A/N: I've had a lot of writer's block lately, mostly due to school and work and the fact that I'm starting to put more pressure on myself for Between the Lines (I know, all I talk about is that story) to keep living up to "expectations" that I've placed on myself.

So here's another scene dump.

Another collection of little moments within the S.H.I.E.L.D. family.

5 - Banana Pancakes

Coulson was whisking a couple of eggs together with some milk when he heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw Skye leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest, dark bags under her eyes.

"What are you doing up?" Coulson asked, unable to suppress the inkling of worry tugging at his chest. Didn't this girl ever sleep? "It's five in the morning."

Skye shrugged. "I could ask you the same, AC."

"Touché."

As Coulson went back to whisking, Skye took a few steps closer, cocking her head in curiosity. "Whatcha making?"

"Banana pancakes," Coulson replied. "Wanna help?"

"Thanks, but I'm really no good in the kitchen."

Coulson shook his head, smirking. "Really? You can't cook at all?"

"I lived in a van," Skye explained humorously. "I lived off of instant ramen and dry cereal."

"Alright, then come over, I'll teach you."

Skye hesitated for a moment before tentatively side-stepping around the table to join him. "What do I do?"

"Measure out two cups of flour and two tablespoons of white sugar and add it to this bowl," Coulson instructed as he added some oil into the wet ingredients. Skye meticulously measured out exactly what he'd asked for and added it in - then, Coulson passed her two overripe bananas. "Mash these up, then add them in. These two I'm gonna slice up, and we'll put the pieces into the pancakes themselves when they hit the pan."

"You put whole banana pieces in them?" Skye asked as she started mashing the bananas with a fork. "Don't they get... I dunno, weird when you cook them like that?"

"No way," Coulson said. "The banana pieces develop this glaze when you cook them, and they get really sweet." Upon seeing Skye's dubious expression, he added; "Trust me. You'll love it."

After adding some cinnamon and baking powder to the mixture, Coulson instructed Skye to mix it, leaving it a bit lumpy. "You don't want to overdevelop the gluten," he explained. "Under-mix it a bit, and you'll be left with soft, tender pancakes."

"This is starting to sound like science," Skye said, the edge of doubt creeping into her voice again. "Need I remind you, I'm a high school dropout?"

"All cooking is a science," Coulson replied. "But it's a tasty science. And pancakes are hard to screw up. No matter what you do, they're probably gonna taste good."

"Okay..." Skye murmured. "But if they come out bad, I'm never cooking again."

Coulson just shook his head. "Trust me, you're already doing great. Turn on the stove for me, and put some butter in the pan to melt. Once it starts to sizzle a bit, we can start to ladle the batter in. Heads up - the first one is always wonky, no matter what."

Skye raised her eyebrows, but said nothing in response. Coulson watched as she took the ladle and poured the first pancake onto the griddle, making sure that it was as perfect of a circle as it could be, before she took a couple banana slices and pressed them gently into the raw batter.

"See? That's perfect," Coulson said. "Wait until the edges start to get golden brown and the bubbles form at the surface, then you flip."

"I'm flipping?" Skye shook her head incredulously. "I thought you wanted to actually eat these pancakes."

"You'll be fine," Coulson reassured her. "Here, take the spatula. It's all in the flick of the wrist." He showed her first, simulating the motion in the air, then handed it off to her, watching as she mimicked the motion. "You got it. Here, it looks like it's ready to flip. Don't hesitate - quickly slide it under the pancake and flick your wrist to flip it."

Skye started to reach the spatula out, nudging the edge of the pancake with it before pulling away nervously, casting a quick glance over at Coulson. He nodded encouragingly, and she slid the spatula underneath the pancake, pausing for a moment to brace herself, then flipped it just a bit too slowly, watching in dismay as it folded over itself. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath.

"I told you, the first one's always wonky," Coulson said. "The second one's gonna be better."

Skye nodded, a bit dejected at her first attempt. Coulson took it off the griddle once it was cooked fully. "This one will be the one we taste test," he said, winking as he ripped a piece off and popped it in his mouth. "Try it."

Skye pulled off a piece, her eyes widening as she gingerly put it in her mouth and chewed slowly. "This is the best damn pancake I've ever had," she announced.

"Ready to make some more?" Coulson asked, smiling widely as she eagerly nodded. He put another pat of butter in the pan and she ladled some batter in more confidently this time, arranging some banana slices in the raw pancake. By this time, May had wandered into the kitchen to make her morning mug of green tea, and though she didn't say anything, Coulson caught her eyes flickering over to watch.

"Is it ready?" Skye asked. When Coulson nodded, she narrowed her eyes, hyper-focused on the pancake as she slipped the spatula under it, taking a deep breath, then flicked her wrist more quickly this time.

A huge grin formed on her face as it landed perfectly with a satisfying sizzle.

"Nice!" Coulson praised her, watching her smile grow even bigger. Behind them, May smiled to herself, pouring hot water into her mug. "See? I told you you could do it."

"We should put some peanut butter on top," Skye thought aloud. "Peanut butter would be so good with the banana."

"Now you're talking!" Coulson hadn't thought of doing that before, but it made sense; peanut butter and banana did go perfectly together after all. "Alright, take this one off and put it on the plate. I'll put some tin foil over it to keep it warm while you make the next one."

As Skye got into the rhythm of cooking the pancakes, one-by-one the other agents trickled into the kitchen - May sat down at the table, watching stoically as she sipped her green tea; then Ward came in, making a bee-line for the coffee kettle; Simmons squeezed a lemon into a glass of water, already dressed and showered, ready for the day; finally, Fitz came in, yawning, his hair disheveled, taking a seat right next to Simmons. Skye proudly flipped the last pancake and watched excitedly as everyone started to serve themselves, her smile growing bigger and bigger as everyone devoured her breakfast creation.

"These are magnificent!" Simmons declared, Fitz mumbling in agreement around a mouthful.

Ward nodded. "They're not half bad," he agreed, earning a playful nudge from Skye as she smirked.

But May taking a second pancake and quietly spreading some peanut butter on top was what made her puff out her chest in pride, practically beaming in delight.

~/~

6 - Gone Dark

"Daisy, this is not up for debate, do not engage."

"Sir, we just lost connection. Daisy went dark."

"Goddammit!"

Coulson paced back and forth in the Quinjet, rubbing his temples nervously. His heart thudded in his chest, and the next ten minutes went by agonizingly slow. All he could picture was the building crumbling with his girl inside, the rubble burying her body, all because she'd been too reckless and too stubborn to listen, all because she'd pursued the Watchdogs knowing damn well that they'd rigged the place, that it had been a trap, that they knew she'd go after them...

"Sir, take a deep breath-" Mack started, but Coulson whirled around.

"Do not tell me to take a deep breath!" he snapped, but upon seeing the concern knitting Mack's brow, he complied. "Sorry," he murmured.

"I know," Mack sympathized. "I'm worried too."

After a few more intense minutes, the comms buzzed. Coulson's eyes widened. "Daisy? Daisy?"

"This is Daisy Johnson. The treat has been neutralized. Explosives have been defused."

Coulson sighed, his heart still slamming in his chest. "Return to the Quinjet," he ordered. And, reluctantly, he added; "Good work."

He gritted his teeth as he watched the Inhuman agent enter the Quinjet, looking roughed up. No doubt the Watchdogs had given her a run for her money - she had all sorts of cuts and newly-forming bruises on her, and walked with a slight limp. Nevertheless, she was looking rather pleased with herself as she took a seat on the Quinjet.

Coulson shook his head. "Take us home," he directed the agent who was flying the jet, and took a seat as far away from Daisy as possible. He wasn't quite ready to deal with it yet - he needed to get ahold of his breathing first.

The ride home was quiet, and after Coulson debriefed the team, he pulled Daisy aside. "A word," he murmured.

"In a minute AC, I have to-"

"Now."

Daisy's expression changed as Coulson turned around, his hand on Daisy's arm as he brought her to his office, shutting the door behind her. He spun back around, crossing his arms, but not saying anything. Instead, Daisy spoke first. "I don't know what you're upset about, the mission was a success, I-"

"You what? Disobeyed orders? Cut the comms? Went dark?" Coulson shook his head. Daisy narrowed her eyes.

"I did what had to be done," she replied, her voice threateningly low. "With all due respect, sir, I wasn't about to let a couple thousand innocent office workers die."

"We would have found another way, FitzSimmons were working on a way to defuse them remotely so that no one would have to get hurt." Coulson pinched the bridge of his nose as that image of Daisy's lifeless body buried underneath the rubble flashed before his eyes once more.

"Well, it doesn't matter, anymore," Daisy insisted. "It's done now. I didn't get hurt, no one died."

"It's a damn good thing you didn't use your powers in there. Those bombs were unstable, any seismic activity would have detonated them." Coulson felt a shiver run down his spine. "Daisy, when I give an order, it's in the best interest of everyone-"

"What, so because you're Director, your command is word of God?" Daisy interrupted. "Sorry, but no, you weren't there, you didn't see the opening, I knew what I was doing."

"They could have killed you," Coulson hissed, feeling the anger bubbling in his chest all over again.

"Well, they didn't. Besides, they were taking that building down regardless of if I was in it or not, I had to do something."

"Daisy..." Coulson's arms dangled hopelessly by his sides. He knew he wouldn't be able to reason with her. His tone softened. "I know you felt you did the right thing, okay? And I appreciate that the mission was a success, and that we didn't have to think of something else on the fly. I just... I can't lose you, okay?"

Daisy's gaze softened. "I'm fine," she repeated, though her voice was a bit more feeble now.

"I was terrified when you went dark. Okay?" Coulson sighed. "They knew you'd be there, they knew you'd run in because innocent lives were at stake. It was a setup, Daisy. They'd intended to take you down. I know it." He stepped forward, watching as Daisy crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze trailing the ground. "Look, I'm proud of you. I'm so, incredibly proud of you. I only know of a few other agents who could have pulled off a stunt like you just did. But I don't give orders without thinking them through. It's not that we didn't believe in you, it's that losing you is not a risk we're willing to take."

Daisy nodded, unable look at him. "I understand," she murmured.

Coulson studied her closely. "Hey," he said softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked up to meet his gaze. "I'm not mad, okay? I was just scared."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, diverting her gaze once more. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay Dais. Your heart was in the right place." He rubbed her shoulder with his thumb soothingly before opening up his arms. "Hey. Come here."

Daisy leaned into his embrace, letting him wrap his arms around her protectively, resting his chin on her shoulder. "I don't regret what I did," she murmured. "I just feel bad that I scared you."

Coulson just chuckled. "I know. I'd prefer if you listened when I give orders next time though."

"Yeah, I know."

As he started to pull away, the door swung open, and in stormed a very pissed-off looking Melinda May. Coulson smirked, nudging Daisy playfully as her eyes widened in dismay. "Someone must have told her about what you did," he whispered to her. "Good luck getting through to her."

"Daisy Johnson," May growled. "You have some explaining to do."

~/~

7 - Dazed and Confused

"Mack, go to bed. You've been up all night."

"It's my fault she got hurt in the field - I'm her partner, I should have had her back when she-"

"Stop that. It's not your fault. Go to bed - I'll let you know if anything changes."

Reluctantly, Mack stood up, shaking his head. He was clearly exhausted - he could barely keep his eyes open, and he'd been dozing on and off for the past hour. May watched him a bit sympathetically as he yawned, stretching his arms above his head. Between them lay Daisy in her hospital bed, fast asleep.

"You promise?" Mack asked. May nodded curtly, and with one last, long glance at his partner, he turned towards the door. "Don't stay up too late." With that, he exited the room.

May shifted in her seat, her eyes trained on Daisy, watching her chest rise and fall slowly. All that could be heard was the steady beep of the heart monitor. She had to admit, Daisy looked so peaceful when she was sleeping soundly. She recalled the many nights she'd awoken to Daisy's cries. The girl was plagued with nightmares more often than not; that is, when she slept - Daisy was an insomniac. Even if the circumstances of Daisy's current slumber wasn't ideal, it was nice to see her sleeping so comfortably.

May reached out a slender hand and stroked Daisy's cold cheek with her fingers. She knew Daisy wasn't badly hurt - hell, she'd taken a bullet to the stomach before she was even properly trained - but she still worried. Daisy had taken a hard fall on a mission earlier today, and had fractured a few of her ribs. Simmons had made the decision to surgically install a metal plate to hold her ribs in place while they healed - not entirely a standard practice, but given Daisy's reckless nature, she'd decided it was the right move. May just hated to see her girl hurt.

Absently, she started brushing her fingers through Daisy's hair, gently working out any little knots that had formed. After a while, Daisy stirred; May started to pull her hand away, fearing she had awoken her.

"No... keep..." Daisy mumbled, still half asleep. An amused smirk played on May's lips, and with a slight roll of her eyes she let her fingers find their way back to the girl's hair, gently stroking again.

She could swear she saw Daisy lean into her touch a bit, though she wasn't quite awake yet so maybe she was just shifting.

After a few more moments, Daisy groaned, her eyes fluttering a bit. She started to open them fully, then screwed them up again at the harsh lights. "Wha... happened...?"

"You fractured some ribs," May explained."Simmons had to install a plate in you to keep them from shifting and healing wrong."

"A... plate?" Daisy smiled sleepily. "So my heart can eat spaghetti..."

Before she could stop it, a chuckle escaped May's lips. "Daisy-"

"Is there par...mesan?" Daisy slurred, starting to shift a bit. She started to sit up, then inhaled sharply, her whole face contorting in pain.

"Hey, hey, take it easy," May murmured, guiding her back down. "You're on a lot of drugs, but its still gonna hurt like hell. Don't move."

Daisy's head lolled in her pillow, and through glazed eyes she stared at May for a moment before murmuring; "You were petting me... like a doggy."

May shook her head, chuckling to herself. "That's an interesting way to put it."

"It was... nice..." Daisy had a loopy smile on her face. "Can you...?"

"Go back to sleep, silly," May cooed, surprising herself a bit with how soothing and soft her voice was. She wasn't used to showing this much outward affection towards anyone. Of course she felt it, it was just a matter of how much she let bubble to the surface. She supposed right now, Daisy could use a mother. So, she reached out her hand and started gently playing with Daisy's hair, watching as she contentedly snuggled into the blanket, leaning into May's touch once more.

From the door, Coulson watched, his chest bubbling with happiness, as May comforted their girl.