The Before [Prequel- Part 2]

Party Prep

~~~Loki's pov~~~

The next day and a half was filled with baking, decorating, and of course, spending some quality bonding time with Linda.

While there was much preparation that needed to be done for the baby shower, Catherine and I made sure to take turns between working on the house and playing with our daughter.

It was clear that neither of us wanted to work on party preparations, just looking forward to the next switch from decorations, cooking, and baking to watching our little girl stare up at us with wide, curious eyes.

I would be lying if I said I hadn't stopped decorating or cooking multiple times to just hold her in my arms for a few minutes.

She was a newborn, so I couldn't do much with her, but cradling her while she slept or bouncing her gently in my arms was enough for me.

She was adorable. There was simply no other way to put it.

"How's she holding up?" Catherine telepathically asked me from the kitchen, avoiding speaking normally because Linda had just fallen asleep in my arms minutes prior, and we wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. We didn't want her crying throughout the entire baby shower because she was overtired.

"Still sound asleep and still the most precious thing I've ever seen. No changes whatsoever." I answered back, smiling softly at the infant who had decided to use my chest as a pillow. "How's that cake coming along?"

I offered to bake the cake for the baby shower so that Catherine could get some much-deserved rest, but there was the small issue of my lack of baking skills.

It's not like there weren't attempts made either. I just gave up after a while because I figured all of the smoke that came as a result of my failed desserts wouldn't exactly be healthy for a newborn infant to inhale.

"The cake itself turned out great. I just put it in the fridge to cool off. It's the frosting that's giving me a problem." Her statement was immediately followed by the sound of something crashing in the kitchen.

Well, so much for her staying asleep.

Thankfully, Linda didn't start crying at the unexpected sound, she just opened her eyes to the size of saucers.

Holding her steady in my arms, I got off of the couch and rushed into the adjoining room to check on Catherine, who had evidently dropped the bowl of icing she had been stirring onto the floor.

"Did I wake her up?" She asked, wincing slightly. "I did, didn't I?"

As if she could understand what her mother was asking, Linda broke free from her swaddle with the cutest, smallest yawn I had ever heard.

"I'll take that as a yes." Catherine laughed and gently took the tired baby girl into her arms with a smile gracing her face. "Did Mommy wake you up with her clumsiness? Yes, she did." She spoke to her in what she had previously deemed her 'baby-talking voice' and held her close.

"I for one, appreciate your clumsiness," I began with a playful smirk. "That's how we met, after all."

"Ah, yes, me losing my balance on a snowy sidewalk and dropping a full tray of steaming hot coffee. How could I forget?" She laughed softly with a smile. "But when she gets older and we tell her about how we met, can we just tell the Ultron Party story instead? Saving me from dancing with Justin Hammer sounds much more romantic than me slipping on a patch of ice."

"But I love that story." I playfully frowned before chuckling a bit and kissing her forehead. "Either version is fine by me, love. In both stories, I come off as your knight in shining armor."