Set sometime after the season three mid-season finale. Daryl and Carol need a place to be alone for some recreational activities but their plan is spoiled when they walk in on another couple who has beat them to it.

Story for the lovely Collinda! Hope you enjoy your double pairing story! I had a blast writing it!

Warning – Mild sexual content, language.

The walls we build are funny things sometimes. They can be a fortress to keep out the cold, a blockade to ward off evil. They can be welcoming after a long day, the contents between them offering comfort and familiarity. There are walls you can't see, ones that are put up to protect the conscious or unconscious mind. They can keep you sane during insanity, make you happy during the saddest of times. Then there are walls that are constricting, confining you to the smallest of spaces. They don't keep the world out, they lock you in instead. There are those invisible walls that imprison you inside your own mind, drive you crazy and cut you off from people who love you most. Then there are those people who knock down every single wall you've ever built.

So it was an interesting moment when Daryl Dixon pinned Carol Peletier against a wall, as she had managed to knock down all the walls he'd put up against her. He was doing sinful things to her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers so deliciously that she couldn't help but moan. Her dull nails dug into the back of his neck, wordlessly telling him just how much she was enjoying their heated tryst. He repaid her unspoken compliment, his hands gripping her hips a little harder than they had been before. She whimpered when he pulled his mouth from hers but gasped when he ducked his head to the side and began kissing her neck.

"Yes," she breathed out as he drew in a small piece of her sensitive skin, sucking it until he was sure it'd leave a mark.

"Shower with me," he whispered against her skin.

"Am I dirty?" she asked with a low laugh.

Daryl briefly met her eyes. "Oh, you're dirty alright."

Carol laughed and squealed as Daryl grabbed her up into his arms, lifting her enough so she could get her legs around his hips. He kissed her again, harder than before, letting her know exactly what kind of shower they were about to take. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and pulled her away from the wall and continued down a random hallway of the prison before coming to the shower room.

"Planning to get me wet?" she panted into his ear when he slowly sank his teeth into her shoulder.

He groaned at her innuendo. "Carol. Really?"

She giggled. "Because you won't be needing to turn on any kind of shower for that."

Daryl's breath caught in his throat. That woman's dirty mouth was going to be the death of him. That was how it had all started. He'd just come back with Merle and Andrea, Rick having finally made it back to Woodbury with reinforcements and took out the man calling himself the Governor. Andrea had been a little disheartened, didn't know who to trust, but Rick finally brought her back to herself after a few weeks. Carol hadn't said a thing to him for nearly two days and he'd had enough.

Daryl had hounded her, demanding answers, and she'd finally called him an asshole and slapped him across the face. The tension that had built between them for months had snapped and she called him one last insult and he had shut her up by kissing her. It had been almost violent, the anger and passion boiling over and they expressed it by having rough sex in one of the many cells. By the end of it they had bruises everywhere, learning very quickly afterwards that concrete was not the softest thing to have sex on. Even after learning this lesson three times in less than twenty-four hours, it hadn't deterred them from repeat performances.

Had they been inseparable before, they were now glued together. They didn't need fancy words or deep confessions of love. They hadn't said more than a few words on the topic of a relationship, it just was what it was. Why complicate the simplicity of it all with spoken agreements and long talks about feelings? Daryl knew he belonged to her and Carol knew she belonged to him.

"It ain't rocket science," he'd scoffed one time when Andrea had cornered him, demanding answers. "Now mind your own damn business."

He assumed Andrea had gone back and told this to the rest of the group, as they suddenly stopped asking questions after that. He'd be damned if he couldn't hold his woman's hand when he wanted without someone asking something stupid. God help him if he kissed her in front of one of them. Their eyes would open as big as dinner plates, like they'd never seen a more strange event occurring in their life. He'd grown tired of it rather quickly but didn't give two shits about what their opinions were. Carol seemed to enjoy it and that's all the he cared about.

Daryl's heart skipped a beat in his chest as she nuzzled her cheek against his, effectively pulling him away from his thoughts. He refocused, having to prop her against the frame of the shower room in order to open the door. She sighed in his ear and a shiver ran down his spine, her warm breath fanning over his lobe and down his neck, something that had always been an instant turn on. A low noise left his throat and he roughly swung open the door, hurrying to step through it before it closed back on them.

They both stopped dead as a low moan filled their ears. They glanced at each other and Daryl carefully set Carol back on her feet, their heated moment turning into concern. Carol look at him questioningly and he shrugged his shoulders in response. She glanced over to the closed stalls, silently asking him if they should investigate. He shook his head and put his index finger to his lips before withdrawing a knife from his side holster. He stepped in front of Carol, holding his arm out as if to tell her not to proceed. He was just about to advance towards the sound when a voice filled the room.

"Oh, God, RICK!"

Carol had to clamp a hand over her mouth to quiet the loud gasp rising in her throat. Daryl whipped around and locked eyes with Carol, amusement swimming in his blue irises. He held up his hands questioningly. Carol shrugged and shook her head, indicating that she had no idea who it could be. 'Andrea?' he mouthed. The widening of her eyes told him that he had hit the nail on the head. Carol reached out and braced herself against Daryl's arm as she began to shake with quiet laughs.

"Stop," he whispered but she could hear the laughter in his voice. "Everyone's got their own thing to get off to."

"It's kind of sexy," she muttered back.

"Carol!" he reprimanded. "She's gettin' herself off thinkin' about Rick. That ain't sexy."

"Think about it," she whispered fiercely. "Andrea's fingers inside her –"

"Stop!" he said, a little louder. "Alright, alright, kind of sexy."

Carol bit her lip, her blue eyes locking onto his as her hand boldly cupped his erection through his worn pants. He gave her a look that could kill but he barely managed to stop a pleased moan. Carol tilted her head up and bit his bottom lip just as Andrea cried out again. Daryl cupped Carol's face and kissed her deeply as a wet slapping sound filled the room.

"Andrea! So close!"

Daryl and Carol jumped back as if they'd been caught, the look of pure shock on both their faces. "Rick?" Carol whispered.

Daryl could do nothing but nod. Without thought, he grabbed Carol's arm and practically dragged her out of the shower room. He continued to pull her along the hallway until they made it to a deserted corridor. They locked eyes and began to laugh hysterically. Carol leaned on Daryl for support, tears falling down her face because of how hard she was laughing. After a minute, he just stood there smiling at her as she laughed herself out.

"Calm down, woman, you're gonna hurt yourself."

Carol pulled her lips into her mouth to contain herself but looked at Daryl and she started all over again. It took her another five minutes before she quieted. "Oh, it feels good to laugh like that."

"Good to see you laugh like that," he added with a lopsided smile.

She smiled at him and reached up to gently stroke his cheek. "You're so sweet when you want to be."

He snorted and she rolled her eyes.

"And good at ruining moments, too."

Daryl wrapped his arms around her waist before she could step away from him. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Ya know I'm not good at this romantic shit."

Carol sighed and put her cheek against his. "You're better than you think you are."

He stood there holding her for a moment before pointing out the obvious. "So, Rick and Andrea?"

Carol laughed again before schooling her features and she pulled back enough to look at him while they talked. "Are you surprised?"

Daryl shrugged. "I never really thought on it."

Carol rolled her eyes. "Andrea really stepped up a few months ago after Rick got through to her. It's been almost a year since Lori died now and Andrea has basically taken up her role. I saw it coming months ago."

"Well aren't you just smart?" he teased with a smile. "I didn't pay that any mind."

"I know you didn't. It's my job to know these things," she informed him. "I wouldn't be surprised if this has been going on for awhile."

Daryl shrugged again, still not terribly interested in anyone else's relationships. But he felt the need to add in his two cents. "He mourned for Lori pretty hard. Andrea brought him out of that depression. I don't think we woulda been able to do that."

Carol smiled that special smile he knew was reserved only for him. "Kind of like I did with you, huh?"

Daryl kissed her for a good long second. "Something like that. I'm glad it was you, though."

Carol was about to make another comment when they heard footsteps. Just as they looked to the left, Andrea and Rick came around the corner. Their hands were laced together and their clothes looked a little disheveled. The new couple stopped and they briefly glanced at each other, both wondering if they should drop their hands and make some excuse.

"Shower room free now?" Daryl yelled down the hall.

Carol burst into another fit of giggles and hid her face in Daryl's chest.

Rick locked eyes with him and shook his head as if to tell Daryl he had no tact. Andrea sighed a laugh and had the decency to blush. Without waiting for a reply, Daryl stepped away from Carol, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back down the hall. He gave Rick a knowing wink, clapped him on the shoulder, and kept walking. Rick and Andrea stood there for an immeasurable amount of time before slowly turning to each other and smiling.

"Talk?" she asked.

"Talk," Rick agreed.

He was about to walk away when Andrea pulled on his hand, indicating she wanted him to stay. "Real quick talk," she explained. "I like you. And I want this to keep going. Not just sex anymore."

"Deal."

"That was easy," she said, looking surprised.

Rick shrugged. "Not everything has to be complicated, Andrea. If you want to talk about it more, we can. But I stand behind the decision to be… a couple, if that's what you want to call it."

"Now I see what Daryl meant. It ain't rocket science."

Rick laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"Should we go eavesdrop on them as payback?" she asked.

"You are a dirty, dirty girl," he growled into her ear.

"Going to arrest me, officer?"

Before he could reply she was out of his arms and racing down the hall. He took a split second to laugh before running after her.

While the walls that we put up can be a form of protection, they can also keep out the people who we need the most. Just don't forget to build in a door that can be opened for possibilities. You might just miss out on the greatest things life has to offer.

A/N – Please take just a moment out to review! Thank you!