Stories and Secrets

Leyshla Gisel: Hahaha. Yes, you were right! You'll hear more about Diana's identities later.

Guest: Maggie is suspicious of Diana, so she wanted to search through her things to see if she found anything incriminating. You'll just have to see what happens with Sophia.

ScornedxRose: No, Maggie didn't find the bag with the pictures in it. Thank you!

SeverusSnape'sLove: You were right all along! Here's your update!

Chellybobelly: Thank you so much! I'm glad that you appreciate my writing. Your review made me smile.

0o0o0

I went to my bedroom after leaving Beth to sleep. I was vaguely aware of Patricia asking me if Beth was all right, but I was focused on hiding my past. After learning that it was Maggie who had been going through my things, I knew I needed to make sure she didn't find my bag of secrets. She was persistent in her mission to uncover my true identity. She would stop at nothing to unmask me. If my past was exposed, it would put my life in jeopardy. More importantly, it would put my relationship with Beth in jeopardy. I couldn't let that happen.

When the door was shut, I pulled my bag out from under the bed. There was a small closet in the corner. I opened the door, studying the space. There were a few articles of clothing hanging in the closet, as well as a shelf above the rack. I put my bag up on the shelf, shoving it as far back as it would go. The bag wasn't visible once it was pushed to the back of the shelf. Satisfied, I quickly shut the door.

"Diana?"

I looked to the door as I heard Patricia's muffled voice from the other side.

"Coming." I replied as I made my way to the door and opened it.

"Are you all right, dear?" Patricia asked, giving me a strange look. "I tried to speak with you as you came down the stairs just now, but you walked right past me."

"I'm so sorry, Patricia." I apologized genuinely. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I guess I just had my head way up in the clouds for a minute there."

"Are you sure?" Patricia asked.

"I'm sure." I replied with a nod. "I just feel terrible that I was so rude-"

"I can understand having your mind drift off." Patricia interrupted softly, her eyes faraway in her memories. "I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Why don't I come and help you with dinner?" I asked, shutting the door behind me as I stepped out into the hall.

I went to the kitchen with Patricia to help her make dinner, trying to keep my mind off of Maggie and her search. She had been sly in asking me to go out after Daryl and her father's horse. She had done a wonderful job of lulling me into a false sense of security by kindly offering me a set of riding clothes. She got me off the farm so that she could look through my bedroom without fear of having me stumble upon her midway through her investigation. Though I wanted to be angry with her, I couldn't help but feel my respect for her growing.

0o0o0

The next morning, I was up earlier than usual. I put on the clothes Maggie let me borrow, having taken them after I washed and dried them, and plaited my hair into two braids like before. When I was equipped, I headed out to the campsite. I had already spoken with Hershel about borrowing a horse, as well as informed Beth that I would be helping Daryl search for Sophia. All I needed to do was retrieve Daryl and saddle Suzie up.

"Psst." I hissed over Daryl's tent, peeking through the mesh at him as he slept.

Daryl groaned, scratching his side before opening his eyes to squint up at me.

"What the hell?" Daryl yawned.

"You said you wanted my help to look for Sophia." I replied quietly so as not to wake the others. "I'll give you a few minutes to wake up. Meet me at the stables."

Without another word, I headed down to the stables. By the time I had blanketed and saddled Suzie, Daryl had made his way to the stables. His crossbow was strapped to his back, but he was moving slower than normal. I stepped away from Suzie to watch him as he walked. He was still in pain.

"What're you lookin' at?" Daryl grumbled.

"Are you sure you're up to going out today?" I asked. "I could go myself, or we could just put it-"

"No." Daryl interrupted roughly. "I gotta get out there now before the trail goes cold."

I knew he was determined to find the little girl, and I could understand that. Whenever I found a man to take out, I felt the weight of determination on my shoulders until I accomplished my mission. That was why I didn't try to talk him out of going again.

"You ready to go yet?" Daryl asked, leaning against a stall.

"If you want to speed things along, why don't you fill those canteens?" I asked, motioning to the two canteens resting on the empty saddle rack. "There's a spigot over there."

Daryl grumbled all the way to the saddle rack and then all the way to the spigot.

"Are you always this pleasant in the morning?" I asked with an amused smile as I bridled Suzie.

"Maybe if you'd brought me some coffee…" Daryl mumbled, returning with the canteens.

"Sorry." I replied halfheartedly, putting the canteens into the saddlebag. "Ready?"

"I ain't ridin' bitch today." Daryl told me, pointing a finger at me.

"Are you sure you can handle controlling her?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. "You're still healing…"

Before I could finish, Daryl was already climbing into the saddle.

"Proud are you?" I asked, gripping the saddle to climb on.

As I was about to pull myself up, Daryl offered me his hand. I promptly knocked it away so that I could climb up myself, settling in behind him.

"Look who's talkin'." Daryl snorted, picking up the reigns.

Daryl gave Suzie a kick, and we were off. I held onto the saddle as we rode towards the tree line. If Daryl was going to be too proud and stubborn to hold onto me when I controlled Suzie, then so was I. It stayed that way through the whole ride. Finally, we came to a very densely forested part of the woods. Daryl brought Suzie to a halt. There was no way we could ride her through the thick foliage.

"We're gonna have to leave her." Daryl said as he climbed down from the saddle.

"We're not leaving this horse." I replied, joining Daryl on the ground. "We can lead her through the trees."

"That'll take longer." Daryl argued. "We could get through all this faster without her."

"What if walkers come along and find an easy meal?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

"Better her than us." Daryl shrugged.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you really think that Hershel will lend us another horse if we allow this one to be ravaged by the undead?"

Daryl kicked the ground, but he reached for Suzie's reigns.

"Come on." Daryl mumbled, pulling the horse after him.

I followed Daryl, keeping an eye on my surroundings in the process. I had to watch for walkers, but also any sign that a little girl had been in the area.

"Walkers, huh?" Daryl asked suddenly, turning his head to grin at me.

"I believe it was you that corrected me." I replied, peering through the many trees.

Then, it was silent. Both Daryl and I were diligent in our search of the surrounding area, though we never split up. I could tell that Suzie was getting tired after a few hours. She was an older horse.

"We need to water Suzie." I said, walking ahead of Daryl. "The river that runs through the ridge should be just ahead, right?"

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, pulling Suzie along.

When we came to the river, I pulled Suzie into the water so that she could drink. It was good news for me that the pair of boots Hershel lent to me were waterproof. I pet Suzie as she drank from the river, thirsty after all of the riding and walking she had done that day. As I looked up, I noticed that Daryl was sitting at the edge of the river watching me.

"What?" I asked.

Daryl nodded towards me.

"Where'd you get that?" Daryl asked.

I looked down at the arm I was using to hold Suzie's reigns. The scar there was visible in the sunlight.

"Do you want to hear the story I've been telling people, or do you want to hear the truth?" I asked.

"Whichever you wanna tell me I guess," Daryl shrugged, "or neither. I don't care."

I looked back at Suzie.

"I fell into a mirror." I replied simply.

"Is that what you been tellin' people?" Daryl scoffed.

I looked back at Daryl, lifting an eyebrow.

"You could tell that I was lying?" I asked curiously.

"I overheard Glenn tellin' Dale you stitched yourself up after fallin' into a mirror." Daryl explained, picking up a nearby stick and fiddling with it. "Anyways, I can tell the difference between somethin' accidental and somethin' done on purpose."

I nodded.

"So…you have a scar or two yourself?" I asked.

I watched Daryl pull out a knife to strip the bark from the stick. He looked up at me.

"Maybe." Daryl muttered, looking back down at the stick he was carving up.

"I got into a fight…" I murmured after a few moments, looking down into the water as the real events played out in its reflection…

"You thought you could kill me?!" Greg bellowed, throwing me against the wall.

"I was younger then, not as skilled as I am now…"

I fought against his weight, but he was so much bigger than I was. I had made a mistake.

"I tried to get away from him, but he was too strong…"

As I flailed against him, swinging my arms in his direction, Greg shoved me harder against the wall. The force of his weight sent my arm through the window.

"My arm went through a window…"

Then, Trisha was there, like a guardian angel.

I looked up from the water to see that Daryl was watching me as I spoke. I smiled.

"But I survived, stitched this up, and here I am." I said, finishing my story.

I pulled on Suzie's reigns, urging her across the river. Daryl followed suit, crossing the river behind us so that we could continue our search for Sophia. It was quiet again. There were no more stories to tell our secrets to share. We were both guarded. I could feel the wall surrounding Daryl. As long as he kept his word to help me, there was no reason for me to try and climb it.

Eventually, we broke through the denser part of the woods and came to the ridge.

"You probably didn't get a good look down there, did you?" I asked, looking over at Daryl.

"I was busy bleedin'." Daryl replied harshly, glaring at me.

"I didn't mean anything by that." I reassured him, unoffended by his tone. "I was just thinking that it might be a good idea for me to have a look around."

"You?" Daryl asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it probably isn't a good idea for you to risk your life again getting down there."

"How're you gonna get down there without killin' yourself?"

"I have an idea." I replied, reaching into the saddlebag. "There's rope here. I could take one end, and tie the other to Suzie. I could use the rope to climb safely down, then back up."

Daryl looked at the rope in my hands, down the ridge, then back at me.

"Okay." Daryl shrugged.

I tied the rope to Suzie's saddle, then took the other end into my hands.

"Hey, if you're gonna die, tell me somethin'." Daryl said as I prepared to climb down.

"What?" I asked.

"What's in the purse?" Daryl asked, motioning to the pouch at my waist.

He made it too easy.

"Tampons and makeup." I replied immediately. "There's a lipstick in here that's just my color."

Then, I started down the ridge. I could see Daryl holding onto Suzie's reigns to keep her steady while I climbed down towards the bottom. It was a long way down. I began to truly appreciate the lengths Daryl had gone to thus far to recover Sophia. He could have easily died down there.

Luckily for me, it was Suzie on the other end of my rope and not Nelly. I made it safely down onto the bed of dirt and silt below. I let go of the rope so that I could investigate the area.

"You okay up there?!" I called out, looking up the hill at Daryl as he watched from above.

"I ain't the one climbin' up and down this deathtrap!" Daryl shouted back. "Get lookin'!"

I waved him off as I walked along the length of the bottom of the ridge. I searched the ground for any sign of a little girl. There were no footprints, no scraps or shreds of clothing, no nothing.

I looked at the water. I wondered if Sophia had used it as a source of drinking water or for a place to bathe or clean. Perhaps she had dropped something in the water, or even…

"I'm going to check the water!" I shouted without turning around.

I didn't want to get my only clothes wet, so I pulled off Maggie's white T-shirt. I laid it over a fallen tree trunk. Then, I stripped off her stirrup pants. I sat down on the log so that I could take off my boots and socks. I left them with my shirt and pants. Left in my bra and underwear, I headed for the water.

"Is this free?!" Daryl suddenly yelled.

I smiled to myself as I waded into the cool water. When I was waist deep, I took a breath, and submerged myself completely. I swam beneath the water, checking the bed for any fallen objects. I came up every minute or so for air, but continued searching the water. I was determined to find something.

Suddenly, I spotted something at the bottom of the water. I swam down to it. It was a water logged, tattered doll. I smiled underwater as I quickly snatched up the doll. I couldn't wait to break the surface to show Daryl what I had found.

As I came to the surface, my eyes widened. There was a dead walker on the ground, an arrow in its head. I watched as Daryl, armed with the knives I had left with my clothes, stabbed a second walker in the skull. Without missing a beat, he whipped his other arm around to do the same to a third walker stumbling up behind him. At the same time, he ripped both knives out. The walkers fell to the ground.

I quickly swam to shore.

"Are you-"

"You should've taken your knives with you." Daryl interrupted, turning around to glare at me.

"I didn't want to lose them." I replied calmly.

"Instead, I had to hurry on down here and take care of business." Daryl snapped.

"Well, if I hadn't gone in the water, I wouldn't have found this." I retorted angrily, shoving the soaking wet doll into Daryl's chest.

I went to the first walker I had seen, pulling the arrow loose from its head. By the time I turned around, Daryl was holding out Suzie's horse blanket to me.

"I brought this for you." Daryl muttered, refusing to look at me as he held the blanket out.

I took the blanket from his hands, wrapping it around my wet body.

"Thank you." I replied quietly, already feeling my anger draining. "Thank you for taking care of-"

"Don't mention it." Daryl interrupted, waving one hand nonchalantly.

I sat down on the log to dry off while Daryl cleaned off my knives and his arrow. The doll was looped safely through his belt.

"What do you think that means?" I asked, motioning to the doll.

"I think she's been here." Daryl replied, looking up from what he was doing. "She might've come down here for water or somethin'. It's a good sign."

I wasn't sure if finding the doll in deep water was a good sign or not, but since I hadn't seen a body, I guessed it wasn't necessarily a bad sign.

When I was dry enough, I equipped myself and got dressed.

"I'll head up first." Daryl said, picking up the rope. "If the rope fails, you'll have a chance to grab on to somethin' else."

"Okay." I agreed, watching Daryl head up the hill.

When he had a good start, I followed him up. I watched Suzie at the top of the ridge, tied to a tree, and hoped she stayed still and calm while Daryl and I made our way up to her.

Daryl reached the top. As he stood up by Suzie, his sudden presence startled her. Suzie reared up, and in doing so, the rope was ripped from my hands. I started to fall back, but dug my nails into the earth, trying to find something to grab onto.

"Diana!" Daryl called out, diving forward with his hands outstretched. "Grab on!"

I swung one of my arms up towards his hand. Our fingers brushed.

"Come on!" Daryl shouted, straining his hands.

I looked down at my scarred arm, remembering that day Greg had nearly killed me. I remembered what I said to Daryl. I had survived.

I tried again, but this time, Daryl was able to catch my hand. With our hands intertwined, I was able to pull myself up. Daryl didn't let go of my hand until I was safely off the hill. He and I were both covered in dirt and leaves. I noticed that Daryl's side was bleeding. His stitched had ripped.

"Your stitches…" I pointed to the blood soaking through his shirt.

"It's nothin'." Daryl replied.

"It's not nothing." I argued, immediately going to the saddlebag. "I have to stitch you back up."

"That can wait."

"What good are you to me or Sophia if you bleed to death or get an infection?" I asked, pulling out the first aid kit from the saddlebag. "Now, lay down somewhere so that I can fix you up."

Daryl grumbled under his breath as he eased himself onto the ground. He balanced one arm under his head as I kneeled down beside him. I pulled up his shirt to reveal the torn stitches.

"Is this free?" I asked, grinning down at Daryl as I pulled the scissors out of the first aid kit.

Daryl blushed, but he looked away before I could get a good look at his flush cheeks.

I cut the thread and removed the stitches. I used one of the antibiotic wipes to sterilize the entire area. As I used the wipe all over Daryl's skin, I felt raised flesh wrapping around from his back to the front. I knew without having to look that it was a scar.

"Where did you get that?" I asked softly, discarding the wipe when I was finished with it.

Daryl peered down at his side. He caught sight of the scar.

"I fell into a mirror." Daryl said without missing a beat, looking up at the sky.

"That seems like a common accident." I replied, feeling no urge to climb Daryl's wall.

I threaded Ethilon through a needle, and quickly began sewing up Daryl's flesh. He didn't squirm, whine, or complain once. I got the feeling he had been stitched up before, or he had at least experienced pain enough times not to care when he felt it anymore.

"All done." I said when I was finished, packing everything up.

I put the first aid kit back into the saddlebag.

"Well, I think we've covered enough ground for today." I said, climbing up into the saddle. "We can pick up the trail tomorrow at first light."

Daryl climbed up behind me without complaining about having to ride behind me.

I rode off on the same path I had used when I found Daryl at the bottom of the ridge and taken him back to the farm. It felt like déjà vu as we rode back to the farm, having had another incident in the very same place.

As we rode, I suddenly felt Daryl's hand on my thigh. I was surprised, but didn't dare to turn and look at him. I knew that if I did, he would pull his hand away. His hand gripped my thigh, his fingers embedded into the material of my pants. He was holding onto me. His warm hand on my thigh was stirring up a feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt the flame of lust growing there. I knew somewhere in his bones, Daryl felt the same heat for me. I could tell on instinct alone, but it helped when I felt his erection against my backside.

When we broke through the trees, and the house was visible, Daryl pulled his hand off of me. The world Daryl and I had been living in a few moments before was gone. We were back to life on the farm.