Chapter Text
Daisy: Hey, I just wanted to see how things were going in Malta. I spoke with Simmons yesterday and wanted to check in with you as well.
Daisy: Hey, it's Daisy. Sorry, I haven't written since I got back. It's been really busy with everything, and I just…
Daisy: Hey, Coulson, it's Daisy. Yes, I am back on Earth. Time travel is interesting. I should rest after being away from Earth for nearly 4 weeks, but I can't right now.
Daisy: Hey, it's Daisy. I'm back on Earth and in Wakanda. I wish you were here, but I understand why you chose to go to Malta. Stark is still a little bruised. Have you talked to him since you punched him? Yes, I saw the video.
Daisy: Hey, AC. I'm OK in Wakanda. They have really great antidepressants here, which I need a lot of, mainly because my girlfriend had to go on a mission to space Reno, and I get to accompany Sylvie…
Daisy: Hey, how's Malta? I spoke with Simmons yesterday, but I thought it would be best to reach out to you as well. We really haven't talked since I got back. Mostly because I'm terrified and sure that you blame me for May dying. She sacrificed herself so I wouldn't lose my girlfriend, less than two years after I lost my boyfriend. I just realized that the anniversary is coming up soon. Fuck.
Xxxx
"Ana, just delete that message too," Daisy tells the AI as she sits down on the couch.
“Done,” Ana replied. “I recommend that you try dictating a letter to Agent Romanoff since this current exercise is frustrating for you.”
"You're not wrong," Daisy said to the AI before she began dictating her email to Natasha. That was going better; however, Daisy felt that she had said too much in the last paragraph.
"Ana, can you please delete the last paragraph except for the first sentence? Then go ahead and send the email to Tasha." Daisy asked the AI.
"I will take care of it," Ana tells her.
“I just listened to you dictate your message to your girlfriend, and I still have no idea what you just wrote to Natasha, outside of our trip to Asgard to get the stone.” Daisy is unsurprised that Loki was listening to her dictate her message. That’s what Daisy gets for not activating the room soundproofing as she should have.
"It doesn't matter if you get it; Natasha will. It's part of our pre-established code," Daisy told the Asgardian.
“As long as one of you understands what’s going on," Sylvie said before handing a suit to Daisy.
“While you were writing your girlfriend, our tactical suits arrived.” Daisy was not surprised at all that the time suits were black and purple. It was her preferred color scheme after all. Of course, the Avengers logo was on the sleeve. She’s a little surprised that the princess didn’t go with something Wakanda or Black Panther related. Daisy realizes, technically, this was an Avengers mission. The suit was definitely made for her. It included a special version of her gauntlets.
“That’s good. We have to meet everybody in 20 minutes. You can change while I am in the bathroom.” Daisy put down her special Stark pad and started to make her way to the restroom in her suite.
“If I must,” Loki said reluctantly.
"Are you going to be OK going back there?" Daisy asked, realizing that returning to Asgard couldn't be easy. His home was just destroyed a couple of days ago, and now they're going back. There's a good chance they were going to run into a lot of people who were no longer around, and they couldn't warn anybody about Hela. It almost feels worse than visiting May yesterday. At least she could tell herself that May would want her to put the mission first, no matter what.
"Am I ready to go back home to a place that was never really my home? No. Am I prepared to return on the day that the one person I know who loved me as I am, died because of something I did? No. However, there are times when we must do something outside our comfort zone, and this is one of them.” Loki said as he used his magic to change into the uniform right in front of her, which makes sense because they were still in their Sylvie form.
Daisy wants to mention that Thor obviously loves his brother very much, at least the version in the beta timeline, who is an absolute mess. However, Daisy realizes that's not the conversation she needs to have at the moment. She does not have the emotional bandwidth for attempting that conversation. She’s still emotionally exhausted from trying to text message Coulson earlier.
“We’re going back to the day your mother died?” Daisy asked instead.
“Yes,” Loki answered.
“Oh, that’s not good. Is that the only time we can go there?” Daisy questions. She realized that they would be arriving in Asgard when the place was being attacked again, and she really didn't want to deal with that either unless they had to.
"I don't know of another time when we can get the stone easily. I'm planning for us to arrive after my brother drops off his girlfriend, but before we were attacked. It's a small window. I'd rather try for that window than before I asked Sif to move it off planet."
“You were the one who kept giving her those weird missions?” Loki could have mentioned this before, but with everything going on, Daisy honestly couldn't remember.
"Yes, but at least she's still alive somewhere because of that. If it weren't for me having her running missions, keeping her from realizing I wasn't Odin, she would be just as dead as the warriors three,” Loki argued.
“You have a point. You don’t have to come. You can draw us a map, and we can figure it out.” Daisy does not want to ask Loki to do something they are not ready for.
"I have to. If the version of my brother in the Grant Roth timeline did it, then so can I." Loki still seems uneasy, but very determined; therefore, Daisy will let it go.
"How do you even know about that information?" Daisy asked. She only knew about it because of the handwritten notes Bobbi left her, notes that the director probably wouldn't want everyone to have access to. Most of the other information about the alpha timelines has been locked down by Stark. Daisy locked the notes away in her safe and hadn't even shared them with Leo yet.
That might be because she's not ready to face Leo or Fitz at the moment. This morning's briefing was enough, and she has to go on a mission with Leo in 28 minutes. She's not sure how that's going to go. They should have done their test runs yesterday together, but Stark wanted to start with just one person at a time. They should do a smaller team. Most of the teams from the alpha timeline consisted of only two people time-traveling. The one with four was a disaster, which led to another Loki running off with the Time Cube.
“Do not ask questions you do not want the answers to," Loki replied.
"I'm just going to assume you broke in, since most of the information about the other timelines is locked down again." Sylvie/Loki responded with a glare. “OK, we'll go with the mission as planned, but let me know if you change your mind."
"I won't. Additionally, I doubt that any of you can follow the maps I create. We would end up having to make a second trip to fix everything." This is good
“Hey, I’ve been to the palace before. We would figure it out.” Daisy argued.
“When it was burning, and I was with you. We also never went anywhere near the medical wing.” Loki pointed out.
“You are not wrong. I just realized this is going to be difficult for you, and I'm trying to make it easier." Daisy told her maybe-a-friend. She was starting to see Loki in that way, which is utterly bizarre, since he had killed her good dad. But he wasn't himself at the time, and considering she killed someone when she was brainwashed and crazy, she's willing to be understanding.
“Don’t. I can handle it if you could do the test yesterday without trying to save your mother figure." Loki argued, and Daisy was almost tempted to laugh.
"I don't know if I call hiding in bed after taking one of the Wakanda antidepressants handling it." Even after taking the medication, Daisy still wrote another letter to May. She considered writing to Coulson, but she’s still not ready to talk to him yet, as evident by her multiple failed text messages earlier.
“You didn’t try to warn your mother figure of what’s to come. I consider that handling it.”
“I didn’t mostly because I couldn’t speak,” Daisy acknowledged. “I also realize that it wouldn’t matter.” Loki stared at Daisy for a moment.
"If I talked May out of not jumping, it wouldn't matter because that would just create a branch timeline. When I came back to now, she would still be gone. If I could have saved her without creating a branch timeline, I probably would have, but I know that’s impossible. Leo did everything to try to prevent the end of the world. Yet here we are with May dead and him leaving an alcoholic Simmons behind. Everything he tried to prevent still happened in the other timeline. He just made ours, where we made a bunch of new mistakes." There was a hint of bitterness in Daisy’s voice.
"Because of his choices, we have a fighting chance not to end up like the Grant Roth timeline," Loki argued.
"Do you think we'll be successful? I'm not sure if things will turn out better. We're already going through all of this a month earlier than in the other timeline." Daisy had her doubts. If the Puerto Rico Avengers weren't in New York, things would be so much worse than they were the first time around.
"We have no choice but to succeed," Loki said.
"I hope we do. Thank you for offering to snap your fingers if it comes to it. I know I have a high chance of surviving, but…" Daisy started to say, but trailed off.
“It’s not something we need to think about at this moment. I did kill your father, so I owe you.” Loki explained.
“I’m somewhat surprised. I thought you were mad at me still for not telling you what I knew about your other timeline counterpart.”
“I am less upset about it after having you protect me while we’re on Earth. I know, without your protection, I would be in the palace dungeons.”
“I’m not sure they have dungeons here,” Daisy responded.
“All palaces have dungeons. I understand why you were reluctant to tell me what happened in the other timeline, especially in light of what happened to your mother figure.”
“I made that call before I realized that May was using Robin’s drawings a little too much.” Daisy is even more certain than before that she made the right decision.
“It’s best not to concern oneself with how things went in another life. We write our own destiny.”
“Do you believe that?” Daisy asked.
“More than I used to,” Loki responded.
"OK, let's get ready for this mission," Daisy said as she went to get dressed in her tactical suit. 10 minutes later, they were on their way to meet the others for Mission Asgard to learn about their special communications network and what was expected. Steve wanted her to take the shield with her, even pointing out that he had the princess add special straps for her. Maybe he wants her to be May’s successor, but Daisy couldn’t bring herself to do it. It’s better if the shield stays back with Steve for now. It would just distract her.
Before Daisy realized it, they were in the middle of the time lab, preparing to leave for Asgard 2013. She hopes this all goes well.
Xxx
Agent Agent: Ana, did you send me a bunch of Daisy's draft text messages? Clint gave me my phone back to read her messages, but they don’t all make sense otherwise. She keeps repeating herself.
Avenger Ana: Yes. You needed to see that she's trying to reach out to you; she just doesn't know how to express herself.
Agent Agent: I feel like that's a direct violation of your orders, but you also sent me the New York messages, so I won’t say anything to Stark.
Avenger Ana: I know you hate being left in the dark about what's happening.
Agent Agent: You're trying to make things better in your own way, aren't you?
Avenger Ana: I am an AI. I don't know how to deal with grief. I'm not my sister.
Agent Agent: You're doing your best.
Agent Agent: I talked to your boss earlier, but I'm sure you know that. I know Daisy's going on a mission soon. Please let me know when she returns.
Avenger Ana: I will do so.
To be continued...