Another chapter up for you!

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Reluctantly, May left Daisy alone to give her some time to gather her bearings. The older woman decided she'd check on the other victim, Jemma, while she had time.

May found the British girl in the Inhuman refuge area. She was sitting on one of the cots with Phil next to her, his arm around her shoulder as little tears escaped her eyes.

"How is she?" May whispered to Coulson when she approached the group.

Phil sighed. "She's okay. Just overwhelmed from all the people around her. She's only ever interacted with a few guards over the years."

May nodded in understanding and she gently tucked a strand of hair behind Jemma's ear. She and Phil had developed a parent-like relationship over the two girls and it was warming May's heart.

"Maybe it'll help for her to see Daisy," Phil proposed to May. "They were close, weren't they?"

May bit her lip. "I don't know, Phil. She's not doing the best."

Coulson furrowed his brow. "How so?"

"She had a panic attack, threw up everywhere. I tried to get her to see Barns again but she's refusing. Something about it doesn't matter because this isn't real."

Phil pursed his lips. "She still thinks none of this is real?" He gently rubbed Jemma's back again.

May nodded. "She's referring to the Other World as the 'real' world."

"May, you shouldn't have left her."

"She insisted."

"You still shouldn't have left her."

"Phil, God only knows what you would've done in that situation! The girl wanted some time alone, so I respected that." May was clenching her teeth in anger.

"But what if she's tried to do something to herself?! Hmm!? That's on you!!"

The older adults didn't notice, but their yelling was making Simmons shake with fear.

"Dammit, Phil!" May hissed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "She. Wanted. Privacy!!"

"At her own expense!! Where is she, Melinda?! Tell me where she is so I can find her and make sure she's okay."

May didn't respond. Her lips were sealed.

Phil scoffed, standing up and practically handing Jemma over to May. "I'm going to find her," he declared, marching out of the lab.

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Once May left, Daisy was extremely relieved. She was embarrassed that the older woman had had to help her through an anxiety attack. She felt so weak, both mentally and physically. Just like real life. She was weak in real life too.

Daisy left the shower room, curling up on a bench near the lockers. It had been so long since she'd had the chance to relieve her stress. She just wanted that feeling of punishment again...

No, she snapped at herself. You can't do that.

Everything was spinning around her. She desperately wanted to vomit again, but knew she couldn't. There wasn't anything left in her stomach. She was thirsty, and hungry, and physically exhausted. She knew she couldn't get up from the bench if she tried.

Maybe she should've taken Ophelia's offer. A life with Lincoln would be better than this, hell, a life with Lincoln would be better than real life.

Because in real life her will to live wasn't there anymore.

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"Hello, sir," Phil said to Mace when he walked into the common room.

Mace nodded at Phil. "Hey, Coulson, how are you?"

Phil didn't beat around the bush: "Have you seen Daisy anywhere?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. She came in here all shaky and stuff, ate something, then left. She talked about nonsense and confused the hell out of Mack and I. Poor thing jumped every time someone tried to touch her."

Phil shook his head. "She's probably traumatized. The things Hydra does to people..." He trailed off in his own thoughts.

"That reminds me, I think you should keep an eye on her. She wasn't in good shape when I saw her, and I don't think she was supposed to be eating yet."

"I picked up Jemma from the med bay early this morning, and Daisy was still there."

"She must have left. I have Barns on the lookout for her, too, so don't worry."

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Phil finally found Daisy. Being the courteous gentleman he was, he was hesitant to go inside the women's locker room. Nonetheless, he knew Daisy needed his help and had a hankering she was in there.

Phil knocked on the door. "Daisy? You in there?"

No response.

"Daisy? It's Phil, Phil Coulson. The guy who saved you."

Still no response.

Coulson gulped as he turned the knob, pushing the door open. He found Daisy curled up on a bench, her hair wet and her body shaking. Her expression was numb and blank, like a robot.

"Hey there," he said gently. He sat on the bench next to her and patted her head. "You okay?"

Daisy tried to nod, but not much moved.

"Why are you in here, kiddo?"

Kiddo. He called her kiddo in real life all the time. That made her heart hurt.

Daisy tried to rearrange her legs, but she only succeeded in slipping around and off the the bench. She landed with a splat on the floor and groaned in pain.

"Woah, there!" Phil exclaimed, rushing to her side and cradling her head in his hands. "Geez Louise."

Phil gently lifted Daisy and laid her on the bench, using a rolled-up towel for her pillow. He stroked her hair. "Daisy, kiddo, maybe you should let somebody check you over. May told me you got sick."

Daisy slowly shook her head. "I'm okay," she mumbled. She was already embarrassed enough.

Phil rubbed her shoulder. "You know, Dais, you weren't supposed to leave the med bay all by yourself like that. You're too weak."

"I know," the girl said quietly.

Phil knitted his eyebrows with concern. He hated that Hydra could produce such misery.

Daisy, meanwhile, just wanted to succumb to the darkness that threatened her every moment. She didn't want this fight anymore. She didn't want to explain everything to May, to Jemma, to Coulson.

Daisy stirred a little, trying to sit up. Surprisingly, Phil didn't stop her. She planted her feet on the ground and tried to stand up, only to fall back onto the bench.

"Dammit," she mumbled.

Phil raised an eyebrow. "See? Let somebody help you. Jemma seems to be in much better shape than you right now, and that's not a good sign."

"I don't give a damn what's a good sign and what's not!" Daisy hissed. The sudden shouting made her head pound, and she swayed a little. She shut her eyes to gather her bearings. "I'm sorry, I just..."

"Shh," Phil soothed, rubbing her back. "We can take care of you."

"Coulson," she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"This isn't real."

Phil froze for a second. "I know."

"You do?"

"Sure. Of course there's more to life than meets the eye. I won't deny that."

Damn. That was such a Coulson thing to say.

Daisy turned to look at Phil. "So...you don't think I'm insane like everyone else thinks?"

Phil shook his head, patting Daisy's hand. "Of course not. What I do think, though, is that you're physically sick and you need to stop being so stubborn about it."

Daisy smiled. She'd missed her Coulson. "Okay. I will go get checked over, but only to make you happy."

Phil chuckled as he helped her to stand up. "Fine by me."

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May couldn't explain it, but she felt jealous as she watched Phil and Daisy joke around on their way to the med bay. How had he been able to convince her to do that? A few minutes ago, May had literally pulled her from the shower stall, trembling and soaking wet, and now she was smiling and laughing?

"Dammit, Phil," she whispered to herself with a smile.

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"Your digestive system is just overwhelmed from whatever you ate. You shouldn't have eaten anything without my permission." Barns told Daisy after he palpated her stomach. The feeling made Daisy want to vomit again and ignited new pains in her ribs, and she had a death grip on poor Phil's hand.

"Yep," Barns repeated as he trashed his latex gloves. "Just overwhelmed."

Barns knitted his eyebrows as Phil helped Daisy to sit up, the latter pulling her shirt down. "I have a feeling it's more than your stomach that's overwhelmed," the medic observed.

Phil looked at Daisy, as if to say, Yeah, what he said.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm a highly-trained SHIELD agent..." Phil and Barns gave her weird looks. "Oh," she said quietly, realizing that in this world she wasn't an agent at all.

Barns opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself.

"Kiddo, you want to tell us what's going on in your head?" Phil asked, his expression calming and paternal as he patted her hand again.

Daisy sighed. "Not really, because you all will just think I'm insane."

"There ought to be some truth in everything you perceive," Barns said, occupied with checking Daisy's vitals. "What you think is true is what's true for you."

Daisy sighed even deeper. "This world you know isn't real." To her surprise, neither man looked shocked. So she continued: "This world is called the Framework. It's a simulation, a world created without regret for seven people, seven SHIELD agents. There are seven real people in this world, including me, that aren't supposed to be. Their bodies are in the real world, trapped by a robot named Aida."

"Who are those six people besides you?" Phil asked.

Daisy looked at him with big eyes. "You sure you want to know?"

He nodded.

Daisy sucked in a breath as Barns looked in her ear with a light. "You, Coulson. You're one of them."

Phil's eyes widened. He was a SHIELD agent?!

Daisy continued: "And Melinda May. And Jemma Simmons. And Jeffrey Mace and Alphonso Mackenzie. And, well, me, but I'm the only one aware."

Phil furrowed his brow. "There's one more."

Daisy held her breath as she spoke: "And Leopold Fitz."

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"So you're telling me that this Daisy girl who doesn't even exist on-record says there are six people in this world that aren't supposed to be here? Six SHIELD agents stuck in a simulation, that's all this world is?!" Mace asked Phil. They were gathered in his office along with Mack, May, and Barns.

Phil shook his head. "No, Mace, she says no one is supposed to be here. This world isn't real."

Mace ran his hand through his curly hair. "And don't tell me you believe her, Phil!"

Coulson shrugged. "Not all the way. But there has to be some truth to what she's saying. No one can make up that kind of stuff."

Mack scoffed and readjusted his footing. Jeffrey rolled his eyes, setting his jaw.

Alphonso turned to May. "Melinda May, you know more about Daisy than any of us do. What was her diagnosis while she was captive at Hydra?"

"I don't know all the details, but she was considered clinically insane. At Hydra, the 'Other World'-talk was considered taboo, nonsense," May answered.

"As it should be!" Mace exclaimed. "It's utter nonsense."

May shrugged. "I agree with Phil. Daisy doesn't seem like the type to make up that crap."

Jeffrey rolled his eyes. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. We should admit all three of you for insanity!"

After a few tense, silent minutes, Alphonso spoke up: "Phil, did Daisy mention who the six were?"

Phil nodded. "I'll only tell you if everyone in here consents."

Nods went around the room, Jeffrey being the only reluctant one.

"I'm one of them," Coulson told the group. "And so are you, May."

May went wide-eyed. No wonder Daisy had compelled her so much. Maybe they were close in real life...wait, was she Daisy's mother?! Is that why Daisy called her 'Mom'?!

No, wait, why are you believing Daisy, she thought to herself.

Because you'd trust her with your life, something in May told her.

"Also, you, Mace. And you, Mack. And that Jemma girl, the other victim. And one more..."

"Go on," Mack said.

"Leopold Fitz."

"The Doctor?!" Mace asked in disbelief, his eyes wide. "You're telling me the man who has murdered hundreds and imprisoned thousands is a SHIELD agent in..." Mace did air quotes. "...the 'real world'?!"

May and Phil eyed each other, but the latter nodded.

Mace scoffed and slapped his thighs. "I'm leaving. I can't handle this crazy-talk." He stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

"Well, that went well," Phil said.

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Daisy sat on a cot next to Jemma's, waiting for her friend to wake up.

"Jemma?" she whispered when she saw her stir a little.

The British girl's eyes fluttered open and she propped herself up with her elbows, squinting as everything became more clear. She smiled when she saw Daisy. "Oh, hi, Daisy."

Daisy grinned, handing Jemma a water bottle. "Hi yourself."

After sipping some water, Simmons yawned. "How are you feeling?"

Once a doctor, always a doctor, Daisy thought to herself with a smile.

"Better," Daisy replied.

"You're a lot less pale," Jemma observed.

"You're not so bad yourself," Daisy made sure to add.

"How are your ribs?"

"Oh, Phil made the most delicious ones with the best barbecue sauce I've ever had. I had to get a wet wipe afterwards, though, because that stuff gets everywhere," Daisy joked, making Jemma laugh. Daisy patted Jemma's hand. "But no, really, Barns has taken good care of me."

Jemma smiled, content with that.

A few moments later, her smiled faded. "I overheard Melinda and Phil's conversation about you."

Daisy sighed, letting go of Jemma's hand and turning away slightly. "I know."

"You can't just bottle things up like that—"

"I know," Daisy said between her teeth.

"If you felt sick, you should've told someone."

"Dammit, Simmons, will you shut up?!" Daisy snapped, more harshly than anticipated.

Jemma looked to be on the verge of tears, making Daisy feel extremely guilty.

"I'm sorry..." she started. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"The real world, right?" Jemma inquired.

Daisy nodded.

"You know I believe you about that."

Daisy's expression lightened a little. "You do?" she asked quietly.

Jemma nodded. "I refuse to believe what happened to me these past few years is real. There's no way."

Daisy smiled. "I'm glad someone's on the same page."

"What is my life like outside of here?"

Daisy sucked in a breath. "You're a SHIELD agent, but when Hydra rose to power, you helped snuff them out. And you never had a fake death. You have a wonderful boyfriend who crossed heaven and earth to find you. He cares about you more than anything; you two are a team. One of you can't be without the other."

Jemma seemed content with that. Her smile went from ear to ear. "What's his name?"

Daisy swallowed, unsure of what to tell her. "J-James Dunn," she lied, thinking of the first name she could come up with.

Simmons smiled, and Daisy felt bad for lying to her.

"I love him already," Jemma said.

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That's all for you! Hope you enjoyed!