The Before [Prequel- Part 2]

S.H.I.E.L.D.

~~~Loki's pov~~~

That night, I sought Fury out and met with him at an old S.H.I.E.L.D. warehouse nearby. With the Accords and S.H.I.E.L.D. beginning to reestablish itself as a government entity, it was probably for the best that I didn't venture into their official headquarters, where I might attract unwanted attention.

I took the car— yes, Catherine had taken upon herself to teach me to drive in recent years— and went to the coordinates that Fury had provided. They led me to what appeared to be an old airplane hangar, and inside, the man was waiting for me at what seemed to be a poorly constructed IKEA desk.

For half an hour, we discussed the intricacies of upcoming assignments, mapping out strategies and contingencies like two chess players anticipating each other's moves. Finally, I mustered the courage to lay out my demands to the eye-patched man.

"...and those are my conditions. I won't do this willingly if those aren't met throughout my time working for you." I finished, my voice firm and unyielding.

"To be clear, you want these same three days off for the foreseeable future, with no exceptions? January 8th, June 15th, and September 20th." He raised a brow as he jotted the dates down on a piece of paper.

"Yes, nonnegotiable," I affirmed. "Even if I'm in the midst of an assignment, I need you to understand that I will leave to be with my family on those days, and I'll return to my undercover position the following day."

"But why? Those aren't important federal or religious holidays. What's on January 8th?" His voice remained scarcely inquisitive.

"Catherine's birthday," I answered without missing a beat.

"June 15th?"

"Linda's birthday."

"And September 20th?"

"Catherine and I's wedding anniversary."

The man tilted his head, pointing the end of his pen towards me. "You know it was only six years ago when you waged war on Earth. What changed, Laufeyson? No more want to rule? To be god-king?"

I internally scoffed at the absurdity of the question, convinced it was one that hardly warranted a response at this stage. Uneasiness simmered beneath my surface as I pushed back my chair and stood up to leave the room. "No," I stated firmly, my voice steady. "All I want right now is to get home, where I can help my exhausted wife soothe our infant daughter back to sleep. She deserves a few peaceful hours of rest after the night we've had."

He chuckled lowly, also standing from his chair. "I can't even believe you're the same man. But I can tell how much you love them. Consider those days off approved." He extended his hand and gave me a firm handshake before handing me a large file that included all of the mission details. "And one more thing. The start date won't be for another eight months. I might be a cold-hearted son of a bitch, but even I realize that you shouldn't be out of your baby's life this early on."

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

It was now 4 o'clock in the morning, and Loki had left to meet with Fury without so much as a word at 1:30. He'd been gone for almost three hours, and in those hours, Linda had woken up four times, been nursed three times, spit up twice, and thankfully only needed one diaper change. It was like my own sleep-deprived version of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas.'

I had woken up about twenty minutes after Loki left, met by a note on the nightstand beside me that stated the reason for his sudden departure and that he would be back as soon as possible. How did I know it was twenty minutes later, you might ask? Well, I looked at the various security cameras surrounding our property for the exact time stamp the car pulled out of our driveway.

I didn't blame him for leaving while I was asleep, because we both knew I would try to talk him out of accepting the job, and he couldn't afford to lose any more time. Maintaining a good relationship with Fury was essential if we wanted to keep our little cabin life a secret from the government.

I was pulled from my thoughts when Linda started fussing again in my arms, tears rolling down from the green eyes that resembled Loki's exactly.

My heart broke slightly as I stared down at her. The feeling of failure, something all too familiar to me, started to creep in. What was I doing wrong? Why couldn't I get my baby girl to stop crying? "Come on, sweetie, you gotta sleep," I murmured, rocking her back and forth against my chest. "I just fed you, changed your diaper, burped you, and sang you three lullabies. You should be exhausted."

As if response to my statement, she lifted her head slightly and started cooing, reaching her tiny hand out for something on the shelf. I tried to follow her line of sight just to realize she was staring straight at a framed photo of me and Loki on our wedding day.

I should have probably guessed that...

"Well, that makes sense." I sighed, walking over to the picture so she could get a better look. "You miss your daddy. Looks like not much has changed since your womb days." I then sat down in the rocking chair next to the shelf, pulling Linda off my chest so I could look at her clearly, her big eyes yet again unfocused and staring at the lights on the ceiling.

"You know, when you were still in Mommy's tummy, you liked to kick me at night. You were like a little kick-boxer in there." I laughed quietly and gently tickled her stomach to make her smile. Maybe that would tucker her out. "It got to the point where I couldn't sleep most nights. But your daddy would stay up with me for hours on end, singing lullabies to you until you finally calmed down enough to let me get some sleep."

"And I will continue to do so until this little one can get to sleep on her own." My husband's familiar voice echoed through the living room as I turned to see him walk through the front door, his expression weary.

"I am so glad you're home." I let out a relieved breath when I stood, still cradling Linda close. "How did it go with Fury?"

"I would say pretty well, given the circumstances." He answered with a weak smile, reaching out his hand to gently caress Linda's head. The infant was no longer fussy now that she was in her father's presence, rather reaching out for him with adorable coos and gurgles. "He said I would start work in 8 months, and he approved the days off I asked for." My brows furrowed at his words, the confusion washing over me replacing the exhaustion. "What days off did you ask for? It's undercover work; I didn't know days off were possible."

He just gave me his signature smirk and a kiss on my cheek before carefully transferring Linda to his arms, much to our baby girl's delight. "Just the days I hold most dear. January 8th, June 15th, and September 20th."

My mind went blank for a moment as I tried to remember the importance of said dates. It took me longer than I would care to admit, but I blame new mom brain. "You got Fury to give you days off for mine and Linda's birthdays and our wedding anniversary?"

"I couldn't fathom missing them." He said simply, his eyes never leaving Linda's content and smiling face as she wrapped her impossibly tiny fingers around Loki's thumb.

Perhaps it was the postpartum hormones, but for some reason, I found that statement to be the most endearing thing he'd ever said. "That is so unbelievably sweet. But why didn't you ask for your birthday off as well?"

He shrugged it off, treating the topic as if it were merely a minor inconvenience. "It's not the immediate priority," he said with a slight wave of his hand, dismissing the concern. "Besides, my birthday falls so close to Christmas that I can just combine the celebrations. It'll be like one big event—ornaments and cake all at once."

Leave it to a Norse god, an Asgardian Prince no less, to play down the importance of his own birthday. "But you should have a day just to yourself." A frown found its way to my lips as I spoke. "You deserve it."

"I would much rather have all my days spent with my queen and my little princess." He grinned softly as Linda finally drifted off into a peaceful slumber. "Days just to myself were how I would categorize most of my life. Since meeting you, I have never wanted to have a day all to myself, by myself, ever again."