The Wizard and the Void - Chapter Twenty-Four
Author: Milady Dragon
Daisy was so pitifully glad that Jemma and Leo were there. She didn't think she could handle dealing with everything by herself.
Her Dad had collapsed as soon as they'd gotten back home, but that wasn't such a surprise, really. She'd witnessed what he'd done, shutting down and sealing off that Void Point, and she'd never once before that moment considered him to be as powerful as all that.
His coming back from the dead had been a complete and utter shock as well and, as she considered everything she knew about him, it really shouldn't have.
Daisy remembered quite vividly how he'd looked when he'd found her. She'd seen the slices in his tunic that, if she'd traced them through his chest, would have meant his heart had been shredded by whatever had caused those tears. No one should have been able to survive that sort of injury. Him rising from the dead was something she should have given more thought to.
But she hadn't. And that was understandable, really, because who would even consider that sort of thing?
Sure, she knew about the Deathless and such, but this was her Dad. The last thing Daisy wanted to do was believe he'd be tortured like that. She didn't personally know Captain Harkness or Grand Master Ianto, but immortality had to be absolutely horrible. Just the idea that she'd die before her Dad would even age had her heart aching for him.
She was absolutely exhausted, her head pounding fit to burst. She was ready to collapse herself, but was too wired to lay down in her bed. Skye, recovered from her own brush with death, was cooing at her quietly, very much aware of how bad she was hurting and was sending her soothing emotions through their bond. She couldn't help but cuddle the dragon in thanks.
She desperately wanted her father. But he was sleeping in his own room, and not likely to awake anytime soon. Daisy wasn't about to bother him, not when he was in worse shape than she was, but that didn't stop her from needing him to tell her everything would be alright.
But she had Jemma and Leo. Her friends. Who were willing to stay with her, to keep the nightmares away. They'd tried to look for her, and had gone for help when it was obvious she was missing. They wanted to support her, to help her, and she was so very grateful she didn't have the words to describe how that made her feel.
Once she got to her room and without any thought to their sensibilities, the young wizard stripped off her clothing and changed into one of her softest nightgowns, the fabric silky against her too-sensitive skin, putting her gauntlets away in their special storage box in order to recharge the magic in them. Daisy knew she really should bathe, she felt unbelievably grimy, but was just too tired to do it. She'd get clean after her long overdue nap.
"Come along," Jemma urged. She was blushing faintly at Daisy's quick display of nudity; Leo, on the other hand, flatly refused to look in her direction until she'd told him she was dressed…and then he got embarrassed all over again at seeing her in her night clothes. "Let's get you tucked into bed."
Jemma had thoughtfully turned her covers down, and Daisy crawled into bed and, with a sigh, she laid down, sinking slightly into the mattress. Jemma pulled the blanket up over her, actually tucking her in, and Daisy gave her grateful smile.
However, when Jemma went to move away, Daisy snagged her hand. "Please…can both of you stay?"
Jemma gave her a gentle smile and sat back down on the bed, Professor sitting on the floor, his large head resting on the duvet as he hummed tunelessly. It was a pleasant sound, so Daisy reached over and gave him a skitch in thanks.
Leo took the other side of the bed, with Turbo curled up next to Skye at Daisy's side, whose mental presence was as tired as Daisy felt.
"You should know," Leo said, "we know all about your Dad, and who he is."
"Or was," Jemma corrected.
Daisy sat up, and she thought her head was going to fall off her shoulders. She barely noticed as she panicked at what her friends had just said. "How?" she gasped.
"They let us sit in on things," Jemma hastened to add. "When we realized you were missing…"
She spilled everything, from the moment that they'd noticed she was gone til their arrival at the Keep after they'd found Daisy through scrying.
Daisy wanted to be appalled at the casual disclosure of her Dad's secrets like that. She could understand it, though; Dad just couldn't hide anymore, and now that it was all out in the open there was a small bit of her that was relieved. However, she was more than a little scared, because the Dark One had done a lot of bad things and Dad wasn't that person anymore, yet he'd gladly turn himself in if it meant Daisy would be left alone.
And if he did that, she really would be left alone.
She didn't want that to happen. Her Dad might have been bad once, but he'd given all that up for her. She loved him fiercely, and knew in her heart that she would protect him just as fiercely.
There was also Clint, who would be right beside her. She'd been witness to that kiss. Alright, her Dad kissing someone could have been considered gross, but she was willing to put up with it to see him happy. Dad had changed his life for her; now it was time for him to take a little something back, to live a little himself.
But that might not work if they were going to arrest him or something.
Uncle Nick was there, though, and she knew he wouldn't let anything happen, either. In fact, he'd more than likely join in on the chaos. So, there were two others who would be willing to back her up in causing a little mayhem in her Dad's name, if that became necessary.
"Daisy Coulson!" Jemma snapped. "I can tell you're about to do something very silly, so just calm down."
"No one's going to do anything to your Dad," Leo added.
"As matter of fact, Grand Master Ianto wants to help him, if what they all think is true."
"He's quite a nice man."
"And he showed us how to actually cast Scrying magic correctly!"
"Wait." Daisy could usually keep up with the pair, but she was tired and hurting and scared and needed some clarification. "The actual Grand Master of Cardinal Order, an immortal, is here and wants to help Dad?"
She'd never met Grand Master Ianto, but she knew that Mistress Pepper had once been his Novice, and she respected the hells out of him. Daisy had hoped to meet him one day, when she had more experience and control under her belt…not because her Dad might be like him.
But it gave her hope. Hope that someone as powerful as the Grand Master might be on her Dad's side, no matter what he'd done in the past.
"Oh, and there's also Grand Master Stephen," Leo added. "He's fine with Master Phil being who he once was."
"So calm down," Jemma soothed. "You need to rest."
"It's just…he died, Jemma!" Damn, she was going to cry again. "He died, but he came back, and I'm scared for him!"
Her friend hugged her, Leo's hand on her back, rubbing in comfort. Two dragons tried to crawl into her lap, while the third – Professor – was just a little too big for that sort of thing but wasn't about to stay out of events, his head fighting for room with Turbo and Skye, finally resting on her leg.
Daisy let it all out: how terrified and angry she'd been when Clint had told her what had happened, and then that terror turning into sheer relief that she wasn't going to lose Dad so soon. But she'd also been scared that they might take him away, and that would be worse than him actually dying for good…
It was as if years of fear were trying to escape, a fear she hadn't even been aware she'd been carrying around, that he'd be found out and taken away from her. Dad's past was horrific, and he'd tried so hard to put it behind him and raise her the right way, and now it was all out in the open and people knew and…
And Jemma and Leo didn't care.
There was a great deal of comfort in the fact that her friends were willing to accept that Dad had been an evil Wizard – well, not so evil in spirit, just in action – but had given all that up for a scared six year old who'd run away from one more terrible orphanage and had found herself alone in the middle of a massive fight, and had fought to adopt her.
Dad had been so kind to her, she couldn't help but love him. And when he accepted her as his daughter, Daisy had felt like she was home for the very first time in her life.
Eventually, the tears ceased. The young Wizard felt completely wrung out, and she didn't object when Jemma tucked her into bed once more, shooing the dragons away except for Skye, who actually belonged there. "We'll stay here," her friend promised. "Get some sleep."
"Wake me if Dad gets up," Daisy mumbled.
"We will, don't worry."
"Everything is going to be fine," Leo reassured her.
As sleep pulled her under, Daisy hoped that was true. She just wanted everything to be fine.