The Before [Prequel- Part 2]

First Anniversary

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

It had been about two and a half months since Steve's birthday and the celebration of my second favorite holiday. Everything coasted pretty smoothly for the rest of the summer, but it became very clear very fast that Linda was not a fan of the hotter months of the year. She thrived in the chill of our AC system, which made sense considering her whole Frost Giant heritage.

We didn't see much of Ross these past few months, which was a nice change of pace. Everything seemed to be settling into place finally. I guess Linda's existence was the magic cure-all our family needed.

On this particular morning, I was enjoying a rare opportunity to sleep in. Linda had been unusually quiet today, but I was too exhausted to let my mind worry about it. She was probably just growing out of her screaming all night phase.

Just as I was about to get the good part of an admittedly amazing dream, that may or may not have included punching Ross in the face repeatedly, I heard it.

"Rise and shine, my love!"

Loki. Why the heck was he so chipper this morning? I want to sleep, my good sir!

"No." I protested sleepily into my pillow. "Lay down and remain in darkness. It has a better ring to it. Better than any alarm clock."

"How about this alarm clock?" As if to punctuate his sentence, I felt a small weight land on my chest that forced me to pry open my eyes. There she was, in all of her adorable infant glory, Linda. She was gurgling happily, reaching for my face with a gummy smile.

"Okay, that's a pretty darn adorable alarm clock, I'll give you that." I relented, scooping her up into my arms and kissing her cute little chubby cheeks. I then turned to my husband, only to find him holding a tray of food and a bouquet of flowers. Black Dahlias. My favorite.

"Happy Anniversary!" He grinned, using a free hand to help me sit up and prop some pillows behind me.

Anniversary?! No. Not possible-

"It's our... No. No." I shook my head vehemently, readjusting Linda in my arms to check the date on my phone screen. "Our anniversary is next week, the 20th-"

"September 20th. Which is today." Loki finished speaking right as the date popped up on my screen.

"Baby Brain. Damn." I murmured, burying my face in my hands. "I can't believe I forgot. It's our first anniversary and I totally forgot. I am so sorry, Loki."

How could I be so forgetful? It's our first-ever wedding anniversary. You only get one of those, and I blew it in traditional Catherine Stark style. I'm the worst wife in the world!

In the midst of my self-deprecation spiral, I felt Loki's hand grab mine reassuringly. "It's okay, darling. You've spent your every waking hour for the last three months caring for a newborn. It's expected that some things will slip your mind."

"That's not an excuse." I should have remembered. I should have done something for him or at the very least made him a good breakfast.

"Well, that's too bad. Because I've already excused it." He said, his tone playful with a certain amount of firmness to reinforce the fact that in his eyes, I was forgiven. In the eyes of myself or any other wife with a modicum of brains about her, not so much. But it was nice to hear it from him. He sealed his words with a kiss on my hand and a quick peck on my lips.

As he pulled away, I stared down at Linda, who was babbling up a storm, her eyes locked onto her parents. "Your dada is too good to me. Show him some love, sweetie. He deserves it." And as if understanding my words, her babbling increased tenfold, now accompanied by some slight gurgling and very frantic grabby hands directed to her father.

Loki, of course, picked her up without a second thought, hugging her like she was his life force. "How is she already three months old..." He sighed, stroking the dark downy hair atop her cherubic head. "How unethical do you suppose it would be to cast a spell on her to prevent her from growing up?"

"Grossly unethical, but understandable." I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it a few times.

"Yesterday, I saw her lift her own head up, Catherine! All by herself!" His eyes went wide with incredulity, disbelief at Linda's audacity to actually meet her infantile milestones. "During tummy time, she even tried to push herself up into a crawling position!"

"Well, that's just not okay." I laughed, reaching over to tickle our baby girl's chin and making her giggle. "Why do you have to grow up? Just stay pocket-sized forever!"

Loki just chuckled, silently in agreement with my statement. "Alright, enough lamenting on things that can never be. Today is supposed to be a happy day. I have some activities lined up that I believe you'll appreciate."

"Ooo, you have my attention." I smiled, leaning forward like a teenage girl ready to hear some gossip. "What would those activities be?"

"One of them includes a picnic tonight, underneath the stars." He started, sitting beside me on the bed. "Since going back to Asgard clearly isn't an option, I figured we could settle for a forest clearing nearby. And this time, our little princess can join us." The end of his sentence was accompanied by a flurry of kisses from him onto Linda's face. He really couldn't get enough of her cuteness. "And for breakfast, I made your favorite. Nutella crepes with powdered sugar and strawberries. And for your drink..." He trailed off, reaching behind him to reveal a steaming hot cup of coffee. I recognized the label immediately. "Coffee from Pershing Square. The same coffee you almost dropped on the sidewalk the day we first met."

"That's so sweet!" I smiled, genuinely touched at how much thought he put into this. "And the picnic sounds amazing! Thank you for planning all of this for us." I hugged him, careful not to squish Linda between us. "I love you so much, Mischief."

"I love you too, darling. Happy Anniversary."