The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

A Familiar Face

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

I groaned as I came to. I was in a brightly lit room, lying on a small couch covered with a blanket.

"Where am I?" I murmured.

The last thing I remember was passing out on the street...

"Good, you're awake."

I got up quickly and turned to face the voice.

You can't blame me for being on edge. I was just kidnapped by Hydra a few days ago.

But why does this voice sound familiar?

"Who are you? Where am I?" I asked, keeping my guard up.

If this person is hostile, I don't know if I have enough energy to fight back.

It was a woman, in her late forties, with long, dark brown hair and brown eyes.

"You don't remember me, do you? Makes sense. I haven't seen you since you were five years old." She gave me a warm smile.

Then it clicked.

"Emma? Is that you?" It was a long shot, but it was possible.

She nodded.

Emma was my nanny when I was little. When I was five, she had to leave and go to Romania to be with her sick mother.

"It's so good to see you again! How did you find me?" I let my guard down and hugged her.

"Well, I was in the marketplace when I saw you appear on the street out of nowhere and collapse." She answered, hugging me back. "At first, I wasn't sure it was you, but when I realized you had teleported, I knew. You used to torment me with that all the time when you were younger. One time, you teleported into the washing machine and gave me a heart attack."

I laughed. "I remember that! At least the machine wasn't on."

"While I am happy to see you, I have to ask. What brings you to Romania?"

"I was tracking down an old friend..." Then I realized something. "Emma, how long was I out for?"

"About two hours."

Two hours?!

"Did anything happen since then?"

"Yeah. Captain America was arrested if you can believe it."

"Anyone else?" I asked seriously.

They couldn't have gotten James.

"Three others. The Falcon, some guy from Wakanda, and someone else's name I couldn't catch. I think it was the Winter Soldier."

No...

"I need to get back home, but it was amazing seeing you again. Thank you for helping me out." I gave her another hug as I prepared to leave.

"Anytime. Tell your dad and Pepper I say hi!"

"Will do." I nodded and used up the last of my strength to teleport to the compound.

Mind you, I teleported with a particular person in mind, so I wasn't going to appear in a random spot where no one else was.

I found myself in the hallway by the entrance of the building.

I need to find someone before I pass out again.

"Catherine?"

It was Loki.

Thank God.

"Hey," I gave him a weak smile, holding onto the wall beside me for support.

Is this how Steve felt when I kept teleporting him places without warning? Capsicle, I am so sorry.

"What happened?" He ran over to me and put his arm around me to help me stand.

"Nothing too major. Just teleported so many times my body gave out. What did I miss?" I asked as he walked me over to the lounge area to sit.

"I saw that the UN meeting was bombed, and I knew you were heading there with Romanoff, so I was worried you were caught in the explosion. And then I saw that Barnes was responsible-"

"You don't think that was him, do you?"

"Of course not." He shook his head. "I know everything he did as the Winter Soldier was done under Hydra's mind control. And I know how close he was to you. He must have been framed."

I had told Loki about James after I told him about my rescue from Hydra since he played such a big part in my survival. He knows I see him as my brother and friend.

"Steve, Sam, and I went to find him, but the police got there too quickly. They told me to get out of there before I was spotted, but I'm not so sure that worked out-"

Just then, Dad ran into the room.

"What's going on, Dad?" I asked, confused at his flustered state as he ran around the room, grabbing various files and documents. He didn't even notice Loki or I was there.

"Rogers. He just got Sam and himself arrested. On the bright side, they got Barnes too. I'm heading to the containment facility now to smooth things over."

This is great, isn't it?