The next time one of them went on a mission, Daisy knew it was happening. Melinda had finally taken the first step in getting back into action, and Daisy was happy for her. If a little worried. Okay, she was a lot worried, but she tried not to let on. She knew how hard it was to keep going after trauma.

It wasn't even a real mission, Daisy reasoned. May was just going to be on comms while three other agents did the actual mission. She wasn't really worried that May would get hurt though. She just wanted it to go well for her.

Phil was staying home, and he was going to make his home made pizzas for a treat. Daisy was starting to wonder if they were each using any time the other was away to butter her up. What for, she couldn't figure out.

She was surprised when, after school, Maria picked her up and told her that Phil was at busy at home.

"Is everything okay?" Daisy asked, nervously bouncing her foot.

Maria smiled, trying to put her at her ease. "Everything's fine kiddo. It's just..." She chewed on her lip, trying to work out whether to tell her. Screw it. "Your social worker's there. Surprise visit."

Daisy's heart leapt into her throat. "B-but Melinda's not home."

"It's okay." Maria said gently. "They know that both of them work. No one's in trouble, it's just a check up, part of the adoption proceedings."

Daisy took a deep breath, calming herself like May had taught her. "Okay." She said quietly. "Thanks for telling me."

"You guys will be fine." Maria assured. "Try not to worry."

"I can't help it." Daisy mumbled as she caught sight of their apartment building at the end of the street. "What if they take me away?"

"They won't." Maria said, looking at the road ahead. "I promise."

Even though they both knew it was an empty promise, it did make Daisy feel a little better. "Thanks." She said again as they slowed to a stop. "For the ride and... everything."

"I'll see you soon."

Daisy forced a smile. "Yeah." She muttered, climbing out of the car and gathering herself before going upstairs.

She took a deep breath before unlocking the front door, and plastered on the best smile she could. "Hey!" She greeted, seeing her old social worker first. The same one who'd left her with her last 'family'. "Nice to see you!"

Mary smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to see you too Daisy. It's been a while."

Phil's head emerged from the kitchen, nervousness painted on every inch of him. "Daisy! I was just making coffee, Maria got you back okay?"

Just seeing him and knowing he was just as scared eased her nerves. "Yeah." Daisy said, "Everything was fine. Can I have some tea?"

"Coming right up." Phil smiled. "How was school?"

"Fine." Daisy said, starting to relax. "I'm getting better at Spanish."

"Aah, mucho bueno." Phil said, and she snorted, dumping her bag in her room.

Though they continued to chat from across the apartment, both were keenly aware of Mary silently looking around, poking her head through various doors to see inside. She said nothing, and Daisy prayed that that was a good thing. She still couldn't get a read on this woman.

Phil placed three mugs on the kitchen table and she looked around at the appliances and the space. "You and your wife both work?" She asked.

Phil grimaced. "Yeah, we work for the government, but one of us is always home to look after Daisy. A lot of our work is paperwork, and our supervisors have allowed us to do that from home."

Mary hummed. "And your wife?"

"Working late tonight I'm afraid." Phil said. "If we'd known you'd be coming..."

"Well yes." She said. "For the next visit you'll be given two weeks notice, so we'd prefer you both be home."

Phil got the distinct impression that she disapproved of both of them working. Or maybe it was just Melinda she disapproved of. Before he could say anything, Mary had approached Daisy's room, knocking gently on the door. "Would you mind showing me around your room Daisy?" She asked sweetly.

Daisy looked up from where she had been unpacking her bag. "Oh, yeah, sure." She said, gesturing around. "This is... kind of it. I've got clothes in the drawers there, uuh, blanket on the bed..." She trailed off, not sure what to say.

Mary nodded to the toy, still on her shelf. "Cute dog."

"Yeah." Daisy smiled. "Phil got it for me."

"That was nice of him." Mary said, then hesitated. "How are you feeling here?" She asked. "Your transfer was... unusual to say the least."

Daisy bit the inside of her lip. "I-I... I like it here." She said firmly. "I wanna stay."

Mary smiled. "Okay." She said. "Let's go and have some coffee."

They talked for some time, beginning with easy things, small talk even. How she was doing at school, how she liked the neighbourhood. After a little time and some cookies, Mary politely asked Daisy if she could speak to Phil alone.

He nodded, reassuring her that things would be okay, and Daisy went to her room to do her homework, trying to bury the feeling of dread in her stomach.

"So," Said Mary, "The case that Daisy was required to be in your custody for?"

"Completed." Phil said, expecting her to bring up his lie. "We finished it weeks ago."

She hummed. "And you still want to adopt her?"

Phil smiled. "Well, yes."

Mary sighed softly. "Mister Coulson, if I might ask, why? You and your wife were never registered as foster parents before this. You lead busy lives. Why bring a child into it?"

Phil shrugged slightly, the answer ready on his tongue. "She needs us." He said softly. "She's just a kid, but she's been through so much." He nodded to Mary, "Well, you know." He hated that this woman had the power to take Daisy away. Hated it.

Mary bit her bottom lip. "Yes, but as I'm sure you've realised, Daisy is... challenging. Especially for first time parents."

"Respectfully, ma'am." Phil said, trying to hold back his frustration. "My wife and I are both trained agents. We've proven that we can handle Daisy."

"Yes..." Mary consulted her notebook. "I see you got her to attend therapy. She was never cooperative to that in the past."

The unspoken question hung between them, and Phil took a moment to formulate the right answer. "We made an agreement." He said. "She was... a bit of a mess when she got here. Wanted to know what she was here for. We told her that she was here to go to school, and do some therapy."

"Well, she seems healthy at least." Mary noted, "And happy. The proceedings will take time, but everything seems to be in order." She grimaced. "Do make sure your wife is present for our next visit, won't you?" She said, standing. "We'll be in touch to schedule future interviews."

Phil bit back his retort, that she had arrived unannounced, and smiled. "Of course." He also stood.

Mary approached Daisy's room. "Hello Daisy," She smiled. "I'm leaving now, but I'll see you again soon." She left a card on her drawers. "If you need me, please call."

Daisy smiled. "No problem." She said weakly, worn out from stress. "Thanks."

"I'll see you soon." Mary promised.

"Great."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

They ate dinner in relative silence, the weight of Mary's visit hanging over them. Though neither Phil nor Daisy felt it had gone badly, it terrified the both of them. The visit was a reminder that no matter how much they wanted her as part of her family, Daisy could still be taken away.

When Daisy started to get the pain around her stomach, she assumed it was just nerves. That or too much pizza. As the pain grew, she wondered if she needed to use the bathroom, and when she did she noticed the red stain on her underpants.

Great.

She couldn't say she hadn't been expecting this. She'd been expecting it for months, years really. But seriously? Now? The first time Melinda was away since she'd gotten here?

That really was just her luck.

Daisy briefly considered not telling Phil, just stuffing her underpants with toilet paper, but discounted it. All she needed was for him to point her in the right direction, and he had a ton of girl friends. He'd be able to help. Right?

She walked nervously into the living room, wringing her hands. She felt like a little kid who'd wet the bed. Phil looked up, immediately concerned at the sight of her. "Hey, is everything okay?" He asked, setting his paperwork aside.

"I- uh..." Daisy shifted from one foot to the other until a stab of pain in her abdomen willed her into speaking. "I think I've got my period." She muttered, slightly red in the face.

Phil stared for a long moment, eyes wide and face flushing. After a moment he shook himself. "I-... oh. Right. Uuh, what does Melinda usually do when this happens?"

Daisy shrugged, looking at the floor. "It's- actually the first time."

"Oh." Of course it was. "It's okay, we'll deal with this, it'll be fine." Phil stood, hurrying to the bathroom. "Okay, first you should change into some cleaner, comfier clothes, and..." He dug around in the bottom drawer, finding what he was looking for after a moment. "Take this. Just take the label off the back and it'll stick."

Daisy looked around. "I thought tampons were smaller."

Phil grimaced and shook his head. "That's a sanitary pad, I don't want to explain how tampons work."

Daisy smiled a little despite herself. "Okay." She said quietly.

Phil smiled reassuringly. "You go change." He said, passing her the pad. "I'll make you some hot chocolate and get a hot water bottle and some painkillers."

"The pain's not that bad."

He shrugged. "It could get worse though. And even if it doesn't, best to have no pain."

"I guess."

It turned out that the pain did get worse. And that tied with her anxiety from their meeting with Mary made Daisy feel a little pathetic. She ended up curled up on the couch, wrapped in her blanket, hugging a hot water bottle to her abdomen and moaning as Phil brought her more and more ice cream. He was being so nice to her. No one had ever treated her so well.

Daisy swallowed a lump of caramel chocolate chip. "Wanna watch a movie?" She asked quietly.

Phil smiled gently, moving to sit beside her. "Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"I dunno." She muttered sullenly. "Something... nice."

"101 Dalmatians?"

"I haven't seen that before." Daisy shrugged. "But sure."

It was a good movie, Daisy decided. She'd always liked dogs. The puppies were cute, and something about the parents fighting so hard to get their children back made her feel... warm. Though that could just be the hot water bottle.

Phil was being nice too. He made no comment when she cuddled up to his side, no acknowledgment except to wrap a lazy arm around her. Still, something was eating away at her, and Daisy knew that she'd have to say something eventually.

As the film was wrapping up, she quietly asked. "Is Mary gonna take me away?"

Phil tightened his arm around her. "I hope not." He murmured. "We've got a lot stacked on our side, you know that, right?"

"But she could still say no." Daisy said, the fear creeping up her throat. "She could-" She broke off, feeling the lump in her throat, knowing that she was a hair away from crying.

"She could." Phil agreed softly. "But only if she thinks we're not good for you. I think we're pretty good, don't you?"

Daisy swallowed. "They thought that my last family would be good for me."

Phil let his thumb rub gentle circles on her arm. "I'm sure they never wanted you to get hurt." He murmured. "I'm not excusing what they did, sending you there, but just think, if they approved them, then we won't have a problem."

Daisy bit her lip. "What about that case you were talking about?" She whispered, the real question finally coming out. "That you need me for?"

Phil smiled a little. "Sneaky." He noted. "We'll make a spy out of you yet." When he noted how confused and upset Daisy looked, he sighed. "That was a lie, Daisy. There never was a case."

Daisy swallowed. "What if they find out?"

"They won't." He said firmly. "Trust me. You might have noticed that we're pretty good at paperwork. And Maria's very high up in SHIELD. She helped." Phil hesitated. "Look, it wouldn't have sounded good to tell them how you and I really met. That would have raised some eyebrows and could have gotten us both in trouble."

A tiny smirk grew on Daisy's face. "So... you lied?"

Phil groaned. "Yes, we lied. That doesn't mean you get to, got it?" He teased, gently mussing her hair.

Daisy spluttered, batting him away. "Fine." She whined, then clutched her stomach in pain. She whimpered. "It really hurts."

Phil grimaced, rubbing her arm. "I know honey, I'm sorry I can't make it stop."

"You're here." She murmured, resting her head against his chest. "Close enough."

Phil smiled, her words causing warmth to blossom in his chest and make his heart twinge. "I'm glad I could help." He murmured.

Daisy yawned, but the sound was quickly clipped. "I-I don't know how well I'll sleep tonight." She muttered miserably.

"Well," Phil said, "How about we see how you feel in the morning, and it you're still tired or in pain, you can have the day off school."

"Suck up." She teased sleepily. "I know what you two are doing you know."

Phil grinned. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Daisy snorted. "Yeah right." She scoffed. "I can tell when people are buttering me up. Families used to do it right before they kicked me out."

Oh. Ouch. "We're not kicking you out."

"I know." The conviction in her voice calmed Phil's dread. "But you are setting me up for something."

Phil rolled his eyes fondly. "We just want you to like us Daisy. We want you to like it here."

"I do like you guys." She mumbled, hugging the hot water bottle closer to her abdomen. It was easier to say now. Now that she was tired and in pain and so so relieved. "You don't have to keep being so nice."

Phil lay his hand over hers. "Maybe making nice food for dinner, watching movies together, helping when you're not feeling well... maybe that can just be our normal. Not special treatment." He said softly.

He could see Daisy's grip on consciousness was slipping. "I'd like that." She yawned, her head turning so that it could rest in the crook of his neck. "'Sounds nice."

"I think so too." Phil murmured, noting that her eyes had flickered shut. Though he wasn't quite sure whether Daisy was asleep now, he would never try to move her. All he'd wanted since before she'd arrived was for her to trust him. Now she was asleep against him, letting his arm wrap around her after a night of movies and talking.

No, he wasn't moving. A few tears slipped from his eyes, trickling down his cheeks as he watched Daisy sleep. She was so young. She deserved so much better than what she'd been through.

She deserved everything.