That night, Susan was defeated once again, and the next morning, Daniel looked at her with a smug grin.
Today, Daniel had a busy day ahead of him, first he needed to say goodbye to his family and friends.
He kissed the still-sleeping Susan on the forehead before quietly getting out of bed. After making breakfast for her and placing it in the warming oven so she'd have something hot to eat when she woke up, Daniel headed out.
His first stop was home to say goodbye to Mary and John, after all, he had no idea how long this trip would take. He wanted to let them know where he was going so they wouldn't worry.
As it turned out, Mary and John weren't worried in the slightest.
They both had a rough idea of how powerful Daniel and Carol were, so after reminding him not to disappear for several years without coming home, they simply told him to get lost.
The elderly couple had been eating the Beast God meat Daniel had given them, and their complexions looked healthier than ever.
They seemed years younger and were full of energy again. In fact, they even complained that Daniel was interrupting their private time together.
Hearing it Daniel felt a little disappointed. He also had the strange feeling that his mom didn't care about him anymore, because these days, all she saw was John.
Leaving the house, Daniel flew off to see Tony, and halfway there, he realized he'd been an idiot. He should've visited Tony first, as they were both in New York City, and now he'd ended up flying back again.
When he arrived, Tony's reaction was as indifferent as ever.
"Don't forget to bring me back some alien technology."
That was all he said before trying to send Daniel on his way. Honestly, this was something that could've been handled with a phone call.
Daniel had insisted on saying goodbye in person because he wanted everyone to know he was heading out to explore the universe.
Tony knew Daniel's personality far too well, so there was no way he was falling for that.
"What's going on today? I'm about to leave, so why doesn't anyone seem the least bit emotional? Where is the grand farewell?"
Daniel muttered to himself as he flew through the sky. It felt like nobody cared.
In reality, he was simply overthinking things, because everyone knew how strong he was.
As far as they were concerned, he was basically going on a sightseeing trip around the universe, and with his strength, there was practically no danger. He'd just come back sooner or later anyway.
Besides, having one less show-off around for a while was something to celebrate.
Things finally improved once he arrived in Wakanda.
T'Chaka warmly insisted that Daniel stay for lunch, while T'Challa eagerly asked if he could come along on the journey through space.
The poor guy had been under relentless pressure from his mother lately. The Queen constantly nagged him.
"When your father was your age, we were already married. I was even pregnant with you by then!"
T'Challa refused to believe a word of it. Did she really think he was stupid? His father was so much older than he was, and the timeline didn't add up at all!
Driven nearly to tears by his mother's relentless pressure, T'Challa looked at Daniel pitifully as he prepared to leave, silently hoping Daniel would take him along.
Unfortunately, there was nothing Daniel could do, because the Queen had T'Challa firmly by the arm to stop him from slipping away.
What was Daniel supposed to do? Fight the Queen for her son?
Giving T'Challa an encouraging look, Daniel politely declined T'Chaka's invitation to stay for lunch before flying back home.
"You're back."
Susan greeted him with a beautiful smile, immediately lifting his spirits.
"I knew you care about me the most."
Susan had originally planned to go to the lab today, but because Daniel was leaving, she'd taken another day off. Ever since Carol returned, Susan had been taking leave from work more and more often.
After preparing lunch, Bast emerged from her Divine Kingdom to join them for the meal.
"So that stupid lion is too scared to come home now?" Bast asked smugly.
Hearing that, Daniel suddenly became curious about where Leo had gone, and he activated his super vision to search for him. A moment later, he looked at Bast with an odd expression.
Leo really was something else, he was currently hiding inside a zoo... sound asleep while hugging a female panther. It was already noon, yet somehow, nobody had discovered him.
Daniel vaguely remembered... Bast was female too.
After lunch, Susan helped Daniel pack.
Truthfully, there really wasn't much to bring, just a few suits and some regular clothes.
The spaceship still had plenty of Beast God meat on board anyway, and even if they ran out, it wasn't a problem, as both Daniel and Carol could go years without eating and still wouldn't feel anything.
Naturally, they spent another intimate evening together.
Early the next morning, Carol arrived.
"Let's go."
She was clearly in high spirits and could hardly wait any longer.
"Oh, right, this is for you."
Carol handed Susan a cellphone.
"I modified it, now as long as the signal's good enough, the two of you should still be able to make phone calls."
Susan's eyes immediately lit up. She'd assumed that once Daniel left, they wouldn't be able to contact each other at all.
She hadn't expected they'd still be able to talk, so the phone Carol gave her eased the sadness of parting, at least a little.
After embracing Susan one last time, Daniel waved, "I'm off."
Susan looked at him quietly before nodding. "Just be careful," she couldn't help saying it.
Daniel waved again and turned towards the spaceship.
"Take me with you!"
Leo came running over.
"I thought you were dead." Carol's tone wasn't exactly friendly.
"How could I be?"
Leo said as he flashed his sharp teethes.
"Of course I'm going wherever you go!"
"Put those teeth away, they're gross," Carol said irritably.
There was no way Leo was staying on Earth by himself. His instincts told him that if he didn't leave with Carol... he might not survive until she came back. Bast would beat him to death, and even if she didn't kill him, she'd surely cripple him.
Grabbing Leo by the tail, Carol hauled him aboard the spaceship.
"Oh, right. Bast, look after Susan."
Daniel spoke toward the empty air, because the moment Carol had arrived, Bast had already hidden herself inside her Divine Kingdom.
"Got it."
Bast's voice came from within the Divine Kingdom.
"I'm leaving."
Daniel waved one last time before flying up into the air and entering the spaceship. The ship had been hovering invisibly above his villa the entire time.
Susan remained outside for a while before returning to the house together with Bast, who finally emerged from the Divine Kingdom.
...
The spaceship flew straight to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
Daniel and the others had already informed Nick beforehand, and as soon as they stepped off the ship, they saw Nick waiting for them with a broad smile.
He had remarkably white teeth.
"Welcome."
Fury acted as though he and Daniel were old friends, as he led him into S.H.I.E.L.D.
"So, you're leaving today?" Fury asked.
Daniel just gave a simple nod.
"Would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea?"
Having just parted with Susan, Daniel wasn't in the best mood, so he just asked for a glass of water.
Carol spoke up, "I'll have some tea."
Fury brought them their drinks before smiling.
"I've already informed Talos and the others, once they've packed their things, you'll be ready to depart. Have a safe trip."
Carol smiled and nodded, "Oh, right. This is for you."
She handed Fury a cellphone as well.
Over the past month, Carol and Fury had gotten along quite well, as Fury had always been good at talking to people.
"If anything comes up, you can contact me with this."
With a broad smile, Fury accepted the transmitter pager silently feeling that his efforts over the past month had been well worth it.