Warnings: mention of character death
Dallas was silent as Daisy drove the car down the road. It was early afternoon, and few cars were speeding along the highway. Daisy had slight bags under her eyes, and she woke up this morning unusually quiet. Daniel was quiet as well, reassuring Dallas that everything was okay. From his tone, however, Dallas knew that something was wrong. When his parents thought he was sleeping last night, Dallas could hear Daisy and Daniel whispering together late into the night. He could only hear his father comforting his mother.
"Are we visiting Peggy Carter's grave again?" Dallas broke the silence after a while. Daisy shook her head no.
"Not today. We're visiting someone else this time," Daisy replied, before going silent again. Dallas settled into the silence as well, plugging in one of his earbuds to drown out the unsettling silence.
Before long, Daisy and Dallas pulled up to a tall, glass building. Engraved on the polished, black stone were the words, "Coulson Academy". Dallas was still confused as to why his mother brought him here but decided not to ask. Daisy parked the car and got out, starting to walk over to the entrance of the building, Dallas at her heels. They silently walked through the glass doors and to the front desk. A woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties was there, not much older than Dallas himself. She seemed to recognize Daisy.
"Mrs. Sousa," the receptionist greeted. "Do you remember where it is?"
Daisy nodded in response. "Yes I do, thank you," she gently pulled Dallas behind her as they weaved through the halls. Left. Pass two doors. Flight of stairs up. Left. First door on the right. Dallas took note of the plaque above the doorway. S.H.I.E.L.D. Hall of Valor.
The air seemed to grow cold as Dallas and Daisy walked in. Statues filled the room, resembling the fallen agents who have served S.H.I.E.L.D. and the SSR. Dallas recognized a few of the statues from his parents' and Grandpa Coulson's stories, such as Linda Avery, Peggy Carter, and Natasha Romanoff.
Dallas was so entranced with each statue that he didn't realize he walked past his mother, who stopped in front of one of the statues. Quickly regaining his focus and following Daisy's eyes. He read the name under the black S.H.I.E.L.D. logo.
Lincoln Campbell
Ser. No: A 84G77846
April 17, 1985 - June 2016
Inhuman, Friend, Doctor
It finally clicked in his head. Daisy briefly talked about Lincoln once, a few years ago. Dallas didn't know much about him, except for the fact that his mother used to love him and that he died on a jet that exploded alongside one of the bad guys. Hive or something like that.
Daisy suddenly broke down, tracing the S.H.I.E.L.D. logo with her fingers and looking up at Statue Lincoln. Dallas immediately wrapped his mother in his arms, heart breaking at the sight of his determined, headstrong mother displaying so much grief.
"He would've loved you, you know," Daisy said. Dallas felt his mother's tears drip onto his arms but stayed silent. "I don't want you to think that I love you or your father any less. It's just… Lincoln was a big part of my life."
"Yeah, I understand," Dallas said softly, and he was telling the truth. "I think I would've loved him too." He looked up at Statue Lincoln's face, his eyes filling with tears.
That's the end of the Withered Roses saga, everyone. This was also a very sad chapter to write.
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