Carol pulled on a pair of soft grey trousers, a white shirt and a baby blue cardigan before she stood in front of the mirror. She was cleaner and more put together than she had ever been. She had never worn such expensive clothing brands before. Ed only allowed her to buy second hand and never anything fitted. In her whole life she'd never been sexy. She'd met Ed when she was barely out of middle school and over time he'd made sure she was never anything more than invisible.

Carol turned her back to the mirror to admire the way the trousers hugged her body. She had a different body now. Months of fighting had made her lean and strong. She was stronger than she had ever been and with these soft rich fabrics caressing her skin she felt more feminine.

Regret filled her like it always did. She'd wasted a lifetime with Ed, shaving her hair and hiding in the shadows like a timid little mouse. She was a lioness now. She was so much of a lioness that she was trying to hide her claws from her new acquaintances. Carol ran her fingers over the cashmere sweater and laughed. She couldn't remember the last time the sound had left her lips. Then her heart sank and she thought of Sophia. She wondered for the thousandth time if things would have been different if she had found her strength before now. Although it was losing the only worthwhile thing she'd ever had that had made her fearless.

Carol took one last look in the mirror and left the bedroom to join the others downstairs. Everyone was heading out to explore their new home and she had plans of her own. The second they had stepped through the front gates of Alexandria she had been setting her plans in motion. Hiding who she was, her strengths, her thoughts, her weaknesses, that came easy to Carol. She'd had years of practice as Ed's wife.

She stepped out onto the porch and into the sunshine where she spied Daryl sitting on the railing like a guard dog. She sighed heavily as her eyes and nose took in the measure of him. If she was blending in then he was standing out like a filthy, sweaty, stain.

"Have you taken a shower yet?" Carol knew the answer before the question left her lips.

"Mmm hmm," Daryl avoided eye contact and suddenly looked like a 12 year old boy being asked where his homework was.

"Take a shower and I'm gonna wash that vest we need to keep up appearances even you," Carol straightened her sweater and hopped down the stairs.

"Well I ain't startin' now."

She cast a sidelong glance to Daryl. His shaggy hair was covering his eyes and his greasy fingers were working over his crossbow, he wasn't a guard dog, he was a stray one. "I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep," she teased him as a small smile tugged at her lips.

If she'd been asked to say something like that a year ago she couldn't have. There was no way she would have sassed a man. When she'd met Daryl she had been afraid of him. She hadn't seen who he really was, lost and lonely and in some ways more helpless than she had ever been. She continued down the street until Daryl called out, "you look ridiculous."

Carol paused, straightened out her sweater once more and looked over her shoulder to see the satisfied smirk twitching across his face. She knew it was a joke, retaliation for telling him to shower but it hit a nerve and somewhere inside the lioness roared.

Carol looked down at her pants and shirt. Of course Daryl would think this was 'ridiculous'. She imagined the types of women a man like Daryl would… fuck. She wondered if there had been many but knew there probably hadn't. He was an attractive man inside and out. Strong and capable. Yet out of all the men in the group he was the only one that hadn't enjoyed any companionship in the past 18 months and she was certain he'd had the opportunity. She'd seen women watching him when they had lived at the prison. She'd watched him.

Carol spotted the outdoor tap on the side of the house and felt a light fluttering in her chest. She scanned her eyes back towards Daryl who was already lost in concentration while he took care of his bow. She wanted payback for his remark and somewhere inside of her she wanted payback for every remark Ed had ever made. All the times she had bit her tongue and cowered. All the times she had let him call her ugly, useless, worthless, ridiculous.

Carol's inner lioness prowled to the hose. She wrapped her fingers around the cool metal stop tap and began to twist it as a thrilling wave of excitement coursed through her veins. She wanted payback but there was a huge part of her that just wanted to wet Daryl. To do something unexpected.

Carol crept around the side of the house and silently aimed the hose at Daryl. She considered calling out his name or saying something witty before she fired the water but he looked so deliciously unsuspecting that she swallowed her words. He was in such prime position on the porch railing that she almost felt guilty as she twisted the end of the hose as fast as her fingers would allow.

The water shot with authority through the sky to hit him square on his shoulder. A smile lit up Carol's face as she sprayed him down like the dirty dog that he was but his reaction was one of a startled cat. Daryl leapt from the porch, "th'fuck?" The look of fury in his eyes faded into a look she had never seen on his face before. He threw down his crossbow, flicked the wet hair from his eyes and charged for her.

Carol's breath caught in her throat as she suddenly realised what she had done. She'd soaked Daryl to the bone and his wet shirt clung to every dip of his torso. Carol began to back around the house and out of sight of prying eyes while he pursued her soaking wet and dripping cuss words.

She didn't try to run. She didn't want to run. Carol simply stood in the secluded passage way between the houses and soaked him again. She couldn't take her eyes off his intense stare as he pushed out his chest and walked like a man possessed against the powerful spray from the hose. Step by step he drew closer to her hypnotising her with his stare and the blow back from the water hitting his chest began to soak through her crisp white blouse until she was trembling.

Daryl wrapped his strong hands around the tops of her arms. The ice cold water bubbled between them and chilled her to the bone but somehow she was sweating. She watched the rise and fall of his panting chest while her shaky hands reached between their bodies and slowly turned the end of the hose until the water stopped.

Daryl's face scowled but the softness in his eyes betrayed him, "ya look like a fuckin' grandma in this shit…" He grabbed the neckline of her cardigan and pulled it off her shoulders with so much force he almost tore it apart. The fabric fell to the floor and ran his hands down her back with surprising gentleness. When his hands reached the curve of her bottom he gripped her there and pulled her hips to his.

Carols breathing faltered. Was this really happening? She looked between them to where she could feel a certain part of Daryl Dixon pressing against her. The same part which had taken a starring role in many of her secret fantasies. She wasn't sure when they had started. Maybe it had been after the farm, but for a long time Carol had imagined this moment or something like it. She'd imagined what it would be like to feel Daryl sliding inside of her and she was sure her fingers hadn't come close. Sex with Ed had always been a chore but with Daryl she was sure it would be a pastime.

"Ya don't feel like a grandma…" Daryl rasped. His eyes darkened and his face drew close to hers, closer than it had ever been. So close to hers that she could taste his ragged breaths. Carols tongue brushed the back of her teeth as she clamped it in her mouth to resist the urge to slide it out and lick the mole at the side of his lips.

Daryl held her in a strained silence. Carol was as afraid to look away from his gaze as she was to hold it. The quiet between them was unbearable and she wondered what would happen if neither of them said another word and just walked away from this moment. Then Daryl began to move and it wasn't away from her it was closer. He leaned his face towards hers and for a split second Carol thought he might kiss her. When he didn't she was more disappointed than she could have imagined. But then Daryl's lips were brushing against her ear and his warm breaths sending tingles all the way along her body as he whispered, "I wouldn't want to fuck a grandma…" Now he wasn't a dirty dog, he was a big bad wolf and she wanted to take her 'ridiculous' clothes off as quickly as possible.

A/N- I can't be the only one that almost screamed at the telly for Carol to hose Daryl down? :D