Marvel: The Enlightened One#37+38: Gwen: If I Want to Find You, I'll Find You, Bringing Home the Wild Animal

Countless shattered droplets of water hung in the air around Hawk, spinning and orbiting him as if paying homage.

The world was utterly silent.

The only sound was a single voice, calling his name from behind.

"HAWK!!!"

The word sent a jolt through him, and his bare chest, which had been rising and falling steadily, hitched for a second.

Hawk instinctively turned.

And saw her.

She emerged from the forest, dressed in a windbreaker. Her blonde hair was a mess, her face beaded with sweat, but her blue eyes, when they locked with his, were filled with a brilliant, overwhelming joy.

"Gwen?"

Hawk froze.

He couldn't believe it.

Somehow, the first person to find him here wasn't the United States military. It was Gwen.

How was that even possible?

His mind reeled.

And in that moment, time, which had been frozen, lurched back into motion.

ROOOAR!!

The inverted waterfall collapsed, crashing down once more. But this time, the sound was softer, more subdued.

It was as if the waterfall itself was afraid of making too much noise and inviting another cataclysm.

After all, Hawk had proven he could make it bend to his will.

At the same time, Gwen, seeing him standing there, began to run.

She didn't know why she was running—she had already found him—but her body just took over...

In the blink of an eye, she had reached the edge of the pool, and without hesitation, she plunged into the water, wading toward him.

The next second.

She threw her arms around him, holding on tight.

Hawk's arms instinctively wrapped around her, pulling her into his embrace, his body shielding her from the punishing force of the waterfall.

And then, he remembered. With a nearly silent whoosh, they vanished from the pool, reappearing an instant later on the grassy bank.

A thick cloud of steam, like a pillar of smoke, rose from Hawk's body and from Gwen's now-drenched clothes.

In a single, breathtaking moment, the immense heat radiating from Hawk's body vaporized the water, leaving them both completely dry.

Hawk looked down at Gwen, who was still clinging to him tightly.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask how she had found him when the entire United States military couldn't.

But—

He saw that she had fallen asleep, a faint, soft snore escaping her lips. He closed his mouth, then slowly sat down on the ground, cradling her in his lap.

He didn't speak. He just watched her sleep, his gaze soft. He reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of blonde hair from her face.

...

About half an hour later.

Gwen's eyes slowly fluttered open. Still groggy, she thought she was in her bed and instinctively started to stretch.

The next second, she saw Hawk, looking down at her.

Their eyes met.

Gwen blinked.

Hawk smiled.

"Hello."

"HOLY SHIT!" With a gasp, Gwen scrambled out of his lap, her pale cheeks flushing a deep shade of pink.

Hawk rose to his feet, stretching his limbs, which had gone stiff from holding still for so long.

Gwen, after a quick, disoriented glance at her surroundings, focused her attention back on him.

He stood before her, wearing only a pair of shorts, his body like that of a Greek statue. His sharp, intelligent eyes were framed by a pair of strong, confident brows.

They were the same brows she had always known.

But before, they had been like a sword in its sheath. Now, they were like a newly forged blade, drawn and ready.

Gwen stared, momentarily captivated.

The next second, she snapped out of it. A playful, knowing smile spread across her face. "The library. Studying. Hah."

"..." Hawk's brow twitched. He heard the gentle accusation in her teasing tone. After a moment, he said, "Sorry."

Gwen's smile widened.

She had heard the note of complaint in her own voice, and she had heard something new in his apology.

Before, when he had said he was sorry, it had been a dismissal, a way to end a conversation.

But this time?

A corner of her mouth turned up. She held out her hand.

Hawk looked at it, confused.

Gwen said, "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

Hawk walked over to where he had left his clothes, picked up the phone that had been sitting on his neatly folded t-shirt, and handed it to her. "I've been out here for over twenty days. The battery's been dead for weeks."

Gwen paused, then took the phone.

Sure enough.

The screen was black.

But—

She blinked. An idea struck her. She pulled out her own phone, still holding his, and clicked on the link from the security alert.

Link has expired.

Gwen stared at the screen, momentarily stunned. The link that had been active just a moment ago was now gone.

At that moment, Hawk finally asked the question that had been burning in his mind.

"By the way, Gwen, how did you know I was here?"

"..."

Gwen snapped out of her thoughts. She casually put her own phone back in her pocket, handed his back to him, and smiled. "My dad's a police captain, Hawk. If I want to find you, I'll find you."

Hawk just blinked.

That line—was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. He'd have to be crazy to believe that.

But looking at Gwen, who was trying so hard to look confident, a faint blush still dusting her cheeks, Hawk's expression softened into one of dawning realization. He gave a slow nod.

He decided to let it go.

A moment ago, he had been desperate to know how she had found him. But now, he realized he didn't care.

No.

The moment he'd seen her lying asleep in his arms, the question had ceased to matter.

Maybe it was just as she said.

She was the daughter of a police captain. If she wanted to find him, she could.

That was her story.

And Hawk decided to believe it.

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

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

New York, John F. Kennedy International Airport.

George Stacy of the NYPD's 19th Precinct was pacing back and forth near the arrivals gate, feeling like he was about to lose his mind.

This was it. The day he'd always dreaded.

His little girl, the precious daughter he had raised so carefully, was finally being snatched away by some animal.

And a wild one at that.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was that, from the looks of it, his daughter was the one who had gone looking for the animal.

George couldn't understand it. But at this point, it didn't matter.

Right now, only one thought consumed him.

He wanted to put a bullet in the punk who had stolen his little girl.

Just then, the passengers from the flight from Hagerstown, Maryland, began to deplane.

George stopped his pacing, took a deep breath, and stood by the gate, his eyes fixed on the passengers emerging from the jet bridge.

A moment later.

His breathing hitched, sharp and ragged in his chest.

Jesus Christ.

What was he seeing?

His baby girl was walking out, hand-in-hand with some handsome, wild animal.

George's face went dark.

The other people waiting nearby felt a sudden, inexplicable chill in the air. They glanced at George, then instinctively took a few steps away.

...

Finally, the new couple—fresh off the plane and still in the early days of their relationship—felt a wave of pure hostility crash over them.

Gwen looked up, saw the source of the cold front, and immediately let go of Hawk's hand. "Shit. It's my dad."

Hawk had already seen him. George Stacy, standing at the gate, dressed in a black suit, his normally stoic face radiating a dangerous cold.

Their eyes met.

Hawk could feel the captain's gaze on him—suspicious, analytical, and utterly hostile.

It was to be expected.

Hawk figured that if his own daughter had run off without a word and come back with some guy, he'd probably be even angrier than George Stacy.

Breaking the punk's legs would be letting him off easy.

What's that?

He's the punk in this scenario?

Oh.

Right. Never mind.

Hawk thought to himself.

To be honest, Hawk was still a little fuzzy on how he and Gwen had ended up holding hands.

The memories were a blur.

But he was happy.

It was just like he'd thought before.

Hawk had never been against the idea of a relationship, especially with Gwen Stacy, the undisputed number one girlfriend in all of comics.

He had always felt out of her league.

But now, he wasn’t.

And once he got his hands on that meteorite, got the Vibranium from Wakanda, and forged his Phoenix Armor, he'd own the whole damn league.

So—

Hawk watched as Gwen ran ahead to her father, grabbing his arm. His own expression remained calm. He walked right up to Captain Stacy, met his glare without flinching, and extended his right hand.

"Mr. Stacy. I'm Hawk. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"..."

George didn't speak. He didn't shake Hawk's hand. He just glanced at it, then completely ignored him and looked at Gwen.

"Let's go. Your mother's waiting."

"Dad!"

"It's okay, Gwen." Hawk smoothly retracted his hand, his expression unchanged. "You should go with your father."

He understood. He didn't blame George for not shaking his hand. Right now, even if the man had tried to punch him, he would have just dodged. He wouldn't have fought back.

Hawk gave Gwen a small, reassuring smile, said a final "Goodbye, Mr. Stacy," and then walked away, not wanting to make things any more difficult for her.

...

Hawk was back at his apartment near Queensbridge Park.

He flipped on the light.

He had expected to find the place covered in a thick layer of dust after being away for over twenty days.

But it was clean. Even the shorts he had left hanging in the window were now neatly folded on the sofa.

And on top of them was an envelope.

This must be the gift from Dr. Connors that Gwen had mentioned on the phone.

Hawk sat down on the sofa, picked up the envelope, and pulled out a handwritten letter.

It was a letter of recommendation to New York University, written by Dr. Connors himself.

Hawk had forgotten. Dr. Connors was an NYU alumnus.

Hiss.

"Damn. This is a pretty big deal."

Hawk blinked.

Honestly, the letter was impressive.

A recommendation from a scientist of Dr. Connors's stature was more than just a nice gesture, it was the kind of thing that could open doors. Other students would kill for something like this.

A letter of recommendation was a form of social currency, a personal endorsement.

So, If Hawk had received this letter before he had awakened his Cosmo, he would have been ecstatic.

But now?

He didn't really care if he got into NYU or not.

He wasn't planning on dropping out of school, but his perspective had shifted.

If it happens, great. If not, that's fine too.

He could see a different, more brilliant future laid out before him now.

However—

He still owed Dr. Connors a thank-you call.

Hawk turned the envelope over. Gwen had written Dr. Connors's number on the back.

He pulled out his phone, saw the black screen, and chuckled. He stood up and walked into the bedroom.

Hawk plugged his phone into the charger and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for it to power on.

As he waited, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the picture frame on his nightstand had been moved slightly.

Hawk raised an eyebrow. He reached over and carefully adjusted the frame, angling it back toward his pillow.

It was a habit.

He slept on his side, and with the frame positioned just so, there was a seventy percent chance it would be the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes in the morning.

There. Perfect.

Hawk smiled, then looked at his now-powered-on phone and dialed Dr. Connors's number.

The call connected quickly.

"Curtis Connors speaking."

"Dr. Connors, it's Hawk."

Hawk introduced himself, then apologized for the delay, explaining that he had been out of town and had just gotten back and seen the letter.

Dr. Connors sounded genuinely pleased to hear from him.

After a few minutes of pleasantries, Hawk asked casually, "You sound like you're in a good mood, Doctor. Did the experiment finally succeed?"

Dr. Connors laughed.

"Almost. One of the test mice showed me the breakthrough is within reach."

"...Well, congratulations in advance, Doctor."

"Thank you, Hawk. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

"Of course. Take care."

"..."