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Daisy was the first to arrive. She stepped slowly into the warm glow of the candlelit speakeasy, remembering the last time she was in this room, last October, one year ago to the day. It’s not like she hadn’t seen her old team since then, but still, her heart raced in anticipation.
She took a deep breath and held onto the back of one of the seven chairs that had already been conveniently arranged into a circle. Then she heard a set of footsteps treading into the room and the nerves instantly flooded out of her at the sight of him.
“There he is,” she beamed. “It’s good to see you again, AC.”
“You too,” Coulson said. “It’s been too long.”
“You know you’re always welcome to come stay with us again,” Daisy suggested. She thought back to the start of the year when Coulson had helped her, Kora, and Sousa load up Z3 before starting their own adventures. He had followed closely along in her shadow for weeks, making sure every little detail was in order. He must have given her the safety and emergency rundown a dozen times, but she didn’t complain once. She kind of liked having someone care so much about her, even if it was a little overbearing.
“I know. I just wanted you to have a chance to take the lead and really come into your own,” he said, as they each took a seat. “Pretty hard to do with your old man hanging around.”
The sound of pumps clicking across the hardwood floors interrupted them before Daisy could protest. Even if she’d spoken, she realized that he wouldn’t have noticed. His full attention had already moved on to Melinda May.
May looked to Daisy first, a small smile crossing her lips. “ Hi guys,” she said softly as she took a seat beside Coulson. As her gaze shifted towards him, her eyes meeting his, she felt her stomach drop. After their last mission together, they’d decided to take a step back and focus on finding themselves, and when they were ready, they would talk about where they stand. That was a year ago, and they still hadn’t talked- at least, not about them. And it didn’t help that he was still undecided about whether or not to stay powered on.
At a loss for words, a measly, “Hi,” was all he could scrounge up.
May tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him curiously. She hadn’t seen Coulson in months, but she noticed it right away. “You look different.”
Daisy squinted at him, immediately seeing what May was talking about. “Yeah, I think he got a tan!”
May leaned back in her chair, giving Coulson a quick once-over. “I didn’t think that was possible.”
“Oh it’s possible,” he replied with a smirk. “You should’ve seen the sunburn.”
The three of them exchanged grimaced expressions and were laughing as the Fitz-Simmons couple came in. Jemma chimed in with a sweet and chipper “Hi everyone,” at the precise moment Fitz said, “Hey,” with a single wave.
Daisy’s face lit up at the sound of their voices and whirled around in her chair so she should see them. “Hey, you made it!”
“Oh, we couldn’t miss this,” Jemma said as she sat next to Daisy.
Fitz took a seat next to his wife. “Alya thinks we’re playing hide-and-seek, should keep her occupied for a bit.”
Jemma scrunched her nose and admitted, “As brilliant as she is, she always hides in the same spot.”
“Under the slide,” said Fitz, shaking his head. “Every time.”
“Long time no see,” Elena’s voice suddenly rang out from the other side of the room. A clamor of delighted hellos overlapped as they turned to greet her.
A faint smile crossed May’s face as Elena sat beside her. “Yeah, I haven’t seen you or Mack since-”
“Opening day,” Elena finished. “Two months ago.”
May blinked back her surprise- was that all? It had definitely felt longer to her.
Daisy, on the other hand, was stunned to realize how much time had passed. “Wow, yeah, that’s right,” she murmured. It felt like just the other day they were cheering on May as she gave her speech as executive director of the new Coulson Academy and cut the ceremonial ribbon.
Jemma looked to May and winced. “Again, so sorry we missed it.”
“Just can’t find a reliable sitter these days,” Fitz remarked.
“But we saw Coulson gave quite the memorable speech,” Jemma quipped. May had been against that speech from the start, but Benson had pushed for it, insisting that it would drum up enrollment, and Coulson was happy to go along with it. Turns out, the old man was right.
Amused smiles spread across the faces of everyone in the room as they remembered the way Coulson had emerged through the double doors of the Academy named in his honor. The crowd’s reaction to the sight of him echoed that of Tony Stark’s big Iron Man announcement- which, of course, had only encouraged his antics. He recounted his many deaths and resurrections, embellishing quite a few details along the way.
Jemma grinned. “It’s nice to see you haven’t lost your flare for the dramatics, sir.”
“Yeah, it’ll be a tough one to live down,” he admitted. “Daisy says I’ve been turned into a meme.” Not like he knew what that meant.
The group couldn’t help but laugh- they’d all seen the memes, even May. Knowing they were friends, her students got a kick out of showing them to her.
“Well,” Jemma started as the laughs subsided. “This is a nice venue. Who picked it out?”
May lowered her head at her skeptically- like she even had to question it. “Who do you think?” she asked with a nod toward Coulson. He raised his hand with a big grin, quite pleased with himself. May rolled her eyes and said, “He’s always been a sucker for nostalgia.”
Fitz gestured towards his wife. “So’s this one.” He glanced at his watch, then turned towards Elena. “Where’s Mack?”
“Turtleman is always late,” she shrugged.
“He knows,” Coulson assured him. “He’ll be here.”
As if on cue, Mack strode into the speakeasy, entering across from Daisy. She leaned back into her chair and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, calling, “Well, well. Look who it is.”
Mack rubbed the back of his neck as he sat in the chair between Elena and Fitz. “Sorry I’m late,” he sighed. “There was a situation in Moscow.” The group nodded, knowingly. They’d all been over this. It’s confidential.
“You still enjoying the new digs?” Daisy asked.
“Yeah, it’s nice, you know?” Mack said with a broad smile. “It’s no secret I was ready to walk away for a while there. But Coulson… he really hooked it up, made it worth my while.”
Mack thought back to the end of last year, when they’d gone out for a drink to have a conversation about his future. Coulson had started out with one of his signature motivational pep talks, then asked what he could do to convince him to stay on as director. First on the list, Mack had requested an extension of SHIELD to deal strictly with space (his exact words were, “There’s no chance in hell I’m getting dragged out there again.” ) He’d also asked for two weeks of personal time, effective immediately, and a command center with a change of scenery- some light and fresh air wouldn’t hurt.
Coulson had come through quicker than Mack had anticipated, not only meeting his demands, but exceeding them. He was granted the space-expansion with a fleet large enough to spread across every corner of the galaxy, led by some of SHIELD’s finest agents. He was also given a full month of time off, the black leather trench coat he currently had on, and a fucking helicarrier . How could he turn that down? “After all those years in hallways,” he continued, “I’m still not used to having a view.”
“You and me both,” Fitz said, still trying to forget all the times he was trapped in a pod. And to think, he ended up in a picturesque cottage in Perthshire with his wife and daughter- a floral garden in front and a half-acre of greenery with a swingset out back.
“Yeah, it’s pretty great,” Elena added, relishing her new-found freedom.
Jemma turned to her and asked, “So are you at base now, or-?”
“No, I’m on assignment actually,” she replied. “Chasing an 0-8-4 of all things.”
“She’s our most decorated agent,” Mack boasted.
Daisy flashed a coy grin at the pair of them. “Perks of being married to the director?”
“No, no,” Mack quickly dismissed. He knew Daisy was just poking fun, of course. Her ragging on them was payback for eloping and disappearing for a month-long honeymoon without a word to anyone besides May, who watched over Flint for them. “She’s the best we have,” he said, radiating with pride. “She’s earned it.”
May faced Elena with a kind and heart-felt smile, well aware of how much she has grown as an agent. “I have no doubt about that.”
“Okay, okay,” Elena said, her cheeks warming from the attention. “So I’ve got a good team. We work well together.” She paused and rethought that statement. “Although Piper, I think, is questioning her choice.”
“With bringing back Davis as an LMD,” Coulson guessed.
“Yeah,” answered Elena. “Well- no. It’s not that. He’s just driving her crazy… but what else is new, right?” May had been locked onto Coulson for their exchange. The nuances of his changed expressions were undetectable for anyone else in that circle, but they couldn’t get by her. The dread he was masking subtly lifted, and he was now relieved. “It’s like he never left.”
May watched as Coulson smiled to himself. She hadn’t realized how long she’d been watching him, or how that little smile of his had spread to her face as well- until Coulson’s eyes suddenly flickered onto May’s.
They had always been able to say so much through their stolen glances while Coulson was alive, and this was no different. In this one brief look, they shared a range of emotions: his surprise that she’d been staring, her embarrassment of getting caught, his confusion, her compassion, their longing to sort this all out, maybe even a trace of-
“Love that,” Jemma gushed to Elena, snapping their attention back to the conversation at hand. “And you, Melinda?” she asked. “How are you liking your profession?”
“I hate it,” she answered dryly, earning several raised eyebrows.
“No you don’t,” Coulson said without missing a beat. “You love it.”
May glowered at him, but they both knew he was right. “…A little.”
“Please, you’re a living legend there,” he reminded her as if she could forget; after all, there’s an obscenely large poster of The Cavalry hanging outside the Academy’s combat training center. She passes it every day, and there’s always a different student who feels the need to point her out, that’s her!! “From what I’ve heard, she’s killing it.”
“Oh that’s true,” May acknowledged, knowing full well that she is damn good at her job. “It takes a lot out of me though. I fought aliens, demons, and androids, and this is the first time in my life I’ve ever felt this exhausted.”
“Amen to that,” Fitz chimed in.
Daisy looked incredulously at him and had to laugh. “What do you know about being exhausted? You’re retired.”
Fitz shook his head and pointed at Daisy, saying, “Only someone without kids would say that.”
“Yeah, she’s a lot,” Jemma sighed.
Coulson thought back to last fall, when he'd helped the Fitzsimmons family move into their new home, right after their final mission. He’d spent two weeks there helping them unpack, paint, and put together furniture. He became fast friends with their little Alya, telling her bedtime stories, making faces, running around the yard, and playing games. His last visit to the cottage was in June, but her ear-piercing squeals of laughter were still fresh in his memory. “She’s the best .”
Mack cleared his throat and asked, “Did she, uh- did she get the present Uncle Mack and Auntie ‘Lena sent her?”
Jemma beamed with gratitude. “Yes, it just came in!! Thank you both.”
Fitz’s demeanor was quite the opposite- Alya’s bedroom was already littered with toys, and he’d stepped on one too many Legos to act polite. “Yeah, thank you for all the many presents,” he said cheekily. “One a year is plenty.”
Elena furrowed her brows in disapproval. “Oh come on Fitz, what about Christmas?”
“A card will suffice,” he groaned.
Each of their friends rolled their eyes, knowing that would never happen.
But that reminded Jemma- “We did get a very nice letter from Agent Sousa,” she marveled. “So cute he writes letters!”
Daisy’s smile grew at the mention of his name. “I know, right? I just got him a typewriter- speaking of a kid on Christmas…”
“Are things still going well for you two?” Jemma asked.
“They really are, yeah,” she nodded. “We’re just like, loving the journey together.” She hadn’t said the words aloud yet, but Daisy had fallen hopelessly in love with Daniel Sousa.
May had known for ages, of course. She could feel her love for him so loudly it was nauseating, but she could also feel a deep-seated fear. Despite how casual she acted, Daisy was terrified of losing him- something that had become a pattern with the men she’d let into her life. Over time, May had learned to shut out those emotions, which came as a relief; she knew that exasperating combination of love and fear all too well, and she had one person to blame for that. Or in his case, robot.
She’d been so confused for so long, not wanting to accept that this thing is somehow the same man she’d been so close to for decades, but she eventually came around. She felt it that Spring, once everyone else had settled into their new roles. She’d been under immense stress arranging the opening of the Academy, but he was by her side through it all. He pulled strings for her, he calmed her stress, he made her laugh. What are you doing? she’d finally asked herself. He’s the most advanced LMD-Chronicom combination there is - it’s not like he’s a fucking toaster.
And there she was, staring at him again. Thankfully no one had noticed, as they were focused on Daisy, who was still talking about Sousa and their new life together in space. “I showed him ET to prep for it,” she told them.
Coulson shook his head in approval. “Great movie.”
“Classic,” Mack agreed.
“He’s made for this work,” Daisy went on, “But he does keep calling us the Astro Ambassadors, so, yeah. He’s a dork. But he says hi. Speaking of dorks-” She turned in her seat toward Coulson, who scoffed at her remark. There was a subtle trace of uncertainty behind the smile she was trying to hold onto. “What are you gonna do AC?”
Jemma’s positive momentum faltered, her hands sliding together in her lap. “Yeah, I was gonna ask...”
“You said you would take the year to reassess,” Daisy noted.
“Yeah,” May said gently. “Have you decided?”
“Well,” Coulson looked around at the concerned faces of his friends, who so desperately wanted him to stay. “After I got all you guys all squared away, I, uh, I spent some time working on myself.” He and Jemma shared a quick look. Only she and Fitz were privy to just how much work he’d put into himself.
When he visited their cottage that summer, they gave him access to their underground basement, where they stored their old SHIELD and Chronicom technology. He closely examined the data that made up his system’s hard drive, to find out more how he was built and what that means for who he is. He wanted to know how much was programming, and how much was real. He also made a few tweaks in an effort to feel a bit more like his old self.
“I got to see some places I’ve always wanted to visit,” he continued. He’d spent most of the year traveling; he’d left town in early May, traveled across South Africa, made it up to Scotland by the end of June, carried on to central Europe from there, took a short trip home in mid-August for the opening of the Academy, then finished off the last two months of his travels in Greenland and Iceland. He traveled the old-fashioned way- cheap economy tickets, carrying all his things in a backpack, and spending his nights asleep on a train.
“Victoria Falls was gorgeous by the way,” Daisy couldn’t resist interjecting. She’d saved every photo message he’d sent her, even the ones where the winds blew his tacky blue tourist poncho over his face or his finger was covering half of the lense.
Jemma’s eyes widened as she piped in, “And Zagreb is every bit as beautiful as I’d read about!” She had studied Croatia’s capital thoroughly all those years ago when she first went undercover, but they never made it there- and now there’s a postcard on her fridge!
“Yeah, I crossed off most of the bucket-list,” Coulson said distantly. He never did make it to Ireland, though. “It was nice, but I can’t say that I found what I was looking for out there. So I figure I can just turn off-” this earned troubled looks from everyone in the room. They were all holding their breath, bracing themselves for the bad news. “-if it ever comes to that. But I’m thinking I’ll stick around, maybe even settle down for a while.”
The group reacted all at once-
“Oh thank god,” Daisy blurted out.
Jemma’s hand covered her racing heart. “What a relief.”
Elena exhaled hard. “Right on.”
“Glad to hear it,” Mack said, rubbing the tension in his neck.
Fitz looked at Coulson appalled. “You know, you really could’ve led with that”
May, meanwhile, had taken a moment to process. She’d had her suspicions that he might’ve chosen to live, but with Coulson (in any form), she could never be sure. Hearing him say the words aloud brought her immeasurable comfort. He’s sticking around. Settling down. She could see him again- after months of speaking through a blurry little screen. Not just as a hologram. And not having to wonder about how much time she had left with him…
A small smile crossed her lips at the thought of it. “You know, now that you’re back, I could use you.”
Mack exchanged a look of agreement with Elena and was quick to add, “Yeah, us too.”
Daisy leaned forward in her chair eagerly and reminded him, “We’ve always got our best bunk on hold for you.”
“We could use a good sitter,” Fitz reminded him, disregarding the fact that they live in a whole other continent.
Jemma’s expression softened. “Alya’s been asking for you,” she told him.
“I’ll keep all of that in mind,” Coulson said, chuckling to himself.
Something from outside of the room caught Elena’s attention. She looked away from her friends momentarily, then turned back, disheartened. “Guys, I’m going to have to go in a minute. We’re approaching the drop zone.”
Mack straightened up, saying, “Okay, sweetheart, just remember, min-”
“Minimal force, in and out, no contact,” Elena finished for him in a mocking tone. “I know.”
May checked the time and frowned. “I actually have a group waiting, so... maybe we should call it.”
“Yeah, I’m losing signal anyway,” Daisy sighed.
“I vote we make this a tradition,” Jemma interjected. Fitz nodded in agreement. After spending a year inventing the Holocoms, they wanted to put them to good use. “I love the house calls, and the messages, and the postcards, but being together like this-”
“It feels like the old days,” Coulson reflected.
“Yeah-” Daisy said just as her hologram glitched. “Well, almost .”
“We can’t lose this,” Mack decided. “We’ve lost enough already. Trip, Lincoln, Enoch, Deke…”
“Deke,” Jemma’s voice broke as she said his name.
That was a name Daisy hadn’t heard in a long time. “I don’t even exist in his timeline,” she remembered.
“I’m sure ‘the D’ is doing just fine,” Mack reassured them. “He’s probably playing Madison Square Garden right now.”
Jemma liked the thought of that. “He’d be happy we’re doing this.”
“Yeah,” Elena nodded. “So... same time next month?”
There were resounding approvals from the group. May was the busiest of them all, balancing teaching and directing at the Academy and watching Flint, but even she wouldn’t miss it for anything. “I’ll be there.”
“Excellent!” Jemma raised her eyebrows mischievously. “Though we may need to arrange a couple more chairs.” She looked to Fitz to help reveal their little secret.
“I finally got hold of Hunter,” he announced. “He-”
But Jemma cut him off in a burst of excitement. “He and Bobbi will receive their HoloComms in time for our next meet!”
Collective gasps and “aww”s filled the room. None of them had ever thought the day would come that they’d see them again- not after their official spy’s goodbye. Turns out, they'd moved to Carmel, California. They were married again (for now), after a short and private ceremony on the beach about a year ago. Hunter opened a bar, Bobbi got a job as a pharmacist. They'd gotten used to laying low and living the quiet life, but man were they excited to hear from their friends.
May shook her head in wonder. “After all these years…”
“It’s hard to believe,” Coulson said.
Elena touched a hand up to her temple. “That was my signal,” she told them. She smiled as she took in one last look at her old team together, all under one roof- something she once thought would never happen again. “Hasta la próxima.” She removed her Holocom and disappeared from the room.
“We’ve been made,” Fitz alerted Jemma. “This little monkey’s punching me as hard as she can in the leg.”
“Aww, yeah,” she sighed. “We should get going.”
Fitz offered one last smile to the group as he reached for his Holocom. “Bye, everybody.” And in an instant, he was gone.
Before Jemma left, she turned to Daisy. “I’ll email you that anatomy analysis after Fitz is asleep... interesting stuff,” she said with a wink.
“Can you toss in some videos of Alya while you’re at it?” Daisy asked. “I miss that little cookie monster!”
“Only if you don’t go another three months without visiting,” Jemma replied.
Daisy didn’t get into how it’s not her fault they kept Alya on such a tight schedule that summer. Between swim lessons, farmer's markets, family trips, picnics, and bike rides in the park, they were never home when she could drop by. But that didn't keep her trying again. “Deal.”
With that, Jemma mustered up the softest, “Goodbye everyone,” and vanished.
The room felt heavier without them. May broke the silence, saying, “Mack, I’ll be sending you a few names.”
“Good, I’m looking forward to it,” he responded. “How’s Flint doing?”
“He’s a natural.” May had been taking care of him during the school year and holding him to the highest standards of the academy. It almost annoyed her how little effort he showed to pass her class- people were going to think she was playing favorites or helping him cheat. “He’s a little sure of himself, but he’s going to make a fine agent one day.”
“That’s my boy,” Mack beamed. “Hey Coulson, you’re at HQ, right? You received the package?”
“It’s sitting right in front of me,” he confirmed. “Just need the code.”
“1-3-6. It’s in there,” Mack said. “Along with a little token of my appreciation.”
“Is it what I think it is?” Coulson had been waiting on this one for a long time.
Mack grinned. “Hey, I’m still a mechanic at heart.”
Coulson looked skeptical, recalling how he’d suggested giving Lola a new paint job, among other unnecessary upgrades. “You didn’t go and make any of those ridiculous changes, did you?”
“No sir,” Mack chuckled. “Only the basics. She looks good as new.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” he smirked.
Ignoring him, Mack turned to Daisy and instructed, “You be careful out there, Tremors. And keep up the good work.”
Mack looked to Coulson and May with great respect. “I’ll see you.” They smiled and nodded. He removed his device and vanished from the room.
Daisy glanced around at the empty chairs, feeling the weight of their absence. “It’s not the same without those guys.”
“No, it’s not,” Melinda confessed.
Phil tried to put a positive spin on things. “We had a good run.”
“Yeah, all thanks to you,” Daisy pointed out. “I’m really glad you’re back.”
“Me too,” Melinda admitted. “And Phil, you should swing by sometime, tell some stories to the kids. They’d love that.”
Phil was caught off guard by the offer but was happy to take her up on it. “Well I’d hate to disappoint the kids, Mel” he teased. “I can be there tomorrow.”
A surprised “Oh-” escaped Melinda’s lips.
“Or not,” Phil backtracked. “I can do any day, really. You can look at your schedule, and I can-”
“No,” she interrupted. “Tomorrow’s good.” They smiled shyly at one another and lingered in their gaze, one filled with curiosity and hope. Daisy felt like an amused little fly on the wall.
“Good,” Phil echoed.
Melinda cleared her throat and straightened up. “And Daisy, I suppose I’m still seeing you on Saturday?”
“Of course!” Daisy decided to make the trip home every few weeks to visit her. They’d do the kinds of things normal people do, like hiking, gardening, ceramics, horse-back riding, yoga… there was that one paint-and-sip night that they laughed their way out of… but Melinda was not particularly excited about this week’s activity. “It was my turn to pick this week,” Daisy told Phil. “We’re taking a cooking class, believe it or not.”
Phil was dumbfounded. “I’m amazed you got her to agree to that.”
“It was that or mani-pedis,” Melinda grumbled flatly. “And they serve free booze with the dinner, so-”
“Ah, say no more,” he laughed.
Melinda could have stayed there talking with them for hours, something she couldn’t say about many people in her life. But class started ten minutes ago, and Flint was waiting for her. “Anyway, I should get going, I’m late enough as it is.” She touched her fingertips to her temple, but something held her back. Her eyes glimmered between Phil and Daisy as she hesitated. “I love you guys.” And with that, she was gone.
“And then there were two,” Phil remarked, her words still circling in his head.
Daisy’s hologram cut out again, the static effect lasting longer than the time before. “I’m going to lose you any minute now too, we’re entering a nebula.”
“Wait, how’s the new recruit?” Phil asked while he could. “Is she getting better?”
“Yeah. She’s still pretty stubborn-”
“Sounds familiar,” he teased.
Daisy made a face at him. “Other than that, she’s doing pretty great. Kora's been through a lot, but it’s funny what can happen when someone believes in you... speaking of-” She saw as the perfect opportunity to circle back. She leaned in and asked in a low voice, “How’s it going with May?”
"How should I know? Phil threw his head back with an exasperated huff. He could always read Melinda so well, except when it came to their relationship. “I was actually hoping you could tell me.”
“Oh no,” Daisy said, raising her hands up in innocence. “I’m not getting between mom and dad,” she laughed. Then she met his eyes and was hit with a pang of sympathy. She changed her tone and continued, “For what it’s worth, I was picking up on something back there. It’s taken her a while, but she knows you’re still, you know, you... and she misses you. We both do.”
“I miss you too,” Phil told her. “Every day.”
“Why don’t you come with us?” Daisy asked suddenly. “We could all meet up at May’s and-”
“And take away her one-on-one time with you? I wouldn’t dare.”
“It’s not just us this time,” she pushed. “No one wants to miss this- Kora, Sousa, and Flint will all be there. Maria too.”
Tempting as it sounded, Phil still felt like he’d be imposing. “I don’t know Daisy.”
“Are you seriously going to turn down watching Melinda May botch a lasagna?”
Phil slapped a hand to his forehead, laughing at the image. “Okay, okay, you don’t have to twist my arm. I’ll come.”
Daisy lost signal again. She cut out for several seconds this time. Phil thought he’d lost her, but then she appeared again, apologizing. She tried to say her goodbye, “For real this time, I should-”
But Phil stopped her. “Before you go, I have to say again how proud I am of you. Volunteering to branch out with this new division, helping to assemble the fleet, leading your own team, keeping the peace between the galaxies… I always knew you had it in you.”
“Even when I was nothing more than a trouble-making hacker-girl, pain in your ass?”
“Even then.” Phil reached for his Holocom. “Bye Daisy.” And then she was alone.
Daisy looked around at the empty room. She closed her eyes, reminiscing over all the years she’d spent with SHIELD, the countless adventures flashing through her brain like a montage you’d see in the series finale of a television show that's been on for years. She felt the connection about to cut out for good. She started to flicker out. This was it.
“Goodbye.”