I don't own them!

I was pondering to myself what would be the weirdest thing Ed might win in a drunken poker game and this fic was born. Fair warning, Ed is just as awful as you remember from the show. Proceed with caution if that bothers you too much to read it. I dislike him as much as you do though. I try my best to be realistic to what that type of relationship would look like.

He was supposed to be gone all night. That's how these Friday night poker games worked. Ed would leave at six and not return home until midnight or later after losing half their grocery money on failed bets and drinking away the rest on stale beer.

He would be in a shit mood if he lost and a good one if he won and there was no telling which way it would go until he stumbled through the door half drunk and feeling some sort of way about something. Carol would tuck Sophia into bed promptly at eight and spend the majority of the evening trying to think of anything else except the consequences if he lost. Tried to enjoy her time alone, which was always sparse if he wasn't working. He kept an eagle on her, obsessively worried that given the chance and too much freedom she would stray. As if simply looking in the direction of another man would cause her to reflexively fall directly onto his lap.

Enjoy the quiet time, she'd tell herself. It'll be over soon one way or the other. So she curled up on the sofa, watching a trashy reality show on tv and attempting to let her mind wander when Ed threw open the front door at least three hours early. It was only ten pm.

When he came home this soon it usually meant one thing and one thing only. That he'd run out of money and left the game in a huff to come home and take out his frustrations in private. She wasn't actually sure if that was ever the intention. He wouldn't exactly make a beeline straight for her and clock her upside the head without comment, but it never took long for something to set him off and soon enough they would be in an unfair fight that was always one sided.

This time though, he looked happy. Carol unclenched her hands from the tight fists they'd balled into, her nails having dug little crescent shapes into her flesh that sprung back quickly enough, and tilted her head curiously at him. Was about to voice her question when he spread his arms wide and told her.

"I won a horse."

She was pretty sure he'd been playing poker and not at the track, but she smiled back anyway and replied in an even tone. "A horse? How?"

"Someone new came to the game tonight, Jim, he ran outta money not even an hour in but then he says he wants to bet this horse instead so we're all like whatever man, bet the horse, and he does and I won that damn thing."

She blinked. "That's…great. What are we gonna do with a horse?"

She tried to keep her voice light and show him she was happy about his win, but inside she was already asking herself where they were going to stable a horse, how they would feed it, and how much money this was going to cost them in the long run. There was a reason horses weren't a hobby unless you had money to spare, and they certainly did not.

"We're gonna give it to Sophia. Little girls love ponies right? Well, daddy got her a damn pony and she's gonna fucking love it. It's at some barn about half an hour north. Just waiting for her to go take lessons on it or do whatever the fuck people do with horses, I don't know, Carol. But it's gonna be great."

Carol nodded and smiled and attempted to ramp up her excitement about this horse because it was clear he was starting to get irritated that she wasn't jumping up and down about it just yet. "That sounds amazing, honey. I'm sure Sophia will be so excited tomorrow."

"Let's tell her now, come on."

"She's sleeping…"

"She needs to know about this horse, Carol."

"Ok, of course." She followed behind him as they entered Sophia's room and he gently shook her awake. Two bleary looking eyes staring back at them in confusion.

"Guess what, sweetie. Daddy bought you a pony."

Sophia's face scrunched up and her eyebrows knit together in utter puzzlement. Carol was pretty sure her daughter liked horses well enough but it hadn't ever been something they'd talked extensively about. There was a strict no pets rule in the house and she likely assumed that meant no animals whatsoever in any capacity. But as the words sunk in, her face turned from confused to excited.

"A pony? Really?"

Ed nodded and when she didn't automatically seem to believe him Carol nodded as well from her spot behind him. Queing a big smile from Sophia.

"Of course really. We'll all go and see him tomorrow."

"Thank you." Her daughter dutifully smiled back at her father and hugged him and Carol let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She had been slightly worried that if Sophia was at all opposed to this horse idea it would tip the scales for the night, but she should have known that even if the girl was deathly afraid of horses she was more afraid of her own father any day of the week and would do her best to look grateful for any gift.

She had gotten almost as good at that as Carol was. The thought made her sick to her stomach instantly.

Once the big news had been given they left her to go back to sleep and headed for the living room again, Ed handing over a business card as she sat down on the sofa.

"It's where this thing is stabled at. Stick it in the gps tomorrow so we don't get lost."

She took the card and nodded. Examining the name that read "Copper Creek Ranch" in swirly letters and frowned just barely. This could turn out really well or really, really badly. Even if money wasn't an issue, even if Sophia loved this horse and picked up riding like a natural, even if all the other stars aligned, it would only be a matter of time before Ed got sick and tired of paying for everything and decided to sell it. A part of her hoped her daughter didn't get too attached to this animal that would likely be taken away soon enough.

The next morning they'd woken up early and hit the road for the stables by ten am. Sophia was eager to see her pony and Ed was eager to see what he'd actually won in this poker game. No doubt assuming it was a magnificent beast and she wouldn't be surprised if he was already trying to figure how much he could get for it.

"Do you think it'll have spots, momma?"

Sophia's voice pipped up from the backseat and Carol smiled. "Hmm, I don't know, maybe. Some horses have spots, just like Dalmatians."

"Maybe it'll be black, like Black Beauty?"

Carol nodded, that had been one of her favorite movies as a child and Sophia liked it too, asking to watch it over and over again on a constant loop the previous summer. "That would be something, wouldn't it?"

Sophia agreed and turned to look at her father in the driver's seat. "Do you know it's name?"

"Something in Spanish I think… domino…dominico…something like that. Not sure. But they'll know at the barn."

They were apparently acquiring a Spanish horse and Carol could only hope that it was a small thing with good manners that would cart their child around and not eat much. In the grand scheme of things that was all that mattered now. It needed to be unoffensive and an easy keeper.

As they drove further into the outskirts of town and the rolling hills of horse farms started to come into view she had to admit to herself it was beautiful. She'd always loved the country. Given the chance she'd live in the middle of nowhere over the hustle and bustle of city life any day but Ed liked their house and it was close to his work and so naturally that's where they stayed. She never allowed herself to entertain the idea of going somewhere else except when it was literally right in front of her face like it was now. In this moment she would gladly grab her child and exit the car on the side of the road and never look back, unrealistic a thought as that was.

Rows and rows of white fencing sprung up into view, various horses dotting the landscape like exquisite decorations and she inhaled the smell of freshly cut grass. It was another ten minutes of passing barns before the gps singled them to turn at a dirt driveway with an bronze arch above the entrance that bore the same name as the one on the business card.

It was bigger than any of the other farms they'd passed before, acres of paddocks spread out on either side of them before they came to a stop in front of large two story barn. Carol frowned. She could only imagine how much money it would cost to board a horse at a place like this. It didn't look excessively fancy but it was massive and with that much property came a corresponding price tag.

A gray haired older man ambled out from the barn, waving them over with a jolly smile and Carol smiled back as they approached him.

"You must be the Peletiers! Welcome. I'm Hershel, I'll be showin' you over to where your horse is."

Ed introduced them all and they followed closely behind Hershel as he lead them into the barn.

"Heard you won this one in a poker game, is that right?"

"Sure is, best game I've played in a while."

Hershel smiled a tight line to Ed and Carol was instantly concerned. She couldn't even put her finger on why just yet, but something in the look the other man was giving Ed sent a shiver of worry up her spine.

"Do you have much horse experience, son?"

Ed shook his head. "No, but it won't be for me, it's for my little princess here. Right Sophia?"

Sophia nodded with a wide smile and the look on Hershel's face only became more tight. "Well, I'm not quite sure that's gonna be doable right away. He's a little…special."

Carol pursed her lips just slightly, her brows arching. "What do you mean special?"

She had expected the horse to be inside the barn but they were apparently only walking through it to get to the other end and when they emerged out into the daylight once again they got a full view of a single horse in a small dry paddock and her heart jumped up into her throat.

He was in fact black. Shiny and clean with a long mane and tail and small white flecks across his chest that fanned out into four feathered legs. Fluffy tufts across his hooves fluttered with his movements. He looked massive to her but she wasn't sure she could trust her own judgement on that, having not spent a single day around a horse in her life.

He was also having what looked like a spastic fit. Jumping and bucking and trying to ram himself into the fence.

"That's not him is it?" Her voice was low and Hershel only nodded in sympathy at her.

"It is. We've had to keep him in there for a few days since he ran some of the other horses through the hot tape last week. He's been having himself a right fit for a while now. Trying to get back out and chase 'em around again. Don't play too well with others."

Ed hadn't said anything yet, his gaze locked on the horse that was still running circles in his pen so Carol continued the conversation, her hand protectively on her daughter's shoulders the entire time.

"Is he only…antisocial with other horses? But ok with people? Can he be ridden?"

Hershel sucked in a hard breath through his teeth. "Well, I'm sure he could be, there's very few that can't eventually get there, but he hasn't been backed yet, he's only four and that's when they're started. Jim was going to have our trainer work with him for a few months but that'll be up to you now. He can be lead though, mostly…and he stands tied alright…on some days. And we can usually get him to accept a bath…if he's up for it."

"Oh, I see. That sounds like quite the undertaking. But you say it's possible?"

"Sure, sure. It's possible."

She felt a tug on her arm and looked down at Sophia who had been mesmerized by the horse up until this point. Her voice was awed and her eyes bright and Carol instantly knew that any hope of her being indifferent toward this animal had already gone straight out the window.

"Momma, he's just like Black Beauty. I knew he would be. I just knew it."

Carol couldn't help but smile back and apparently Sophia giving her seal of approval on the wild horse in the pen was what it took for Ed to snap out of his haze and jump into the conversation.

"Do you know what he is?"

Hershel nodded. "Draft Sporthorse. Some sort of Clydesdale Hanoverian cross. Bred for dressage mostly, that's what Jim's wife was gonna use him for."

"Fetch a lot of money for one of those?"

Hershel frowned. "Suppose so."

"We're not keeping him?"

Ed nodded and stooped down in front of Sophia. "Of course we are, sweetie. If you like him he's all yours. We'll have to get him trained up though right?"

Sophia nodded and Carol was relieved that despite outward appearances Ed was still in the game and was planning to hire a trainer before anyone attempted to ride the horse. Hershel also seemed to be on board with this because his expression relaxed at the mention of training.

"Good, good. That's a real good idea. I can go get our trainer to come talk with you if you like?"

Ed nodded the affirmative and then Hershel was leaving the three of them to stare in awe and hesitation at the newest addition to their family. Carol snorted to herself, with the explosive level of aggression he was currently displaying he would fit right in.

They had been so caught up in watching the horse, who had stopped bucking and was currently standing with his head over the rail, calling to another horse in a high pitched whinny, that no one heard the scuffle of boots come up behind them until another man cleared his throat.

They turned in unison, Ed instantly getting a snide look on his face as he shook hands with the trainer who introduced himself as Daryl Dixon. Dressed in worn jeans and a sleeveless shirt and with hair long enough to cover half his face he looked like he belonged on a motorcycle instead of on a horse. His voice was quiet and calm when he spoke with a heavy accent and she wondered just how deep in the south he had lived most of his life.

"So ya'll want Loco trained?"

"How long will it take?"

Ed's sharp tone caused the other man to cut his eyes at him and squint but thankfully his reply was even. "Can't say. Could take a month, could take six. The horse is one that decides."

"If I'm paying you to train him in a month then I would assume it takes a month."

Carol flinched inwardly at the comment, hoped that the trainer wouldn't refuse to work with them entirely due to her husband behaving like an asshole. She cast an apologetic glance his way.

"That's not how it works. You got yourself a project there. He's a nice horse but he's green and he's got a bossy streak. It'll take however long it takes."

Ed looked like he wanted to argue the point but she cut in, trying to defuse the situation and getting a glare hard as stone from Ed for her efforts. "Could we start with a month and go from there? Maybe continue on if he still needs more?"

Daryl nodded. "Absolutely."

The tension was thick and Ed was looking at her like he wanted to toss her in the pen with the horse right now and she shivered, looked away and at the ground instead. The drive home was going to be awful and she didn't even want to think about later that day, once they were in the privacy of their own home and he decided to rage at her about the burden of having to pay for months of training for a monster.

Daryl was looking back and forth between them, and down to Sophia who had to scooted closer to her mother on instinct alone and a look passed over his face. Imperceptible really except that it wasn't. It was just barely there and she wondered if somehow he knew.

He couldn't though. They'd just met. For all he knew Ed was just a jerk and they were just clueless new horse owners and his look probably meant he was tired of seeing these types of clients everyday. Yet when his gaze slid back up to her it told her something different, and against her better judgement she couldn't look away. Knew all too well that prolonged eye contact with another man was forbidden and a good way to get herself a concussion or worse, especially considering her husband was standing two feet away from her at the time. It was a magnetic sort of pull and her eyes locked with his for the span of a few heartbeats. Heedless of the consequences.

What he said next surprised her. "Why don't we do this. I'll train him one week for free, and if ya don't like the progress we don't continue. But if you do, then we move forward?"

Ed seemed to deflate at the offer of getting something for free and his irritated look gave way to acceptance. "All right. Let's do a week. Carol, you're gonna bring Sophia here every couple of days after school and watch him work this horse." He paused and regarded the girl. "So you can learn, pumpkin. "

It was said as a statement, not a question and it offered no invitation for her to give her opinion on the matter. She knew he only wanted to make sure the trainer was actually training the horse but didn't want to keep coming back himself, yet the promise of being able to come here alone, to spend unsupervised time away from Ed was surprising and exciting. She hoped Daryl wouldn't question it, had no idea if regular visits were allowed but he only nodded and she gave him a small smile in return, which he only barely reciprocated with a tiny upturn at the corner of his mouth.

"You can come back out on Monday if ya like. I'll be getting started then."

She agreed and they parted ways, leaving Carol and Sophia trailing after Ed while Daryl leaned against the fence and watched their new horse try to escape through the ground by pawing his way out.