Daisy's father would bring her food, since her mother couldn't cook to save her life. And they would eat and talk together. May came in and visited on a daily basis, so that altogether her, Coulson, and Natasha made sure Daisy didn't spend her days alone. And Natasha continued to make sure she didn't spent her nights alone.
Coulson and May were concerned that she was acting like everything could go back to normal as she was managing to control her powers. She would be going on the gifted index SHIELD had to keep track of powered people. That meant bringing in someone to do a full psych evaluation.
"I know who I'd call, if it weren't a thing." Coulson told May.
"Andrew? It's not a thing." May assured him. Andrew was a psychologist she dated for a long time, and almost married. But he was good, and her daughter needed good.
So she set off to the university he taught at while Coulson stayed behind. She found him outside after a class and he walked her to his office.
"So why me? Is this Daisy that bad?" He looked over the file.
"She's that good. A good agent." May held her composure.
"I don't know, I left SHIELD for a reason." He said.
"Coulson's the director now. It's different." She assured him.
He still looked hesitant. May took a deep breathe.
"Please, Drew." She used the old nickname from when they were dating.
He looked up, eyebrows raised. He knew May didn't beg for just anyone.
"She's mine." May admitted.
"Yours? You never mentioned a daughter." He pointed out.
"She's mine and..." she sighed. "Coulson's."
Andrew was very surprised at this.
"She was born over twenty years ago, she was abducted at a year old and we never found her until a couple of years ago."
He looked down at the file.
"I can see it now. She's definitely yours." He looked up and smiled. "Alright."
May felt like she could breathe again. Daisy needed help, and whether any of them liked it or not, Andrew was the best.
She took him back to the base where Coulson met them in the hangar.
"Dr. Gardner." Coulson stuck out his hand. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, and congrats on the promotion. Or should I offer my condolences? But congratulations are certainly in order about your daughter." Andrew said.
"Yes, that was something I guess May chose to not disclose to you when you first met." Coulson replied.
At that moment his phone rang and he had to excuse himself. May escorted Andrew to the lab so Simmons could brief him on Daisy's condition while May went to talk to her daughter before her first session with him.
"You're kidding? A shrink?" Daisy was upset, but May had anticipated that.
"It's not personal." May said.
"Hell its not personal! I grew up in the foster system, I've been to enough of these to know I hate them." Daisy crossed her arms.
"Daisy, your father and I have decided this is the best thing for you."
"You know I'm an adult right?"
"And we are just trying to take care of you. Don't make me use the SO and director card."
"Really, mom?"
"Yes, really. Because like it or not I am your mother and I will do the best I can for you and Andrew is the best." May stepped up to her daughter who, despite being taller, felt like she had shrunk just a little.
"Fine." Daisy conceded.
She did her first session and Andrew reported back to May, but it didn't take long for her to revert back. Simmons came into the kitchen yelling that Daisy's monitor showed her heart rate spiking. Natasha was off with Coulson investigating a broken into asylum so May was on her own.
She ran to the plane to find it shaking like hell. She burst into the cage and ran to her daughter who was asleep and clearly having a nightmare.
"Daisy! Baby wake up!" May shook her.
Daisy shot up and looked around.
"You're shaking the plane. You need to stop." May held her to calm her down.
Daisy managed to get it to stop and relaxed into her mother's arms.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"It's okay. Just breathe." May told her.
May left Andrew there with her to start another session to talk about the dream. Coulson called her and told her what was going on with him, SHIELD index candidates had teamed up and were on a rampage. They were determined to get back at SHIELD for what they thought was unjust to them. They needed backup and that was May.
She didn't want to interrupt Daisy and Andrew's session so she put the bus in the air. She hadn't even left the hangar when her ex busted into the cock pit.
"I was going to talk to you after I put the bus on autopilot." She told him.
"After the fact, when we're already in the air?" Andrew asked.
"Coulson needs back up." May raised her voice. "Besides, you were in session. I didn't want to interrupt."
May got the bus on autopilot and left the cock pit.
"Melinda that not talking thing you do? Not okay when we were dating but really not okay now." Andrew followed her.
"Not okay is this band of lunatics luring Coulson into a trap." May turned on him.
"And me and Daisy we do...what?" Andrew asked.
"Stay in the cage. I'll handle it." May told him.
"Yeah that's not happening." Daisy walked in.
"This is not a negotiation Daisy, you're staying in the bus." May turned to her.
"If dad needs backup-" Skye started.
"He'll have it." May told her.
"I'm with your mom, this is an emotional powder keg you shouldn't be anywhere near." Andrew said.
"We can't risk you losing control." May added.
"I won't." Daisy pressed.
"You don't know that." Andrew argued.
"Yes I do!" Daisy said. "Those windows aren't shattered and this plane isn't coming apart. I'm feeling all of it but I'm locking it down just like you trained me to do." She said to her mother.
"If you can't control your feelings-" Andrew fried to argue again.
"I'll ice myself." Daisy was determined.
May and Andrew finally concurred, but they would take every precaution. The index people were in a rampage and Coulson was their target. They had a grudge against SHIELD and as he was the new Director, they lured him back to his home town.
They arrived to find a sight of horror. High school kids all over a football stadium, unconscious.
"We want SHIELD exposed for its barbaric treatment of people like us, of people like that girl that was just changed." One of them was saying to Coulson.
"You mean her?" May aimed an icer at Daisy's neck. She wasn't thrilled but it had to be done.
"Do you see?" The index candidate yelled.
"Melinda." Coulson was shocked to see May doing this.
"Let these people go or she dies." May said.
"You won't kill her." The man walked away from May and Daisy. "But the truth is you are capable of such things. That's what I'm going to show the world."
He handed the mic to the index candidate who could scream and knock people out. "Maybe they'll listen to you."
But before the man could scream into the mic, a blue dome appeared and another man showed up and took the first one, going away as fast as he appeared.
"End this now!" A woman with razors attached to her fingers yelled from the stands.
Coulson took out the man who could knock people out, Bobbi went after the woman, and May and Natasha engaged with a former monster who had enhanced strength. Andrew took Daisy away from the fight.
Daisy watched from afar. There was an evil genius who was the brains behind the whole thing, Coulson took him out. And finally May and Natasha managed to subdue the mobster.
But it was a lot for Daisy to watch. Everything began to shake, but Daisy managed to stop it.
Or so she thought. She looked down to see small bruises going up her arm. She felt the pain, it was searing. So much that she began to feel faint. The last thing she saw was her parents and Natasha running for her as fast as they could.
She woke up to Simmons sitting over her.
"You're awake. You're probably a little drowsy, we gave you something to help you sleep." The young doctor said.
"What?" Daisy looked down at her arms to see braces on them. When she looked around she saw that she was back in the cage. May was sitting in a chair next to her bed, Natasha and Andrew were standing up nearby.
"Why do I have these bruises?" Daisy asked Simmons.
"I ran some tests. The bruises are caused by capillary ruptures in your arms. X-rays showed more than 75 hairline fractures from tour clavicle to your fingers." Simmons said sadly.
"I don't understand." Daisy looked around.
Natasha and May both looked guilty and upset. Andrew spoke up.
"You weren't stopping your powers, you were directing them inward."
May and Andrew left Daisy and Natasha after Simmons gave her something for the pain and went back to the lab.
Andrew wanted Daisy to leave SHIELD altogether but May knew that wouldn't be an option. Her daughter wouldn't want to leave no matter how they pressed. They just needed to get her somewhere safe while she controlled her powers.
May actually agreed with him. She had no idea how to handle Daisy, and didn't want to see her hurt again or worse.
They decided together to send her somewhere safe, a cabin that was built to withstand people like her.
"Wait what? You're sending me away?" Daisy asked when her parents told her.
"It's just for a little while, some time for you to take it easy and try to gain some control over this." Coulson told her. "You're not going alone, your mother is going with you."
Daisy sighed. "You're awfully quiet." She said to Natasha who was sitting across the room.
"I think it's a good idea." She shrugged.
"Alright then, if everyone thinks it's best." Daisy leaned back.
She packed her things and walked out of the bus to meet her parents on the quinjet. Natasha was sitting at a table on her way out.
"Hey." Daisy smiled.
"Hey." Natasha stood up. She watched Daisy for a moment before embracing her.
"Do me a favor?" Natasha said over her shoulder.
They separated and Natasha held Daisy's hands in hers.
"Get some control of those powers, it's boring around here without you." She smiled gently.
Daisy smiled back and nodded before walking around her and off the plane.
The cabin was remote, definitely safe being in the middle of nowhere with a laser fence. Apparently Captain America had stayed there for a few weeks after he defrosted. And Simmons had designed new gloves to inhibit Daisy's powers to cut her recovery time in half.
"Just take this time to relax, get a handle on your powers." Coulson told her.
"Okay. Fine. But you have to visit." Daisy smiled at him before hugging him. "Love you, dad."
"Love you too." He said and kissed the side of her head. Then he turned to May.
"Take care of her." He squeezed her hand.
"You know I will." May smiled up at him.
Coulson left them alone to return to the base. He wanted to stay but as director, he knew he couldn't.
"Pick a room. I'll make some dinner." May told her daughter before going to the kitchen with the grocery bags they brought with them.
"It's so quiet." Daisy commented.
"If you're missing the base, we can spar later." May smirked.
"I'm so good." Daisy laughed.
"That's what I thought. Go pick your room." May told her.
Daisy went down the hall and found there were only two bedrooms. She picked the one with the view of the lake in front of the cabin. Maybe she could actually relax here. She unpacked and then went outside. May smiled as she watched her daughter go out the front door. Maybe a little fresh air and sunshine would do them both good.
They ate a small dinner, played a card game, and went to bed.
In the dead of night, May shot up out of bed, gasping and sweating. After Puerto Rico she had awful nightmares sometimes. She got out of bed and softly padded across the hall to her daughter's room.
She felt relief at seeing Daisy asleep, although she had kicked the blanket off while stirring. May smiled and covered her back up. Then she went to the computer at the desk and tried to video call Coulson. He would probably be awake, May would often have nightmares and go find him.
He answered after a few moments.
"Nightmares again?" He asked May.
"It helps that Daisy is right here." May said. "I don't have to go clear across the base to the bus to find her."
"She's always safe, you know that. If you're not hovering Nat is." He smirked.
"How are things at the base?"
"Agent 33 broke Bakshi out using the nano mask."
"What?!"
"Relax. Bobbi and Nat are on it. We've got it handled, you just worry about you and our daughter."
"Okay, fine."
"Go back to sleep Melinda. Do you need anything on my next drop in?"
"You forgot to pack tea."
"Simmons packed the groceries. Take it up with her. Goodnight."
"Night." May smiled and ended the call.
Their time was spent with cards and board games, there was no TV in order to let the occupant relax.
Daisy finally decided to try the gloves on that Simmons made for her, they made her a little uncomfortable so May suggested she call the scientist.
She first tried video chatting which got her nowhere, the screen just said connection lost. When she tried her on the phone, it went to voicemail.
Everything was fine for a few more hours until May for a phone call from Natasha.
"Hey, whats going on we can't reach anybody." May said.
"Listen to me. Get out." Natasha said in a low voice.
"What?" May was confused.
"Take Daisy and get out now. Disable the laser fence. They're coming." Natasha sounded panicked.
"Who?" May asked.
"SHIELD!" Natasha said before the line went dead.
Then the power went out.
"Daisy?" May yelled into the darkness.
"Mom!" Daisy found her.
"Let's go." May pulled her by the hand.
"What's going on?" Daisy asked.
"Run now, explain later." May said.
She yanked open the door and immediately there was a jet flying over them.
"Run!" May pushed her daughter.
"No not without you." Daisy refused to leave.
"I'll catch up! Disable the lasers and run!" May told her.
Daisy did as she was told but she hid behind a tree nearby in case her mother needed her help.
May was fighting off an agent when she heard a gunshot.
"Daisy!" She panicked and ran for it.
She watched as an agent aimed a gun at her daughter and fired. Bobbi has come along and was yelling for him to stop.
"No! Daisy!" She screamed.
But Daisy saw him fire the gun and used her powers to deflect it. May ducked as every tree in the vicinity went down. When she got up, Daisy was gone.
"Daisy!" She screamed. "Daisy!"
"She's gone." Bobbi groaned as she dug herself up.
"What the hell happened?" She walked up to Bobbi as more agents converged on them. Then she spotted the man who fired the gun. "You."
She lunged for him. Three agents held her back.
"May stop!" Bobbi got in front of her and tried to pin her down too.
"He tried to shoot my daughter!" May had officially lost control of her temper.
"He has a branch through his shoulder there's nothing else you can do!" Bobbi continued to push.
"If he's still breathing I can!" May began to try to fight off the agents instead of pull away.
"May listen to me!" Bobbi tried to get her attention. "I will help you find her! Stop!"
May finally quit.
"How are you going to do that?" May asked.
"I'll figure it out. I care about Daisy too." Bobbi told her. "Just come with me."
"Back to the base." May marched to the quinjet.
Bobbi nodded to the rest of the agents who had hesitated. They made to go back.