Secret Safe

ScornedxRose: You'll find out in this chapter! Here's your update!

Wolflihood: You'll see if your theory is correct in this chapter.

animebird16: You'll find out in this chapter. I'm glad that you like Diana's and Beth's relationship. I like it too. Here's your update!

SeverusSnape'sLove: Me too! You'll find out if Shane dies or not in this chapter. Here's your update!

Dixon'sBikerBabe: Maybe. Maybe not.

Leyshla Gisel: Thank you!

0o0o0

Shane led me to his tent, allowing me to crawl in first before he joined me inside. I immediately laid down on the floor of the tent, moving my hands over my dress to pull it up slightly over my thighs. Shane quickly crawled over me, positioning himself between my legs. As he laid down on top of me, I could feel his erection between my thighs. His fingers slid the thin straps down my shoulders, then glided over the bones beneath the skin there and along my chest. All I could think of was Jesse. It was as if his ghost was having a second chance with me.

"Shane…" I moaned into his ear.

"Mmm, say it again, honey." Shane groaned back, his fingers moving lower to my breasts.

"Shane…" I breathed hotly against his skin.

I felt Shane shoving his arms under me to unhook my bra. I took the opportunity to roll on top of him, taking control as I unhooked it myself. I slipped my dress down to my waist so that I could pull my bra off. I tossed it aside. I could feel Shane's erection growing harder beneath me.

"I was hoping we could do something…naughty." I murmured with a smile.

"Oh yeah?" Shane asked, looking pleased. "Like what?"

"How do you feel about restraints?" I asked, rolling my hips against Shane's.

Shane chuckled.

"That's not really my style, sugar." Shane adjusted himself under me. "If you would've known my brother…"

Suddenly, Shane frowned.

"I didn't mean to…"

Shane surprised me when he violently flipped us over so that I was beneath him again. He shoved my dress up, pulling angrily at my underwear. I heard them rip as he desperately tried to get them off of me. The night wasn't going as I had planned. Without restraining Shane, or at least blindfolding him, there was no way I could get the needle into his mouth. Admittedly, I was having second thoughts with Shane's sudden change in behavior. I never thought Diana would have to go through that.

"Shane, stop." I told him sternly, trying to move out from under him.

Shane grunted, tearing my underwear all the way off.

"Stop." I snapped, rearing my knee back.

I slammed my knee between Shane's legs. That was enough to get him off of me. He sputtered, rolling off of me onto his back. I hurriedly crawled out of his tent, pulling my dress down to cover the fact that my underwear had been torn off and grabbing my bra on the way out. As I stood up outside of the tent, I fixed the straps on my dress and stuffed my bra down into it.

"Hey, hey, hey, Shane done already?" T-Dog asked as I walked past the fire.

I didn't answer his question. I kept walking until I got to the house, and quickly went inside.

0o0o0

After I had showered and was dry, I pulled my bag out of the closet and took it to bed. I spilled my envelopes out onto the bed around me, running my hand over them. I didn't regret killing any of them. They were all monsters. However, there was a price I paid in doing away with them. I took their lives and they each took a piece of me. In order to get close enough to nine of them, I had to give myself to them. It was never easy, but I learned to deal with it as time went on. After the outbreak, I thought Diana would be spared all of those feelings of disgust. I thought she would be free, like the women I had freed before her.

I went through my envelopes until I was tired. I fell asleep with them. I felt comforted being surrounded by the good work I had done.

Then, suddenly, I was woken by a sound. As I opened my eyes, I saw a figure coming through the window in the dark. I knew it was Shane, but my knives and syringes were at the bottom of the bag on the floor next to the bed. I wasn't going to let Shane have his way with me or hurt me. Without any hesitation, I leapt out of bed and ran at the figure. I tackled him to the floor.

"Diana, what the hell?!" Daryl shouted from beneath me.

I quickly got off of Daryl, sitting beside him as he slowly sat up.

"I'm sorry, Daryl." I replied quietly. "I thought you were someone else."

"Damn." Daryl muttered, rubbing the back of his head. "You tryin' out for the Falcons or what?"

"I apologize." I repeated myself calmly, already having come down from thinking Shane was sneaking into my bedroom. "What exactly are you doing climbing through my window?"

Daryl looked down at the floor as his hand moved to his neck.

"I came to see if you was all right." Daryl mumbled. "You left Shane's tent real quick and in a hurry."

"You saw that?" I asked, resting my chin on my knee.

"I just saw how you looked after…" Daryl slowly looked up at me. "He hurt you?"

I shook my head against my knee.

"You sure?" Daryl asked.

"I gave him a knee to the balls before he could do anything." I replied, lifting my head.

"Damn." Daryl chuckled. "Is that how you was plannin' on killin' him?"

"That wasn't what I had in mind." I said, smiling when Daryl made me feel better.

As Daryl's chuckles quieted, his face became serious again.

"What happened?" Daryl asked.

"I was going to tie him up, probably gag him, but he wouldn't let me." I explained, pressing my back to the footboard. "Then, he got rough with me. I just…I didn't want to…"

Daryl watched me carefully as I spoke.

"You just want me to do it?" Daryl asked softly.

"No." I shook my head. "I'm going to do it. It will just be a lot harder now that he won't want anything to do with me. I'm not going to be so nice next time."

"You planned on bein' nice before?" Daryl asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess not." I shrugged, understanding Daryl's point.

Daryl suddenly got up. So did I.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you was all right, and since you are, I'm gonna go…" Daryl said, sidestepping towards the window he had climbed through.

"Thank you for checking on me." I replied, standing with him in front of the window. "That was really sweet of you."

"Right." Daryl scoffed, scratching the back of his neck.

I looked at Daryl in the moonlight. His blue eyes looked silver with the moon and starlight reflecting off of them. I watched his silver eyes slowly lower to appraise me the same way I was him. Lust swirled in his eyes like a silver snake. Suddenly, with the window into Shane having been slammed shut and locked, I could feel my true desires taking over. I wanted Daryl, and if he wanted me, I was going to have him.

My mouth descended on his so fast, but luckily for me, Daryl was thinking the same as me. Our lips crashed together in a kiss that was so wonderfully different from the kisses I had shared with Shane. Daryl wasn't trying desperately to be perfect or charming. He was being himself. He was kissing me honestly and truthfully. Though his kisses weren't as graceful or precise as Shane's, I preferred Daryl's mouth against mine. With our lips intertwined, I wrapped my arms around Daryl, tugging him forward. Daryl understood, and slowly lowered us onto the hardwood floor.

I began to loosen the strap holding Daryl's crossbow to his back as we kissed. Daryl moved one hand behind him, expertly removing the crossbow. With that weight off his shoulders, he wrapped both arms around me to pour every inch of himself into our kisses. I rolled us over easily, moving my hips against Daryl's as I moved my hands down to his belt buckle. I undid his belt without breaking our kisses, immediately moving to the button and zipper when the belt was loose. I could feel the want and need in Daryl's erection as I pulled it free from his boxers. He had wanted me for as long as I wanted him.

Still without underwear, I positioned myself over Daryl. I used my hand to guide him into me. There was little resistance. I was ready for him. When I accepted him inside of me, Daryl groaned deeply against my mouth. I pulled my lips from his as I started to move up and down his erection. I could feel him pulsating inside of me as I gripped his penis with every fiber of my being. Daryl moved his hands to my hips to feel my rhythm, groaning and grunting in time with my rocking.

"Diana…" Daryl groaned as my pace quickened.

I looked down at Daryl, whose eyes were closed as he reveled in our pleasure.

"Call me Corinne." I whispered, rolling my hips without breaking my pace.

Daryl opened his eyes to look up at me. I think if we wouldn't have been engaged in sex, he might have been confused. Instead, there was only lust in his eyes.

"Corinne…" Daryl murmured in the moonlit darkness.

I moaned, and Daryl suddenly grasped my hips harder. He used my hips to thrust quicker and quicker in and out. I knew he was close, and gripped him even more firmly than before. That seemed to speed things along. Just before he released, Daryl pulled himself completely out of me. I rolled off of him, falling down beside him on the floor. The cool wood felt good against my fiery skin.

Suddenly, I felt exhausted, like I hadn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks. I could feel Daryl moving beside me as he presumably cleaned himself up. That was the last thing I remembered as I drifted off to sleep like a baby with a bottle.

0o0o0

When I opened my eyes, I still felt that sense of peace from the night before. I stretched, suddenly realizing that I was lying in bed. I looked around, confused. I didn't remember getting into bed. I had expected to wake up on the floor with Daryl beside me, or not. He didn't strike me as the type to cuddle or stay the night. I was fine with that, but I was starting to feel that peacefulness float away from me as I looked beside me. My bag was on the bed next to me. That was when I remembered that when Daryl had invited himself in, my pictures and envelopes had been splayed out on the bed.

I jumped out of bed, searching for the envelopes. They weren't on the bed. They weren't on the floor. I grabbed the bag, dumping its contents out onto the bed. I searched through every envelope. All of them were accounted for. Daryl had seen them. Then, he had put them away. Daryl knew who I was and what I had done.

I sank down to the floor. The moment I let my guard down, my secret was discovered. I was disappointed in myself. I had worked so hard to keep my identities and deeds a secret from everyone, only for Daryl to discover the evidence that could lead to my downfall. I had to speak to him. I had to reason with him. He needed to understand what he had seen and what it all meant.

I dressed in a hurry, leaving my weapons at the bottom of my bag as I shoved it into the closet. I nearly ran through the house and out the front door. I ignored everyone else as I walked briskly through camp towards Daryl's tent. I could see him lying down through the mesh.

"Mornin', Diana." Daryl greeted me as I approached his tent. "Where you off to in a hurry?"

I was surprised by his reaction to me after what he had seen, but his relaxed demeanor did nothing to calm my frazzled nerves. I wasn't used to feeling not in control of my life. It was unsettling.

"We need to talk." I replied quickly, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. "We need to speak somewhere private."

"Why?" Daryl asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"You know why." I answered quietly.

Daryl sighed heavily, but he got up and out of his tent.

"Where to?" Daryl asked, running a hand through his unkempt hair.

"The stables." I said, already heading in that direction.

Daryl and I were silent as we walked together towards the stables. I felt like I was walking to my death. Daryl was my executioner and I was his prisoner. He was leading me to the guillotine to face the penalty for my crimes. He was taking me to the gallows to hang for the lives I had taken.

When we got to the stables, I didn't even know what to say. I turned around to face Daryl, who was standing still with his arms over his chest. He was waiting for me to speak, but I had no words to begin my story or defend myself. I never imagined having the conversation I was about to have, especially with Daryl.

"I…I know you saw them…" I murmured, glancing between the ground and Daryl's face.

"I ain't never seen you like this." Daryl said, shaking his head. "It's interestin'."

"This is new for me too." I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck. "I really don't know what to say-"

"Let me throw you a lifeline." Daryl put his hands on his hips. "If you're freaked out 'bout me seein' your trophies, you ain't gotta be. I ain't gonna say nothin' to no one."

I could feel my jaw unhinging as my mouth dropped.

"Why you look so surprised?" Daryl raised an eyebrow. "You think I was gonna squeal?"

I couldn't feel my face. It was numb. I was starting to think I might have been having a stroke.

"I saw all them pictures, Diana. All those dead guys had mugshots, which means they had some kinda criminal record." Daryl took a step forward. "Say somethin'."

I looked into Daryl's eyes. I saw no disgust, no fear. He understood. He saw the real me and he understood.

"Do I need to smack you?" Daryl asked.

"No…" I replied quietly, finding my voice. "I just…I wasn't expecting that reaction…"

"Were all those guys murderers?"

"Most of them. Two of them never killed anyone."

"Did they do somethin' worthy of bein' killed?" Daryl asked.

I nodded.

"Then I ain't got a problem with what you did." Daryl rubbed the back of his neck. "It all makes sense now. You make more sense to me now."

"Why are you okay with this?" I asked, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"The way I see it, you did the world a service." Daryl replied. "Did you do all that yourself?"

"I had help the second time I…killed." I answered.

"So that's why you knew you could handle Shane?" Daryl asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"Stop bein' so weird." Daryl suddenly cracked a smile. "Well, weirder than usual."

"It's hard not to feel strange with the way you're reacting to something like this." I replied.

"Diana, some kinda disease is makin' people die and come back to life as maneaters. Findin' out that you killed guys that committed crime isn't the weirdest thing I've seen or heard of."

Daryl placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, you can still trust me." Daryl told me seriously. "I promise I ain't gonna say nothin'."

I looked into Daryl's eyes and knew he was telling the truth. My secret was safe with him.