As everyone knows.
Christmas Eve is meant for reunions. On this day, people return home to reunite with their families, enjoy a sumptuous dinner, and spend wonderful times together.
As night fell, snowflakes flew.
The house number 123 in West View Town was now filled with endless laughter and joy.
Ilya Maximoff had his grandchildren Billy and Tommy on each leg.
Marina Maximoff was holding her granddaughter Jean.
Wanda's eyes were somewhat red.
Pietro, with a whoosh, opened the oven, taking out a freshly baked turkey, albeit not the tastiest, but a necessity, and placed it on the dining table.
"The turkey is here!"
Across the street at the Cloys' house, Amy was holding a turkey, followed closely by Anya from the kitchen, placing a beautifully garnished turkey on the dining table.
Anya, who hadn't let go of Amy, already tear-stained after her afternoon return, sat beside her, looking at the two empty seats across the table, and then glanced toward the backyard.
There, in her sight.
Hawk and Gwen were standing in the backyard.
Gwen glanced back at everyone sitting in the dining room waiting for them and looked at Hawk, whose expression was calm beside her.
"Christmas Eve is a time for reunion, you should be proud. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to gather like this with those across the street, and besides, this has always been the motivation for your efforts to grow stronger, hasn't it?"
"I know."
Hawk, upon hearing this, withdrew his gaze, looked at Gwen, and in his eyes, endless stars seemed to twinkle: "Darling, you don't need to tell me that."
Gwen smiled radiantly.
"Then why are you staying here, are you not adapting to this change?"
"Ha."
Hawk chuckled.
"No, how could that be, that's impossible."
"You're lying."
Gwen looked warmly into Hawk's eyes with her emerald gaze capable of speaking: "No one knows you better than I do, darling. Don't forget, I was the one who could find you alone in the wilderness."
Images flooded Hawk's mind of him training deeply in the forest after leaving Quantico Base, hearing Gwen's call of 'Hawk'.
"From that day on, I couldn't escape your grasp."
"Escape?"
Gwen raised her eyebrows slightly, the corners of her lips curling up.
"Why would you want to escape, do you plan to betray me?"
"What, how could that be, that's a metaphor, darling, I would never betray you in this lifetime, you know that."
"I don't like that metaphor."
"Alright, I was wrong."
Even if he was right, Hawk, who would never apologize to anyone, would only choose to apologize in front of Gwen.
Hearing Hawk's apology, Gwen smiled brightly, glanced inside again.
"Let's go, enjoy this reunion, it's what you deserve."
"...Okay."
Hawk nodded, then, let his fiancée take him by the hand, leading him back into the house, where he took his seat at the dining table.
And then—
They celebrated the sumptuousness of this dinner.
They celebrated the reunion of family tonight.
Since 1995 to 2015, the Cloys had finally welcomed their first official reunion in twenty years.
But this is not the end.
This is the beginning.
Be it Andrew, Amy, Anna, or even Gwen, they were all happy.
As for Hawk…
Hawk couldn't quite articulate his happiness.
However, if he had to say something, he felt a bit tired.
After all—
He had to attend another gathering.
Fortunately, the other gathering was just across the street.
He had initially not planned to go, but Gwen's reasoning was quite sensible.
The Maximoffs across the street were also able to reunite today, also because of him.
This was his achievement.
So Hawk should go and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
If effort had no reward, then the meaning of striving would vanish.
The most important thing.
Across the street, there weren't just the Maximoffs; there were also three Phoenixes.
So...
Hawk went.
"Daddy!"
His daughter Jean, upon seeing Hawk appear after the door opened, beamed a broad smile, and with a whoosh, launched herself, hugging him tightly as Wanda stepped aside.
Hawk caught his daughter Jean, then looked at Wanda, who was looking at him after the door opened.
"Merry Christmas Eve."
"Thank you."
Wanda smiled slightly: "Merry Christmas Eve."
Hawk, holding Jean, followed Wanda into the dining room, then looked at the spot Mr. Ilya Maximoff had specially vacated, smiled slightly, said nothing, and sat down in the main seat with Jean.
Wanda took the first seat on the left.
Ilya sat in the first seat on the right.
Though in the Eastern Country, the left takes precedence, but in the Western-led international order, it is the opposite.
Ilya spoke first.
"Want a drink, Hawk?"
"Dad..."
Wanda raised an eyebrow, looking at her dad.
While her relationship with Gwen wasn't exactly bosom friends, she still knew Hawk's habit of not drinking until he was twenty-one.
But before she could say anything, Hawk had already responded, then looked at Wanda, with a slight smile: "Today is an exception."
Wanda met Hawk's gaze and, after hearing the words, smiled.
Soon.
As Hawk's whiskey clinked first against Ilya's glass, Hawk's glass also clinked against Wanda's wine glass.
Four eyes met.
Once again.
"Merry Christmas Eve."
"Merry Christmas Eve."
As the crisp sound of clinking glasses rang out, everyone raised their glasses, even their daughter Jean raised her coconut milk, celebrating Christmas Eve with heartfelt joy.
However.
Cheers eventually have their moments, but what doesn't have a timeframe is everything from tonight, which will become the most unforgettable part of the memory.
Still the backyard.
Still Hawk, but this time, beside Hawk was Wanda.
Wanda looked up at the snowflakes falling from the sky, with her peripheral vision catching Hawk holding their daughter Jean, also enjoying the snowy moonlit night.
"Thank you."
"You've said that already."
Hawk withdrew his gaze, then bent down to whisper a few words to his daughter Jean, watching her go back inside, and then he turned to Wanda: "Just take care of Jean, Billy, and Tommy."
Upon hearing this, Wanda looked at Hawk.
"They are my son and daughter."
"I know."
Hawk smiled slightly.
After a while.
Hawk was the first to withdraw his gaze.
"Let's go, there's another place I need to be."
"Alright."
Hawk's figure slowly faded away on the spot.
He was not lying.
He indeed had another venue to visit, but the third venue was not in the real cosmos.
Instead, it was in his Netherworld.
Returning to the guest room across from the house, Hawk sat cross-legged, letting his mind sink in, directly entering the Netherworld Pure Land.
After Anya's resurrection, the Pure Land seemed a bit desolate.
Led by Kaela, all the female blood elves returned to the Holy Hall in the Netherworld, guarding the Black Phoenix Nether Armor within the hall.
While near the Nether River, a bell hung outside a flower shop emitted a crisp sound as the Netherworld wind swept through.
Sitting on the chair, Anna listened to the sound, opened her eyes, and seeing Hawk appear before her, she smiled slightly.
"Good morning."
"Good evening."
Hawk and Anna's greetings were always unique: "It's Christmas Eve now, Merry Christmas Eve, Anna."
Anna got up from the chair: "Since I died and came here, living worry-free, I've been very happy."
Hawk shook his head.
"Not enough, this year's Christmas Eve has a theme."
"Oh."
"Reunion and harvest."
"I resurrected my sister Anya, reuniting the Phoenix Clan."
"I resurrected the Maximovs, also reuniting the Maximoff Clan."
"I even promised that those who helped me with S.H.I.E.L.D., S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and their families wouldn't go to Hell after death, but straight to the Netherworld Pure Land."
"But you were the first friend to help me."
"So..."
"I hereby pardon Alexander Pierce."
As Hawk spoke, the smile on Anna's face gradually froze.
Then—
Hawk opened his right hand, moved Alexander Pierce, who had suffered countless punishments in the Nether Prison, into the Pure Land.
Anna's eyes flickered, watching Alexander Pierce standing in the meadow of the Pure Land, looking around somewhat blankly yet dazedly.
With the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents slowly entering, Hawk knew Anna didn't really want to interact with the agents, so he set a rule.
Anna's flower shop could only be seen and reached by Anna and the souls she wished to see.
Once again.
The first one is always the most special.
Not because Anna happened to be, but because Anna deserved it, even though he promised Anna the power to pardon any soul with a flower, Anna never pardoned Alexander Pierce.
This year's Christmas Eve theme was about reunion.
So!
"I pardon Alexander Pierce of any crime."
"From today, Alexander Pierce is living in the Pure Land."
"Anna."
Hawk said, meeting Anna's gaze with a slight smile: "Merry Christmas Eve."
Anna's expression froze, then under Hawk's gaze, she displayed a brilliant smile.
So brilliant.
Brilliant enough to shed tears.
With a thump.
Anna embraced Hawk, her voice lightly tinged with a slight tremble.
"Thank you, Hawk."
"You're welcome."
Hawk did not refuse Anna's embrace: "Go on, this year's Christmas Eve theme is about reunion."
After speaking, Hawk departed from the Netherworld Pure Land.
He hovered up above, watching Alexander Pierce below, who was looking around bewildered, his gaze suddenly fixed as he witnessed Anna smilingly revealing her flower shop, watching Alexander Pierce, then withdrew his gaze and left.
Once again.
He could bring joyful reunions to people, but he wasn't adept at such reunions.
...