The dust had settled, the world was restoring itself, people were laughing again, the celebrations had died down. This was two years later. It took two years of healing for Scott Lang to feel like he was finally regaining control of his own life again. What once had been nightmares were now peaceful dreams about the life he was yearning for, a life that he was willing to grab with two hands and fulfil. Life was short, it took a disaster to realise that. Now, he wouldn't let it go.

Returning to normality had been rough for not only him, but for those around him. Every day he reminded himself of how lucky he was that his family were all still here, alive and well. Others had lost people during the five year period. Scott was a very empathetic person and grieved for those he didn't know, people who had returned to find out their partners had moved on, that parents had died or that they didn't even have a home to go back to. He was lucky, he knew that, but that didn't stop the pain that lived in the pit of his stomach. He began to live in constant worry, checking that Cassie was safe every hour at night. He'd suddenly wake up, sweat dripping down his forehead and anxiety taking over his entire body. He'd rush into Cassie's room, find her asleep in bed and spend five to ten minutes with her, watching her breathe, checking she was alive. Afterwards, he'd return to his bed, their bed. He'd try his best not to disturb Hope, but still she seemed to just know. She'd roll over to face him, her eyes still shut tight as if she wasn't even awake. Her arm would immediately curl around his torso, and her fingers would rest on his lower back, the pad of her thumb moving in circles in an attempt to calm him. Sometimes she'd whisper an 'it's okay' or an 'I love you' and other times she'd remain silent. He'd keep his eyes on her until she fell asleep, often counting the freckles on her nose until his eyes began to droop and he'd fall into a deep slumber. He was amazed at how calming she was.

In time, things got better. Scott wouldn't wake up in panics and managed to spend entire nights without checking on Cassie or clinging to Hope. He was able to greet people on the streets again with a cheery 'hello' and go to his favourite taco truck without being reminded of that fateful day. He'd hear children's laughter as he walked through the local park, holding onto Hope's hand and relishing in the fact that this entire moment was made possible because of what they did that day. He could spend evenings with Maggie and Paxton, drinking wine in the garden and barbecuing food for them all to eat. Luis would often come with Kurt and Dave, sometimes Ava would come along too. He'd sit around a fire pit with Hope tucked under one arm and Cassie under another, laughing with his friends and family until everyone got a bit too tipsy and had to go home. He eventually went back to work with Hank, a place that no longer was filled with tension and pressure, but with gratitude and delight. Janet would always greet him with a tight hug and he'd feel like he was a real member of the Pym/Van Dyne clan.

Good news became great news, great news became amazing news, and everything in Scott's life became something he wanted to live for.

There was a time that Scott believed he would never get to tell Hope he loved her. He was stuck in that damn cell in Germany, cursing himself for being so stupid. Sure, he felt a part of something amazing but at what cost? He'd lost Hope, a woman that had been so stoic that he thought he'd never get to see what she was like stripped back. Then he did, and gosh she was everything. The way she opened up to him about her past when they lay in bed one night catching their breath. She'd lay on his chest and trace shapes across his body whilst telling him about the nights she'd spent crying with a pillow over her head, too afraid that her roommates would see how weak she was. She'd just wanted her mother, or even her father, to be there and hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Hope would tell him about the Christmases she'd sit at the window watching other kids go home with their parents, and her dad would always be the last one. He'd collect her with so much as a nod of his head and a, "hey sweetie" that would feel so inauthentic that Hope wouldn't even respond. She grew up thinking that her father blamed her and she didn't even know why. It broke Scott's heart to hear these stories but he never stopped her as it was clearly something she'd been bottling up for so long and needed to get out.

Sat there in that prison cell, he'd remember those moments and find dread in the fact that he'd never be able to tell her how he really felt. He decided that Hope deserved better, that anyone in their right mind would never let someone like him back in their lives.

Then she did, she let him back in. Somehow she'd forgiven him for his mistakes and let him be a part of her life again. He half expected the energy rush of saving her mother to die down and she'd remember what he did to her, leaving her, and then she wouldn't want to know him anymore. He expected it, but it didn't come. He still found himself going for lunch with her everyday and sneaking kisses behind walls in her parents lab on weekday afternoons. They'd have game nights with Cassie and spend all night sometimes on the couch talking each other's ears off until it was so early that the sun would begin to rise.

He was going to tell her. Finally he'd be able to tell her the three words that had been on the tip of his tongue since the moment he'd first laid eyes on her.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

He had a plan set in motion. He'd get the particles, they'd give them to Ava, he would spend the evening with her at her house, cooking her favourite meal, and then he'd look straight into her eyes and tell her he loved her.

Of course, life was never that easy for them and that moment was robbed from him in an instant. A snap that cost him everything.

He remembered seeing her on that battlefield for the first time in what felt like a lifetime. For him it had been weeks, for her it had been seconds, but for them both it was forever. Time didn't matter when an experience had been so traumatic. Their eyes lit up and their glances at each other screamed three words, and three words only.

I love you.

When the pain began to subside and he had his two girls in his arms again, nothing felt more real. It was crazy how much these girls felt like his medicine, his lifeline. If they were happy, he would be too.

That night, once Cassie had gone to bed, he found her still sat on the porch, gazing up at the stars above them. She'd put on a cardigan now and had it wrapped tightly around her due to the chill that was in the air.

She was wiping away at stray tears that had fallen and sniffled in an attempt to keep any more from escaping. She could hear the trees rustling and the birds chirping in the distance and she smiled at the sounds. Everything felt so alive to her.

Becoming dust was scary but possibly not as scary as living the life here on earth without half of everyone. She had remembered hugging Cassie a little tighter upon reconnecting with her. The not-so-little girl's hands clung tight to her as if she was afraid that everyone was going to leave her again. She'd wiped Cassie's tears with the pad of her thumb and promised that she'd, they'd, protect her from now on. A promise she'd have made even without a superhero suit. One that had become not only a promise but her job role now. Protecting her family was her priority.

"Hey," Scott had said as he came up behind her, taking a seat next to her and watching her fiddle with the sleeve of her cardigan. "I love you."

It was simple but sincere and just saying those three little words were enough to rid him of so much pain and fear.

She turned to look at him, a small smile beginning to show on her face. She linked her arm with his and leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and enjoying the fact that she could be this close to him.

"I love you too," she'd replied. "Thank you for being our hero."

"Always," he had replied.

She had leaned up and pressed her lips to his, letting them touch softly before deepening the kiss and letting him know how much she'd needed this.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray..."

Hope looked down at the baby resting in her embrace. Nothing would ever compare to the feeling of rocking your baby in your arms, Hope was sure of it. The gentle gaze of his eyes stared up at her, looking at her with such adoration and amazement. She smiled down at him and brushed her finger across his cheek.

"You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away," she finished softly.

"That was beautiful." A voice murmured from beside her.

Hope cringed. "I'm so sorry if I woke you. He was crying."

Scott gave her a smile and moved his hand to her lower back, rubbing his hand up and down it. "It's okay. Your voice soothes him and I'd much rather wake up to the sound of you singing than his wails, isn't that right bud?" He leaned over and brushed his finger over his son's hand, who then took a hold of it with his entire hand. "I'll never get over how he just grips on like that."

"I know, he's just such a daddy's boy."

"I don't know, look at how he looks up at you whenever you talk. He hangs onto your every word." He shuffled up in the bed so he was sad upright alongside Hope, then he wrapped his arm around her waist urging her to lean into him.

Hope obliged, resting her head just below his neck. Years together hadn't stopped the fear of losing him and so she relished in any comfort he provided her with.

"He blabbers away to me sometimes, I think we have a chatterbox on our hands," she said the last part in a childlike voice, making the baby in her arms giggle with delight. "Definitely a happy baby."

"He fits right in. Cassie was always happy."

"She still is."

It hadn't gone without notice by Hope and Scott that Cassie had took the entire Thanos situation extremely well. At first, they'd worried that she was masking her emotions but during a deep conversation with Hope during a girly night in, she'd opened up about how it was almost a relief. She had always known he'd come back to her, because he always did. She always knew that he would fix this because he was her hero, he always knew what to do. Hope had cried with her that night over how heroic Scott had been, but they'd pinky promised not to boost his ego too much. They let him know everyday that he was their hero and that was enough.

"Is she still coming today?" Hope questioned.

"Yeah. Maggie is bringing her at five-ish. Oh, by the way, Maggie said she wanted to chat with you about birthing plans or something."

"Ah yeah. She did mention something about that."

"I know it's weird because she's already had a child, but you had it so easy with Noah that I think she's determined to have a smooth birth like you."

Hope laughed, "it was far from smooth thank you very much."

"Oh I know. My swollen hand was the proof."

"Worth it though," Hope said, gazing down at the child in her arms whose eyes were fluttering shut.

"Definitely worth it."

When Hope had fallen pregnant it was definitely a shock, but a welcomed one at that. If you'd asked Hope when she was twenty-one whether she'd wanted children she'd have laughed in your face and told you that children were a distraction. Her mother had been the big driving force in proving that wrong though, as she'd lived the double life of being a superhero and saving the world but also raising her daughter to be sufficient, strong and empathetic. She didn't get that from her father.

"How did you know Mom? That you were ready?" She'd asked Janet the evening she found out she was pregnant.

"I just knew what was meant to be would be. I loved your father and I was ready to embrace life with a baby too. Then I took one look into your curious eyes and knew that you were everything I ever needed and I'd never let you go." Janet choked up as she said the last few words and Hope already had tears streaming down her face.

That night when they lay in bed, Scott mumbling words of protection to a bump that hadn't even begun to surface, Hope knew that her Mom was right. This was what she wanted.

"You know Maggie, what I did might be completely different for you. Women's body's aren't all the same." Hope said, handing Maggie an orange juice.

"Yeah, I know. I think maybe I'm wanting someone to reassure me, I don't know. Cassie wasn't the best of births."

Scott had told Hope about how Cassie was born far too early, causing complications for the tiny human when she was only mere seconds old. She'd spent most of her time in the NICU, with tubes coming out of her mouth. Scott had told Hope that he'd cry every time he got to hold her because she just looked so fragile.

"Scott felt the same with Noah. We just talked things out together and we knew that the only thing we could do was be there for each other, and for the baby." Hope places a hand on Maggie's shoulder. "You're not a bad person for feeling so scared Maggie. You went through hell with Cassie and I can't imagine what that was like."

"Scary. It was scary. Never knowing if we'd be able to take her home, whether she'd even survive." Hope had to look away from her for a second and to the baby resting in the moses basket in the corner of the room. She'd been so lucky with Noah and couldn't imagine how she'd feel if something bad happened.

"But she did, and she's here. She was a fighter. She still is a fighter," Hope said blinking away tears that were forming in her own eyes.

"I remember the first day she smiled. She'd been in the hospital months and I remember the day she looked up at Scott, her eyes wide and curious. He was pulling some stupid funny face, and she just started smiling. I don't think she's stopped smiling at him since."

Hope chuckled softly. If you'd have told her she'd be sat here listening to her husbands ex-wife detailing events that had happened way before her and Scott even knew each other, she'd have laughed. It was ridiculous, but she'd found friendship in the most random of places. They were all a family, and yes, maybe to others it would be weird, but to them it was what every family should be.

"You want to know what I think?" Maggie nodded in response. "I think you should talk to Jim. Tell him your worries, he probably has his own too. You can get through it together, I promise it's the best way." She'd had the experience. Working together through pain was the best, and sometimes the only, way through it. "It'll be okay."

Maggie's lip wobbled slightly but Hope wrapped her arms around her before she could break down. They pulled away as Scott entered the room.

"I come bearing cookies," he said with a smile on his face which made the two women laugh even despite the tears rolling down their faces. "Woah. I don't even wanna know what I missed."

"Mom, try one of these!" Cassie bounded in to the room handing her mother a cookie. "Dad found a new recipe and they're amazing!"

Maggie took a bite and instantly tasted the perfect amount of cinnamon. "They taste like Autumn. Delicious," she said and Cassie smiled.

"Hope, you too!" She passed the plate over to Hope who bit into one and instantly sighed with delight.

"Oh wow, these are amazing Cass."

"Thanks!"

"You too Scott, they're great." Hope said with a wink, knowing full well that he'd just stolen her mother's recipe.

Him and Cassie left the room to clear up and Hope went over to pick up Noah who was beginning to stir.

"I love how close they still are even despite her being a teenager now." Hope said, cradling her son in her arms.

"Me too. I don't think she'll ever be too old to have fun with her dad. She's missed so much time with him. I hate that I was a part of that at the beginning."

"It wasn't your fault Maggie, you were protecting her."

"I thought I was. In hindsight it probably wasn't the best idea." Maggie glanced at Hope who was now bouncing Noah up and down slightly in an attempt to soothe his tiny cries, which she managed to do in a matter of seconds. "Hope?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for making him happy."

Hope just gave her a soft smile of gratitude back, understanding exactly where she was coming from and feeling blessed to hear such a compliment.

Maggie continued, "I never pictured you being a Mom when I first met you, but you're so good at it."

"I never thought I'd be one either, I guess that's just what happens when you meet the right person. You want to settle down, be a family. Even then life never stops being interesting."

Maggie nodded in agreement and vowed to speak to Jim about what she was feeling. They'd go through it together, hand in hand.

They didn't tell Cassie that they were working on a suit for her. It was a surprise they'd been planning for a year and one that had took a lot of preparation, including convincing everyone that it was safe. She'd expressed interest not long after everyone returned. She'd took up training with Hope, and every day after school she'd spend hours in the gym building up her skillset. Hope was so proud of her, she was so ambitious and determined to prove to everyone that she could do this.

Scott had been a firm no for a while, even Maggie agreed before him. However when Cassie looked into his eyes one day and said that she wanted to be someone who saved people, he couldn't deny that this was the right thing to do. He wouldn't take away her chance at being a hero, after all, he knew exactly how it felt to be the good guy. Hope reassured him that she would never do solo missions. She'd always fight alongside either one of them and they'd decided she would make an excellent third team member, one who could bring a fresh eye to situations.

The plan was set to give it to her on her birthday, and everyone was beside themselves with excitement. Janet had spent months designing the suit, crafting the materials and subtly getting hints from Cassie on what colour scheme she'd like. The suit was similar to Hope's in style, but the colour was more prominent, with purple being the overall scheme. Her helmet was also very similar to theirs, with a light shade of pink being used as the visor to shield her eyes.

When her birthday rolled around, they set the suit up in the lab and blindfolded Cassie. When they'd taken it off she'd been in awe, completely unable to process the gift before her.

"For real? It's mine?" She said, the excitement clear in her voice.

"Indeed it is." Hope replies, anxious to hear what the girl had to say.

"It's perfect. It's, its—," she brushed tears away that were beginning to spill from her eyes, "it's gorgeous, she said in disbelief.

"Now, it may need readjusting but we can do that once you've tried it on," Janet said before placing a kiss to Cassie's hair.

"Thank you Grandma Janet!" She threw her arms around the woman she'd come to love more than anything, and then moved on to her other hero. "Thank you so much Grandpa Hank."

"You're welcome sweetheart," he said sincerely, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm really going to be a hero? With you guys?" She turned to Hope and Scott who had their arms around each other.

"You sure are. Are you going to be ready?"

"Yes!" She squealed before launching herself into a hug with the duo. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"You're welcome Peanut."

It was then that Scott knew he'd made the right decision.

Hope gazed around the room, admiring the photos that had been added to their walls over the past couple years. A photo of Cassie hugging her on her wedding day rested on the cabinet, a moment that was captured just minutes before she walked down the aisle to meet the man she loved at the other end. Next to it was a photo of her and Scott holding hands when she finally reached him, tears falling down his cheeks and the look of admiration in his loving gaze. There were photos of them both with her Mom and Dad, smiles as wide as can be resting upon each of their faces. A day to remember, that was for sure.

Hope's favourite photo sat on her bedside table though, tucked away upstairs in her room. A photo of Cassie holding Noah for the first time, a look of pure delight on her face. Scott was behind her, bending down to place a kiss on the side of Cassie's head. She'd been in and out of sleep at the time, but her Mom had managed to capture the moment on her camera and shared it with her when she awoke. It was the most beautiful moment ever captured and she was certain it would never be beaten. She went to sleep every night looking at it, reminding herself of what she had.

Scott came into the lounge and joined her on the couch, pulling her into him until her head eventually ended up on his lap. She was facing the television screen, smiling at the news report that stated that they'd managed to detonate a bomb and save over a hundred children at a local San Francisco school. Scott's fingers glided through Hope's hair, gently detangling the knots that had formed throughout the day.

"Did he go to sleep okay?" Hope said after a minute of them watching.

"Yeah, sound asleep."

"Good." She turned around so that she was on her back looking up at him. She moved a hand towards his face and stroked his cheek. "And Cassie?"

"Her too. It was a busy day."

"She did amazing. She was so good at keeping the children calm."

"Yeah," Scott proudly replied. "The adrenaline rush has knocked her out now though."

Hope let out a quiet laugh, remembering how she felt when she first put in that suit. She'd been so pumped, but afterwards she just wanted to sleep, and that's what she did. She didn't get out of bed for three days. The work definitely took a toll.

"You think we're doing things right?" Hope questioned.

It was a vague question and could have meant a variety of different things, but Scott knew exactly where she was coming from.

"I do. We're doing the best we can do and we're doing that together as a family. That's all that matters."

"You're right." Hope rolled back onto her side and bent her knees up slightly so that she lay curled up in Scott's lap.

She was asleep before he knew it. He couldn't remember the last time she'd not fallen asleep on the couch before heading to bed. They joked about it being a pre-show nap, as sometimes nights were spent doing activities that required less sleeping and more touching, but Scott knew that she was constantly tired. Being a superhero in two capacities was exhausting. Hope was first and foremost SuperMom. She was able to juggle Noah's feeds and Cassie's science projects like nobody's business. He wished he was half as capable of multitasking as she was but it didn't stop him from trying his best. Then he watched her on missions, knowing the exact plan to operate at the required time. She was skilful in not only using the suit, but also the ingenuity behind every graceful movement she executed. She was born for this, there was no denying it.

As he felt himself grow tired, he flicked off the TV and moved Hope gently off his lap. He stood up and then lifted her off the couch and into his arms, her head immediately tucking into his shoulder. She stirred slightly and opened one eye, smiling at the situation, one that was familiar to them.

"Come on sleepy," Scott said as he walked up the stairs and to their room.

He gracefully placed Hope on the bed, pulling the covers over her and pressing a kiss to her head before slipping in beside her. He immediately wrapped an arm around her middle and tried to ignore the fact that her hair was tickling his nose.

"Goodnight," he whispered, not expecting her to respond. "Love you."

"Love you," she whispered back in sleep-like tone before opening her eyes slightly to look at the photo resting beside her bed.

She really did have it all.