Thank you.” She sighed. “I don’t understand why they had to do so much killing. These people were unarmed and helpless. It’s so senseless.”

The Preacher shook his head slowly. “I wish I could answer that, Inara. Only God knows what goes through the minds of such men. I just hope Mal and the others are very careful. The housekeeper told me there are about a dozen of them.”

“He’ll be careful. Mal may like to project he’s hard and wild, but…” Her voice trailed off.

I believe he can be as hard as he feels he needs to be. He just doesn’t like then need to be.” He spoke softly. The conversation was going the way he wanted it to. Something was wrong and he wanted to fix it if he could. In the weeks since Nandi’s death there had been a perceptible change in the way Mal and Inara talked to and looked at each other. The change in Inara had been greater than that of the Captain.

Mal had become more deferential towards her and something new would creep into his eyes as he watched her. Book saw it when the younger man thought he was unobserved. It was a look of sorrow and loss. The expression would be there for only a moment then a neutral mask would come down.

Inara had all but stopped challenging the Captain. Her little barbs were almost dried up. She seemed to be forcing herself to be easy in his company, which was odd considering her training. And, she avoided looking him in the eyes. Book had seen it more than once, but wondered if it was for the same reason.

The conversations between them were now the brief pleasantries normally exchanged between acquaintances. Book had occasionally been a not too unwilling eavesdropper when he would walk in on them in the kitchen late at night, or sitting on the walkways above the cargo bay floor and he was in the lower common area. The sometimes animated discussions were often humorous. When the tone became serious, though, he would move away so as not to hear.

After a moment’s silence, Book spoke. “Is there a problem, Inara?”

“Problem? No, why?”

“Things just don’t seem to be right ever since Nandi died. I know he tried to do everything he could to keep everyone safe.” He spoke very quietly and slowed his pace a little.

“What? She was startled. “Oh, I know. I just wish…”

“Wish what?” He prompted gently when Inara stopped again.

She quickly glanced at him. The weariness and stress of the day had lowered her defenses and she had said too much. Suddenly, she didn’t care. He would have to be told sometime.

“I’m leaving Serenity.”

It was the Preacher’s turn to be startled and he stopped in his tracks. The Companion kept walking.

“Why? Is it because of Nandi?” He didn’t move. This was not what he expected.

Inara stopped, but did not turn around. “No. I don’t blame Mal for her death. It’s just…”

“Are you angry that he slept with her? Do you feel he took advantage of her?” His voice was gentle.

Now she turned around and walked back to him. “How did you know?”

Inara did not see the brief, wry smile in the dark shadows. “One of the girls told me. She was worried that Nandi might not make it to heaven because she was with a man the night before she died, but had not confessed.”

“Oh!” The Companion pulled her light shawl tight around her, even though the night was very warm. “No, I’m glad she was with someone that night. She deserved it.”

“But you’d prefer it wasn’t Mal.” He persisted carefully. Book knew that only the long, hard day was opening her up. Inara was normally very private and would have diverted the conversation before it started.

“Yes…no!” She began to walk again. She made an attempt at humor. “I just question her choice of men.”

“Really? You don’t think he’s worthy or…”

“What are you trying to do?” She stopped again and turned on him.

“I’m trying to help.” He moved past her.

“I don’t need your help. I just need to leave.” Inara started moving again, keeping pace. Her mind was spinning with what she had seen and done today and the events of recent weeks. She wanted to run to her shuttle, but could not make herself move faster. She felt like she was listening to someone else say the words that were coming from her own mouth. “I should have gone long ago. I intended to stay no more than six to nine months and it has been more than a year.”

He knew he had pushed a little too hard and decided on a different tack. “Where will you go?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m waiting for Mal to decide that he can’t avoid going to a planet with some semblance of civilization. He seems to think that he is my father or guardian or something and I need protecting from myself. What I need is to get back to work.”

“Well, you may be right. He is more protective than one might expect of a ship’s captain. A bit of an anachronism, really.” He raised an eyebrow in the dark. “You think he is keeping to the border planets just to prevent you working?”

“What other reason is there?” She said with a little heat.

“Every time we land, Simon and River are in danger. Their profiles are still broadcast on the Cortex occasionally. Anyone with a good enough eye and memory could identify them. And, keeping them locked up in the ship isn’t really fair, is it? It hasn’t been all that long since they were arrested on Ariel. I believe Mal’s been walking a fine line trying to keep them safe, Serenity in the air and enough money in everyone’s pockets to…”

“I didn’t really consider that.” Her voice was almost a whisper. “He never said anything.”

“No. But, he wouldn’t, would he?” Their pace was still slow. Book was silent for a moment, weighing what he was about to say. “Well, I do have an advantage or two. My living does not depend on the ports where we call. And, I am not in love with the Captain.”

Her step faltered. “I am not in love with him! What would make you think that?”

He tried to sound casual. “Oh? My apologies. I like to think I am a reasonably good student of human behavior. We live on a very small spaceship and it is difficult to avoid seeing and hearing what is going on around me.”

There was enough light from the setting moon to allow him to see her hand go to her mouth. “Don’t worry, I doubt anyone else has seen it. Like I said, I have the advantage of not needing to work, at least for the moment. And, Mal has not let anything slip. His concern for the crew as a whole helps to divert attention from your, ah, situation.”

“Well, you’re mistaken, and even if I were in love with him, it would be none of you business.”

“Maybe not, but when I see folk I care about in distress, I feel obligated to help if I can.”

“How do you think you can be of help?” Inara’s voice was unreadable. “I am a Companion. Falling in love is not allowed in my profession. It is the worst thing that can happen.”

“Did you never want to fall in love, maybe marry and have a family?”

“That is something we do not contemplate until we are ready to retire, if then. It would be the end of a career to even start thinking about it. Love,” she searched for the right word, “complicates everything. It makes working in this business close to impossible.”

“Would it be so bad?’ The Preacher asked gently. He could hear the pain in her voice.

“Yes.”

She said it as they stepped onto the cargo bay ramp. Book knew the conversation was at an end. Temporarily, he hoped.

*****

“Tah-mah-duh-huun-dan!” Jayne rolled to his hands and knees. “I forgot what sittin’ on the back of one of them beasts all day was like. Gorram it!”

Zoe rose slowly and carefully stretched sore muscles. A small groan escaped her.

“You don’t seem to be movin’ very fast yourself, Sir.” She chided the Captain when he chuckled.

“That’s what the horse is for.” He winced as he threw the saddle over his horse and began to tighten the cinch. When he straightened, he tore some strips off the bedroll and wrapped them around the rings of his horse’s reins. When he finished, Mal handed the reins to Miguel and gestured for them to stay put. He walked the short distance to the top of the hill while the others saddled their mounts.

As he expected, there was nothing to see. They were still some way behind and the heat distortion, even at dawn, made seeing anything more than a mile or so away close enough to impossible so as not to make a difference. They would need to be a lot closer. He beckoned for the others to join him. The reins of each horse had been muffled, so that the only noise of their movement was the soft clumping of their hooves as they walked. He swung up into the saddle and they moved off.

*****

Shepherd Book stepped out of the cargo bay door and instantly regretted wearing his collar. There was a vague aching in his forehead. The chat with Inara the evening before had swirled around in his head and kept him awake for most of the night. The hope that his suspicions were wrong was gone. This was a complication that might irreparably harm the odd mix of people that was much more than a crew.

Book looked about the countryside. The men stationed as guards up on the hilltop were moving around. Having seen the smoke from the burning out building, several hands had ridden in late the previous afternoon. They were standing watch in shifts, looking for any signs of the marauders possibly returning.

The heat made the ache in his head more than dull. He certainly did not miss the heat when they were out in the black. It was good to have sunshine, but the even, mild temperatures kept on board were pleasant and made life easier. He did sometimes miss the warmth and light of a sun, though. The artificial light on a ship was just that, artificial.

“It provides the appropriate spectrum.” River appeared beside him without a sound.

“Beg pardon?” Book raised one eyebrow at her.

“The lights have an appropriate spectrum for good health. We don’t need the sun to live.” She gazed placidly in the direction the riders had taken the day before.

“Oh.” The Shepherd didn’t quite know what else to say.

“Little good will come of it.” The girl stated before walking down the ramp and heading towards the homestead, leaving Book to stare after her and ponder which problem she meant.

*****

The landscape made it possible to see movement only when it was on the crest of the hills. The heat caused the air close to the ground to waver and distort, but the mass of several mounted horses would still be visible. Gunshots shortly after midday indicated they were not too far from their quarry. Now they had to slow down and creep up to the top of each hill to avoid detection.

It was unlikely the fugitives would keep to the valleys, so the little posse decided to be cautious. They spent the better part of the day carefully approaching hilltops and riding quickly down the other side.

Few words passed between them, even when they came across an area clearly used as the camp. A short time later, they passed several more dead cattle. As they rode by, they saw each had multiple wounds. From the trail, it looked like the cattle had been chased for some time before being gunned down.

Jayne eased his horse towards Mal. “Waddaya reckon?”

The Captain pulled off his hat and wiped his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. “Not yet.”

“Gotta be gettin’ close.” The mercenary was beginning to get antsy. His voice was low, but full of anticipation. “We heard them shots earlier and the tracks ain’t but an hour or two old. Can’t be very far away, even at the pace we’re keepin’.”

The Captain scanned the horizon from left to right, then nodded forward. “They’re a couple of hills, maybe three miles, that way, Jayne.”

“When’d ya spot ‘em?” Jayne stood in the stirrups and peered ahead. He lowered his rising voice when Mal glared at him. “Why didn’t ya say so?”

“Didn’t feel the need. Can’t see ‘em directly because of the heat, but they’re there.” He prodded his horse towards Miguel. “How much further is the well?”

“No more than five, six miles from here, Captain. They’re headin’ straight for it and they’ll be there before sundown.”

“Good, let’s head north and pick up the pace a little. I want to come up on them with the sun behind us when they camp for the night. Better their horses are unsaddled and grazing when we make our move.” Mal turned his horse slightly and the others followed.

*****

Simon was sprawled on a sofa in a room that functioned as a library and schoolroom. As he drifted off to sleep, he thought it was nice that it seemed they were educating all of the household children. Everything about this place felt good, despite the death and injury around him. Employer and employees regarded each other with love and respect. It was unique in his experience.

It would take about twenty-four hours to ensure that everyone was truly out of danger and on the mend. The last thirty-six hours had taxed his skills and endurance to the limit. The crude level of tools and medicine made some of the surgery extremely dangerous. But, the ordeal had made the results very satisfying. Simon Tam made a real difference in the lives of these people. It was more than all of his time in the hospital at home.

Home. That was a lifetime ago. He thought about what his life would have been there. Prestige, wealth, anything his heart desired. Life would have been comfortable and predictable. And, boring. His soul, if there was such a thing, would have eventually shriveled up and he would have become a carbon copy of the other doctors, soft and pasty, complacent. He would have been one of the interchangeable, non-distinguishable, self-serving privileged few.

Life on Serenity was difficult and dangerous. The food was bland, the long days cooped up on the ship between stops often tedious, the stops themselves tedious for the most part, the constant threat of the Alliance a strain. But this, what he had done since their arrival yesterday, this was being a doctor. This was being alive. Simon closed his eyes and slept well.

*****

The harsh glint of reflected sunlight pinpointed their quarry just over a mile away. Mal and Miguel squirmed to the top if the hill and lay flat. The Captain pulled a small monocular from his pocket and squinted through it. He could see several riders milling around, then descending a hillside, a couple of them dismounted and led there horses down. Miguel had told him that the well head was in the valley, along with the watering trough.

“That’s the well?” He spoke softly as they approached Zoe and Jayne.

“Yes, Sir, that is it.” Miguel almost whispered.

“Good. It looks like they’re settlin’ in for the night.” He absently rubbed the stubble on his cheek and looked back in the direction of the kidnappers. “Okay, this is how we’re gonna do it.”

*****

“What’s wrong? Is something gonna happen?” Kaylee leaned towards her young friend, concern on her face.

The small head nodded slowly, long hair almost completely hiding the face.

“Is everyone okay?” Kaylee whispered, trying not to show the alarm that rose within her.

River opened her eyes and shook her head.

“What is it? What do you see?” Kaylee pressed on.

“I see, but not with eyes. Hear, but not with ears. Feel it inside.” Her brow furrowed slightly. “It’s there, in my head. Like a dream when you wake up. Only pieces survive. Confused.”

“What do you mean?” Kaylee sat back. “You see, hear, how do you know? Can you see everything that’s happening?”

River’s eyes widened at the thought. Her voice was almost a whisper. “Oh, no. Not always, mostly when it’s quiet. Or, when you shout inside. Sometimes I don’t know if it’s real or a dream or a memory or me.”

Kaylee gently persisted. “Is something happening now? Can you tell me what?”

The girl’s face was hidden again behind a curtain of hair, but her voice was flat, matter of fact. “Fear. Pain. He’s screaming, they’re screaming. There’s blood, so much, and he enjoys it. He’s smiling. He thinks it’s fun.”

“Who thinks it’s fun? What’s happening?” Kaylee was frightened now.

“He cuts.” River turned deeply troubled eyes to Kaylee. “He knows him.”

“Knows who?” The Preacher had approached silently.

“Fontaine.”

“Font….” He blinked in recognition and leaned against a chair for support. “Dear God. Fontaine. Are you sure?”

River nodded once.

“What? Who’s Fontaine?” Kaylee looked from River to Book and back again.

“Calvin Fontaine. I have to find Wash.” Book straightened and headed for the bridge. Kaylee got up to follow and pulled River with her.

*****

The little posse wound carefully around on foot, keeping below the hill crests. When they were about half a mile from the well, Mal pointed at Jayne. The mercenary grinned slyly and loped off to the north, rifle, handgun and ammunition in hand. Mal then turned and motioned to Miguel, who took the reins of the horses while Mal and Zoe moved straight ahead. The low sun behind them would discourage any close scrutiny in their direction.

Everything depended on timing. It was going to be difficult to get the boy and his teacher away unharmed from so many captors. These men would probably not think twice before killing both hostages.

As Mal and Zoe neared the encampment, they began to hear voices. They warily approached the crest of the hill and saw the men on the slopes around the far side of the hollow below them, far enough from the well to avoid the cow patties that covered the ground near the water trough. Twelve men in all were in various states of settling down for the evening, smoothing out bedrolls on the ground, pulling rations from saddlebags and talking about what they would spend their share of the ransom on.

The hostages were tied to the wellhead on the near side of the camp. They were alive, but the teacher looked very much the worse for wear. He was bloodied and slumped against the narrow watering trough. The child was trying to help, but was tied just out of reach.

The horses were tethered to a long line on the far side of the camp, busily grazing. Saddles were flung on the ground near the riders. Good. It would take time and effort for the men to get to their horse.

The Captain now nodded at Zoe, who backed down a little and moved off to the south with rifle in hand, as well as the deadly hardware she normally carried. He glanced behind to judge how much time they had before sunset. After waiting a few minutes to allow Zoe and Jayne to get into place, he began to move back down the hill himself.

A raised voice from the camp made him freeze. He couldn’t make out the words, but didn’t need to, or even see the face. The voice itself was enough. Mal squirmed back to the top and peered over. A figure that had been standing with his back to him turned. He swore under his breath. Fontaine. What was that yaoguài doing here? This changed things more than a little. He glanced in the direction Zoe had disappeared then took a deep breath and descended. It was too late to alter the plan. Well, most of it.

*****

“Have you seen Wash?” Book brushed past Inara as she came out of the infirmary with a bag of medical supplies. “He’s not on the bridge.”

“No, I haven’t. Why?”

He didn’t answer as he stepped through the hatchway into the cargo bay. The Companion frowned at his retreating back, and then at River and Kaylee as they rushed by in pursuit. She put down the bag and followed.

“What’s wrong?” The little procession was moving so quickly, she had to pick up her skirt and run to catch up. “What’s happening?”

Kaylee shrugged as she hurried to keep up with Book. “River said this man’s name and the Shepherd here got all upset and said he had to find Wash. He won’t say why.”

“Fontaine.” River offered without elaboration.

They were running up the stairs when Wash called out from the hatch of the second shuttle.

“Where y’all goin’? Is there a fire or somethin’?”

The troupe turned and hurried toward him as the Pilot watched with a bemused expression. Before he could say anything, Book held up his hand.

“We have to warn the Captain!”

“Warn the Captain? Why?”

“The leader of the kidnappers, his name is Fontaine. He’s very, very dangerous. And, if he has men with him like he used to, Mal and the others could be in a lot of trouble.”

“Just how dangerous is very, very?” Wash, too, was becoming alarmed. The Preacher was too earnest to ignore. He started to move past everyone and head for the bridge.

*****

Zoe nestled in some longish grass where she could see the entire camp. She wasn’t as comfortable with the rifle as she would have wished, but the range was fairly short, so she would be effective. The three of them would be able to pick off the kidnappers quickly. Mal would be the first to open fire, signaling her and Jayne to begin.

Time passed, though, and nothing happened. She frowned, glancing over to where Mal should be, then back at the camp. What was he waiting for? Jayne would be getting very itchy by now. They had given him plenty of time to get into place.

No one was near the hostages. The men were all settling on bedrolls on the ground several yards away, pulling food from saddlebags and eating. The sun was sinking low and their quarry would soon be in shadows, despite the glowing moon high overhead.

Then she saw him. He was moving too close to the camp, inching forward on his belly. Kwan Yin! What was he doing?