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The next day he felt ten times as sore. When Mercedes caught sight of his face she'd gasped and her eyes had filled with tears again. Checking out his reflection in the bathroom mirror he could see why. It was totally unrecognizable. His nose wasn't broken but it was inflamed, sore and had bled for nearly an hour. He had two black eyes and one was swollen shut. There was a cut on his cheek and a cut on his bottom lip which had swelled to gigantic proportions from its already naturally swollen nature. His ribs hurt but again they were only bruised. If the woman had been any younger there was no telling how much damage she would have done to him. Thankfully most of the damage she did do was to his face and torso. His legs were still good for walking and this event made it all the more likely that they would have to leave pretty soon.

Mercedes couldn't look him in the eye. She'd spoken of him facing consequences to his actions but the reality of it was still a shock to her. He had to keep reminding himself that that she lived in her own very innocent and oversimplified world. So much of what she knew was theory because of her extremely sheltered life, and he spent most of the day trying to ease her guilt for having let this happen but it was a difficult process. Plus he knew he deserved the beating and couldn't begrudge the pain although he did take a few more of her pain relief tablets to help him sleep.

By the next morning she'd adjusted to the sight of his mashed up face and came up with a new plan which seemed to excite her before disappearing off after giving him an early lunch. That afternoon she slipped two small boxes in front of him.

"What are these?"

She smiled. "Your ticket out of here. Tonight you're going to meet my father!"

It was a simple plan. The two boxes contained hair dye and blue contact lenses and the bruising on his face made things even easier. They would become part of his cover story. Mercedes hummed as she washed the color into his hair. He loved it when she hummed. It made him feel calm. She'd taken to humming to him in the night if he woke with his nightmares, and because of it he'd been sleeping better than he had in years. The gentle touch of her fingers on his scalp was also soothing. She was back in full Angel mode and he definitely sensed a softening in her attitude towards him since the beating.

Next came the lenses. He only needed to wear one as the other eye was swollen shut. It was uncomfortable to put in but the change in appearance was dramatic when combined with his new hair. If it wasn't for the bruising he would even have considered the new look as pretty handsome! Now all he had to do was wait…

Sam stayed in the room and listened as the raised voices came closer and closser. It lasted a while before she finally came for him. As they headed towards his fate he quickly turned to her, having suddenly thought of all the questions he should have asked buy hadn't. "Mercedes what's your surname? What do I call you dad?"

"Jackson. Mr Jackson is fine."

Nothing was fine as far as Sam was concerned but all he had to do was play along. They'd rehearsed his cover story until he knew it back to front. He needed to use his injuries to his advantage and evoke sympathy. If her plan worked it would result in her dad helping them to escape. She'd also come up with a new plan to ensure nobody came after them. Her dad was sure to mourn her leaving so decided to fake her death by getting her father to plant a rumor that she'd been afraid of a green eyed man who had been out to kill her in connection with the Transit Sector diner killing. The rumor would travel and hopefully the hunt would be called off as the trail ran cold. People stayed away from anything to do with the Transit Sector. As far as they would be concerned, her curiosity had brought it on herself. She would be dead and he would be vanished. And best of all, no shame would be brought upon her family because nobody else need know about the fake pregnancy.

But first he had to get through this part. Mr Jackson was heavier set that the average man from the Sector although he still had the height. Sam put it down to Mercedes's fantastic cooking. Unfortunately it also made him look even more intimidating. His voice was deep and booming as he took one look at Sam's battered appearance. "What the hell happened to you?"

"My dad found out that I was seeing a girl from this Sector and he wasn't happy." Probably not far from the truth if his dad had been alive.

"So he beat you?"

Sam nodded. "Yes sir. He told me to stop seeing her but I said that I couldn't. I love your daughter and I love our unborn child and we want to go somewhere that we can legally marry and be a proper family." He stood behind Mercedes and placed a protective hand on her soft and slightly rounded belly. There was no sense in wasting the perfect opportunity to actually touch her beautiful softness while he gave his award winning performance. "Pa said if I was to do that then I was no longer a son of his!" He saw the thunder in the man's eyes but continue with the ruse, turning to Mercedes and painfully smiling at her, playing his role perfectly, "Mercedes said that her father was far a more loving and accepting man and even if I lost the family from my home Sector we would always have you. A Good Samaritan like you sir is more than I could possibly wish for right now."

They knew that it was a deliberate play straight at the heart strings but it was their best shot. Mr Jackson looked at him with an expression that clearly said that he'd like to have been the one inflicting bruises for touching his only daughter, but in truth he was the better man, and there was no way that he could harm somebody who'd already taken a beating in been disowned for the sake of standing up for his daughter.

And scripture dictated he had to show this poor injured man kindness.

It took him the longest time to unclench his jaw and be able to speak. "And you love my baby girl?"

"Yes sir, very much, and I want to marry her as soon as possible."

"Even though she's only nineteen?"

Nineteen! That was news to him. He knew she was young but he hadn't counted on her being that young! It was a not so minor detail that she had omitted to tell him. Admittedly he had initially thought she might be younger but her knowledge and understanding of science and the world had made him think her older. On the whole she definitely acted far more maturely and nineteen year old girls in his Sector. But this was right here right now, and unfortunately they'd reached the point of no return! He felt her place her hand over his in an attempt to calm him from reeling at the age revelation.

"I'm nearly-"

Her father gave her the parental glare that was always effective at silencing. "You're still nineteen Mercedes! And how old are you Samuel?"

"Twenty-seven sir!" He didn't think fast enough to lie. Now he felt Mercedes respond in shock. She clearly thought he was younger. This was going to be more of an issue that he thought!

Mr Jackson was not happy. "And you know that the Law in our Sector says that a girl must be twenty one before she marries?"

Oh shit! Why hadn't she told him any of this beforehand? He looked the man who held their future in his hands squarely in the eye. "No sir. I wasn't aware of that. In my Sector girls are free to marry once they turn eighteen and I'd hoped that the same applied here."

"But daddy!" Mercedes was in full pleading mode, "You know that Law was changed only recently to increase the age. And I can still get married from the age of eighteen with parental consent!"

"And why would I give my consent to this?"

"Because it's your grandchild!"

"Who I will never be able to see!" For the first time Sam could see just how pained Mr Jackson looked at the whole situation. "Imagine how I feel Mercedes. I hear a rumor from Rachel of all people that you'd been spotted fornicating. I defended you when she spoke out of turn. I defended your honor! Then you come and throw this on me!"

"I'm sorry dad! I really am. I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean to fall for him!"

"This is why I didn't want you to take that job in the Transit Sector. You don't need to mix with other people. Everything you need is right here. Why do you have to go and find difficulty and bring it back with you? Why couldn't you be like your brothers?"

"Because I'm not them! I'm nothing like them and never have been."

"No. Because you have your strange ways!"

"They're not 'strange ways'. I have Perception! It's not witchcraft or magic. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean there's anything 'mystical' about it. Perception just means I see the world the way it really is. Perception is clearly documented in the Writings. It's nothing new. It just means that I want more from life. I want more than just this Sector! You've known that ever since I was small I've been fascinated by Outside-"

That just seemed to make him angrier. "You and your Outside! Nothing good ever happens Outside! What happened to your job that you cried so hard for me to let you have? You lose it after six weeks because somebody got killed there. People out there, they do evil things like murder! There's diners right here you can work in where you'll be safe! Where you won't meet men who are only interested in you for carnal reasons!" He eyed Sam at the mention of the word and even though he'd never touched her Sam still had the decency to blush. "Everyone knows that Sector 17 women are the most beautiful and you allowed yourself to be taken by the first male you came across when there are so many men here who are far more worthy of you! What does an Other Sector man have to offer that we don't? Here you'll find men who won't take advantage and make you lower your moral standards for sinful pleasure-"

"I've made my choice father! You know I love you and I always will but I've grown up. I can't stay your little girl forever. You know me and I'm not like the girls like Rachel. I take my life and my body seriously. I already made my commitment to Sam and we're a family."

"I know!"

Sam could see the tears in her father's eyes and he felt for him. He was a man suddenly realizing that he was about to lose both his child and his theoretical grandchild. "You can't travel in your condition Mercedes, it's not safe!"

"It's perfectly safe daddy, you know that." Her voice softened and she reached to take his arm. "And you also know mom would have said it was safe now too. I'm strong and I'm healthy. But she also would have said that I'd need to leave as soon as possible before I get too big to travel. I need to be settled before the baby gets here."

His voice weakened. "And then I'll never see you again?"

Mercedes' face was a mask of sadness, reflecting the pain of her father. "No dad. You won't. But you'll know that I'm fine which is something you would never quite be sure of if I stayed here. You already know what happens to people with Perception. You don't want me to go mad do you?"

Mr Jackson looked at Sam's bruised face and shook his head, seeing that there was no way that he could prevent the inevitable from happening. "What can I do to help you?" Not wanting his final moments with his daughter to be ones filled with anger he volunteered to help come up with a plan to give them the best chance possible. This wasn't for Sam, this was for the life of the innocent in his daughter's womb.

It made for an uncomfortable situation and an extremely uncomfortable evening, but the three of them sat down together over a meal and came up with a plan for their departure.