prologue
Calla Lincoln Johnson was born in the night. Her mother named her after two of the most important people in her life. People she would never see again. Cal Johnson and Lincoln Campbell. Calla would never meet her namesakes, her grandfather and father were both out of her reach. As it would turn out she would never meet her mother either. At least not formally, of course the woman was there when she was born. But Calla had no recollection of that, and hours later Daisy Johnson had dropped her little girl off at the local police department, promising that she would come and get her when her life was back to normal.
Daisy considered bringing the infant to SHIELD, but she knew that Coulson would try to get her to come back, and Daisy didn't want to hurt any of them anymore. So instead she gave Calla up, telling herself that she just needed some time to figure some things out, she was in no position to take care of a child. She herself had no good experiences with mother figures, foster or biological. Where would she even start with raising her daughter.
As Daisy walked away from the Fire Department where she had left Calla Lincoln Johnson, she had every intention of coming back. She didn't know that she never would, and that Calla would grow up in the same environment that she did.
In fact the Fire Department got her little girl's name wrong, Calla grew up Betsy-Sue Lincoln. And Betsy-Sue Lincoln grew up alone.
()_()_()
FOUR YEARS LATER
Daisy felt a pang as she thought of the little girl she left. It was in this moment that she knew she would never see Calla again.
She was going to die.
Fighting to the save the world. She only hoped that someone would put the pieces together and find Calla for her. The only one of her team that even knew she was pregnant all those years ago was Jemma when she did a full scan on Daisy after HIVE. Even Daisy didn't know she was expecting at that point. Daisy had made Jemma promise not to tell anyone until Daisy was ready. And then Daisy left, and she didn't know if Jemma had informed anyone of her predicament while they were searching for her.
"That's the idea" Daisy growled at the man who stole her powers from her. Nathaniel gave her a shocked look in the split second before her body expelled him off of her. He had not been expecting her to sacrifice herself. But how could she not? If this was the way they saved everyone, she would gladly kill herself if it meant everyone else survived. If it meant that Calla survived, and all f the other little girls out there.
'Alya', that's what Fitz said her name was. 'she's the same age as Cal'
Daisy focused on her best-friend's daughter, the niece she would never get to meet. If she couldn't see her daughter, she was going to make sure that they did.
The walls around the superhero collapsed and the rushing cold air of space covered her.
()_()_()
ONE MONTH LATER
The cemetery was silent as the nine people gathered stared at the headstone.
___________
DAISY LOUISE JOHNSON
JULY 2ND 1988 - AUGUST 12TH 2020
_____________
No one knew what to say, Alya was getting antsy. She didn't know why they were here. Sure she had heard plenty of stories about Daisy Johnson. But to her that was all that Daisy was, a story.
"Mama, can we go??" The little girl asked tugging at Jemma's arms.
"Not yet sweetheart. We're waiting for someone."
A beat up old van drove up the lane. The paint was chipping off and the tires looked like they could use some repair. Mack winced at the loud screech the brakes made when the van came to a stop.
"Are you sure we're in the right place."
"Look out of the damn window and find out."
They heard some more grumbling before Lance Hunter's head popped out behind the passenger window.
"We're here Love!" He yelled and even from here Jemma winced at the volume. May glowered at the van, and crossed her arms over herself, Daniel and Kora were next to her, seeming comforted by the closeness. Coulson didn't looked up from the headstone, Elena studied the man hopping out of the car, curious about the people her partner always talked so highly about. Mack went to greet them himself.
"Hey big guy" Bobbi said with a fond smile on her face, leaning in for a hug. "How you been?"
Mack gratefully accepted her embrace. "Never mind about me. You've been on the run for five years. How have you been."
Bobbi leveled him with a dull stare. "I've seen the news Mack, I know that you guys are one of the most wanted people in the country right now."
"That was a misunderstanding." Jemma chimed in.
"I figured." Bobbi nodded hugging Jemma as well.
"Lot of new faces." Hunter added looking around and spotting Elena. "Hey! You're Zoom-Zoom right."
"Hunter" Bobbi scowled while Yo-Yo raised her eyebrows at him. "Manners."
"Sorry" Hunter muttered, but he didn't sound very sorry. Bobbi rolled her eyes, but let it go for the moment.
"Mama who are they?" Alya whispered, hiding behind her mother.
"Alya sweetie, these are some old friends of our. Bobbi and Hunter." Jemma gently led her daughter in front of her. Bobbi's eyes widened for a second before her face softened.
"Good for you"
"About time!" Hunter grinned, slapping Leo on the back lightly. "Daisy owes me ten bucks!"
Everyone paused. Hunter's face morphed from one of joy to sadness when he realized what he had said.
"She thought that you guy would be married and have a kid in three years." Hunter said softly.
Jemma swallowed thickly. "She was so excited when we got married."
"You should have seen her face when we added Alya to the mix two years later." Leo smiled.
"Yeah..." Jemma drifted off frowning. "She seemed happy, but there was sadness there as well."
"Come on guys" May broke the silence after a while. "Daisy wouldn't want us to be sad."
"Yeah." Yo-Yo nodded.
They all crowded around her grave once more. Sooner or later Mike Peterson showed up, Ace was at his aunt house. There was a moment of comfortable silence before anyone spoke, reminiscing Daisy Johnson's life. Coulson wished that they could reach Robbie, he would have wanted to be here.
He shouldn't have to be here, Daisy should be alive and well. Raking jokes and pulling pranks. What was Phil kidding himself, that side of Daisy had disappeared a long time ago. If he had to pinpoint a moment he would have to say Trip death. It was hard on everyone, but Daisy had always blamed herself for Trip's decision to go down there with her. No matter how many time they tried to tell her it wasn't her fault, she would smile and reassure them that she was fine (she wasn't fine).
May had once found her alone in her bunk in the Playground. It was after the cat was out of the bag and everyone knew that she was powered. Her hands had been shaking as she packed her things up into a single duffel bag. May recognized that bag, it was the same one that she had brought with her from her van. May saw her hula girl poking out of the top. It saddened May that all of her possessions could still fit into one bag. It seemed that Daisy (then Skye) had been running away, and that scared May out of her mind. Sitting on her bed lightly, Daisy hardly glanced at the older agent, continuing stuffing her clothing into the flowered bag.
"You okay?"
Daisy stayed silent and seemed to think that of she ignored May that she would go away.
"Hey." May caught Daisy's shaking hand in midair. Daisy had bit her lip and finally looked her mentor in the eye. May's heart broke when she saw the tears that threatened to overflow down her cheeks.
"They're all going to hate me." She whispered.
"No." May firmly stated. "They won't. I promise"
Daisy sniffed and looked over at the older woman for a moment, before nodded harshly and stealing her hand back. Shoving a few more pieces into her bag Daisy left her bunk to go and stay on the BUS. Later May would learn that her mentee had walked into a conversation with varying view points, but all Daisy saw was that the people she trusted, had turned on her. Just like Ward. And All of the foster family who told her that she was loved, and sent her back to St. Ages a few days later.
That was the day that Daisy Johnson stopped believing people promises.