Chapter Text
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May 12, 2017
The Playground, Covert S.H.I.E.L.D. Facility
Somewhere in the United States of America
“You really have to leave right away?” She asked already knowing the answer but finding something inside her that had to ask. Last time she didn’t know he was going to be gone. And when he was gone, it was just another person she cared for that she thought she’d never see again. She wasn’t quite sure the exact moment Robbie fell into that category, but now he was there and she wanted more time with him.
“Yeah,” he answered as Coulson carried the Darkhold over to him. “I have to get this book someplace safe.” She understood this. Burden. Responsibility. A calling. She had her own, here, with S.H.I.E.L.D. With her family. She knew that now. But this. This was Robbie’s. She knew she couldn’t argue with that.
And letting Robbie go to take care of that book was part of her burden as well. The burden of letting things happen for the good of humanity even if it hurts for her.
As her friends approached Robbie in their silent good-byes, she stood off to the side watching him, not taking her eyes off him for fear of missing even one moment, trying to etch his face in her mind. He kept his eyes on her as well, as if pleading with her to what? Understand? Forgive? Have patience?
“Keep an eye on my brother?” Oh. She nodded in agreement, a hint of a smile on her lips as assurance. But he continued to hold her gaze as if trying to hold on to the moment like her.
“The gateway is almost ready,” Jemma informed him, breaking the spell.
“Don’t need it,” he said as his eyes lingered on her and then glanced at her friend. “I learned a few things since you saw me last.” Daisy watched as did that thing with one eyebrow raised when he got excited, in a happy way. A proud little smirk spread across his face as he looked back at her and then to Coulson. He was like a boy in that split second, proud to tell his friends he was learning and growing, getting stronger and more powerful, becoming more resourceful.
Robbie turned around and gripped his chain. Gone was the giddy expression from seconds ago as his face turned serious with focus. As the chain whipped and swirled, Daisy’s eyes followed it in wonder. Soon, the swirling circle of sparks before them revealed a dark ominous landscape on the other side of the portal, the Rider's Chain wrapping back around his torso.
He turned back and Coulson handed him the book. “I don’t envy you,” Robbie said to the man who had just returned his cursed spirit rider back to him, concern in his eyes. Daisy couldn’t help but wonder what deal Coulson had struck and wished she had time to talk the details out of Robbie because Coulson wasn't going to tell her any time soon.
“I was gonna say the same to you,” her boss said back.
Daisy ached as she watched her friend look down at the book in his hands, the weight of his responsibility dawning on him once again. A reminder of the sacrifice he made. He turned back toward the portal and stopped. Why was it hurting so much? They hardly know one another. Then why were her fingers twitching with the urge to reach out and hug him before he walked through? Heck, it was an urge to hug and pull him back to convince him to stay just a while longer. But she had some idea of the weight he carried and she had to keep herself under control.
When he looked back at her at that moment, her heart flipped in the hope that he might change his mind. Not another word spoken but so much said. She gave him a reassuring smile and he returned with a nod. A nod that told her she would see him again. And then he turned away and she watched him disappear through the circling sparks.
As she stared at the now empty space, Daisy could hear May challenging Coulson about what Robbie had said to him. In the back of her mind, she wanted to know the answer to this, but at that moment, she was worlds away trying to imagine where Robbie had gone, what he was going to have to endure, and how long it might take this time around for the Rider to finish this mission.
There was a small relief in being able to wonder when he might return. That there was a good possibility he would return, even if it took a long while. A flash suddenly came to her mind of the second she realized she was going to lose Lincoln forever and there was nothing she could do about it. She shook her head as if to shake the memory back into its neat little container where she kept it sealed away inside of her mind, a box she only opened in moments of solitude and calm. It had been a while since she had been able to open it. Why was it popping open now?
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They were coming for them. All of them. And they were a team. A family.
As she reassured Fitz that he had nothing to apologize for, she finally got it. Understood how much she needed them, needed to be a part of this. And they needed her.
“If there’s a price to pay, we pay it together,” May chimed in.
"Amen," Jemma added.
“Anyone else hungry?” Coulson asked. “I’m not saying we’re definitely gonna get locked up, but if we are, I wouldn’t mind grabbing a bite to eat first.”
The team, seeming to all be in agreement, headed to their ride. But Daisy had one more thing to do before they left and possibly got locked up for an unknown amount of time. Checking for her phone in her jacket pocket, she turned to find a quiet corner down the hall.
“The food is this way, Tremors,” Mack called after her.
“She has a promise to keep,” she heard Coulson answer. “She’ll be right behind us.”
She lifted her phone to her ear and heard him pick up on the first ring.
“Is he back?” She heard the hopeful voice ask. “Please, Daisy, tell me you have good news.”
“Hi, Gabe,” she responded followed by a pause as she tried to collect her thoughts and words knowing in the end, Robbie’s brother wouldn’t be happy with what she had to tell him. “Um, well, I can tell you he is okay. He did come back, briefly, from like hell, or wherever.”
“Oh, good. That’s good,” she could hear the relief wash over him making the next thing she had to say even harder.
“But he only stayed for a short while. The Rider, his, um, partner, had a mission and they had to return to, um ya know--”
“Hell,” Gabe finished for her, his tone completely deflated.
“But, he is okay and he’ll be back,” she responded in an upbeat note that didn’t quite seem to fit the reality of the situation. “He asked me to look after you, so I just wanted to give you an update and, well, you might not be able to reach me for a little while, but as soon as I’m able, I’ll come to take you for a ride in Robbie’s Charger. I’m putting it somewhere safe for now until I can get it back to you.”
There was silence on the line and she would have thought he had hung up on her if it weren’t for his steady breathing.
“Sounds good, Daisy. I know my brother trusted you so the same goes for me. Be safe and I’ll see you sooner rather than later, hopefully.”
“You got it, kid. Take care of yourself. Of course, I know you will,” Daisy heard him hang up and slid her phone back into her pocket, striding quickly to catch up with her team.
“Everything good?” Coulson asked when she came in sight.
“Yeah,” she answered. “Um, so, Robbie’s car?”
“Already taken care of. Called Agent Koenig while you were on the phone.”
“That’s good,” she nodded. “Thanks.”
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As Daisy dipped and dragged her fries through the ketchup, she listened to Coulson’s musings to her right. But Jemma and Fitz’s silence to her left seemed louder than anything else in that diner. The joy in their collective relief to be out of the framework, to be together again, and be eating some delicious carb-loaded comfort food was juxtaposed with the heartache she felt for Jemma and Fitz’s pain, for Mack losing Hope all over again, for Lincoln, a loss she had yet to fully process and wondered if she ever would. In just a couple of weeks, it would be a year since she lost him and she had spent most of that time on the run rather than slowing down and processing. Maybe if they did lock her up for a while, it would give her the time she needed. But one thing she knew for sure, she didn’t want to be alone.
This was the closest she had ever felt to being at peace. She wasn’t kidding herself that she would ever truly find a peaceful life. Between her powers and her job and the people she cared most about, her life would always be far from uneventful. But here in this moment, she had her family back and she couldn’t ignore the warmth she felt whenever she thought about Robbie and the anticipation of his return. There was a hopefulness in their growing friendship, even if it would be filled with long stretches apart.
“You know, I think this is the first time we’ve all been together in a really long time,” Coulson continued on.
“Anybody have room for some pie?” Their waitress asked as she sauntered back over to her end of the counter.
Daisy’s ears perked up and she listened as the woman rattled off all the pie choices. She was definitely going to have some pie. And as soon as she was done with her interrogation or incarceration or whatever was about to come, she would pick up Gabe in Robbie’s Charger and take him for some pie. Pie just sounded so amazing.
And then, with a crackle and buzz of electricity, everything around her went black. Just as quickly, there seemed to be floodlights pouring in through the windows.
“Here we go,” May said as she crumpled her napkin and dropped it on her plate.
The sound of boots kicking in doors and marching into the room along with the jangling of tactical gear told Daisy all she needed to know. They were a team and it was time to be one as they all raised their hands in surrender. So much for the pie. It would have to wait until that visit to Gabe.
“Phillip J. Coulson,” said a man behind them.
“Yep, that’s me,” said the man sitting to her right who had been more of a father to her than anyone. “You got us. Nice job. And hey, congrats on the whole power outage thing. That was very ominous.”
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He could feel the portal close behind him, hear the hissing of the sparks go silent. At that moment, he closed his eyes and let the spirit take the wheel. In this world, Robbie knew he was the passenger. As the Ghost Rider sauntered forward on his mission, Darkhold in hand, Robbie retreated in his mind, clinging to the image imprinted there. The image of the last friendly face he would see for a long time.
And how glad he was that it was her, that she was there. It gave him hope to hold on to as he traversed the horrors of this place. Hope that he would have a friend when he returned, that his brother wouldn’t have to worry about his lonely big brother and feel obligated to plan his life around him. He had a friend, something he couldn’t say he’d had for a long time. And she came with a whole team of support. They were good people. Even if he didn’t really want to be friends with all of them, it was good knowing they were there looking after Gabe whenever he would have to leave. And it was good knowing Daisy finally had her people back. Even though he’d like to believe they’d gained a friend in each other, he knew he couldn't be the type of friend Daisy always needed. And, again, he wouldn’t always be there.
He thought about Daisy a lot since they first met. She drove him crazy at the beginning and he just wanted her gone, out of his life. But slowly, he grew comfortable around her. Maybe it was because he finally found another person who understood him in some small way and that he didn’t have to hide what he was and what he was dealing with. He could be honest with her, open. And she never expected anything from him, nothing in return for her kindness and compassion which just made him want to open up to her more, let her in even more.
This really hit him when she showed up, the first one to find him after his return. The fact that she found him so fast. That it was her and not some other agent. It felt like it meant something to him, even if maybe she didn't mean anything by it other than just doing her job.
If he was honest with himself, if he were a regular guy, he’d probably be half in love with her by this point. But there wasn’t much room for that with the path he was on. And Daisy had her own romantic baggage she still needed to deal with. Those two points alone, helped him hold his feelings at bay.
He just wished he’d had more time. Maybe time to grab a drink with her or take a drive and just be there with each other for a while. He wished he’d given in to his urge to hug her before he left but the mood didn’t seem right. It felt awkward and so he left it at memorizing her face, studying her every little detail, and etching it to his brain before disappearing into Hell.
He wasn’t very long into his journey, following the pull to where the Darkhold needed to go when he felt something. An uneasiness, maybe. Whatever it was, it made him feel like something was out of place. He knew he could not try to deter the Spirit until he had fulfilled his mission. Even then, it would be difficult to pull him from his path of vengeance. But as the hours and days passed and Robbie lost track of all sense of time, he couldn’t shake this dull sense of anxiety and dread. Of fear that the only two people he cared for in the world were not safe.