Christmas Eve of 2015 arrived as scheduled.
And so did the heavy snow.
A heavy snowfall that began on the 22nd had completely transformed New York City into a city of snow.
Manhattan's skyscrapers became snow-covered crystal pillars.
The trees in Central Park looked as if they were wrapped in thick snow blankets, and police cars with anti-skid chains wailed as they worked around the clock.
Across the Hudson River, fifty miles from Jersey City, in a place called Westview, the snow fell differently.
Here, the snow fell unhurriedly, in large flakes, vertically and silently.
The town's Victorian-style old houses wore thick snow caps, and white smoke curled leisurely from their chimneys.
Inside the house at Westview 123.
The fireplace fire blazed, filling the entire house with warmth.
A fir Christmas tree, exuding the unique scent of pine, was already quietly in the corner of the living room.
The Christmas tree was now adorned with ornaments.
And beneath the Christmas tree, all sorts of wrapped gifts were already piled up.
Pietro was currently shoveling snow outside the door.
But he hadn't shoveled for long before his body and hair were already whitened by the heavy snow.
As for Wanda.
Wanda and her daughter, Jean, were crouching in the kitchen, together watching the small cake gradually expand in the oven under the intense heat.
Soon.
"Ding!"
The oven emitted a crisp sound.
Gwen, in the kitchen of the house at 521A Palm Street, wearing insulated gloves, opened the oven and took out the small cakes made for this Christmas Eve.
After tasting one first, her eyes lit up, and she looked up, searching for Hawk's whereabouts, finally spotting Hawk shoveling snow outside the door.
Gwen raised an eyebrow, leaned to the window, and watched with a smile as Hawk, at the garage door, shoveled snow in a simple and brutal manner.
Then… the expression on her face turned to surprise.
In her sight.
Hawk, seemingly annoyed by shoveling snow, directly tossed the iron shovel aside, casually placed his right hand on the ground, and in an instant, the Phoenix Fire's heat swept in all directions.
In a flash.
Centered on Hawk's palm, the heavy snow was vaporizing, and the ground was returning to a dry state at a visible speed.
In just the blink of an eye, the snow from the garage to the main road had completely vanished, and the residual heat of the ground even ensured that the continuously falling snow would vaporize and disappear the moment it touched the ground.
Hawk, having finished all this, looked at his masterpiece, nodded with satisfaction, and clapped his hands.
The next second.
He met eyes with Gwen, who was standing at the window.
Hawk raised an eyebrow, turned, and walked towards the garage, then returned from the garage to the living room.
Gwen, holding the tray of small cakes, looked at Hawk entering the house and said helplessly, "You should know that it would seem very incredible if everyone else's doorstep has snow, but our garage door doesn't."
Hawk shrugged.
"My dear, do you know what's most incredible?"
"What?"
"It's that it's still snowing outside, and you asked me to shovel snow first thing in the morning."
Hawk looked at Gwen seriously.
What kind of good person shovels snow while it's still falling? It's no different from those idle math problems about water flowing in and out at the same time.
Listening to Hawk's words, Gwen subconsciously turned her head to look at the falling snowflakes outside, then looked back at Hawk.
Their eyes met.
Gwen, holding the tray, offered a freshly baked small cake to Hawk's mouth.
"Is it delicious?"
"…"
Hawk silently ate the small cake offered to his mouth, his expression helpless.
"My dear, do you know something else?"
"Uh…"
"Your technique for changing the subject is very clumsy, without any preamble."
"I am a woman!"
Gwen said with a smile, "And I'm your fiancée, I don't need a preamble to change the subject, as long as I want to."
Hawk met his fiancée's expressive emerald eyes, and his expression became serious as he nodded.
"You're right, I was wrong, I'm sorry."
"I accept your apology."
Gwen smiled slightly, then turned gracefully.
Just then.
A sound came from the stairs.
Hawk and Gwen looked towards the stairs.
Anya, with red lips and white teeth, came down the stairs, met Hawk and Gwen's gazes, and said to Hawk, "Brother, I'm on sister-in-law's side."
Hawk raised an eyebrow.
Gwen beamed, said thank you, and then said, "Anya, try the small cakes I just made."
Anya ran to Gwen, picked up a small cake, took a bite, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"It's delicious."
"Want to learn? I'll teach you, this is the Fox family's secret small cake."
"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law."
Anya said happily, linking arms with Gwen, expressing her surprise.
Hawk was somewhat speechless.
"Anya, can you not betray me so quickly? It's only been a few days, and you've already been won over by your sister-in-law."
"Brother, this isn't betrayal, I'm on the side of reason."
"Rea…"
Hawk looked at his serious sister Anya, his mouth twitched, and then his gaze fell on Anya's current attire.
A navy blue duffle coat, paired with a plaid mini skirt and heavy Doc Martens, her legs only covered by a layer of delicate sheer black stockings.
"Hiss!"
Hawk looked at his sister's black stockings, took a sharp breath, and quickly said, "Go up and change your clothes."
Anya blinked, lowered her eyes, examined her attire, and looked at Hawk with some curiosity.
"What's wrong? I checked, this is this year's trend."
"Not the Phoenix family sister's trend."
"…Brother!"
"Hmm."
"You're too conservative!"
"Ha."
Gwen, listening to the conversation between Hawk and Anya, burst out laughing, then smiled at Anya: "Your brother isn't conservative, he's just conservative towards you, but you two are going out later, and wearing this is indeed a bit chilly. Didn't we buy a cashmere dress last week when we went shopping? You can wear that."
Anya thought for a moment, nodded, responded, and walked up the stairs.
Hawk breathed a sigh of relief.
After Anya disappeared around the staircase, Gwen looked at Hawk: "You're a bit too anxious, Hawk, this isn't good for Anya, or for you."
Hawk shrugged: "I know."
He admitted that he had indeed been a bit too overbearing just now.
After all, Anya's attire just now was indeed fine; pursuing beauty is every woman's nature.
But… Hawk shook his head: "It's just that Anna was only thirteen when she left me, and she's just come back, I'm afraid she'll get hurt."
Gwen also understood Hawk's psychology.
After all, Hawk embarked on the path of becoming stronger precisely for Anya.
It's just… "You should have realized it yourself earlier. If you can't accept it, resurrecting Anya would be hurting her a second time."
"I know."
Hawk nodded upon hearing this.
Just then.
Anya, having changed her clothes, walked down the stairs.
Underneath a classic camel Chester coat was a soft cashmere dress and sleek knee-high boots.
Anya spun around in front of Hawk.
"Is this okay now?"
"It's fine."
Hawk looked at his sister, who revealed no skin, and a relieved expression appeared on his face.
Gwen, beside him, silently shook her head and changed the subject: "Anya, come help me pack, we're getting ready to go to Westview."
Anya immediately responded, turned, and ran to help her sister-in-law pack things for Westview tonight.
Compared to Hawk, who adopted comprehensive protective measures for Anya after her resurrection.
Gwen, after meeting Anya, adopted the approach of a qualified sister-in-law, taking Anya shopping and introducing her to the brand new World after seven years. It can be said that Gwen was instrumental in Anya's complete integration into this World after seven years within just one month.
Half an hour later.
The black audi a8 drove out of the garage, left Palm Street, and headed towards Westview.
"Oh, by the way, have the Maximoffs arrived in Westview yet?"
"They should be on their way too."
Hawk wasn't too sure.
Unlike his sister, whom he brought home immediately after her resurrection last month.
The Maximoffs remained at the S.H.I.E.L.D. clone Base, adapting to their brand new bodies.
Don't ask Hawk why he didn't bring them back together.
The answer is that Pietro planned to give his sister a surprise.
Yes.
After all, that time, to confirm the identity of the remains, Pietro was called to New York S.H.I.E.L.D. for DNA comparison.
If the wrong remains were dug up and cloned incorrectly, that would be a huge joke.
So… just as Hawk was driving his sister and Gwen to Westview, an unremarkable S.H.I.E.L.D. fighter jet had already docked at the S.H.I.E.L.D. airport outside Westview.
Soon.
An unremarkable vehicle, carrying Ilya Maximoff and Malina Maximoff, drove towards Westview not far away.
Wanda was currently at home feeding Billy and Tommy.
Four-year-old Jean was very mature, sitting on the sofa, watching "The Powerpuff Girls" on TV while eating the Maximoff's Christmas Eve small cakes that her mother Wanda had just baked.
With a whoosh.
Pietro, who had been in and out four times since this morning, once again ran back into the house from outside.
Wanda, who was feeding Billy and Tommy, looked at Pietro, who seemed particularly excited today, with some exasperation: "If you have nothing to do, go upstairs and tidy up the messy toy room."
Pietro suppressed his inner excitement, nodded: "Okay, later, when someone arrives, you go open the door."
Wanda frowned slightly.
"What…"
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell rang.
Wanda subconsciously looked at Pietro.
Pietro didn't speak, but his expression was very excited.
Wanda looked at Pietro's expression, got up, and as she did, scarlet Chaos magic surged at her fingertips, then she seemed to see something, paused her steps, and looked at Pietro.
Pietro was now nodding excitedly, his eyes brimming with tears.
Wanda also subconsciously covered her mouth, then quickly ran to the door, and without hesitation, opened it.
In her sight.
Outside the door.
Her father, Ilya, and her mother, Malina, who had appeared in countless of her dreams, now stood there.
Wanda instantly burst into tears.
"Father!"
"Mother!!"
"…" (End of chapter)
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