Timeless

6|| 2020/1949

"Monkey, I can't with you," Daisy mumbled tiredly as her niece crawled into bed with her. "Alya, sweetheart, Aunt Dais needs to get her beauty sleep."

"But I want to show you my fish!" Alya's little mop of white-blonde hair peeked out from next to Daisy's chest as the girl attempted to squirm closer. "I made them purple, like your favourite dress!" She hummed happily as Daisy cuddled her under the covers. "Mummy said I shouldn't change their colours without their permission, but Daddy said that we didn't need permission because we couldn't talk to fish, and then Mummy said then we should invent a fish translator so we could. And then Daddy said he wanted to tell Mummy something that was only for adults, so I decided to come see you! Also to report that Nana and Poppy aren't home yet from their trip."

Daisy sighed. Her parents might've been on a mission or they could've actually taken a vacation and gone to Tahiti; Daisy didn't care. She just wanted some peace and quiet and to go home to Daniel, but no. She'd been stuck here for two and a half years, been acquainted with her new niece, and told that her return wasn't a priority because other people actually had jobs.

She could understand that. But Fitz fixed the drive in less than a year last time, and Daisy missed her fiancé. She wanted nothing more than to find him and talk to him and maybe kiss him until neither of them could breathe.

But fine. A regular day will do for now.

Daisy wrapped her arms around Alya's waist and sat up with the tiny girl on her lap. "How long are you gonna stay here?" she asked brightly. "Do I have to feed you?"

"I'd like some lunch, please," Alya requested politely. "After that, I can show you my fish!"

So Daisy made them lunch and then they visited the fish.

Alya was maybe... four or five now. Daisy couldn't remember. Jemma might've been at the very start of her pregnancy when Daisy left, but then she came back a few years later and boom: a little two-year-old monkey for a niece.

It didn't help that Alya somehow managed to climb anything with rungs.

The day went by slowly. Daisy did some work for SHIELD as she waited for her return home. Paperwork, mostly. One or two physical missions every now and then. Later, Alya went home after Daisy got too boring for her.

Eventually, Daisy got up and crossed another day off of the printed calendar she made for the years that she'd been here. It started in 1946, but now it was near the end of 1948. She made a quick slash across today's box and stared at it as she put the pen down.

It was November now. She hated that it was November already.

Daisy made herself dinner sluggishly after completing all her paperwork and cleaning the apartment while half-heartedly listening to La La Land play in the background on TV.

What else could she do?

She'd been living like this for a long time. She'd read everything she wanted to read so far. She studied the history books so she'd know where to go should a catastrophe be about to occur. She went on a few family trips with her parents. She had a heart-to-heart with her mother about love, marriage, and romantic relationships in general.

Daisy even saved enough money from her SHIELD salary to buy a house out in the rural area in upstate New York, and a small historic store in Idaho that was on the verge of bankruptcy, which she went to visit every now and then for the nostalgia of their strawberry and cookies and cream ice cream.

Yes, she kept herself busy, but she was bored out of her mind.

She dreamed of Daniel very often. She hadn't taken her rings off since she got back.