The thing about Skye

She loves, she loves, she loves, she loves

Daisy had just seen Jemma and Fitz. She had just seen them, but apparently it's been years. Years in a matter of minutes, more time lost and she didn't even realize it- wasn't there for it.

It doesn't seem possible, but it stares her in the face. A child. Young and so achingly innocent and familiar. Familiar in the eyes and the unbridled curiosity shining from the expression. So like her parents.

Daisy stares down at the child and the child stares up at her, a tilt to her head. The same tilt she's watched the girl's parents do a thousand times in the lab as they observed something fascinating and inevitably life changing.

"Who are you?" she asks, and the accent.

It makes Daisy's chest flood with something- recognition- agony- filling, filling, filling Daisy until she's full. She's never been full like this before. Never felt something quite like this. She's full and drained all at once and she feels…

Daisy lunges forward, the girl's parents watching on just beyond- clutching each other's hands and a bit teary-eyed- as Daisy scoops her up and buries her face in the child's neck.

"I'm Daisy," she says, squeezing the child to her, and the child is remarkably patient. Patient like her parents as her small hands play with Daisy's hair.

"Mama said you purr like a kitty cat," she squeals in recognition, and Daisy's chest is full, but it fills even more. It feels like it's going to burst and fill the world.

A purr explodes out of her chest, vibrating her entire body, and the child's too, and the child giggles in delight.

"That tickles!"

Daisy inhales, and the girl smells like Simmons and she smells like Fitz, and Daisy knows. She knows with a certainty she's never felt in her life before.

Daisy sets her down, and remains on the ground with her and cups her hands on either side of soft, perfect, beautiful cheeks. She stares right into those familiar eyes, and those eyes look bravely back.

"You are loved. You will always be loved, and you won't ever, ever be alone."

The child titters again, eyes and nose scrunching up. "You're silly," she tells Daisy, and Daisy crushes her back to her chest, feeling a little bit like she's dying and is living for the first time ever.

Daisy looks up as something touches her head, and her best friends kneel down on either side of her. She blinks blurrily up at them, and she realizes that she's started crying.

Jemma smiles so softly at her. Daisy just saw her, minutes ago that turned out to be years, and she is so much the same and different and time travel is confusing but this child in her arms is real and solid and precious.

"Daisy, Fitz and I wanted to ask you… If anything were to happen to us, would you take her?"

And Daisy bobs her head because she starts crying harder and can't really talk as she clings to this child she just met, just found out about- already loves. She loves this child more than anything because she is theirs- came from them- the two kindest, most loving, precious people Daisy knows.

And this child will grow up with that love- knowing that love- never doubting that love- no matter what happens.

Daisy reaches out blindly for her friends, and they embrace her. "I love you," Daisy sobs. She's never actually said it before- was scared to say it- didn't think she should invite the world to take it all away- not when her mere existence seemed to be invitation enough. Part of her has always thought she might have been too broken to love or be loved.

But Daisy is loved, she's known this for a few years now, and Daisy loves so deeply, and she doesn't even know this child's name but she loves her. Loves her, loves her, loves her. This child will grow up knowing it and never doubt it when it is offered to her. Not like Daisy did.


A/N: I was just going to end it here, because this seems like the perfect end to this kind of series, but then inspiration once again struck so now there are going to be like another 10 chapters. But this would have been a perfect ending.

Oh well.

~Silver~