The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

Memories

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

You would think by the three-week mark things may have improved, but no. Even though a full week had passed since I talked with Nat, Loki was still unresponsive.

My routine hadn't wavered. I would wake up, Pepper or Nat would bring me something to eat, I'd stay by Loki's side, and repeat.

Our one-sided conversations continued as they had for the last half a month. I talked to him constantly about the baby and how she was doing. I just hoped he could hear me.

I figured that if he really could hear everything I was telling him, he'd be the most concerned about the baby, which is why I focused primarily on her when talking to him.

To be honest, I was getting a little concerned about her. Even though I was getting daily checkups and ultrasounds to make sure she was healthy, my worry hadn't subsided.

The worry stemmed from the fact that she wasn't kicking anymore.

Nat joked that maybe she was tired from all the fighting, but I thought it might be something more.

Over the past two months, she had been kicking almost constantly, but she kicked the most when she heard Loki's voice. Since he'd been in the coma, I hadn't felt a single thing from her.

She definitely missed her dad.

And I did too.

As I contemplated all this, I found myself toying with my engagement ring around my finger.

God, it feels like only yesterday that he'd actually proposed...

I know I told Nat that he proposed in our house, but I kinda lied.

It was just that it was such a special spot and I didn't want anyone knowing about it.

~~~Flashback~~~

"Loki, can you please tell me what we're doing?" I laughed, trying to peek through his hands that covered my eyes as he led me somewhere.

"I told you, it's a birthday surprise. You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, now would you?" I heard his voice from behind me.

"I guess not." I relented, but I still tried to look through his fingers to see where we were going.

"Then stop trying to peek." I could practically hear his smirk as he spoke.

"Fine." I groaned playfully, trying not to let my curiosity get the better of me.

A few seconds later, we stopped walking and I legitimately couldn't tell where we were.

None of the sounds I was hearing were ringing any bells, I just knew we definitely weren't still at the cabin.

"Loki..." I trailed off questioningly and with that, he lifted his hands from my eyes.

My jaw dropped as I took in the scenery around us.

It was a forest. But an extremely familiar forest. One that had a sky filled with millions of stars and the sounds of crickets filling the air.

"Is this..." I turned around to face him and saw him standing there with the most loving smile on his face.

"The forest I took you to on our first date? One hundred percent." He winked and pulled me closer for a kiss.

The next few hours were absolutely magical. Loki put together a picnic ahead of time, so we could eat some delicious food, talk, and star gaze at the same time.