You're On Your Own, Kid

Hurt/Comfort Mother-Daughter Style

Daisy watched as May climbed up to the cockpit. "Can I go up there with you?" she asked. "I want to learn how to fly."

May regarded her with a tiny smile. "Sure," she said. "Sit."

Daisy smoothed down the back of her skirt as she clambered into the other seat. She watched the buttons flash. "Ooh, shiny." She reached to trace the buttons, glancing at May for permission.

May nodded and watched the cadet carefully as she grinned and brushed the dash with gentle touches. She remembered her first flying lesson. She was excited too. "Seatbelts," she reminded the girl. "Let's go." Daisy beamed at her and May caught a glance of Phil again, and the agent guided the plane up and away.

They arrived in Boston an hour or so later, touching down at a SHIELD facility close to MIT. It was a fancy building, and had a fancy restaurant inside.

The lunch was straightforward enough. May and Mary exchanged pleasantries and Daisy was re-introduced to Director Carter, who admonished at how long it's been since Daisy was a baby. Mary gushed about her son, Daniel, who was three years older and entering the Communications Academy.

"So, are you and Coulson getting married?" Daisy asked May unprompted as they flew off. "I saw the rings."

May barely glanced down at her finger before answering. "These are souvenirs from the time we went deep undercover as a married couple when we were in our 20's. He kept them, I found them. It's not anything huge."

Daisy let out a baffled mix of between a laugh and a sigh, but said nothing on the subject. "Can Fitzsimmons and I go out to the city and hang out tomorrow? We can leave at 11 and come back by 4..."

May looked over at her. "What for?" she asked.

"It's the last weekend before cadet training starts," Daisy replied, sinking into her seat. "And they want to relax before they start having to do science drills for their teachers again."

May nodded. "I remember cadet training. That was..." she let out a small chuckle. "A little stressful. So, sure. Just check again with Phil tonight for, you know, real permission."

"'Phil'," Daisy repeated with a knowing smile that made the agent groan internally. "Also, one time, me and Dad were out having lunch and he said you were in charge of him but not to tell you because you'd let the power go to your head."

"Trust me, I already know." May hid a smile. "Just a formality."

Daisy beamed and sat quietly for the rest of the trip back reading a book in her hands.

May knew that book. She had a copy herself. It was funny, how she was teaching- though she didn't like to admit it to herself that she called Daisy such- her daughter how to be a good agent, like May's mother technically trained May, in the early years. And then came along Director Carter. It was her who gave Daisy the book, simply called the Guide.

It was a small, thin book, a size you could fit into a women's jean front pocket. It had the SHIELD fundamental principles and old hand signals and at the end was a letter that Director Carter hand-wrote herself for the cadet. At least, May's copy did.

They got home around 4pm, with Phil waiting in the garage for them.

"Hi," he greeted them with a smile.

"Hey." May glanced at the ring on his finger, which didn't go unnoticed.

He held his hand up proudly. "I'm a married man-" he stopped as May put her hand over his mouth. Phil looked at her with a glint in his eye, and licked her palm.