DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except for the plot
AN: Looking for a beta if anyone is interested. Please review!
Coulson's POV
"Mack, are you sure you can't stay?" I know as soon as I ask what his answer will be. He shakes his head. "I'm sorry director. I hate seeing her like this, and there's nothing I can do to help her here. This mission will at least give me something meaningful to do." I nod, knowing what he means. We all felt helpless in the face of Skye- Daisy' s grief, but as her partner Mack felt it the most. So far the only thing any of us had been able to do was stand outside her room, listening to the heavy silence and knocking to no avail. She wouldn't eat, didn't sleep, and for the most part, didn't move. "Stay safe out there. Try to make contact as soon as possible," I say, standing up to shake Mack's hand. This will be the last time I see him for awhile. "Will do, Director," Mack shakes my hand and walks away, heading to Daisy's room, and I know he's going to try to say goodbye to her. I wonder how much luck he'll have.
Mack's POV
I walk to Daisy's room, knowing the chances of getting a response are slim. Still, I can't just leave without telling her goodbye. I knock on the door. "Open up Tremors. I'm leaving and you gotta tell me goodbye." To my surprise the door opens only a minute or so later. I'm greeted with Daisy's pale, tired face. The shadows under her eyes were more prominent than I'd ever seen, and though there were no tears on her face, her pain was obvious. I'd never seen her look so exhausted and beaten down. It was enough to make me want to cry. "You're leaving?" Her voice is so small; she sounds nothing like the girl I once knew. "Yeah, I'm going on assignment. Don't worry, I'll be back soon, ready to kick your butt in COD," I tell her. She doesn't need to know how dangerous the mission is, or how uncertain my return is. She gives me a faint smile that doesn't reach her eyes, and steps forward to give me a hug. "Stay safe," she whispers. I nod but all I'm thinking about is how I can feel every bone in her body when I put my arms around her. "You too," I say. "Eat something, okay?" "Okay," she says. I give her one last hug, then head to the hangar. I look back once, and see her still standing outside her door, watching me leave. I wave and she returns it halfheartedly. "Goodbye Tremors," I say under my breath.
Daisy's POV
I lean against my door, rendered motionless by the heavy sense of loss weighing on my chest. Lincoln was gone; he would never return. Now I'm watching Mack walk away, and who knows if I'll see him again. I wish he'd stay, but I can't ask him to stay for me, especially when all I've been doing since Lincoln's death is sitting in the corner of my room, refusing to speak to anyone. I turn around as the sound of footsteps approaches. "He left," I say, hearing how broken my voice sounded and hating myself for it. "I know," Coulson replies. "I'm sorry." It's not his fault, it's part of the job. I shouldn't be taking it so hard. "He'll be okay, right," I ask. "You know I can't promise that. I certainly hope so. He has everything he needs, and he's very capable. I'm confident he'll return." Coulson moves forward to give me hug, and I let him, needing his gentle reassurance. "You know, I heard Mack say he was going to kick your butt at COD when he came back. You should come downstairs and get some practice in. Can't go down without a fight, right?" Coulson said. I looked at him and saw the worry in his face. I felt a twinge of guilt for worrying him so much. "Right," I say. Coulson smiled and told me he'd have Fitz get the game set up. I nodded. "Thank you," I whispered as he walked away.
Coulson's POV
I heard Daisy whisper "thank you" as I walked away. I smiled. It was a shame that it took Mack leaving to get her out of her room, but I'd take what I could get. I headed to lounge where hopefully Fitz would be sitting. He spent most of his time in the lab with Gemma, but he had also started spending a lot of time with Hunter and Mack in the lounge, usually playing a video game. When I got to the lounge, I was happy to see that Fitz was in fact in the lounge, sitting on the couch with Hunter. "Hey guys, can you make room for a third player?" Fitz and Hunter turned to me, grinning. "Sure Director, take a seat," Hunter said. "Thanks, but I was talking about Daisy. Mack was able to get her out of her room before he left, and I think I have her convinced to come down here," I said. "Really?" Fitz asked. I nodded. "Well, that's great. So she's doing better then?" Fitz said. "Still pretty upset, but hopefully coming down here will help her get on the right track," I said.