Title: Passing on the Favor
Author: Alysia
Summary: So, I'm definitely digging the Sousy vibe that AOS has given us. Like many others, this one shot just wouldn't leave me alone after watching S7E6.
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters familiar to Marvel. Also, there are quotes from the episode 'A Trout in the Milk,' which I also don't own.
Author's Note: Am I the only one bummed that last night's episode didn't give us any Daisy?

With the faintest connection to reality, Daisy Johnson felt her body drop on the ground. She didn't think it would hurt like this again, how had she not grown used to it by now? First under the Doctor's ministrations, while under the computer simulated world, which may not have inflicted physical pain, but she'd felt everything that happened to her. And then again, with another version of him. Though it hadn't been nearly as invasive as the simulated version, he'd still experimented on her! How…how could this have happened to her again?

"Daisy?"

Is this what Jiaying…is this what her mother had gone through as Daniel Whitehall began digging into her body? What had been going on in her mind as the monster tore one piece after another from her body? Had she been angry before she lost consciousness? Angry that her people had been able to stop him or save her in time? Had she held regrets for the things she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to do?

"Hey, stay with me," Daniel Sousa ordered.

"Jia-ying," she muttered. "Happen before."

Her thoughts were back on the events that unfolded on the helicarrier, Daisy had never really found closure with her mother. And though she'd moved on from the situation itself, she'd never gotten over her mother's attempt on her life or her complete disregard for her after refusing to go along with her plan for SHIELD. She knew that her mother's experience with Daniel Whitehall had been a turning point for her, but she'd never been able to imagine exactly what had happened. She didn't understand how someone could change from one thing and morph into a completely different person over one event.

"What do you mean it happened before?" Daniel asked. This happened to her in the past? She began muttering again, but he was unable to make anything out. "Hey, hey, hey, you wanted to hear my story right?"

She felt her body shift once again but didn't focus on it. This was new…hearing another voice…a non-threatening voice speak to her. She knew that voice, but she couldn't think from where. It was both new and somewhat familiar if that made any sort of sense…

"Who the hell are you?"

"Who I am is on a need to know basis. Would you kindly close the door?" She asked as she took one last discrete picture of the document before her before turning her attention on him.

"I need to know," he insisted pointing to his name on the office door.

Daniel! Agent Sousa was with her. That's right…they'd been musing over the picture she'd taken of him before they were surprised and shot by whatever weapon Nathaniel Malick had used against them.

"Well, it was…uh, foggy. I can't even remember the hit. And when I cam to, my leg was a pulpy mess and I was completely alone. And then Mike Stevens showed up…"

The words fell away and she teetered on the brink of unconsciousness. On one hand, her body hurt so much that she just wanted a reprieve from it. She was almost comforted by the idea to give into it. But if she did that, they'd probably end up stuck there. No, she needed to show him the weapon she'd procured sometime under Nathaniel's methodical invasion. Giving herself up to the pain, she pushed forward, focusing on his voice and relishing in it. She wasn't alone.

"But that day, he just kept talking to me. He carried me back from the line. Hey, hey, wake up, okay? Stay awake, okay?"

He had such a nice voice. She'd never noticed before, not that she'd had time to. He was there, he was talking to her. She didn't know it was possible to find comfort in an acquaintance's voice, but she did. She held onto it. The meaning behind his story wasn't always something she comprehended, but she found comforts of his rich baritone.

"So, consider my yapping as a way to pass on the favor."

Her brows furrowed together. What did that mean?

"We're going home, Agent Johnson."

Yes! Home! Thoughts of Coulson, May and Jemma instantly flashed in her mind.

"You hear me? We're going home."

His voice was clear, clearer than it had been since before Nathaniel had cut her up. He told her to fight and she was trying! She was trying to fight her way to waking up. But it was ever so hard. Every little movement her body made hurt.

That's right! She'd taken something. She couldn't exactly remember what, but she grabbed for whatever she could while Nathaniel hadn't been leaning over her exposed body. Garnering her strength, she attempted to lift her bound arms in the direction of his voice. He must have noticed the extra bloodied mess that her hand was because the pressure she'd felt within the palm of her hand was released with a quick pull and heat immediately flooded upon the area.

"Plenty of fight left in you after all…" She was a tough little thing, wasn't she?

Damn right there was. She was not going to die on the floor of some warehouse or wherever it was he'd taken them!

Blinking the world into focus, Daisy Johnson looked at her surroundings. She felt a surge of relief when she realized that she was back on the Zephyr. Turning her head, she looked from one side to another and spotted Daniel Sousa leaning forward in his chair.

"Hi, you," he greeted softly. "Glad to see you're awake and moving," he tacked on.

She tried to smile in response, but knew it fell flat. "What-?" Before she could ask the rest of her question, she was overcome by a coughing fit.

"Hey, here," Daniel said as he moved closer to her. Using the button that Dr. Simmons had showed him earlier, he watched was almost fascinated, when the bed began to move on its own and propped Daisy up. He handed her a cup of water.

Daisy clasped the item taking notice of the way his hands remained in her general area, she assumed to be ready if her motor function failed her. Taking a sip, the tickle in her throat was immediately soothed.

When she appeared to be finished with the water, Agent Sousa took it back from her and set it on the small tray by the bed.

"What happened?" She cleared her throat when she realized her words could have been taken another way, she spoke again. "I mean with Nathaniel," she clarified. "Did the team save us?"

He shook his head in negative. "We saved us. After you came back in with that shard tucked inside your hand," he watched as she raised that hand and looked at the unmarred skin. "I used it to stab Malick's henchmen."

"And Malick?" She asked, dropping her hand and turning her head away from him. Her head dropped back against the pillow. She began clenching her fists at her side and then her chin began to tremble. Tears welled in her eyes, despite trying to fight them.

He shook his head in negative. "I'm not very familiar with your powers, so I don't exactly know what to say other than, his body couldn't handle whatever it was. His bones were breaking and everything started shaking."

Forcing her attention on his words, she fought for control of her emotions. "Happened to me too," she whispered, thinking back on the months following her transition. Despite the fact that her body had gone under a physical transformation in order to harness her powers, she'd still suffered plenty of broken bones. She couldn't imagine all of the damage it would do to someone that hadn't physically transformed.

Unable to completely make out the words she'd said, he continued on. "After everything started shaking, the ceiling caved in on him."

"Is he dead?"

He opened his mouth to respond, only to shut it once again. "I don't know," he told her softly, hating that he couldn't offer her closure. "I was getting ready to carry you out of there when Nathaniel confronted us." His jaw tightened. "I couldn't check," he confessed. Or, maybe he could have but just hadn't because his body couldn't handle doing both at the same time? He'd taken advantage of the fact that things fell into place long enough for him to get her out of there and hadn't even thought to check Malick.

Sensing that he was probably blaming himself, Daisy spoke up. "Where's Jemma?"

"Dr. Simmons stepped away for a few minutes to deal with something," he replied, not wanting to get into specifics. "How do you feel?" He stood up, ready to move if need be. "Are you in pain? I'm sure that if she knew-"

She shook her head in negative, careful not to mess things about. It felt as if she was on the cusp of feeling her head explode. "I'm surprised she wasn't hovering around, that's all."

"And how do you feel?" He asked, reclaiming his seat.

"I'm still really tired."

He nodded. "After what you went through, it to be expected."

Her eyes shifted away from him upon the mention of her experience. She hesitated a moment before she looked back at him. "Thank you for saving me," she said, her eyes watering by the time she'd uttered the last word.

"You're welcome, but I wouldn't have been able to do that if you hadn't taken the shard."

"No, I mean for talking to me after he…" she couldn't finish her words. "I don't remember everything you said, but I did hold onto the sound of your voice."

A lump formed in his throat and he attempted to control his emotions. He knew how she felt because he had been where she was. He offered her a tight smile. "Just passing on the favor," he said, recalling the words he'd said to her back at that building. He took one last deep breath and calmed himself.

End