Jayne Cobb sat in the dark dank bar on Beaumonde and pondered his 3rd glass of what the pissant locals called whiskey. Watered down mule piss would have been a better term, but unless he wanted a one man bar fight, he kept his opinion to himself.

The rest of the crew had found their own distractions, so Jayne was left to his own devices, as Mal had put it he wouldn't be fit in their company that night. It was probably another one of those gorram fancy balls, like the one he'd almost gotten hisself killed at a few months back.... Oh, well, Jayne thought, more bad hooch for him.

What he pondered was across the street; a two-story simple looking house with lots of front windows, red lanterns swinging faintly in the breeze. Not a Companion house, f'sure but, then again, Jayne couldn't afford Companion houses. Even with the coin he'd saved for this - Companions, Janye thought, Gorram seductresses....

The bad whiskey was not making anything clearer, or helping get his mind off things. Why did she echo in his mind like this, over and over, insistent without being direct, burning, without even a flame?

Jayne grabbed this last drink and slammed it down his throat, doing the same to the shot glass. He looked out the window again, saw the lanterns were lit, the doors open, to paradise or damnation, Jayne really didn't care which anymore. He strode out the doors of the saloon and into the street, the wind kicking up as he walked, but providing no relief to his heat. Nothing to be done for it, Jayne thought, either burn or quench the flame. A man's got needs.

"An why shouldn't I, anyway?" he thought aloud, then realizing he was standing in the street, started toward the house with renewed determination, muttering to himself all the way.

The Madam took one look at him, sweeping her eyes up and down his large, muscular body, and a wry smile crossed features once beautiful, now worn with age and hard life. "New to town?"

She sized him up once more and snapped her fingers at a rather busty blonde, who stood up and sashayed over to him. "Need some company?" the Madame asked.

"Not, quite what I had in mind," Jayne replied, thinking, Hell, this ain't gonna work. Instead, he said, "Something a little different?"

Another snap, from the other hand, and this time a slim, young, dark-haired man stood up, walked over and stood next to the Madame, his hands on his hips, a slight come-hither smile on his face. He was half-naked already.

"No, Gorramit!" Jayne retorted indignantly.

The male simply shrugged and sat down again.

Jayne sighed. They clearly didn't understand. He held a hand up. " 'Bout this tall, dark hair and eyes. Female, but not quite that female, if y'all unnerstan." He indicated the blonde, who shrugged and sat down. Hs eyes scanned the room but he didn't see what he wanted. Thinking a moment, he then added, "She's gotta have, um...'manners' and all that."

At the last line the Madame snapped twice and Jayne's eyes nearly bulged when he finally saw what parted the line of entertainment. Almost the spitting image of her - the mouth a little more generous, but that was no problem at all in Jayne's mind. "Oh, yeah...." was all he could say. He stepped forward to take her hand but the madam stopped him for a moment.

"You realize, of course, this is triple rates. She was training as a companion."

Jayne took out the wad of cash he'd had in his coat and handed it all to her, the Madame's eyes sparkling with the greed of her nature as she saw it.

"This, of course, will do."

Jayne turned and walked the companion up the stairs.

"My name's Megan," the girl said, shutting the door, then crossing to light a candle. The room was permeated with a Jasmine and Cinnamon scent. Just like her hair, Jayne mused, again slightly aloud.

"Pardon?" came Megan's reply as she removed her wrap, the red embroidered silk falling to the floor.

Jayne almost gasped. It would have been schoolboyish, had Jayne thought more closely about it, but he just stood there, his jacket in his hands, and stared. " You're -" he started, words failing him, "beautiful."

Megan smiled, a slight blush coming to her face. "Trained half my life to be so." She sidled up to him, and first removed his coat from his hands and tossed it gently onto a settee. Then her hands were around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Her scent was overwhelming and she kissed him.

Jayne felt as if he'd been electrocuted. He'd been whoring before, of course, but it was nothing like this first kiss. Her lips, warm and inviting, parted slightly. Her tongue darted coyly into and out of his mouth, then again, slightly more insistent, her hands sliding from his neck to his shoulders, grasping him firmly. Jayne's own body responded, muscles flexing, his hands going to her shoulders as well, holding her in place. Their lips parted and she looked up into his eyes. "I'm curious," she said, as Jayne nuzzled her neck, his hands roaming over her blouse to her breasts, cupping them slightly. She breathed a little heavier in response. "Why so choosy, anyone would've..."

"Got to....be like her... this time." Jayne's muffled retort came from her neck and worked its way to her shoulder, "Only her, can't take... it no gorram more....."

”Not like me?" she responded coyly, slipping away from him, taking off her top and then stepping out of the sarong tied on her hip.

His eyes widened in pure admiration of her naked form and he began to remove his own shirt as well. "Oh, my gorah - yeah," he said, removing his shirt finally as he continued to stare, "you'll do jus fine."

Megan moved towards him, gently steering him to her bed, and started to undo his belt so deftly he scarcely noticed. Then she was kissing him again, her tongue even more insistent this time, as if she wanted to burn her way into his memory and replace the other. She slid a hand under his belt and began stroking his already hard member thru the fabric of his underwear, then grabbed his hips and pushed him onto the slik-sheeted bed. Megan removed his boots, kissing his chest while doing so, then his pants, doing everything to him with a kiss or caress that made him wild for her. He sat up to take advantage, only to be pushed down and she began stroking him again, but now no fabric intervened in her touch.

"Ummmm," she purred, "velvet over steel." She kissed his stomach, and worked her way down, Jayne's groans of pleasure enticing her further. She reached his navel and her tongue darted out, his back arching sharply in response. She continued stroking him, her head moving farther down to his stiffened member. She paused slightly but Jayne was lost to the sensations she was giving him, eyes closed, breathing heavily. Then she pursed her lips and kissed the tip of his cock gently and he almost buckled completely from the shock. She kissed more and more, always gently and then ran the back of her tongue down the length of his shaft and up again. Smiling to herself as his breathing became even heavier, and more infrequent, she took the entire length into her mouth, lips closing around him. She moved her head up and down and Jayne's groaning became louder in his chest. She came up for a moment to speak. "You like that, do you?" she teased, batting her eyelashes coyly at him."If you don't, I can stop..."

" Please, don't," was all Jayne could stammer in reply.

Megan smiled and took him back in, giving him such pleasure he couldn't take it, his hands gripping the sheets, white knuckled, his legs straining against himself, teeth gritted and eyes screwed shut.

She pulled her mouth off him again, and moving up so he could hear, whispered, "Yes, lover. I want to please you. How about this?" and Megan backed down, cupping his balls with one hand, the other still working his shaft, began working her mouth on him as well, playing him like a bamboo flute.

Jayne's groans grew even louder, and she could begin to feel him building, building. She pulled her mouth off him and got onto the bed, moving up to him.. "Now, Lover," she said, " I want you now. Do you want me?"

Megan laid down amongst the sheets and saw Jayne rise above her with a passionate fury that was almost demonic. He moved between her legs and looked down on her, unbelieving what he was experiencing. Megan smiled up at him. "Yes, lover, come to me – in me." It was all the direction he needed. Jayne grabbed her legs and steadied himself, entering her in one thrust, her hot, silky wetness enveloping him like nothing he'd ever felt before, and knew, he knew deep down in his heart, this was something he would never forget. Megan wrapped her legs around his ass, drawing him closer into her, burying his cock up to the hilt. He began moving into her, thrusting, Megan's hips grinding into him in response, the two of them lost in a combined heat of lust.

Jayne bent down, buried his face in her breasts and began smothering them with kisses, over and over, then lifted his head back up, his face contorting in a frenzied combination of pleasure and forgetfulness.

- as if he was trying to forget something, Megan thought for a brief second, then allowed herself to be lost to the sensations of this tormented man, falling back into the moment clutching Jayne's shoulders and kissing him back, moaning and pleading.

"Yes, lover. that’s it." Suddenly she felt him building again and knew nothing would stop him now.

Jayne buried his face, this time in her neck, and was saying something Megan couldn't make out at first, in between his moaning - almost a name.

Jayne couldn't stop himself. The fantasy was too real this time, too much for him to bear. "'Nara!" he cried aloud, not caring anymore, wanting to be spent and done, recriminations could come, and he wouldn't give a damn. He needed her. More than Mal.

And then his orgasm welled over and he came, muscles clenching, the wave of his pleasure, instead of dwindling, actually rose, and Megan rose with him as well.

"Yes, Lover, take your Inara. Take her now and forever." and she climaxed as well, shocking herself, feeling in a long time the pleasure she could have as well. It swept over her and by reflection, stirred Jayne anew to see Inara beneath him, in the half-light it seemed so real, and his climax continued until he was spent.

Megan, unbeknownst to Jayne, was reliving her own memories; the years in the Training House, those nights spent endlessly learning what men really wanted and how to coax it from them when they were unable to voice their deepest desires. And most of all, Inara herself. Her mentor, her idol, the only one she aspired to be like, the one she truly wanted to surpass. Megan smiled. To have one that dreamed of the Pirate's lover was almost as much of a triumph in her own mind as overcoming Inara herself....

Jayne was unaware of these musings and had rolled off her, the combination of drink and exertion sapping his prodigious strength. Still muttering sweet nothings to a woman he'd never possess, he passed into the oblivion of slumber.

Megan took the opportunity to slip from between the sheets and go to a basin, sponging herself clean of his passions, then toweling off, and with a bemused sigh, slid back into bed next to him and watched him sleep, feeling a little drowsy herself.

~*~

"Jayne!!" the commlink sounded - for the eighth time.

"Jayne, where in the sphincter of hell are you!!!! " Mal's voice, none to easy in normal times and creeping steadily into the irrational section of anger, stirred the comatose merc out of his nocturnal musings, as Megan was now holding the comm right up to his ear and giggling.

"I'm here, Mal!!! " he blurted out, tumbling out of bed and desperately grabbing for his clothes.

Megan laughed out loud at the sight of the huge man struggling to get three things on at once but managing to get both shorts and pants on correctly and then his boots.

"Be there in five tics, Capt'n" He grabbed his gun belt and hooked up, smiling at Megan almost apologetically, "I, ah, gotta go. Thank you kindly.," he said, almost embarrassed. "I wont ever forget this," he added, "Or you." Jayne headed for the door, then stopped, " Do I uh...owe you extra for sleepin'?"

Megan laughed, a fluid, melodic laugh. " No, what you gave Gloria down there is more than what the house makes in a day. I'm sure it's enough." She smiled and moved toward him again, saying softly, "And, thank you, I will remember this as well, for a long time." Then she curtseyed, Jayne's eyes going wide in surprise. He'd never been treated like this before, he bowed in response, then hurried out the door and down the stairs, boots thudding down the staircase.

Megan walked over to her window, waving good-bye to the retreating form as he ran down the narrow street. " Oh yes, Jayne Cobb," she smiled fondly, "I'll remember..."

END