I don't own the Walking Dead or anything or anyone having to do with it. I am simply borrowing the characters. Thanks in advance everyone I hope you enjoy this new idea I have been kicking around.

Chapter 1

At first life happened in little snips for Beth as she was pulled back from the inky darkness and pain that enveloped her. She remembered being carried and feeling so safe in the arms in which she was cradled. In the background she could hear the muffled sound of sobs and then the darkness overwhelmed her again. Then there was pain, tremendous amounts of pain, as she was jostled in those same safe arms. She could hear yelling frantic, high pitched, and panicked, but she couldn't force her eyes open. The pain receded as the jostling ceased and she felt herself being transferred from the warm safe arms of her savior to a soft plush bench seat. Instead of just noise she was finally able to register words as the warmth of her saviors arms faded. The words were gruff and choked out but she was able to make out, " I am sorry girl. I am so damn sorry," before a quick chaste kiss was pressed to her forehead.

Then there was nothing and the pain and hopelessness was pulling her under again. Her next recollections included more yelling, more painful movement, pokes and prods by cold medical equipment, and the background noise of beeping machines. She stayed there in that limbo of being able to hear what was going on around her but, not being able to respond for what seemed like a lifetime. There were moments where she felt like she was being sucked under a tidal wave and that if she could just kick a little closer to the surface she could break through. At the last minute she was always unable to break the surface. Lost in her mind her memories played over and over, her short life stuck on repeat, as she contemplated all she had loved and lost in such a miniscule span of time. Nineteen too short years and already she had suffered more loss than most people that lived to be centenarians. Her mind replayed their faces over and over and over again. Mother, Shawn, Jimmy, Zach, Lori, T-dog, Patricia, Dale, Daddy the list went on and on.

There were times when she felt the need to let go. Lost in her nebulous thoughts and chaotic mind, with flashes of the world around her coming through only at moments, she wanted it to end. She wanted to let go of all the pain and suffering and heartache but, something inside of her would not allow her to do so. She was a survivor, a child of the apocalypse, and giving up was not in her nature. Others had thought she was weak, and for one tiny moment in time, she might have agreed, but now she knew better. She knew herself more now than she ever had before and she knew she was not weak, that she was not someone who went down without a fight. So she fought against the riptide that continually pulled her under and then one day as she reached the surface she was able to kick through the barrier that was holding her under.

Looking back she would have liked to be able to tell people that she woke right up, lurching out of her hospital bed, and kicking ass in order to figure out where she was and what had happened to her. The reality however, couldn't have been further from the truth. Her eyes felt like lead weights as she finally forced them open and it took her minutes to be able to actually assess where she was. As she surveyed her surroundings, still very confused, she became aware of several things immediately. A bright yellow light was streaming in from the window across the room and the silence that permeated the closed in space was broken occasionally by the beep of a monitor. Finally gaining enough strength she forced herself into a sitting position and glancing over she saw a glass sitting on the food tray next to her bed. Thirst overtook her as she reached for it, her throat felt as parched as the Sahara desert, and when she tipped the cup against her lips cool clear water flowed into her mouth. She drank greedily and when the cup was empty she placed it back on the table gasping to catch her breath from her frantic guzzling of the water. She paused for only a moment before she knew she needed move, instinct prompted her that she was not safe, and swinging her legs over the side of the bed she moved to stand. The task should have been easy but, she stumbled and was forced to grab onto the tray beside the bed to stop herself from falling. She knocked the plastic cup to the ground with a clatter and watched as it rolled away from her.

She gave herself only a minute before forcing her legs to work and staggering to the window. As she moved she was suddenly stopped by a tether that tugged her back towards the bed. Staring down at her arm she contemplated the IV for only a moment before harshly ripping it out. Blood welled and trickled down her arm but, she ignored it in her quest to reach the window. An overwhelming sense of déjà vu overcame her as she reached the sill and stared out over the expanse of a ruined Atlanta." You've been here before " her mind whispered insidiously "it isn't safe….run". As she stood staring, breathing rapidly, in a thin tired hospital gown, her memories began to flow back to her. At first it was trickles of things here and there and then it was like an avalanche. Forcing her panic down she remembered something Daryl had taught her while they were together. That panic would get you killed and that in order to derail it one needed to examine the facts, the options, and the actions that were available. Her stomach lurched as she thought about the hunter. She could remember making eye contact with him across the expanse of hallway that separated them. She remembered the relief that she had seen, the hope, followed shortly by embarrassment as he had looked down and away. She had wanted to go to him more than she had ever wanted anything. However, having read his embarrassment she had allowed Rick to be the one to embrace her. There would be time to go to Daryl later she had reasoned, no need to make a scene he would be uncomfortable about. If only she had known there wouldn't be a later, she would have launched herself into his arms, embarrassment be damned and told him how much she missed him.

As the onslaught of memories receded a niggling thought entered her mind. How was she even still here? She knew she wasn't dead, the physical discomfort she was feeling told her that, so how was it that she was even still here. In this post-apocalyptic world of chaos and death how had she not succumbed like so many of those before her. Staggering around she saw a mirror hanging on the wall across from her. As she moved towards it she took in the ratty hospital gown and her tangled blonde hair. It was shorter than it had been before by maybe a couple of inches so she couldn't tell how long she had been out by its growth. Reaching up to run her fingers through it she mused that someone had cut it. She wondered why only briefly before the scars on her face drew her attention away from her hair. As she stood before the mirror she examined her now permanently marred visage. She didn't find herself that upset by the marks, they were battle scars after all. However, if her hair didn't tell her how long she had been out her scars did. The stiches were long gone and the scars were completely healed. Raising her hand to her forehead Beth probed at the circular mark there. A perfectly healed gunshot wound stared right back at her from the mirror.

As if in a daze she reached behind her to touch the back of her skull. Sifting through her hair she finally located a place where some of her hair was missing. The area was no longer bald, it was thoroughly healed, and a downy cap of hair covered it. In her mind Beth already knew that she had survived a gunshot to the head. Somehow she had known that upon waking up but, staring at the evidence her mind seemed to be mired in quicksand. She remembered stabbing Dawn and a loud noise before time and place no longer seemed to exist. In her recollections she could remember the feeling of being enveloped in Daryl's secure embrace, could remember the feeling of safety brought on by the embrace even in her pain, and she could still hear what she knew in her heart were his anguished sobs of heartache. She vaguely remembered him lying her down, he must of left her somewhere, and of his words to her. She didn't even wonder why he had left her, she knew in her heart of hearts that he would only have done so if there was no other choice. She wasn't mad at him for that. But, she still couldn't understand how she had gotten back here, to Grady.

As she contemplated this her eyes were drawn up to the hand that she had touched her face with. It was her right hand, her dominant hand, the one that had been casted when she had first woken up at Grady. Her wrist was no longer casted and curiously she lowered it to have a look. They had never told her why it had been casted in the first place, she had always assumed it had been broken somehow, and the burning pain that had been present in it had solidified that thought in her mind. Now as she stared at her wrist she dumbly wondered for a second time how she was alive. The gunshot wound should have killed her but, staring at her wrist she realized she should have been dead long before that. No one survived a bite yet here she was looking at a perfectly healed bite mark on the inside of her right wrist. The faint silvery scar glimmered in the bright mid-day sun of the room and as she stared at it numbly Beth began to wonder if she wasn't actually dead. This couldn't be reality she mused as her mind struggled to keep up with her revelations.

She was still staring at her wrist in bewilderment when her stomach began to flutter. The sensation took her thoughts away from her wrist and for a moment she wondered about finding something to eat. The thought was momentary however, as she quickly realized what she was feeling wasn't hunger pains. It was a different sensation altogether, more light and fleeting, like the nervous sensation that one would describe as butterflies. Watching herself in the mirror Beth dropped her hand to her stomach pulling the billowing hospital gown up against it. Instead of her hand meeting her normally taunt flat abdomen it encountered something else entirely. Completely in shock now she grabbed at the hospital gown and pulled it up to her breasts revealing her abdomen in the mirror. The world spun, her breaths coming in short panting gasps, as she took in the swollen, rounded, hard image before her. As her mind struggled to put words to what she was seeing a distant noise caught her attention. The sound of a door handle clicking as someone opened it. Hastily dropping her gown she spun in a circle, looking for a weapon she found a pair of surgical scissors sitting on the sink across the room. She dove for them before spinning around to see Dr. Edwards standing in the doorway a surprised but, pleased expression on his face.

Silence hung between them for several moments before the doctor nodded towards the scissors she was brandishing, "Would have thought you'd have learned your lesson the first time," he joked rather badly.

Beth's gaze filtered between the doctor and the scissors before she rasped out, " what did you do to me," her throat still a rough mass of sandpaper from lack of use.

Looking rather proud of himself the man replied, "I saved you. Again."

"Saved me," Beth spat angrily, " saved me how?"

Reading Beth's hostility Edwards motioned towards the bed and chair beside it, "Look Beth I know this must be quite the shock to you. We've been waiting for you to wake up for a while now and I am not saying I don't owe you an explanation. But, I would feel much more comfortable giving it to you if you'd put the scissors down and have a seat."

Beth stared at the man for several moments weighing her options. In the end she knew she really only had one at the moment. She refused to give up her only weapon however, so still grasping it firmly in her hand she moved to the bed. Sitting on it, she carefully and deliberately laid the scissors beside her, before turning towards the doctor. In her most no nonsense manner she gestured towards the chair across from her, "I put the scissors down and I am seated."

She could tell Edwards wasn't happy about where she had put the scissors but, the man appeared to know better than to make a fuss about the matter because with a sigh he moved to take the seat across from her.

"It's good to see you awake finally," he began as he watched her, " how are you feeling?"

Canting her head to the side Beth contemplated picking up the scissors and jabbing them into his jugular. Was he kidding? How was she feeling? She felt the anger inside of her gathering into a storm cloud as she snapped, "Like I was shot and I've woken up trapped in a body that shouldn't exist and doesn't even feel like mine." Grinding her teeth together she demanded, "Now why don't you tell me what the hell is going on Doc because honestly my patience is running a little thin right now."

Edwards had the good grace to appear startled for a moment, Beth had always been so sweet natured and easy going, before he tried to joke, "Actually I would imagine your heightened emotional response has been brought on by your hormones but, that's to be expected."

When the young blonde just stared at him icily he swallowed thickly before conceding, " I guess I might not be in the mood for jokes either if I was you. Especially since we maybe didn't divulge everything to you the last time you woke up here. " Glancing down at his feet a moment he murmured, "Things are different now. Allison is a different type of leader and she wants the people that live here to want to be here, to want to be a member of the community. I can tell you everything that Dawn wouldn't let me before."

"I am not a member of your community," Beth ground out icily, "I am leaving here as soon as possible with or without your permission."

Holding his hands up in supplication Edwards replied, "I understand how you feel Beth but, why don't you take a minute to hear me out first, before you make any decisions."

Beth knew there was only one decision she could make but, she needed to hear what Edwards had to say so nodding in his direction she indicated that he should start talking. Unconsciously her hand strayed over to the scissors which she began to stroke absently.

Watching her warily Edwards scooted the chair back a bit before beginning his story. Beth couldn't help but feel good about seeing that the man was afraid of her. A part of her relished that, everyone had always assumed that she was helpless, well she was done being a victim.

Clearing his throat Edwards began to recount the story. Beth sat silently her expression one of stone as the doctor divulged the tale. After she had been shot everyone had assumed that she was dead both hospital residents as well as her family. Edwards told her that the man that had carried her out had been in shock ,and that he had stepped forward to shoot Dawn right in the head killing her instantly. A little thrill of satisfaction had assailed Beth at the information. Daryl had done what she had been unable to do, he had rid the world of a monster. As Edwards continued he told her that that man, Beth knew he was referring to Daryl, had carried her out of the hospital into the lower yard. Once they were there a fire truck had pulled up and a woman had gotten out who had quickly become hysterical. Beth figured that had to have been Maggie. Coldly she mused that it had been a little late for that. With a snort she thought back to the signs she and Daryl had found directing Glenn to Terminus. Her sister obviously hadn't spared much thought for her then. Turning her attention back to Edwards she listened as he told her about how her sisters wails had led a herd of walkers right to them, and how the hospital residents had watched as Daryl had stowed her in the firetruck's backseat. It had been obvious the group had intended to use the vehicle to get away but, when it wouldn't start they had had to abandon both it and her.

The walkers had mostly followed her family and when it was clear enough the officers had gone down to retrieve her body. Instead of finding a corpse for disposal they had found a warm, alive, young woman writhing in pain. Surprised but, not all that hopeful they had brought her to Edwards who had used up a lot of the hospitals resources to save her. After six hours of surgery it had been touch and go for days but, finally it had looked like she would make it. Then it had just been a waiting game to see if and when she would wake up.

"Why," Beth had demanded at the conclusion of the story. "Why would you do all that to save me?"

"Because we have a lot invested in you Beth. Because you are important to us and to the cause," the doctor divulged.

Beth considered this for a moment. She thought about asking several different questions but cutting to the chase instead she demanded, "What cause?"

She expected an immediate answer but, Edwards appeared conflicted for a moment before trying to divert her attention, " I was finally able to remove the cast from your wrist, before you woke up."

She could read on his face that he was trying to subvert her attention, obviously hoping that she hadn't noticed the bite mark, and that the shock of that would cause her to move on from her current train of thought. Daryl had taught her well though and ignoring the tactic she demanded again more harshly this time, "What cause Steven?"

She watched coldly as the man began to sweat and fidget. As all of the pieces began to come together a cold feeling began to permeate her whole being. She had her suspicions about what was going on here at Grady. She had had then before too but, she hadn't had any real facts to go on and she hadn't had enough time to ask questions and investigate. Now several horrible thoughts were swirling inside her head and her stomach was roiling. She wanted to clutch at her gut to stop the horrible feeling but, she recoiled from touching the hard swollen mass that was her abdomen. Edwards had said she was important to the cause. Why? What had they done to her here? Why was she so important that they had wasted so many valuable resources on keeping her alive when the chances of her survival were so slim? She could feel the panic slithering through her trying to take hold. She denied it though forcing it down and maintaining her icy veneer.

Slowly she picked up the scissors and as she examined them she turned them over and over in her hand. The threat was implied but, all too present as she raised her stone cold blue eyes and locked them on Edwards like a predator leisurely examining its prey. Her tone laced with steel and authority she demanded as calmly as she if she was asking for a glass of water, " Why am I important to the cause Doctor Edwards?"

Beth watched the man gulp in fear, as she waited for answers she wasn't even sure she wanted. In the pregnant pause she took a moment to fortify herself. It wouldn't matter she desperately told herself, it wouldn't matter what this man told her. The information wouldn't change anything. She was a survivor and she was going to survive ….no matter what.

Alright everyone I told myself I wasn't going to do this. That I wasn't going to start another story before I finished Recapitulation. I still have a long way to go with that story before we reach the end point, and I didn't want to be distracted. However, this idea has been kicking around in my mind for a while and it simply demanded to be written. It was the only way I could get rid of it and go back to focusing on Recapitulation. This story is intended to be multi chaptered as well, so I will have to go back and forth between both stories from now on if I continue it. What does everyone think of the idea? Is it worth continuing?