May took a deep breath of the cold air and closed her eyes. '' I don't think we have much to say.'' She admitted. She was there, despite that, punctual on her date with her former student and protegee.

Daisy shrugged in response. ''I do'', she countered.

The older woman was sitting across from her, disbelief evident in her face. They had agreed to meet at a cafe close to the train station. Always ready to leave, May had thought.

'' Can you just listen to me?'', Daisy asked and when May nodded, she forced her voice to remain steady and careful. "I should have been there for you. And I am very sorry I wasn't. When Coulson-''

May shook her head. ''No, kid.'' She cut her off. ''Enough.''

Daisy's eyes snapped up to look at her. '' What does that mean?''

'' It means'', May said, ''that I can't keep doing this. Enough means enough.'' She saw the way those words wounded, the way Daisy was trying so hard not to show how much they hurt. She was visibly trembling and maybe she could blame the cold for that, but May was certain it had little to do with the temperature. "It doesn't matter if you're sorry. Or if you miss him. Or me.'' She glanced at the door. '' You can't change what's happened.''

'' May,'' Daisy said and at that moment reminded her so much of young, innocent Skye, Skye who was so desperate for May to like her.

She had been anticipating some kind of distance from May, but this was unexpected. She wasn't even making eye contact. "I…" Daisy started, waiting for Melinda to look up and show that she was listening, but it never happened. '' When I left, he —"

"I don't want to talk about him," May interrupted.

"I understand that. But I just wanted to—"

"I mean it," May cut her off again, clutching her mug with both hands. "What happened… it's done. I'm over it."

'' You love him." Daisy said as calmly as she could manage. '' I know you are hurting.''

"It has always been that way," Melinda said, her voice tight. "It has always hurt.''

There was a high-pitched shrieking inside Daisy's head, and she was filled with the need to reach out and grab Melinda's hand. She resisted, clutching hold of her strong coffee instead.

"May," she said slowly, not sure what else she could say. "Please."

May folded her arms over her chest and watched Daisy. ''What, Daisy?''

Daisy was pleading now. "I don't understand. I'm here to try and explain things, but you won't let me. How can you be angry at me now-"

"Because I have every right to be, Skye!" Melinda suddenly exploded, making the girl jump in her seat. " Can't you see that?''

"That's.. why I'm here." Daisy mumbled, not noticing that her old name had slipped from Melinda's lips again. '' To...apologise.''

"No, you're here to try and ease your guilt."

"I… I didn't…" Daisy said, hating herself for the way she was stuttering. "It wasn't my fault. I—"

"No, it wasn't your fault.'' May agreed. ''But you still could have made it hurt a bit less. If you hadn't been so selfish that you didn't even come to the funeral, or...'' she trailed off. She was looking at Daisy so tiredly that it physically hurt.

After a beat, Daisy lowered her head and let out a silent groan.

'' I'm sorry'', she whispered. Her injuries were gradually taking their toll on her. Her breathing was becoming labored, and she knew that her ribs were at least cracked, if not broken. Using her powers after all that time had sent her recovery way back.

"You need pain meds.'' May noticed. Daisy was certainly not dressed warmly enough for the temperature outside—jeans and a zip-up hoodie, sneakers that looked soaked through with snow, no hat or gloves. ''And warm clothes'', she added.

"Probably" , Daisy agreed.

May stood up so abruptly that her chair shrieked against the floor.

"May, please," Daisy said, lifting her head for just long enough that May was able to catch the glassiness in her eyes. "Please.''

She wasn't going to leave her like this, right?

She reached her side and in one last, hopeless attempt to get her to listen, she touched her arm. May didn't flinch, but didn't reciprocate either. When her eyes finally focused on May, Daisy saw something like affection feint into her expression, a look Daisy hadn't seen in so long, not since way back before.

After what felt like an hour, May finally reached out, kneeling next to her and running her knuckles gently over Daisy's shoulder. "Where does it hurt?"

Part of her wondered what the point of asking was.

"Everywhere. My lungs feel like they're on fire." Daisy sighed.

May closed her eyes.

Daisy sniffled, her hand coming up to rub at her eyes. '' Take me with you'', the girl said, voice small and ucnertain. She shivered and took a few labored breaths to compose herself. "I'm just so tired, May. I… everything just hurts. I just want it to stop.'' She sighed, her hand coming up to cover her eyes.

''Okay''. May said, letting her fingertips rest lightly on Daisy's cheek. ''Okay.''

Her hand remained on the girl's cheek as Daisy met her eyes one last time. '' Are you-''

"You deserve to come back if you want to", the woman affirmed.

Daisy nodded against her hand, still not entirely sure that this was happening, that Melinda May was taking her back after everything she had done.

"I won't run away again", she promised, and May hoped that for the first time in her life this sentence would turn out to be true.