As usual, Sam was the first awake and lay still, relishing the long awaited feeling of holding Mercedes skin against skin. Tempting as it was to wake her so that they could make love again, he forced himself to leave their warm cocoon and poured a warm bath. When it was ready he carried his still drowsy bride into it, knowing she'd appreciate the soak both after their long journey and to soothe any discomfort her inexperienced body might be feeling after their first night together. He cursed himself for not thinking of bath salts as he'd raced around the store the previous afternoon and instead raided his bag for their usual body wash and started to gently bather her, starting with the beautiful breasts that just called out for his touch.

"Join me?"

How could he say no! Sleeping on his first soft bed in months had actually made him feel aches that he didn't even know were there. The invitation was impossible to resist. Unfortunately it wasn't practical. There simply wasn't space for the two of them in the tub and Mercedes behind pressed between against his groin was impossible to bear. By the time they'd soaped each other down, his idea of a long soak was replaced with a long something else in the bedroom where they wouldn't be hindered by water splashing out of the tub and ruining the floor…

It was the perfect honeymoon with no need to leave the house. They made love day and night, pausing only for sleep and food. Even the beach was forgotten in their hunger for the touch of each other. When she slept Sam would stare tirelessly at her serene face still stunned that they had made it and that she was really his. Every inch of their bodies were explored, caressed, teased and stimulated. He would lay back and allow Mercedes to examine or touch whatever she liked on him. Obviously there was one part of him she loved above all else and her touch, under his guidance, was highly stimulating.

For the first day, all they ate were pancakes. Sam was determined to make her breakfast, and eventually at lunchtime that's exactly what he did. Those pancakes, syrup and bacon gave them the energy to continue what they'd started the night before.

One thing Mercedes wasn't was shy. Once her virginity was lost there was no going back. She wouldn't talk dirty but Sam actively encouraged her to tell him what she wanted him to do at she rapidly became adept at it. Very quickly it became clear that she liked it fast and rough. She liked it when he held her hand and liked it even more when he pinned her hands down. She loved the feel of his weight on top of her either on front or from behind and was more than happy for him to take control, even taking handfuls of her hair as reins. On the other hand, there were times when she loved to reverse the roles, pinning him down and riding him without mercy. The juxtaposition of her innocence and self-awareness fascinated him.

For someone who was a 'good girl' in life, she could be pretty 'bad' in the bedroom.

And Sam's obsession with her breasts continued. He couldn't get enough of them. He liked to sleep with his head on them, squeeze and weigh them in his hands, explore them like a baby with his mouth and slip his cock between them when she was too tired to let him do any more to her, or as part of their foreplay. It was a fascination that would never end.

It took two days for Mercedes to find Artie's note. He'd hidden it in the kitchen behind some of the groceries. Sam swore he must have done it while he'd showered in preparation for the wedding because there had been nothing in the cupboard when he'd first unloaded into it. The words inside left them speechless. The house where they were staying wasn't just on loan to them, it was actually theirs! The note explained more detail of Artie and TinaMai's story. Apparently, when they arrived in the Sea Sector, a kind man had taken them in and allowed Artie time to recover from his wounds. The man told them that he too wasn't a native of the Sea and had come years before to flee from persecution in his home Sector, sing his funds to find a place where he could live out the last of his days in peace and safety. As he was was already old, terminally sick and had no family he told them that when he died they could have the house. Three weeks later the man died while Artie was still in his recovery. He and TinaMai fully expected people to turn up and claim the house was theirs, leaving them in the lurch, but nobody ever did. In fact, it turned out that the old man had even told other people in the Sector that he he'd given the house away and it already had new occupants who would soon be looking for work. Because the house had been given to them for free, they felt bad to sell it and profit in any way, especially as they'd worked over the years and bought property elsewhere that was truly theirs. TinaMai had always wanted the house to go to someone who would appreciate it, someone who was starting out just like they were at the time, and now Artie was happy to be able to grant his and his wife's wish and hand it over to them with the keys, explaining how their situation had resonated so much with him.

Dropping the note Mercedes exclaimed and slapped her hand over her mouth. "It's a miracle!"

For the bitter unbeliever that he was, Sam found he had to agree. As there was no forwarding address for Artie they had to eventually reach him through Santana at the office to thank him properly. The man explained that he'd wanted to tell them on the day that the house was theirs but he worried they might not accept it so he had to be a little more sneaky. It was important to him that they had it and his insistence and generosity was something they would always be thankful for.

And finally Sam got to fully explore her hair. He sat and watched as she undid the braids she usually kept and twisted the soft hair into locks. Now that they'd married and made love, she would no longer wear the braids of a child, but the permanent locks of a married woman. It took Mercedes all day to get the little twists just the way she wanted and she even allowed Sam to help her with making the sections. When he thought of how she used to go and disappear to do her hair he appreciated just what it meant for her to allow him to be part of this and it felt just as intimate as making love.

On the third day they finally left the house and made their way to the beach to frolic there. After a picnic lunch, Sam brought her to the top of the hill.

"Mercedes, it's important for you to see this."

She stiffened as she watched him pull out his gun. But before she could say anything he flipped open the chamber, removing the six bullets and throwing them one by one off the edge of the cliff and into the sea as far as he could. Then he took out the clip and threw it. Finally the body of the gun was thrown into the salty depths. Nobody would ever be able to claim that gun or use it for their evil ends.

For the longest while she just stared out to Sea, where the pieces had been thrown, then she reached up, grabbed his face and kissed the life out of him, her face an expression of pure joy. "Thank you Sam. That must have been hard for you."

He shook his head. "No. Actually it was easy. I'm not that man anymore. I never will be."

She pulled him down for a second kiss before sinking into his embrace. "I'm glad. Because 'those who live by the sword will die by the sword' and I couldn't bear to lose you."

The words formed a lump in his throat. "I've done so much bad-"

She stopped him before he could finish. "That was all in the past Sam. I love the man that you are now and would rather die than have to watch your former life catch up with you!"

Sam swallowed. He knew she'd meant the words to comfort him but for some reason they felt like ice around his heart and sent a shiver right through his very soul.

He knew she'd spoken the words in innocence but they had a prophetic ring about them that left him feeling uneasy for a long time afterwards...

Eventually they settled into a routine. Although they had the house but they still needed work to support themselves. Sam reluctantly put his money into an envelope and kept it in a drawer. He didn't like living off Mercedes' savings but she refused to have it any other way. She even bought him his earring back on her first visit to the Sector Center. At first he'd been upset at what she'd done but she explained that it was as important to her for him to have it back as the only heirloom he owned belonging to his family as it had been for him to demonstrate his love with it's sacrifice. The fact that he had sold it meant the world to her and would always remain that way.

Going into the Sector made Sam nervous and he constantly made excuses as to why he wouldn't go with Mercedes when she went down for supplies. She never pushed him to come with her and he was thankful for that. The first thing she did was buy fabric and a sewing machine. She would then spend hours putting together sample outfits and taking them down to the Sector Center to see if she could sell them. It took a few weeks but eventually a boutique store signed her up as a designer and she'd make items for them to sell. She also produced fliers and established herself as a bespoke dressmaker for tailor made outfits and special occasions. Word of mouth quickly got her a good reputation and a healthy business following.

"What happened to your dream of being a doctor?" He pulled her into his lap one day as she sat staring at fabric. "Aren't you going to look into the opportunity to try and do it here? I'd support you all the way."

She smiled brightly and kissed him. "Thanks Sam. I did think about it when we first got here but I'm not going to go for it. I've missed my chance. It takes years of study and I don't feel like having to start from the beginning. If I'd been alone maybe I would have looked at things differently, but with the two of us, I want to start working quickly. If this clothing line works out I'll be able to have my own business and maybe even employ others. That's more than I would have ever been able to achieve if I'd stayed home. I haven't lost my dream by not going to medical school, I'm just pursuing another equally exciting one. I can be a business woman. Here I have choices and I'm happy with the one I made."

Mercedes put the weight back on that she lost during the journey and as she did her self-confidence grew. The increase in her weight came an increase in her breast size which drove Sam nearly insane with desire. From the moment they arrived she seemed to flourish.

Sam found things far less easy. He told Mercedes that he was suffering from agoraphobia and that's what she told others. She accepted the explanation without question even though they both knew it wasn't true. Sure he had a fear of going into the Sector and although there was a good chance that it was safe, there was also a degree of rationality to it. What she didn't know was just how much of it was guilt over being free and facing no consequences for his actions in his previous life. He was still struggling to live with himself. He'd killed many men and even a few women. Aleks may not have been officially punished for his crimes, but Sam could punish himself for it and he did every day.

One thing his self-imposed 'house-arrest' did do was make employment difficult. It was only after Mercedes had bought him a painting set and reassured him how good his art was that he contemplated actually selling it for a living. First he would draw his own pictures and sell them via mail order online using the SectorNet. Then he started to take commissions. People would email him photographs that they would request be converted into watercolor paintings, pencil sketches or even caricatures and he would do it, creating his own niche market business. Working with art was far better than having to work with words. But he also knew that now was the time to finally take Mercedes up on her offer to help with his reading and writing. When it came to Mercedes he'd long left his pride behind and the 2 hours each day that she spent gently coaxing him came to be among the highlights of his day, and his progress was beyond anything he dreamed could be possible for someone like him.

Life was good and they lived in their own little world. Mercedes would go into town twice a week to take her clothes, collect her money and get various groceries and things that they couldn't purchase online and get delivered. A few of her clients would come up to the house and Sam didn't mind that. Usually he would make himself scarce but on occasions he would let them in the front door or say a brief hello first, just to assure the world of his existence. They were older women who were no threat to his existence and he wanted the Sector to know that his beautiful Mercedes did in fact have a husband and was definitely off limits.

It was a simple life, but it worked for them. They each had work that they enjoyed, a comfortable income, a lovely home and most importantly, each other.