Baby Steps
by Apple Blossom

Disclaimer: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D belongs to Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Stan Lee, ABC, Marvel Television, Mutant Enemy, and anyone else who wants to lay claim to it.

This story contains spoilers through Afterlife.

Gordon returns in a flash of blue electricity, the force of it pushing me back slightly. In his arms is the girl who calls herself Skye. She is weak and disoriented and her dark brown eyes, so familiar to me, glance around uncomprehendingly for a brief moment before she closes them, her body going limp as Gordon lifts her into his strong arms. He is gentle as he carries her to the bed and lays her on top of the covers before saying good night and leaving us alone.

I stay where I am for too long, waiting to see if she will awaken, staring at her, taking in the sight of this girl I dreamed of for so long. She is nothing like I imagined. Every detail I stitched together based on the limited time I had her hasn't done justice to my beautiful Daisy. The slightest of sounds escapes past her lips and I know she is sound asleep. My feet finally unglue themselves from the floor and slowly I approach her, lowering myself onto the bed beside my daughter. This isn't a dream. She's really here and as I stare at her face, peaceful in slumber, I can't help but brush a stray lock of hair away, my fingers trembling slightly as they make contact with her skin. I see my baby in the woman before me and I'm angry that she and I have been robbed of a life together. I never saw her first step. Heard her first word. I didn't get to take her to school on her first day, holding tightly to her tiny hand, reassuring any fears she might have had. No first crush or one true love. I've missed it all. Where has she been hidden all this time? Did she cry for me? Was she happy?

These questions torture me and I know there is no time for this. Gordon has gone to get Lincoln and I need to get her ready so he can start her transition. As if on cue two women appear and together we remove her jacket, the boots with the silver buckles, and finally her pants and shirt. Daisy - Skye, I remind myself - doesn't wake, although she quietly calls out a name as if she is having a nightmare. The women gently dress her, preparing her for her transition sessions and a knock on the door tells me that the men are back.

Lincoln smiles as he sees me and I'm sure he's a little surprised that I am here. As an elder I don't tend to the transition phase often, but Skye's transformation was unexpected and I'm still furious with Cal for doing this to her without anyone's consent, especially hers. We haven't seen eye to eye on much since I was taken, since he left Daisy behind, since we lost everything, but I do know I owe him my life and it lessens the sting of his mistakes somewhat. He is not the same man anymore but he is still Daisy's father and I know that in his own twisted way, he thought he was doing the right thing for her.

"I'll stay with her," Gordon says softly and my hand automatically goes to his cheek as I smile and thank him. For now he is the only one who knows who she really is but Gordon won't give away my secrets. He's as trustworthy as they come and I am grateful that he is here now. Slowly, regretfully, I walk to the door but once my hand is on the knob I can't help but glance back for one more look. My baby is home.

The earth shudders under my feet and immediately I know my daughter is doing this. She's angry. Out of control. I rush toward the other transition room and as I approach I hear her angry voice. "I didn't deserve any of this. You did this to me!"

"Skye," Lincoln's voice is soft, reasoning, but she is out of control.

"You have brought nothing but pain into my life. My father. The mist. My friend Trip died in there because of you." I cringe at the mention of Cal, knowing that everything he is, everything he's done, has affected her in such a negative way. The transformation, unwanted and misunderstood has apparently also killed someone close to her and knowing that she has been hidden away in a cabin, hunted by people who were supposed to protect her, I can only imagine that all of it has built up into this incredible turmoil that shakes the ground beneath my feet.

Raina baits her and I feel the vibrations shift imperceptibly and while I still feel them, they are not flowing into the ground and I easily guess that my daughter is directing them toward Cal's protégé. Stepping through the doorway I snap, "Enough!"

She turns to look at me, sees me for the first time, her eyes watering and filled with pain. I wonder briefly if she feels it too. That sense that I am her mother, just as I know she is my daughter.

"Who are you?" Skye asks and I want to tell her the truth, but I can't. Not yet

"My name is Jiaying. You're both guests in my house."

"You don't know her. You have no idea what she's capable of."

I can guess, considering that she's been hanging out with my husband. She's been shaped and molded by him but I have hope for her as well. "She capable of beauty and greatness, just as we all are."

"She can't be trusted! She kills people!" Skye's voice explodes in anger, filled with the conviction that only the outwardly transformed woman is in the wrong here.

"From what Gordon tells me you could have as well." Walking toward Raina I add, "From what I just saw you're certainly capable of it."

I lean down and help Raina to her feet. Despite everything, she deserves my help especially since she is struggling so much with her own transformation.

"Why would you bring her here?"

"The same reason we brought you here. She's one of us."

Skye stares at me incredulously as she says, "I am not anything like her."

"Whatever you two were in the past that's not what you are now." I hope that she understands this. Everyone gets a second chance. Everyone.

She turns away from me, searching out Lincoln as she says. "I can't stay. Not if she's here."

My heart breaks as I tell her, "We'll leave that choice to you... but I have chosen to be your guide... should you remain with us."

Lincoln's surprise is clearly etched on his face. I have not been a guide in years, leaving that responsibility to the other I have trained so well. I need to convince her to stay. To let her see that this new life, forced unwillingly on her, is not the horror she believes it to be. Taking a step closer to her I have to resist the urge to embrace her. To whisper the words I desperately want to tell her as I say, "All I ask is for a few days. I'll look after you. Train you. Watch you grow. If you don't feel a connection between us worth exploring, well, we never have to see each other again."

Saying those words to my daughter almost kills me all over again but Cal has her running scared. She needs to get to know me first. Trust that I am not going to hurt her. Know that her happiness always comes first with me. Skye steps back from me, shocked by my words. Maybe she feels the connection too or maybe she is still weak from the transition treatments.

Lincoln places a hand gently on her shoulder, his words to her soft and full of concern. "Let's get you to your room."

She glances back once, her eyes meeting mine, trying to figure me out, I suspect, but then she is gone. Baby steps, I remind myself. I can't overwhelm her with everything all at once. Her entire life has changed without any preparation and she's vulnerable. If she goes back out into the world without figuring out how to control her new powers she'll be a danger to herself and others. People are trying to kill her. If she loses control, hurts someone, they will shoot first and ask questions later. If they didn't kill her outright they could experiment on her. Torture her. I won't let that happen. I can't lose her again.

The end