The Before [Prequel- Part 2]

Linda Natalia Laufeyson

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

"Linda Natalia Laufeyson." I answered her with a soft smile, my energy completely depleted from being in active labor for the last seven hours.

When we did the research for her name, we came across the name Linda and instantly loved it.

Linda, meaning pretty or beautiful in Spanish, was a name associated with mischievous tricks and snakes.

I mean, come on. Can you get more perfect than that for the daughter of the God of Mischief?

We tried to decide on a middle name for months, but nothing really spoke to us. Well, that was before the whole thing with Thanos and Loki slipping into a coma happened.

Throughout everything, Natasha was always right there by my side. She stayed with me until Loki came out of his coma, she helped me through my various checkups, and she even bought supplies and helped me get the house baby-ready. She was like my sister.

So, it only made sense to give Linda her Auntie Nat's name.

I hadn't exactly told Natasha about that yet. I was planning to tell her at my baby shower next week, but I don't think that's gonna work anymore.

"And don't worry, all of her paperwork and medical documentation will only be going to you guys. I'm not putting it in the system." Julia assured us, placing the birth certificate inside a folder labeled with our newborn daughter's name.

I sighed in relief, happy to know that there was no way that Ross could find out about her. No government files meant no evidence of her existence. She was safe.

"Were there any complications?" I asked, a bit worried upon noticing that she was a bit smaller than most infants. "I mean, with me being so many weeks overdue..."

"As far as I can tell, she's perfectly healthy. No issues with the umbilical cord, she seems to be breathing alright, and she's responding to physical contact well." She nodded, throwing her gloves into a nearby trash can before putting on news ones. "But I'll be able to tell more once I examine her. And don't worry, she'll only be out of your sight for a minute and I'm not taking her out of the room."

A bit hesitantly, Loki handed Linda off to the nurse, his eyes trained on her as she walked to the other side of the hospital room.

Those protective dad instincts kicked in real fast, didn't they?

"She'll be fine." I smiled at him weakly, a sense of extreme tiredness washing over me. "Nothing can happen to her in here."

"I know." He sighed, finally managing to tear his eyes off of our newborn baby girl and turn to me. "You did well, darling." He reinforced his words with several kisses to my forehead.

"Yeah, well, I feel like absolute garbage." I let out a small groan, the pain of pushing a human being out of me still lingering. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

There were a few times throughout the delivery itself that my condition was compromised. I lost a considerable amount of blood, and Julia had to start a blood transfusion while Loki tried to keep my body at a healthy temperature without harming the baby. Because the delivery took a bit longer than it was supposed to, the baby's Frost Giant genetics started to affect me, almost freezing me to death.

It wasn't an easy birth, is what I'm trying to say.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." He shook his head and brushed some of my sweat and tear drenched hair out of my face. "All that matters is that you and Linda are both alive and healthy."

"And her being your carbon copy is just a bonus." I winked with a smirk. "Even though I'm the one who carried her for nine months."

"If it's any consolation, she might have my eyes and hair color, but I can't look at her without seeing you. Her facial features are all you."

For the God of Lies, he sure doing a horrible job of telling one at that moment.

I was about to tell him that, but that's when Julia walked back over with Linda and placed her back on my chest.

I didn't think it was possible, but in the sixty seconds she'd been gone, I'd missed her as if I hadn't seen her in years.

She looked up at me and Loki with wide, curious eyes, probably trying to figure out who these random people were.

"She's adorable." I murmured with a smile, gently bouncing her up and down in my arms.

"She is." Julia nodded in agreement, holding up a clipboard. "She's also 100% healthy. Vitals all look good and her breathing is excellent. I thought there might be some complications, with her being overdue and all, but I think that extra month in the oven might've saved her life."

Both Loki and I furrowed our brows at that, extremely confused by her statement. "How so?"

"She might be a quarter Frost Giant, but her Asgardian and human DNA were a bit more dominant. Which is a genetic situation similar to her father's." She explained, glancing down at her clipboard as she spoke. "The non-Frost Giant DNA counteracted the 'giant' part of it all, making her really small. Most human babies average in at seven pounds. And even though she's extremely healthy, she's only five pounds, two ounces. If she was born any earlier, her organs might not have been fully formed yet leading to even more long term damage."

Our luck was actually good for once? Damn. I didn't see that coming in the slightest.

"That's honestly amazing to hear." I breathed out, beyond relieved. "So, when can we go home? Tonight, tomorrow?"

I was just anxious to get back to my own bed.

She chuckled, clearly having heard this question many times before. "Under normal circumstances, I'd recommend you stay at least two to three more nights here, but seeing as you are fugitives, I think just staying the night would suffice. I can get you out of here by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

More good news? I think this much good news for us in one day is a record breaker.

Maybe this would be the new normal. Good news and even better luck being a regular occurrence.

Looking back on this moment, I wish I would've known just how wrong I was.