Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Did I ruin this? Us?”

“I think we have to work on ourselves before us.”

Daisy stirred, turning away from Sousa.

“You can’t just die for me, it’s, it’s wrong.”

“Saving the girl I love and the world at the same time? Feels pretty right to me.”

Her eyes opened, staring at the blank wall in their room. Usually, when she had these nightmares she would wake up screaming or crying. After some time it changed to this. Waking up to nothing but the memories. The numb feeling. Learning to share a bed with someone again was what did it. She didn’t want to explain to Sousa the screams. Daisy usually lay awake for a few hours just staring before going back to sleep. This time was different. The dream felt so much more real. Like she was reliving it when it first happened, they always felt real, but as time went on, it was a passing memory. 

Daisy slowly and quietly got out of bed, trying not to wake Sousa. After they moved onto the Zephyr, they talked about their relationship. He moved in with her instead of his own room. She walked to the bathroom and turned on the light. The cold water helped to calm her nerves. She watched as it flowed through the tap, thinking back and smiling as the water changed and shaped itself with her vibrations. 

She turned off the light before exiting and taking a walk through the ship. It was quiet. A couple of people were monitoring their travels. They acknowledged her silently as she walked through to the cockpit. Daisy slowly looked at the controls and the pilot seat. She sat down looking out the window. It was beautiful. Seeing the stars up close. She thought she’d be used to it by now but every time it was different. Nothing was ever the same view. She glanced at her hula doll, thinking about all the adventures they had been on together. She’s surprised it made it this far.

Looking back out, she thought back to her dream. Is this what he saw? Did he feel as content as she does right now? Was he scared? All the questions raced through her mind.

Daisy closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath. When she opened them she saw herself in the reflection of the window. The dreams started again after her close call with death. It felt so cold yet so familiar. Dying as he did, but she got a second chance. The explosion, the cold, then nothing. Content. There was surprisingly no light. No one grabbed her hand to lead her away. When she thought about it, Kora technically guided her back.

Even with everything, every time she closed her eyes, it was the same dream.

“It was the first time I said I love you.”

She just filled in the blank.

—-

Daisy.

Nothing.

“Daisy.”

It’s not a dream?

“Daisy!”

She opened her eyes, breathing heavily. Kora stepped back to let her get aware of her surroundings. 

“What are you doing?” She asked.

Daisy looked to see she was still in the cockpit. “Oh, I guess I fell asleep. I came to check on everything and watch the view.” 

Kora raised her brow “Couldn’t sleep?”

She turned away as Kora sat down next to her. “No. I have a meeting with Mack sometime today. Just thinking about everything.” 

“I know when you’re lying. It’s written on your face, your voice. Also, I can technically see the future so.” Kora shrugged, leaning back in her seat.

“We’ve just never talked about it,  you and me. Why talk about it now.” Daisy continued to look out into space.

Kora gently put her hand on her arm. “Because I’m your sister and I know we’ve had a rocky relationship but I want to be there for you. You matter to me. You’re the only family I have.” 

Daisy turned to look at her sadly. “I know, while I have the team they’re so far away. You’re the only family I have left too.” 

They sat in silence for a little before Kora asked the big question, “Are you ever going to tell Sousa?”

Daisy looked at her sharply and sternly said “No, I don’t need him to think he’s competing with someone who’s dead.”

“But he is, you said it yourself, you’re still in love with Lincoln-” Kora started to say.

Daisy stood up, the ground of the zephyr trembling “Never say his name!” 

Everyone who was up looking to see what was happening. The ground returned to normal. “Never say his name,” Daisy said sadly before walking off. 

Kora watched as everyone returned to work, and Daisy returned to the rooms. She looked back out into space, worried about what was to come. The future wasn’t clear; it was forever changing. Her mind was like yarn or spaghetti, constantly trying to unravel it to see the end before it happened. But she couldn’t; time would always be ahead of her. All she could do was wait and hope for the outcome she saw.

—-

Daisy slowly opened the door to their room, seeing Sousa was still sleeping. She let out a sigh before entering and climbing back into bed. He turned over and hugged her.

“Where did you go?” He mumbled.

Crap.

“Did I wake you?” She asked. 

He shook his head “No, your alarm did.”

She sighed smiling a little, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t sleep because I was stressed about my meeting with Mack. I went for a walk and I guess I fell asleep in the cockpit.”

Sousa sat up, yawning, “Well, I guess it’s technically time to get up then.” 

Daisy continued to lie there a little while longer as he went to their bathroom. She heard the water run as he brushed his teeth. Her conversation with Kora crept into her mind. 

The dreams were becoming more frequent and more real. The thoughts and the memories clouded her mind. She could barely think straight sometimes. Catching herself zoning out, getting hung up on little things she did. Daisy could never really move on from Linc-

“Daisy?” Sousa's voice snapped her out of it. “You okay? You zoned out again.” 

Point proven.

“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking about my debriefing with Mack again.” She said before getting out of bed. 

“Mhm, alright. Are we planning on returning already? He wants to meet so suddenly.” Sousa asked as she got ready.

“I honestly don’t know. I’m hoping it’s just a check-in.” Mack had been checking in on them more frequently. They had encountered some planets and other aliens on their journey, and they kept him updated. But he had been requesting more calls instead of paper reports.

Daisy's watch beeped as she slipped on her shoes. “Shit, I gotta run.” 

She tried to run out of the room but Sousa caught her. Worried, she slowed down and was kissed on the cheek. “Say hi for me.”

She smiled softly “I will.

Running off to her office as her watch continued to beep reminding her of the meeting. She quickly sat down in her chair, pulling out her communicator. She slipped it on, closing her eyes.

“Finally, I thought you’d never show up.” Mack’s voice appeared.

She opened her eyes to see him, looking around. “Huh, nice choice. A park, that’s new.” 

He smiled before hugging her “Thought you could use some sunshine.” 

Daisy smiled, hugging him back tightly. They found a park bench to sit on before talking.

“So, what’s this meeting for?” She asked.

Mack laughed “Straight to business.” 

“What! You brought the sunshine, I brought the seriousness.” She laughed, punching his shoulder. 

“Well, I guess I wanted to see how you all were doing. Have you experienced anything weird?” He asked.

Daisy chuckled “Nothing more than usual, a weird planet, a passing alien zephyr. We’re Shield weird is normal.”

Mack went silent, nodding slightly at her answer. It made her uneasy, he wasn’t usually this secretive, not with her. Daisy knew he had to keep something under wraps, but usually they would tell each other everything. 

“Mack? What's going on?” She asked carefully. He sighed and pulled out a small device that displayed footage. 

“Wow, this is new, who made this?” She smiled impressed. 

“Fitz and I have been working on it for a couple of months-” Daisy interrupted him, sounding hurt. “Wait, Fitz? But he's retired, he's working with Shield again?” 

“Him and Jemma, they didn’t know for how long so they didn’t want to alert you. I understand you feel betrayed but you need to see this.” He pleaded with her. 

Daisy turned away, taking a breath before looking back at the screen, “Okay, give me the debrief.”

Mack started playing the footage that their satellites captured. “About a month after our last meeting with the team, these weird portals started popping up in space. At first, they open for only a couple of seconds, but now they stay open and things have been traveling through.” 

“Like what?” She watched the screen as some debris flowed through. Mack slid to another video, a portal opened right in front of a satellite before sucking it through and the video went black. 

“Holy shit. You're saying these things are transporting items through space?” She looked at him surprised. 

Mack nodded before pulling up some other reports. “Coulson and Fitz have been studying the energy waves from the portals-”

“Coulson! I thought he was turned off?” Daisy stood up angrily. 

“Aw Daisy, everything is so complicated on Earth right now.” He rubbed his face, kicking himself for slipping up so much.

“No! You don’t get to play the complicated card! Everyone is working together again and I’m here stuck in space! I wouldn't be surprised if May stopped teaching to help with this, what is Elena the new Secret Warriors leader?” She snapped.

Mack stood up “Daisy! This is why I’m here! To warn you about these portals! It could pull you in and we could never see you again. Yes, we didn’t tell you about Jemma and Fitz rejoining the team, yes Coulson is still operating because he felt like it was wrong to pull the plug. But we need you to monitor these things in space because we have no idea what they are or where they're coming from. You need to slowly return to Earth and mark any energy anomalies you encounter.”

Daisy paused, taking it all in. The team was getting back together, under terrible circumstances, but still, they needed to work together to figure this out. 

“Okay, I’m sorry it's just you know how I felt about everyone splitting up. Shield was the only family I ever had, I’m still figuring out who I am without you guys.” She whipped away a tear, she didn’t even know she was crying.

Mack pulled her into a hug “I’m sorry, we didn’t want to get your hopes up. But the team has to get back together. Satellites and spacecraft have been disappearing, the president wants us to sort it out.”

They pulled away from the hug, Daisy whipping away the rest of her tears. “I’ll have my team switch courses. Send me the information for debriefing.” 

“I will, we’ll be ready for you when you return home.” He smiled softly. 

Daisy unplugged her communication device and found herself back in her office. Tear stain on her face. The email came in a second later, she quickly sent an announcement to everyone to report to the bridge for a mission report. 

She laid back in her chair taking it all in. There was an urgent knock on the door before Kora entered. “You have to see this.”

They rushed to the bridge, the alarms blaring as everyone tried to stabilize the zephyr. Daisy looked out through the window, seeing the same portal Mack had just shown her. 

Sousa rushed up to her “What the hell is that!”

“Uh, I’ll debrief everyone once we are away. Kora, get us out of here!” She shouted. 

Kora jumped into the pilot seat as her second, Chris,  was already there. “Everyone hold on!”

The zephyr jolted as they started to make a sharp turn. The portal was pulling them in. The zephyr was taking damage from the force, Kora was doing her best to keep them steady and get enough clearance to hit the gas.

“Kora! The quintet isn’t going to hold like this much longer!” Daisy shouted, holding onto the wall. 

“Well, aware! I’m doing my best!” She shouted back as the zephyr shook. Kora took a deep breath before jolting the ship left. The alarm sounded as the jet went off center, tilting to its left side to make just enough clearance to push it full throttle. Daisy looked around as everyone held on tightly, shouting about the power, stabilization, engine, you name it. She looked back out the window, seeing the portal getting further away from them. 

“Kora, get us back to Earth! We’re being called in, no time for a debrief or stopping.” She said as they stabilized and got away. 

“I thought Mack wanted us to track these portals.” Kora looked back at her confused. 

Daisy paused, staring at her. “You saw this, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I saw a version of it, not the one where we almost get sucked in!” She defended herself when the alarms stopped and the jet slowly returned to normal. 

Everyone immediately started assessing the damage to the zephyr. Daisy collected the main crew who weren't essential to fixing the Zephyr for travel. She prepared everyone for what they were up against. They didn’t know when these portals were going to pop up, where they came from, or where they went. The next couple of days, through space, they may encounter small ones or big ones they had just seen. They need to stay vigilant and work around-the-clock shifts to not get sucked into one. 

After everyone dispersed back to their stations, Daisy went back to her office, Sousa hot on her tail.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked closing the door.

She collapsed onto her chair “Yeah, I need to write a report for Mack. Let him know we’re going to be there as soon as possible.”

“They said it should only take three days tops if we’re going full speed with no breaks.”

“Good, we need to get there before this gets worse.” She mumbled trying on her computer.

Sousa stood by the door wanting to press further but could tell she was stressed. “What is it, Sousa?”

Daisy was looking up at him with tired eyes. “You haven’t slept, the night crew told me you were up wandering around the ship last night. Then Kora said she caught you sleeping in the pilot chair.”

She sighed annoyed “I’m fine, just stressed with all the work-”

“Did I do something?” He interrupted.

“No? Why would you say that?” Daisy caught the lump in her throat. Hoping he didn’t sense her anxiety with the matter. She didn’t want her past feelings to affect this. She didn’t know why she was struggling with the matter so much recently. She had no one to talk to about it. 

His eyes cast downward and he spoke softly, “You’ve just been distant lately. You’re barely sleeping, you think I can’t tell but I can. You’re always locked up in here. I’m just worried.”

Daisy nodded slightly “I’m fine, I promise. There’s just been a lot of work on my mind. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t like lying to him, but she was dealing with a lot. It wasn’t his burden to carry, it was hers. Her past, her problems. She was just happy to see the team again.

—-

The days had blended all together. They encountered dozens of more portals of different sizes. Sousa had barely seen Daisy since their talk in her office. She spent most of her time with Kora trying to figure out these portals, in meetings with the team, and she was practically sleeping in her office. He was worried and tried to contact Mack and talk with Kora, but everyone was so busy. They were almost back to Earth. It had taken longer than expected with the amount of portals that popped up. They were at the bridge to prepare to descend to Earth's atmosphere.

“Okay, let’s take this down slowly, I don’t want another portal seven incident,” Daisy said, exhausted. 

“Hey, in my defense, that portal and satellite came out of nowhere,” Kora said, trying to lighten the mood. 

Daisy eyed her sister's joke, twenty-nine portals they encountered in five days. Seven was the biggest, it wasn’t trying to pull them in like others, it pushed something out. A whole satellite was forced in front of them, damaging the zephyr. The only problem was when Daisy contacted Mack about the missing satellite, there had been no record of it. It didn’t exist, Daisy couldn’t hack into its code. She had no idea where it came from and that scared her.

“I’m getting a weird energy reading.” Kora saw the light on the screen right before the portal opened. 

“Okay everyone be prepared!” Daisy shouted before she braced herself. 

As they waited to see if the portal would pull them in, something started to emerge. Everyone calmed a little knowing they wouldn’t have to fight the portal. Kora slowed the zephyr down waiting for whatever it was to pass. What no one expected was a quinjet slowly passed through the portal.

“What the hell,” Daisy muttered as the portal closed behind itself. “Kora try to contact the ship.”

Kora turned on the communication channel and tried to reach them. “I’m just getting static, we should try to let them dock.”

“Try to single them somehow, use the lights?” She suggested.

The quinjet floated meaninglessly through space, with no direction, as if it couldn’t fly.

“Do you think it’s abandoned?” Sousa asked.

“Why would there be an abandoned quinjet coming through a portal?” Daisy asked herself. “Can we fly under it and help it doc?” 

Kora nodded, trying to slowly steer the zephyr towards the quinjet. “What happens if it’s a trick?” Sousa asked.

“You have two powered people and a lot of people who are trained to use guns, including yourself, so I think we’re fine,” Daisy said.

“Okay, we’re right under it, but if it’s out of fuel it can’t dock.” Kora looked up at Daisy.

“Maybe we can help it manually.” She said starting to walk towards the hangar.

Sousa and Kora followed along with some other agents. The quinjet was right on top of the Zephyrs loading dock. If there was anyone inside, they would know to use the manual lock. The agents waited by guns ready as Daisy opened the dock from their end. 

“Daisy be ready, I’m sorry,” Kora said, looking at her softly. Daisy looked back at her worried before the hiss of the Quinjet’s ramp distracted her. Once she saw what she did, she knew what Kora meant.

“Don’t let him on the Zephyr!” She shouted back to her team before using her powers to push him back.

With the ramp down, Hive made his descent even with her powers. The agents unleashed bullets onto him, avoiding Daisy, Sousa, and Kora as best as possible. Sousa shot at the man as he tried to get to Daisy. The thing above didn’t realize Daisy had changed. Her power, her anger from him only grew. 

Kora had disappeared into the quinjet while the others fought Hive. “We have to get you out of here.” 

Daisy glanced back at the quinjet, seeing the familiar bomb ticking down. She knew what she had to do, she just hoped Kora could save her again. Hive was injured from the bullets so she took the opportunity to quake kick him back onto the rap. 

He stared back at her confused as he slowly stood up. He smirked at her “You’re different, stronger, and it seems you learned a new trick.”

”I’ve learned a lot over the years, but as long as I live I won’t let you win.” With all of her strength, she quaked him back towards the cockpit of the quinjet. Sousa looked back at her, amazed, he had never seen her use that much strength.

Daisy slowly walked up the ramp. Kora looked back confused “Daisy no!”

It was too late, the ramp slowly started to close. Kora hadn’t seen this part. She didn’t expect her to shut the ramp with her in it. “We have to disconnect the quinjet!”

“No! Daisy is in there with that thing!” Sousa shouted. 

“We have to Sousa, there is a bomb on board so if we stay connected there is going to be a giant hole in the zephyr and we’re all going to be dead,” Kora said before forcefully trying to disconnect the jet. 

Sousa looked up as the doors closed, worried about Daisy. He knew Kora had saved her before but this time was different. She seemed so angry, there was a determination in her eyes that he’d never seen. It scared him, the side of her he’s never seen, or the side she never trusted to show him. 

Kora started to head back to the bridge. “We need to get away from the quinjet, we don’t have much time before-”

The zephyr shook, and alarms started going off stating massive damage and impact. Sousa looked at Kora, shocked as she started barking orders at the other agents.

“We have to get Daisy!” He shouted at her desperately.

“We will, but we have to wait. The chemical could still be in the air.” She said assessing the damage.

“Kora, I need you to be straight with me, what the hell is happening? Who was that guy after Daisy and the guy you pulled from the jet?” He begged.

She slammed her fist on the panel “Damnit, someone contact Mack! Sousa, I’m so sorry but the easiest way to explain this is these portals don’t just travel through space but time. I didn’t realize it till now but something isn’t right with the timelines.”

“Mack is already on the way, they got the energy reading when we did.” An agent said.

They were floating in dead space because of the bomb's impact. Daisy was still out there floating in space and the longer she was there the riskier it got. Kora had to make the tough decision to get Daisy. 

“Everyone out, we have to seal the hangar to get Daisy.” 

—-

“You’re getting what you always wanted, Daisy, to kill me.” Hive said, “I am surprised you defeated me quicker than your team did before.”

“Like you said, I’m stronger. There are things I’ve learned since fighting you. I never cared about killing you, I just wanted to pay for my sins.” She said,

“Was it worth it? Defeating me and Nathaniel?” He smirked.

Daisy’s eyes went wide, “How?-”

“Oh Daisy, you have no idea how time works.”

The countdown stopped.

— -

Daisy woke up to the sound of rapid beeping and bright lights. Sousa woke up, standing up quickly from the chair beside her bed.

“Hey, hey Daisy, it's okay. You’re safe, we’re back on Earth at the Shield medical facility.” He said holding her hand gently.

She looked about seeing the familiar white hexagons. She was hooked up to some machine and given oxygen. Daisy took off the mask and asked “How long?”

Sousa looked at the ground, “Sousa, how long?” She pressed.

“Two days. Mack and the team came up after the explosion, Kora had gotten you out somehow, she won’t tell us. She sealed herself in the hanger and then carried you to the med pod.” He explained. 

“I need to talk to her and Mack.” She tried getting up.

“Daisy no! You just woke up from a coma. Jemma wants to check you out with the doctors,-” Sousa tried to stop her.

“Get out of my way, Sousa! That’s an order.” She said sternly, trying to push him away.

“Hey! You don’t get to talk to me that way!” He yelled, stopping Daisy in her tracks. “I get you’ve been dealing with a lot but I’m still your boyfriend. You should be able to talk to me about these things instead of shutting me out.” 

“Sousa I’m sorry, but this is important.” She frowned.

“Your health is important to me. You almost died again, I can’t lose you. I love you.” He said softly.

Daisy looked at him sharply, tears in her eyes. “What did you say?” 

He chuckled slightly, “Wow, I guess that was the first time I said I love you.”

Her mind started to spiral.

“You can’t die for me like this, it’s, it’s wrong.” 

“Saving the girl I love and the world at the same time? Feels pretty right to me.”

“I have too much I want to say.”

“It was the first time I said I love yo-”

The bed started to shake, followed by the machine. Sousa started to shout for Jemma and the doctors. Jemma turned on the containment module to stop the shaking. Instead, Daisy let out a blood-curdling scream. Black and purple bruises started to form on her arms. A doctor injected a sedative into her IV. Jemma carefully held Daisy’s hand as she drifted off to sleep. She started to gently stroke Daisy's hair, trying to blink away her tears.

“I don’t understand, I thought this room would stop her powers,” Sousa asked, confused.

“It should, but Daisy’s powers have gotten stronger. Maybe they can’t hold her anymore.” Jemma said before checking her vitals.

As she checked her vitals and the EKG, she noticed a sharp spike in her heart rate before Sousa called for them.

“What were you two talking about before we came in?” Jemma asked, looking up at him.

Sousa blushed slightly, scratching the back of his neck “Uh I told her I loved her, for the first time.”

Jemma frowned, glancing at the door. “I’ll be right back, stay with her.” She said to another doctor.

She went down the hall where Kora was being held in a containment module. Mack had placed Kora in one after they got the Zephyr back from space. While he knew Daisy trusted her, the other agents on the ship felt suspicious when she locked them out of the hangar. Kora refused to talk to anyone but Daisy after. Even May couldn’t get her to cooperate so Mack was left with no choice. Jemma opened the containment doors, Kora was lying on the bed looking up at the ceiling.

“Is Daisy awake?” She asked, sitting up quickly.

“She was, we had to sedate her. When I turned on the containment module, her powers turned on her. She suffered significant damage to both her arms.” Jemma explained.

Kora teared up hearing this “I didn’t mean for this to happen. Jemma, I love Daisy, she's my sister. I didn’t know this is how things were going to end up.” 

She nodded slightly, walking towards Kora, “I know, we all know that it’s just. She single-handedly defeated Hive as you pulled Lincoln off the quinjet. That’s not normal, Kora. I need you to be honest with me, as Daisy’s other sister.”

“There was a one percent chance of this happening, something is wrong with the timeline and I don’t know what it is. I need to know what Hive said to Daisy. I need to connect the pieces, why would he sway Lincoln if he knew they were both going to die? I need to know what the portals mean, I need Daisy and Fitz's help.” Kora admitted. She had no idea what was happening. The timestream wasn’t an exact science in her head. Fitz knew it better than anything and Daisy handed answers to things she couldn’t see.

“Lincoln is still in a medically induced coma because of his condition and what happened after Hive died and he was released from the sway.” Jemma addresses the situation lightly. 

Lincoln tried to fight his way out but Kora was able to fend him off. He was too weak from his injuries, and when the sway had been broken, all the pain came back. He had realized everything that was happening as Kora tried to explain who she was and where he was. She was shocked when he had some understanding of everything. The sway had taken a toll on his mental state. He had been sober for so long that even this small hiccup had set him off. They tried to help but he was becoming dangerous to himself so they induced him into a coma. 

Kora nodded, understanding what she meant, “Is he doing okay? I think my powers gave him flashbacks. He understood things, I can’t explain it. Everything is so mixed up in my head, nothing makes sense anymore.”

“He’s healing, the pod will fix his body and bring him back to health but his mind.” Jemma stopped and sighed, “Only time will tell. Daisy was a different person for so long. I can’t imagine what he’s going to go through.”

“Can I see Daisy?” Kora smiled slightly.

Jemma nodded slightly, leading Kora out of the containment module. They walked down to the med bay, Jemma got a couple of looks for taking Kora out, but she trusted her. When they got there, the doctor who she left in charge was still there with Sousa and Daisy. 

“Kora! Thank god you’re okay.” Sousa said, hugging her.

She tensed up a little, she and Sousa had been close on the zephyr, but now she felt like she had betrayed and lied to him. “Hey, glad to see you’re okay too.”

The doctor had pulled Jemma outside to discuss Daisy’s condition. Kora walked over to her bed and took her hand carefully. “Hey sis, seems like you did quite some damage to your arms. It’s okay though, the med pod will get you fixed up in no time.”

Kora knew Daisy couldn’t respond, she didn’t even know if she could hear her. But she got comfort just talking to her. She leaned down and whispered into her ear, maybe she could hear her. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Lincoln is alive. I got him out. He needs you, we need you, we’re gonna figure this out.”

The heart monitor sped up slightly and Daisy stirred but did not wake. Kora backed away quickly as Jemma and the doctor came back in. “I was just talking to her.”

“Maybe she can hear us then,” Jemma said, taking her hand. “Daisy, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand as best as you can.”

“Jemma, I can barely feel my arms.” She said, opening her eyes.

Everyone let out a breath seeing her awake. “I’m fine, just get me those rapid bone healing pills.” She smirked.

“You are on bed rest until I or Mack says so,” Jemma said sternly. Daisy groaned and looked around the room. She saw Sousa and everything came back to her. Then she saw Kora.

“Can I talk with Kora alone? You can get everyone else and tell them I’m awake.” Daisy asked.

They all nodded and exited the room. Kora sat on Daisy’s bed smiling slightly. “Had me worried there, and don’t ask how I got you out of space. I’m not going to say.”

“I know, is what you said true? Lincoln’s alive.” Her demeanor changed, she grew somber.

Kora held her hand, “Yes, but he was swayed.”

“No.” She whispered, breaking down. Daisy let herself cry into Kora's arms. After everything, Hive still had his claws in her. Lincoln wouldn’t be the same, she knew because she wasn’t. 

“I need to see him.” She pulled away from Kora trying to get up.

“Daisy, no, you need to rest. He’s in a medically induced coma in a healing pod. You need to talk to Sousa. I wanted to shield you from this, I didn’t know, I swear.” Kora teared up trying to keep herself together.

Daisy winced, wiping away her tears, “I know, I don’t hate you, you couldn’t know. You tried to tell me to face my fear and now I have to.”

“Do you want me to get him?” She asked. Daisy took a deep breath and nodded. She couldn’t put this off any longer. With everything that was happening and with Lincoln back. Sousa deserved better, he deserved the truth.

Sousa came back to the room after a few minutes. He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead. “Hey, you.”

“Hey.” Daisy tried to smile but she could only imagine if he was going to be angry or hate her. Sousa could tell something was wrong, but they had been keeping him in the dark about most things so he brushed it off.

“We need to talk-” She started before he cut her off, “I know but I need to go first.”

Daisy tried to protest but he continued, “I need you to know what I said was true, I love you. You don’t have to say it back if you’re not ready, I know you have a lot on your plate. I want you to trust me and be honest with me. You need to talk to me.”

Once he was done, he saw her tearing up. It saddened him to know he upset her, but it had to be said. Daisy wiped her stray tear away, trying not to show she was in pain.

“The man, the man Kora, took off the quinjet.” She started slowly.

“The other agent? He’s doing fine, he’s in the med bay-”

“Sousa, he’s not just an agent. The man I was fighting was from the past. He’s an ancient Inhuman my mother was afraid of. He traveled through a portal from another planet. Shield tried defeating him, and the only plan we could come up with was flying the quinjet with this terrible biogen bomb into space. But someone had to be on the plane and it was supposed to be me.” Tears were streaming down her face but Sousa didn’t dare to touch her. 

“The agent's name is Lincoln, Lincoln Campbell. My ex.” She looked at him to see his reaction. Sousa was oddly calm, staring at the floor.

“He sacrificed himself for me, I never got to say goodbye-”

“Do you still love him?” Sousa looked up at her.

Daisy stared back shocked. “What?”

“So you still love him?” He asked again. He felt as if he already knew the answer but he had to hear it.

She bit her lip and looked down, nodding slightly, “I never stopped..

They sat in silence for a bit. Daisy was too scared to say anything and Sousa was thinking about what she said. He wondered when Lincoln died, how long Daisy had been in love with him. 

“Do you hate me?” Daisy finally asked and Sousa immediately looked up at her.

“No, no Daisy, I could never hate you. You know I was engaged once.” He told her. She looked at him shocked and he laughed a little. “I guess I have some secrets too. I was engaged to this girl named Violet, but I called it off because. Well, because I was still in love with Peggy.”

Daisy admits she doesn’t know much about Sousa's history besides what Coulson would mention. She didn’t know much about Peggy Carter either besides what Jemma would talk about.

Sousa let her soak it in before continuing, “So I guess I’m getting a taste of my own medicine. I want to make this work Daisy, but I don’t want to keep you from someone you love.” 

“I don’t know what to do, I care about you Sousa but-” 

He stopped her holding her hand, “It’s okay, you don’t have to explain.”

Sousa walked out of the room before letting her say anything else. Daisy broke down as he left, he was too nice and understanding. She wanted him to be angry, to yell at her, but he didn’t. Jemma came back into the room after a couple of minutes, seeing her crying.

“Daisy? What’s wrong?” She quickly walked over to her friend.

“I told him about Lincoln.” Daisy cried, not being able to look at Jemma. She sat beside Daisy trying to console her. She knew how hard it must have been to admit to Sousa who Lincoln was. She didn’t hear the conversation but she briefly saw him walking out of the room. He looked broken and confused, dare she say angry, but he wouldn’t admit that to Daisy. He cares about her too much and she needs time to sort her feelings out. 

Kora knocked on the wall trying not to interrupt, “Hey, sorry but the team is here. Mack wants to quickly talk to you, Jemma, probably about letting me out.”

Daisy looked at them confused, “Letting you out, what do you mean?” She tried to sit up but her arms were still hurting.

Jemma helped her sit up more and grabbed more medicine from the cabinets. “Mack had Kora in containment.”

“What! Why would he do that?” Daisy shouted, brushing away the meds Jemma wanted to give her.

“Daisy, it’s fine, it was just a precaution,” Kora argued, but Daisy interrupted. “It's not fine Kora! Mack had no right, you’re my responsibility, my sister.”

“And you’re my responsibility, Daisy,” Mack said entering the room. Kora looked up at him and stepped aside. 

Daisy gave him a look that he remembered all too well. He missed seeing her in person, missed that look. “I am sorry about locking Kora up but I had to. We were just following protocol.”

“I said I would cooperate once Daisy was awake. See, I’m cooperating.” Kora said, smiling a little.

“God, everything is so messed up now.” Daisy covered her face with her hands.

Mack nodded slightly, “At least we’re together now, but we have work to do.”

—-

Daisy spent the next few days in the med bay on bed rest. The team had come in and out to visit her and catch up. Elena told her all about the missions they had been going on and the new Inhuman recruits. Fitz and Kora had started on learning the timestream again and trying to see the cause of the portals. May had told her about the new student and potential recruits. Flit was doing well and living with Mack and Elena when he wasn't at school. As for Coulson, he either stayed at the school or with Mack to help oversee Shield. It was nice talking to him even if it was a robot version. Sousa hadn’t been to see her since their last conversation. Jemma had said he was adjusting to being back on Earth and volunteered for a small mission. That didn’t make Daisy feel any better. She still felt guilty about hiding Lincoln from him. She really didn’t expect him to suddenly come back.

Jemma had just come into the room while Daisy was intensely reading something on her computer. “That’s bad for your eyes, you know.”

She shut the computer quickly, not noticing Jemma. “For a spy that was very obvious to you. What was it?”

Daisy signed, “Fitz and Kora just sent me some of their findings-”

“I told them not to! You’re on bed rest.” She scolded taking the computer away.

“Jem, I’m fine, my arms are healed and I can stand on my own now.” Daisy smiled, she missed this.

Jemma smiled back “I know, which is why I’m here.” She paused, trying to think of how to say this, “We’re moving Lincoln out of the med pod.”

“Oh, is he waking up?” Daisy’s smile faded away as she listened to Jemma.

“Maybe, his vitals are good and he’s ready to be moved to a regular room. We just are sure he'll wake up right away. Mack thought it would be best if you were there.” 

She gave Daisy a minute to think about it, it was a big ask. She hadn’t seen him since the incident. She didn’t know what he went through after Kora pulled him out. She had heard things in passing but no one had said what happened outright. 

“Okay, I want to be there.” Daisy finally spoke up. 

Jemma smiled at her “Well, I’ll give you some time to get dressed. You’re technically officially off bed rest but you still have to take the medicine until I clear you.”

“Yeah doc, I know the drill.” She smiled back trying to hide her laughter. 

Once Jemma had left, Daisy started to pack up her things and get ready. Kora had gotten most of her stuff off the ship and brought it to the med bay. While getting ready, she bumped her arm on a machine. She tried to hide her discomfort, her arms were healed on the outside but they were still sore. 

Jemma had some back in with a pill bottle. “Twice a day, two pills.”

“Thanks, is it time?” She put the bottle in her bag and zipped it up.

“It’s time, we’ll have someone bring your stuff to your room. Mack and the others are waiting for us.” Jemma led Daisy down the hall to the other medical wing. Daisy saw some other agents point and whisper when she walked past. It was weird to experience that again. She usually just had her crew on the zephyr. She hasn’t been back on Earth in a little over a year now. 

“You’re still a big deal around here, Quake.” Jemma snickered.

Daisy rolled her eyes, “Ha ha, I get enough of that in space, I don’t need it from you guys.” 

They finally reached the room with the team waiting outside. Daisy paused seeing everyone there, she suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. Lincoln was just behind that wall. 

Jemma could sense her hesitation “You know you don’t have to-” 

“No, I have to. He was there for me so many times and he sacrificed himself for me. I know what Hive does to people, I need to be here.” Daisy held onto Jemma's arm with determination in her eyes.

They continued to the room where the team stood to watch. Once Kora saw Daisy, she went over to hug her. “Glad to see you back up and kicking ass.”

“I wouldn’t say kicking ass yet, but I’m definitely back up and walking.” She laughed, hugging her back. 

“Director, agents.” The doctor greeted them. Since Jemma was taking care of Daisy, another doctor was in charge of Lincoln’s care. She had checked up on things to update Daisy as things changed.

“We're going to start to take him out of the pod and off the ventilator.” They said before going back into the room.

Daisy looked back at the team and then at Coulson. “Can you come with me?”

He looked at her surprised but nodded. They went into the room together as the rest of the team watched through the window. Daisy tried to stay out of the way of the doctors and Jemma. Coulson stood next to her and watched her expressions carefully.

“You still love him don’t you?” He asked quietly.

Daisy looked over at him briefly before turning her attention back to Lincoln. “Yeah, I never stopped. And I know that wasn’t fair to Sousa, it's just, Lincoln was gone. Everyone was moving on. I thought I had too.”

Coulson frowned and put his hand on her shoulder, “Daisy, I can’t imagine what you were feeling losing him, none of us can. But you’re allowed to always hold a piece of him in your heart. I was happy to see you happy again but you have to follow your heart.”

She smiled at him before hugging him. She was extremely worried about Lincoln coming off the ventilator and didn’t want to watch. There was a slight increase in the heart rate monitor as they pulled out the tube.

“Lincoln, if you can hear me, try and cough,” Jemma said, looking back at Daisy. She wanted to walk over but she was frozen in place. The machines started beeping loudly and the doctors started to scramble. Coulson tried to pull Daisy out as they got the defibrillators.

“Wait no! That'll kill him!” Daisy yelled, pushing past Coulson.

“His powers, they’re a part of him. If you introduce electric current like that, it could kill him.” She said more clearly.

“Then what do we do? He's coding.” A doctor asked Jemma.

She turned to Daisy, “How did you bring him back before?”

Daisy walked over, slightly worried about her arms, but she couldn’t let him die, not again. The doctors moved away as she positioned her hands over his heart.

“Daisy, what are you?-” Jemma asked and she used her powers to shock his heart. Sparks crossed, zapping her hands slightly. She left a pain shooting through her right arm. 

“Ah!” Daisy yelled, clutching her arm tightly to her chest. The monitor beeped showing rhythm in his heart. The doctors rushed to him as Jemma went to Daisy. 

“You need an X-ray now.” She said, leading Daisy out of the room. 

As they walked out, Daisy saw the team’s surprise, even Kora. The next thing she saw was Sousa. He looked rough standing next to Mack. They said we went on a mission, but she was happy to see him. He didn’t seem to be the same about her. He frowned seeing her hurt, also seeing how she hurt herself to help him. He had to admit he was jealous. Daisy was taken to get an X-ray while the team stayed to oversee Lincoln’s move. Mack pulled Sousa aside to see why he came over here.

“You okay Sousa?” He asked, closing the door to a med room.

Sousa sat down defeated, “I don’t know, I love her Mack. You know that, I just, is it bad that I hate him for coming back?” 

Mack sat in the chair across from him, “You have every right to be angry, but there are things about Daisy that you may not know. I guess she hasn’t told you everything.”

“No, she rarely tells me anything now. At first everything was good, then she slowly became distant. I woke up one night and heard her crying in the bathroom. I didn’t want to bring it up so I just waited till she was ready to talk but she never did. She kept waking up and she would just stay awake, I pretended to be asleep.” Sousa explained.

“Daisy didn’t always used to be like this, you know? I didn’t know her for as long as May, Coulson, and Fitzsimmons, but she was once happy and carefree. Before her powers and her birth parents, she was bright and hopeful. She met Lincoln when she found her birth parents, he was very apprehensive about joining Shield, but he did it for her. They cared for each other and they helped each other understand their powers. I’m not saying this to make you feel bad. But when she lost Lincoln because of Hive, she blamed herself. She changed, she ran away and she almost got killed, multiple times. Even when she returned to Shield she wasn’t the same. She was a shell of the person she used to be. Then she lost Coulson and everything that happened with Fitz, she put up walls. Meeting you, she was happy. It was the first time I’ve seen her smile like that in a long time. When we started to rebuild Shield I gave her an out. Retire, live our life with you, maybe teach with May occasionally. But she didn’t want that, all she’s ever known is Shield. It changed her and she said to me she doesn’t know who she is without it and I think she’s still figuring it out. Maybe talk to her, I think she needs that right now.” 

Once Mack finished his pep talk, they sat together for a bit. Sousa was taking everything in, he knew they didn’t know each other well, but he was always there for everyone. He had thought he saw a glimpse of Daisy being happy. Movie night with the agents on the zephyr, flying with Kora, when he would cook because she couldn’t. If Mack meant what he said, maybe Sousa did make her happy.

“I need to talk to her.” He said, quickly standing up and running out of the room. Sousa figured she'd be done with the X-ray so Jemma would move her back to the room to bandage her up. When he got to the room, Jemma was putting a splint on Daisy’s arm. She saw him standing by the door and smiled.

“Hey.” He smiled back entering the room.

Daisy was relieved he came to see her finally, “Hi.”

Jemma finished up and smiled at her, “I’ll let you two talk.”

Once she was gone, Sousa sat next to Daisy. “I think we need to talk.”

She nodded quickly “I would like that.”

“I was mad, that's why I was avoiding you, but that’s not fair to you. Because I do love and care about you, but I know you love him. I’m not asking you to choose, but I can’t be Violet. I think we should just be friends if possible.” What he said shocked Daisy. She wasn’t expecting a break up, she didn’t know what to expect. But Sousa did deserve better than what she could give him.

“I’m so sorry I never told you, I'm sorry that I put you in this position. I was happy with you, but I would get these nightmares about his death because she shared the same circumstances. I was so scared and cold and just alone. I imagined that’s how he felt, I couldn’t see past my grief, and that’s not fair to you. I hate that you’re so understanding sometimes, but that’s something that I love about you. Because I do love you, just in a different way.” She smiled slightly.

Sousa took her good hand and smiled back. There was a flicker in the lights that got their attention. Daisy’s eyes widened and she stood up quickly.

“I have to-” She looked back at Sousa. “Go, do what you have to do.”

With that she ran off in the direction of Lincoln’s room. She caught Jemma in the hall, also running to the room. When they got to the room, Lincoln was very much awake, yelling at the doctors and pulling off the wires. 

“I want to talk to whoever Kora is!” He yelled. 

Daisy’s eyes met his and he immediately calmed down. “Daisy?”

She seemed to freeze on the spot, she didn’t know what to say. He was finally here and she had no words. She heard footsteps and saw Kora running towards them. “I saw the lights.”

“You’re Kora, you’re the one who helped me.” He said awkwardly.

Kora nodded, “Yeah, and I’m here because now you can help us. We need to figure out why these portals are appearing.” 

Lincoln scratched the back of his head, “last thing I remember was getting out of the pilot seat and looking back at the Earth with Hive. Then the portal opened and he smiled before swaying me. I felt too weak to stand and collapsed on the floor when we docked. He seemed to know what was going to happen. He was proud of Daisy’s ability and what she had done.” 

Everyone glanced at Daisy and she seemed nervous. “Before the quinjet exploded, he asked me if it was worth it, defeating him and Nathaniel. He knew about the past.”

“Fitz and I have to reevaluate the time stream.” She said before running off with Mack and Fitz. 

After the doctors all left, Daisy was left alone with Lincoln. He had let them put the monitors back on and laid back in the bed. Daisy picked on her fingers before sitting down in the chair beside him. 

“This is weird, isn’t it?” She asked.

Lincoln looked back at her, smiling softly, “A little, I thought I’d never see you again.”

She teared up a little as she spoke “Me either, and how dare you try and sacrifice yourself for me.”

“I couldn’t let it be you, it can’t be you, or else everything falls apart.” He furrowed his brows.

“What do you mean? We’re all so confused about these portals and how the hell you and Hive came back.” There were still so many missing pieces that they had to figure out.

“The portals show and tell you things. Also like your life flashing before your eyes, but it’s not your life. It’s everything that’s happening in the time you’re gone. I saw the lives of the people important to me, Amanda, the team, you. I guess Hive saw everything that happened to his past lives or his hosts' lives. I don’t know how to explain it, but I think in the original timeline I really am dead. Now for this timeline, because of how much has changed, the portal opened because it needs me and Hive.” Lincoln tried to explain his theories, but at the end of the day they were just theories.

Daisy rubbed her face exhausted from everything. “We don’t have to talk about this anymore, how are you feeling? I know it was only a short period of time, but the sway-”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He immediately interrupted her. 

She looked at him with sadness on her face. “I know, but you have to. It’s the only way you get better.“

Lincoln looked up at her, “Did you get better?” 

Daisy inhaled sharply, looking back at him awkwardly. If he had seen the past, he knew what she went through. His death shattered her, she didn’t even know if she was better. 

“I don’t know, I’ve tried. God knows I’ve tried, but I never got to say all the things I wanted to say to you. I didn’t know how to move on because it was supposed to be me.” She used her sleeve to wipe a tear. 

He sat up and wiped away her other tears, “If it was you they would have destroyed our timeline. There are things I can’t explain yet because I don’t even understand them. I don’t want this burden of knowing.”

She held his hand tightly, “Then share it with me or try to. We once promised no more secrets, I hope we can still keep that promise.”

“Does it get better? I was sober for so long and now it just feels like everything is back to the way it was before.” He started to tear up.

Daisy tried to wipe his tears away like he did with her. “It does, I promise it does just don’t do what I did. Don’t push the people that care about you away.”

Lincoln stared up at her before pulling her towards him, locking his lips with hers. Daisy was shocked but returned the kiss quickly. It was fast and desperate, but maybe it’s what they both needed. She had been pinning after his death for so long, thinking about what she would say or do if she ever saw him again. It was nice to just not think, just have him here with her at this moment.

When he pulled away, she rested her forehead against his, “I love you too.”

He smiled and kissed her again “I know things are different, but I still love you. I’ll always love you.”

For the first time in years Daisy felt complete. Finally getting to say it back and hear it from him fully. That emptiness inside her was gone, she felt whole again.

She smiled, a real smile, “I never stopped loving you.”

—-

Epilogue 1 Year Later

Daisy was pulling up a presentation from her laptop to display on the screen. Students were slowly coming in and taking their seats. Flint waved and smiled at her as he sat near the front. She was a little nervous being back at Shield since taking time off, but it was her first class at the academy. She looked at the time and quickly attached the little microphone to her blouse.

“Hello class, let's get started. My name is Daisy Johnson and I’ll be your teacher for Inhuman culture. I know it’s just the first day, but I have a guest speaker who will be helping with this lecture. My husband, doctor Lincoln Campbell.” She looked towards the door and Lincoln came in smiling brightly. The students clapped and whispered seeing him.

“Hello everyone! I’m Doctor Campbell, and I work with the Shield medical team, specializing in inhuman genetics. I’m excited to assist Professor Johnson with this course and I see some familiar faces from my Inhuman Genetics class.” Lincoln introduced himself and some students laughed. 

Daisy smiled at him before going to the next slide, “Okay, let’s get started.”