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Christmas Eve, 2015, arrived right on schedule.
And so did the snow.
A massive storm system had moved in on the 22nd, blanketing New York City in a thick layer of white.
Manhattan's towering skyscrapers were transformed into glittering pillars of snow and ice.
The trees in Central Park looked as if they had been wrapped in heavy, white comforters, and police cruisers, tires wrapped in chains, navigated the slushy streets with their sirens wailing.
But fifty miles away, across the Hudson River in the quiet town of Westview, the snow felt different.
It wasn't a frenzied blizzard. Large, lazy flakes drifted down vertically, in total silence.
The Victorian-era houses that lined the streets all wore thick caps of snow, their chimneys puffing slow, lazy trails of white smoke into the gray sky.
Inside House 123.
A roaring fire crackled in the hearth, filling the room with warmth.
A massive fir tree, filling the air with the sharp, clean scent of pine, stood proudly in the corner of the living room.
It was fully decorated, strung with lights and ornaments.
And beneath its branches, a mountain of brightly wrapped presents had already begun to accumulate.
Outside, Pietro was shoveling the driveway.
But within minutes, his shoulders and hair were completely dusted with white.
Inside, Wanda and her daughter, Jean, were crouched in front of the oven, watching intently as a batch of cupcakes slowly rose and browned in the heat.
Soon.
Ding!
The oven timer chimed cheerfully.
Meanwhile, back in Queens, at 521A Palm Street.
Gwen, wearing oven mitts, pulled a tray of freshly baked Christmas Eve cupcakes from the oven.
She took a bite of one to test it. Her eyes lit up. "Perfect." She looked around for Hawk, eventually spotting him through the kitchen window, shoveling the driveway.
Gwen smiled, leaning against the counter to watch him work.
And then...
Her smile turned into a look of absolute disbelief.
Outside, Hawk had apparently grown tired of the manual labor. He tossed the snow shovel aside and casually placed his right hand flat on the driveway.
In an instant, the intense heat of the Phoenix Fire flared outward from his palm.
Whoosh.
Within seconds, the snow covering the entire driveway vaporized into steam. The concrete dried almost instantly, visible steam rising from its surface.
In the blink of an eye, the path from the garage to the street was completely clear. The residual heat radiating from the concrete ensured that any new snowflakes melted the second they touched the ground.
Satisfied with his handiwork, Hawk nodded, dusted off his hands, and stood up.
The next second.
He caught Gwen staring at him through the kitchen window.
Hawk raised an eyebrow, turned, and walked into the house through the garage door.
Gwen, holding the tray of cupcakes, looked at him with an exasperated smile as he walked into the living room. "You do realize that everyone else on the block has a snow-covered driveway, right? Don't you think a perfectly dry, steaming driveway in the middle of a blizzard looks a little suspicious?"
Hawk just shrugged.
"Honey, do you know what's really suspicious?"
"What?"
"The fact that it's still snowing, and you made me go out there and shovel first thing in the morning."
Hawk looked at her, deadpan.
What kind of sane person shovels a driveway while it's still actively dumping snow? It was like trying to bail water out of a sinking boat with a colander.
Gwen glanced out the window at the falling snow, then looked back at Hawk.
Their eyes met.
Gwen picked up one of the fresh cupcakes and popped it into his mouth.
"Is it good?"
"..."
Hawk chewed the cupcake in silence, his expression resigned.
"Honey, do you know something else?"
"Uh..."
"You are terrible at changing the subject. There was absolutely no segue there."
"I'm a woman!"
Gwen's smile was radiant. "And I'm your fiancée. I don't need a segue to change the subject. I just do it."
Hawk met her bright, emerald-green eyes, gave a solemn nod, and sighed.
"You're right. I was wrong. I apologize."
"Apology accepted."
Gwen smiled triumphantly and turned to head back to the kitchen.
Just then.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Hawk and Gwen turned to look.
Anya came bounding down the stairs, her dark hair bouncing, her face flushed with healthy color. She met their gaze and immediately took Gwen's side. "I'm with her, Hawk."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Gwen beamed. "Thanks, Anya! Here, try one of my cupcakes."
Anya grabbed one, took a bite, and her eyes widened in pleasant surprise.
"This is amazing."
"Want to learn how to make them? It's a secret recipe from the Fox family."
"Yes, please! Thanks, Gwen."
Anya linked her arm through Gwen's, practically glowing with happiness.
Hawk was speechless.
"Anya, really? You folded that fast? It's only been a few weeks, and she's already turned you against me?"
"I haven't folded, Hawk. I'm just siding with reason."
"Rea—"
Hawk looked at his sister's serious expression, the corner of his mouth twitching. Then, his gaze swept over her outfit.
She was wearing a navy blue toggle coat over a plaid mini-skirt, paired with heavy combat boots. Her legs were covered only by sheer, black pantyhose.
Hiss.
Hawk stared at the sheer tights and inhaled sharply. "Go back upstairs and change."
Anya blinked. She looked down at her outfit, then back at him, confused.
"Why? This is the style right now."
"It is not the style for the sister of the Phoenix."
"...Hawk!"
"What."
"You are so old-fashioned!"
"Hah."
Gwen, listening to their banter, couldn't help but laugh. She looked at Anya. "He's not old-fashioned. He's just overprotective of you. But he's right, it's freezing out there today. Do you remember that cashmere sweater dress we bought last week? Wear that one."
Anya thought for a moment, then nodded. With a quick "okay," she turned and headed back up the stairs.
Hawk let out a sigh of relief.
Gwen watched Anya disappear at the top of the landing, then turned to Hawk. "You're wound a little tight, Hawk. It's not good for her, and it's not good for you."
Hawk shrugged. "I know."
He admitted that he was being a bit overbearing.
There was nothing wrong with Anya's outfit. She was nineteen, technically, even if she had missed the last seven years. She wanted to look pretty. It was normal.
But…
Hawk shook his head. "She was only thirteen when I lost her. And she's only been back for a month. I'm just… I don't want anything to happen to her."
Gwen understood his anxiety.
He had spent the last several years turning himself into a god just so he could bring her back.
But…
"You need to let her breathe, Hawk. If you try to keep her in a bubble, bringing her back is just going to feel like another kind of prison to her."
"I know."
Hawk nodded, accepting her words.
Just then.
Anya came back down the stairs, having changed her outfit.
She was now wearing a classic camel-colored chesterfield coat over a soft cashmere dress, paired with knee-high leather boots.
She spun around in front of him.
"Is this better?"
"Much better."
Hawk looked at his sister, who was now thoroughly bundled up, and smiled approvingly.
Gwen shook her head in silent amusement and changed the subject. "Anya, come help me pack the car. We need to get on the road to Westview."
Anya agreed enthusiastically and hurried off to help her sister-in-law load their overnight bags.
Since her resurrection, Hawk's primary instinct had been to wrap Anya in bubble wrap and protect her from the world.
Gwen, however, had taken a different approach. She had stepped flawlessly into the role of the older sister/sister-in-law, taking Anya shopping, showing her around the city, and helping her navigate a world that had moved on seven years without her. It was largely thanks to Gwen that Anya had reintegrated so quickly.
Half an hour later.
The black Audi A8 pulled out of the driveway, leaving Palm Street behind, and headed for the highway toward Westview.
"Do you think the Maximoffs are there yet?" Gwen asked.
"They should be on their way."
Hawk wasn't entirely sure.
Unlike Anya, who he had brought home immediately after her resurrection last month.
Olek and Iryna Maximoff had stayed behind at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility for a few weeks to adjust to their new bodies and go through physical therapy.
Don't ask Hawk why he hadn't just brought them back with Anya.
Pietro had insisted. He wanted it to be a surprise for Wanda.
Yes.
Pietro had known all along. When S.H.I.E.L.D. needed a DNA sample to confirm the identity of the remains they had excavated in Sokovia, they had called Pietro into the New York office.
If they had cloned the wrong people, that would have been a disaster.
So…
While Hawk was driving his sister and Gwen to Westview, an unmarked S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjet was touching down at a secure airfield just outside of town.
Soon.
A nondescript sedan carrying Olek and Iryna Maximoff pulled out of the airfield and headed for Westview.
At House 123.
Wanda was in the kitchen, feeding Billy and Tommy.
Four-year-old Jean was sitting quietly on the sofa, watching The Powerpuff Girls and happily munching on one of Wanda's freshly baked Christmas cupcakes.
Whoosh.
Pietro, who had been zipping in and out of the house all morning, came rushing back in for the fifth time.
Wanda, spooning puree into Tommy's mouth, looked at her brother in exasperation. He was practically vibrating with energy. "If you're really that bored, why don't you go upstairs and clean up the playroom?"
Pietro, struggling to contain his excitement, nodded vigorously. "Yeah, okay. I'll do that. But hey, if someone knocks on the door in a minute, you answer it, okay?"
Wanda frowned.
"What are you—"
Ding dong!
The doorbell chimed.
Wanda instinctively looked at Pietro.
He didn't say a word, but his eyes were shining, his face flushed with anticipation.
Seeing his reaction, Wanda stood up. Scarlet Chaos Magic sparked at her fingertips. But as she extended her senses toward the door, she froze. She looked back at Pietro.
Pietro, tears welling in his eyes, gave her a frantic, desperate nod.
Wanda's hands flew to her mouth. She dropped the spoon, sprinted to the front door, and pulled it open without a moment's hesitation.
And there they were.
Standing on her porch.
The man and woman who had visited her in countless dreams over the years. Her father, Olek, and her mother, Iryna.
Wanda collapsed into tears instantly.
"Dad!"
"Mom!!"
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