HEY, BAZ. MAYBE RICHMOND MEEP LOSING BECAUSE YOU'RE TELLIN' EVERYONE THEY'RE GONNA BEFORE THEY EVEN GET ON THE PITCH EVERY WEEK.

[  season 1 — episode 05  ]

THE DAY FINALLY ARRIVED WHEN MICHELLE AND HENRY were going to visit them at Richmond. While Daisy was excited, she wasn't quite as jumpy as her father, who couldn't take his eyes off his phone, following the flight that was headed their way. On the walk to work, Daisy held onto the back of his sweater, guiding him in the correct directions.

When Daisy saw Higgins giving his wife a kiss goodbye after being dropped off, she smiled. But then she spotted the four boys crammed in the back and cringed, having no idea how big his family was. It was a little shocking.

"Morning, Ted, Daisy," Higgins called as they passed.

"Mornin'."

"Hey, Higgins," Ted greeted, finally looking back at him and away from his phone. But he kept walking, and Daisy didn't have enough time to pull him back before he rammed into the security gate that was only partially rolled up, which he'd usually crouch to avoid when he got there that early.

Daisy covered her mouth and winced as her father dropped, his forehead aching. But she couldn't help but laugh when she overheard one of Higgins' sons ask, "Is he dead?"

"I don't figure," Daisy called out while checking on her dad. He rolled over, a big red mark on his forehead. "I don't ever wanna hear you say anything about youngins being addicted to their phones."

"I understand your point, but right now, there are two of you, so maybe make fun of me later."

After getting Ted back on his feet with Higgins' help, Daisy went and got an ice pack meant for the players so that Ted could hold it to his forehead. And despite his headache, her father was still determined to bring Rebecca her biscuits for the day. And Rebecca was both unamused by Ted sitting down to tell her about hurting himself and also wishing she'd been there to see it herself — she'd have to pull up the security footage for a laugh.

"I mean, you know, it's my fault for staring at my phone. I just can't stop checking on my family's flight. You know, I haven't shared this with too many folks, but, um, Michelle and I, we've been having some marital issues," Ted mumbled.

Rebecca looked at Daisy for half a second, recalling her less-than-happy reaction to finding out Michelle was coming. "Ted, you really don't have to talk about this if you don't want to," she told him, shaking her head.

"Oh, I don't mind," he said, waving her off. "Tried couples therapy. Didn't like the other couple though."

Daisy just smiled weakly as her father chuckled, wishing that he wouldn't joke about it so much to ignore his feelings.

"Oh, it feels good to laugh," Ted sighed. "Yeah, you know, our therapist gave us this code word to use. So if either of us says 'Oklahoma,' the other one has to tell the God's honest truth. Yeah, you know, it's pretty helpful."

"Ruined the musical for the whole family, though," Daisy muttered. She hated hearing them yell the word at each other mid-argument.

"Very true," Ted agreed. "So now every time I hear Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' or, uh, what — Surrey with the Fringe on Top, or—"

"Shall We Dance?" Rebecca added.

"No, that's from King and I," he corrected, earning an eye roll from her. "Anyway, if I hear any of those tunes, I immediately think about my wife telling me that my constant optimism is too much."

There was an evident grimace on Rebecca's face as she pointed back and forth between them. "And this... sharing of feelings is 'cause I opened up to you about my ex-husband at the gala?"

He nodded with a smile. "Yes, ma'am."

"Well, that's a lesson learned," she muttered.

"Oh, come on now. I bet deep down you kinda dig we're getting so close, right?"

"I do," Rebecca told them while picking up her cup of tea.

"Oklahoma," Daisy said while rocking back and forth on her feet, a knowing smirk on her face.

"I do not."

✵︎

Out on the pitch, all the players were lined up and running drills while Ted and Beard watched from beside one of the goals. Daisy and Nate were there as well, keeping an eye on things. She didn't have to go to work until much later in the day.

As usual, Jamie was the one to end up with the ball, the second team trying their best and failing to get it back before he could score a goal. Sam was up ahead of him with no one guarding him, so he kept yelling and waving his hands, practically begging Jamie to pass the ball to him.

"Yes, yes, yes! Here! Yes, Jamie! Jamie, Jamie! Jamie, I'm open. Jamie!" he shouted excitedly.

But of course, Jamie didn't pass to him. Instead, he took the shot, the ball sailing straight for the goal. But Ted moved faster, catching the football with his hands.

"What are you doing?" Jamie asked, getting upset. "That was going in."

"Well, we'll never know," Ted said simply, coming closer. "Jamie, how many times I gotta tell you to make the extra pass? Come on. Sam was more open than the jar of peanut butter on my kitchen counter."

Ted's statement confused most of the players greatly, all of them looking at him oddly.

"What?"

"What's he talking about?"

"Daddy, that's not a normal thing to do," Daisy chimed in while standing next to him.

"Oh, that's right. Y'all don't know I like to keep the peanut butter open. That way, whenever I walk by, I can just stick my finger in there," he explained. "Daisy has her own jar too."

"Oh," Nate mumbled, nodding in understanding.

"It's a fucking good idea, to be fair," Roy admitted, making Daisy grin.

"Yeah, it is," Ted agreed. Then he focused back on Jamie. "Now look, when Sam is that open, you gotta pass to him, okay?"

"But why?" Jamie asked in a whiny tone. "Even when Sam's open, Sam is still shit."

"I heard my name," Sam said as he ran over. He looked so excited that it made Daisy even more annoyed at Jamie. "What did he say?"

"Don't worry about it," Beard told him, shaking his head a bit.

"Oh, okay."

"Guys, we gotta play like a team tomorrow. Otherwise, we're gonna get our butts kicked. Extra passes. We're gonna keep doing this until we get it right. Let's go," Ted told them, blowing his whistle.

But as soon as he turned to walk back to the sidelines, a familiar voice was calling from the other end of the pitch. "Dad! Daisy!"

Both turned back around quickly, seeing Michelle and Henry waving excitedly from the fence, having just gotten out of a cab.

"Practice is canceled," Ted announced before breaking into a run.

"That is a lot longer run than he thinks, though," Nate said, worried about Ted making it that far.

"Metaphor," Beard mumbled.

"Practice is not over," Daisy told the members of the team around her. "But don't be mean to Uncle B."

"Have fun," Sam told her as Daisy then followed after her father.

Given that Ted was rather slow, she easily caught up to him, reaching the other half of their family at the same time.

"Daddy!" Henry exclaimed, staying put.

"I kinda thought y'all would meet us halfway, but hey, that's all right," he said, huffing a little as he caught his breath. Then he crouched down to Henry's height. "Hey, buddy!"

"Helicopter!"

While Ted picked him up and spun him around, Daisy avoided her little brother's flailing legs to go and hug Michelle.

"Missed you," Daisy mumbled into her shoulder.

"Me too, Sweetie," she said, rubbing her back. "And I can't wait to hear all about the dance studio."

"Boy, you're gonna be a dizzy fella there," Ted then said while putting Henry down, finished with the hug.

"Slower helicopter," Michelle then requested.

"No way. Come on now," he said, picking her up and spinning her just like Henry.

"Big Bit!" Henry exclaimed while practically jumping on her. She laughed and heaved him up, knowing she couldn't hold him for a super long time with how big he was getting.

"Hey, Little Bit," she greeted, squeezing him tight.

"I missed you so much," Ted told Michelle in a soft tone.

"Group hug," Henry then declared, keeping his legs around Daisy's waist while reaching for their parents. Daisy just moved with him, squeezing between Ted and Michelle.

"Hey! There he is," Ted said, taking Henry from Daisy and setting him on the ground. "Hey, big guy. Look how tall you got. What the heck? And look at this. I mean, you, what, you got teeth now?"

Henry grinned up at him. "I already had teeth!"

"Oh, my God!" Daisy said, putting her hand to her chest. "And you can talk!"

"Daisy, we talked yesterday," he said, giggling.

"Y'all ready to get out of here? See some sights so you can brag to all your friends at school?" Ted asked.

"Well, what about coaching?" Michelle asked.

Ted just shrugged while Daisy looked back at the other end of the pitch where the team was running plays again. "Coach will take care of 'em," he assured her. "C'mon. Y'all got a lot to see in just two days."

✵︎

The first stop, of course, was at the apartment — or flat, as they reminded Henry. Once they dropped off their suitcases, they walked around the neighborhood a little so that they could point out their favorite spots. Then when lunchtime came around, their final destination was Mae's, because they couldn't not show Michelle and Henry the pub they went to nearly every other night for dinner.

"Okay, now, little tip for y'all, all right? Fries are called 'chips.' Chips are called 'crisps'," Ted warned them as they approached the pub.

"Yeah, Mae really got onto me until I stopped calling them fries," Daisy told them. "She looks like a sweet old lady, but it's a lie. I'd believe it if she said she's killed a man before."

"Naw, Oopsie Daisy is just being dramatic," Ted told them, looking pointedly at Henry. Though he did agree that Mae had a feisty personality. "Okay, last one, 'bangers' aren't great songs, but they do make you feel like dancing 'cause they're so darn tasty."

Then the four of them entered the bar, only to be greeted by unhappy Richmond fans. They were always unhappy with Ted and his coaching thus far.

One named Baz got right up in Ted's face and asked, "When you gonna win a game, you fucking wanker?"

A moment later, Michelle and Henry stepped into their line of sight, and Ted just gestured to them. "Hey, Baz. Fellas. Uh, this here - this is my wife, Michelle. My other kid, Henry."

"Absolute pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Lasso," Baz said, smiling politely at her.

"Nice recovery. Well executed," Michelle shot back, not bothered by the language.

"Yeah, coach's wife. She's heard it all," Ted said.

Mae pushed past Baz, Paul, and Jeremy, getting them to leave them alone.

"Hi, Ted." Then Mae crouched down to address Henry. "Hello, young man. Here are the darts. There's the board. Try not to hit any regulars."

Henry looked up at Ted for permission, who happily nodded. "Yeah, go have fun."

Michelle caught Daisy's eye and nodded after her brother, silently asking her to watch him and make sure nothing went wrong. Or maybe she just needed a moment alone with Ted, which was nearly impossible with an eight-year-old.

"C'mon, sit on a stool to throw from higher," Daisy said, sliding one from the bar. Then she helped Henry climb on top of it. "Do you want the red or blue darts?"

"Blue like Sonic!" he chose.

"Well, good, because Knuckles is way better," she said while getting her red darts.

"What's your name, little man?" Jeremy asked, the trio of men coming over to socialize.

"Henry," he said before doing his first throw. He was just half an inch away from a twenty. "Nice to meet you."

Opting to take turns rather than do three in a row each, Daisy took her turn, hitting just below the bullseye, making her frown.

"Itn't your dad supposed to be at training right now?" Baz asked, peering over at the table he and Michelle were at.

"Mate, his family's in town," Paul said while nudging his shoulder. Henry finished with his second turn as he did. "Gotta spend time with them, he does."

"Fine," he grumbled. "But when we lose, it'll be all his—"

"Hey, Baz," Daisy cut him off while throwing a dart. "Maybe Richmond keep losing because you're tellin' everyone they're gonna before they even get on the pitch every week."

"Does that mean it's his fault?" Jeremy asked with a frown. "Like predicting the future?"

"Bruv, are you a prophet?" Paul asked Baz, looking at him with wide. "Say we're gonna win!"

Daisy couldn't help but giggle as Baz seemed to fumble over his words. "Uh, um, we, uh, Richmond is gonna win the match tomorrow."

"Doesn't sound like you believe it," Daisy said, shaking her head judgmentally.

"Believe it, damnit!" Jeremy said while smacking his hand on the bar top loudly.

The noise startled Henry, who was lining up to make his last throw. But he ended up missing, and before any of them knew it, the dart was in Paul's right arm, piercing through the fabric of his shirt and his skin.

"Ooh," Daisy cringed, quickly grabbing Henry's hand and setting her last dart down. "That's not good."

"Is he a regular?" Henry asked, lowering his voice to a whisper that everyone still heard.

"Um, yeah. How about you go sit with Mama and Daddy and wait for the food," she said, nudging him that way. Once he ran off, she looked at Paul, who was clearly in pain. "I'm so, so sorry. Heck, if he had to hit one of ya, it shouldn't of been you."

"What are you implying?" Baz asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.

"I'm implying that I'd be laughing if it was you," she admitted before moving closer to her family's table.

"You already done, bud?" Ted was asking Henry. Then he looked up to spot Daisy, also seeing the dart sticking out of Paul's arm.

"Yeah, he probably should be," Jeremy said, smiling a bit.

Ted cringed, knowing he'd have to buy a round of drinks for them as an apology, most likely. "Ooh. Well, I'm sorry about that."

"Happens all the time," Paul said in a polite tone. But then Baz flicked the dart, making him flinch. "What are you doing?"

Baz then shrugged and mumbled, "I'm just curious, yeah?"

✵︎

After lunch, it began raining, so the Lasso family took their trip back to the flat. There, Henry unwrapped the double-decker bus Lego set that Daisy picked out for him, knowing how much he loved to build with them. And with Daisy, Henry, and Ted all working together, they were zooming through the instruction book.

"Where's the steering wheel?" Daisy asked, looking through their organized piles of parts.

"Here it is," Henry said, leaning over to grab the plastic piece that'd fallen off the coffee table.

"Thank ya," she said while carefully tucking it inside, not wanting to make the walls of the bus crumble. "What next, Daddy? Also, why did we build half of the roof before finishing putting all the seats inside? It's gone be hard to reach."

Ted hummed while flipping through the instruction manual. "Hmm, yeah, that don't make a lick of sense," he mumbled. "Yeah. Okay. Now, hold on a second. Think we might have missed a page." He quickly licked his fingers and pinched the pages to pull them apart, revealing the two pages that went over installing the inside of the bus once the base was built. "Oh, boy."

"We'll just take the roof off carefully," Henry decided, moving over to Daisy's side of the table so they could pry it off and hopefully not break anything else off.

"Don't you wanna go ride a real double-decker bus?" Michelle asked, wandering into the living room with some drinks for them.

"After we finish," Henry told her, not breaking his concentration.

"Mm-hmm. See? I like that. First, we gotta build it, then we can ride it," Ted agreed. "It's kind of a Field of Dreams paradigm."

"Don't know why you even asked them," Daisy said, grinning at Michelle, who just laughed.

"Okay," she said, coming to join them. And Daisy thanked her when she handed her a cup of coffee. "Well, eight hands are better than six."

"Maybe we can finish before Daisy has to go to work," Henry said, looking back at the instructions. "If not, do you want us to wait?"

"Oh, there will be no waiting," Daisy told him, looking determined. "Someone put on a timer and we'll treat this like a spy mission or like when they turn off bombs in action movies. If we don't finish in time, the bus will explode."

Of course, by explode, Daisy just meant she'd push it off the table and then run off to the studio before anyone could yell at her.

"Awesome," Henry said, getting more excited.

"Alright," Ted told them while pulling out his phone. He set a timer for thirty-two minutes, knowing she'd have to leave by then to have time to make it to her lesson. "Everyone ready?"

Michelle rubbed her hands together. "Let's do this."

"Ready, set, go!"

✵︎

Roy was late for picking up Phoebe but it wasn't his fault. Jamie had ruined his fucking day between not passing to Sam and then getting in everyone's way with some alcohol brand deal that was shooting photos at the facility. Though he had to admit that training went with fewer interruptions with just Coach Beard running it.

Obviously, Phoebe was the last child to be picked up for the evening, because most of the lights were out, and the high schooler that ran the front desk was packing all her homework into her backpack to leave. But he could see the light on in the room at the end of the hall.

"Phoebe!" he shouted while coming through the door. "Time to go!"

But Phoebe wasn't there. Daisy had been leaning her head against the bar lining the mirrored wall, but she shot up when she heard Roy.

"What are you doing here?" Daisy asked, quickly rubbing her face and subtly wiping her eyes.

Roy raised an eyebrow and looked around. "What the fuck do you think I'm doing? Where's Phoebe?"

"Oh," she said, frowning. "Her mama picked her up about ten minutes ago. She said she got off work early."

"She wh—" Roy cut himself off and dug his phone out of his pocket, ready to call his sister and yell at her for wasting his time, only to see a missed call from her as well as a voicemail. And Roy's pride wouldn't let him press play, knowing it would be her telling him that he didn't have to get Phoebe. "Well, that's fucking great, innit?"

"Sorry you made the trip," she told him, smiling sympathetically. "Least it's not that far from the stadium."

He just let out a grunt and looked ready to leave, but then he took a moment to actually study Daisy and her features — her red-rimmed eyes that she'd subtly tried to wipe another time. "Have you been crying?"

"Um, it's nothing," Daisy said, sniffing as she shook her head. "I'm about to head out, so I'll see you tomorrow at the match."

Daisy tried to walk past him, but Roy caught her arm and pulled her close, looking intently down at her. "Why're you crying?"

"You wouldn't care, really. It's stupid—"

"I decide what I do and don't care about," he cut her off. "And you crying is one of those things. What is it?"

She sighed and then looked down at his warm hand that was still wrapped around her arm. "It's just because Michelle is here, is all."

"What? You don't like your step-mum?"

"No, I love her! The four of us have had the best day together. And earlier we were playing around and eating and laughing like we were a big happy family again," she said, knowing deep down that Ted wouldn't have wanted one of his players to know all this. "But we aren't. I can see it in Daddy's eyes — he's getting his hopes up, convincing himself that she still loves him. But she don't, and when they end things permanently, he's gonna be wrecked. I don't want to see him fall apart over this."

For a moment, it was just silent. Roy didn't really know what to say. But even he hated the idea of Ted being sad — he wasn't quite sure when he'd mentally decided to start caring about Ted Lasso's feelings, but here he was.

"That fucking sucks," Roy finally said, making Daisy look up at him.

"Yeah," she said with a humorless laugh. "It fucking sucks."

"But if anyone could get through this, it'd be your dad, especially since he's still got you," he added in a softer tone. "You have this annoying thing that you do where you make people feel less alone even when they want to be alone."

"I am not annoying," she said, smiling a little.

Roy just scoffed. "You and Nate play fucking Glee music over the speakers every other day."

Daisy copied his scoff and rolled her eyes. "Like you weren't mouthing the words to I Want To Break Free last Friday!"

"It's a fucking Queen song. Of course, I was gonna mouth the words even if it's not them singing," he argued. She laughed, and it made him happy knowing that he'd helped cease her tears. "Now, are you gonna be alright to get home?"

"Yeah," she said, taking in a deep breath. "I don't need to stay away when they're only here for another day even if I want to."

"Honestly, I couldn't say shit if you did. I spent every holiday hiding from family until I was old enough to not be forced to go," he told her.

"Sorry, but I don't believe for a second that you don't go to a big family Christmas to watch Phoebe open her presents," Daisy said, shaking her head while sliding her flats off to put her sneakers on.

"Alright, I go to some family gatherings," he admitted with a stubborn eye roll. "But ya know, if things aren't gonna last between them, your mum just needs to rip the plaster off and get it over with instead of stringing the gaffer on. It's gotta happen eventually."

Daisy hesitated and looked up at him in confusion. "Do you mean 'rip the bandaid off'?"

"Band-Aid is the brand of sticking plasters," he informed her.

"You call bandages 'sticking plaster'? What?" she asked, unable to keep from laughing. "That's like what goes on walls and stuff!"

"Well, Americans use stupid words. We're right, you're wrong — so, shut the fuck up," Roy said, crossing his arms and smirking a bit.

"Oh, wow," Daisy said, her tone heavy with sarcasm, "I really love how polite and agreeable and sweet you are to me."

✵︎

The rain had let up some when Daisy left the dance studio. Roy offered to drive her to her flat, but it wasn't that long of a walk, and she wanted some alone time to think about possible things she could say to Michelle. Plus, she had a raincoat and a bright yellow umbrella, so she wouldn't get wet from the light sprinkle.

However, Daisy couldn't contemplate what advice she could try and give Michelle for long, because after walking one block, she ran into another familiar footballer.

Jamie's mood matched the cloudy weather as he walked with his head down and hands balled up under his shirt, frowning as he lazily kicked an empty soda can that was on the sidewalk. He wasn't even bothered by the rain that was soaking through his clothes.

"Jamie!" Daisy called, rushing over. "You're gonna get sick!"

He looked up just as she reached him, raising her umbrella so that it would cover them both. "Oh, hey, love."

"Hi," she said. "What are you doing out here in the rain?"

"Just goin' for a walk," he said, shrugging a little. "Thinkin' about some things."

Given that Jamie wasn't really a thinker, Daisy studied his upset expression more carefully. "Are you alright, Jamie? You just seem a little upset. Did something happen after we left training?"

The boy shrugged again, still looking down. "Just had an annoying day, is all. You know, Keeley broke up with me. I've never been the one dumped before," he told her. Then he huffed. "And I tried to get her back when she came to watch my photoshoot today, but she said no, she didn't want to sleep with me. Which, like, why the fuck not? I'm, like, the best sex she's had, probably."

Daisy had to bite back a smile, realizing he hadn't really tried to get Keeley back. If so, he'd of had to apologize and do some growing.

"I'm sorry that things are over with Keeley," she told him. "But just focus on the good, ya know? You finished that shoot, and I bet the pictures will be great. And you are still the best player on the team."

Jamie couldn't help but scoff. "Yeah, and your dad wants me to make the extra fucking pass. What a waste of time."

"But what if the extra pass helps score a goal?"

"I'm already scoring goals," he told her. "I'm the only one scoring goals."

She wanted to point out that it was because he was a ball hog who wouldn't let his other teammates get a chance to score any goals but decided against it, knowing how stubborn he was.

"And yet the team keeps losing. Was losing before Daddy started coaching, too," she pointed out in as innocent tone as she could manage. "Maybe if you gave everyone else the chance to train and play almost as well as you do, then you'd start winning."

"None of them could play better than me," he denied, rolling his eyes. "I'm the best, Daisy."

"Yes, you are," she agreed, still being careful with his ego. "The team is alright with one Jamie on the pitch. But imagine you plus ten other almost-Jamies out there."

"That would be pretty sick. Eleven Jamie Tartts," he said, smiling a bit.

"Maybe if you helped the others at training instead of complaining about them, they'd get better — they'd learn to play like you."

Jamie peered at Daisy for a moment. "You're doing that, like, mind game shit again?"

"What?" she asked, giggling a little.

"I don't know. It's like psychology or somethin'. That's how you got me to fork over money for Sam's birthday, yeah? And when I was all mad about being the decoy," he told her. "I ain't stupid, ya know?"

"I don't think you're stupid, Jamie," Daisy said in an honest tone. "I think that you have the potential to be one of the greats if you'd just stop getting in your own way half the time. I wanna believe in you — you just make it difficult sometimes."

"Believe in me? What, like the silly poster over his door?" he scoffed.

"You've gotta believe in something — your team, yourself even," she said, making him frown and look down. "I mean, if you don't, why even play the game?"

Jamie was quiet for a moment, making her suspect he was thinking deeply on the 'why' of it all. Finally, he mumbled out an answer, glancing back at her. "For me dad, I guess."

To Daisy, it didn't sound like Jamie was all that convinced by his own answer. She'd never even heard him mention his dad before or met him at a game like she had with a few other parents that lived locally. But she also didn't know enough to actually question him on that.

"Then remember that at the match tomorrow," she told him. Of course, she had no idea that telling him to think of his dad was the worst advice possible. Then she offered him her umbrella. "Now, go home, get a warm shower, and don't get sick. I'll see you at the match tomorrow."

Jamie looked up at the yellow fabric and smirked. "I don't really fancy the color. Doesn't match what I'm wearing."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll survive," she said, laughing. "But if you do end up on a worst-dressed list, just blame it all on me."

He covered her hand with his own to take the umbrella, that smirk still on his face. "Trust me, love, I'll throw you under the bus in a second when it comes to my fashionable reputation."

✵︎

Daisy chickened out of talking to Michelle when she got home that night. She and Ted were curled up with Henry between them on the couch, watching The Sandlot together, and Henry was half-asleep from the jet lag. So, it wasn't the time.

Okay, so maybe Daisy was procrastinating finding the time because it would've been perfect to talk with her while Ted ran out to grab coffee and breakfast the following morning. But instead, Daisy went with him, claiming it was to help him carry everything.

Before the game started, they'd take Michelle and Henry by the dance studio to see what it was like and then give them a thorough tour of the Richmond facility. Then Higgins would keep an eye on them and let them sit up in the owner's box with Rebecca. So, there was no telling if there'd be time for Daisy to speak with Michelle alone.

She was holding a bag full of scones and her favorite blueberry croissants so that Michelle and Henry could try them. Ted was carrying the cups of coffee and a juice for Henry to drink. On the walk back to the flat, Ted took the time to greet everyone that they passed, as most of them had already dawned their AFC Richmond gear to get ready for the game.

"Hey, look at that scarf. I like it," Ted complimented as they passed an older man who was supporting their team.

But he wasn't nearly as pleased to see them. "Oi! Wanker, don't you fuck up the match."

"He'll try," Daisy replied, more amused than anything.

"I appreciate you," Ted told the fan, nodding to him. "We'll see what happens, huh?"

"It's such a friendly fan base," Daisy joked as they moved on.

"Can't be worse than the real football fans back home," he claimed while digging the key to the flat out of his pocket. "God, then folks that root for Alabama in the SEC sure don't stop complaining."

"Don't know what they got to complain about," she said, rolling her eyes. "Oh, and remember them from Tennessee that threw trash onto the field?"

"Ooh, I can just picture Roy and Isaac climbing into the stands and shoving that trash down their throats," Ted said with a chuckle as they headed upstairs.

"We've got food," Daisy called as they entered the flat, heading right for the kitchen.

Henry ran to meet them, still in his pajamas. Daisy handed him his juice, which he quickly took a sip of.

"Hey, check it out. You never seen one of these before," Ted told him while pulling a scone out. "That right there, that's a scone, okay? It's like a muffin, except it sucks all the spit out of your mouth."

"More like a biscuit that don't have enough butter and milk in the batter," she told him. Then she pulled out one of the croissants that was nearly three times the size of Henry's small hands. "This, however, is delicious."

"There's your breakfast. All right?" Ted told him. Henry set the scone on the table and then ran off with the croissant. "Hey! What do you say?"

"Thanks, Dad, Daisy!" he called before disappearing.

"Okay. There you go," he muttered, glad Henry had thanked him. "Some people's kids, holy moly."

Daisy grabbed the forgotten scone and her jar of peanut butter, spreading some of it on the bread with a knife. "I'll go help him get ready and make sure he's in warm clothes."

"Thank ya," Ted told her while grabbing the coffee for Michelle.

Unfortunately, Daisy didn't make it to Henry to help him get dressed. Just as she went around the corner, she heard her father asking, "What's wrong?" She stuck to the wall and listened, hearing Michelle sniffle.

"Nothing. I think I'm just a little jet-lagged is all," Michelle said, her throat sounding tight like she was trying not to cry. "I - I'm fine, Ted."

"No, no, no, no," Ted said, speaking quickly. "No, Michelle, you gotta talk to me."

"I—"

"Okay? Hey, hey. Oklahoma," he added.

There was a long moment of silence, and Daisy leaned around the corner a bit, hating how upset both of them looked. Then Michelle took in a deep breath.

"Every day... I wake up hoping that I'll feel the way I felt in the beginning. But - but maybe that's just what marriage is, right? I'll keep trying. You know I will," she said desperately.

It was like Daisy could see Ted's heart breaking right in front of her, his face falling with the realization that there would be no fixing things between them no matter how hard he tried. He and Michelle were coming to an end.

"Ready to go!" Henry shouted, unknowingly interrupting something quite important.

Daisy came around the corner fully to look at his outfit. The Jamie Tartt jersey that Michelle bought him at the airport was hanging off his frame, waiting for him to grow into it. But other than that, he didn't have any other clothes on.

Ted cleared his throat and let out a sad laugh. "I mean, you're gonna need pants, kiddo," he said, glancing at Daisy, who he thought was helping Henry.

"Yeah. Let's get some pants," Michelle said, leading him back to his suitcase. "Come on."

Ted watched them go with a devastated expression, and Daisy watched him with one of her own. Then she moved across the room and hugged him tightly.

"It's gonna be okay, Daddy," she murmured as he rubbed her back.

"Yeah," he whispered, not really believing it all that much. "We'll be okay."