The façade was what Riley enjoyed the most.
Not the surprised look on her opponent's faces as they learned they underestimated the average-looking woman in a fight, not the hidden pride of being better than the best espionages in the world, not even the champagne and thousand-dollar dresses. The sneaking around, the lying, the playing her part… It was thrilling. She constantly had to toe the line- never getting too far away or pushing too hard.
It was the thrill of the chase but getting caught meant death…
Or worse.
Life Goes On
« Chapter Three »
Riley strode with Rick after giving him what little information she would. Rick, of course, was pressing for more, but she denied him. The less he knew, the better. If they ever saw each other while she was still incognito, she didn't want him slipping up anything.
After trading her bloody, forest green tank top with Beth's pink flowery blouse (that made Riley slightly nauseous) and shadowing Beth for the day, Riley finally was ready to leave. Their group clustered in the courtyard, all looking expectantly at the woman.
"You got all your weapons?" Daryl asked.
"This is it," she retorted, pointing to the knife and set of nun-chucks pinned to her belt. She avoided his gaze as best she could; she was still pissed about the whole Carol situation from that morning.
Daryl just grunted, pinning her with his piercing gaze. He knew she was furious, but he was confused as to what. She raised her chin, steadily meeting his eyes.
"What happens if ya get into trouble?" Beth's trembling voice came from the semi-circle around Riley.
The brunette shrugged. "I fight or I die."
Beth looked dissatisfied with the answer, frowning down at the baby who, coincidentally, chose that moment to let out a wail. Riley's brow furrowed as she glared at the child.
"She won't die," Rick argued. "We've all seen her; we know how good she is."
"And you haven't even seen the half of it," Riley stated in a matter-of-fact tone. She knew she was good. She was one of the damn best agents the CIA had, and she was going up against a group of nobody hillbillies with machine guns. She'd have to be trying to get caught to get caught.
"What did you do before the world went to shit?" Axel asked, staring at the confident woman in wonder.
Riley fixed him with her sharp emerald eyes. "I was a spy." She turned back to Rick. "I'm ready now."
Rick nodded, pulling out the keys for one of the cars and heading over to the vehicle.
"Actually," Daryl interrupted, jogging to intercept the two. "I'll take her."
Rick glanced at Riley's deep scowl to Daryl's cocky smirk before shrugging, handing over the keys. Whatever was going on between them, he definitely did not want to get involved.
Riley huffed in frustration, clambering into the car and slamming shut the door. Daryl followed suit, starting the engine. Glenn opened the gates for them, and Riley left her group without a wave, goodbye, or a glance over her shoulder.
Daryl was whistling. The shit was whistling and smiling and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to some imaginary beat.
And he was getting his desired effect: it was driving Riley insane. She tried her hardest to ignore him, staring straight ahead, her face set in stone. Eventually, he started picking up on her faint body language; if he did a high-pitched, sharp whistle, her brow would twitch just faintly. If he grinned too widely, the knuckles of her clenched fists would go pale.
After almost half an hour, Riley finally couldn't take it anymore. "Would you stop?!" she exploded, turning her murderous gaze on Daryl.
"Wha?" he questioned, looking innocently at her. "Jus' enjoyin' life." He kept eye contact with her as a slow, Cheshire-cat grin spread across his face.
She shook her head, clenching her jaw in fury. "I'm imagining killing you four different ways right now. And none of them involve weapons of any kind," she threatened darkly.
"Ya want me to stop?"
"Yes," she growled.
He shrugged. "I will. Jus' tell me what's got ya so pissed."
She shook her head, turning to look back out the window.
He whistled sharply, and she winced. "It is stupid!" she snapped, jerking her gaze back to him. "It is stupid, emo-teenage drama, and I will get the hell over it like I always do!"
"Well you better tell me your stupid, emo-teenage drama if ya want me to stop."
Her eyes narrowed, and Daryl could just see the steam pouring from her ears. She was menacing as hell, but not so much to him. He knew she wouldn't hurt him. One glance at her face made him change his mind: she wouldn't kill him. Hurting him was definitely in the ballpark of possibilities.
"Are you tryin' to be a baby and pull away 'cause of your attack?" Daryl asked, dropping his cheerful act. That's what she had tried to do at first, right after the farm, but they'd quickly straightened that out.
She shook her head. "No."
"Is it 'cause of Lori and the baby?"
She shook her head. "Not 'cause of T either," she stated in a way that made him think he was close to figuring out the reason.
His brow furrowed for a second before he realized the answer. "Carol?" he demanded. One look at her cold face was enough to answer his question. He shook his head. "You get mad because that damn woman's not dead?"
"No, because you're freaking picking daises and making flower necklaces!" she snapped. "Ever since she got back you've had this stupid little grin on your face, and you can't stop staring at her!"
"I told ya ya didn't haveta worry!" Daryl protested.
"I'm not worried; I'm not an imbecile, either. I can tell when someone's interested," she glowered darkly, leaning towards the door.
"Dammit, Riley, I swear to God-" Daryl pounded on the brakes, slamming the car into park and turning to face her. "If I told ya not to be jealous, that means ya don't have to be jealous!"
"I'm not jealous; I'm pissed because you picked her!"
Daryl snorted a laugh, rubbing a hand over his weary face. "Ri, I didn't pick her."
"Yes, you did." Riley was smoldering. Her green eyes were blazing in the setting sun's light, and Daryl could see the faint freckles standing out against her flushed cheeks. Her jaw was clenched so tightly he was afraid it might shatter, and her nails had to have been embedding themselves into her palms, though she showed no sign of pain.
Daryl knew what he wanted to say. It hung on his tongue, and he desperately wanted to just say it. But Riley, in all her terrifying, CIA, apathetic monstrous self, was like a deer. If he said the wrong thing it would absolutely shatter their glass ecosystem that they'd managed to carefully build around them.
But he knew Riley's jealousy had been festering for some time, and it had finally boiled over. If he let her walk away, if he let her just go to Woodbury without fighting back, she might not come back to him. It might just be the end.
Riley was the most stubborn person he'd ever met in his life, and he was brothers with Merle Dixon. She was as set in her ways as a glacier; once she had made a decision, you were damned if you tried to change her mind. She'd either make you agree to it with her silver tongue, threaten you, or just do it regardless (the last one seemed to be her preferred option).
Riley did a double take, expecting him to be furiously glaring at her. Instead, he was just … observing her, with an almost serene look on his face. An honest-to-God smile was carved across his mouth, and his eyes were lit up in the red sunset.
"What's wrong with you?" she questioned, furrowing her brow.
He snorted in amusement, finally dropping his gaze. "Nothing."
She huffed, shaking her head. She was right, and Daryl wasn't even trying to argue with her about it. Surprisingly, the thought hurt a lot more than she expected. Her heart panged, and bitter tears of disappointment brimmed in the corners of her eyes. She had wanted him to fight for her. "Let's just go," she choked out, her voice strained.
Daryl jerked his gaze up, not missing her teary tone. She refused to look at him, arms crossed tightly over her abdomen.
"Riley, for bein' the damn smartest person I know, you're a damn idiot."
Riley whirled to face him, aghast. Had he honestly just said that? And then he had the audacity to smile at her. "Excuse me?"
"I don't want Carol," he promised, leaning forward. He dropped his gruff voice several octaves. "I want you."
She just snorted, shaking her head and looking away. "Nice try," she mumbled.
"Ri, I … love you."
Riley whipped her head around so fast it almost gave her whiplash. Daryl was avoiding her gaze, shy as always when it came to expressing any emotion other than anger.
He finally picked his eyes up just in time to her face forwards, eyes wide and cheeks pale. She pressed her lips tightly together, her throat moving as she swallowed.
"Are ya shittin' me?" he demanded, getting angry at her silence. "Ya ain't even gon' say nothin' back?"
"I can't," she whispered.
"Why the hell not?!"
"You do realize that everyone I've ever said that to has died, right?" she demanded, turning her accusing gaze on him. He could see the pain shining clearly in her translucent eyes. "Everyone I've ever loved; every damn one."
Daryl's anger faded away, and he shook his head. "I ain't goin' nowhere, Ri. I ain't plannin' on dyin' soon."
The corners of Riley's lips dipped down. "I can't. I just can't."
Out of nowhere, he swooped in, pressing his lips against hers. She resisted for a second before melting into the kiss, leaning into him. Their lips molded against each other's in a way that was exclusive just for them. Riley's breath hitched in her throat, and she suddenly climbed over the console, attacking his lips with hers.
Bliss descended on the two as they moved to the backseat, leaving their clothes in the front seats.
They didn't start the car again until morning. Daryl and Riley kept both smiling, sharing secret glances. Their first time had been completely amazing, and Riley hated the fact that now she had to leave. If she didn't…
"This is far enough," Riley stated, noticing a landmark the black woman had told them.
The couple got out of the car, trudging through the forest until they came in sight of the fortress. Riley frowned at the huge wall, donned with men posted on top of the overturned trucks.
"Okay," she muttered, retreating behind the tree. "I don't know when I'll be back."
"See you later. I'll be pissed if you die," he warned, smirking and landing another kiss on her slightly swollen lips.
"Same for you. I'll be safe enough here at Fort Knox."
"I better go." He kissed her one last time before silently sneaking off towards the car.
Riley leaned her head back against the trunk, allowing a faint smile to cross her mouth. She took her time, slowly changing her mindset. She was no longer Riley; she had no clue who Riley was.
Riley stood there, letting her mind unravel before slowly coming back together as a different person. Fellow CIA operatives laughed at her methods, but she and the Director never took them for granted. Whatever the hell she did, it worked.
Riley waited next to that tree for forty long minutes until a walker staggered out of the dense underbrush. She pulled out her knife, letting it get close enough to see her before running out into the clear path leading to Woodbury.
She let her bewildered gaze flicker up to the fortress before doing a mystified double take. She tripped over her own feet, falling spread-eagle on the ground and banging her chin. The knife flew out of her hands, sliding across the dirt.
"Help!" she screamed, her voice thin and hoarse, like she'd been shouting for a while. She waved an arm to the people watching her from the truck, crawling on her hands and knees to grab the knife.
She felt the walker fall on her legs, and she instinctively ripped her foot out, slamming it against the walker's face.
She scrambled away, picking up the knife and jumping agilely to her feet. She jerked her neck, flipping her wild hair out of her face as the walker staggered upright. Riley jumped forward, stabbing the blade right between his eyes.
The walker dropped, revealing three more heading straight towards her. Their moans and growls made Riley's heart rate kick up. She wanted to sail after them – rip their throats out – but she knew it wasn't what the new her would do.
She started running backwards, trying to avoid the fight. She kept shouting to the people up on the truck, who watched with wide eyes, shouting to one another.
Riley stabbed another walker, dancing backwards to avoid having the corpse tumble on her. Suddenly, gunshots rang out and the last two walkers dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Riley let out a sigh of relief, her chest heaving. She turned to face the city again, loudly thanking the man on top of the truck. He just nodded before waving her over. She obeyed, clumsily climbing up a ladder.
"Thank you so much," she gushed, her eyebrows pinched up in concern. "I can never thank you enough."
"Don't worry 'bout it," he returned, holding the machine gun in his hands. He looked about the same age as Riley, with a dark complexion. Riley assumed he was Latino, especially considering his Spanish accent, sprinkled with the familiar country twang of the South. "What's your name?"
"Rose Collins," Riley answered. "Thank you again!"
The man seemed to get a little uncomfortable, shifting back a step. The other sentries atop the truck were unabashedly staring at Riley. "Martinez."
"It's nice to meet you," she drawled, her voice mimicking Beth's as a wide smile split across her face. She glanced inside the fortress, her jaw dropping as she saw civilians strolling around as if they were out for a Sunday afternoon walk. There were even a few dogs. "Uh… w-wow. What is this place?" she stammered.
"Woodbury," the man replied. "The Governor probably wants to talk to you."
Riley turned wide eyes to Martinez. "The Governor?"
"Yeah. He sorta runs this joint," Martinez replied nonchalantly. "That is, if you wanna stay?"
Riley snorted in amusement, shaking her head and staring at the city again. "Like that's even a question. Let's meet the Governor."
Sorry that it's been so long since an update! I've just been really focused on my SPN fanfiction, but I'll try to keep up with this one too!
Leyshla Gisel: Haha I promise Riley will get better, as shown by this chapter! But you have to keep in mind her best friend died right in front of her, the one person she thought she would never lose. Thank you for the review (:
Maddy-MarieXO: Hahaha trust me, Riley is the funny one! She writes herself! Thank you for the review! (:
SeverusSnape'sLove: Well I think this chapter cleared that up real quick (; Haha thanks for the review (:
shika93: Hahah me too! Thank you for reviewing!
ElectroGirl444: Aww thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it(:
DoctorBoo24: Thank you! You're awesome, and I'm so happy you like this story! Thank you for reading!(:
Pok3monTrain3rBlu3: Haha I thought so too! Thank you for the review! (: