The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

It's Good To Be Back

(A/N- Originally, this chapter was going to be 11,281 words long, but then I figured that would be WAY too long of a chapter, so I broke it up into two chapters. So, the next chapter is already mostly written, it just needs to be heavily edited.

Also, I have finals in two days, so PRAY FOR ME. The way my school is set up is so freaking weird... We do this thing called block scheduling, so I have four finals in January and another four in June. It's hell.

Anyways, sorry for boring you. ON WITH THE STORY!🫡)

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

The monolith opened, and with it, so did my anxiety.

Loki still wasn't back yet.

Panicked, I reached out to him telepathically seconds before the monolith liquified and swallowed us all in a wave of white. "Loki, the portal's open! Get here now!"

There was a feeling of being pushed and pulled, a cold darkness surrounding me, and then suddenly, I was back on solid ground.

I looked around and through the dim lighting, saw May, Fitz, and Phil, who was still holding an unconscious Daisy.

But not Loki.

Of course, Jemma, Yo-Yo, and Mack were not present either, but at that moment, I could only think of Loki.

Did he not get my message? What if he teleported back but was too late? How long did the monolith stay open for after it took us?

All these questions rattled through my brain, not resting until milliseconds later when he finally appeared alongside the others who were missing.

Oh, thank God.

I ran up to him and hugged him instantly, letting out a breath of relief. "You made it."

He held me tightly before pulling away and smiling. "I made it." He kissed my forehead, his relief palpable.

Although I could see the happiness shining in his eyes, there was also a layer of...guilt. Why would he feel guilty? Did something happen when he went after our daughter?

Our daughter... God, that sounds so weird to say.

Seeing her was a shock to the system, and I don't think my brain has fully processed it yet.

I'll have to ask him what happened later because right now, we need to make sure we made it back to 2018.

"Well, that was a hell of a thing," Fitz commented, causing us to turn and look at the team that was still recovering from being sent through time again.

More like that whole thing was hell.

"I'm so glad you guys made it." Phil smiled, looking at Jemma, Mack, and Yo-Yo.

That's when I finally got a good look around the room we were in.

It was dark, but I could still make out the metal flooring, the concrete ceiling, and the rafters.

This was still the Lighthouse.

"Why are we still in the Lighthouse?" I asked, trying not to panic. There's no reason to believe the monolith didn't work. This could still be the Lighthouse, but in the present instead of the future.

May seemed to be on the same train of thought, looking around as well. "Maybe Flint's monolith didn't work."

If it didn't work, I was going to freaking lose it.

Fitz shook his head. "No, it worked. It takes you through time but to the same place." He gestured around the room. "I've been here before with Enoch. We made it."