Author's Note: In this version of TWD, Shane left Hershel's farm of his own free will, and was never killed by Rick. This story takes place after Beth was kidnapped during season 4.

Though Beth had fully integrated herself into the hospital, and was now trusted enough to perform her duties without a guard, she had yet to take advantage of her freedom and escape. She'd had multiple opportunities, yes, and her stuffed bug-out bag was hidden, just waiting for her to grab it from the side of an open elevator shaft. Wanting away from these sick people more than she'd ever wanted anything, Beth was frustrated that something held her in the hospital of horrors.

Every time Beth readied herself to leave, voices in her mind, usually her father, but sometimes Maggie or Daryl, would tell her to wait, that the time was not right. Since those voices were her subconscious, she often worried about her sanity. Perhaps deep inside, she was too terrified to try this world on her own, but that reasoning didn't feel right, either.

Beth knew she could handle whatever came her way. As had become her habit, she rubbed at the healed walker bite on her forearm, as amazed as always that she was still alive, 1 of 2 to survive out of the thousands of test subjects who had perished. That she, Beth Greene, was now immune to walker bites, blew her mind.

Late that afternoon, when the orderlies wheeled in 6 new "infected" test subjects, Beth's heart raced as she heard a familiar, though drugged, voice, "Y'all gon' regret this shit, I promise you."

Shane! Beth squeezed her eyes shut tightly, lest her tears give her away. Taking several deep, bracing breaths, she then schooled her features to her normal mask.

"I just finished tweaking the strain we gave you, Beth, and I'm hopeful one of these will survive," the Doc told her, and she nodded, watching as he gave each of his 6 patients a shot.

Shane was still threatening steadily and the Doc rolled his eyes toward Shane, "Sometimes we just can't seem to knock the big guys out as quickly, no matter how much morphine we give them."

"I'ma kill every one of you sombitches," but Shane's voice was weakening, and Beth knew he'd be passed out soon.

"Here," the Doc handed Beth a syringe, "I've got to get something to eat, haven't left the lab in 12 hours. If the big one doesn't go down soon, give him another shot of morphine."

Beth nodded, "Yes, Doc," as he left the room. How she hated that sadistic asshole, and his tests. Murder was what he did, regardless of his whole "I'm saving humanity" speech that he regularly gave anyone who would listen.

Shane had come in with 5 other men, rough characters from the look of them, but they were all knocked out. Each had a walker bite on their left forearm. No one had bothered to bandage the bites because the odds were they'd all be walkers soon. Each man was strapped to a gurney. Feeling foreheads, Beth noted three already burned with fever.

As she reached Shane, she was unsure what to do. He was so heavily drugged that he might give away the fact that they knew one another. A plan was forming in her mind, if Shane survived, and honestly that was a huge "if", she would run with him.

Her daddy's voice, "He's a good, strong man, Bethie. You need him."

Mind made up, she leaned over Shane and watched as his drugged eyes cleared slightly.

...

Wherever the hell Shane was, damn he couldn't think, was full of some sick sons of a bitches. It was hard to hold onto a thought, but he knew he'd been bit, they'd fucking held his arm out to a walker, like some sadistic offering. He hated he'd been bit, and that other humans had forced the bite on him. Before he died though, he was going take out every sick asshole in this place. Damned if he wouldn't.

"Shane?" a sweet little voice said softly.

It was hard to focus on the angel in front of him, the small blond in the hospital scrubs. She reminded him of someone, a girl he once knew, a girl with big blue eyes and the voice of an angel. Hershel's daughter.

"You look like Beth," he said, and forced his eyes to remain open.

The angel smiled, "I am Beth, but you can't act like you know me. I'm getting both of us out of here."

"Little Beth became a woman, well how 'bout that?" Shane slurred in a whisper and then he passed out.

...

The other five had turned and died during the night. Beth was well-schooled in her duties. She monitored the infection, scribbled notes on each man's symptoms, times of death, reanimation, and the moment she stabbed their awakening walker brains.

Now she watched Shane. Asleep, he looked much softer than she remembered him. She rested a hand on the strong bones of his face, but there was still no sign of fever, which was good. Not allowing herself to be hopeful yet, she traced a finger down his strong jawline to his full lips.

Back on the farm, 16 year old Beth had crushed hard on Shane. He was a big, gorgeous man, and unlike Daryl, who she'd also crushed on, Shane had been nice to her.

Toward the end of Lori's pregnancy, the other woman had told Beth all about Shane. How he'd saved Lori and Carl, protected them with his life, and how hard it had been on the other man when Rick returned, "I still loved him Beth, I couldn't just stop loving him when Rick came back. I tried to hang onto him, to go back to the friendship we had before the apocalypse, but I should have just let him go. I destroyed their friendship."

Beth remembered listening to Lori, naively wishing Shane had stayed. Stayed until Beth was old enough to love him. The memory made her smile for the first time in months. God, had she ever truly been that innocent?

The velvety soft lips underneath her fingertip moved, and Shane croaked, "Beth Greene. Is that really you?"

"Shhhhhh..." she told him, leaning down to put her lips right next to his ear, "The Doc will come check you soon. I need you to pretend I just gave you more morphine. A shift change will happen in about an hour and I'm planning on giving the other nurse your dose, drugging her so we can get the hell out of here. Can you do that? Stay unmoving regardless of how the Doc pokes at you?"

She stood up and met the chocolate brown of Shane's eyes, he still looked a little fuzzy as he replied, "Sure girl, whatever you want I can do it."

His husky voice sent a shiver down her spine, and as he quirked a smile at her, his lips drew her gaze. The man really had a gorgeous mouth, "Beth Greene. All grown up and rescuing me. Who'd'a thought it?"

"I need you alert and ready to go. I think I can easily get us to the main gate, but getting out won't be easy. You'll have to lay here and trust me."

"I can do that," he whispered, and then the door opened. The Doc strolled in, his bald head gleaming in the fluorescent lights.

"One's still with us, that's good. That's good. Has he given you any problems?"

"No, he came to a few minutes ago, threatened to kill me, but I gave him another shot of morphine."

The Doc barely glanced at Shane, instead he flipped through Beth's notes, "It's still soon to know if he'll survive, just keep an eye on him, and let me know if his temperature rises."

"I will, Doc," Beth replied as he left the room.

As the door clicked shut, Shane whispered, "What the hell kind of shit have you gotten mixed up in, girl?"

"Shhh... later, I'll explain it once we're out of here."