It is well known.
Christmas Eve is a time for reunion. On this day, people return home to reunite with their families, enjoy a sumptuous dinner, and spend quality time together.
As night fell, heavy snow fluttered down.
House number 123 in Westview was filled with endless laughter and joy at this moment.
Ilya Maximoff had his grandsons, Billy and Tommy, one on each thigh.
Marlena Maximoff held her granddaughter, Jean.
Wanda's eyes were a little red.
Pietro, with a whoosh, opened the oven and placed the freshly baked turkey, which, though not great in taste, was a necessity, onto the dining table.
"The turkey is here!"
At Chloe's house, diagonally across the road, Amy carried the turkey, and Anya followed closely from the kitchen, placing the beautifully decorated roasted turkey on the dining table.
Anya sat next to Amy, who had been clinging to her since she returned that afternoon, crying tears of joy. She then looked at the two empty seats opposite and glanced towards the backyard.
In sight.
Hawk and Gwen were standing in the backyard at this moment.
Gwen turned her head, looking at everyone already seated in the dining room, waiting for them. She then looked at Hawk, who had a calm expression.
"Christmas Eve is a day for reunion. You should be proud. If it weren't for you, we and the family across the street wouldn't be reuniting like this. Besides, this is also the motivation you've always strived to become stronger for, isn't it?"
"I know."
Hawk heard this, withdrew his gaze, and looked at Gwen, his eyes twinkling with what seemed like endless stars: "My dear, you don't need to tell me that."
Gwen smiled brightly.
"Then why are you staying here? Are you not used to this change?"
"Ha."
Hawk chuckled.
"No, how could that be? Impossible."
"You're lying."
Gwen gently met Hawk's gaze with her expressive emerald eyes: "No one knows you better than I do, my dear. Don't forget, I found you alone in the primeval forest."
Hawk recalled the scene from years ago when, after leaving Quantico Base, he was cultivating deep in the forest and heard Gwen's call, 'Hawk.'
"From that day on, I couldn't escape your grasp."
"Escape?"
Gwen raised an eyebrow at this, her lips curving slightly upward.
"Why would you escape? Do you want to betray me?"
"What, how could that be? It's a metaphor, my dear. I will never betray you in this life, you know that."
"I don't like this metaphor."
"Alright, I was wrong."
Hawk, who would never apologize to anyone unless he was in the wrong, would still choose to apologize in front of Gwen, no matter how much he was in the right.
Gwen smiled brightly upon hearing Hawk's apology, then turned her head to look inside the house again.
"Let's go. Enjoy this reunion. You deserve it."
"...Okay."
Hawk nodded, then allowed his fiancée to pull his hand, returning inside and taking a seat at the dining chair in the dining room.
And then—
Cheering for the lavish dinner.
Celebrating the family reunion tonight.
From 1995 to 2015, after a full twenty years, Chloe's family finally had their first official reunion.
But this will not be the end.
This is the beginning.
Whether it was Andrew, or Amy, or Anna, or even Gwen, everyone was very happy.
As for Hawk… Hawk couldn't quite articulate how happy he was.
However, if he had to say, he felt a little tired.
After all—
He had to rush to another event.
Luckily, the other event was just across the street.
He hadn't originally planned to go, but Gwen's persuasion was very sensible.
The Maximoff family across the street was also able to reunite today, also because of him.
This was his credit.
So Hawk should go and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
If effort yields no reward, then the meaning of striving will vanish.
The most important point.
There weren't just Maximoffs across the street; there were also three Phoenixes.
So… Hawk went.
"Daddy!"
His daughter, Jean, looked at Hawk, who appeared after the door opened, her face beaming with a smile. With a whoosh, she took flight, and the moment Wanda stepped aside, Jean had already thrown herself into Hawk's arms.
Hawk caught his daughter, Jean, then looked at Wanda, who met his gaze after opening the door.
"Merry Christmas Eve."
"Thank you."
Wanda smiled slightly: "Merry Christmas Eve."
Hawk, holding Jean, followed Wanda into the dining room, then looked at the seat specifically left empty by Mr. Ilya Maximoff, smiled slightly, said nothing, and sat at the head of the dining table with Jean in his arms.
Wanda pulled out the first seat on the left and sat down.
Ilya sat in the first seat on the right.
Although East Country honors the left, in the Western-dominated international order, it is the opposite.
Ilya spoke first.
"Drink, Hawk?"
"Daddy…"
Wanda raised an eyebrow, looking at her father.
Her relationship with Gwen couldn't be described as better than intimate best friends, but she still knew Hawk's habit of not drinking until he was twenty-one.
However, before she could say anything, Hawk had already responded, then looked at Wanda, smiling slightly: "Today is an exception."
Wanda met Hawk's gaze, heard this, and smiled.
Soon.
After Hawk's whiskey glass first clinked with Ilya's, Hawk's glass also clinked with Wanda's red wine glass.
Their eyes met.
Once again.
"Merry Christmas Eve."
"Merry Christmas Eve."
As the crisp clinking sound rang out, everyone raised their glasses. Even his daughter, Jean, raised her glass of coconut juice, celebrating Christmas Eve tonight with heartfelt joy.
However.
Cheers eventually end, but what has no end is that everything tonight will become the most unforgettable part of their memories.
Still the backyard.
Still Hawk, but this time, beside Hawk, it was Wanda.
Wanda looked up at the falling snowflakes, her peripheral vision on Hawk, who was holding his daughter, Jean, and also admiring the snowy moonlight.
"Thank you."
"You already said that."
Hawk withdrew his gaze, then whispered a few words to his daughter, Jean, before watching her return to the house, and then looked at Wanda beside him: "Just take good care of Jean, and Billy and Tommy."
Wanda heard this and 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.
"I'm leaving, I still have another event to rush to."
"Okay."
Hawk's figure slowly disappeared from where he stood.
He wasn't lying.
He did indeed have another event to rush to, but the third event wasn't in the real Universe.
It was in his Netherworld.
Returning to the guest room of the house across the street, Hawk sat cross-legged, his mind sinking directly into the Netherworld Pure Land.
After Anya's resurrection, the Pure Land seemed to have become somewhat desolate.
The female Blood Elves, led by Keira, all returned to the Netherworld's Sanctuary, guarding the black phoenix underworld armor within the Sanctuary.
And near the River Styx, the wind chimes hanging in a flower shop made a crisp clinking sound as the Netherworld's wind blew through them.
Anna, sitting on a chair, heard the sound, opened her eyes, and smiled slightly at Hawk, who appeared before her.
"Good morning."
"Good evening."
Hawk and Anna's greetings were always unique: "It's Christmas Eve now. Merry Christmas Eve, Anna."
Anna rose from her seat: "To be able to come here after my death, carefree, I am already 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 family."
"I resurrected Mr. and Mrs. Maximoff, also allowing the Maximoff family to reunite."
"I even promised S.H.I.E.L.D., which helped me, that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and their families would go directly to the Netherworld Pure Land after death, not hell."
"But you were the first friend to help me."
"So…"
"I hereby pardon Alexander Pierce."
As Hawk spoke, the smiling expression on Anna's face gradually froze.
And then—
Hawk spread his right hand, moving Alexander Pierce, who had suffered an unknown amount in Nether狱, into the Pure Land.
Anna's eyes flickered as she looked at Alexander Pierce, standing on the grass of the Pure Land, bewildered and somewhat dazed as he looked around.
As S.H.I.E.L.D. agents gradually entered, Hawk knew Anna didn't particularly want to interact with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, so he established a rule.
Anna's flower shop could only be seen and entered by Anna and the souls she wished to see.
Once again.
The first is always the most special.
Not because Anna was lucky, but because Anna was worthy. Even though he promised Anna the power to pardon any soul, Anna never pardoned Alexander Pierce.
This year's Christmas Eve theme was reunion.
Therefore!
"I pardon Alexander Pierce of all his sins."
"From today onwards, Alexander Pierce lives on the Pure Land."
"Anna."
Hawk said, meeting Anna's gaze, and smiled slightly: "Merry Christmas Eve."
Anna's expression was frozen, then, under Hawk's gaze, she broke into a brilliant smile.
Very brilliant.
So brilliant that she cried.
With a thump.
Anna hugged Hawk, her voice soft with a slight tremor.
"Thank you, Hawk."
"You're welcome."
Hawk did not refuse Anna's embrace: "Go, this year's Christmas Eve theme is reunion."
After speaking, Hawk left the Netherworld Pure Land.
He was invisible above, watching below as Alexander Pierce, who was bewilderedly looking around, suddenly froze his gaze, watching Anna smile and display her flower shop, and after looking at Alexander Pierce, she withdrew her gaze and left.
Once again.
He could bring joyful reunions to people, but he was not good at such reunions… (End of Chapter)
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