Marvel: The Enlightened One#133+134: A Few Loose Ends, The Hell Witch Returns

“Hello.”

The smile on Gwen's face was so bright it could've lit up the entire city. She held out her left hand to Sharon.

There was no need to ask why it was her left hand.

The six-carat, purplish-red diamond engagement ring on her left ring finger was doing all the talking.

Every girl who’s just gotten engaged wants to show it off to the world. Gwen was no exception.

Of course, if a woman gets engaged and doesn’t post a single thing about it on social media, doesn’t tell a single soul… there’s usually only one reason why.

She doesn't love you.

The moment Gwen extended her hand, Sharon’s eyes were drawn to the ring. Her mind raced, and in an instant—she understood why Hawk had gone to the moon.

NASA’s database was S.H.I.E.L.D’s database after all.

As her mind put the pieces together, she shook Gwen’s hand and offered a warm smile.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Gwen beamed with joy. Then, she seemed to register Sharon’s last name. “Carter… that name…”

The name itself wasn’t particularly famous.

But in the history books of World War II, it was legendary. The name was forever linked with Captain America—a name that held singular importance in his story.

It was the last name of the woman he had loved.

Sharon didn't deny it. “That’s right. Peggy Carter was my great-aunt.”

She said it with a quiet pride.

Gwen understood. “So, you’re here today to…”

“Just to ask Hawk a few questions.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll let you two talk. I’m going to go out to the backyard.”

Gwen smiled, then gave Hawk a quick kiss and headed for the back door, leaving them to their business.

She was going to redo her garden.

Before, she had been his girlfriend, helping him with the landscaping. Now, she was his fiancée.

As she showed her mother the ring in the master bedroom, she glanced out the window at the garden she had once been so proud of—and suddenly, it no longer seemed good enough.

It was time for an upgrade!

...

Hawk watched her go, then turned back to Sharon, who had retaken her seat on the sofa. “I assume you don’t need an explanation anymore.”

Sharon nodded, then gave a wry smile. “But Hawk, you really scared a lot of people last night.”

The only reason this wasn't blowing up into a massive scandal was because the world's attention was currently glued to Wakanda.

And ironically, it was Hawk who'd helped expose Wakanda's lies in the first place.

Most importantly, Maria Hill, now Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, had personally vouched for him in front of the Security Council.

Alexander Pierce had backed her up.

Hawk didn't respond to threats. But Maria Hill had chosen a different path. She had approached him with respect, as an equal. And in return, he had helped her break through Wakanda's impenetrable defenses.

The UN’s top scientists had confirmed it: without his help, it would have taken them ten years and a full-scale nuclear assault to get through that shield.

So, for now, the world powers were on friendly terms with Hawk. They had even accepted Maria Hill’s recommendation to leave him be. That was why, since his return from Africa, no one had bothered him.

But his little joyride last night had still sent a shockwave through the global intelligence community. And that was why Sharon who was supposed to be on vacation was here now.

She already knew the reason of course.

The diamond meteorite NASA had discovered on the moon. There was no doubt that was what he had gone for.

She could already picture the looks on the faces of the Security Council when she filed her report.

It was going to be priceless.

Hawk said. “I have no interest in changing the world, Sharon. As long as they don't come looking for trouble, I won't go looking for it either—”

It was the truth.

He could traverse the stars now if he wanted to. The only reason he was still on Earth was because it was home.

His sister was here. His fiancée was here.

Sharon nodded.

“I’ll pass that along.”

“Thanks.”

“Well, I should get going.”

Sharon stood up and glanced at her watch with a wry smile. “I have to go to the airport to pick up Thor and his girlfriend.”

Once again, with all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents deployed to Africa, she was the only one available.

The connection was flimsy at best—she was Peggy Carter's niece, Peggy had been in love with Captain America, and Captain America had fought alongside Thor—but orders were orders, and she had to roll with it.

As Hawk walked her to the door, a thought occurred to him. He let out a short laugh. “You’re going to be busy.”

Sharon looked at him, confused.

Hawk didn't mind giving S.H.I.E.L.D a little heads-up. It would save them all a lot of trouble in the long run.

He told her about his sparring arrangement with Thor—and about how the God of Thunder was now a permanent resident of Earth. He told her they would probably be taking regular trips out into the cosmos to train.

The expression on Sharon’s face was priceless.

“Okay,” she finally said, her voice a little strained. “I’ll… I’ll include that in my report.”

Hawk smiled.

Gwen, who'd just come back inside, spotted them at the door and walked Sharon the rest of the way out.

A few moments later, having fully embraced her role as lady of the house—she closed the door and returned to the living room with a playful, conspiratorial gleam in her eye.

“So, did you give Howard a rough diamond?”

“Yeah.”

“He was showing it off this morning. My mom took it. Said she’d keep it for him until he gets married.”

Gwen’s expression was serious, but her eyes were dancing with amusement.

Hawk met her gaze and laughed.

It was true. Mothers were the same everywhere.

He didn't offer Helen one of course.

Not that he couldn't—he'd brought back the entire meteorite after all.

But it wouldn't be appropriate. A future son-in-law giving his future mother-in-law a diamond? That just wouldn't look right.

Diamonds symbolized love and commitment. Helen's diamonds needed to come from George.

Speaking of which…

“How’s your dad’s headache?”

“My mom said it’s worse.”

“...”

Poor George.

And then there was Peter.

Gwen hadn't just shared the engagement news with her mother. Her best friend Mary Jane had been next on the list.

Mary Jane responded with a barrage of ear-piercing squeals, followed by an immediate demand that Hawk take them all out to dinner.

He had agreed.

And then, when she had seen the six-carat ring on Gwen’s finger, her envy had been palpable. She had spent the rest of the dinner shooting pointed, meaningful looks at Peter.

Peter had spent the entire meal on high alert, his Spider-Sense tingling with every glance.

...

After dinner, Gwen and Mary Jane walked ahead.

Hawk and Peter followed behind.

He pulled a small, newspaper-wrapped object from his pocket and tossed it to Peter.

“Here.”

“What’s th—” Peter caught it, unwrapped it, and then immediately tried to hand it back.

“...”

“No, I can’t take this. It’s too much.”

“It’s just a rock.” Hawk smiled. “You’re my friend. Are you telling me our friendship isn’t worth more than a stupid rock?”

Peter shook his head.

“Of course not.”

“Then take it.”

Hawk's tone left no room for argument. He threw an arm around Peter's shoulders and started walking. “Besides, you shouldn't worry about what it's worth. You should worry about what it's gonna cost to get it cut.”

It was a rough diamond. Not a finished one.

<><><><><><><><>

Time flows like a river.

In the blink of an eye, the fall semester at NYU and Empire State had come and gone.

In another blink, winter break had arrived.

“Wow!”

“It’s snowing!”

On the first morning of the break, Gwen slipped out of bed, threw on a robe, and went to open the curtains. Her eyes lit up at the sight of fresh snow blanketing their backyard, soft flakes still drifting down. She whirled around with pure delight written all over her face. “Hawk, look!”

Since they were engaged, it was only natural that they were now living together.

Helen had been fine with it, her only condition being a series of not-so-subtle hints about being careful. She'd just finished raising Howard and Simon, and she wasn't quite ready for grandchildren just yet.

In a word: no babies before the wedding.

It was a condition they had both readily agreed to.

So, since the start of the semester, Gwen had been spending most of her time at the house on East Village, only occasionally going home to her parents' for a night on the weekends.

This was her home now.

...

Gwen climbed back onto the bed, her excitement bubbling over.

“It’s snowing, Hawk!”

“I see it.”

“Come on, get up! Let’s go build a snowman.”

She tugged at his arm, trying to pull him out of bed. “I was just talking to Mrs. Smith from next door yesterday about how we should decorate for Christmas. I can’t believe it’s already snowing.”

Hawk let out a weary laugh. “Gwen, do you have any idea what time I got home last night?”

She paused. “Oh, right. You and Thor had another sparring match. When did you get back?”

“About a minute before you woke up,” he said, his voice deadpan. “I just got back from Mars. So, can I please get some sleep?”

Yes. Mars.

This was their tenth sparring session. Ever since September, they had been meeting up almost once a week.

At first, they had fought in Earth's upper atmosphere.

But after a few rounds, S.H.I.E.L.D had put their foot down.

It wasn’t Hawk. It was Thor.

He was still the God of Thunder, and the stray arcs of lightning from his hammer were wreaking havoc on their satellites.

Once was an accident. But at a rate of one satellite per week, the five world powers were getting nervous.

So Sharon Carter had paid them a visit. First, she'd gone to Hawk, who politely pointed out that it wasn't his fault—but that he was open to finding a new venue.

Then she'd gone to Thor—

Thor had been furious, declaring that the mortals were insulting a god. Then Sharon had shown him the bill for the damages.

Thor had immediately agreed to find a new venue.

Their fourth match had been on the moon.

But then Thor, in his infinite wisdom, had summoned a lightning bolt that fried both the American and European lunar rovers.

So, when a tight-lipped Sharon Carter had shown up on their doorstep again, they had preemptively agreed to go somewhere even farther away.

It was Jane who had suggested Mars.

And it had been perfect—far enough away to keep the world powers satisfied, yet vast and empty enough to serve as an arena where they could go all out.

With each battle, Hawk felt his Cosmo grow stronger, new stars igniting within his inner universe.

At this rate, he was drawing ever closer to the peak of Silver Saint.

Thor was equally content.

Though he had settled on Earth for love... deep down he remained a warrior through and through.

A good, no-holds-barred fight once a week was exactly what he craved. He was improving as well—his control over his power growing more precise, more refined.

At the very least, when Hela eventually appeared, he might actually keep both eyes this time.

...

Hawk did not sleep much longer. He sank into his Cosmo for a brief but fruitless search for the Seventh Sense, then rose to his feet.

After breakfast, Gwen dragged him outside to build her snowman.

The entire neighborhood was out, the kids all playing in the fresh snow.

In the end, Gwen’s snowman was declared the undisputed champion of the East Village Snowman Building Competition.

It stood proudly on their front lawn—a chubby, cheerful figure with a carrot nose, a Santa hat, and a red-and-white scarf—posing for pictures with the neighbors.

Hawk stood back, watching Gwen laugh and talk with their new friends, a genuine smile on his face.

When he had lived here alone, he had not known any of his neighbors. But since Gwen moved in, everything had changed.

On her first day, she baked a batch of cookies and dragged him through the entire neighborhood, introducing them to everyone. Within a month, she had become a beloved member of the community. Now, whenever there was a neighborhood event, she was always included.

And this afternoon, she went to St. Mark’s Church with Mrs. Smith to volunteer, handing out blankets and food to the local unhoused community.

Hawk went with her.

But he did not remain out front. He walked around to the back, to the small, quiet cemetery, to visit his sister. Standing before her grave with his hands in his pockets, he gazed at the photograph on the headstone.

...

“Next year,” he whispered.

“I’m coming to Hell to bring you home.”

“I promise.”

He had wanted to go this year. But to walk freely between the realms of the living and the dead, he needed the Eighth Sense. He was still a long way from even touching the Seventh.

He was strong enough to survive a trip to Hell, but if Mephisto refused to release her, there was nothing he could do.

Moreover, according to Thor, all dimensional pathways to Earth were currently closed. The recent Convergence of the Nine Realms had triggered a massive, invisible energy storm that forced all pocket dimensions—including Hell—to seal their gates.

...

That night, after dinner at the church, Hawk and Gwen walked home. When they returned, he saw her standing before the fireplace, wreathed in blue flame.

The Hell Witch.

“...” Gwen gasped.

Before Hawk could explain, the witch was upon him, her voice desperate.

"Hawk, you have to help us."

"My descendant…"

"Someone is hurting her, just like they hurt us."

“Her power is out of control. I’m afraid she’ll hurt herself.”