The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

Figuring things out

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

I woke up the next day to sunlight peeking through the dark curtains that hung over my bedroom window.

"What time is it?" I yawned, stretching my arms out.

I looked over to my alarm clock and saw that it read...

"10:30?! Why did I sleep in so late?" I jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed.

Then I remembered my date with Loki. I didn't get home until 1:30.

Welp! That explains that!

I quickly threw on a burgundy sweater, some skinny jeans, and ankle boots before exiting my room. I used my magic to fix up my hair and makeup.

Magic is so helpful! Especially when I'm lazy.

~~~Natasha's pov~~~

"Stark, where's Catherine?" I asked, noting that the daughter of the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist wasn't at breakfast.

He shrugged. "Probably up in her room."

I rolled my eyes. The most caring father of the year award goes to-

"Hey, guys! What did I miss?" I heard Catherine's voice as she teleported into the room.

"I will never get used to that." Steve shuddered before taking a sip of his coffee.

Yeah, I don't think I will either, Rogers.

"Not much. Just some debriefing." I answered the young Stark's question. "Oh, and we got a call from Fury. He wanted to talk to you."

Her eyes went wide. "Did he say why?"

"No, just that he needed to talk to you. He's coming to the compound within the hour. You, of all people, know how vague he can be." Clint entered the room via a vent.

"Barton, what did we talk about?" I glared at the vent spy.

"No crawling through vents unless it's for a mission. Yeah, I know. I know." He shook his head sadly.

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

Why did Fury want to talk to me? Does this have anything to do with Phil? Is something wrong?

I sat at the kitchen island, made a blueberry muffin appear in my hand, and thought about it.

"Good to see you're not dead. When I didn't see you this morning, I thought Stark had actually killed you." Loki's voice echoed in my mind. "What did you tell him?"

I glanced at where he was sitting on the other side of the room and smirked.

"I told him I was out chasing a lead on a missing person I knew while in Hydra. He bought every word. He even apologized for accusing me of sneaking out."

What can I say? I am skilled at what I do.

"Impressive. I would say I'm rubbing off on you already."

Okay, yeah. Sure. The God of Mischief and Lies is rubbing off on me. I may have lied to my dad, and he believed every word I said. And I even got him to feel bad about it-

Crap. He is rubbing off on me.

~

I sat in Dad's office, waiting for Fury to show up.

What could he possibly want?

Does he know about last night? Because if he does, I'm as good as dead.

I heard the door shut, and I turned to see Fury, but it wasn't him. It wasn't his mind.

"At ease, Stark. I only want to talk."

I laughed. "Phil, you can take off the cloaking device. I know it's you."

His face fell, and he peeled the mesh Fury face off, revealing himself. "Seriously? How did you know it was me?"

"Phil, I'm sorry, but if I have to keep reminding you I can read minds, we're going to have a problem." I walked up to him, smiling and shaking my head. "So, did ya miss me already?"

"No," He denied until I gave him my patented, 'really?' look. "Okay, fine! I missed you. But that's not why I'm here." He gave in, and I hugged him.

"Then why are you here?"

"Someone's been killing Inhumans. It turns out I do need your help."

"Inhumans? Like, what Daisy is. Who?" I asked, now concerned.

"We don't know. We have our suspicions but nothing concrete to go off of. That's where you come in."

"You mean-"

"It's time for you to join us." He confirmed.

"Look, I want to help. I really do. But what would I tell my dad? He doesn't even know you're alive. I have too much going on right now." I tried to explain.

"I'm sorry. I know it's a bad time. But you know I wouldn't be here unless I had to be."

I shook my head. "I can't believe I'm going to agree to this... What should I tell the team?"

He shrugged. "Say that Fury has an assignment for you. One that requires you to be gone for a while. I'll be there to back you up to make it believable."

"Okay. Let's tell them." I started to walk toward the door before I turned back to Phil. "You might want to fix your face, Fury."

~~~Tony's pov~~~

I wonder what Fury wants with Catherine. He barely spoke to me on the phone or when he got here. Maybe it has something to do with Hydra...

"Stark." The pirate's annoying voice broke me out of my thoughts. I snapped my head up and saw him exiting my office with Catherine.

"Yes, one-eyed Jack?"

He glared at me, making me want to take back the statement. That eyepatch is scary.

"Catherine has been assigned to another team. It's only temporary, but she'll have to leave within the next few hours." He said bluntly.

My eyes widened. "Assigned to another team?"

"Temporarily." He repeated.

I turned to my daughter. "You're okay with this?"

She nodded. "I am. Can I talk to you in private, Dad?"

"Of course."

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

God, I hope this plan works.

Once we were back in the office, I started to explain. "I was hesitant to accept at first, but then Fury clarified the threats. They need my skill set."

"Are you sure? Someone else can go in your place. Maybe Wanda or Loki-"

"Dad, no." I interrupted him. "Wanda is still new to all this, and Loki isn't exactly among Shield's most trusted. It has to be me."

I'm not letting Loki take my place on this. Not only does he not have the best history with Coulson, but I also don't want anything to happen to him. If the targets are Inhumans, Loki or I could easily be mistaken for one. I can't risk that.

"I could be gone for a long time. Just say the word, and I won't leave." I sighed, trying to make him feel guilty. "But if I don't go, innocent people could die."

He groaned. "I hate the idea of you being out there without me, but you are right. And I would be a horrible father not to let you do this if you feel it's something you need to do."

"So I can go?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes. Just promise you'll be careful. I don't mean to scare you, but Hydra is still out there." He warned before pulling me into a tight hug. "I know, Dad. I know." I hugged him back.

I guess I'm joining Shield!