Sweat stained the old grey shirt he wore and beaded on his forehead. After spending the last hour preparing the cargo for delivery he was ready for the merchandise to be picked up and for the night ahead. It had been nearly three weeks since their last break and his groin came to life just thinking about spending some quality time with a woman. Stripping of his shirt he wiped his face with it before tossing it to lie on his weight bench. He fingered the scar on his stomach and marvelled that the moonbrain hadn't killed him. At the time he'd thought nothing of her attempt to hurt him, but after the events of Miranda, well, let's just say he knew she could've killed him had she wanted to. Crazy girl. Leaving the cargo hold he made his way through the ship towards his bunk. The closer he got to his bunk the louder the sounds of the ship as she breathed around him. For the first time in his life he felt content. Felt like he belonged. Even if half the crew were either crazy or had their heads stuck up their arses. Speak of the devil…

'Jayne. Got a minute?'

Turning in his stride he met the Doc's stare.

'What you want?' He grunted. Couldn't say he really liked the snooty man, but in a way he had gained acceptance of his role on Serenity.

'It's been awhile since you've had an inoculation, and as we're about to land on a new planet this afternoon I thought now was a good a time as any.'

Jayne glared at him in a way he thought was intimidating. Simon remained passive and unmoving. He had his gorram doctors face on. Nodding his head he walked back to the infirmary and sat down on the pristine cot in the centre of the equally pristine room. Simon looked like he wanted to say something about the fact that the mercenary had his dirty butt on his clean sheets, but one look from the larger man and he changed his mind.

'So Doc, what you got planned for our little R and R?'

'Actually' Simon began a smile on his face, 'I'm taking Kaylee to dinner'. He swabbed an antiseptic pad on Jaynes upper arm before injecting him with the needle he held in his other hand.

'What about you?' he asked the merc after not getting a reply.

'Me? Oh I don't know' Jayne drawled, 'probably go find me a nice piece of ass, a go se bottle of cheap wine and a decent bed in which to enjoy them both'.

He laughed at the disgusted look on the Doc's face before standing up and walking out of the room.

The delivery of the cargo went without a hitch and the crew went their separate ways. The town in which they'd organised the clandestine delivery was little bigger than a village, yet it still offered up the basic luxuries. Bars, food, hot showers and whores. River had opted to remain on Serenity for the evening. It allowed the others to enjoy a bit of freedom while she kept an eye on things, and it also gave her time to herself which she had begun to crave lately. Watching them leave she smiled. Simon and Kaylees' arms interlinked, Mal walked a good three feet from Inara, and Jaynes' tall frame walked in his familiar swagger that said: Don't mess with me or I'll fuck you up.

In the distance she could hear the faint sound of music and laughter. Lights had started to go on in the small town and as she stood staring at the departing figures of her friends she closed her eyes to breath in the solitude that surrounded her. A soft breeze ran its fingers over her skin and she sighed. It was times like this that she felt most normal. The breeze moved its tendrils to the long brown skirt she wore and blew it about her. Looking down at the material she was suddenly taken with an urge to spin, to twirl, to throw her head back and laugh at the pure joy of being alone without people judging her, or using her, or being blind to the fact that she was alive. Moving away from the hatch she kicked off her boots and felt the cool floor against her toes. Reaching the centre of the hold, she curtsied to an imaginary dance partner, and began to move.

The small motley crew had made it half way into town when Jayne suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. 'What?' Mal questioned him, his town downright cranky.

'Vera' Jayne replied. 'Left her behind'. A frown marred his handsome face at the thought of having forgotten his favourite gun.

'So what?' Mal said looking confused and shitty at the same time, 'it's just a gorram gun Jayne'.

Jayne looked at him with obvious disgust and did not offer any reply as he turned around and headed back to the ship. 'Not just a gun' he muttered to himself. 'Not just a gun.'

The music sounded so sweetly in her head. Mozart's Sonata 11 had always been her favourite. Her eyes were closed in concentration and she envisioned being held in the arms of the handsome stranger who danced with her. Humming softly to herself her movements were smooth and fluid as she moved around the cargo bay. Her skirt swayed around her legs as she moved, the legs beneath them slender yet strong. Simon used to love watching her dance when they were younger. He said that she looked like an angel.

Now she was just a memory of that girl. A broken angel whose wings had been crushed. Yet now, alone with her dreams, she was someone else. Someone beautiful, someone loved. And so she danced alone, pirouetting, demi-piling and souring free and true.

He made it to the edge of the hatch before he stopped. Standing half concealed by the door, he stood transfixed at the sight before him. She was dancing, gliding around the cargo bay as if in the grip of some magical dream. Maybe she was having one of her crazy moments he thought. He was no sophisticated gentleman an all, but even he could appreciate the beauty of it. He'd never seen anyone so graceful, so…. He couldn't find the word to describe her right then. And yet it wasn't her movements or her body that had him transfixed, it was the look on her face. Head thrown back, eyes closed, mouth slightly parted. She was glorious. An image of her naked on his bed her head thrown back in supplication, soft moans coming from her parted lips, flashed through his head. His body reacted and he felt himself harden. He shook his head to clear them of these crazy dangerous thoughts. He could either walk in on her or leave. Part of him wanted to enter, to walk up to her and kiss those lips, to hear the moans he knew she would make. Shaking his head once more, he made his decision, turned around and walked away.