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It was dark in the tiny apartment when she stepped inside. Four deadbolts slid into place and the chain was locked too. Daisy rested her head against the cool wood of the heavy door, a weary sigh coming from her mouth. She stood there a second longer before a curious sound reached her ears.
Someone was cooking in the tiny apartment's kitchen.
Daisy weighed her options. She could run, find a new place. Or, she could stay and see who had broken into her place and decided to cook of all things. Edging into the main room, she spotted a slight figure standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. Their back was to her, but she would have recognised them any day.
May.
"I was wondering when you'd be back," May said, turning and wiping her hands on a cloth.
Daisy stared at her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"You shouldn't be here," she finally said, her shoulders drooping but her face defiant.
May raised an eyebrow, that simple gesture challenging her statement.
"I'm here because I want to be," she replied simply, turning back to her pot. Daisy felt her stomach rumble. Whatever she was cooking smelled amazing.
She continued to just stand there and stare as May continued to cook. "Are you going to tell Coulson where I am?" she finally asked, chewing on her lip.
May stayed silent. She turned and dished up the food she'd made on two plates, bringing them over and setting them on the coffee table in front of the threadbare couch.
"Truthfully? He already knows where you are," May replied.
Daisy gaped, confusion flooding her system. All thoughts of the food in front of her were forgotten. "If he knows where I am, why hasn't he tried to come for me yet?"
"We both agreed to try something a little different," May said, sipping her glass of water.
Daisy shook her head in disbelief at the older woman.
"I'm not coming back, May," she insisted, "I can't." She shook her head vehemently, tears stinging her eyes.
"I'm not asking you to," May said, her mouth set in a firm line, "But I want to know why you think you have to run away from your family."
"Look at me, May! Everyone who has ever loved me gets hurt. It's better this way," she said fiercely.
"You think you're a monster," May said softly. Daisy merely looked away.
"I want you to listen to me very carefully," May told her firmly, and Daisy looked at her through the blur of unshed tears in her eyes. "You are not a monster. You have never been a monster, Daisy, never. And even if you continue to see yourself as one, there are people that will always love you. Always."
Daisy flung herself at May, the tears she'd been holding back desperately finally falling. She buried herself in May's neck, wrapping herself around the older woman tightly. May held her just as tightly, brushing her fingers through Daisy's hair to soothe her.
Twenty minutes later her crying had subsided to small snuffles against May's shoulder. Daisy could swear that she felt May's lips brush against her forehead, but she couldn't be sure before she pulled away.
"Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll heat this food back up," she said and Daisy nodded, standing and opening the door to the bedroom. When she returned, May was finished reheating their food and was setting it back down on the table.
Daisy's stomach grumbled at the sight of the noodles and chicken stir fry.
"I didn't know you can cook," she said as she as back down, pulling her plate closer to eat.
May shrugged one shoulder. "Its one of the few things I can make. Coulson is the better cook out of the two of us," she replied, and Daisy smiled, filled with longing to see the man himself.
"So...if neither you nor Coulson are gonna bring me in...what are you going to do?" Daisy asked hesitantly.
May chewed her vegetables slowly and then rested her fork down. "If you agree, we want to take you to stay with someone we trust implicitly," she said.
"Who?" Daisy asked, curious.
"My mother," May replied, picking up her fork again.
"You want me to stay with your mother?" Daisy asked, confused.
May nodded. "After...after Bahrain, my mother and Coulson were the only two people who didn't give up on me. Coulson- eventually it got harder for him to continue, Fury already had him running bigger ops. But my mother never did. It might seem like she did, but she never gave up on me," May told her.
"So...you and Coulson think it's a good idea?"
"We do. But only if you want to as well. If not, well Coulson will just keep on pretending that he can't catch you," May said.
Daisy nodded slowly.
"I'm tired of running," she whispered softly, and May nodded. "How am I going to get to your Mom? I'm pretty sure you won't be able to take me and it's not like I can just hop on a plane at the airport."
May smiled. "I enlisted the help of some friends. I can tell them to meet us in a while and they'll take you to my mother's house," she said.
"Okay."
An hour later found them parking in the lot of a deserted looking motel. May motioned over to the beat up red car to the right of them. "There's your ride," she said, hopping out of the car. Daisy looked sceptical, but it easily melted when she spotted the person that got out the car
"Bobbi?!" She said excitedly, rushing up to the blonde.
Bobbi smiled and hugged her tightly, and Daisy squeezed her in return.
"Oh my god, I missed you so much," she said.
"I missed you too, sestra," Bobbi said with a smile.
Daisy hugged her tightly again before May cleared her throat.
"You guys should get moving," she said quietly.
Bobbi nodded and Daisy turned to May.
"Thanks May. For everything. You've literally always been there for me and you're like the mom that I always dreamed of," the young woman said softly.
Damn. May was not crying. Definitely not. The water in her eyes was because of something in the air.
She cupped Daisy's cheek, swiping her thumb over the bone there. "You were always my original duckling," she replied, watching the confusion and then delight that clouded her eyes.
After a second more, Bobbi and Daisy made their way to get into the car. With the window down she saw Hunter grinning.
"Catch you later, Mama May!" He shouted and May shook her head and rolled her eyes, though a small smile touched her lips.
Another hour later, she pushed into her bunk wearily, locking the door behind her. She tensed when she heard someone in the room, but it melted away when she turned and realised it's just Phil.
He had two glasses of scotch poured and was sitting on her couch waiting for her. Melinda sighed and kicked off her boots before dropping next to him, snuggling into his shoulder. Phil wrapped his arm around her and Melinda hummed comfortably as she felt his lips brush her forehead.
"She on her way to Lian's house?" He asked and Melinda nodded.
"Bobbi and Hunter are taking her," she replied, curling one hand into the soft t-shirt he was wearing.
"You did good, Lin," he said, tightening his hold on her.
"I called her 'my original duckling'," she murmured after a while.
Phil chuckled.
"I should think out of all of them, she really is the first member of Mama May's Duckling Squad," he replied.
Melinda pulled away to glare momentarily at him, but he merely pulled her back to rest against him.
"Don't give me that look when we both know you like it, Mel," he said, rolling his eyes.
"You're such an idiot, why do I put up with you?" Melinda huffed, "why do I even like you?"
"Uh, correction: you love me," Phil told her, "and besides, I'm your idiot."
Melinda pulled her head back to squint up at him. Finally she sighed and reached up to pull him down to her and kiss him soundly.
"You're right; you are my idiot," she said, a small smile quirking her lips when he grinned at her.
"Am I right about you loving me too?" He asked.
"I'd love you a whole lot more if you quit talking and used your mouth for something better," she quipped, arching one brow at him.
"And just what are you suggesting?" He asked, smirking.
She rolled her eyes, pulling him down to her again and kissing him soundly.
When she woke up the next morning, she had a text from a blocked number.
Your mom just called me her granddaughter and I think this is one of the best days of my life.
She smiled to herself and turned over to burrow further into Phil's warmth.