...
Hawk didn't know what natural childbirth felt like, but now he understood what it was like to have his soul ripped apart in an instant. The pain hit his heart, sank into his bones, and touched the deepest part of him. He couldn't even describe it.
After Wanda's enthusiastic invitation and reliving their past, he found himself back in space, facing her smile. That experience left him with one clear thought.
'Women really know how to hold a grudge.'
"This absolutely wasn't revenge, sweetheart," Wanda said, apparently reading his mind again. "You know me. I'm not petty."
Her quick denial said it all. She'd been keeping track: every time he ignored her, every cold shoulder, and even a bunch of things he hadn't realized he'd done.
Hawk thought he was getting a bad deal. He'd always believed one woman was enough, and he stuck to it. Gwen was first, he fell for her, and that was it. Being faithful meant keeping other women away.
His life didn't come with instructions. How was he supposed to know it would throw in a twist like Wanda being Gwen and Gwen being Wanda? If he'd known earlier—
Wait a minute. If Wanda was Gwen, then his actions should have reassured her. He'd been loyal the whole time. Still, women could find reasons to hold things against you in the strangest ways.
"Of course, sweetheart. You don't hold grudges. Not at all." Hawk nodded solemnly under her smiling gaze.
"Thank you for believing me, darling."
"I always do." He quickly turned his attention to the Ancient One, who was appearing from the Phoenix fire.
She had brought the universe back to where it was before it was destroyed, letting its history play out again. Now she raised her head and slowed time. The roar of a waterfall faded into the sound of a river, then became the calm of a deep lake.
She wasn't tired. The next step needed more than just speeding things up. Civilizations needed time to grow, people needed time to change, and their choices had to play out. All of that took time.
Now her job was to create a timeline for every living thing, every world with life, every galaxy, and the universe itself. Each needed a future without the loops that kept making the universe start over.
"This universe keeps humans and mutants at odds because their conflict draws out more of its potential," the Ancient One said upon returning. She glanced at Hawk, then addressed Wanda.
Hawk raised an eyebrow. He was about to ask why she was explaining this to Wanda when the Ancient One looked back at him.
"The God-King gave this universe to his queen. Naturally, she's the one I should consult about its future."
Wanda gave him an amused look. Both women watched him, and Hawk glanced between them.
"…Fair enough." He spread his hands. "Go ahead."
Satisfied, Wanda returned her attention to the Ancient One. "I thought this universe was pretty far down the scale. How much potential could it have?"
"There's nothing inherently lesser about it," the Ancient One replied with a smile. "It has just as much potential as our home universe. What it lacked was a proper timeline leading into an endless future. Whenever it developed as far as its allotted time allowed, it reached the end and reset. That restriction is what made it seem so limited."
She paused, then continued.
"Its potential extends well beyond a parallel universe. Given enough time, it could become a new universe in its own right, fully manifested in reality."
She looked at Hawk. He thought he understood her point. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head.
"The Phoenix Universe has to stand on its own."
Being sent back to fix the damage from his cheating had taught him a hard lesson. Shortcuts always cost something. If Wanda hadn't been there—if he'd tried to find Jean alone—he would have lost this universe.
He'd used Marvel's power to cheat ahead with his own abilities. That left holes in what should have been a perfect system. Luckily, he fixed the damage. Now that his power was back, he wasn't going to take another shortcut just to make the Phoenix Universe real.
This universe might become a real, fully formed universe. That was fine. It could be a parallel universe to the Phoenix Universe or a smaller one under it. But it would never be the main universe for the Phoenix Universe.
"That would be my advice as well," the Ancient One said. "But that wasn't what I meant to ask."
"Then what is it?" Wanda asked.
"This universe wishes to continue developing its potential."
"Then let it." Wanda looked puzzled. "That's a good thing."
A parallel world and a smaller universe weren't the same, and she liked the idea of her gift becoming something bigger. Plus, if she and Hawk ever argued, she could treat this place like her parents' house. If he made her mad, she could take the kids and come here.
Meanwhile, Hawk picked up on what the Ancient One meant.
"It needs humans and mutants to keep driving each other's evolution?"
"Yes." The Ancient One nodded. "That is why I came to speak with you. It communicated its wishes while I was weaving its timeline. Those wishes deserve consideration."
The universe had accepted Hawk's authority, but it was on the same level as the Ancient One. Both served him like deities. If Hawk was the boss, the Ancient One and the universe were like two managers who had to work together.
She could ignore what the universe wanted and make her own timeline. But if the universe didn't cooperate, it could ruin her plans much more easily than she could make them work.
"So the conflict between humans and mutants would continue?" Wanda asked, frowning.
"Yes. And this extends beyond Earth. Every inhabited planet in this universe has two races locked in opposition," the Ancient One explained. "Evolution cannot happen in a sheltered environment. It takes danger to force change and bring out that potential."
Wanda listened as the Ancient One explained why the universe wanted this. She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Hawk.
"What do you think?"
"Your universe, your call." Hawk smiled. "I gave it to you. You decide where it goes from here."
He didn't really care about managing its future. He was already thinking about going home, seeing his sister, taking a break, and then finding that Celestial who ran away and settling things with him.
Besides, he hadn't put the Ancient One, Anna, and Tiamut in charge of time, death, and order just to keep doing everything himself.
"What does our God of Order think?" Wanda asked, looking up at Tiamut's enormous form.
"Your Majesty." The Celestial lowered himself onto one knee before answering. "I maintain the order of time. Deciding how time should be arranged lies beyond my abilities."
Wanda got it. Tiamut did the work and let others do the thinking. He was a natural worker, the kind management loves.
"What would you recommend, Ancient One?" she asked with a small smile.
"You don't get diamonds without pressure."
"Understood." Wanda had her answer. "Let's respect what it wants. It trusted us. It believes we can give it a future with no end, something Eternity never gave it."
The Ancient One nodded and was about to leave when Jean tugged at her mother's arm. Wanda glanced down at her daughter, then called the Ancient One back.
"Wait."
The Ancient One turned to her. Wanda thought for a moment.
"Try to give Earth a reasonably peaceful timeline."
"I will, Your Majesty."
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