The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

What the-

~~~Coulson's pov~~~

I smiled as we all sat at the counter of our favorite diner, eating the excellent homecooked meals the cook had prepared.

I didn't tell the others I invited Catherine or that she insisted on bringing a friend, so I was excited to see their reactions to her appearance.

Though, I do wonder who her friend is...

"Coulson, didn't you say a surprise guest was joining us?" Daisy questioned after swallowing a bite of food.

"Yeah, who is it, by the way?" Simmons joined in.

"You'll find out soon enough." I shrugged. "Hey, Mack. What's the time?"

"7:30. Why?"

"No reason. Just wait a few seconds, and you'll get an answer." I smirked to myself.

I know they'll all be ecstatic to see her.

"Okay..."

As if on cue, the door to the restaurant opened, and the little bell rang.

We all turned to the door and saw our favorite Stark enter the diner.

"Don't let my dad hear you say that."

I missed hearing her voice in my head, to be honest.

"Hey, Cat! Glad you could join us." I said casually as the team stared at me, their mouths hanging open in shock.

"Catherine! It's so good to see you again!" Daisy quickly got up and hugged her. And so did Jemma, Mack, Yo-Yo, Fitz, and even May. She's not much of a hugger.

"Me? It's so good to see you guys again! It's been like over two years." She smiled as she hugged them back.

"Yeah, I mean, last time I saw you, you were unconscious and bleeding out on the Zephyr with the God of Mischief."

The door opened again, this time revealing the god in question.

She brought Loki. That's her fugitive friend.

Seriously?

"What are you doing here?" May glared.

Catherine stepped in before he could answer.

"He's a fugitive, just like me. We've been helping keep the cops off each other's backs, so I decided he should join. Also, I can't teleport you all if something happens. But he can."

"But he's-"

"But nothing. Don't you guys notice you're the only ones who have a problem with this? Even Coulson's cool with it." She gestured around the diner to the peaceful customers who didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest by his presence.

"Fine."

With that, we all sat down again and finished our meals.

"You know, this is the first time we've all been together in a really long time," I commented, and they all agreed.

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

"Beer?" Daisy offered, holding the bottle out to me.

I raised my hand to decline. "No, thanks." I gave her a small smile.

She looked at me skeptically but nodded.

"Anybody have room for some pie?" The waitress asked as she walked over to us.

"Yes, please." I nodded quickly, and Loki chuckled quietly, knowing that pie was one of my cravings.

"Okay, so we have apple, strawberry, rhubarb, and chocolate banana cream." She listed the various flavors.

Before any of us could answer, the power suddenly went out.

"Do we need to get you guys out?" I asked Phil telepathically, wondering if this had anything to do with our law-enforcement issues.

Before he could respond, strobe lights turned on in the windows around the building.

"Here we go," May murmured, and we all raised our hands above our heads.

That's when I made a terrifying discovery. I couldn't teleport.

"Loki, something's wrong. I can't teleport." I reached out to him, panic starting to settle in my chest.

"What? How is that possible?"

"I don't know!"

Men with guns then swarmed in behind us.

Lovely.

"Phillip J. Coulson." A monotone voice said.

"Yep, that's me. You got us. Nice job. And hey, congrats on the whole power outage thing. It was very ominous." Phil quipped, making me want to strangle him. 

Apparently, he didn't understand the severity of this situation.

"Loki-"

A high-pitched ringing echoed in my ears, and suddenly, I was paralyzed. I couldn't see or speak. But I could hear.

"What's going on?!"

"I don't know. I can't move either. Stay calm."

"The window closes in less than two minutes. Take them." The man instructed.

A few minutes later, the paralysis thankfully wore off, and I could move and see again.

Once my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, I could see that we were standing in what looked like a bunker, and there was a giant stone in front of us. All white with three red stripes.

I instantly turned to Loki discreetly enough for no one else to notice.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly, away from the rest of the group.

"I don't know how to answer that right now." I felt panicked.

He noticed this quickly and tried to calm me down.

It didn't work.

The doctor said I can't be stressed or anxious. Right now, I'm both of those.

"Coulson, what the hell is that thing?" I asked my old friend, pointing to the rock.

His eyes widened as he took in the mysterious object.

"Oh, what the-"

Then the rock liquified, swallowing us all in a wave of white.