Chapter 24

"Are you an inhuman too?" Jemma suddenly asked to interrupt the awkward silence that was filling up the room.

Yo-Yo was taken back by her question, Daisy told them about their people? Damn, she must really trust these people for them not to be dead, "Daisy tell you?"

Jemma's eyes widened when she realised that she might have gotten Daisy in trouble with her people. She knew how secretive Daisy was with her people, "Oh…. no"

Yo-Yo couldn't believe that this girl was working for a secret organisation. She was a terrible liar, "If you're still alive, then Daisy must trust you" she simply said. She saw a smile grow across Jemma's face however, the other two in the room were still looking at her suspiciously, she didn't blame them, she didn't trust them either.

"So, you were in HYDRA?" Bobbi questioned, unlike Daisy, this woman was older than her. She was 35 years old and she would have any money that this inhuman joined HYDRA willingly unlike Daisy.

Yo-Yo eyed her, she was someone she needed to be cautious of, she knew that the younger scientist and the nervous looking engineer next to her, were not threats, but the other two women were. She put her arm over her chest and glared at her, "I was but not anymore"

"Why'd you join?" Bobbi interrogated, she didn't like the vibe that Yo-Yo was giving, but the feeling was mutual.

"Because the pay is good" Yo-Yo replied with a smirk on her face, that wasn't the actual reason. Her reason had everything to do with liberating her people. Some of her family members were being accused of a crime that they didn't commit, in return for clearance she would join HYDRA and train to become a soldier.

Bobbi didn't like her, nor did she like the fact that Yo-Yo- was friends with Daisy. Yo-Yo was old enough to make her own decisions, she wasn't forced into this life like Daisy. She was going to ask her more questions but before she could, May and Coulson entered the room.

"Who's flying the plane?" Yo-Yo asked.

"Self-piloting" Coulson answered, "Now, I want to know where we are going".

Yo-Yo had given them coordinates but not without going with them, she wasn't going to let them go to the Afterlife alone, she had a bad feeling about this, the way Daisy was talking made it sound like she was going on a suicide mission, "We're going to the Afterlife" she knew they already knew the name, but she wasn't sure how much they knew.

"We know" May growled in annoyance, she really wasn't in the mood to be left out of the loop. For the first time in 6 months, the anxiety that she hid in her stomach was suddenly coursing through her veins with a mixture of anger at Daisy for taking this all on-on her own, "What is it to her?"

Yo-Yo bit the insides of her cheeks and thought about how to answer it, "What's your relationship with her?", she wasn't going to tell them without knowing who they were.

Coulson looked around the room and could see the raw emotions in everyone's eyes as they thought about the question, even Bobbi who was definitely hiding something from them. Deep down, he could feel how proud he was of his team and of Daisy for putting aside their differences and working together, "We're family"

Yo-Yo clearly wasn't expecting that. Any suspicions that she had about the team was squashed when she looked into the eyes of every agent in here and saw that there was a burning passion in their eyes that told her that they were just invested as she was in saving Daisy, and that was enough. She sighed and said, "The Afterlife is a safe haven for Inhumans that Daisy helped build… she along with Jiaying" she paused and looked down at her feet in pain when she remembered that Jiaying was gone.

Everyone heard the pain in Yo-Yo's voice, and knew that this Jiaying person was an important Yo-Yo and possibly even Daisy.

"What does this have to do with Daisy?" May questioned, wanting her to get to the point, "Why is Calvin calling her out there?"

Yo-Yo sucked in a deep breath and tried to hide her emotions, but unlike Daisy and Ward who were experts at that. She couldn't. If she felt anger, she showed it. If she felt sad, she cried. Maybe it was because Ward and Daisy grew up in HYDRA that they were able to control their emotions.

"2 months ago… Calvin destroyed the Afterlife using Ward as a puppet-" She was interrupted by the young engineers question.

"Wait, Ward has powers?"

Ah crap, did they not know about Ward? Wait, how could they not know about Ward? If Daisy told them about her being inhuman then surely she would have told them about the others… unless she was still trying to protect them. Yo-Yo silently cursed herself, how the hell was she supposed to take over as the caretaker of the inhumans when she couldn't even keep their identities existence, "She...didn't tell you about us did she?"

Coulson shook his head, "No… even when she was caught, she still protected everyone's identities. Including Wards", he had his suspicions that Ward was an inhuman, but he was hoping that he was wrong.

Yo-Yo nodded her head, "Yes well… Ward is pyrokinetic"

"That's fitting, he destroys everything he touches" Jemma muttered bitterly.

"Hey!" Yo-Yo didn't disagree. If she had to choose who to be more loyal to, she would choose Daisy without hesitation. Ward was too unreliable, even in HYDRA he was cunning and manipulative. But he was still her people, "You don't get to talk about him as if you know"

"We do know him" Jemma shot back confidently which surprised everyone on the bus except May and Coulson who were proud of Jemma's confidence, "And I can say that because he tried to kill us"

"Oh…" Yeah….Yo-Yo wasn't going to argue with that, "Anyway, he not only destroyed the Afterlife… he also killed someone very important… he killed Daisy's mother"

Okay, no-body on the plane was expecting those words to come out. Everyone stiffened and looked around with confusion, trying to see if anyone on the bus knew that Daisy had a mother. Coulson could tell that this was affecting May, even if she wasn't showing it.

"W-Wait... Daisy's mother? She told us…"

Yo-Yo cut Jemma off, "She just found out. Honestly, I can't imagine how she must be feeling. The person who she spent two years in isolation with turns out to be your mother and then dies just a week after finding out?"

"Wait, in isolation?" Coulson asked with a frown on his face.

Yo-Yo scratched her head, "Ah… I see why Daisy didn't want me to talk to you now…"

May sucked in a deep breath and tried to process the information. Yo-Yo had just given them more details about Daisy then Daisy had given them in a week. She was starting to see why Daisy was protective of her people, they were terrible at keeping their identities and secrets hidden.

Jemma felt her heartbreaking for Daisy, it explains why her best friend went off the grid all of a sudden. She knew that Daisy must have a good reason to do that, she wouldn't just disappear, "Is Daisy okay?"

Yo-Yo heard the caring and gentle tone in the scienstits voice, and she could also feel the remorseful tension in the room. She tilted her head in confusion, "Do you actually care?"

"Of course we care!" Fitz shouted from his spot, he couldn't imagine the pain that Daisy was going through right now. He knew what it was like to lose someone close to you, but losing a mother is a whole different kind of pain.

"She just lost her mother" Bobbi, for the first time, spoke up without any hidden agenda. She was genuinely worried for the girl and regretted putting her personal mission before Daisy.

"How could you even ask that?" Jemma added fuels to the flames.

Yo-Yo couldn't help but smirk at their reaction, definitely not an evil team of people trying to manipulate Daisy to be a weapon, "She's… dealing"

May knew what that meant, it meant Daisy was doing something reckless, "And you let her go? She's a damn kid!"

Yo-Yo put her hands on her hips when she was being accused of something out of her control, she didn't have the authority to do anything, "You think that I have the authority to do that?"

"Authority?" May scoffed as she walked up to Yo-Yo with anger burning in her eyes, "She's a 20 year old girl who you treated as a weapon. She doesn't need authority, she needs guidance!"

Yo-Yo dropped her arms and sighed. She had a point, everyone treated Daisy like a weapon instead of a person. She was a 35-year old woman and she had to rely on Daisy to save her ass when she got caught by a police officer who was going to report her powers. Daisy however, killed him. She didn't give any details about how she killed a cop, but she knew that she did a damn well good job because no-one came questioning it, "And what? You guys don't treat her as a weapon? Doesn't she go on missions for you?"

"We're nothing like you!" Bobbi growled, the older women didn't deny it which made her more angry. How could a 35 year old woman rely on a 20-year-old kid? It wasn't right and it made her pissed, especially because she cared about Daisy, "We treat her as a person, not a god damn weapon!"

"Enough!" Coulson shouted, he had enough of Yo-Yo justifying her actions. He knew that Yo-Yo probably was not at fault, but he couldn't help but feel protective of Daisy and feel biased towards her, "All that matters is Daisy. Once we get there, there's a chance that the fight will be over, Daisy could be critically injured..."

"Or dead" Yo-Yo knew exactly what Daisy was up against. If Daisy was alive, she was going to be dead meat because she disobeyed her request and gave it to them in 3 hours rather than 3 days, but at least she was alive to kill her so that was a plus side. If Daisy was dead… she knew that was going to have to carry the burden, and she wasn't going to take her trust lightly.

"She's not" Coulson stated firmly, he wasn't sure whether it was him being naive or him stupid, but either way he was going to trust the instinct that told him that Daisy was alive. He could see the doubt in the rest of his team's eyes, but he didn't care. He was going to trust his gut that's screaming Daisy is alive.

"How can you be so sure?" Yo-Yo asked.

"Because it's Daisy" Coulson simply said, and that was the only answer everyone needed to hear to believe that Daisy was alive.

May took the lead, her gripped her gun tightly as she jumped out of the bus. The first thing she noticed was the heat. Being isolated, up this high in China, the weather should be significantly cooler and the air should be cleared, but she felt like she was breathing in pieces of ashes. May cautiously walked towards the entrance of the Afterlife, but immediately tensed and aimed her weapon at the blind man who she remembered seeing on the security feed.

Bobbi followed suit and shouted, "Raise your hand!", while standing in front of FitzSimmons protectively.

Yo-Yo's eyes widened when she saw weapons being trained on Gordon. Instinctively, she stepped towards Bobbi and May, and took the gun out of their hands before going back to her original spot. Both May and Bobbi looked down at their empty hands and then at Yo-Yo who was now walking towards Gordon with a gun aimed at them.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gordon growled at Yo-Yo, "And what the hell are you doing here with these… humans?"

Everyone could hear the distaste in Gordon's voice, "I don't think he's a fan of humans" Fitz said while looking at Coulson who cautiously walked towards Gordon with his hands up in the air.

"We're not here to fight" Coulson looked at Yo-Yo and nodded his head. Yo-Yo knew that they meant no harm so she threw May's and Bobbi's weapons back towards them. The two agents glared at her but they shouldn't have aimed their weapons at Gordon.

"They're here for Daisy… and where the hell is Death-" Before Yo-Yo could finish her sentence, someone landed between the two group, causing everyone to go on the defence while Gordon remained neutral.

"Deathlok?" Coulson squinted his eyes in confusion when he saw the cyborg who had gone off the radar. Mike turned his head and was surprised to see Coulson and his team. Fitz and Simmons were waving at him and he couldn't help but nod in their direction, "Okay… now I'm really going to need an explanation"

"I came here to help Daisy but there's a barrier blocking us" Deathlok said as he looked at the old team, he couldn't help but notice the new girl and the way that everyone looked relatively okay.

"I want to come back to how you know Daisy later, but firstly what do you mean the barrier is blocking you? Does this mean she went in there alone?" Coulson couldn't help but feel panicky at the thought of Daisy going through that barrier all by herself. Deahtlok nodded his head and sighed, "Fitz"

Fitz nodded his head and ran over to the barrier to inspect it.

The two groups walked closer together when they found out that they weren't each other's enemy.

"How long has it been?" May asked Deathlok, she needed to know how long Daisy has been on the other side. There was a very real possibility that Daisy needed medical attention, the young girl could be on the verge of death right now, while they are stuck on the other side.

"6 hours… one minute it was loud, then there was a huge explosion and nothing" Deathlok said with a look of panic on his face. Coulson wondered what kind of relationship he had with Daisy but chose to keep his questions for when he was certain that Daisy was okay.

"Don't talk to them" Gordon growled as he pushed past Yo-Yo and glared… well what they were assuming he was doing, at them, "We don't even know who they are"

"They're Daisy's friends" Deathlok reassured, "And mine"

"They don't mean any harm Gordon" Yo-Yo said but she could tell that Gordon was buying it.

"Like hell they don't!" Gordon shouted as he clenched his fist, he didn't know these people. Daisy wasn't here right now and for all he knew, she was dead. With her and Ward possibly dead, he knew that Yo-Yo wasn't going to step up and be the leader, so he will take the job, "You're not supposed to bring humans here!"

"Now's not the time to be arguing!" Deathlok shouted.

"I agree, right now the only thing that matters is getting to Daisy" Coulson agreed.

"Pick a side Cyborg" Gordon growled.

"This isn't about sides!" Deathlok argued, he knew that Gordon disliked humans but he didn't realise it was to this extent. God, he really hoped that Daisy was alive because he doubted that Gordon listened to anyone but Daisy.

"Guys, I got it! Fitz shouted as he inspected the barrier with Jemma by his side. His team ran over to him, "This uses the same technology of the Inertial Confinement Laser Barrier. I can disable it from the outside"

Jemma passed him a tablet and he frantically began typing away on it. After a few minutes of anticipation, the barrier collapsed and Gordon immediately teleported when he sensed Ward.

"Where the hell did he go?" Bobbi questioned when she saw the inhuman disappear.

"He went to Ward" Deathlok knows that Daisy gave him orders to prioritise Ward's safety over anything else.

Both May and Coulson didn't waste time, they ran into the after and the first thing that they noticed was how everything looked like it was burnt to a crisp. FitzSimmons followed the older agents with Bobbi staying protectively behind the group in case anyone tried to attack them.

May heard a gasp coming from the science twins as their eyes scanned the burnt safe haven. She was just as surprised by how damaged this place looked, and this all happened because of one man. Ward.

She couldn't help but think how lucky they were that Ward had some form of self-restraint when they fought. He could have easily burnt her to a crisp but he didn't.

The team rounded the corner and saw 4 dead bodies on the ground. Jemma ran over to them to see if they were alive but from the pool of blood by their bodies and the fatal wounds, she was going to conclude that they were dead.

"They're from the index" Bobbi commented as she crouched down and inspected the faces of the enhanced.

May and Coulson shared a look, knowing full well that Daisy did this.

"She took all of them on?" Deathlok was impressed, he wondered whether she came out unscathed.

May walked over to the burnt house when she saw something glimmer in the light. She bent down and removed the debris when she a cracked photo frame. She picked it up and saw a 17 year old Daisy with Ward, the rude blind inhuman named Gordon, some other white boy, Yo-Yo and an older looking Asian women who she was going to assume was Jiaying… Daisy's mum. It was still weird to think about, but she couldn't imagine how much weirder it was for Daisy. She pulled the picture out and put it in her pocket, thinking that Daisy would like something that survived the wreckage.

Coulson tried to find any signs of Daisy, but she looked like she disappeared. He walked over to Gordon who was tending Ward who was groggily waking up, "Where's Daisy?", he really didn't care that the blind was glaring at him, yes he knew that he wasn't actually glaring but he could feel the glare.

Ward's inattentive eyes looked around but his head was clouded from the pain of bones being broken in several places. May stood by Coulson and couldn't help but feel a little satisfaction at seeing Ward this beaten up, "Daisy do that?" she questioned.

"This was her holding back" Ward mumbled as he tried to roll over but Gordon stopped him, he might makes things worse if he moved. He knew that Daisy could have killed him, but she chose to save him, again. She was always saving people but who was saving her? He looked up and saw that Coulson had that look in his eyes that made him dangerous, "I don't know where she is… she knocked me out"

"Gordon" Yo-Yo knew that Gordon knew where she was but he wasn't saying anything, and that can mean two things; either she was dead or he was just being an asshole.

Gordon continued to tend Ward's wound but Ward knew that it wasn't fair on the S.H.I.E.L.D, "Gordon, tell them" he ordered.

Gordon clenched his jaw but knew better than to argue with Ward who he respected, "She's in the mountains" he said pointing towards the snowy mountain.

Everyone turned their head too look at the mountain with confusion, how the hell did she get there by foot? But nobody had time to question it instead, the S.H.I.E.L.D team ran back to the BUS to get to the mountain to get to Daisy. Yo-Yo and Deathlok stayed behind, knowing that if anyone could save Daisy it was going to be them.

Daisy stood with her back straight and her hand in her pockets as she looked straight ahead at the man-made gravestone where she had buried her parents. Paradoxically, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest as she no longer had Calvin going after her, but there was also this heavy burden that was weighing her down and made her feel numb.

Her eyes didn't seem to register the numbness that she was feeling deep within her chest. Tears streamed down her face as memories of her being happy with both her parents flooded her mind. She spent the past hour trudging up the mountain to bury her dead father next to her mother.

She clenched her eyes shut and allowed herself to be embraced by the sun's warm light that was shining on her back. For a split second, she imagined what her life would have been like if they were simply a normal family, without all the inhuman bullshit. She found herself hating the inhuman side of her even more, she knew that it was better to accept it but how could she? Because of the inhuman blood running in her body… her father and mother were now dead. She knew it wasn't directly her fault, but she hated it nevertheless.

She could feel herself falling into the darkness that she had tried so hard to fight. What was the point of fighting it? Maybe it was fate, maybe she was supposed to be the villain in this story. Re-joining HYDRA seemed like a great way to avoid her feelings, the environment was cold and unwelcoming, which was exactly how she felt right now. Or maybe she could go rogue and just be an assassin for hire. Either way, both profession sounded cold and there was dim light that told her no, to fight off the darkness that was slowly creeping into her heart, but why should she? What purpose did she have?

"Daisy?"

The dark train of thoughts that were swirling in her mind suddenly collapsed when she heard a familiar voice that she didn't want to hear right now. She closed her eyes and told herself to not look back, to not look at their faces because if she did, then she would crumble, and she couldn't afford to do that. She barely even registered that someone was now standing beside her. She knew who it was, she knew that it was Coulson. And she also knew that the team was behind her. But as long as she didn't look back, she would be fine.

"You're having a hell of a month huh?"

Daisy closed her eyes and let out a watery chuckle. She could hear Coulson gesturing to the rest of the team to get back on the BUS while he and May stayed put. She could hear May keeping her distance, but she was close enough to stop Daisy from doing something if it came down to it.

She could feel the tears leaking from her eyes but she refused to acknowledge them, it was easier to pretend that they didn't exist. She could keep her emotions under control as long as she didn't look into their eyes. Hearing his voice was already breaking her walls down.

"We heard about your mother… we're so sorry for not being there for you"

Daisy didn't know what came over her, but she felt herself covering her mouth with her hands in an attempt to stifle the sobs that were trying to escape from her lips. Why was Coulson apologising? She should be the one to apologise. Instead of coming to them, she went off the grid and became a killer. She killed several people to get what she wanted and when she finally got to Calvin, it wasn't some grand battle, it was a simple goodbye, "Please… leave me alone…" the words escaped from her lips before she her brain could tell her not to talk to them.

"Not a chance" May was scared, she was scared of how pale and broken the girl looked. She was trying to see if she was injured and from what she could see, there was a big blood stains on Daisy's shirt that was being covered up by her jacket. There was a clean cut on her cheekbone and a bruised lip. But the physical injuries isn't what worried her, it was the emotional damage. Something within Daisy shattered beyond repair, and she knew that the girl was going to go down a dark path if she continued to let Daisy do whatever she wanted.

Coulson could hear how desperate Daisy sounded. She didn't want them here because she knew she would break if they were there. She knew it, but so did he. And he wanted her walls to crumble, he wanted her to stop being reckless and cold, especially because he knew that it was just a façade to hide her true feelings. He turned his head to look at the make-shift grave yard and sighed when he saw Calvin's and Jiaying's name written on the tomb. He found it odd that Daisy had buried her father. You don't usually bury your enemies unless you respected them. He guessed that something must have happened in his final moments that made Daisy forgive him, even if it was a just a little.

"Why are you guys here?"

Daisy's voice carried so much weight and emotion, she sounded tired, too tired for a 20 year old girl.

"Did you really think that we wouldn't come? After everything that we've been through?" Coulson questioned firmly. His heart clenched when he saw Daisy's body shaking, for a second he thought it was because of the cold but then he realised that she was crying, but she was trying her best not to make a sound.

Doing the only thing that he could think of, he took a step forward and pulled Daisy into his arms.

"Let go!" Daisy cried as she tried to push Coulson away by weakly hitting his chest, but he wouldn't. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve Coulson's warmth or kindness, she deserved to freeze in the cold like the icy person that she is.

Coulson shook his head and kept his hold on Daisy. After a few minutes of Daisy lightly punching his chest, she finally collapsed and allowed herself to bury her head into his chest and sob. He held onto her for a while, allowing Daisy to cry out her emotions.

"I-I d-don't'…." Daisy sobbed into his chest, he continued to hold the crying girls in his arms as she tried to formulate a sentence that expressed how she felt, "I don't know what to do anymore" she admitted in between her sobs.

Coulson shared a look with May and knew that she was thinking the same thing that he was. May walked over to her and reached into her pocket to pull out the S.H.I.E.L.D badge that Daisy was trying to return, "You're a S.H.I.E.L.D agent" May stated firmly. Daisy slowly pulled out of the hug and looked at May who was trying to pass her the badge back.

Daisy shook her head as she looked at the badge. She didn't deserve it, not after what she had done. She doubted that anyone on this team had killed their own father. She doubt that they were monsters like her. With tears still streaming down her face, she said, "I-I can't… I'm not like you guys…"

May raised an eyebrow at the young agent who looked like she was on the verge of crumbling if they made one wrong move, "Like us?"

Daisy stopped avoiding eye contact and looked into May's eyes, "I'm not good", she was surprised to see a small smile appear on May's face.

"And you think that I am?" May knew that she wasn't in S.H.I.E.L.D because she thought that she was a hero, she was doing it because she didn't want innocent people to suffer from the pain and torment that was HYDRA and alien threats, "I killed an 8 year old girl, the girl who you thought of as a sister", Daisy shook her head and was going to tell May that was different but May stopped her, "No-one on our team is doing this because they think they are the good guys, they're doing it because they want to stop people like HYDRA… like your father, from causing unnecessary pain and suffering"

Daisy's pain scrunched up in pain when she heard that. She couldn't help but think how different her life would have been if someone had stopped her father before he became obsessed with giving her powers. He wasn't an evil man, he was simply a father who felt like he failed his daughter, and the only way that he could atone for it was making sure nobody could ever hurt her again. Daisy knew that, she understood her father more than anyone.

"Daisy, I know what you're thinking. You're probably wondering what to do now that the Afterlife is gone and the Inhumans don't need protecting. I know you're thinking about going back to HYDRA because that place is cold and unforgiving…" Daisy's eyes widened in shock at Coulson's statement, she thought he would be mad but instead, he was staring at her with understanding, "But you deserve better than being treated as a weapon. You're S.H.I.E.L.D agent who has a family who has been waiting for you for 6 months"

May could see that the walls that Daisy had erected, was starting to crumble. She would bet her entire career, that the reason why Daisy didn't come for them to help and didn't want to see them, was because they were able to break through her walls with nothing but a display of their trust and love for her, "We can't force you to stay. It has to be your decision whether to stay with us and fight the darkness… or become the darkness that you've been fighting against your entire life"

Daisy looked at the badge in May's hand and knew that this was a pinnacle moment for her, if she went back she knew that she wouldn't be able to leave again, not because they will force her to stay but because she wants to stay. But if she left… she would never have to confront these emotions that felt too overwhelming to deal with, she could isolate herself and never feel pain again.

"Pain is what makes us human" May said. She remembered feeling a similar way to Daisy after killing Katya. She thought that hiding in a cubicle doing office work was the only way for her to escape the pain, but if anything it made her numb and cold. Everything changed the day that Coulson, the warm light in her life, decided to put her on his team. And for the first time since Bahrain, she felt alive. She felt pain, but it was pain that she knew she could overcome because she was a team who supported her and wouldn't let her go back into her cubicle.

Daisy thought about it, she couldn't stop hearing Jiaying's voice to tell her not to fall into the darkness, and her father telling her to live her life on her own terms. May and Coulson watched in anticipation as Daisy began tapping her foot in the snow, "6 months later and you're still trying to save me"

May smiled when she heard Daisy's light tone, "You don't need saving, you need guidance"

Daisy eyed the badge and took it out of May's hand. She rolled her eyes when she saw a dorky grin appear on Coulson's face, "Good, because filing the paperwork for you to leave was going to be a bitch"

Daisy chuckled at that. She put the badge into her jacket and looked at the BUS. There was no going back after this. Oh screw it, Daisy walked into the bus and couldn't but think how homey and safe she felt. After 4 months of training in darkness and 2 months of assassinating people from an underground box in Columbia, she had to admit that she was glad to be back.

"Daisy's back?" Mack questioned with a slight smile, he wasn't going to admit it but he had missed the young girl's presence. When he was walking on something in the garage, he would unconsciously look back at the van that Daisy stayed in. Daisy would sometimes hide out in her van with her computer, she had a cozy set up and Mack had to admit, when he was working late at night he thought about sneaking into the van and sleeping on it. But he knew that Daisy would kill him if he tried.

"She is, she's currently in the infirmary waiting for a full check up but before Simmons goes, I wanted to have a team meeting" Coulson said, he and May talked about it for a bit, and knew that he couldn't make this decision alone, not this time.

"Sounds serious" Hunter said as he grabbed a bear from the fridge and walked over to Coulson.

"Is everything okay?" Bobbi was now concerned about the young agent who she hasn't seen in the past 6 months. She hated to admit, especially since she was still a double agent and she knew that Gonzalez was breathing down her and Mack's neck about the operation, but she wanted the young agent back on base with them. She missed her presence, and she knew everyone did too.

Hunter would make snide remarks while on missions saying, I bet Daisy couldn't take them all on her own. Or some narcissistic comment like that.

Mack was more low-key about it, but he missed someone being there while he did his work. Daisy never bothered him, she was always doing her own thing but her presence was welcoming.

Fitz and Simmons, they were most vocal about how much they missed Daisy. They would ask Coulson and May constantly about it, and she has shared a few conversations with Simmons about how Daisy must have had a good reason if she left.

"Relatively" Coulson replied ambiguously, "The reason why we wanted to talk to you guys first is because… We wanted to know how you feel about Daisy coming back"

Last time, Coulson had pushed Daisy into this dysfunctional team without asking for anyone's opinions or thoughts and it brought unnecessary conflict between them. But now, he wanted to know everyone's feelings because he wasn't sure Daisy could afford to me an environment where she didn't feel wanted. If the team didn't want her, then he and May were willing to take Daisy somewhere secluded, and ensure that she was emotionally stable before allowing her to come back. But, if they wanted her here, which he was hoping they would, then he will rely on his team to help Daisy through her trauma. He was hoping for the latter option.

A round of confused glances went around the room as everyone was trying to comprehend what he was asking them.

"Sir… I'm sorry I'm a bit confused. Are you asking for our opinions on Daisy coming back?" Jemma voiced everyone's confusion.

"Yes, I am" Coulson confirmed, "Last time, I forced the decision to let Daisy in on the team which caused unnecessary conflict however, I feel like we're closer as a team now. I trust you guys and I hope that you trust me which is why I value your opinions more than anything"

Bobbi and Mack's eyes widened at the display of trust that Coulson was showing to them. THey couldn't help but share a guilty glance with each other as they both knew that their true identities, was a direct betrayal of trust.

"Daisy just lost her parents. Yes, one was admittedly, a psychopath who experimented on her, but Daisy seemed to be close with her mother. Even if she doesn't show it, she's hurting…", There was no doubt in Jemma's mind that Daisy should be here. She knew it from the moment that she met her in HYDRA that Daisy belonged in S.H.I.E.L.D. It wasn't just because Daisy was a good agent, it was because of her big heart.

"And yes… while she did go on a 2 month killing spree, it wasn't like she was going around killing innocent people" Fitz said as he looked at Coulson with confidence in his eyes, "Everyone that she killed deserved it"

Mack was surprised by Fitz's morbid and confronting statement but he had admit, that was true. He wished that he had the guts and authority to kill those bastards who slaughtered innocent people with his own hands, but he couldn't. His conscious got in the way of that, "Yeah, I agree"

"Right now, what Daisy needs is a support system. Not to isolate herself even more" Bobbi stated protective, she saw Daisy as a young sister who needed guidance. If they left her on her own, there was not a doubt in her mind that Daisy would go down the wrong path, "Her isolation is what led her to these… killing sprees"

Hunter nodded his head and felt like he needed to put his input in, "Yeah, all that and I still need to kick her ass"

May hid her smile by looking down at her shoes while Coulson visibly showed how proud he was of his team, "Okay. I'm glad to hear it" he spoke truthfully, "Simmons, go check on Daisy and everyone, get back to work"

May waited for everyone to leave before following Coulson up to his office. She could see behind the facade of him being happy that Daisy was back, that was tired and worried about her .

"She's going to be okay Phil" May reassured out loud. She wasn't sure who she was reassuring, Phil or herself. She couldn't help but feel like a weight has been lifted off her chest as ever since Daisy took that badge from her hand and walked back to the BUS with them. She knew that she was going to be giving Daisy a huge ass lecture when the girl was feeling better, but right now she was just going to stay by her side and make sure that no-one tries to harm her or take her away from them.

"Is she?" Coulson knew that Daisy was out of the red zone physically speaking, but mentally, he wasn't so sure she could handle any more emotional distress. He looked into her eyes and saw where she was going, she was going to go down the wrong path if they hadn't gotten to her in time, "We can't force her stay if she decides that this isn't what she wants"

May didn't want to hear Coulson's speech about being reasonable and how it had to be Daisy's choice to stay rather than leave. She knew he was right, but if they gave Daisy that option now, then Daisy would leave and spiral into darkness. She wasn't about to let that happen, she wasn't going to let another inhuman kid die when she had the power to save them, "Like hell we can't"

Coulson turned to look at May who had a ferocious and protective look in her eyes, "What are you suggesting?" he knew that May had a plan, she always did.

"Right now, she doesn't need a way out, she needs a way in. If she tries to quit, make her go through all this bullshit paperwork to keep her here long enough to reconnect with the team. During the 6 months that she was gone, it was easy for her to fall back into old habits which includes her going on suicide missions" May stated with frustration while eyeing the fragile girl, "When she's rational enough and has an actual plan that doesn't involve any self-destructive behaviour, then she can leave"

Coulson nodded his head, that was a fair and impressive plan, "Psychological solution"

May smirked at that, "When you used to marry a psychologist you tend to pick up on their psychobabble talk"

Coulson thought that this was a good opportunity to bring up her ex-husband, "Speaking of which… I want to bring Andrew in to assess her"

May shifted uncomfortably at the thought of bringing her ex-husband back. They didn't exactly leave on good terms, in fact it was fair to say that they didn't leave on mutual terms, "He's a good psychologist and even better he's someone we can trust"

"So, you'll talk to him?"

May hasn't spoken to Andrew since the HYDRA takeover but in her defence she had been busy… and been trying to avoid him ever since their divorce. But at this point, she was willing to do anything for Daisy, even if it meant talking to her ex-husband again, "Fine"

Daisy sucked in a deep breath as she sat in the infirmary room waiting for Simmons to come in. Coulson and May had allowed her to sit in the cockpits, avoiding the team for as long as she could. They knew that Daisy needed time and what better way than to isolate herself under May's supervision. But they only allowed her to sit there under one condition, Simmons was to give her a full-body check-up when they got to base.

So here she was.

Sitting in the infirmary room.

She closed her eyes and put her hand over her burning torso, after sitting down and finally letting her body rest after an entire day of fighting, she could feel her wounds throbs and her bones ache. She leaned her head against the wall and listened to the vibration frequency that the base was emitting. Everything in this base was noisy, she could hear the sounds of people walking, the vibration that was emitting from every device in this plane, and it didn't help that someone was in the garage cutting a piece of metal.

She was able to drown it out when she focused and if she wasn't as exhausted as she was right now, she would do that. She would drown the noise out. She would drown everything. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall, after a few minutes of waiting she heard the door open. Her eyes snapped open and in front of her was Simmons.

"Daisy!" Jemma's tone was filled with concern when she saw how pale the girl looked. She immediately went to work and ran over to Daisy's side.

"Simmons" Daisy spoke back with little emotions. She couldn't help but admit that she felt this sense of peace now that she was back on the base. But there was a part of her telling her to keep her distance from the team because everyone who gets close to her dies.

Jemma was surprised by the cold tone but she knew better than to push the girl. It was odd being on the other end of Daisy's coldness, usually that was reserved for Daisy's enemies, "May I look under your shirt?" she asked. She watched as Daisy hesitantly, took off her jacket with a grimace on her face.

"It's only a minor injury" Daisy said as she slowly lifted up her shirt, revealing a bloodied and half-burnt torso that was oozing out blood and pus.

Jemma gasped in shock at the severity of the injury. There was nothing minor about this, she wondered how Daisy went this long without any pain medication or without passing out. She looked up and looked into Daisy's brown eyes, but they were distant and unwelcoming, but she wasn't afraid, "This is anything but minor" Jemma lectured as she got her medical equipment and began cleaning and disinfecting the wounds but she paused when she saw Daisy grimacing in pain, "I can give you some painkillers or morphine for the pain"

Daisy shook her head, "No" she stated firmly, she deserved to feel pain. As May said, pain is what makes her human right? She knew that this wasn't what May meant, but if the pain went numb she was afraid that her wounds weren't the only thing that would be numb, but her emotions.

Jemma looked at her worriedly, but decided not to say anything. She continued to disinfect the wound and burns, she assumed that the only reason why Daisy wasn't dead was due to her inhuman DNA that made her heal faster than most, "So, how have you been?" Jemma asked trying to make conversation to fill in the silence, but then she remembered the reason why Daisy had been gone for 6 months, "I'm such an idiot. Of course you're not okay, I mean you just lost your mot-" she cut herself off when she saw Daisy tense, "I'm so sorry Daisy…"

"Don't be" Daisy replied coolly, trying to pass off as if she didn't care. She couldn't help but feel bitterly towards her mother, she knew that she was going to die by Calvin's hands but she didn't say anything. She understood her mother's reasoning, and to some degree, it lessened the pain but she continued to miss her nevertheless. She saw Jemma shift uncomfortable and guilty in her chair, and couldn't help but feel bad for acting so cold. But she was tired, and not in the mood for talking.

Jemma noticed something on Daisy's wrist and realised it was the watch that she and Fitz had made for her. She couldn't help but notice how broken it looked, she doubted the suppressors worked nor did any of the other functions, so why did Daisy continue to wear it?

Daisy noticed her staring at her wrist and knew that she was curious about the watch. She wasn't going to say that she wore it because it reminded her of the team, so instead she took the watch off and put it in her jacket.

Jemma sighed, Daisy was being so distant and she couldn't understand why. Well… she understood that she must have gone through a very traumatic experience but she knew Daisy, there was something going on. She was trying to isolate herself from the team, but she won't let her.

An hour passed and Jemma finely stitched up the large cut on her torso and bandaged the burn wounds, "All done". Daisy opened her eyes and looked down at her torso to see it not being covered by blood. That was an improvement, "I'm going to prescribe you some antibiotics to avoid an infection". Jemma went over to grab the pain medication and antibiotics, "Make sure you get some rest, you may experience some blood loss and since we don't have any blood to replenish it, eating lean meat should do the trick. If it wasn't for your inhuman biology, you could be in critical condition right now"

"Thanks", Daisy took the medications out of her hands and grabbed her jacket before leaving.

Jemma watched as Daisy walked right past the team, not even acknowledging their greetings or happy smiles. Jemma walked up to the team and joined them in watching Daisy practically run away from them.

"What's up with her?" Hunter asked as he pointed to Daisy.

"I think that she's distancing herself from us" Jemma stated worriedly, she really didn't want to go through the whole, we're not talking to each other phase.

"I think she just needs time. She needs to process everything that happened" Bobbi said as she put a comforting hand on Jemma's shoulders.

"How much time should we give her?" Fitz asked as he fiddled with his hands. He knew from experience that giving too much space sometimes did more harm than good.

"Enough time to heal" Mack said sympathetically, he knew what it was like to lose someone, someone who was family.

"Last time we did that, Daisy isolated herself for an entire week before talking to any of us" Jemma argued, she knew that if they left her for too long.

Fitz pointed at Jemma and nodded his head in agreement, "Th-That's true…plus… last time she initiated all the conversation"

"If we wait for her to initiate conversation it'll probably take a few weeks" Bobbi said knowing how good at avoiding Daisy was.

"Long enough for her to isolate herself" Mack stated worriedly. He genuinely started liking the girl and thought of her as a member of his team, he hated to admit it but he didn't want Daisy to go down the wrong path because he didn't want to fight her.

Hunter looked at everyone who was now worried about Daisy. He felt like he could understand Daisy's feelings a little better than anyone else. Not in the respect that she just lost someone, but more like he knew how she thought because she worked as an ex-assassin and mercenary for HYDRA, "Give her enough time to let her grieve, and then suffocate her with you overbearing welcoming and positive attitudes"

Everyone groaned when Hunter, once again didn't give anyone any good advice.

After the team meeting, Bobbi and Mack walked into the storage room, where nobody usually went to. Bobbi stressfully walked through the corridor as the guilt that has been accumulating over the past year, was becoming overbearing, "I can't do this anymore. I can't keep lying to the team! Not now that… Daisy is back and Coulson is giving us his trust speech"

Bobbi knew that she could vent to Mack because the older man was feeling the exact same way that she was. Mack made sure that no-one was listening before closing the door shut and locking it, "I know, I know" Mack was feeling the same guilt as she was, "But, what the hell are we supposed to do?" Mack wasn't angry at Bobbi, he was angry of how he let it come to this.

"We need to tell Coulson" Bobbi wasn't going to do this, she wasn't going to hide this from the team, not anymore. She has been hiding this secret for an entire year.

"Yeah, that's a great plan. We'll just go up to him and say, Hey sir. So, long story short, Bobbi and I were actually sent to infiltrate your team a year back by the Real S.H.I.E.L.D which was reorganised by Gonzalez who is after Nick Fury's toolbox because they think that you have too much power as the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D and think that whatever alien drug running through your system has compromised your ability to be a good agent!"

"Yes, that's exactly what you say" Bobbi quietly shouted.

"Why am I the one who has to say it?" Mack didn't want to deal with the fall out.

"How about I tell him?" Bobbi and Mack's head snapped towards the intrusive voice. Both their eyes widened when they saw Hunter standing in the corner with high arms crossed over his chest, "For spies, you guys aren't that secretive"

"Hunter" Bobbi cautiously put her hand out in front of her, "How much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you've been lying to the team for the entire year" Hunter said as he looked at Bobbi with betrayal shining in his eyes, "Either you tell Coulson or I will"

Both Mack and Bobbi shared a look, knowing what they had to do next.

Hey guys, I just wanted to take a moment to let you guys know that this story will be coming to an end in Chapter 29. It is wrapped up in a way that leaves room for a Season 3 rewrite but at the same time, it hopefully gives you guys closure.

I also understand that most of my audience comes from America and during these times, I know a lot of you must be feeling overwhelmed, scared, or even angry. As a non-white or black person who is not living in America, I can never fully understand how everyone must be feeling right but I am here to listen if anyone needs to speak their truth.

For those who don't know what I am talking about, please educate yourself on the topical issue of racism and understand that ignorance and silence can do more harm than you think.

I hope that this story can acts as a form of escapism from the grim reality, even if it's just for a second. I want you guys to know that you are loved and Black Lives Matter!

I loved you guys and thank you.

-MysteriousWriter03