"I thought I might be seeing you." Daisy sat in front of what was left of the ruined base's back door, looking up at Fitz and the large duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

Fitz lowered his head. "Please, Daisy, just let me go."

"Not a chance. Look, I've been where you are. Last year, I was the one sneaking out of the base in the middle of the night. I remember feeling so broken, so worthless. Just being around you guys was a reminder of all the hurt I'd caused. I thought leaving would spare you all—and myself—from more pain, but-"

"Daisy-"

"But that didn't work, did it? You guys were hurt that I'd abandoned you, and I wasn't getting any better on my own. It took me way too long to realize that leaving the people who cared about me was a mistake...a selfish mistake." She stood up and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not letting you follow in my messed-up footsteps. Now go back to bed or I'll quake you there."

Fitz shrugged off her touch. "I can't sleep, Daisy! When I close my eyes, I see myself torturing inhumans...torturing you..."

"Well...I almost choked you to death last year, so we'll call it even."

"...or holding a gun to Jemma's head..." Tears filled his eyes.

"I get it, Fitz. I do. It must be really hard for you to be around Simmons right now. You probably feel full of guilt every time you look at her."

"Yeah. And she keeps trying to make me feel better, which only makes me feel worse. She should be furious with me, yelling at me. I don't deserve her...kindness." He slumped against the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

Daisy sat beside him. "You do deserve it. I promise you that you do. If it wasn't for you, Simmons would still be on that horrible planet! Or dead! How many times have you risked your life for her? Giving her the oxygen at the bottom of the ocean, two trips to Maveth-"

"None of that matters now! I almost killed her in the Framework! I would have killed her if Radcliffe hadn't stopped me! How-how do I live with that?"

"How will you live with yourself if you break Simmons's heart? Because if she wakes up tomorrow morning and you're not here, I guarantee you she'll be heartbroken!" Her voice softened. "Please don't do that to her. Not after everything she's been through."

Fitz was quiet for several seconds. "You're right. Leaving would be selfish. I just...I just don't know how we can get past this."

Daisy shrugged. "I don't know either. But you will. I still believe that you two are meant to be together."

He turned to look at her. "You do?"

"No doubt. Someday I'm going to wear an ugly bridesmaid dress for you guys….Someday I'll be babysitting curly-haired British babies doing science experiments in their parents' basement."

Fitz smiled. "Jemma would be an amazing mum."

"And you'll be an awesome dad."

The smile faded. "I don't think so. You've seen what my dad was like. Hardly father of the year."

"You're not him, Fitz. You're a good person."

"I wish I could believe that."

"I know. I'll keep saying it until you do." She offered him a hand to help him off the floor.

"Thanks, Daisy."

She gave him a hug. "You're welcome. Now get back to bed before Simmons realizes you're gone and freaks out."

Fitz crept into the room he shared with Jemma, stripped down to his boxer shorts, and climbed into bed beside his sleeping girlfriend.

He could feel the bed moving as she tossed and turned. Moments later she was crying in her sleep. Fitz rubbed her back and whispered words of comfort.

"Fitz?" She mumbled, still half-asleep.

"Yeah?"

As she started waking up, she moved closer to him. "I...had a dream. A terrible dream."

He continued rubbing her back. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"We were on Maveth together. The portal opened and we were holding hands to go through it, but then you let go of me. I went back to our world and you were trapped in that awful place." Her eyes shone with unshed tears. "I kept trying, but I couldn't make the portal open again. I lost you forever."

He wrapped his arms around her and she did the same. "It's okay now. It was just a dream. You're not going to lose me, Jemma. I'm staying right here."

Thanks for reading! Any feedback is appreciated. :)