Title: Fate Only Takes You So Far
Author: Alysia
Summary: Daniel has a conversation with May and Coulson after the fight against the Chronicoms and Malick.
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to Marvel.
"She's going to be fine, Phil," Melinda May said, watching Phil Coulson stare at the slumbering form of Daisy Johnson in the healing chamber. Though she couldn't feel his emotions, she could easily make out the worry on his face.
He didn't pull his gaze from the young woman's unconscious form but nodded along to the words. "I know…"
She arched a single brow at him. "Do you?"
Coulson exhaled an unnecessary sigh. "Leaving her on that ship was the hardest thing I've ever done," he confessed, finally turning to give her his undivided attention. He felt completely awful, even if the plan had been agreed upon between those that dealt with the Chronicoms in space.
"I know," May replied, acknowledging that it had been difficult for her as well. She'd been rushed to get to the Zephyr to get them away from the explosion, but it was all she could do to ignore the fight going on below them.
Coulson's gaze fell on Kora. "How's she doing?"
"According to Simmons, Daisy was in more need of the healing chamber." Considering the fact Daisy had not only died, but risked the chance of radiation poisoning, she couldn't disagree with Jemma's decision. "Jemma put Kora to sleep so she could get some rest. She's got a cocktail of things that Jemma left to be given her intravenously throughout the night, but I think she's going to make a full recovery."
"Good." He knew that even if they had to yet grow a real relationship, Daisy would be devastated if something were to happen to Kora. "You plan on staying with Daisy for the rest of the night?"
May shook her head in negative. "Agent Sousa has claimed that job."
He had to admit, he'd been surprised when he walked in and didn't see Agent Sousa hovering over her. "Where is he?"
"Simmons wanted to check and see how he's feeling with his new prosthetic and see if it needed anymore fine tuning. They're behind closed doors."
"He's been a good addition to the team," Coulson said then.
"He's been good for Daisy as well," Melinda added.
Coulson recalled a few of the moments he'd witnessed between Daniel and Daisy while they were stuck in the time loop. "He has," he agreed. "She's falling for him, isn't she?" Though even as the question left his mouth, he already knew the answer to it. He'd seen snippets during the loop, and whenever Daisy spoke of Daniel it was always fondly.
Just because she knew what people were feeling didn't mean that she needed to share it. However, Coulson was asking as a concerned father figure rather than just being nosy. "What do you think?" His shoulders slumped in resignation, and She watched him nod. "If it makes you feel any better, he's right there with her."
"And aside from his interest in her, what else have you gotten off him?"
"Awe, determination, resignation, protectiveness…but mostly, I was feeling anger from him."
"Anger?"
"Today, when we got back."
Coulson couldn't say he was surprised by the revelation. Yes, Daniel had been a team player, but he'd long since showed a devotion to Daisy. "I get that."
"Phil-"
"She died, even if she didn't stay dead," he interrupted. "Not only was Daniel in a completely different location, helpless to stop it, but we kept that part of the plan from him. If I were him, I'd be angry too." Scratch that, he was angry with the way things worked out for Daisy. However, he'd never admit such a thing to anyone.
"You know as well as I do, he would have stopped it, had he known," May countered.
"Damn right I would have," Daniel said, announcing his presence.
May closed her eyes and did her best not to let his emotions sway her. "She chose to do it, she went along with the plan," she told him.
"Really?" Daniel countered, focusing on her. "She chose to do that?" He repeated it, nearly spitting the words out in disgust. Daisy was so much like Peggy that the similarities almost smacked him in the face. "She's lost so many people in her life, so she puts herself on the front line in order to keep anyone else from being torn from it."
Coulson was impressed by the way that Daniel described Daisy so perfectly after such a short amount of time with her.
"I've been with your team for a matter of weeks, and even I know that."
May frowned in response, automatically jumping on his thought train.
"Agent Fitz. He's been part of your team since the beginning, hasn't he?" Daniel asked. Fitz would certainly know the kind of person Daisy was. "All of this has been because of the course he steered us to. Did Daisy offer up her services, or did he just know that she would, so he built a plan on that thought, knowing she wouldn't hesitate to do what she could to protect her family?"
The female agent pursed her lips. She wanted to argue against the points he made, but Melinda found herself unable to speak. Because he did have a point. Daisy always held onto them just a little bit tighter than others would have. As soon as she'd started being able to hold her own in a fight, she always put herself in whatever situation they were facing so others wouldn't have to. Or in the case of Lincoln, she put herself in situations because she was atoning for some unspoken thing. No one had tried to sway Daisy from it, at least not to her knowledge. However, one look at the man out of time told her that was about to change.
When neither of his companions spoke, Daniel sighed and hung his head. "Maybe I'm out of line here, but everyone's lives were upended because of a decision that Agents Fitz and Simmons made. Deke is no longer with you, I am decades away from where I came from, in another reality might I add, Mack's parents were killed in said reality, Daisy doesn't even exist there because her mother died." He looked at Coulson. "You've been…" he trailed off unable to come up with the proper words.
"Reassembled…" Coulson offered with a flat voice.
Daniel could only shrug. Daisy had mentioned that despite however flippant Coulson came across most of the time, he was still coming to terms with his new existence. His attention fell on Agent May. "You are forced to experience everyone else's emotions, maybe for the rest of your life and Agent Rodríguez lost her powers for a period of time." It seemed like all of them lost something along the way. "What about Agents Fitz and Simmons?" They'd arrange the situation so that they would be fine, they would survive along with their daughter. "Don't get me wrong. I get it, they did what they had to, to ensure their survival and that of their daughter. Who wouldn't do what they could to protect their child? But it doesn't seem fair, does it?" He expelled a sigh. "At least it doesn't to me. But again…what do I know? I'm just the new guy."
"We've all paid for the mistakes and decisions that were made in the past," Coulson added softly. "But you're right, Daisy lost a lot along the way." Between her parents, her mother dying twice, never knowing what a loving household was like. She'd lost friends and lovers. "Maybe with you here, that'll change…"
"Oh, you can count on it."
"Good, Daisy needs someone in her court, someone that's only in her court." He was pleased to know that Daniel would be that person. "Fitz wasn't always like this, you know."
May nodded along with Coulson. "He was so sweet…innocent almost."
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"
"Hydra," the older agents replied at the same time.
"When they came out of hiding, it was a full-on assault against SHIELD," Coulson continued. "Fitz and Simmons were trapped in a pod, at the bottom of the ocean. There was only one mask and Fitz ensured that Jemma would be the one to use it. The oxygen deprivation…"
"It was a slow recovery, but he was never the same after," May supplied. "And then a couple years ago, there was an explosion at the base and Fitz was caught in the middle of it. Had his head jumbled about again. There…was no coming back from that." He'd been irreversibly changed after that. Then again, the version of Fitz that was currently with them had never taken that knock in the head. However, he still had to deal with the fallout from it.
"Sorry to hear that," Daniel offered, though as far as he was concerned, it didn't completely absolve him and Agent Simmons from their actions since then. "Daisy hasn't really gone into her past where Hydra was concerned."
"It was a difficult time for all of us. But by the time we encountered you, we'd had years to deal with the fallout," Coulson confirmed. "Your observations are fair and mostly impartial-"
"Mostly?" Daniel asked.
The life model decoy met his gaze evenly. "Mostly," he confirmed. When the other man still appeared skeptical by his words, he began speaking again. "Unlike the rest of you, I remember everything in the time loops that I was present for. You've firmly planted your flag in 'team Daisy.'"
"Team Daisy?" Daniel repeated.
"No judgement," Coulson replied, rather than explain the concept of 'team Daisy.'
Still confused by Coulson's words, he looked to May for clarification. She simply rolled her eyes and shook her head in negative at him. What was he supposed to say to that? "Okay…"
May stood up, vacating the only chair in the room. "We'll clear out of the area for you."
Daniel nodded at her as he claimed the vacated seat.
"If she wakes up tonight, let her know that we'll talk to her tomorrow," May told him. "Oh, and Daisy did have a request," she made her way towards the counter on the other side of the room and grabbed an object that Daisy had asked for.
"Uh…" he looked at the time, confused by the shape.
May placed his around his neck. "It's a pillow…for your neck. She said that she wanted you to have it if you insisted on sitting by the chamber...in case you should fall asleep."
He instantly felt silly for wearing it, but neither of him companions blinked twice at the sight. When Coulson left the room, Daniel looked back at Daisy's unconscious form. He removed the neck pillow with a sigh.
May, only feet behind Coulson, hesitated when she was inundated with Daniel's emotions. However, instead of only feeling anger, she felt concern, annoyance and resignation. All things, she expected after their previous conversation. But underneath all that she felt longing. The feeling was so intense that she felt as if she couldn't leave without addressing it.
"Agent Sousa?"
Daniel blinked, pulling his attention from Daisy.
She felt a flash of embarrassment.
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I uh…I thought you left with Agent Coulson."
"Daisy's been hurt in the past."
Mack had told him that he was speaking for everyone when he'd threatened him while they were in space. Was this May's version of the conversation. "Yeah," he muttered, "Mack said something along those lines," Daniel tacked on in a clear voice.
"It's been a long time since Daisy's had someone in her corner, and only hers."
"Team Daisy?"
She rolled her eyes again. "Kind of," she grudgingly admitted. "You know…this team, we really are like a family, but…you weren't completely off base when you spoke about Fitzsimmons earlier. Yes, they are team players, but their first loyalty is usually to each other. Mack and Elena are guilty of it too," She and Coulson, er, human Coulson… "It doesn't make them bad or wrong, it just…is."
"I didn't mean any offence, Agent May."
"I am not offended, and neither was Coulson," she returned. "You being here…against the odds. Some would call it fate-"
"Fate?" he interrupted, feeling somewhat skeptical.
She couldn't say that she blamed him for being skeptical about the concept. "Forces outside of your control brought you here. What would you call it?" She countered, watching as he hesitated.
Fate. It was such a strong word, and he didn't know how he felt about it. He wasn't an overly emotional person, never had been…even if she had a point.
"I'm not here to debate it with you," May said, watching as he mulled over it. "I just wanted to add something. Fate only takes you so far," she finished, her attention falling on Daisy inside the healing chamber.
"O…kay…" He replied, unsure of how to respond to that.
Knowing that even if he had something to say, he more than likely wouldn't choose her to confide in. "If you get bored, there's some reading material on the counter."
Appreciative that she wasn't going to push the subject, he nodded. "Noted."
"Take care of our girl," she told him as she made her way to the door.
Daniel didn't bother to correct her statement. Though she technically wasn't his girl, he was hoping that she would be. Daisy had been flirting with him for days, he knew she'd at least found him attractive, and when he'd kissed her, she simply smiled and kissed him right back.
He wasn't sure what time it was when the sound of Daisy's feet hitting the ground woke him from his slumber, but he knew it was late or very early by the way all the lights in the vicinity were dimmed down.
"Hi," he greeted, blinking away the sleep. He watched as she smiled in response. When her eyes traveled down to the pillow around his neck, it widened.
"I'm glad to see you got some use out of that," Daisy nodded her head toward the pillow.
"Yeah…" He trailed off. "What made you think-"
"When we were in the time loops, every time I woke up, you were asleep in a chair near me and your neck…" She shook her head, as if clearing the memory away. "I didn't want you to get a kink."
Feeling both humbled that she'd thought of something so trivial and slightly self-conscious for still wearing it, he removed it from his neck. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel okay," she admitted. She wasn't sure the if the chamber was able to heal everything, but she certainly felt better. "I'm sure Jemma will insist on looking me over in the morning, but I don't think I could fall back asleep right now if I tried."
"So…you're feeling okay…is that normal?" Daniel asked.
"Not usually," she admitted. "When I expel so much energy with my powers I tend to feel like garbage, and it takes me a couple days before I'm back to normal."
He frowned. "You didn't just expel energy, you died."
Daisy nodded slowly. "Yeah…" she muttered, "trust me, I'm aware." She exhaled a sigh. "It must be something with Kora's power." She blinked then. "I didn't even ask how-"
"She's…safe," he rushed to assure her, but he couldn't make any other diagnosis. "I guess Malick assembled a machine that made transferring powers an easier process. It's still unpleasant, but nowhere near as invasive as what-"
"Was done to me in that warehouse," she finished for him.
He nodded along with her assessment. "Agent Simmons put her to sleep. She's got an IV and she's gone through a few bags of…" he couldn't say what. All he knew was that she was supposed to be on the mend.
Daisy nodded, calming slightly as her eyes found the wall clock in the room. "And everyone else?"
"Fine," at least, as far as he knew. "May and Coulson were here earlier but…it got a little crowded."
Daisy arched a single eyebrow in response to his choice of words but didn't question it. "Don't you have anything better to do than sit at my bedside?" She asked.
Should he not have stayed? Maybe he had read things wrong…
When she noticed his frown, she rushed on. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it." In fact, it was nice to see him whenever she woke up in the healing chamber. It had gotten to the point that she almost expected it and knew she would have been disappointed if he hadn't been there. "But it must get boring for you."
Daniel smiled. "Something tells me that life with you is never boring."
It was Daisy's turn to smile. "Some would say that I have a knack for trouble, but I would call it a hazard of the job."
"Considering the things that I've seen since joining your team, I would say you have a point there. No, I wasn't bored. I had this," he held up a copy of 'A History of SHIELD,' "to read."
She made a face. "How'd that go?" She asked, recalling the bit in the book about him.
"It's weird to read about one's death," he admitted then.
"Yeah, it is," she admitted thinking about the group's trek into the future. He didn't question her, but the confusion on his face spoke plenty. "We were pulled into the future. According to everyone there, I was responsible for breaking the world apart," she shared. "I didn't…I mean not really…"
"I look forward to hearing that story when you're up to it," he replied.
Daisy offered him a warm smile. "It's a date." As soon as the word left her mouth, she hesitated slightly. "Uh, I mean…not like a date date, but-"
"It's a date," he confirmed. "And I do mean a date date."
Daisy bit her bottom lip, trying to keep back a beaming smile. She felt inexplicably giddy by his words and tried to contain her excitement. A grumble from her stomach interrupted the moment and she winced.
Daniel smiled warmly at her. "Shall we head to the kitchen, Quake?" He asked, emphasizing her superhero name.
"Daisy, is just fine," she corrected him, before adding her own nickname for him. "Old man."
The End
