The Before [Prequel- Part 2]

Sleeping Situations

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

"Loki, I am exhausted. Linda can't stay in our bed forever, it's just not safe!" My voice was thick with fatigue as I ran a hand over my face, desperately trying to reason with my husband, who was cradling our daughter on the other side of our shared bedroom.

"And what would possibly be safer?" Loki raised a brow. "She's with her parents in a place where we can keep an eye on her, hear her cries, and-"

"And potentially roll over on her and, God forbid, suffocate or crush her." I snapped, feeling beyond overwhelmed.

His face hardened immediately and I could see him hold Linda closer to his chest. "I wouldn't let that happen."

"But you wouldn't have any control over the situation in your sleep, would you? We both have magic. Magic that tends to flare up in our sleep. Do you remember how I found out you were a Frost Giant? The entire cabin turned into an ice block! That's not something you did consciously!" I was trying not to raise my voice, but it was hard after only two hours of sleep. "Not to mention my nightmare episodes— I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if our magic somehow hurt her."

"Then what do you suggest?" He asked, and I could tell he was being genuine. He just wanted to keep her safe, and for that, I couldn't blame him.

I shrugged, unsure of how to answer without making him panic unnecessarily. "I was thinking, maybe we could try the Ferber method."

"And what's that exactly?"

"It's where we leave her in her nursery overnight and if she starts crying, we let her cry herself to sleep," I explained gently, but the look of horror and disbelief in his eyes told me he was not a fan of the idea.

"That is barbaric." His voice was breathy, like he had just learned that I was going to inflict medieval torture methods on our child.

"Barbaric?" I laughed, covering my mouth with my hand. "That's a bit much, Mischief. My dad used the Ferber method on me and I turned out just fine. It's not some heinous crime. It helps her become more independent."

"My love," He started, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "...she is not even a month old. Worry about independence when she can support her head and neck on her own. At least then, she might understand why we're abandoning and ignoring her."

Who would have thought an Asgardian god, who has been through countless battles, wars, and invasions, would consider the Ferber method the most egregious form of torture in the universe?

"We are not doing either of those things," I assured him. "This is a good way to help her learn self-soothing techniques. She'll be better for it in the long run. That way we won't need to keep getting up at all hours of the night and be sleep deprived the next day."

"Yes, a good night's sleep at the expense of our daughter's sense of security, what could be better?" He scoffed, but almost immediately after the words left his mouth, his eyes softened. "I don't understand why co-sleeping is out of the question. If her sleeping in the bed with us is causing you worry, we can keep her in the bedside bassinet."

"Still running into that magic problem. Why are you so against ferberizing her?"

And that's when he started to lose his temper. "Because at her age, crying is her only voice, Catherine! Her only way of communicating and telling us that something is wrong! How would you feel if you were crying out for help or if you were scared and in need of comfort and the people you trusted to take care of you just left you to fend for yourself?" As he spoke, his breathing got heavier and that's when I finally realized there was a heck of a lot more to this than I thought.