The Before [Prequel- Part 1]

Secretary Ross

~~~Tony's pov~~~

I'm going to kill him.

Catherine and I don't have the best history with him. At all. So, I'll be more than happy to.

"What just happened? Where did she go?" Pietro asked.

"What did she mean; that Ross considers rescue missions a waste of time? Did something happen?" Nat looked at me, confused.

I sighed. I can't tell them about this. Not without her permission.

"There was an incident about eight years ago, and Ross... Let's just say he did or rather didn't do something that affected her greatly." I explained, leaving it vague.

I could tell Loki understood, and seconds later, he left the room.

~~~Catherine's pov~~~

I was sitting on my bed, wiping my tears when I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," I said quietly.

I would like to state, for the record, that I'm not usually this emotional. But the past few days have done a number on me.

The door opened, and Loki stepped inside.

Just the person I needed to see.

"I'm guessing you're wondering what happened."

"Well, yes, but I also wanted to make sure you were okay. With all the Hydra nonsense going on today, I thought it best for you not to be alone." He sat next to me.

"Thanks." I gave him a soft smile. "Seeing Ross just took me by surprise."

"What happened, exactly? I know why I hate him, but I have no idea why you would."

"It's complicated. But it had to do with what happened when Hydra took me the first time..."

~~~Flashback~~~

The wall of my cell exploded, showering me with small pieces of concrete debris.

A bright light flooded in from outside. I haven't been outside in Lord knows how long.

I squinted, making out the shapes of three men.

Who were they? Hydra or someone else?

"Catherine?"

My heart skipped a beat. I knew that voice.

"Dad?" I called out, tears threatening to fall.

Seconds later, my father stepped out of his Iron Man suit and ran over to me.

"Dad!" I cried into his shoulder as he held me close.

"It's okay. I got you. I'm here now." He soothed me, running his fingers through my knotty hair.

"I thought you'd never find me..." I sniffled, looking up at him.

"Never underestimate your dad. I'll always be there for you."

"And me, if I count."

I turned to see Phil standing by Fury behind us.

I gave them both a small smile and a silent thank you before hugging my dad tighter.

The next thing I knew, I was standing in one of Fury's quinjets on my way home.

Home...

I grabbed Dad's arm as I remembered something.

James.

He's still there.

"Dad, we need to go back," I said suddenly, taking him by surprise.

"Why?"

"There's someone else there. A guy. He's been there since the 40s as their prisoner. I can't leave him behind."

He was about to say something when a man walked up to us. He was older and had graying dirty blonde hair.

"No can do, young lady."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Secretary Ross."

"And why can't we go back?"

"Look, we weren't even supposed to be here right now. Your dad and Fury went behind my back to bring you home after I deemed you a lost cause. If I'm being completely honest, I'd say this whole thing is a waste of time. If you really have these abilities, you should have gotten out on your own. I'm certainly not going to waste more time by going back to 'rescue' a figment of a little girl's imagination."

"James is real! He's real, and he needs our help! I promised him I'd get him out of there!" I protested, despite the man's cold words.

Was I really just a waste of time?

"That's enough! Back off, Ross. No one asked you to be here, and if you don't stop talking to my daughter like that, I'll have you thrown out of this plane, Understand?" My dad grabbed my shoulder and held me behind him. Then he turned to me. "Don't listen to him. You are not a waste of time. You are the most important person in the world to me, okay?"

I nodded, blinking back tears, and hugged him again.

~~~End of Flashback~~~

"...Ross told my dad I was a lost cause. A waste of time. I'm only here right now because my dad and Fury went against his orders. So, it's safe to say I hate him with every fiber of my being."

If it wasn't for him, I bet James would be here at the compound with us. Away from Hydra and the brainwashing.

Loki was silent as he took in my story.

"Sometimes I wonder if he was right, and I am a waste of time-"

"Don't say that." He grabbed my hand gently. "You are anything but."

~~~Loki's pov~~~

Yet another reason to hate Secretary Ross. Let's just add it to the ever-growing list, shall we?

"Why do you hate him?" She asked me suddenly.

"Besides what you just told me?" I asked seriously.

She nodded.

"He wasn't very open to me joining the team. After New York, he argued with Fury several times, saying that I should be in possession of the government, not Shield, and certainly not a part of the Avengers. He didn't listen and instated me into the team anyway. I remember Ross confronting him about it later, going on about how that was the second time he violated his direct orders concerning an 'asset with other-worldly abilities,' I believe were his exact words." I answered. "I can only assume he was talking about you."

"One thing you'll learn about Fury is that he plays by his own rules." She sighed. "But now you understand why whatever these Accords are can't be good. Especially if Ross is endorsing it."

"Of course. I live by one philosophy. Do the opposite of whatever Ross thinks is right." I joked, half serious.

She laughed, making me smile.

Knowing that I can lift her spirits somehow always manages to make me feel better,

If she only knew how important she was to me...