Based on events during Episode 7x11 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D
The journey was rough, uncomfortably so. They accelerated upwards at a speed Daniel dreaded to think, the engines throttling up to full thrust. The whole aircraft was rumbling violently; it felt as if there was a storm outside battering them. Daniel clutched onto his harnesses desperately as the rumbling and shaking got exponentially louder and more ferocious. As they climbed higher and higher, Daniel couldn't help wondering to himself whether he had gone insane. He wasn't an astronaut, after all.
What the hell am I doing?! Why am I doing this?!
But then he glanced over to Daisy in the cockpit and knew he had his answer.
Daisy tried to remain calm as she and Mack stayed focussed on the front window and the navigation panel, the flames getting hotter and rougher around the Quinjet as they began to break the planet's atmosphere. It felt like they were being pressed back into their seats with a force almost ten times their weight as the aircraft shook them violently, the roaring engines almost deafening. As she took a deep breath, praying that this would work, Daisy thought of poor Daniel sat alone in the back, no doubt panicking and terrified for his life. She wished that Daniel was sat beside her. She would have taken his hand and squeezed it, not just to reassure him but to reassure herself as well.
And then suddenly the rumbling and shaking stopped, the violence went away, and the main engines died down with a whirring noise as the lights dimmed.
Daniel's lips parted. We've stopped. We made it.
He felt slightly sick as he hastened to unbuckle his seatbelt and harness.
'Guys, my stomach feels…' Daniel began, but then he trailed off in shock as he began to lift from his seat and floated up to the ceiling. 'Woah.'
Mack flicked the gravity switch at once, and Daniel fell back to his seat.
'Thank you,' Daniel murmured, relieved.
Mack and Daisy both smiled fondly. He was reacting quite well, considering.
A stunned silence fell. Everything was perfectly calm and still. It almost didn't feel real, after the shock of their rough ascent.
Daisy's eyes were drawn instantly to the front window and she felt her lips part. She had travelled the cosmos with Jemma, Piper and Davis for months on end, and yet she still found it breathtaking out here. She didn't think she would ever be able to get over how beautiful it was. It made her somewhat sad to think that, once this was all over and if by some miracle she survived, she would probably never again come back into space.
Daniel looked over to the cockpit, almost afraid; Daisy and Mack were both looking out of the window, apparently speechless. His heart began to race ahead with anticipation. He tentatively got up from his seat and slowly walked up to the cockpit. He froze as he leant against the wall and looked out at the view before them, and he felt his heart stop beating for a moment.
'Now that we're out of the atmosphere, we should be able to lock onto the Zephyr,' Daisy said as she gazed out ahead of them.
Daniel was surprised that Daisy could even remember why they were here or what they were doing or who they even were, with that view in front of them. She seemed so calm, cool and collected, as if this were a perfectly ordinary day for her, just taking a casual trip out into space.
'My goodness,' Daniel whispered, steadying himself as he took in the incredible sights while Daisy flicked a few switches on the navigation panel.
His eyes felt like they might burst as they tried taking everything in all at once: the vast blackness, the unbelievable amount of twinkling stars, the sheer size of the Earth, that incredible planet that was their home. It took Daniel's breath away. It felt as if his life had been changed merely from just looking at it. It was spellbinding.
'It's really something, huh?' Mack breathed, sounding just as taken aback by what they were seeing as Daniel felt.
Daniel still couldn't believe what he was seeing. He was completely in awe, apparently unable to take his eyes off the Earth. A part of him felt almost big and important being up here, and yet another part of him felt so small and defenceless. He was just a little speck amongst this vast horizon of beauty and creation and life. They all were. Everybody they had all ever known lived down there, in that place that all of a sudden seemed so compact and small, despite how large it looked from where they were sat. All those wars they had fought, the missions they had all embarked on…they seemed almost trivial now. Suddenly what was most important was the need to unite, to protect each other, to protect this beautiful planet that they were lucky enough to call home. The feeling was profound.
It was utterly extraordinary.
There was then a beep on the panel; Daisy and Mack tore their gaze away from the stunning view and looked down at the monitor on the flight deck to see that the Zephyr's tracking signal had appeared. They weren't close – Mack guessed that it would take approximately an hour or two to reach them, if this even worked – but at least they were there, within reach. It was a relief just to know that the Zephyr hadn't jumped forward in time.
'All right,' Mack said, exhaling sharply as he reached for the controls. 'Better strap in there, buddy. This next part's gonna be tricky.'
Daisy glanced behind her to see that Daniel wasn't moving; he was still stood there, gazing out with a dazed frown at the Earth, flabbergasted. She didn't like to interrupt his epiphany, but time was of the essence.
'Seriously, if this doesn't time out just right…we will freeze to death in the dark void of space, so buckle up, Danny Boy,' Daisy said, trying not to let her nerves get to her as she and Mack pressed the necessary buttons and switches on the flight deck and navigation panel.
That brought Daniel back to focus. Eyes widening, Daniel hurried away from the cockpit and back to his seat
He frowned as he sat back down and strapped himself in. Did she just call me 'Danny Boy'?
'Triangulating burn path to Z1,' Daisy announced, as she clicked away on the monitor.
Mack took a deep breath. 'Executing control burn in three…two…one.'
And off they went; the force of the launch pressed them all tightly against the back of their seats (or in Daniel's case, swinging slightly to the side) as they lurched forwards, the engines rumbling fiercely away as they soared off, orbiting across the planet.
Daisy felt herself smile. We're coming, Jemma. We're going to bring you and Deke home.
They flew for some time as they locked onto the Zephyr's location, exhausting all three of them. After a while, the engines burnt out and they were left to drift the rest of the way towards the Zephyr. Mack and Daisy weren't sure how long it would take for them to float, but they knew that it would be good for them to take advantage of this time by getting some rest and mentally preparing for the daunting, near-impossible task that awaited them once they arrived at the ship.
Daniel was quick to hurry back over to the cockpit the moment the Quinjet had slowed down to drift along. He felt dizzy, his stomach was a mess, parts of him felt swollen, and his head ached like mad, but none of it mattered. The view was astounding.
Mack looked up at him with a fond smile. 'Here, take my seat,' he offered, getting up.
'Oh, no, sir,' Daniel said at once. 'Thank you, but I-'
'Really, it's fine. I need to head over to the control panel back there anyway and cut all systems we don't need…otherwise we'll lose power long before we reach Z1,' Mack said, and his lips twitched at the stunned look on Daniel's face. 'Don't worry, Agent Sousa, I started out this gig at S.H.I.E.L.D. as a mechanic. I know what I'm doing.'
Daisy smiled as she watched Daniel nod nervously at Mack; while Mack headed over to fetch his tools from his bag, Daniel slipped into his seat and gazed out of the front seat in awe. Daisy stayed sat with him in silence for a while as he drank it all in. It was peaceful and quiet, and Daisy felt her shoulders relax. She knew what was waiting for them at the Zephyr, she knew it wasn't going to be easy and that they might not make it out alive, but for now, she could enjoy just sitting here looking out at the Earth in the company of a lovely man. It felt so nice.
Daniel was utterly captivated; Daisy could see the planet's surface and the stars reflected in his wide eyes.
'How are you doing?' Daisy asked him quietly.
'I'm…' Daniel shook his head, unable to find the words as he stared out in front of them.
Daisy followed his gaze and sighed wistfully. 'I know. It's really something, isn't it?'
'It's…it's incredible. We could die out here any minute, but…it's worth it just for this,' Daniel murmured, and Daisy smiled softly.
'Yeah, I know what you mean.'
'I could stay out here for…days, weeks, months even, and I don't think I'd ever get bored…It's just…it makes you question everything, doesn't it? Whether there's a higher power, whether there's…a reason for everything…' Daniel murmured, sounding dazed, unaware that Daisy's eyes were not on the stunning view but on him instead, as if she found him just as spectacular. 'We're all so small. Look at it. It's unbelievable. It's beautiful-'
'-It's beautiful,' Daisy said at the same time, and they both smiled. 'I, uh, I kind of got used to this sort of view, not so long ago. Not Earth specifically, I mean, but, y'know, space. Back when Simmons and I were searching for Fitz. We were out in space for about a year. Way far out from here though. Galaxies away.'
At this, Daniel tore his eyes away from the window and raised his eyebrows at her, shocked. 'Wh-what, you…you what?'
Daisy laughed softly at his reaction. 'See, I just enjoy throwing these facts out there just to see your face do that thing.'
Daniel looked at her incredulously, his parted lips forming a smile. 'You…you and Simmons spent a year out…out here? In space?' he asked in disbelief.
'Hm-hmm. We had some fun moments.'
'Well I'm very jealous. That…that must have been…well, I…' He trailed off, amazed. 'Who'd have thought it? That S.H.I.E.L.D. would have a division out in space?!'
'Oh, w-well…it wasn't a division, it was…just a few of us on a mission. It's not exactly a common thing in S.H.I.E.L.D.,' Daisy said.
'Well I think it should be,' Daniel said, and Daisy grinned; his nerdy enthusiasm was adorable. 'You know, when this is over, you're gonna have to set aside some time to tell me everything that's happened. And I don't just mean out here in space. I bet you've got some great stories since you joined S.H.I.E.L.D.'
Daisy raised her eyebrows. 'Well…they're certainly…yeah, I've got some stories, all right. It would take a hell of a lot of time to tell you them, though,' she said. 'We'd need a few days, maybe even a week.'
'Even better.'
Daisy looked at him, her heart racing. His eyes were on hers, a slight smile on his face. He was being very casual. He knew that she wouldn't think it meant anything; he just wanted to get to know her better, as a friend. He would be fascinated by any stories she had to tell him.
'G-great. Well, err…I'll put 'Story Time' in the diary for when we're back on Earth,' Daisy said, making Daniel chuckle as she slowly got up out of her seat. 'Anyway, uh…I'm gonna leave you and the window alone, seems like you two could do with a moment. I'll go see if Mack needs a hand.'
Daniel nodded, smiling. 'Okay,' he murmured, turning his gaze back to the view outside.
A small smile fell on Daisy's face as she hovered there beside his seat, watching him. She knew how he must be feeling; she'd felt it all before. Turning away, Daisy put a hand briefly on his shoulder, making Daniel's heart leap, and then left him alone to enjoy this blissful moment of looking out at the vast blackness of space and the surface of their wonderful planet.
She walked over to Mack, who was crouched on the floor at the back end of the Quinjet with his tools. He had taken away one of the floor panels so that he could access the wires to most of the Quinjet's systems, and was in the process of cutting them up to shut everything down.
'How's it going?' she asked, sitting down on the floor beside him.
'Almost done,' Mack replied, grunting as he tried reaching for one of the wires, and his lips twitched as he glanced up at her. 'How's our friend doing?'
'He's…he's loving life right now,' Daisy said, a fond smile on her face as she glanced back at Daniel. 'I think he's a space nerd. He's found his new calling.'
Mack scoffed. 'Poor guy. He's had a hell of a lot to deal with since '55.'
'I know, right? I'm amazed he's still functioning, to be honest. He just…he just goes along with whatever, it's…pretty impressive,' Daisy said, raising her eyebrows as she stared ahead of her, seeing nothing as she let her thoughts get wrapped up in Daniel Sousa and the equipment room and his hands on her waist as he'd kissed her back…
But then Mack spoke up, breaking her from her reverie.
'Well…having trust and faith in the right people helps you deal with all the other problems you've got going on,' Mack said, glancing pointedly between Daniel and Daisy, and he sighed as he looked back down at the floor panel. 'In my experience, anyway.'
Daisy watched him sympathetically as he worked. 'It's so weird…that you've been away from us for over a year.'
'I know. Our time with S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps getting crazier and crazier,' Mack mumbled.
Daisy didn't like how weary he sounded when he said it. She didn't like how he was implying that their time with S.H.I.E.L.D. would only inevitably get worse, at least before it got better, mainly because she knew deep down that he was right. Things were in a dire state, not just with Malick and Sybil, but with the timeline as well. It seemed almost hopeless to imagine that they would really be able to fix it.
'We're never going home, are we?' Daisy murmured.
Mack didn't say anything as he continued working on cutting the power supply wires underneath the floor. She looked at him almost desperately. Mack had always been the one she'd looked to for reassurance, but now he was providing her with none.
'Do you think it's still out there? The OG timeline?' she asked.
At this, Mack looked up. 'I pray it is,' he replied, raising his eyebrows, and he exhaled heavily. 'But…who knows.'
She watched him anxiously as he turned back to the panel. What would they do if there was no way to fix the damage they, the Chronicoms and Malick had caused? Would they be able to start over again perhaps? Go back to 1931 and try to re-do everything, similar to one of the time loops? But then what would happen to Daniel? Would he remain with them as an anomaly, or would everything reset and he would return to his normal life in 1955 before being murdered by HYDRA, having no memory of any of this? The thought made Daisy shudder.
'Hmm, this should be…everything but the…life support,' Mack mumbled, deep in concentration as he worked. 'And grav systems…'
With his final cut of the wire, the remaining lights, grids and monitors on the Quinjet all shut down, submerging them all in yet further darkness.
Mack sighed. 'Okay…we should try to conserve oxygen,' he said, and he fit the floor panel back in place.
He got back up to his feet with a grunt and crossed over to sit on one of the seats.
Daisy glanced back to the cockpit to check on Daniel. He was still sat there in awed silence, gazing out at the view. She could tell that he would never get tired of it. A small smile fell on her face as she watched him before she turned back to Mack and spread her legs out lazily on the floor.
She looked around the Quinjet. The last time a Quinjet had been out in space, it had blown up with both Lincoln and Ward inside it. This would have been Lincoln's last view…the man she'd loved, gazing out at the Earth as he waited for death's arms to embrace him. Daisy sincerely hoped that history wasn't going to repeat itself.
The more sensible part of her mind would have tried reassuring Daisy that she was being silly and pessimistic…but she couldn't forget Enoch's premonition during his final moments.
A frown fell on her face. She couldn't hold in her concerns any longer.
'Enoch said that this will be the team's last mission together,' Daisy said quietly, her eyes fixed on the floor.
She then looked up at Mack, who was frowning thoughtfully. He looked confused, clearly wondering how Enoch could have been so sure about such a thing.
'Even if we survive?' he asked her.
'That was…my impression, yeah,' Daisy replied.
She didn't want to elaborate. 'While your friends will indeed survive, the team…will not,' Enoch had said to her.
'Your friends'. Not, 'you all'.
Mack considered her for a moment, then raised his eyebrows in resignation. 'Well, maybe it's time,' he said heavily, and Daisy glanced at him in confusion as he chuckled softly, as if he was happy to accept such a horrifying notion. 'We've had a crazy run.'
'What?!' Daisy said incredulously, staring at him in disbelief as she tried to force a smile on her face. 'How can you say that? It's just…that's it? Just, "talk to you later"? That…'
She trailed off hopelessly, unable to comprehend the idea. No. She wouldn't believe it. She wouldn't accept it. The future wasn't written, it wasn't set in stone – their actions in saving Daniel alone had been enough to prove that – so Enoch hadn't really known. None of them had any idea. All Daisy was sure of was that this team was a family. They had lived together and worked together for all these years, and there was no way it was just going to fall apart. She refused to let that happen.
But Mack was smiling bemusedly at her. 'Now look, we have these things called phones. Now, I know – I know you millennials like to use them just for taking pictures of yourselves, but…in the eighties, we actually used them to talk to each other,' he said jokingly.
Daisy frowned at him. She was seriously beginning to panic now. His attitude made no sense, no sense at all.
'I'm serious…what…' She stared at him, bewildered, unsure how to process the way this conversation was going. 'We're not just gonna turn into the…people who used to work together and, you know, and, "Well, hey, I'm in town" and, "We used to be close a long time ago"…that's…'
Daisy stopped talking and her face fell slowly as she took in Mack's expression, the way he gazed at her with such pity. It was as if he thought she was in denial, or that she was stuck in the past, refusing to move forward.
'Sounds like we might,' Mack murmured, apparently untroubled by the fact.
'Mack,' Daisy protested in a quiet, almost pleading voice. 'The…'
She averted her gaze for a moment as she tried hard to fight against the tears threatening to brim to the surface of her eyes. She didn't know what to say or what to think. All she knew was that she didn't want this. This couldn't be it. It couldn't be.
'You guys are my family,' Daisy said, gazing back up at Mack imploringly, and there was a barely audible shake in her voice as she said it.
Mack slowly looked up at her, his expression unusually gentle. He could see the pain, the fear, the panic rising in her.
'I-I don't know who I am…without you guys,' Daisy went on, and she sounded close to breaking.
'No, Daisy-' Mack began comfortingly, but Daisy cut over him, distressed.
'No, it's-' Her voice cracked, and she looked away. She was close to tears.
There was nothing he could say to reassure her. Of course she didn't know herself outside of S.H.I.E.L.D.; how could she? She had been a completely different person before Coulson had found her and recruited her as part of this team. She had grown into someone completely unrecognisable from Skye, the plucky, confident, playful hacktivist she had been in her mid-twenties. She had changed so much, and that was all because of everything she had experienced with these people who she loved so very much. Besides, they weren't just like regular co-workers at a typical day job. They didn't go to work for seven hours a day then come home to their own personal life with different friends and family who were separate from the job. This job here at S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't a job; it was a lifestyle. It was 24/7. Daisy had no home address, only S.H.I.E.L.D. bases and aircrafts. The end of the team wouldn't just mean getting a new job for Daisy; it would mean starting a whole new life, at the age of thirty-two, with nowhere to go and no friends or family to turn to. And that terrified Daisy more than any future-telling Chronicom or torture-loving member of HYDRA's most supportive family ever could.
Mack frowned at Daisy sympathetically as she tried not to cry. 'You know exactly who you are,' he said firmly, and the look in his eyes told her that he truly believed it. 'With anyone.'
Daisy nodded heavily, trying to force herself to find comfort in his words.
With anyone.
Instinctively, she turned around to look at Daniel, completely oblivious to what was going on as he continued to gaze out in wonder at the stars and the Earth. She thought back to those secluded moments alone with him, in the comfort of her dingy room in the Lighthouse, or the living space on the Zephyr…or in the intimate equipment room during the time loops, when Daniel had opened up about how he wanted to be that special someone for her…when he had shown her just how well he already knew her, and the kind of person she was. Those had been rare moments when she had put the job to the back of her mind briefly and let herself be…well, herself.
Daisy had never thought that she would fall in love again after Lincoln. She'd never wanted to, nor had she ever thought she could even be capable of letting herself feel such a thing again. But now?
It took her a moment to realise that Mack was groaning at her exasperatedly. 'Ugh, oof…' he murmured, an unimpressed smirk on his face as he shook his head wearily.
Daisy's eyes widened in panic. 'What?' she said innocently, glancing back and forth between Mack and Daniel, before realising too late that that wasn't helping matters.
'Really. Subtle,' Mack said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows over at Daniel.
'Stop!' Daisy whispered urgently, mortified.
'Coool,' he teased, and Daisy couldn't help laughing softly.
She knew that there was no point in denying it. Mack had always been able to see through her, like the big brother he was.
'In the…in the time loops, we…we kinda kissed,' Daisy whispered, grimacing but grinning giddily at the same time.
It felt good to speak it aloud at last, to finally tell someone. It made it seem more real, like it hadn't just been some dream or a figment of her imagination. It had happened. She had kissed Daniel and Daniel had kissed her back in a way that she would never be able to forget. And now it was out there, in the open. It felt like such a relief, and yet also like she had made a monumental decision by choosing to speak about it…because now there was no more pretending, and no going back. It was almost like she was accepting – no, embracing – the fact that it would happen again someday, and she was happy with that. She didn't know for sure, and she didn't know when, but she did know how Daniel and herself both felt about each other, even if they were too shy to reveal it outside of the time loops amidst all this pandemonium going on. And that was good enough for now.
Mack was grinning at her, a bemused frown on his face. He hadn't seen her like this for so long. In fact, he wasn't sure if he had even seen her face light up this way when she'd spoken about Lincoln.
'Whatever,' Daisy said, trying to play it cool as she averted her gaze and blushed, 'he's…a dork.'
That was when Mack knew for sure. Damn, she's got it bad.
'You see, that's messed up, 'cause he doesn't remember that,' Mack said quietly with a grin, pointing over at Daniel.
Daisy laughed as she glanced back at Daniel; it was a magical sound that Mack had missed so much. 'Then why are you smiling?' she pointed out, turning back to Mack.
''Cause Yo-Yo owes me twenty dollars,' Mack mumbled, smirking, and he chuckled as Daisy kicked his leg, mortified to think that she and Daniel had been obvious enough for Mack and Yo-Yo to notice already.
Daisy's face then fell slightly as she remembered what they had been talking about, before the pleasant diversion of Daniel. 'It won't be the same,' she murmured sadly.
'No. It won't,' Mack said with a shake of his head. 'But…that's okay.'
Daisy gazed at him, her eyes suddenly feeling rather wet again, as she nodded reluctantly. After a while, she turned back to look at Daniel.
'Do you think he'll be okay?' Daisy asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
'Sousa? I think he's gonna be just fine,' Mack said with a knowing look as he smiled at her. 'Don't you?'
Daisy looked back at him for a moment and blushed as she understood what he was insinuating. 'Yeah, I do,' she agreed after a moment, turning back to gaze over at Daniel.
As if he could feel his eyes on her, Daniel then turned around and caught Daisy's eye. Heart lurching nervously, she raised her hand and gave him a little wave. Smiling in response, Daniel then got up from his seat.
'Ooh, incoming,' Mack said quietly as Daniel left the cockpit.
'Shut up,' Daisy whispered, mortified.
'Just act natural,' Mack murmured, lips twitching, as Daniel walked over to them. 'Be cool. Look casual. You look great-'
'Mack, I swear to God-'
'Hey,' Daniel said, having reached them both.
'Hey!' Daisy said in a loud, bright voice that alarmed Daniel.
He raised his eyebrows at her. 'You seem…happy,' he noted.
Daisy glanced awkwardly at Mack. 'I'm just…glad we're still alive,' she said, forcing a smile.
Daniel stared at her for a moment. 'Wow,' he said eventually, nodding slowly. 'The bar's set really low, huh?'
Lips quivering, Daisy covered her face with her hand exasperatedly as she tried not to laugh at his comment.
Grinning, Mack then got up from his seat. 'I'm, uh, I'm just gonna check the navigation panel, just to make sure we're still locked onto the Zephyr now I've messed around with the systems,' he said. 'And we'll need to all grab some rest soon – the less talking the better.'
'How come?' Daniel asked, frowning.
'Well we don't wanna run out of oxygen,' Mack replied simply.
'Ah. Of course. Oxygen. Right,' Daniel said, a lump in his throat as he nodded and tried not to look too concerned.
Lips twitching, Mack then walked away back to the cockpit to leave the two of them alone. He turned back to wink at Daisy; she would have flipped him the finger if Daniel hadn't been stood there watching her.
'Can I…help with anything here or…?' Daniel offered, as he sat down on the floor with her and stretched his legs out, mirroring her.
'No, Mack's sorted it all but…thanks,' Daisy replied.
Daniel raised his eyebrows at her; she was gazing at him unflinchingly. 'What?' he asked, feeling rather hot all of a sudden. 'Is there something on my face?'
'No. Just…'
Daisy trailed off as she remembered what he'd said to her in the time loops. 'It all fazes me, just…m-maybe not my face.'
'Are you doing okay? Really, I mean?' Daisy asked, watching him carefully.
'Uh…yeah, I think so.' Daniel sounded confused as he said it, as if surprised by the genuineness of his answer.
'I know a trip into space isn't exactly what you were expecting when you got out of bed this morning but…don't worry, it should be fine,' Daisy said airily, but then she frowned slightly. 'Well, if all goes to plan once we get to Z1…even though, we don't exactly have a plan yet…'
But Daniel had a soft expression on his face. 'I'm not worried. I'm with you. And Mack, both of you,' he added hastily, and Daisy smiled.
'I'm glad Mack's here. Not that I wasn't glad when it was just you here-'
'Well of course not.'
'-But…it just…reminds me of the old days. Mack and I were partners out in the field, before he became Director,' she explained.
'Oh, I see. Do you miss it? Having a partner?' Daniel asked.
Daisy hesitated as she thought carefully about his question; no one had asked her that before. 'Yes,' she realised. 'It's been a couple of years, but…yeah, I do.'
'Maybe you need a new one,' Daniel said, averting his gaze as he fiddled with his shoulder strap nervously.
Daisy's lips curved slightly at one end as she looked at him. 'Maybe I do.'
Daniel met her gaze and smiled back at her. He had seen how enamoured Deke was with her; no doubt he would be keen to be Daisy's new work partner out in the field. Well, he'd have to get in line.
He cleared his throat and straightened up. 'W-we should…probably get some rest. Save oxygen,' he said, and then he frowned bemusedly. 'That's…a sentence I never thought I'd say.'
He could get used to it, though, Daniel realised. He could get used to being up here, amongst the stars. It was nothing short of magical.
'Where are you gonna sleep?' Daisy asked.
'I'm not. I'm heading back to the front row seat,' Daniel said, his eyes already lighting up at the prospect as he glanced back towards the window. 'Might as well make the most of the view before everything goes to hell.'
'I like your thinking,' Daisy said, smiling in approval.
But then Daniel's face fell slightly as he looked at her. 'Daisy, are you…are you sure you're okay?' he asked her gently. 'I'm sorry, I know you said you didn't want me to mention…well…-'
'Jiaying? I'm okay. Really,' Daisy replied reassuringly.
She was surprised that it wasn't much of a lie – she really did feel okay, considering. She wondered if she would have felt half as okay if Daniel hadn't been there with her this whole time. Probably not.
'I just wanna get Simmons and Deke back, and…get rid of Malick and Sybil and whoever else wants to tear our people apart,' she said, her knuckles grinding against the floor slightly at the thought. 'Then I'll…I'll deal with Jiaying.'
Daniel considered her for a moment, then nodded. 'Okay. Well, I'm here if…well, whenever you wanna talk,' he said gently.
'Thank you,' Daisy murmured, her eyes and smile full of tenderness as she gazed at him. 'And, Daniel, don't…don't ever say sorry for asking me if I'm okay. You got that?'
'Got it,' Daniel said with a nod, and he smiled and placed his hand briefly on her arm as he got up to his feet. 'Get some rest. You're gonna need it.'
Daisy nodded. She couldn't argue with him there.
She watched Daniel fondly as he headed back to the cockpit, glancing back at her with a smile before joining Mack and sitting beside him, asking him how the navigation panel and flight deck systems were coping.
Propping up her backpack against the seats, Daisy then stretched herself out and leant against it, trying to get comfortable. It was only as she tried using the backpack as a pillow that she realised just how exhausted she felt. The day had been an emotionally draining one, but the trip up to space in itself had completely knocked everything out of her physically. She hoped that she would have enough energy to face Malick and Garrett when the time came.
Daisy sighed to herself as she gazed through her drooping eyes over at Mack and Daniel sat in the cockpit, thinking back to her and Mack's rather bittersweet conversation. She may be feeling lost right now at the thought of what was to come once they'd finished this mission, but it must be nothing compared to what Daniel must be feeling. He had been pulled into not just a completely new time, but a completely new world. So yes…things would be different when all this was over – not just for her, but for him as well, more so than anyone else in the team.
But maybe Mack's right, Daisy thought, as she gazed over at Daniel watching the stars. Maybe it will be okay in the end.
And, with that comforting thought in mind, Daisy dozed off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
Note: The final chapter for 7x11 should be finished and posted within the next 2/3 days hopefully!