Chapter 25

Reach Out in the Darkness

Fitz rubbed his blood shot eyes and tried to focus on the data he was reviewing for the tenth time. He let out a long breath, put back his head and squeezed his eyes closed for a moment before standing and walking to the large water cooler on the opposite side of the room. He passed the table Coulson had set up for Skye. Everyone decided it was easier, safer and a lot wiser to keep the girl with them than to try keeping tabs on her elsewhere.

In the past three hours they'd played a few board games, three hands of Crazy Eights, Uno, and some game called Mad Gab. Coulson and Simmons took turns while May kept Fitz on track and made frequent trips out of the room to check the perimeter of the broken base and keep in touch with Piper and Chen. Despite their crazy situation it was still business as usual.

The adult-adults had grown weary of games and Coulson suggested Skye try reading for a little while to which the girl scoffed it was too much like school work. She walked aimlessly around the room and stood for a few minutes staring at the computer screens that almost covered one wall. She cocked her head and stared at the code that ran across one screen and continued on another then shrugged her shoulders and dropped back into her chair at the table.

There was a stack of blank paper and colored pencils in a small box that someone had thought might be useful. Skye pulled out a sheet and grabbed a handful of pencils. She scribbled on the paper and made a few notes then started making patterns of code much like that on the screens behind her. Coulson looked over her shoulder and smiled a relieved smile. The girl had finally found something to keep her occupied. She seemed to be totally engrossed in the activity. Daisy had never really showed any interest in arts and crafts or drawing or even doodling, so this was a new concept. Then again he didn't know her when she was a child so maybe her interests were different way back when.

May walked back into the room and gave Coulson a quick nod, letting him know all was well. Fitz chugged down a second cup of water, crumbled the paper item in his fist and threw it into the waste basket.

"I don't know what else to do. Everything is running as it should. The program picks up the essence of the avatar not the physical essence of the person using it. Skye's avatar readings are right here." He tapped the screen several times and let out a frustrated sigh. "It shows all is well, but is it reading her there or here?" He shook his head. "There is no way to know. Daisy becomes Skye in the program so their code reads the same." His voice became shrill as he brushed his hand across his forehead. "I cannot differentiate between them, it just is not possible."

Simmons moved to his side and rubbed his shoulder. He'd been working at this all day and was no closer now than he had been when he started. His frustration was growing and she knew he was close to the breaking point. Jemma was not at a loss for words but knew that patronizing him would only make matters worse.

Coulson glanced at his watch. "I think we've all been at this too long. Fitz you need a break. Why don't you and Jemma get something to eat and rest for a few hours?" Before either could make a comment he pulled rank. "That's an order, not a suggestion." He smiled at the irony. Simmons smiled back as Fitz nodded. Coulson turned to the girl still hunched over her project at the table. "Skye, finish what you're doing. We're going for supper."

The girl waved her hand at them. "I'm not hungry. I have to finish this." She did not turn from what she was doing or cease her work.

"Skye," May warned with just one word but the girl continued to scribble on the paper in front of her.

"I'm sorry, mommy, I can't. I just can't. I have to do this." She mumbled from her hunched over position.

May rolled her eyes and shook her head. This just could not be easy, could it? She reached over the girl and snagged the paper from her.

"Hey!" Skye turned quickly and swiped at the paper May held out of her reach. "Give that back!" she demanded. May raised an eyebrow and the girl backed down. She looked to the floor and played with the pencil in her hand. "I…I'm sorry…I…I…I just wasn't…." her voice faded into a mumble of words no one understood.

May nodded her approval of the girl's obedience and glanced at the drawing in her hand. She squinted in confusion as she tried to make out what Skye had drawn. It looked much like the code that ran across the computer screen but it blended into forms and figures in a scene that resembled a Christmas tree standing over a multitude of gifts. Yet it was not an outline or a drawing she'd ever seen before, but the same nine figures copied over and over into the shapes in a myriad of colors. Coulson stepped next to May and glanced over her shoulder at the picture. He too looked at it in confusion and took it slowly from her grip. They exchanged the same look. May stepped to the table and spread out the other pictures Skye had 'drawn' while she sat quietly scribbling. Every one of the seven or eight sheets of paper was covered with the same picture and the same nine figures. May picked up one of them and compared it to the page in Coulson's hand. They were identical, as if printed from a computer program or run through a copy machine. Even the colors were the same in every spot. Fitz and Simmons noticed the quiet and moved to view what the other couple found so amazing. Skye turned back to the table, grabbed another sheet of paper and began covering it with the same design, starting at the top and moving left to right as she moved down the entire sheet.

For a moment the four adult-adults merely watched as the picture took shape and once again was identical to all of the others. Fitz stared at one of the copies he held in his hand then looked to the work Skye was busy doing. He shook the paper in his hand and stared at it as a smile spread across his face.

"I don't believe it." Fitz whispered. "I bloody don't believe it. They're communicating. Somehow they are communicating. Bloody hell, I don't believe it." His voice rose as he shook the paper in front of his face and grew more animated with each word he spoke.

Simmons and May stared at the copies they held then looked to Fitz in bewilderment. What did he see that they did not? They exchanged glances as they watched him rejoice. Coulson stared at the page he held and looked down at Skye who continued her work oblivious to the activity around her.

Fitz shook the paper in front of Simmons. "This is it!" He almost shouted. "This is what we've been searching for…why didn't I see it there? Why didn't I recognize it?" He stared at the paper again then smiled and kissed it. He waved it in the air and moved to Skye, kissing the back of her head. "You're beautiful Skye, just beautiful." He kissed her again then turned and hurried to the keyboard, searching through his code for a pattern that had meant nothing to him but now made perfect sense.

May looked at Coulson who shrugged his shoulders. Jemma set the paper she held back on the table and moved to Fitz's side. "Fitz," she said softly as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe, Coulson is right, maybe we should take a break."

Fitz reached up and patted her hand. "Not now, Jemma." He continued tapping the keys and glancing at the screens with a wide smile.

May stood behind Skye and watched as she continued her work. Coulson stared at the paper in his hand for a few moments, tracing each line with his eyes until its meaning struck. He moved quickly to Fitz and shook the paper as he pointed at the lines. "Is this what I think it is?" He asked the young scientist.

Fitz smiled at the man. "Yes, it is. Isn't it brilliant? She couldn't hack into the code and take the chance of changing or possibly deleting someone so she added this. It's been there all along. I thought it was some crazy glitch. I corrected it twice and it returned. I should have known Daisy would do something totally outside the box." Fitz was giddy with excitement.

May and Jemma moved closer when they heard Daisy's name and the tone in Fitz's voice. May looked at the picture again and shook her head. "This means nothing." She huffed as she tossed it on the keyboard in front of the young man.

Fitz turned and smiled at her. He picked up the paper and handed it back as he stood. "No, no May, look at it, just look." He ran his index finger along the horizontal lines that created Skye's picture of her living room as she remembered it. "It's right here, May. Just look!" He sounded like a man who couldn't understand why someone didn't get the punch line of a joke.

May looked again at the small figures that made up Skye's picture. …-… …-… …-… She blinked a few times and followed each line of the picture. Damn! She hadn't recognized it, but there it was right in front of her over and over in vibrant colors and every size imaginable. Morse code! It was Morse code! Daisy was there. Daisy was safe and she had figured out a way to get a message to them. It was old school, but it worked.

'S O S, S O S, S O S'

Daisy sent them a call for help over and over, hundreds, no thousands of time…and somehow Skye had intercepted it. The kid had no idea what she was doing or why, but she had gotten the message and was sharing it with all of them.

"It's been here…right here." Fitz pointed to the screen. There among his strings of 1's and 0's was the nine figure message at varying intervals along Skye's code. It appeared above and below. It flickered in some places and faded in others…but it was there. "She's been trying to let me know she was there."

May looked over her shoulder at Skye who continued drawing her pictures and smiled at the ingenuity of her Daisy. Somehow the girl had figured out this mess using a laptop computer while dealing with the life of a child. That kid was really something. May smiled.

Before anyone could ask Fitz tapped rapidly into his program adding rows and rows of code. "I know exactly how to answer her," he smiled. He finished with a flourish and spun on his chair to face the others. "Now, we wait for her to reply. It might take a while. Time moves differently there." He reached for his tablet and tapped into that as well. He stood and smiled for the first time in weeks. "Now, how about that dinner? I am feeling quite peckish." The man headed for the door leaving the others looking at each other in confusion.

xx

Daisy lay curled on her side staring at the wall. She picked at the sproingy hair on her stuffed puppy and watched the shadows from her bedroom window wobble in front of her. The girl had no idea how long she'd been in her room, having dozed off a few times due to the uncontrollable crying. Daisy really couldn't remember ever wanting or needing to cry so much. It really didn't make her feel any better. Her head ached and her nose was stuffy. Whoever said you feel better after a good cry had no idea what they were talking about or had never had the experience. Her eyes felt so sticky and swollen she wasn't sure she'd be able to see if, and that was a big if, Coulson ever let her near that computer again. She let out a soft sigh and damn! She was getting all teary again.

"Skye?" The voice was soft and quiet, but Daisy knew it was May.

For a moment the girl froze, allowing the sound of her mother's voice to run through her. Was it angry? Concerned? Threatening? She could just pretend to be sleeping…but May would never fall for it and she'd just be digging a deeper hole. She let out a shaky breath and rolled toward the door answering her mother with only a look.

Melinda returned the look and walked across the room to sit on the girl's bed. Daisy scooted over to give her space, still holding Ling-a-ling against her chest. She'd never really had something that was all her own to keep all her life. Holding this stuffed puppy gave her a strange sort of comfort that she really couldn't explain. It seemed weird that that feeling came from a toy, but it was like the tighter she hugged it the better it made her feel.

"You've been up here an awful long time, baobei." Melinda tilted her head to look at her daughter who merely shrugged her shoulders and kept her eyes on her puppy. She reached forward and pulled a few tissues from the box that set on the night stand and held them out to the girl. "You might feel a little better if you blow your nose a few times."

Daisy looked at the tissues for a half second before taking them from her mother and giving a forceful snort three times before she was able to take a deep breath through her nostrils. She balled the Kleenex up in her hand and mumbled a soft 'thank you'. Melinda nodded her response.

"This how it's going to be now?" Melinda asked her sullen little girl. "You and me just nodding and shrugging at each other." She waited for Skye to answer but the little girl looked away, avoiding the answer. "I really like talking with you, Skye. I think I'd miss it a lot." Melinda's voice was soft and sad.

"I just keep making you mad all the time. I just keep screwing up. That's what I do, I just mess things up." Daisy spoke to the little dog rather than address the woman who sat next to her.

Melinda looked down at her own hands. "We all make mistakes, Skye. It's just part of being a person."

'Huh,' Daisy rolled her eyes in her mind. 'Not quite, May. I'm already grown up and I'm making the same stupid mistakes I did the first time. I'm not a slow learner. I'm just stupid.' She shook her head and answered. "I just keep making the same ones. Maybe you should just send me back." It slipped out before Daisy could even think about it. It was normal…routine. She screwed up and the family got rid of her. That's the way things went…all the time.

Melinda laughed a little and reached out to squeeze her daughter's hand. "Send you back? Back where? To the hospital where you were born? I'm not sure they'd know what to do with you." She shook the little girl's hand gently.

Daisy stared at her mother's hand covering her own. "Why wouldn't you? I just cause trouble for you."

Melinda let out a sigh as she shook her head and pulled the little girl into a sitting position then wrapped her in an embrace. She wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed the top of her head as she rocked back and forth. "Yes, baobei you have caused quite a bit of trouble lately but I would never, ever, ever, EVER send you anywhere. You are my sweet, beautiful, smart, baby girl and I love you even when you screw up, even if you make me angry. You know that, Skye. You know I love you." She hugged the little girl tighter and kissed her again.

Hugging that little stuffed dog felt good and comfy but wrapped in her mother's love was the best thing Daisy had ever felt. It was like some kind of warm honey was poured all over her and it wasn't sticky it was just…just wonderful. She slowly reached her small, thin arms around Melinda, hugged back and shook her head. She didn't even care that she was crying again.

They sat like that for what seemed like a very long time, long enough for Melinda to gather her little girl into her lap and hold her until she'd exhausted her tears and covered the bed with Kleenex 'snow' balls.

"Are…are you mad at me, mommy?" Daisy asked the question resting her cheek against Melinda's chest.

Melinda kissed her again as she continued rocking. Daisy grew anxious as she waited for the answer. "What's all this about, Skye? What's really bothering you?" She crooned as she rested her cheek on the top of the girl's head. "Did you think because I punished you that I stopped loving you?" Melinda tilted the little girl back to look in her eye, not allowing her to turn away.

Daisy breathed softly and considered how much of her crazy story she could tell this version of May. The truth, even though she'd never believe it, would shatter her world. How could she tell this May that she wasn't real and this place was all made up just so she, Daisy, could see what life might have been like…so she could have memories of a real family. Nope, she wasn't going there. She stared at the pattern on the soft grey sweat shirt Melinda wore and traced one of the small flowers with her index finger. It was pale yellow, almost indiscernible against the grey. Its small point petals spread out like a tiny sun with a tiny white center. Daisy circled it with her finger over and over as she thought about how to answer her mother.

"I missed you." Daisy whispered to the tiny flower. "I needed you." Skye's words…to tell her mother how she felt about her being away…but Daisy's heart ached with the need for a mother and she missed her May more than she thought possible. The two truths intertwined in and around each other.

This time Melinda was reluctant to answer. She and Phil had come so very close to losing their lives and leaving their daughter with no answers…leaving her wondering for the rest of her life what had happened to the parents she loved. It was a hard pill to swallow.

"I know, baobei." Melinda wrapped her arms tighter around the little girl. "I missed you, too. We both did."

"You got hurt, you both did." Daisy's voice was muffled inside the embrace. "I was scared and angry because…because I couldn't help you and I didn't know where you were. What if you didn't come back?"

Melinda squeezed the tears from her own eyes. "Oh, baobei, you don't have to be scared. Daddy and I are very good at what we do. You did help. You helped us get home, bao bao. We came home for you." She kissed the little girl over and over. "We will always come home for you, Skye, always."

"You came home to a brat." Daisy grumbled. "And crappy attitude and no respect and…"

Melinda rocked her forward and landed a gentle pat on her backside. "And we took care of that." She smiled.

"Yeah," Daisy sighed and smiled back as she stared again at the flower on Melinda's sweater. It was a daisy. It was a tiny, pale daisy. Melinda's sweater was covered with them. Had they always been there just so pale they were invisible until she got this close? When did Melinda May wear flowers? Daisy looked at the box of tissues her mother had placed on the bed. It was white and yellow with a string of yellow daisies running around its perimeter. It was a tissue box. She didn't pay much attention to it, but why would there be a Springy kind of decoration at Christmas time.

"I think Yeye might have supper ready for us. He does wonders with leftovers." Melinda smiled.

Daisy shrugged her shoulders without moving her head from her mother's shoulder. "Daddy said to stay here until he told me I could leave. He's mad at me too."

Melinda squeezed her again and smiled. "Daddy knows you and I were going to talk a little bit. After dinner we'll all talk together." She almost laughed with she felt Skye droop at the statement. "We'll fix this, baobei, together." She kissed the little girl again and rocked her gently resting her chin atop the child's head. "I think you should wash your face and then we'll go downstairs together."

Daisy nodded but did not move. She just wasn't ready to leave the cocoon of her mother's affection. It was safe and warm and something she had rare occasion to experience. Melinda smiled at the girl's clinginess and wrapped herself around her daughter.

"You know if we don't move, we aren't going anywhere, right?" Melinda whispered through her smile.

"That's okay," Daisy replied in her own soft whisper. "I like it here."

"Me too, baobei, but we've got some things to fix and then I promise I will cuddle with you as long as you let me." Melinda assured her.

"I'll let you forever, mommy." Daisy smiled as she snuggled closer.

"I wish you would, wǒ de xiǎo hóuzi." Melinda's smile was bittersweet. She knew these times would soon grow very few and far between. Daisy smiled too. It had been a long time since she'd heard Melinda call Skye a little monkey. "Okay, let's go." Melinda stood, gently easing the little girl to her feet.

Daisy reluctantly let go and stood looking up at her mother for a moment before noticing the small vase on the nightstand that held one yellow daisy…a fresh yellow daisy…at the end of December. She could not keep her eyes off of it as Melinda let her from the room. A daisy? A fresh daisy in the winter…

Melinda pushed open the bathroom door and gently ushered Skye inside. She set down the toilet seat and motioned for the little girl to sit. Daisy complied. She stared at a package of toilet tissue on the floor next to the vanity. It looked like any other rolls of that necessity…about six inches high, white and round with flat ends. It was secured in a plastic wrapper covered with small yellow and white DAISIES. Across the package in large letters it proclaimed…Feel Daisy Fresh in Any Situation.

Daisy almost laughed. What a silly slogan…silly and stupid at the same time. Daisies had nothing to do with toilet paper. Melinda turned from the sink and held out a washcloth…a white washcloth speckled with small yellow and back daisies. Skye closed her eyes and allowed her mother to wipe her cry-sore face with the cool rag. She finished with a tap to the girl's nose.

A few minutes later they joined Phil, William and Lian for dinner. Daisy grinned at the large vase full of every color daisy imaginable in the center of the kitchen table. She glanced quickly at her laptop. The cute puppy screensaver was replaced with a field of…yep, daisies…miles and miles and miles of bright yellow daisies. Her program had made the connection. That dopey old code, that wonderful dopey old code found its way through all those strings of code and into the real world. She wasn't sure how it got there or what brought Fitz to realize she was sending it, but it worked! Who else but Fitz would send her daisies in December? She was almost giddy with the realization and couldn't wait to get back to that laptop.

Daisy sat at the table and ate in silence, listening to the adult conversation but keeping any comment to herself. She ate everything without asking questions or grumbling about what she didn't like. She drank every drop of milk in the glass put before her and asked politely for more. In truth, Daisy liked milk. Breakfast had been a disaster. She was not repeating it, not taking one chance that she'd be banned from her means of fixing this crazy situation.

"Nǐ yīdìng hěn è, sūnnǚ. Méiyǒu tóusù, nǐ yǐjīng chīguò měi yī zhǒng shūcài." William smiled at the fact the girl had eaten everything, including the many vegetables he had added to this turkey stir fry.

"I was hungry, Yeye. This is very good. May I please have a little bit more?" Daisy wasn't sucking-up. She really was hungry. She'd missed lunch and well, breakfast was a bust. Whatever this stuff was it beat every Chinese take-out she had ever tasted. Yeye was an excellent cook. She'd miss his meals once she got back. Thanking her grandfather in Mandarin as he handed her a second helping she considered suggesting to Skye that she pay more attention to her grandfather's skills. Hell, she'd become fluent in the mother tongue because Skye spoke it to her grandfather since she began talking, maybe the cooking skill would rub off as well.

"I hope you have learned your lesson, Zhen Ju. I do not wish to spend another evening with your very poor attitude." Lian glared over the lip of her teacup at the little girl who sat across from her.

Daisy bit her tongue. This woman had the personality of sandpaper and made her want to pull out her most sarcastic comments, but she resisted, feeling the slight under the table nudge from her mother. Instead she gently laid her fork next to her plate, finished chewing, swallowed and looked up at her grandmother. "My name is Skye, grandmother, but you can call me Zhen Ju if you like. I like the name my mom and dad gave me." She watched Lian's face pinch into a suspicious scowl as the woman put down her cup without a sound. "I'm sorry I was disrespectful to you and to everyone else. I will try to do better." She dropped her hands to her lap and waited for her grandmother to respond.

Lian gave the girl an almost indistinct nod then picked up her tea again and sipped quietly.

Dessert was again the many varieties of cookies baked before the holiday. Phil enjoyed his favorite pumpkin pie with a six inch layer of whipped cream despite Melinda's scolding. Daisy begged for the same but had to settle for a sample of her father's. She settled for two cut out cookies covered with Christmas sprinkles.

Yeye began clearing the table and motioned for his granddaughter to help. Skye scraped plates and carried them to the sink. She did the chores she was expected to do weaving in and out of the adults who also worked to put the kitchen back in order. With everyone helping the process took very little time.

"It's after supper now, daddy." Daisy reminded Phil.

"Yep," he teased. "It is absolutely after supper." He tossed the dishtowel he'd been using over his shoulder and pretended to check his watch. "Just about time for you and me and mommy to sit down for a little chat," he took her hand and tugged it a little.

Daisy felt herself deflate as she glanced over Phil's shoulder at the laptop on the small desk in the alcove. It was apparent Fitz had gotten her call for help, but any further progress would have to wait. At this point she was not taking any chances.

xx

"Will it hurt?" Skye's eyes were wide with apprehension. May sat at the table next to the girl while Coulson sat across from them.

"No, no darling," Simmons' soft voice answered before May could respond. "It is totally painless. You won't feel a thing."

Skye listened to the young scientist but looked to her parents for reassurance. May squeezed the hand she was already holding and Coulson reached across the table to take the other. "Everything will be fine, baobei. There is nothing to be afraid of, nothing at all." May tried to quell the girl's fear but could see by Skye's expression her words meant very little.

Simmons stepped in again. She pulled her chair closer to the girl and smiled. "It's just like the Wizard of Oz, sweetheart, except instead of tapping your heels together you put on the head…phones, close your eyes and you're home."

May looked at Simmons with one eyebrow raised.

"Agent May, tell me you've never seen that movie." Simmons was shocked.

May rolled her eyes and turned back to her daughter.

Skye was shaking her head on the verge of panic. May could see the terror in her eyes. "Skye, look at me." She pulled the girl's hands into her own, easily slipping one from Coulson. "Look at me," she ordered the girl, tugging so hard she spun Skye in her seat. Simmons stood and backed away, distressed that May would handle things with such force. Coulson raised a hand to the doctor motioning for her to stand down. May knew what she was doing. She always did. He had complete faith in her, complete trust that she would fix this…could fix this.

"Look at me, baobei, just me." May's voice was firm. It left no room to disregard. "You know how to do this Skye, we've done it before. Breathe with me, just me and you…breathe in and out, deep and slow." She watched as the girl obeyed. After several ins and outs, May spoke softly to the girl. "Do you remember when you fell out of the tree and broke your arm?" Skye thought for moment then nodded, never breaking eye contact with her mother. May smiled. "You remember you didn't want to drink the medicine, you were so scared." Again the girl nodded and her mother smiled. "But, you did."

"Daisy was with me, mommy. Daisy was right there with me." Skye sniffled, remembering her broken arm and the hospital experience.

May nodded. "Yes, baobei, she was with you and you were both so brave. You won't be alone. Daddy and I will be with you. You'll put on the headphones and when you open your eyes we will be right there with you and so will Daisy. We will all be there and it won't hurt, baobei, I promise you."

Skye looked to Coulson who nodded and then to Simmons who did the same. She looked for Fitz but he had left the room when the girl became agitated. The young man could not stay knowing he had, despite what anyone said, been the cause of some of her anguish.

"Is it the same headphones Daisy used when she took me back from here the last time? When we were together here?" Her eyebrows went up in expectation of the answer.

"Yes, darling, the very same," Simmons nodded. "Fitz is there right now making sure that everything is ready for you and your parents."

"I have to do it now?!" Skye pushed her chair away from the table, stopped from dashing out of the com room only by May's tight grip.

Coulson stood and wrapped his arms around the girl. "No, Skye, not right now. We don't have to do anything until tomorrow. Tonight we just relax." He looked at the large television that someone had salvaged from somewhere. "I bet if we ask him, Fitz can find a way to put a movie on that thing," he pointed to the set. "In fact, I'll bet he can find any movie you want. We'll even make popcorn…real popcorn not that microwave stuff." He pulled back and smiled at the shaken girl.

Skye pulled back burying her face in her father's chest. "I don't want to sleep in the white room, daddy. I don't want to, okay?"

May was at their side, gently rubbing her daughter's back. "No, Skye you don't have to stay there tonight. You can stay with me, baobei."

The girl nodded and offered her parents a weak smile.

xx

Daisy sat on the parlor couch wedged between Phil and Melinda. She rested her hands on her lap and shuffled her feet. She wasn't nervous, just frustrated and worried…worried she would not be able to hold her tongue. May wasn't about to take anymore of her attitude and she absolutely didn't want to take another dose of May's maternal discipline. Nope, she'd had her fill of that embarrassing, let alone extremely uncomfortable, situation. Fact was she wasn't sure she'd be able to look May in the eye again, especially the next time she ticked her off about something. That was one memory that would be forever burned into her memory, not to mention her…

"Skye, you know what mommy and I do for a living, don't you?" Phil interrupted her reverie.

'Of course, I do," Daisy mentally rolled her eyes. "Hell, AC, I do it right along side of you.' She certainly couldn't tell him that, and she had absolutely no idea what Skye thought they did. The subject just never came up. But hell, she was ten years old, she had to have some sort of idea about what her parents did every day. She wasn't oblivious. "Well," she started with a bit of hesitation. "You travel a lot and you don't talk about it much."

Phil laughed slightly. "Insurance is universal, sweet pickle, we have to go where we're needed."

Daisy bit the inside of her cheek to hold her laughter. Insurance? Is that what they were calling it? Really? Insurance? She coughed a few times to cover the giggle she could not suppress. "I'm not a pickle." Yeah, that could hide the snigger she couldn't suppress.

"Do you know what insurance is, Skye?" Phil asked.

Daisy leaned toward him, resting her head against his shoulder. "It's like when somebody pays you cuz your car got crashed." She used silly kid speak to answer, at the same time thinking that she really didn't have a proper answer for the question. What the hell was insurance anyway? It seemed it was just money changing hands. You pay an insurance company every month and if something happens they pay you to fix it. And if you never had an accident or needed it…wait a minute, where the hell did all that money go anyway.

"That's partly right, but what we do most of the time is protect people." Phil explained.

Daisy was never so glad for the seating arrangement. If she had to look either of them in the eye right now she would lose it. But, what the hell, she'd play along. "Protect them from what?" She asked innocently, keeping her head down.

"From things that might hurt them," Phil answered without missing a beat.

'So, you rehearsed this, huh.' Daisy smiled. 'Maybe for Skye, but not for me.' Again she coughed, this time much harder to cover the laughter. She nodded a few times and cleared her throat. "What kinds of things, daddy?"

She closed her eyes against Phil and May exchanging glances. This was better than being a wise cracking smartass.

"There are all kinds of things that can cause harm, Skye. Your father and I work to stop them and if we can't we try to help people get better." May answered with a concerned glance. "Are you coming down with something, baobei." She reached to lay a hand on the girl's forehead.

"You mean like…earthquakes?" Daisy quipped, glancing up at her mother while dodging the outstretched hand. She didn't miss the quick glance Melinda threw to Phil, then turned to looked up at him as well.

"Something like that," Phil smiled down at her.

Daisy sat up quickly and turned back and forth smiling at each parent. "You can stop earthquakes?" Her voice squeaked with amusement disguised as surprise. "Wow!"

"No one can stop quakes, Skye." Phil shook his head and laughed at the little girl, pulling her back to his side. "But if one happens we do what we can to let people know everything will be okay and protect them from being hurt or scared."

Daisy thought about that answer. What this Phil didn't know about quaking was pretty funny, but he was right they did help her to know she'd be okay. A lot of time had passed since she'd discovered her seismic ability, but it was still a little sensitive. Time to change the subject, she told herself. "Hmmm, so you're like the police…protecting people."

"Not exactly, but I guess you could say that. But people don't know that we're like police. They think we're just helping." Phil continued.

"Ohhhhh, I get it," Daisy feigned understanding. "You're like secret agents."

"Ye…NO!" Phil corrected and Daisy ducked into a silent giggle. "No, no nothing like that. We just do what needs to be done quietly and then move on." He made eyes at May silently asking how their daughter came up with that idea.

"Quietly?" Daisy repeated and Phil nodded. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep this up. "So, then how did you hurt your shoulder," she pointed to Phil's injured arm, changing the subject. "And your side," she nodded toward Melinda's tender area.

"Sometimes things don't go as planned, but that's not something you need to worry about." May informed her calmly.

"But I do," Daisy dropped her gaze to her lap and examined her own fingers. "Was there really an accident or did someone hurt you?"

May wrapped an arm around her little girl and pulled her close. "I know you worry, baobei and I'm sorry that you do. You don't need to know how we were hurt just that we're here…with you and feeling better." She squeezed Skye a little before continuing. "Daddy and I try not to travel at the same time. We try to make sure one of us is always home with you, but sometimes things happen and we both have to take care of it."

"Like this time? Like Chechnya?" It slipped out, just slipped out before Daisy had a chance to think about what she was saying. She realized it too late and slapped a hand over her mouth.

Melinda looked at Coulson who was looking at his daughter in pure shock. Grabbing the girl's shoulders, May held her out to look in her eyes. "Chechnya? Skye?" Her tone was more of a warning than a question.

Daisy swallowed her panic. Think, think, think, think…she told herself or you won't sit down til…hell, you'll never see that laptop again. THINK! "I…I…there's a war there, isn't there. War is dangerous for people. Do you protect them from war?" She tried to sound sincere, knowing May would see right through her.

"So you just picked Chechnya out of thin air?" May raised an eyebrow in warning.

"No," Daisy lied, answering much too quickly but keeping her eyes downcast. "It…it was…was on the news a lot, like every day. I just thought…maybe that's what you were protecting people from and…" There was something on the news. She overheard it when Yeye watched the afternoon report a few days ago...a few days ago when had her own body and Skye was here to handle all this touchy feely stuff she kept messing up for her.

Melinda put a finger under the girl's chin and raised her head to look into her eyes. "And, you must promise us you will never say that again, not even kidding or thinking or pretending. Do you understand?" May tilted her head waiting for an answer. Daisy nodded as she chewed her bottom lip. She'd never say anything that would jeopardize any of her parents' missions and Skye would never know this conversation took place so the secret was safe.

"I'm sorry," Daisy offered, barely above a whisper. Quickly she looked up at May. "Really, I am sorry, not just because you're mad at me or going to punish me…again."

Melinda smiled at her contrite little girl. "Is that what you think this is? You think we're going to punish you?" Daisy shrugged and dropped her gaze.

Phil reached out and put both arms around the little girl pulling her back against his chest. Daisy reached up and gripped his hands with her own. She held them over her heart. "Why? What did you do?" He whispered into her ear.

The girl shrugged her shoulders and stared at her father's hands noticing how much bigger they were than hers. "I was kinda mouthy to you and I banged the game pieces."

"And I sent you to your room for most of the afternoon, so I guess we're even." Phil hugged her tighter.

"I shouldn't have done that to you, daddy." Daisy still felt pretty awful about that incident

Melinda smiled at Phil and took one of Skye's hands. "Well, if you're still feeling guilty we can take care of that right now." She tugged Skye toward her with one hand and patted her lap with the other.

Daisy's eyes went wide as she tried to pull her hand back and shook her head rapidly. "No, no…I'm good really. I feel punished enough."

Melinda tugged harder and pulled the little girl forward as Phil released his hold. Ten year old Skye was no match for her mother. 'Oh, please not here…not in fr…' Daisy's thoughts were cut off as Melinda pulled her into a warm embrace.

"We're not going to punish you, baobei," Melinda laughed softly between kissing her squirming daughter. "We just want you to know that we understand how upset you were…" She stopped for a moment and Skye looked up at her mother's very serious glare. "Not that that gives you permission to act they way you have been." The little girl shook her head in agreement. "What we're saying is that if you have a problem you need to talk to us, tell us how you feel, even if it is anger or worry. Don't you think that would be a better way to handle things?" She smiled as she landed a few love taps to her daughter's bottom.

"Yes, ma'am," Daisy agreed.

Phil looked at his watch. "Hmmm, it's getting pretty late."

Daisy glanced at the large grandfather clock in the foyer. "It's only ten to seven." She scrunched up her nose in confusion.

"Yep," he agreed, then looked to Melinda. "When's our girl's bedtime? Isn't around nine?" He asked as if he didn't already know. Melinda nodded her agreement. "That's just about two hours from now, I think."

Daisy sat up from her mother's embrace. It clicked. She had two hours left to use her laptop but there was that caveat about not using it before bedtime. Crap! This conversation sucked up all of her computer time. The words that spun through her head stop right inside lips…only through sheer determination and the knowledge that they would cause her an awful lot of grief. She let out a defeated breath and dropped back against the couch and slumped down into a disappointed lump. She blinked away those damn tears and wondered why Skye insisted on crying at the drop of a hat. Although she really did feel the need to cry frustrated tears.

The girl was so disheartened she failed to see Phil wink at Melinda with a sly smile. "You know, mommy, it is Christmas vacation and I think our girl had a long nap this afternoon. Maybe we should consider letting her stay up a little longer tonight, you think?"

Daisy lit up with expectation and spun her head toward Melinda waiting for her reply.

"Mmmmm, I don't know. She's been very naughty, maybe she should have an early bedtime." May shook her head.

Daisy's face fell again as she slumped further into the couch. She really wasn't tired but if she was going to fall apart she'd rather do it in the privacy of her room. Anyway, the further from her parents she was, the less likely she was to say or do something stupid…again. Damn, how did Skye put up with these two? She wriggled to the end of the couch and slowly stood. Dragging herself to the staircase she kept her eyes to the floor. "G'night," she barely mumbled as she reached for the railing and lifted one foot.

"Maybe she is coming down with something, Mel. You should probably take her temp." Phil sighed as he watched in amusement.

Daisy froze then spun back to her parents. "I'm fine. I'm really fine. I'm not sick, really. I….I…I just need a drink. M-my throat was a little dry." She fumbled for an excuse as she stood on the first step.

Phil shook his head as he stood and walked toward her. "I don't know, Mel." He sighed at his wife who sat on the couch watching. "She looks a little pale." He teased as he stooped a bit to look in his daughter's face. Daisy shook her head rapidly. Phil bent forward and rested his lips on her forehead then leaned back and placed one hand on her forehead and the other on the back of her neck. "She must have a fever, Mel. She wants to go to bed instead of using her laptop for a few hours. She's got to be sick."

Melinda shook her head. "Stop teasing her Phil," she laughed softly the pointed a finger at her daughter. "You have exactly two hours, then it's bath, story and bed….got it?"

Daisy jumped off the step and slid around her father. The little girl launched herself at her mother almost forgetting her injury. "Thank you, mommy. Thank you, thank you, thank you." She hugged and kissed Melinda several times before realizing what she was doing. Daisy quickly pulled back, stopped only by the arms that held her. She stared into Melinda's eyes and saw only affection looking back. Daisy took a deep breath and embraced the feeling she had waited for forever. "I love you, May-ommy." She stretched out the word as she fell once again against her mother and squeezed her tightly.

After a few moments, Melinda kissed her little girl's forehead and sent her off to her laptop. Phil joined his wife on the couch and took her into his arms. From their position they could see Skye seated at her desk happily tapping at her computer keyboard and smiling at whatever she had brought up on the screen.

Melinda rested her head on Phil's shoulder and smiled.

"She's got a future in communications for sure," he quipped.

"Don't be ridiculous," Melinda warned with a snarl. "She's definitely operations material."

xx

Coulson and May sat in the common room silently sharing a late night drink. Jemma and Fitz had said goodnight about an hour earlier, leaving the older couple alone. Daisy had also bed tucked in and was sound asleep in her mother's bunk with that little scruffy dog hugged close to her chest.

"Long day," Coulson remarked.

"All twenty-four hours," May agreed.

The conversation ended there. They were tired, exhausted by the events of the past forty-eight hours. Both felt the anxiety of the coming day, of venturing into Fitz's program and setting everything back to normal. But, what the hell was normal these days. Things hadn't been normal for…for they couldn't even remember what normal was or when they last experienced it.

"So much for taking things slow, huh?" Coulson huffed. May merely raised an eyebrow. "Yeah," he nodded as he threw back the last of his drink. "Guess we should turn in, we've got our work set out for us in the morning."

May had finished her drink and sat staring into the empty glass. Coulson stood and stretched a bit before taking his glass to the sink, washing it and setting it in the strainer. He looked at the back of his partner's head and tried not to imagine what she was thinking or feeling or both. Stepping toward her, he reached around and took her glass the repeated the procedure of washing and rinsing it.

She still sat staring at the same spot.

"Come on, May," he smiled as he pulled her chair from the table and helped her to her feet. "I'll walk you home."

She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips at his jest…always the romantic, this nerd. They stepped into the hall together and walked the few hundred feet to the bunk area, stopping outside May's door. She reached to place her hand over the lock but he wrapped his hand around it. She looked at him with slight concern but did not pull away.

"You know it's going to be okay. Fitz will fix this." Coulson spoke quietly, reassuring himself as well as trying to do the same for her. "Daisy…Skye," he nodded toward the door. "She'll be fine." The pain in his head threatened to burst through his eye sockets.

May looked at his hand lightly holding hers. She stared for a second then wrapped hers around his and held tightly. She needed his touch right now, needed to know they'd get through this new insanity and come out on the other side whole…again. That's what they did and they did it together. "She will be fine." She returned the reassurance with a small smile.

Coulson felt the grip on his hand and the pain retreated. It pulled back as if repulsed by May's contact, as if she alone could drive it away. For that he was immensely thankful. He tugged her gently, bringing her closer and sending the pain further away.

"She's ours May, nothing can change that. It doesn't matter that it's been only a few years. It doesn't matter that we lost all that time. She's here and she's ours." He spoke softly and she merely nodded in agreement reaching up one hand and resting it on his chest as the pain backed away like the similar poles of a magnet.

"Not now, Phil, not here." May whispered. "She needs us…together, but tonight she needs me and I promised."

Coulson nodded, breathing in the spicy scent of her hair as she backed away and the pain returned with a vengeance. She squeezed his hand and smiled…smiled a promise that this was only the beginning as she turned and released the lock on her door. He waited as she backed into her room and let the door close on his silly smile. Letting out a soft breath, he turned at took exactly five steps before hearing the door open again.

May's voice rang in the empty hallway as Coulson spun to face her.

"She's gone!"