“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
Skye didn’t believe in destiny or that there was some outside force that had a big plan for humanity. Because if all of that were true, she would surely know where her life was taking her, right? Yet, at the same time, she felt as if she were cursed. At fifteen years old, Skye had already given up on faith.
Some may say that she had already given up on herself.
“Ms. Poots, can you please answer the question?” Dr. Boyle asked following Skye’s silence. “Mary Sue-”
“That’s not my name,” Skye finally spoke up.
Skye didn’t like Dr. Boyle. It wasn’t anything personal towards her; she hated all therapists. Every single one acted like they knew what was best for her without ever knowing a single thing about her.
Dr. Boyle sighed. “Skye, can you tell me where you see yourself in ten years?”
“Why?” Skye argued. “Who’s to say anything will matter in ten years?”
“Now, why do you believe that?”
“I mean, my life hasn’t changed much in the last ten years.” Skye, already having been uncomfortable with the conversation before Dr. Boyle raised the question, sunk further into the couch almost as if to shield herself from judgemental eyes.
Though Skye was not the first foster kid she had worked with - and most definitely wouldn’t be the last - Dr. Boyle couldn’t help herself but feel for the kid. She read her files: Skye was fifteen years old, has been in the system since she was at least a couple of months old, and hadn’t stayed in one place for more than two years.
It was always a rotation between St. Agnes, foster homes, respite care, and group homes. The concept of having a home and stability was foreign to Skye.
“But if I were to have an answer,” Skye continued on her own accord, “I’d probably be alone. Don’t know what I would be doing, but I’d probably still be alone, having to look out for myself, when I’m twenty-five.”
Dr. Boyle quickly scribbled some notes down. “You don’t think you’ll find someone? Maybe get adopted?”
Skye scoffed. “If it didn’t work out ten years ago, it’s definitely not gonna work out now. I’m way out of the interest of hopeful adopters.”
“I don’t think that’s true. You’re a clever girl,” Dr. Boyle complimented. “You’re resourceful too.”
“Would you be calling me ‘resourceful’ if I hadn’t tried to steal my foster dad’s truck and run away?”
Dr. Boyle nodded, knowing that Skye had only been brought to her after that latest incident. This wasn’t the first time Skye had tried running away; though, this was the closest she had gotten to getting away. She was sure that if there was a next time - and Dr. Boyle was hoping there wasn’t - Skye might actually succeed.
That’s why she decided to step up this time around. She had heard about Skye before from other therapists who also worked with kids in the system, and many of them had just given up on her.
Dr. Boyle wouldn’t add herself to that list.
“Also, who’s to say I won’t be dead in ten years?” Skye mumbled, not really sure if that was meant for herself or her therapist.
Dr. Boyle glanced worriedly at the poor girl but composed herself barely half a second later. How much had this world taken from her?
“All I’m saying is don’t sell yourself short,” Dr. Boyle explained. “A lot can happen in ten years. You never know just how different your life is going to be.”
Skye - or was it Daisy now? Even she wasn’t sure - rubbed the stress and tiredness from her eyes.
A lot had happened in the last couple of weeks. A lot had happened in the last few months, really, but the last couple of weeks was truly the icing on the cake. Not only did she have powers that caused earthquakes and could tap into the seismic vibrations of literally any and all objects, but she had parents!
Well, she had parents. Not so much anymore.
And, as it turned out, she was twenty-six, not twenty-five as she had thought, and she had actually been twenty-five last year when she thought she was twenty-four. Hell, she was almost twenty-seven given that July was only a couple of months away. She was born in 1988 and not 1989 like she had thought her entire life. How did the orphanage screw that up so badly? It felt like such an arbitrary thing to feel immense stress and trauma over, but she couldn’t help it.
She really needed a drink… or ten.
As if reading her mind, Mack came in with two glasses and a bottle of scotch. He poured a bit into each glass, passing one to her, which she happily took and gulped down in an instant.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Mack asked, finally getting to take a sip from his glass.
“Why am I so messed up about the fact that I’ve been off on my age by a year for my entire life? It shouldn’t be that big of a deal.”
Mack shrugged. “Well, the year you were born is part of your identity. It doesn’t just tell you your age, but it affects the way you grow up. It tells you what grade you’re in, it tells you what certain aspects of your life - like your childhood and teenage years - were like. Sometimes, age milestones are a big thing for some people. You said the foster system finally stopped trying to find you once you turned eighteen after running away at seventeen, which I guess is also bumped to nineteen and eighteen.”
Skye nodded at that.
“And hey! Didn’t you say you hot-wired a foster dad’s truck and tried running away at fifteen? That means you were technically sixteen, and - though you didn’t have your license - you were of driving age.”
She chuckled before her mind started to doze off. The memory of her session with Dr. Boyle entered her mind. It was right after that incident, so she had been sixteen during those sessions too.
That was ten years ago. She remembered the conversation they had: “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
Skye had thought she’d never be adopted. That reigned true. However, she had also said that she would be alone, and that wasn’t exactly true. She had a team - she had a family, something she thought for sure she would never get. She also believed that she possibly could be dead; that wasn’t true either, though, she did get close a year ago when Ian Quinn had shot her.
She would have never imagined this. She should have never imagined SHIELD for her life ten years ago.
“Mack,” Skye started. “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
Mack shrugged, taking another sip of his scotch. “I’m not entirely sure. Maybe settle down a bit, maybe with a nice girl. I know I’ll always be a mechanic, so there will always probably be an old junker in my garage. Hopefully, by then, my brother and I have taken the motorcycle trip we’ve been talking about since we were kids.”
“That sounds nice,” Skye commented.
“What about you?”
Once again, the thought of that question plagued her mind. Like before, she wasn’t so sure. A lot had happened since then. And suddenly, Skye was realizing just how right Dr. Boyle had been. It was true; Skye didn’t really know how much her life was going to change.
And boy did it change.
But unlike last time, she could sort of see herself in ten years. There were more inhumans out there, and she was determined to help as many of them as she could. With the terrigen mist spreading through the environment, there were going to be a lot of people in need of aid from someone who knows something about the change.
She could see herself having a future. What that future told, she didn’t know, but she could picture herself in ten years.
Skye still looked at the past, lost because of the end of her life-long journey.
But Daisy was ready for whatever the future threw at her.
Daisy’s eyes slowly opened, the sun barely peeking through the tiny gaps in the blinds. She snuggled deeper into the comforter only for her to kick it off mere seconds later. Due to the heat of summer, staying snuggled in bed isn’t always comfortable.
Daisy rolled over, expecting to see her husband, but he was nowhere to be found. His side of the bed wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t the warmest, telling her that he had been out of bed for a little bit.
“Daniel?” she softly called out.
It was unusually quiet, which wasn’t normal for mornings nowadays.
Daisy slipped on a pair of slippers before making her way out of their room. It still amazed Daisy that she had a house; she had a home! That was definitely something she never thought she would have, but when Daniel presented her with the house shortly before they got married, she couldn’t be happier.
Well, almost two and a half months ago, something was able to top her happiness for their home.
Daisy made her way downstairs, already smelling the aroma of tea and coffee coming from the kitchen. As she walked further into the downstairs area, Daisy was met with an image that melted her heart.
Daniel was in the living room next to the kitchen, swaying back and forth while singing. Small coos could be heard as well. As he turned, Daisy was able to see Anna, their newborn daughter, in Daniel’s arms.
Anna Mackenzie Sousa was definitely a surprise. Granted, she was conceived during their honeymoon, so a kid definitely wasn’t on their mind, but she was the best thing to happen to both of her parents. Her little amount of hair curled like Daniel’s while Daniel was certain that she had Daisy’s eyes.
Daniel’s eyes finally met Daisy’s. “Look, baby! There’s your momma,” he whispered excitedly.
“Good morning,” Daisy said, kissing him then laying her head on his shoulder, admiring their daughter in his arms. She couldn’t believe he was real. They had known each other for four years, and their first wedding anniversary was just twenty days away.
Daniel kissed the top of her head. “Happy birthday, my love.”
Daisy had almost forgotten her birthday was today. July 2nd, 2023, she was thirty-five years old! Oftentimes, Daisy would find herself asking how she made it this far. Fifteen-year-old her couldn’t even imagine this.
Being thirty-five years old meant that in just a couple of months, it would be ten years since Coulson first pulled her out of her van, and her SHIELD journey had started. Despite all the trauma and hardships she’s faced since then, joining SHIELD was the best decision she had ever made.
Because of that decision she made ten years ago, she had friends, she had people who were like parents, she had a sister, she had a husband, she had a daughter - she had a family.
And no, Daisy wouldn't change any of it for the entire world.
Again, she was met with the question that was asked of her almost twenty years ago: “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” The past ten years have been so much more than a whirlwind, but they changed her life for the better. Daisy truly understood the concept of so much happening in life. She knew just what just ten years could entail for her life.
Daisy was brought out of her thoughts when a shrill cry filled the room. Daniel chuckled. “I think she’s hungry, and she doesn’t know that I don’t have the physical capabilities to feed her.”
Daisy giggled as she brought Anna into her arms, cradling her, and Anna’s cries calmed a little as she looked up at her mother. Daisy smiled brightly at her daughter, still not completely believing that this is her life.
Daniel went to pour her a cup of tea and indulged himself in a mug of coffee. The two talked and laughed and admired their daughter as Daniel made Daisy a special birthday breakfast. Usually for her birthday, Daniel and Daisy would be joined by May, Coulson, Mack, and Elena for a late lunch/early dinner, but with the new baby, the two decided to keep it lowkey.
As Daisy watched as Daniel made dinner and she breastfed Anna. More than anything, Daisy couldn’t wait to celebrate all of Anna’s birthdays, making her feel special on her day unlike what Daisy got as a kid. April 18th, which had once been her assigned birthday from the orphanage, was now her daughter’s birthday, and Daisy knew her daughter would always know she was loved.
Daisy still might answer “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” with “I don’t know,” but she knew one thing for sure.
She couldn’t wait to see what these next ten years with Daniel, Anna, and the rest of her family had in store.