The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

Loki

~~~Coulson's pov~~~

I haven't heard from Catherine in over two hours. Something must've happened.

I was in the barracks area of the Zephyr when the 22-year-old in question appeared.

"Catherine! There you are. Where..." I stopped short; as she collapsed on the floor with blood covering her skin.

"Catherine!" I ran over to her and knelt down. "What happened?"

"Ward was there... He was..." She couldn't get a complete sentence out. Her breathing was erratic, and she was shaking uncontrollably. This was a panic attack. A bad one too.

"Hey, Catherine. Stay with me. Okay? Stay with me, Cat."

"Call my dad...please."

She was fading. And fast.

I found her phone in her bag, a few feet away, and called the number.

The line rang for a few seconds before someone picked up.

"Hello?"

That voice... Who is this?

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Agent Coulson! Lovely to hear your voice and not Fury's."

Oh, dear Lord.

"Loki? Where is Stark?"

"He's in the middle of a presentation at MIT. What's going on? Where's Catherine?"

I scoffed. "Like hell, I'd tell you. This is important! Life or death!"

She was getting worse, and she was barely able to breathe. Despite that, she managed to say something.

"Phil, you can...you can trust him....."

Since the phone was on speaker, Loki heard that. And her frantic gasps for oxygen.

"What's. Going. On." He asked me firmly but angrily.

I finally let up. She needs help. Not a grudge I've been holding for over four years.

"I think Catherine's having a panic attack. I don't-" I didn't even get a chance to finish my sentence because he hung up.

Wow. Just wow.

"I'm sorry, Cat. I really am. But I-"

"Where is she?"

I turned and saw the God of Mischief hurrying over to us.

Okay! I quit! Nothing makes sense anymore!

As I stood to give her room to breathe, he knelt beside her.

~~~Loki's pov~~~

I should have known something was wrong when she didn't call yesterday or today. Especially when she wasn't at the spot where we chose to meet.

And now she looked to be half dead, covered in blood, though I couldn't tell where the bleeding was coming from. Bruises were visible, and she couldn't catch her breath.

"Hey, Catherine. It's okay. It's okay. I'm right here." I tried to soothe her, rubbing her back slowly, not caring that Agent Coulson was only a few feet away.

I just needed to know what happened.

Holding her close to me, I tried the best I could to calm her. "Look at me. Everything is going to be fine." I said gently, using some magic to relieve the pain she was feeling.

Within seconds her breathing and pulse returned to normal, and she stopped shaking.

"Thank you for being here..." She whispered weakly before drifting off to sleep.