Archive of Our Own ^beta

In the ten years that Melinda had been Daisy's mother she had faced many challenges. She had dealt with nightmares, emotional breakdowns, pleaded with a judge for custody, and during all of that she had come to realise something.

She could do this.

When Phil had first showed her this stray girl and had confided in her that he wanted to keep her, May hadn't known what to think. She had been convinced that she couldn't help Daisy. She needed a real mother, not some broken wasted excuse.

But she had learned quickly that even a broken excuse of a mother like her could help Daisy. That maybe what Daisy needed was someone as broken as she was. And that maybe, just maybe, they could help each other heal.

“You promise you're okay with this?” May asked for the millionth time, fiddling with the arm of the pilot's seat.

Daisy smiled weakly. “Yeah May, it's fine.” She said quietly. “I know it's not real, I'm not gonna freak out.”

May bit the inside of her lip. Holding a gun to her daughter's head was still pretty severe. She pushed back the memories, and the sick feeling that came with them until a warm, bruised hand was placed over hers.

She looked up and Daisy offered a small smile. “It'll be okay.” She murmured. “I'll be okay.”

May squeezed her hand gently. “You'd better be.”

“I'm more worried about him.” Daisy said, glancing behind them. “I- Cal can't get him. We don't know what he could do.”

“I can hear you, you know.” Coulson said, amused. He stood and carefully made his way to the cockpit. “And don't worry, I'll stay right here and run back end like us Communications graduates are good at.” May snorted and he put a hand on Daisy's shoulder. “Just be careful., okay?”

“Okay.” Daisy said. “I can keep a lid on it, I know I can.”

Phil and Melinda looked at each other. “That's what we're worried about.” Coulson said. “Don't let this eat you up. The last thing any of us want is to see any more of these bruises.”

She bit her lip. “I'll try.”

“Thank you.”

May gripped the controls more tightly. “Hang on. We're coming in.”

“Copy that.”

Daisy could feel her powers buzzing under her skin as they approached the football field. It felt like she was full of bees, as if her nerves weren't already bad enough.

Cal said that he was her father, but he wasn't. What she said didn't seem to matter to him though. He didn't really care about her, not the real her. He cared about the baby he had lost so long ago, and now he had gotten it into his head that if he could just kill Coulson, that baby would come back. That Daisy would fall into his arms and be the child he had imagined.

Daisy barely noticed the gun May was pointing at her in an attempt to make Cal let the hostages he had taken go. All she could think about was keeping that buzzing inside of her instead of outside.

Maybe if she hadn’t been so distracted she could’ve seen the attack coming. Heard the person coming up behind them. Stopped them from disarming May and grabbing Daisy, holding her firmly in place.

Daisy struggled, but it was clear that this enhanced person was a lot stronger than she was. “No!” She grunted, struggling against the tight grip and trying to free herself to no avail. Her powers surged inside her but she bit them back, feeling her bones ache with the effort.

She could do this. She was a SHIELD agent, and she'd gotten out of worse jams than this. Cal wouldn't hurt her, he'd proven that before. She could do this. There was a way out.

“Hold her!” Cal's rough voice shouted, and Daisy's heart stopped when she saw him. Or rather, saw who he had trapped in his arms.

“Mom!”

Cal's eyes shot up. “She is not your mother!” He growled as May elbowed him in the stomach, watching her with a wild look in his eye. “Your real mother was taken from you! This- woman is nothing! I'll prove it!”

Daisy had seen that furious gleam before in more eyes than Cal's. She knew what he was going to do, and she couldn't let it happen. Not now, not ever. “NO!”

Her powers burst past any resistance she had left, echoing out of her in a devastating shockwave that Daisy could hardly comprehend. She felt the cracks spreading through her and knew that it was bad. Very bad. She fell to the ground, blood filling her mouth and  noting that everyone else had fallen too.

Even May.

Daisy's arms were in agony, but she pushed herself onto all fours. “Mom.” She croaked, catching sight of her.

She wasn't moving.

“No!” Daisy breathed, unable to speak much louder, to even try. She pushed herself forwards, crawling until she was at her side. “M-mom.”

She didn't look good. Her eyes were open, but it was clear that May was struggling to breathe. She shook more and more with every second that passed, and reached out one arm to pull Daisy closer.

Daisy held her as tightly as she dared. “I-I'm sorry.” She gasped. “I didn't mean to-”

“It's okay.” May whispered, her voice barely audible. “I-”

Her words were drowned out by a loud cracking noise, and Daisy looked up to see a man standing over her, wearing a brown coat. He had no eyes.

“Come with me.” He said, reaching out for them both.

Daisy's vision went entirely white for several seconds after that. All she was aware of was May holding on to her, her holding on to May, and this strange man grasping her shoulder. Then she looked around and she was somewhere else entirely.

“Get Jiaying!” The man shouted before Daisy had all of her senses back. She heard someone running away and realised they were in a room, sprawled on the wooden floor. It was light outside, the glow of the sun creeping through the open door.

Daisy could feel her consciousness fading, but she forced herself to stay awake, to hang on to May and listen to her heartbeat. It would be okay. They were alive.

Hurried footsteps returned, two sets this time, one of which abruptly stopped at the door. “What happened?!” An unfamiliar voice exclaimed. “What did you- get them to Lincoln immediately.”

“Already on it.” A different voice said. “Gordon, get her up here.”

Despite everything, Daisy began to panic when she felt herself being almost effortlessly pulled away from May. “N-no!” She gasped, her teeth chattering. “Mom!”

The pause that followed her cry barely registered past the horrible feeling coursing through her as May's hand slipped from hers. The woman, Jiaying, spoke again. “I'll look after her. Make sure D- this girl is healed.”

Daisy watched helplessly as Jiaying and the man with no eyes left, taking her mother with them. “P-please- I- please...” She mumbled, bordering on incoherent.

The man they had left her with brushed her hair away from her eyes. “It's okay.” He murmured. “I promise. We'll take care of you.”

Daisy wanted to say something else, to beg for them to save May, to get up and follow her and make sure she was okay because her mom couldn't die because of her, Daisy couldn't lose her and know that it was all her fault. Her vision started to blur and her head got heavy. She tried to say something, but all she could do was stare at the light shining through this man's sandy blonde hair until her world went dark.

Everything was in a haze after that. Daisy felt like her whole body was full of pins and needles and her head was full of fog. She floated in and out of consciousness so many times that when she finally woke, she had no idea how long it had been.

Actually... what happened? She knew it was something bad, she knew that she had been hurt but... where was she?

Had she been drugged?

Daisy shifted in place, immediately noting that her clothes had been changed while she was unconscious, her body now wrapped strategically in white cloth. The realisation made her feel somewhat sick, but she pushed those feelings aside, for now. This wasn't the time.

There were also a lot of strange needles all over her, focused mostly on her arms. She would have considered it like acupuncture if the needles weren't faintly glowing with a red light.

This wasn't normal.

Daisy jumped when someone entered. It was a man, about her age, with sandy blonde hair. He didn't look at her, instead focusing on the clipboard in his hand until she moved, getting his attention. “Oh!” He exclaimed. “We didn't think you'd be awake so soon.”

Daisy gritted her teeth, pushing herself into more of a sitting position. “Who's 'we'? Where the hell am I?”

He hurried closer, holding out one hand. “Easy, not too fast. I'm here to help.”

Daisy grunted. “Then- tell me what's going on.”

The man smiled. “Okay, just don't move too much, your body's been through a lot.” When Daisy looked alarmed he realised his mistake. “No- not like that! I didn't- a couple of the nurses here helped change your clothes. We needed access to your skin for the needles to work most effectively.”

Daisy huffed in annoyance but said nothing. If this guy didn't start explaining right now she was going to start punching.

He must have noticed her impatience, because he put down the clipboard and took a seat beside the bed. “My name's Lincoln.” He said with a patient smile. “I'm an Inhuman, like you.”

Daisy swallowed. “Inhuman?”

Lincoln nodded. “Yeah, that's what we call ourselves. Gordon sensed that you were in danger so he pulled you out.”

“He's the one who took Raina.”

“Yes. She was- well, she needed our help, so he took her away to be looked after. The needles in your skin are to help refine your powers, it'll make them easier to control.”

Daisy looked down. “Can you take them away? I can't- I don't want them. All they've done is hurt the people I love.” She knew that Phil wanted her to learn to control this, that all of her friends and family believed in her, but... it was too much. She couldn't do it.

Lincoln sighed, shaking his head. “I'm sorry.” He murmured, toying with his hands. “Powers are for life. But trust me, it gets better. I almost burned this place down when I first got here, I didn't know what was happening, but now... well, I've graduated med school.”

Daisy nodded, averting her gaze. Of course she was stuck with them. That figured. Everyone thought she could control this but they didn't know. They didn't know what these powers felt like, what she could do.

“You'll get control over your powers too, I promise.” Lincoln said. “You just need to heal a little more from what happened.”

What happened. What had happened? Daisy remembered them going to Wisconsin to confront Cal, remembered her and May's ruse, and then... “Oh my God!” She exclaimed, a pit opening in her stomach. “May- my... May, she came with me here, where is she?! What happened, is she okay?!”

Lincoln put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up. “It's okay, she's okay.” He assured. “She was taken to another room to be healed, I promise, your mom's safe.”

Great. She must have given them away. After Daisy had spent so much time reminding herself not to let on that they were family in the field, now she and her mom were trapped in some strange place full of people with superpowers who now knew that May was her mother. Sure, Lincoln seemed nice, but that didn't mean he was on her side. Or that the people in charge were. “I want to see her.”

Lincoln suddenly looked nervous. “You can't get up yet, you'll exacerbate your injuries.” He bit his lip. “I-I'll talk to Jiaying, see what we can do.”

Daisy coughed. “Who's Jiaying?”

“The woman in charge.”

Lincoln was gone for a long time. Too long for Daisy's patience, but when she tried to get up her legs throbbed in protest, and she realised that she would hardly be able to make it to the door without help.

On laying back down on the bed, she found her eyes quickly getting heavy. Daisy tried to push the fatigue away, told herself that she had to find May, but her fractured body wouldn't listen.

When she woke it was to find the needles gone, Lincoln gone, and an unfamiliar woman sitting across the room, watching her. Daisy coughed dryly and sat up. “I guess you're Jiaying.” She mumbled, her head aching.

Jiaying nodded. “I am.” She said quietly. “They tell me you're Daisy.”

“In the flesh.” Daisy joked hollowly. She looked up blearily. “Can I please see my mom?” She wanted to demand and shout and run and find May, but diplomacy was always the best place to start. Plus she was still tired.

Jiaying hesitated, a look crossing her face that Daisy couldn't quite identify. “Yes.” She said eventually. “I brought you a change of clothes. We were able to heal your injuries but you'll still be uncomfortable for several days.”

Daisy nodded, taking the clothes. “Thank you.”

Jiaying gave a tiny smile. “I'll give you some privacy.” She said, standing and walking out the door, closing it behind her.

The moment the door clicked shut Daisy started checking the clothes for anything unusual. The shirt and jeans themselves were fairly typical, but she ran her fingers over the collar of the shirt, the waistline and pockets of the jeans, and every hem, just in case. She didn't know if she needed to escape this place or not, but she wasn't going to let her guard down.

Not yet.

Finding nothing, Daisy quickly changed. She didn't know how the clothes were exactly her size, but she wasn't going to question it. For all she knew they'd measured her in her sleep.

That didn't matter though. Superpowers or not, Daisy knew that between her and May they could get out of here if they needed to. Sneak out in the night and make a break for it. As long as they could contact the team they'd be okay. If she could just call Phil.

He must be so scared.

Daisy shook off her worries and pushed the door open. Jiaying smiled. “She's just in the next building.” She said, nodding towards where it was.

Daisy followed, not letting Jiaying out of her immediate sightline. She refused to let her surprise show when she saw the mountains surrounding the encampment they were in. Maybe them sneaking out in the night wasn't going to work.

As they approached the building, the door opened and a very familiar, very annoyed face appeared, making Daisy's heart stop.

“Mom!”

She barrelled into her with barely a second thought, noting that May's body immediately relaxed.

Her arms came up to return the hug and May let out a relieved sigh. “You're okay.” She murmured. “Did they hurt you?”

Daisy shook her head, burrowing her face in May's shoulder. “No- no, they didn't... they stuck some needles in me but I'm okay.”

“Good.” May murmured, squeezing her a little tighter. “Good.”

Suddenly the memories of what happened in Wisconsin came crashing back. “I-I'm so sorry! I didn't- I tried to keep it under control but you were- and he-...” Daisy fell silent, trying desperately not to cry.

May shushed her, one hand stroking her hair. “It's okay, we're all okay.” She murmured. She caught sight of Jiaying over Daisy's shoulder, watching them with a strange expression on her face. Before May could nail down exactly what it was, Jiaying looked away.

May pulled back from Daisy slightly, enough to look at her. “Hey, good job. Nothing shook.”

“It's probably their weird acupuncture thing.” Daisy muttered, wiping at her eyes. “Lincoln said it'd help me channel my powers.”

May hummed, her eyes darting pointedly to Jiaying. “It seems like these people can really help you.”

Daisy bit her lip. “I don't know if we can trust them.” She whispered. “I don't know what they want with us.”

May shrugged. “Hey,” She said loudly over Daisy's shoulder. “Why are we here?” She would always delight in Daisy's affronted look when she did this. Sure they were spies, but that didn't mean they had to be sneaky all the time.

Jiaying looked surprised at the question but approached them. “I built this place to help Inhumans. Terrigenesis is a difficult process physically and mentally, so I want to help Daisy control her gifts.”

Daisy scoffed. “Gifts.” She muttered darkly.

Jiaying sighed. “I know they don't seem like that now, but they will.”

May leaned against the doorframe and raised an eyebrow. “What's in it for you?”

She laughed softly. “You two are from SHIELD, you must understand wanting to help people just for the sake of it.” Jiaying gestured around them. “This is my legacy. My heritage. The least I can do is maintain it. Daisy can pose a danger to those around her if her powers aren't under her control, and that can put Inhumans at risk of exposure. I want to help her.”

May's eyes darted between the two. She could see on Daisy's face that she was hesitant. “Would you give us a minute?” She said, gently tugging Daisy inside the little house.

Daisy collapsed onto the bed with a sigh and May raised an eyebrow. “What's up?”

Daisy crossed her arms. “I don't trust them.” She muttered defensively. She knew she was being childish but she didn't care. “She's hiding something.”

“Of course she is, we just met her.” May said sarcastically, sitting beside her. “Haven't you figured out by now that I know when you're lying?”

Daisy let out a long sigh and after a pause, looked up at her. Her eyes were shining with tears. “I-I thought you- you were... gone.”

“Oh honey.” May murmured, pulling her into another hug. “It's okay.”

“I thought- I could have k-killed you. I almost did- and I...”  She mumbled shakily, then pursing her lips to keep from outright sobbing. “What if I can't do it?”

“You can do it. I believe in you.”

She gulped in air, a few tears falling as her eyes as her body trembled. “You- you guys all say that, but I don't- get it. You have way too much faith in me.”

“Hey, look at me.” May pulled away and cupped her face. “You're strong, you're smart, and you're stubborn as hell. You can do this. We- we couldn't help you with this, and- Daisy, I'm sorry. But Jiaying can help you. You just have to let her.”

“It's not your fault I got weird earthquake powers.” Daisy mumbled, wiping her eyes. “I mean, who sees that coming?”

May squeezed her hand. “I know you think that everything is your fault, but I'm meant to be there for you. This is on me too.”

“You don't have earthquake powers, come on, cut yourself some slack.”

May sighed. “I know it's not rational. But I-I told myself I'd always be there to help you, and now I can't.”

Daisy gave her a quick hug. “I love you whether you have superpowers or not.” She mumbled. “You're my mom.”

Melinda smiled at her. “Love you too.”

“And this isn't your fault either. You can't teach me how to cook and that doesn't mean you messed anything up.” Daisy grinned. “I mean, other than dinner.”

May poked her in the ribs with a smile. “Smartass.”

Daisy giggled quietly. “I guess I should work out when I start my superhero training.”

“Good idea.”

Daisy clenched and unclenched her fists. “So. Where do we start?”

Jiaying smiled, looking at her instead of the view of the mountains. “I thought we could take a walk and you could tell me about yourself.”

That old defensive instinct flared up, but Daisy ignored it. Mostly. “Will that help?”

“Your powers are a part of you. You must have noticed they react most strongly to your emotions.” Jiaying said. “Besides, it's good to get to know your students. I'll answer any questions you might have as well.”

Daisy chewed the inside of her lip, warily eyeing the diverging paths before her. “Okay. Which way?”

Jiaying shrugged. “Whichever you prefer.”

The two walked in silence for a few minutes, taking in the sight of the mountains before Jiaying spoke. “Where are you from?”

“Washington DC.” Daisy said automatically. “How- how long has this place been here?”

“A little under thirty years. Inhumans were scattered and hunted.” Jiaying glanced at her scarred hands. “Some of us were taken and put through... experiments. Gordon's powers granted us sanctuary here. Safety.”

“And you make others come here? Kidnap people?”

“We don't force people to stay.” Jiaying said gently. “We bring them here, explain their heritage. Some choose to stay, to go through the mist if they are worthy.”

“I can't imagine choosing this.” Daisy muttered. “Everything that's happened since I got these powers, the people- the people I've hurt. If I could get rid of them I would.”

Jiaying sighed. “I can understand that.” She admitted. “Your powers can be quite destructive, but there is beauty there.” She fished a stone up from the ground. “Here. Hold this.”

Daisy took it hesitantly. “You want me to break it?”

“No.” Jiaying said quietly. “I want you to listen. Sound is just vibrations, and you can sense the vibrations coming from everything. Even this.”

“Should I close my eyes?”

Jiaying shrugged. “If you feel like it would help. These are your powers, not mine.”

Daisy made a mental note to ask what exactly her powers were, but for now she took a half step away from Jiaying and closed her eyes, gripping the stone tightly.

It wasn't like listening exactly, but it was the closest thing Daisy could think of. It was like sitting in the dark, scared, with her hand on the wall, trying to feel if her foster parents were coming. It was like waking in the night and not being able to hear but knowing that the little girl in the bunk above her was crying. It was the feeling when she hugged Phil, that soft rumble that was hardly there, but comforting nonetheless.

That rumble filled her head now, but it wasn't coming from the rock in her hand. Daisy's eyes snapped open, an incredulous smile on her face. “Whoa.”

Jiaying was watching her. “Can you feel it?”

“Kind of, the rock's there, but... the mountain.” Daisy stared at it in awe. “It's so loud, it just- it feels like home.”

“That's good,” Jiaying encouraged. “Can you move it?”

Daisy extended her hand hesitantly, but quickly pulled it back, her smile fading. “I-I don't think that's a good idea. The last time I... I just don't wanna hurt anyone else.”

Jiaying took a step towards her. “There's no one you can hurt out here.”

“There's you. And this place...” Daisy bit her lip. “It seems like we're a long way from any help. If I- if I can move that mountain then I could move this one.”

“I trust you not too.”

Daisy groaned. “Why does everyone say that?!” She muttered dropping the rock to the ground. “Must be nice to just- put all that on me. You don't even know me.”

“I don't need to.” Jiaying said gently. “I know you're strong enough to do this. It's in your blood, just as it's in mine.”

She grimaced. “I never really liked the whole- blood talk.”

Jiaying paused, looking out at the mountain. “Lincoln almost burned down this place when we brought him here.” She said quietly. “I barely touched anyone for months after I got my powers.”

Daisy swallowed. “What are your powers?”

Jiaying wove her fingers together. “I can heal things.” She murmured. “At least, now I can. Healing requires energy, a kind of life force. I control it's flow. When I first got my powers- I reached out for my sister, but I had no control. If my mentor hadn't pulled her away I would have killed her.”

“That's terrible.” Daisy shifted uncomfortably. What else was there to say? “I'm so sorry.”

Jiaying shook her head. “Our powers have the ability to destroy us, but the important thing is that we don't let them. When I lost control my mentor was there for me, when Lincoln lost control I was here for him, and when you lost control we were here for you.”

Daisy smiled weakly. “I'm not really good at trusting other people.” She admitted. “Especially strangers.”

“I understand.” Jiaying said. “But can you try?”

Daisy's heart pounded in her chest, that familiar terrifying buzz of her powers mixed with nerves making her skin feel like it was on fire. She took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Daisy let her eyes flicker closed again, focusing on that distant rumble that reminded her so much of her dad. It was a lot, yeah, but it wasn't threatening. It was like a sleeping giant, like far off thunder, and if she reached for it she could bring it closer, make it louder.

Her eyes shot open again when that rumble finally registered as a sound, and Daisy watched in awe as large quantities of snow tumbled down the mountain. She laughed incredulously. “I- I moved a mountain.”

Jiaying beamed. “You did. How do you feel?”

Daisy looked as her hands, surprised to see them free of bruises. “Good, I think. This is all kind of new to me.”

“Do you want to try again?”

“Uhh...” Daisy shifted in place. Exciting as it was, she didn't want to go too far. “Maybe not today, if that's alright.”

Jiaying nodded. “That's understandable. Why don't we call it a day? You can explore our community a little more, I'm sure Lincoln would be happy to show you around.”

“Yeah.” Daisy smiled. “That'd be nice.”

After she talked to May though. After she had a few minutes to tell her mom how she had moved a mountain, how her powers hadn't hurt anyone this time. Maybe they were right to have faith in her after all.

It didn't take long for Daisy to locate May, spotting her from a distance doing tai chi under a tree. She smiled. May looked so peaceful and calm. Daisy had tried for so many years to develop that, to no avail. She could join her in tai chi though.

“Daisy!”

She looked up and stopped walking towards May. “Oh, hey Lincoln, what's up?”

He offered her that easy grin that got under her skin ever so slightly. “Heard you were done with training for the day, how'd it go?”

A slow smile spread across her face. “I... moved a mountain.”

Lincoln laughed. “Is that a good thing?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“That's good then. I was gonna go grab some food if you wanna come? Gordon gets in some good stuff from the outside.”

Daisy hesitated. “I...” She glanced back at May, still doing her tai chi. It would be good to talk to her, but Lincoln was cute and fun and clearly into her. Maybe it would be nice to hang out with him a bit. “Sure! Lead the way.”

This place was really nice, now that she had the chance to admire it. It reminded Daisy of her time backpacking in China, and maintained a certain home-y feel. “What's this place called?”

“The locals called it Li Shi.” Lincoln said. “We just call it Afterlife. Gordon and Jiaying kind of founded it a few decades ago.”

Oh. “So are they... Gordon and Jiaying...”

Lincoln burst out laughing. “No!” He exclaimed. “God no, I- I don't think Jiaying's much for relationships. Afterlife is her life now.”

“What about before that?” Daisy asked, kicking the ground as she walked.

Lincoln cocked his head. “Why do you ask?”

Daisy shrugged, faking innocence. “I just don't know much about her. Does she train everyone?”

“No,” Lincoln chuckled. “No, I think she must really like you, I haven't seen her train anyone one on one since I got here.”

“Oh.” That felt... wrong somehow. Jiaying had just chosen to train Daisy right off the bat for no good reason? No, something was up, but Daisy doubted she'd find out from Lincoln. She wet her lips. “Um, I was wondering, what are your powers?” She did want to know. As suspicious as she was of everything going on here, her instincts said that Lincoln was harmless. And he was really hot too.

Lincoln stopped walking with a smile. “I'll show you.” He extended a hand. “It won't hurt, I promise. It’ll just feel a little weird.”

“Kinky.” Daisy teased, getting a laugh out of him that made her heartbeat quicken. She took his hand, hoping to God his powers weren't some kind of 'reading emotions' kind of thing. That could be embarrassing.

That worry was quickly assuaged when Daisy felt tiny pinpricks climbing her arm, almost like insect legs. When she looked down it was to see a small army of sparks travelling from Lincoln's hand to hers, running up and down her arm underneath her skin. “Cool.” She breathed.

Lincoln grinned, glad to impress her. “It took a long time for me to control it, but now it's as easy as walking.”

The sparks travelled further up her arm, making Daisy squeak and pull away when they reached her neck.

“Sorry!” Lincoln exclaimed, looking stricken. “Are you okay?”

Daisy giggled, her cheeks slightly pink. “I- yeah, sorry, I'm just ticklish.”

He stared for a moment and then laughed. “Aren't you meant to be a secret agent or something?”

Daisy shoved him gently. “Hey, I am a secret agent!”

Lincoln chuckled. “I didn't think secret agents could be ticklish.”

Daisy laughed too. “What, you think that's part of the test or something?”

“I'm just saying it just got a lot easier to take you down!” Lincoln teased, reaching one hand around her back to dance more sparks against her neck.

Daisy squealed again. “Quit it!” She giggled. “Don't make me kick your ass secret agent style.”

“Can't lie, I think I might enjoy that.”

She snorted. “Oh shut up.”

Lincoln smiled. “Hey, do you want to hang out later tonight? I'm the main source of electricity, but they like to light the place with lanterns and the whole place looks really beautiful.”

Daisy raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking me on a date?” She asked with a playful grin.

Lincoln shrugged and shot her a crooked smile. “Only if you want it to be a date.”

Daisy bit the inside of her lip bashfully, feeling her cheeks getting warm. “That'd be nice.”

Lincoln beamed and Daisy could swear she saw actual sparks in his eyes. “Great! I'll meet you at six?”

“It's a date.”

Daisy was still smiling giddily as she carried a plate of dumplings over to May's position under the tree half an hour later. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself and put the excitement over her upcoming date behind her before approaching May, then unceremoniously flopped down beside her. “Hey. I brought lunch.” She held out a pair of chopsticks. “Any luck contacting the others?”

May shook her head as she swallowed a dumpling. “There isn’t a single phone, computer, or any other device that can communicate with the outside world in this place, so we’re on our own for now. How was your training?”

Daisy gave a sad smile. “It's weird not training with you. But it's going well.” She perked up. “I moved a mountain.”

Melinda couldn't help but smile at Daisy's enthusiasm and happiness. It was something that she had missed these last few months. “That's great. Jiaying's helping a lot.”

“Yeah.” Daisy murmured. “I don't- I like her, but I still don't trust her. She's up to something.”

May leaned back against the tree, taking another dumpling. “You've got good instincts.” She hummed. “But sometimes all someone's up to is getting to know you. Jiaying's probably suspicious of you too.”

Daisy sighed. “I guess.”

May smiled. “I'm not saying you're wrong. Just that all these people have done so far is try to help us. It's okay to relax a bit around them.”

“You're right, you're right.” Daisy grimaced. “I just suck at letting people in.”

“You're not the only one. And...” May's eyes suddenly had a mischief in them. “You don't seem to have much trouble letting some people in.”

Daisy blinked, processing May's pointed comment. What did she- Oh. Oh no. Daisy flushed, ducking her head to hide it. “I- it's nothing, okay? Lincoln's- I'm- I don't even like him, he's just really nice to me and I wanted to be nice back and we were just talking, what's wrong with that?!”

When she looked up and saw that May was biting her lip to keep from laughing, Daisy crossed her arms. “Shut up.”

“You'd better check the rules here before you do anything.” Melinda teased, her eyes narrowing when Daisy blushed more. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” Daisy exclaimed, “I- we were just gonna... go out tonight? Just for a walk, Lincoln wanted to show me the lanterns.”

“Sounds very platonic.”

“It's not a date!”

“Oh good, so I can come too?”

Daisy opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “No.” She said flatly. “You're being mean to me.”

May snorted. “Whatever you say.”

As much as May's teasing got to her, Daisy was glad to have the afternoon together, if only to do tai chi and talk about her powers, about the team, about Phil.

Phil. She hoped he was okay. Daisy could see May's worry for him, which she could never really hide, but didn't push. He was probably out there right now, looking for them.

The two pushed themselves to their feet as the sun crawled closer to the horizon. “You'd better get ready for your date.” May ribbed gently.

Daisy growled. “It's not a date, mom.”

May held up her hands. “Oh, my mistake. You don't want to change your clothes then?”

“I stink, come on!”

May shook her head with a grin, but made a point to leave the makeup she'd pilfered in the bathroom before Daisy went to shower and change her clothes, and didn't comment on the fact that she definitely used it. Instead she looked up from the radio she was gutting and said, “You look nice.”

Daisy hesitated, scanning the words for any hint of teasing. “I- thanks.” She murmured. “I mean, it's not much really.” She nodded to the radio. “How's that going?”

May grimaced. “Slow. But I'll figure it out.” Daisy shifted from foot to foot by the door, and May raised an eyebrow. “Home by seven-thirty?”

Daisy snorted. “You wish.”

“Have fun with Lincoln.”

“It's not a date.”

“Didn't say it was.”

Daisy huffed. “I'll see you later.”

“Have fun.” May said again.

When the door closed behind her Daisy let herself stand alone for a moment and smile. She had a date. With a guy who was kind and handsome and made her laugh.

Half convinced May was listening for her or watching from the window, Daisy started walking, marvelling at how many more stars she could see from here. It had been so long since she'd had the chance. The air had a slight chill to it, but not enough for her to feel cold. Afterlife felt so natural and open.

Daisy's eyes were so fixed on the sky that she almost walked right into Lincoln, who laughed at her shocked expression. “What? Didn't expect me to wash up so nice?” He teased.

Daisy smiled. He did wash up nice, but she wasn't going to say so. “I was just looking at the stars.” She said warmly. “I haven't seen so many in a really long time.”

Lincoln hummed in agreement. “I know what you mean. My favourite thing about visiting here is the views.” The started slowly walking towards the mountain path.

“You don't live here?”

“Not most of the time. I'm doing my residency, but I come by whenever I have the chance, or when they need me. I'm on a break for the next couple of weeks and when I heard they might be bringing you in... well, I figured they might need me.”

“A doctor.”

He shrugged. “Close enough.”

“That's cool. Why'd you want to be a doctor?”

Lincoln paused. “I wanted to help people.” He said quietly. “A lot of bad things happen in the world, and I decided a long time ago that I wanted to be part of the solution, not the problem.”

Daisy said nothing, but nodded at his words. She understood feeling like that.

“How about you? Why'd you join SHIELD?” Lincoln asked curiously, and for a moment Daisy faltered.

“Kind of the same, I guess.” She murmured. “I saw what my parents were doing every day, that- it was hard, but they were helping people. I wanted to help them too. Be part of something bigger than myself.”

“Making the world a better place.” Lincoln smiled.

Daisy smiled a little too. “Yeah.”

“So, important question here.” Lincoln said seriously, coming to a stop and looking her in the eye. “Are you friends with the Avengers?”

Daisy laughed. “I knew you were just being nice to me to get to Thor!”

“Come on, I'm basically Thor with smaller arms.” Lincoln grinned. “Blonde, lightning powers, saving humanity...”

Daisy hummed, raising an eyebrow and smiling at him. “I dunno, I don't think Thor's that hot.”

The grin was immediately wiped from Lincoln's face and he stared for a long moment before laughing to cover his bashfulness. “You know how to flatter a guy.”

Daisy grinned but said nothing as they reached an incline. She gingerly tried to feel her way with her foot, but Lincoln put a hand on her arm. “Hang on.” He held out his other hand and took a deep breath to concentrate. It only took Daisy a moment to see why. See the faintest of sparks growing in the palm of his hand until he seemed to be holding a pale blue ball of electricity, glowing to show the way.

“Wow.” Daisy whispered. She could feel the spark of static from the hand on her arm, sending a shiver up her spine, and moved to hold his hand.

Lincoln squeezed her hand. “I won't let you fall.”

Daisy smiled, the instinct that told her she could trust Lincoln washing over her again. “I know you won’t.” But a little voice inside told her that she was already falling.

The two moved slowly down the hill, their way illuminated by the electricity in Lincoln's hand. When they reached the small patch of grass midway down the slope, Lincoln let go of her hand. “I like it here.” He murmured. “Most of the others don't see it, but the view...”

Daisy turned, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Afterlife at the top of the hill. It was illuminated entirely in orange light, lanterns hanging from every house making it seem almost like a dream.

“I always think it looks like a painting.” Lincoln murmured. “Like I could just sit here and paint it and hang it up in my apartment when I miss it here.”

Daisy cocked her head. “You paint?”

He laughed softly. “No. It's just- a nice thought, you know?”

“I know.” Daisy murmured. “Even though we live on our base and my parents are both there, I- I really miss our apartment sometimes. It'll always be home.”

The two settled onto the grass, looking at the village above. “I like it here too.” Daisy admitted. “It's... peaceful. And the company's pretty good.”

Lincoln grinned. “Only pretty good?”

“Eh.” Daisy shrugged with a smirk.

“I'd better up my game then.” Lincoln said, the humour in his voice contrasted with something deeper, and he let the electricity in his hand fade as he leaned in to kiss her.

Daisy froze for the smallest moment, but immediately deepened the kiss, one hand snaking around Lincoln's neck to pull him closer, sucking on his bottom lip and eliciting a groan. The ground beneath them trembled as his arm wrapped around her waist, his hand resting on her ribs as they became more and more tangled up in one another.

Lincoln's other hand twisted up in her hair, his tongue tracing along her bottom lip. Daisy wrapped her arm around him, pulling herself up to straddle Lincoln’s lap. His hand snaked under her shirt, his fingers running across her skin in a way that felt so good that it sent a jolt of arousal through her.

But with that jolt, the constant, nagging reminder of the baggage she carried came flying to the forefront of her mind and she pulled back quickly.

Trauma was such a massive cockblock.

Lincoln's eyes widened and he pulled back as quickly as he could, though Daisy was still half on top of him. “I'm sorry!” He exclaimed. “Was I going too fast? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”

Daisy shook her head, staying partly on his lap. “No- I- you didn't do anything wrong.” She laughed nervously. “I- trust me, all I wanna be doing right now is kissing you.”

“But?”

Daisy bit her lip. “I just- I feel like I've been lying to you.” She whispered. “And I can't let this go too far until I tell you.”

He wanted so badly to take her hand, but Lincoln restrained himself. “Tell me what?”

Daisy sucked in a breath. “I- for starters, I'm adopted. My mom and dad adopted me when I was fifteen. Before that...” She swallowed, blinking back tears. She hated talking about this. Always had and always would, but Lincoln felt important. She needed him to know. “I was- it was pretty bad. I got bumped through tons of foster homes, and some of them were... really, really bad.”

A tear leaked from her eye and Daisy prayed that he couldn't see. “I- I just want you to know what you're getting into. I don't know what you want or anything, but some days- I won't want you to touch me or be near me. Some days sex feels...” She sniffled and bit her lip. “I'm sorry- I shouldn't be dumping all this on you on the first date, I just- I really like you and... I don't wanna lie.”

She fell silent, looking down and vainly hoping that she hadn't just ruined this. That she hadn't become Lincoln's crazy 'I knew this girl' story. Tears stung her eyes and Daisy cursed them. She hated that this still affected her so much. That she couldn't be rid of it.

After a few seconds, Lincoln spoke. “Can I touch you?” He murmured.

Daisy looked up, surprised, but then nodded.

He brought one hand up to cup her face, brushing her tears away with his thumb. “I'm so sorry.”

Daisy shook her head, dismissing his words. “I'm okay now.”

Lincoln hummed in agreement. “Can I kiss you?”

Daisy swallowed and, instead of replying, surged forward to capture his lips with hers again, her arms holding him as tightly as she could, and when he deepened the kiss, she reversed their positions, rolling them over so she could see his face framed with stars.

Daisy spent a decent majority of her walk back to her and May's little house trying to straighten her hair and clothes, to banish the flush from her face and the hickeys on her neck, and bury the besotted smile on her face. There was nothing to do about her swollen lips, but with a little luck she could sneak past May without too much scrutiny.

She hadn't felt like this in a really, really long time.

She hesitated outside their house, running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to neaten it. That attempt was undermined when May's face appeared in the window, looking at her.

“Daisy Louise Johnson, is that sex hair?!” She asked in a faux scandalised voice.

Daisy gaped, “No!” She exclaimed, hurrying inside so that no one else would hear their conversation.

May sat on her bed, arms crossed, a smug smirk on her face as she took in Daisy’s disheveled appearance. Daisy glared. “It's make out hair thank you very much!”

May snorted. “Seems like you had a good time.” She said, pushing herself to her feet.

“Nothing happened.”

“Uh huh.” May grinned, plucking a stray leaf from her hair.

“Leaves just fall off trees sometimes you know!”

“You have grass stains on your back.”

Daisy span in place, trying to see over her shoulder. “I do not!”

May hummed. “But you had to check.”

“Shut up.” Daisy muttered, stomping to the bathroom.

“Wash your face!” May called, getting a growl in response.

Daisy wrapped her arms around herself when she entered the bathroom. She could still feel the tingle of Lincoln's touch against her skin. When she turned to the mirror, she froze. Oh no.

She'd forgotten she was wearing make-up.

Caught between groaning and laughing, Daisy wet a washcloth and started to wipe her face of the smeared make-up. No wonder May had thought they’d had sex. She was a mess. A blushing, smeared mess who might have a boyfriend.

May was in the same place when Daisy emerged from the bathroom several minutes later, changed into her pyjamas. Her cheeks were still slightly red, but at least she looked a little less like she'd been getting it on in a barn.

May said nothing this time, instead watching her with an expectant little smile.

Daisy cleared her throat. “We didn't have sex.”

“Okay.” May shrugged. She wouldn't really care if they had. Only to make fun of her daughter a little.

Daisy crossed her arms and sat down with a huff.

“Did you at least get to third base?”

Daisy gaped. “MOM!”

“Second base?”

Daisy covered her face with her hands. “I'm not telling you that.”

May grinned. “That's a yes then.”

Daisy hit her with a pillow. “Shut up, shut up, shut up.”

May pulled the pillow from her grip and hit Daisy in the face with it, laughing as they briefly grappled over it ending with Daisy laying on her back, giggling gently. May's smile took a more affectionate slant. “Daisy.” She murmured. “How was it?”

Daisy sat up, shaking the playfulness from her system. “I- good. Really good.” She said quietly. “We just walked around, looked at the stars. The lanterns really do look beautiful when you're a bit further away.” She swallowed. “I really like him.”

“I can tell.”

Daisy sighed and hugged the pillow to her chest. “I told him about... when I was a kid. I mean, kind of.”

May fought to hide her surprise. “Big step.”

“I know.” Daisy muttered to the ground. Even now it felt like a bad move. Like she'd made a mistake. “I- I probably did it way too fast and freaked him out but...” She bit her lip. “I really like him, and I just felt like- like I was lying by not telling him.”

“Hey.” May's hand cupped her cheek, bringing Daisy's eyes up to meet hers. “You decide if and when you want to tell people. If you felt like tonight was the time to tell him, no one gets to tell you whether that was right or wrong.”

Daisy sighed again. “Okay.” She murmured. “But was it the right choice?”

A smile coloured May's face. “Well it didn't look like you scared him off.”

Daisy snorted. “I guess not.” She muttered shyly.

Daisy woke in a groggy state, the sunlight shining directly onto her face. She rolled over, trying to go back to sleep, but she knew deep down she'd have to get up. Training with Jiaying was this morning.

She wiped her eyes, trying to get her vision to focus, got changed and grabbed a peach on her way out in lieu of breakfast. Her stomach wasn't really in the mood for much food.

Jiaying cocked her head when she saw her. “You seem tired.”

Daisy struggled not to yawn. “Yeah, a little.” She admitted. “Didn't sleep great last night.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Daisy murmured, nowhere close to stable enough in whatever she and Lincoln were to go talking to anyone about it. “Thanks for the concern though.”

Jiaying didn’t answer, instead staring at her pensively, making Daisy feel strangely self conscious.“What?”

Jiaying jumped a little and smiled. “I was just thinking that since you're a little tired we could start with some meditation today to warm up. Have you done any before?”

“Uhh... yeah, a bit.” It was strange to admit out loud. Sometimes, if she found herself awake in the middle of the night and May was awake too, they would meditate together, first in the living room of their apartment, then later in the gym at their base. Sometimes Daisy just fell asleep where she sat, waking up later in her bed. Once she woke up while May was carrying her back and the overpowering feeling of love almost made her cry.

Meditation felt private, but... Daisy knew that she had to let Jiaying in a little. She trusted her. Jiaying had done nothing but help her, and that counted for something. Daisy took a deep breath. “Meditation sounds great.”

“Oh, good.” Jiaying sighed, relieved. “I'm glad. There's a spot just over here that I like to use.”

“Sure.” Daisy followed her until the two came to a stop under a cherry blossom tree. “It's nice here.”

Jiaying gave her a smile. “Isn't it? The flowers are just coming out, this is my favourite time of year.”

Daisy smiled in return, sitting on the ground. “How do you usually...”

“However you feel most comfortable.” Jiaying murmured, sitting beside her.

Meditation without May felt different. Daisy knew that it would, knowing that the woman beside her was Jiaying, not May, but even still, the meditation itself felt different. She wasn't used to the breeze or the sound of rustling leaves or the feeling of grass beneath her. Her powers probably had something to do with it too, feeling the mountain's deep rumble, sprinkled with the people waking up, their movements almost like ants on such a vast terrain.

Daisy forced her eyes open when she realised that she was starting to doze off and noticed Jiaying doing the same. Did her powers tell her about the people around her too?

Jiaying smiled at her. “How do you feel?”

Daisy let out a long sigh. “Good.” She murmured. “But, uh, I tried meditating before, and it didn't really help with my powers.”

“That's okay.” Jiaying said gently. “It's rare that one thing helps someone gain complete control over their powers. More often it's a combination of several techniques. Your powers react to your emotions, and you don't control all your emotions the same way, do you?”

“I guess not.”

“All kinds of things can help.” Jiaying murmured. “Sometimes just having someone to hold on to... Or something. A memory.” She sighed. “I remember my sister sometimes, when I feel as if I'm falling apart.”

Daisy swallowed. “Does it help?”

She nodded. “It helps me. Remembering when things felt happy and simple helps me to calm down.”

“I tried that.” Daisy said. “But it just felt like too much. When I tried- I'd think about how I could lose everyone, and all those feelings... it was too overwhelming.”

Jiaying hummed. “So you thought about everyone you love. Why not try just one person? One memory.” She paused. “What's your favourite memory of your mother as a child?”

Daisy stiffened, biting her lip. “I-uh, I don't really... have any.” She muttered. “I didn't meet May until I was fifteen. I'm adopted, so...”

“Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed...”

Daisy shook her head. “It's okay.” She muttered. “I just don't really have any like- happy memories from being a kid. My birth parents abandoned me when I was a baby, and... I didn't have a home until my mom and dad.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.” Jiaying said, looking down. “I'm sure your birth parents only wanted what was best.”

Daisy snorted. “Yeah, I've heard that a lot.” She took a moment to bottle any bitterness, she knew Jiaying was just trying to help. “I don't know what they wanted. At least I got my name when they left me, but anything else...”

“What if they didn't leave you?” Jiaying whispered. “What if- what if they lost you?”

“Yeah, Cal said that.” She muttered. “But he doesn't really care about me, he just regrets giving me up. And hates that someone else raised me. It’s all just lies to try to make me feel sorry for him.”

“He wasn't lying.”

Daisy rolled her eyes. “How do you know?” She asked sarcastically.

When she looked up and saw the look on Jiaying's face, it was like an earthquake had struck her and only her. Daisy stared, not sure what this pounding feeling in her head was supposed to be. “You... you're-”

Jiaying looked down sadly. “I'm sorry.” She murmured. “I've been trying to think of how to tell you.”

Daisy didn't notice that she was curling in on herself, pulling away, until Jiaying moved closer. “Daisy, it's okay.” She said quietly, reaching out a hand to her. “I'm your birth mother.”

Birth mother. The words echoed in Daisy's head. Mother. Mom. May. “No!” She exclaimed, wrenching herself away. “No! You're not- You're not my mother! You can't take them away!”

Jiaying looked startled. “Daisy-”

“NO!”

Before Jiaying could say another word, Daisy turned and ran. She had to get back to her mom. Her real mom. No one was allowed to take them away from each other.

Daisy didn't care that the ground was shaking beneath her feet, barely noticed the other Inhumans calling out to her, trying to get her to slow down. They were probably all on Jiaying's instructions, keeping her away from her family.

“Mom!” Daisy shouted, banging through their door, but found their little house completely empty. May's bed was meticulously made and there was a chill in the air. She shuddered violently, looking around, begging the world to let her be here. Oh God, what had they done to her?

Daisy's knees buckled and she sank to the floor, the room around her shaking more and more violently.

“Daisy!”

She didn't move at the voice. It's owner barely registered. Lincoln, she realised dimly. Lincoln. Was he lying this whole time too?

Lincoln stared, not sure whether to approach her. Something was wrong, very wrong, and he was way out of his depth in their relationship. No, this didn't have to be about them. He was her transitioner after all. Lincoln took a hesitant step forwards, into the room, and crouched to be more on Daisy's level. “Hey, Daisy. Can you hear me?”

She nodded, her entire frame shaking.

Lincoln swallowed. “Can I touch you?” He asked softly.

The room around them shuddered. “Please don't.”

“Okay.” Lincoln murmured. “Can you tell me what's wrong? I just wanna help fix it, do you trust me?”

Daisy's brown eyes met his. “Where's my mom?” She asked in a cracked voice.

Lincoln frowned. “May? I think she went on a hike. Said she'd be back later.”

“I-I need her.” Daisy rasped. “Please, don't- don't let anyone take her.”

Take her? “What can I do?” Lincoln asked, dismissing his confusion. Daisy was in no state to answer questions. “Do you want me to go after her?”

“Please. F-find her.”

Lincoln stopped himself from putting a hand on Daisy's shoulder. “I promise.” He said. “I'll bring her right back. Just wait here, okay?”

Daisy nodded, the room still shaking violently. She didn't know if Lincoln would help her or not, but right now he was all she had.

Lincoln bolted down the mountain trail, verging on losing control over his legs and falling over a dozen times. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know what had happened to Daisy, but this was the only way he could help her right now. Though his experience in psychology was limited, he could spot a panic attack.

His feet caught on a rock and almost sent him crashing to the ground before Lincoln caught himself with his powers, elation pumping through his veins even as he continued to run. Daisy had to be okay. She couldn't not be.

Lincoln skidded to a halt when he saw a small figure just off the side of the trail, crouched over. “Agent May!”

May whipped around, hiding whatever she was looking at. “What?” She asked shortly.

Lincoln panted for breath. “It-it's Daisy.” He gasped. “Something- something happened, she's having a panic attack. She needs you.”

Lincoln hadn't really seen much of May since she had arrived with Daisy. She had always seemed composed and tough in a way that confused him somewhat. But even though he had only know May for a little over a week, the way her mask of stoicism slipped away to reveal her fear and concern was surprising.

“What happened?!” She barked, approaching him, fire in her eyes.

“I don't know!” Lincoln yelped. “I- she was with Jiaying I think, but I felt the ground shaking and- I found her at your house, and- she needs you okay?! Just go!”

The corners of May's mouth tightened. “Fine.” She said, running back up the trail, clutching the barely functional radio in one hand.

Lincoln hurried after her, frowning at the radio. “Is that why you were out here?”

“None of your business.” May shot back. The quaking of the ground was more obvious the closer she got to Afterlife.

“I only ask cos I've got a working one.” Lincoln muttered.

Though she ran the entire way back to Afterlife, on reaching their little house and feeling the tremors in the ground beneath her, Melinda stopped. Daisy needed her, that much was definitely true. She didn't know what had triggered this attack, but at this point it had to be something big.

That wasn't what worried her though. What made May's heartbeat quicken was the shaking of the ground, and the knowledge that she had never been able to help Daisy control it. She had tried, and when Daisy did as she said, she had almost shattered her arms into a thousand tiny pieces.

She'd hurt herself. May had made her hurt herself, and now for whatever reason, the one person who had helped Daisy keep these powers under her control wasn't here. May didn't know why, and frankly it didn't matter. Part of her wanted to run and find Jiaying and make her help Daisy, but she also knew that Daisy hadn't asked for Jiaying.

So despite all her fears that she could only make this worse, May pushed the door open and hurried into the bedroom, finding Daisy curled up on the ground.

The closer she got to Daisy, the harder the floorboards rattled, almost serving to highlight the level of Daisy’s distress.

May sank to her knees, resisting the urge to touch her daughter. “Hey, Daisy, it's me. Can you look at me?”

Daisy's sobs paused, as did the shaking. “Mom?”

“Yeah,” May murmured. “It's me, honey. I'm here.”

Daisy looked up shakily, her eyes red. The moment she saw that it was her, she flung herself into May's arms, her sobs beginning anew. “Mom.” She whispered.

Melinda combed her fingers through Daisy's hair. “What is it?”

Daisy squeezed her tightly. “You're my mom.”

“Yeah, Daisy, I'm right here. Can you tell me what happened?”

Daisy shook her head, burying her face in May's shoulder. “Don't go. Don't leave me.”

“I won't.” Melinda whispered. “Never. I decided a long time ago that I'm never leaving you.” She hesitated. “Did something happen with Jiaying?”

Daisy's powers surged more strongly for a second and she said nothing.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Daisy shook her head violently. “I won't let her take you away.”

May frowned. “Why would she take me away?”

“I- She-” Daisy's body began to shake, but whether from her powers or not, May wasn't sure. “She's- she told me... I can't, mom, please.”

May hushed her gently, feeling Daisy's powers start to lessen as time went on and they sat there together. Her mind was whirring though. Something happened with Jiaying, and it had Daisy more shaken than she had seen in years. So shaken that she was clinging to May and begging her not to leave and almost insisting that she was her mother.

Oh.

Melinda bit the inside of her lip. “Jiaying's your... she gave birth to you. Right?”

Daisy swallowed thickly and nodded into her shoulder. “I don't care.” She muttered darkly. “I don't- I don't care who she says she is, you're my mom, she can't just- just show up and say that.”

“She's not going to get rid of me.”

“You don't know that.”

May leaned back against the bed a little, keeping one arm around Daisy. “What did she say?”

Daisy scoffed angrily. “What does it matter?”

“Maybe I should talk to her.”

“No.” Daisy's voice suddenly had a panicked tinge to it and she clung to May more tightly than even. “No, you can't.”

“Daisy I'll be fine.”

She shook her head. “No, you can’t leave me- you- she already took me away from everyone else, she'll take you away too, I know she will.”

“Daisy...”

“Promise me you won't.” Daisy said firmly, holding her gaze. “Please. I can't lose you.”

May sighed. “I promise.” She murmured. “I won't try to talk to Jiaying unless you're okay with it.”

Daisy swallowed. “Thank you.” She whispered. “I- everything I am, it came from you. You and dad, you're the ones who gave me a home and loved me no matter what. She didn't give me anything.”

May let one hand rest on the still trembling floor, but said nothing. Her daughter needed her to be here right now, not to argue with her or push.

Even if the subtle shaking of the ground beneath them proved that not everything had come from her and Phil.

Daisy refused to leave their little house for the rest of the day or to leave May's side lest anything happen to her. She knew that her being with May might not be enough to keep her safe, that May was more than capable of looking after herself, but she couldn't help it. Every time she blinked part of her was frightened that she might disappear and leave Daisy in this strange new place all alone.

It wasn't that Afterlife was terrible. Daisy had just had enough of people telling her who her family was, where her home was. She knew her family, and she already had a home. She didn't want or need a new one.

Jiaying could take her away from everything else but she wasn't taking her mom.

She could feel May looking at her. Daisy knew that she was worried, and she knew that she had a good reason to be. Not just because of everything that had happened. She hadn't exactly reacted to this like an agent.

She’d reacted to it like she was still the scared fifteen year old kid May and Coulson had taken in ten years ago.

Daisy shifted from foot to foot as she made them each a cup of tea. “I'm sorry I'm not... being better about this.” She muttered to the floor.

Melinda waited until she had shuffled over to sit beside her to answer. “You're doing exactly what I’d do.” She murmured. “Something threatens someone you love and you plant yourself in front of them and refuse to move. That's just how we are in this family.”

Daisy leaned against her side. “I love you.”

May hummed. “I know. I love you too.” She let the silence reign for a little, sipping at her tea instead of speaking and letting herself savour Daisy's closeness. The kid had quickly caught on to how much she craved physical contact.

Daisy's eyes had just started to droop when May finally spoke. “You feeling better?”

She blinked the sleep from her eyes. “Better than what?” Daisy asked with a sardonic grin. They'd made that joke a lot together.

May rubbed her thumb against her arm. “Better than earlier.” She murmured. “Enough that we can talk about this.”

Daisy immediately tensed, even as she fought hard not to. “There's nothing to talk about except how we get out of here.”

May's arm around her tightened. “I am never letting you go.” She said firmly. “I don't want to talk about this because I think it's important that you get to know her, that's up to you.”

Daisy took a deep breath to calm herself down. “Then why?”

Melinda let out a sigh. “I don't know how much you remember from when we first arrived here.”

“Not much.” Daisy admitted. “I-I remember the pain. I was- holding you, I didn't want to let go but they- they took you away.”

“It was bad Daisy.” May didn't want to look at her, hated that she had to place this knowledge on her. “As soon as I went down I knew it was bad. I thought- I thought I wouldn't get back up.” She felt the tiniest of tremors go through Daisy's body and heard her swallow thickly. “Do you know what Jiaying's powers are?”

Daisy nodded. “She- controls this- life force or something. She told me.”

“She saved my life.” May shook her head. “I was a goner. She used her powers, kept me going. Brought me back. I know it took a toll on her. She was laid up the whole time you were unconscious.”

“That doesn't mean anything.”

“Doesn't it? She knew who I was to you then, and she knew who you were. I- I can't make this decision for you, and I'm not saying that just because she gave birth to you that makes her your mother. But if she wanted to get you alone with her, she could have just let me die.”

Daisy trembled. “I'm sorry.”

May shook her head, pressing a kiss to Daisy's hair. “Honey, no, it's not your fault.”

Daisy laughed bitterly. “They're my damn powers. Whose fault is it?”

“Cal was going to kill me either way and take you to God knows where. At least this way we're all safe.”

“I don't know.” Daisy mumbled. “Dad...”

“He'll be okay. You definitely took Cal down.”

Daisy buried her face in her hands. “I just feel like it's happening again.” She mumbled. “I-I know it's not the same, but... things changed and I started breaking things and then- then I hurt you and now someone else is here saying she's my... my mother. It feels like I'm- done in this family.”

“Hey.” May gently pulled one of Daisy's hands away from her face to look her in the eye. “You don't get to choose when you're done with this family. That's not how we work.”

“I know.” Daisy could feel the battle going on in her own head, years of uncertainty and trauma clashing with years of safety and love. “It's just- part of me won't ever believe that.”

May hummed, weaving their fingers together. “That's okay.” She murmured. “Whether you believe it or not, we'll always be your family.”

Daisy blinked away the hotness in her eyes. “You're gonna make me cry.” She warned.

May smiled gently. “Sorry.”

Soon enough the sun had set completely and May changed for bed, climbing into hers and raising an eyebrow at Daisy. A scared and protective Daisy was a Daisy that desperately craved physical contact, but she shook her head quietly and went to her own bed, flicking the lights off on her way. “Goodnight.”

Melinda sighed quietly. “Goodnight.” She murmured.

Daisy stayed alert and awake despite the darkness and her fatigue, feeling the anxiety crawling under her skin. Her ears picked up any small movement or sound, listening for anyone who might come looking for them.

The only thing she could hear was May's calm, steady breathing, a sound she was well accustomed to by now. Most people would struggle to tell whether she was awake or asleep given how measured her breathing was, but Daisy had gotten good at it over the years. Awake, May counted her breaths. In for four, hold for four, out for six. It was far from mechanical, but it was measured. Precise.

As her consciousness started to fade, so did that deliberateness. Daisy waited for a few minutes after she knew May had fallen asleep, then slowly, carefully, pushed the blankets off herself, silently creeping across the room and crawling into the gap beside her. She knew she’d never be able to sleep unless she was close enough to touch her mom, not when every fiber of her being was screaming that slipping into unconsciousness would leave them open to any assailants.

Whatever tension was left in her melted away when May shifted in her sleep, her arms slowly coming to wrap around her. Daisy snuggled closer with a smile. Sleep hugs were the best hugs. May didn't even know she was doing it, but she was. Part of her knew that Daisy was there.

Melinda smiled without opening her eyes or saying anything. She knew that Daisy would do this. Self-conscious as she was, Daisy would always need to be close to the people she loved.

And maybe May liked having the excuse to be close to her too.

Daisy woke up feeling very safe and comfortable. She didn't move as her eyes blinked open, grateful for the peaceful moments of silence and her mom holding her in her sleep.

Still. She should probably move.

Daisy squirmed slightly, freeing herself from May's embrace as carefully as possible, to keep from waking her. All of a sudden the arms around her withdrew completely and a kiss was placed on the top of Daisy's head. “Morning.”

Daisy blinked in surprise and huffed a laugh, shifting to the edge of the bed and resting her back against the headboard. “Morning.” She mumbled.

May moved in kind, sitting beside her. “You okay?”

Daisy nodded. “I don't know what to do.” She admitted.

“That's up to you.”

She gave a long sigh. “I know. What do you think?”

Melinda hesitated, giving it some thought. “I don't think Jiaying wants to take you away.” She finally said. “I think that she wants to get to know you, to make up for losing you in any way she can.”

Daisy smiled sadly. “It's funny, I don't know if I want her to make up for it. If she hadn't lost me, I'd never have had you and dad.”

“It's not helpful to play that game.” May murmured. “Thinking about how things could have gone. Jiaying lost you, and that caused both of you a lot of pain. Right now I think she'd do anything to prove to you that she doesn’t mean any harm.”

“She's not my mom.” Daisy muttered. “Nothing she does can make her my mother. You're my mom.”

“Yes.” May said quietly. “Trust me, I'm never letting anyone take you away, but that doesn't mean you can't get to know Jiaying a little better.”

Daisy sighed. “I just don't know if I wanna do that.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I don't know. I- if I don't talk to her then I'll regret it forever. I'll be angry forever about how they abandoned me.”

May hummed, thinking. “Why not give her a chance to prove she's on your side?”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Daisy muttered. “Testing her just seems... wrong.”

“You don’t need to test her, just give her a chance. Get to know her. Hear what she has to say.”

She looked down. “Will you come with me?”

May squeezed her hand. “Of course.”

It took more effort than Daisy would care to admit to leave their little house. She felt better, she felt mostly safe, at least as long as May stayed within her line of sight, but the heavy feeling of anxiety was sitting right on her chest. If nothing else, everyone here knew something had gone wrong yesterday. She’d lost control and had shaken the entire mountain.

She could feel eyes on her as she and May walked to Jiaying's house but did all she could to ignore them. It wasn't the first time Daisy had attracted people's concerned looks, and she knew it wouldn't be the last time either.

“Daisy!”

Both she and May turned at the voice, and it felt like a hole had opened up in Daisy's chest. Lincoln. Wow, he must really think she was a mess now. “Hey.” She greeted quietly. “I- sorry about yesterday.” Daisy noticed May wandering out of earshot to give them a moment.

Lincoln shook his head. His eyes were slightly red-rimmed. She wondered if he'd slept. “No, don't be sorry.” He said in a similarly soft voice to avoid any prying ears. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I was- you scared me.”

“Sorry.” Daisy muttered again. “I... it's not usually that bad.” She bit her lip. “I- something happened and it kind of messed me up.”

“Was it something about Jiaying?”

Daisy swallowed. “Do you already know?” She asked plainly. “Did you know this whole time?”

Lincoln frowned. “Know what?”

Daisy said nothing, but the way her eyes were darting back and forth from Agent May’s figure on the edge of their sightline gave Lincoln pause. Jiaying had done something to cause a massive panic attack and the next thing he knew Daisy was falling apart without her mother there...

Her adoptive mother.

Oh.

Lincoln closed his eyes briefly, the pieces clicking together. “Jiaying is your biological mother.” Daisy said nothing, but the way the ground quaked beneath them confirmed it. Lincoln looked up. “Daisy, I swear, I didn't know. I'm sorry.”

Daisy swallowed. “I believe you.” She murmured. “And- I'm sorry again for yesterday.”

Lincoln took a half step towards her before hesitating. “Can I hug you?”

She nodded, melting when he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzling her head into his shoulder. Daisy laughed quietly. “This... isn't usually how relationships start.”

“Eh.” Lincoln shrugged. “I kind of like it.”

Daisy snorted. “Weirdo.”

“Watch it.” Lincoln teased, dancing a few sparks around her neck and making her squirm. He pulled away after a moment. “Let me know if there's anything I can do. Even if you just wanna talk to someone who's not involved in all this.”

“Thank you.” Daisy murmured. “You're being like... really great about all this.”

He kissed her cheek fleetingly. “You're not the only one with baggage. Maybe one day you'll have to deal with mine.”

Daisy smiled. “I hope so.” She said, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I should go and talk to her.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Daisy muttered shyly. “Lincoln you- you're amazing, you know that right?”

“You're pretty great yourself.” Lincoln said with a warm smile. “Now go talk to Jiaying. I think all the PDA's annoying your mom.”

Daisy snorted and stuck her tongue out at May. “She can't talk, I've lived with her and dad.”

“I'll talk to you later.” Lincoln said, giving her shoulder a squeeze before walking away, smiling at May as he did so.

May walked back over to her with a smirk on her face. “'I don't even like him'.” She mocked, earning a gentle shove.

“Shut up.” Daisy muttered, grinning bashfully.

“Come on.” May smiled. “Not far now.”

All of a sudden Daisy felt like her chest was full of bees. “Right.” At least the ground wasn't shaking now.

May must have picked up on her change in mood. “It'll be okay.”

“I know. I'm just nervous.” Daisy said, taking a deep breath. “Don’t leave me, okay?”

May wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. “I'll be with you the whole time, I promise.”

“Thank you.”

They reached the door and exchanged a look. Daisy bit the inside of her lip and raised her hand to knock on the door, before she changed her mind.

Jiaying answered so quickly after she knocked that Daisy wondered if she had been sitting by the door waiting for her.

“Daisy!” She exclaimed, surprised. “Agent May, I... why don't you two come in?”

Daisy hesitated but said nothing. That buzzing was back.

“I mean, if you'd like to.” Jiaying clarified. “I- I assume you want to talk.”

May nudged Daisy in the ribs, causing her to shift uncomfortably. “Yeah. If that's okay.”

Jiaying nodded and stepped aside to allow them entry. “Would you like some tea?”

“Sure.” Daisy mumbled, sinking into the nearest seat when Jiaying showed them to her living space. It was nice, if sparse. Only a few chairs, not much decoration, and minimal kitchen space. While Jiaying made tea, Daisy reached for May’s hand and closed her eyes, trying to calm the frantic feeling inside screaming at her to run. It's okay. She tried to assure herself. We're all gonna be okay.

Jiaying took far longer to make tea than was probably necessary, but Daisy barely noticed. When she placed the cups on the table and sat across from her, Daisy fought not to panic.

The steam from the tea swirl in the air and Jiaying sighed. “I'm sorry about yesterday.” She murmured. “The last thing I wanted to do was upset you. I've been trying to think of the best way to- to talk to you for a long time but... now I realise that I made it feel like a trap.”

Daisy said nothing, didn't look up, and May frowned at Jiaying's choice of words. “A long time?”

Jiaying was surprised for a moment before she smiled tiredly. “Yes. I've been... aware of you for a few years. I tried to hide you from Cal, but when he realised who you were he came to me. He wanted me to bring you here.” Jiaying murmured. “Take you alone, probably force you through terrigenesis. He thought that if you were here, things would be the way he wanted them to be.”

“Didn't you do that anyway?” The question burst out before Daisy could stop it. “Why- why wait this long?” Was she really that unwanted in the end? That her birth mother could find her and still want nothing to do with her?

“I tried, once.” Jiaying admitted quietly. “Or I thought about it. But then I saw how happy you were with your family. I had Gordon keep watch over you with instructions to bring you here only if you were in danger due to your inhuman biology.”

May nodded. “Thank you for saving us.”

Jiaying shook her head. “It's the least I could do. After all the pain I caused... I hope that I can begin to make up for it. I'd like to try, if you'll let me.”

Daisy was silent after that, and May noticed her shaking first. “Daisy.” She murmured, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It's okay.”

Daisy gasped for air. “I-I'm sorry- I don't- I can't d-do this- I...”

May hushed her, rubbing gentle circles on her back. “Just breathe. It's okay.”

Daisy sucked in shallow breaths, trying to force herself to calm down to moderate effect. She knew why this felt so wrong, why she was so scared. She loved May and could never ask for anyone to replace her, but there was still someone missing.

Once she had gotten a grip on herself she wiped her eyes surreptitiously and looked back up at Jiaying. “Can you bring my dad here?”

She felt May's hand still, but Daisy kept her eyes on Jiaying.

She cocked her head. “Phil Coulson?” Jiaying asked, as if she didn't already know.

Daisy shuddered. “I need him.”

“Your father is okay. I had Gordon check not long after you were brought here.” For the first time Jiaying looked uncomfortable. “I'm not sure if you know, but we have something of a rule about outsiders here.”

“I know.” Daisy murmured. “It's just hard to do this without him. I'm not trying to- to manipulate you, it'd just be a lot easier if I could talk to him.”

Jiaying sighed through her nose. “I'll bring him here.” She said. “As long as I have your word as a SHIELD agent that he'll bring no harm to anyone here.”

Daisy and May exchanged a look before nodding in unison. “He's a good man.” Daisy said.

“I'm sure he is.” Jiaying said. “He raised an incredible daughter.”

Living with Daisy and Melinda had put Phil Coulson in a lot of strange and disorientating situations over the years. Some pranks, the odd culinary experiment, and more than a few ridiculous sleeping positions he'd find them in after a long night.

That said, one second running through a building in Chicago chasing a lead on their location, the next feeling a hand grip his arm, and a moment after that finding himself breathing in cold mountain air was certainly a new one.

“Dad!”

Coulson stumbled backwards as something collided with him. He blinked in the new light, looking around, trying to see what had hit him. “Daisy?!” She nodded against him and he hugged her tightly. “You're okay. I was so worried.”

“I'm okay.” Daisy mumbled. “We're both okay.”

Both. “Melinda?” She was right there. Healthy and alive like nothing had happened.

She smiled. “Hi Phil.”

Coulson looked around. “Are we dead? Did- did I just walk off a building by accident?”

Daisy snorted and Melinda grinned. “We're not dead.” She assured, approaching to sandwich Daisy in a hug between them. “It's a long story.”

Daisy noticed Jiaying quietly walking away, leaving the three of them alone under the cherry blossom tree. Part of her wanted to call out, to thank her, but a stronger part of her needed to be with her dad right now. Her family.

So she stayed there, let May do most of the talking, and said very little herself. She just stayed there with her family and for the first time in several weeks, Daisy felt safe.

Daisy didn't see Jiaying for the rest of the day, instead taking the time to show Phil Afterlife, let him see how much more control she had over her powers now. She spotted Lincoln in the distance and saw May grin but neither said anything about him. Phil did tend to get overexcited about her relationships, and Lincoln had been through enough. She’d tell him all about Lincoln later, when the time came. In the meantime, she just wanted to enjoy having her dad around for the first time in over a week.

That was what she did for the rest of the day. Having Phil around was a breath of fresh air, and his excited attitude about anything and everything inhuman related made her anxiety take a backseat, at least for a while. Afterlife felt more welcoming somehow, and the day passed in such a blur that Daisy was surprised when the sun set behind the distant mountains, signalling the time for the lanterns to be lit and the three of them to go to bed.

But as the day wound down and her parents went to bed, her mind stopped having other things to focus on, and that creeping feeling of anxiety started crawling up her throat again, making her heart pound in her ears for what she knew was no good reason.

It didn't make sense for Jiaying to bring Phil here only to try to get rid of him. Jiaying wasn't going to hurt any of them, Daisy knew that.

That didn't mean someone else couldn't though.

Daisy rolled over in the dark, hoping that seeing them would help her calm down enough to sleep, but it was too dark.

She felt her heart begin to hammer in her chest and her breathing become faster and shallower, but Daisy refused to call out to them. She had already dragged them into this mess, forced them to deal with her crap, deal with Jiaying and her powers and this whole place, she wasn't going to take a good night's sleep away from them too.

And yet Daisy knew that she wasn't going to be able to sleep like this.

So, as quietly and slowly as she could, Daisy dragged the comforter from her bed down to the ground along with her pillow, and shuffled closer to her parents bed until she was right beside it. Could hear their breathing, just make out their sleeping forms.

Yeah. This would do.

It was easy to fall asleep like this. So easy, in fact, that Daisy hardly noticed that she had nodded off until her somewhat cozy nest was abruptly squashed and a familiar voice yelped and crashed to the ground. “What the hell?”

Daisy winced. “Sorry dad.” She muttered.

Phil crawled closer to her. “Daisy, why are you asleep on the floor?”

“It's better for your back.” She mumbled evasively.

Daisy didn't know how, but she could practically hear May roll her eyes. “Daisy get your ass up here.”

“No.” Daisy muttered. “I'm- I'm a grown ass woman, I'm not gonna just crawl into mom and dad's bed in the middle of the night.”

“Daisy.” Phil knew he didn't need to say anything else. She'd heard it all before. That she never had the chance to do this as a kid, that you were never too old to need comfort from the people who loved you.

She huffed and didn't move, so Phil scooted closer to her. “Daisy.” He said again, gently poking her in the ribs. “Get in the bed.” She ignored him so he poked her again. “Daisy.” Poke. “Move.”

An unbidden smile crept across Daisy's lips and she batted him away. “Quit it.”

Phil grinned. “You know how to make me.”

Daisy laughed silently. “Okay, jeez.” She muttered, crawling up under the covers. She could feel May shaking with quiet laughter as well as she wrapped an arm around her.

Phil stood, still smiling. “Be right back.” He said, heading for the bathroom.

Daisy settled into the bed that was probably too small for three of them, snuggling closer to May. “M'sorry.” She mumbled. “I know I'm being dumb.”

May shook her head. “You're dealing with a lot. You can be as dumb as you want.”

“So the rest of the time I can't be like this?”

May smiled. “When have I ever said no to you?”

Daisy snorted. “You know, the others don't believe me when I tell them you're the pushover.”

“Good.” May said, poking her. “You shouldn't spread lies like that.”

Daisy grinned, feeling her eyes starting to droop when Phil came back, hugging her from the other side. Daisy yawned. “I really love you guys.” She mumbled. “You know?”

Phil pressed a kiss to her hair. “Yeah Daisy.” He whispered. “We love you too.”

The smile didn't leave Daisy's face as her eyes drifted shut and let her muscles relax completely. This just felt so right. She felt so safe and loved that nothing else mattered at that moment.

They were her home.

Coulson had felt eyes on them all morning, but it was only after he had finished breakfast that he saw who it was. He knew before, but seeing the deep sadness in Jiaying's eyes, even from a distance, broke his heart a little. Yes, he knew that Daisy had no obligation to talk to Jiaying, and he knew that she was dealing with a lot, but he had felt Jiaying's helplessness before too. The fear and desperate hope that Daisy would choose them. Would open up to them.

He touched Daisy's arm gently, nodding surreptitiously towards Jiaying. She swallowed and shrugged a shoulder. “Be careful.”

“I promise.” He kissed Melinda briefly and gave Daisy a quick hug. “It'll be okay.”

He saw the guilty look dart across Jiaying's face as he approached, but to her credit she didn't look away. “Can we talk?” He asked quietly, so as not to be overheard.

“Of course.” She said. “Why don't I show you more of our sanctuary?”

Phil smiled. “That sounds great.”

He cut right to the chase as soon as they were out of earshot of the other Inhumans. “You understand why this is difficult for Daisy, right?”

“Of course.” Jiaying whispered. “It's my fault that this is difficult for her. After what she's been through...”

Phil raised his eyebrows, surprised. “She told you?”

She shook her head. “She didn't have to. I know that you adopted her when she was fifteen, and I know enough about the state of the foster system in America to know what it did to her.”

He sighed deeply. “It hurt her, a lot. Daisy's worked really hard to cope with a lot of her trauma since we first met, but some of that- it'll never go away.”

Jiaying cocked her head. “You feel guilt over it too.”

“Yes.”

“Why? You aren't the ones who lost her.”

“We could have found her sooner.” Phil murmured. “Hell, I never even tried to find her, she-she found me really.” When Jiaying looked at him expectantly, he smiled. She looked like Daisy. “She hacked my computer. That's how we first met.”

Jiaying froze for a moment, then laughed, and Phil was shocked at how alive she looked all of a sudden. “She was a troublemaker from the day she was born.”

“She did give me a lot of attitude at first.” Phil said fondly.

She smiled distantly. “She sounds more amazing than I could’ve ever imagined.”

“She is amazing.” Phil agreed. “She's so strong and driven, to be honest I'm inspired by it.” He laughed. “I know that sounds strange, but it's true.”

Jiaying shook her head. “It's not strange.” She worked her lip between her teeth. “Would you- would you tell me more about her? Nothing you'd be uncomfortable sharing, just... what's she like?”

“Of course.” Phil murmured. “She's... well, she's Daisy.” He settled onto the grass, Jiaying sitting beside him. “She's stubborn as hell, and she's always doing the right thing.” He smiled to himself. “She can fall asleep just about anywhere, and sometimes she snores. She gets so mad when I tell her.”

Jiaying smiled. “Cal used to snore.” She said quietly.

“Maybe it's hereditary.” Phil said. “Her pranks are definitely a learned behaviour though, her and Melinda have been in enough prank wars to prove that.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Maybe when you're not caught in the crossfire.” Phil chuckled. “She... oh, she loves soccer, always has. She was a really good player in high school and college, and even now she's always convincing the team to split up and play in the hanger. And she can eat just about anything, especially really spicy foods. She won't tell me what her favourite food is and I still don't know if it's because she doesn't have one or cos she doesn't want to say.” He was so lost in his thoughts and memories and love for his daughter that Phil almost forgot that he was talking to someone. When his eyes found Jiaying again, it was to see her shoulders hunched and her expression lost.

Jiaying let out a long sigh. “It's so hard to accept that she's gone.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Is it wrong to say that I don't love her? I-I can't, I barely know her.” Admitting it felt like a knife in the chest. What kind of mother didn’t love her child?

Phil shook his head. “It's not wrong. You lost a baby. Daisy- she was a baby the last time you saw her. Now she's all grown up. She’s a different person who’s lived a lifetime without you.”

“I want to love her.” She murmured. “I- I want to have the chance to.” Jiaying's shoulders shook. “I know that- that I'm not her mother, not in the way that matters, and I know that the only thing I ever did for her was lose her, but... I just want to know- what kind of person the little girl I lost has become without me.”

Phil put a hand on her shoulder. “She'll come around. She's just as confused and scared as you are right now. Maybe more.”

Jiaying laughed humourlessly. “She's afraid I'm going to take her away from you. I understand that I suppose. All I've ever done is cause her pain.”

“It's not about you.” Phil murmured. “It's about all the families she had in the system. She knows that this fear she’s feeling is not really about you, and she's trying to work through it.”

“She shouldn't need to work through it.” Jiaying muttered. “She shouldn't- she's been through enough pain because of me, now I'm just putting more on her. I should never have told her who I am. I-I should just send you all home.”

“No!” Phil exclaimed. “No, please don't.”

“Why not?”

Phil groaned internally, hating that he had to explain. “Look, I- Daisy needs this. You might not be her mother anymore, but she needs a chance to get some kind of closure over what happened to her, and so do you.” He hesitated. “I told you we first met when she hacked my computer, do you know why she was doing that?”

Jiaying shook her head.

“She was looking for you.” He said earnestly. “Fifteen years old and she still wanted to find you. She couldn't let go of that hope. Even after she found us, she wanted to keep her birth name. We- we are her family, but you're where she comes from, and she knows that.”

Jiaying pursed her lips. “I'm glad that she has you.” She murmured. “That she found a family who loves her, even after...”

“Thank you. And she found you in the end too. Well, you found her.”

“Too late.” Jiaying whispered. “Far too late.”

“Hey!” Daisy's voice surprisingly close made them both jump and Jiaying wipe her eyes. “Everything okay?”

Phil gave her a smile and a nod as Daisy came to a stop. “We're fine, thanks Daisy.”

Daisy frowned at the sight of Jiaying sitting on the grass, her eyes a little red. She bit the inside of her lip, weighing her options. “Hey, are you okay?” She asked, hesitantly reaching a hand towards Jiaying before letting it drop back to her side without making contact.

Jiaying smiled, standing up. “I'm fine, thank you Daisy.” She said. “I should go, there are matters for me to attend to.” She extended a hand to help Phil stand up. “Thank you.”

He stood, shaking his head. “Any time.”

Phil couldn't help but notice the look on Daisy's face as Jiaying walked away, past May. “You okay honey?”

Daisy sighed. “I don't know.”

Lincoln slid down the mountain in the late afternoon, his eyes narrowed slightly and a lopsided grin on his face. “You know, this is kind of my spot.”

Daisy looked up at him. “Well you shouldn't have shown it to me then.”

He snorted. “Oh, that's how it is?”

“That's how it is.” Daisy grinned.

Lincoln sat down beside her. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Daisy laughed quietly. “You don't have to like, be my shoulder because of this. Don't get me wrong I-I like being with you, just... this is all pretty new. I'm not gonna dump you if you don't want to get involved in this.”

Lincoln shrugged. “I want to help, if I can. I guess it's a doctor thing.”

“Oh, it’s just a doctor thing, is it?” Daisy asked innocently, smirking as she looked out over the expanse before them.

He smiled. “Maybe not just a doctor thing. Do you want to talk about it?”

Daisy sighed. “Not much to talk about.” She mumbled. “I just need some time.”

“Are you trying to hide?”

“I guess.”

Lincoln extended a hand. “There are better places than this. I'll show you.”

Daisy cocked her head and took his hand. “Where are we going?”

“There are a few spots around Afterlife, out of sight. I understand needing to be alone sometimes.”

“Are you just trying to get me to leave your spot?”

Lincoln smiled. “I'd never want you to leave, Daisy.”

“Sap.” She muttered. “Okay, show me your super secret make out spots.”

“Your words, not mine.”

It turned out to be exactly what Daisy had wanted. One of the houses was built on a slope, held up with bamboo struts. The space underneath was a little dark and cool, but it was private. Out of sight from all sides unless someone came looking under this specific house.

Daisy collapsed onto the ground with a heavy sigh. “It's perfect.” She breathed.

Lincoln chuckled and sat beside her. “I'm glad. Seems like you need the alone time.” The silent question hung in the air between them.

Daisy smiled up at him. “I can be alone while you're here.” She mumbled.

He settled down beside her, looking at the light streaming through the gaps in the wood. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I'm just being dumb.” Daisy muttered. “First I was- I thought Jiaying wanted to take me away from my family, then I thought she'd try to get rid of my parents, now I don't know what's stopping me.”

“It's okay if you don't want to talk to her you know. Even if she's not trying to hurt people you love. You can be mad at her.”

Daisy sighed. “I'm not though. I know she didn't just give me up, I know she wanted me and it- it must have hurt her to lose me like she did.”

“That doesn't mean it's your job to fix it.”

“I know. I just... I care about her, I guess. Not as- as a mom or even as family, I just see how much this hurts her and I want to help.”

Lincoln smiled. “Sounds like you'd make a good doctor.”

“I'm not that smart.”

“Eh.” Lincoln shrugged. “Me neither.”

“I feel like I should have some kind of connection with her, you know? Like the second I met her I should have known who she was or something. But even now she's just like... a nice person I met. Maybe I just don't get family.”

“Hey, I've seen you with your mom and dad.” Lincoln said. “You get family just fine. Maybe in another lifetime Jiaying would have been your family, but you two barely know each other now.”

“I should talk to her.” Daisy said in a small voice. “I'm just... I'm still scared. I know I'm not what she expected me to be.”

Lincoln paused. “I think she expected you to be amazing.” He murmured. “And you are.”

Daisy scoffed, looking away from him. “When are you gonna stop being so nice to me?”

“Never.” Lincoln teased, making them both laugh softly.

Daisy elbowed him gently in the ribs. “Tell me something that's bothering you. You've been all over my crap, what gets to you?”

“Well, there's this girl I'm seeing, I'm really worried about her.” Lincoln teased.

Daisy laughed. “I'm serious.” She muttered, shoving him. “Everything with us has been about me, I don't want that.”

Lincoln laughed. “I don't know, I-I'm trying to balance being this and finishing med school?” He offered. “I don't really have that much family drama.”

“Must be nice.”

His expression turned. “Not really.”

Daisy winced. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean...”

Lincoln shook his head. “It's okay. I haven't really talked to my parents in... years now. They're both addicts. My mom's in rehab, I don't know about my dad. I tried to help them for a-a really long time, but I guess I wasn't enough for them.”

Daisy hesitantly took his hand. “I know what that feels like. It's not your fault.”

Lincoln squeezed her hand. “I know.” He murmured. “I just wish I could help them. Maybe that's why I wanted to get into medicine. I thought I could fix them.”

“I don't think that's it.” Daisy said. “I think- you went through a lot of pain, and you came out of it wanting to help other people. That makes you… really strong.”

He turned his had to look at her and smiled. “You did the same thing.”

Daisy smiled back. “I guess I'm kind of strong too.” She said, then frowned. “But we're not meant to be talking about me right now!”

Lincoln chuckled. “Sorry, I just- I like talking about you.”

Daisy smiled suggestively, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “We don't have to talk at all.”

He smiled back, but there was hesitation in his eyes. Lincoln swallowed. “Can I-”

Before he could ask, Daisy surged towards him, her lips crashing against his and her legs straddling him as he fell back against the cool grass. Lincoln quickly responded, wrapping one arm around her back and burying the other in her hair, feeling his heart hammer in his chest and his powers buzz under his skin.

Daisy snaked one hand under his shirt, shuddering when Lincoln nipped her bottom lip. Heat flooded her body, and she gasped when he kissed a line along her jaw, his teeth grazing her ear. With barely any thought, Daisy flipped them over again, the cold ground a slight shock to her flushed skin.

Lincoln looked down at her, his eyes shining with arousal. “Is this okay?” He asked breathlessly.

“Don't stop.” Daisy begged, pushing herself upwards to capture his lips with hers, one hand moving down to his belt and her eyes fluttering shut when his tongue found a particular spot on her neck that made her powers escape her control for the briefest moment.

Lincoln hesitated, feeling the ground quake, but before he could say anything Daisy guided his hand to cup her breast and the ability to speak left him.

A desperate, needy sound left Daisy's throat at the contact. She wasn't sure if Lincoln's powers were playing up as well or if his touch was just that electric, but she needed it.

An awkward cough, unexpectedly close to them sent Lincoln rocketing backwards off of her and Daisy quickly became aware that her shirt and pants were unbuttoned, that Lincoln's pants were undone, and that her parents were standing right there.

With Jiaying.

Daisy pulled the sides of her shirt together and held it closed, feeling her face flush. She knew that she hadn't done anything wrong, but she still couldn't think of what to say.

Jiaying nodded to Lincoln. “Lincoln.” She greeted, giving no indication that she had just found the two of them hitting third base under a house.

Lincoln flushed, his eyes wide. “I- Jiaying- I... hi, um, Agent May, it's- it's good to see you?”

May said nothing, giving him a curt look. Daisy would have sworn she could hear Lincoln gulp. “I- um, I guess I should... go?” With barely a backwards glance, Lincoln scrambled away, hurriedly buttoning his pants as he stumbled past May, Coulson, and Jiaying.

Jiaying watched him go and maintained her composure for almost ten seconds before bursting out laughing, hanging from one of the braces to stay upright. “Sorry- I'm sorry!” She gasped, unable to keep from laughing.

Daisy groaned loudly, burying her face in her hands as she saw May laughing too, snickering into her hand, her shoulders shaking.

Phil bit his lip. “So... Lincoln, was it?”

Daisy glared at him. “Shut up, dad.”

He chuckled and extended a hand to help her up. “I'm sorry. We noticed the ground shaking and didn't know where you were. We got worried.”

Daisy crossed her arms and looked away, still blushing.

Coulson waited for someone else to say something. When no one did, he hummed. “He seems nice.”

“Can we like, not talk about this?” Daisy muttered, mortified. “Actually, let's all walk away and pretend this never happened, okay?”

Jiaying laughed breathlessly, finally gaining control of herself. “I'm sorry.” She said. “We didn't mean to interrupt.”

Daisy sighed. “I- it's okay.” She said to the ground. “Actually, I was hoping we could... talk. You and me.”

When she looked up it was to see Jiaying staring at her, eyes wide. She clearly hadn't expected that. “Oh! I- of course,” She glanced to Coulson and May. “I don't know- if you'd prefer your parents were there...”

Daisy looked at them, Phil still looking thrilled that she had a new boyfriend and the subtle shine of pride in May's eyes. “I-I think I'll be okay. I'd like to go change my clothes first though.”

May grinned at her, a hint of mischief in her eyes, and Daisy glared subtly. “Is fifteen minutes okay?” She asked, “I can meet you by the archway.”

Jiaying smiled. “That sounds perfect.”

“Great.” Daisy grinned, still looking slightly embarrassed. “I'll just go change then.” She caught the sly look May was giving her and pointedly backed away from them, concealing any marks which may or may not have been on the back of her shirt.

May snorted as she rounded the side of the house. “Subtle.” She said with a laugh.

For as much as Daisy tried to convince herself not to be nervous, she was grateful to see her parents sitting under a cherry blossom tree in the middle distance of the archway as she walked over. She smiled when a flower fluttered down onto Phil's leg and he gently tucked it behind May's ear, imagined her scoffing at him for being so sappy but also knew deep down that May loved it.

Daisy was so caught up watching them that she found herself almost walking right into Jiaying. “Sorry.” She muttered.

Jiaying shook her head. “It's alright.” She said. “They are a lovely couple.”

Daisy smiled to herself. “Yeah. When I first met them I didn't really get it. May was so quiet.”

Jiaying shrugged. “Some couples are just like that. Would you like to walk?”

“Sure.” Daisy said, forcing a smile. She was trying not to be nervous or scared. It was hard though. “I-I'm sorry if I broke any rules. With Lincoln, I mean.”

Jiaying narrowed her eyes with the barest hint of humour to her. “Do you think we have some kind of purity laws here?”

Daisy snorted. “I don't know.” She muttered. “I just try to follow the rules.”

“There are no rules Daisy.” Jiaying smiled. “And for what it's worth, Lincoln is a good man. I don't know the extent of your relationship, but... you could do a lot worse.”

Daisy bit the inside of her lip. She was trying to be more open with Jiaying, trying to make an effort. She could do this. “I really like him.” She said quietly.

Jiaying's smile widened. “I can see that he likes you too.” She said warmly. “I'm glad you got something good from your time here.”

“Hey, a lot of good stuff's happened while I've been here!” Daisy protested.

Jiaying sighed. “I know, just... most of that wasn't because of me.” Her footsteps stopped and she looked out over the mountains and the sky. “I'm sorry, Daisy.” She murmured. “I never wanted to trap you like I did. I had- some fantasy in my mind about how meeting you would be, how you would react to knowing who I was, and I let that rule me.” She wiped her eye with the heel of her hand.

Daisy hesitantly put one hand on her shoulder. “It's- okay.” She tried to assure. “I get it. The whole time I was in foster care I had all these stories in my head about how my parents were out there trying to find me. How- how perfect they'd be.”

“We were looking for you.” Jiaying whispered. “For years we searched, did anything to find you. Then one day I-I looked in the mirror and saw what I was turning into, and I thought... that kind of person doesn't deserve a daughter. Cal didn't see it. I suppose he was better in the end. At least he never gave up.”

Daisy shook her head. “He tried to kill my dad. He- he wanted me to be the baby he lost so much that he tried to kill the people I loved.”

“I'm sorry.”

“No, I don't mean... I mean you're not exactly being the worst about this.”

“I guess not.” Jiaying smiled. After a moment of silence, she fished around in her pocket. “I made this for you before you were born.” She said, drawing out a faded thread which Daisy recognised as a fortune knot. “I know it hasn't served you very well in the past, but I thought you might like it.”

Daisy took the knot, feeling the material between her fingers. “You kept it this whole time?”

Jiaying nodded. “I don't know how much Cal told you about that night but... there was fire. Destruction.” She closed her eyes to keep herself from getting too upset. “There wasn't much left of you to hold on to.”

“I'm sorry.” Daisy murmured again. “I can't imagine what that was like for you.”

Jiaying gave her an odd look and then laughed to herself. “For me.” She repeated. “Daisy, you are... something special. After everything you've been through, you still worry more about others.”

Daisy shrugged. “I just- I know how much pain losing me caused you.”

“Not just for me.” Jiaying said. “All the pain of your childhood, that could have been avoided if I hadn't lost you.”

“That doesn't make it your fault.” Daisy muttered, kicking her feet as they walked. “The only people to blame are the ones who did it. Hydra and... those people.”

Jiaying was tempted to take her hand, but thought better of it. “I'm sorry for what they did to you.” She murmured.

“Thank you.” It was hard to accept sympathy, but Daisy knew she had to try. “And... thank you for saving May when we got here.”

Jiaying raised an eyebrow, surprised. “I couldn't let her die. You already lost one family because of me, the least I could do was help you keep the one you have.”

“I was scared you'd try to take them away. It was stupid.”

Jiaying shook her head. “No. After Cal, after... everything else, it makes sense. I should have let you feel more comfortable here before I told you, not sprung it on you.”

“I forgive you.” Daisy said with the hint of a smile. “I mean at least you didn't show up out of nowhere and try to kill my dad. You showed up out of nowhere and saved me and my mom.” She bit her lip. “I- I actually wanted to ask about that. My powers... when I saw May in danger they just kind of burst out of me and... well I did a lot of damage. I know I haven't had a lot of practice controlling my powers yet but- could that happen again?”

“Potentially.” Jiaying murmured, catching a leaf that fluttered towards her. “But your powers reacting like that wasn't spontaneous. It was born from the need to protect the people you love.”

Daisy sighed. “Please don't tell me I need to let them go.”

“I'd never tell you to do that.” Jiaying said quietly, manipulating the leaf back and forth from green and lush to brown and dried. “But I will remind you that Agent May is a very strong, skilled woman, and that your control will only grow with time.”

Daisy smiled. “So as long as no one tries to kill someone I care about in the next month or so, I'll be fine?”

Jiaying laughed. “I suppose you could put it like that.” She let the leaf flutter away in the breeze. “Though I suppose in your line of work that's easier said than done.”

Daisy worked her bottom lip between her teeth. “Maybe I could come back some time to keep working on it.” She suggested quietly. “If that's okay.”

Jiaying froze, stunned. “I... I'd like that. You and anyone in your family is welcome whenever you'd like.”

Daisy smiled. “Thank you. And if SHIELD can do anything to help you, you know where we are.”

Phil and May were still sitting under the tree when Daisy returned. She smirked at the sight of them. Sure, she appreciated their being close, ready to help her if she needed them, and she loved them.

But now was the time for a little bit of revenge.

Daisy crept closer to them, keeping her footsteps silent until she was close enough to direct her powers at the tree, causing a heavy cascade of pink flowers to snow down on them, getting a surprised yelp from May.

Daisy laughed and flopped down beside them. “Hi.”

May rolled her eyes and messed up her hair playfully. “Brat.” She muttered, shaking her head to rid it of the flowers.

Phil smiled at her and threw a handful of blossoms over Daisy's head. “How did it go?”

She grinned and sat up. “Good. Really good. Jiaying says I can come back any time if I wanna practice with my powers. And...” She fished something from her pocket. “She gave me this.”

May cocked her head at the knot, smiling gently. “My grandma gave me one of these when I was a little girl.” She murmured. “I always meant to make you one.”

“You still could, if you wanted.”

“I know.” May said, brushing a flower from Daisy's shoulder. “But it's nice that you have this one. It's where you're from.”

“My roots.” Daisy smiled at it. “It even kind of looks like roots.”

Phil snorted. “Sure, the most symmetrical roots in the world.”

Daisy hummed. “Still. What have you guys been up to?”

“Oh we went to have a talk with Lincoln.”

Daisy gaped. “You did not.”

Phil maintained a straight face for five seconds before laughing. “You're right, we didn't.”

May grinned and Daisy scowled. “Jerks.”

Coulson smiled. “I know you really like him.” He said, fidgeting a little. “And- well, I was thinking, if you were comfortable with it, there might be a place for Lincoln with SHIELD as a medic and Inhuman liaison. If you want.”

Daisy scanned his words for any trace of humour. If she was honest, she hadn't really thought about how she would make things work with Lincoln. Long distance maybe. “I-I think that'd be nice.” She mumbled, flushing. “But I don't need you trying to like, push us together.”

“Oh you seemed to be doing a pretty good job of pushing yourselves together on your own.” May teased.

Daisy groaned. “I told you, we're pretending that never happened.”

Phil grinned. “If you keep it up pretty soon we'll be hearing the pitter patter of tiny Inhuman feet around the base.”

Daisy laughed and shoved him. “Shut up, we met like a few weeks ago.”

May huffed, trying to ignore how her heartbeat picked up at the idea, and at Daisy's apparent ease with it. “My baby isn't having babies any time soon.”

“Yeah.” Daisy agreed, “Someday, but not now. No matter how much you want to be a grandpa.”

The light in Daisy's eyes shouldn't make her want to scream. Her daughter's happiness and potential shouldn't terrify Melinda, but it did. She fought to keep it from showing, but then that idea came back into her mind. A little girl with powers like Daisy's. Like... “I’m going to get some air.” May said abruptly, pushing herself to her feet.

Daisy looked up at her, surprised “Are you okay? If all the talking is too much, we can stop.”

May plastered on her most convincing fake smile. “I'm fine.” She murmured, brushing Daisy's hair with her fingertips. “Just need some alone time.”

Phil took her hand gently. “You promise?”

Their concern made her want to cry. Made her want to tell them everything, but May knew she could never do that. “Promise.” She whispered, squeezing his hand before pulling away.

Melinda kept her head up as she walked away, kept her back straight and her stride certain. As much as she wanted to curl in on herself, she knew that Phil and Daisy were watching. She knew that they wanted her to be okay, and the instant they saw that she wasn't, they would be there. Trying to help.

She wished they could understand that she didn't deserve it.

At least May knew that they wouldn't follow her. Whether upset or not, Phil and Daisy both knew that sometimes she just needed to be alone.

She rounded a house to be out of sight of them and leaned against the wall, letting her eyes flicker shut and her shoulders to shake. That little girl's face was so clear in her mind now. Had she lived here? Where there people here who knew her?

Melinda tilted her head up and tried to focus on her breathing. She knew that no matter what she did, she would never really be free from what she did in Bahrain. Part of her had known that when she was there. That for the rest of her life she would be plagued by nightmares and flashbacks and would never really be herself again, and she had decided that it was a worthy sacrifice.

“Agent May?”

Melinda almost jumped out of her skin at the voice, impossibly close. She turned and saw Jiaying's face emerging from a window a few feet away. She took a stabilising breath, willing herself to calm down.

Jiaying grimaced. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. Is everything alright?”

May nodded. “I just needed some air.”

“Oh. I see.” Jiaying hesitated. “May I show you something? I've just found it.”

May shrugged. “Sure.” She hoped it would be quick. As much as she liked and respected Jiaying, she didn't really want company right now.

Jiaying smiled, disappeared from the window, and reappeared from the door a little further up a moment later. She was grasping something in her hand, what looked like a small piece of paper. “I'd hidden it away so long ago that I thought I'd lost it.” Jiaying murmured. “Looking at it hurt too much.”

May took the offered picture, her lips twisting into a smile at what she saw. “Daisy.” Barely six months old, already with a mop of dark hair, her expression fixed intensely on whoever was taking the picture.

Jiaying hummed. “She was very... handsy.” She said, a distant look on her face. “I suppose she was curious, anything she wanted she'd hold onto.”

“She hasn't changed that much then.”

“She's grown up.” Jiaying murmured. “And I'm so happy that she found a family. That she found you.”

May looked at the baby in the picture and felt her stomach twist. “I'm glad she found us too. I'm just sorry she had to lose you for that to happen.”

Jiaying shook her head. “I've... accepted it, I suppose. I'll always miss my baby, but she's gone now. She's yours.”

May held out the picture for her to take, but Jiaying shook her head. “She's yours.” She repeated. “You've raised a woman who's brave and strong and puts others before herself. You should be proud.”

“I am.” May said quietly. “But I don't think she'd be any of that if I'd been around when she was a child.”

Jiaying hesitated. “You think that her childhood was... necessary?”

May shook her head. “No, of course not. I'm just... not good with kids.” Her voice shook as she said it. Understatement of the century.

Jiaying bit the inside of her lip. She had tried bringing up something secret once, and it had blown up in her face. Terrified Daisy to the point of a panic attack and had taken almost a week to undo. Springing this kind of information on people was probably a bad idea, yet she wasn't sure what else she could do. It was clear that May carried a lot of guilt and pain. She had to at least try to alleviate it.

“I saw you once, you know.” Jiaying murmured. “A long time ago. Before you had Daisy.”

The picture in May's hand shook. “What was her name?” She asked in a cracked voice.

Jiaying looked down. “Katya.” She whispered.

May nodded to herself, blinking back tears. Katya. After so long she finally had a name. “And- you still want me looking after your-”

“Listen to me.” Jiaying cupped May's hand in hers, forcing her to look up. “That child died the second her mother put her through the mist. There was nothing you could have done for her. She was too far gone.”

“Which makes what I did right?!”

“There was no right and you know it.” Jiaying said firmly. “We both know what it's like to be thinking about the same day for years, trying to find some kind of reason for it. And we both know that there was nothing that could be done to help Katya. Not by you.” She smiled weakly. “My two biggest failures were losing Daisy and losing Katya. Her mother forced her through the mist against my wishes, and it destroyed her. I lost two children, and somehow, they both found their way to you.”

“For better or worse.”

“You did what I couldn't. What I would have done if I’d had the chance. You saved countless lives, and you raised Daisy in a loving home. I can never thank you enough for that.”

“I shot her.” May exclaimed, wrenching her hand free. “You- you can't thank me for shooting a little girl.”

“It wasn't your fault.” Jiaying said again. “I know how much it must haunt you and how much it hurts, but it wasn't your fault.”

Melinda's fingers tightened on the photo. She felt sick. Talking about it brought back memories, the sound of Katya's voice, the plaintive way she asked May to be her mother now. Just the memory send a chill down her spine.

But then she remembered Jiaying. This woman who had already had her baby taken from her in the worst possible way, who had to endure decades of pain and guilt trying to come to terms with that. If what May had done, terrible though it was, had saved her further pain...

Maybe that made it a little better.

May swallowed thickly. “I wish I could have saved her.”

Jiaying smiled sadly. “So do I.” She murmured. “Every day. But you can't save everyone, no matter how you try. And even after everything, you still saved Daisy.”

May huffed a humourless laugh. “I didn't do anything. She found us all on her own.”

“You could have turned her away. You had reason to. But you chose to become her mother instead.”

“She would have been fine without me.”

“And yet you helped her anyway.” Jiaying fiddled with her hands. She didn’t want to overstep, but she knew what it looked like to live with that kind of secret. “Do they... do they know?”

May shook her head quietly.

“You should tell them.”

She scoffed. “No.”

Jiaying hesitated. “I'm sure they'd understand.”

“Maybe.” May admitted. “But they'd never look at me the same. Daisy spend her whole childhood terrified of the kind of people who- who would hurt a child, and if I told her...” She shuddered. “I can't.”

Jiaying sighed. “I understand.” She murmured. “I just wanted you to know the truth. That it wasn't your fault.”

“Thank you.” May said quietly. “And... thank you for this.” She nodded to the picture.

Jiaying shook her head. “Thank you, for raising her.”

“Best decision of my life.”

6 Months Later

Daisy flexed her fingers as she walked through the corridors of the base. Her new gauntlets were really good, they absorbed a lot more of her powers than before, and they didn't give as much feedback as they did so. She got tired of them getting so hot, it made her hands all sweaty.

Plus they looked a lot cooler. Jemma had scoffed when she had asked them to make them more badass, but she had a feeling that Fitz had done her a favour.

It was slow going with her powers sometimes. Today felt good though. More for prescribed practice than anything, Maria had located an abandoned compound a few hours drive away where Daisy could practice without worry. Sometimes company went with her, but today had just been Daisy. If she was honest, she preferred it that way. It was easier to use her powers when the only one at risk was herself. She still had nightmares about May dying on that football field.

Daisy was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the soft footsteps creeping up on her from behind, at least not until she felt a now familiar zap on her side and yelped, spinning in place. “Lincoln!”

Lincoln laughed softly and kissed her in welcome. “Hi beautiful.”

Daisy smiled against him. “Hey. They didn't tell me you were coming in today.”

“I didn't know I would be. At least your mom keeps it under wraps when she kidnaps me from my hospital. She didn't talk to me the whole flight here.”

Daisy laughed. “She likes you.”

“Sure.”

“She does!” She exclaimed. “She just likes messing with you more.”

Lincoln grinned. “Comforting. Your dad's making dinner.”

“Oh thank God, I'm starving.” Daisy groaned. “Come on.”

Lincoln stumbled when she hurried away still grasping his hand. “Hey, hang on!” He laughed. “Didn't your mom pack you a lunch?”

Daisy scoffed, not stopping. “If my mom packed me anything it'd be a grenade.”

“But I've got nothing to worry about.”

“I told you, she likes you!”

“And I told you, I don't believe you.”

Daisy was about to retort when she pushed open the door to the mess hall and saw an unexpected figure standing there. “Jiaying!” She exclaimed, darting forwards to give her a quick hug. “Hey! It's good to see you!”

She smiled. “It's good to see you too Daisy. I'm sorry to drop in like this, I wanted to discuss some things.” She eyed Coulson's cooking. “I didn't realise it was a special night.”

Daisy laughed and moved to see what Phil was cooking, kissing his cheek in hello. “I'm pretty sure he did most of this cos you're here.” She nudged him. “Right?”

Phil chuckled. “What can I say, I've got one trick to impress people and it's worked pretty well so far.”

Daisy grinned. “Worked on me.”

“And me.” May said, appearing in the doorway. “Only reason I keep him around.”

“Hurtful.” Phil pouted. “Ah ah ah! Ten feet from the stove, you know the rules!”

May rolled her eyes and threw a dish towel at him “Get me a scotch then.”

“On it.” Daisy nodded. “Jiaying, do you want something? We've got a decent red wine.”

Jiaying shifted awkwardly. “Oh, I wasn't- planning on staying long.”

“What, no! You have to!” Daisy exclaimed. “Come on, dad's making carbonara.”

She looked away. Daisy could see that she was eating at her defences. “I don't want to intrude.”

“You're not intruding.” Phil said with a kind smile. “The more the merrier.”

Daisy nodded. “Yeah, and Fitzsimmons will be here soon, they can tell you about the upgrades they added to my gauntlets, they've been figuring out how to adapt them for different powers and things.”

May poured a glass of wine and walked over to Jiaying, handing it to her. “She's not gonna let you leave.” She said softly. “Just go with it.”

Jiaying sighed, trying to hide how happy it made her. “Alright.”

Daisy beamed. “Great!” She said brightly, hopping over to Lincoln and handing him a beer.

There was a comforting fullness in Daisy's heart as she chatted with Jiaying about her gauntlets and told Lincoln about their missions. She watched Fitzsimmons show off their tech and Maria unsubtly interrogate Lincoln, hiding a smile around her beer as she turned and saw her parents watching her.

Neither of them looked away at being caught. May's warm expression didn't change, Phil's became more tinged with pride, and Daisy fought not to shrink away, feeling her cheeks getting hot.

She was used to them being proud of her by now, used to having people around her who loved her. Sometimes it was a hard thing to be used to, knowing how it could still be torn away, but Daisy knew that her family was stronger than that. They could weather earthquakes and nazis and everything in between, and looking between all of them right now, Daisy knew that nothing could take them away from her.