Cassie had taken her dad's phone, noticing that he was prepping the ingredients for their dinner. She and her dad had decided on a movie earlier, which was Tangled, one that they both had not watched. Cassie scrolled through the phone, looking at the apps, before deciding that she it would be way more fun to watch the movie with her dad's girlfriend Hope. So, she set out on a mission, looking for Hope's contact. With her experience calling her dad using FaceTime every other night, she decided to FaceTime Hope.

On the other side of San Francisco, Hope's phone rung and rung, echoing throughout the house. She was currently working on an upgrade for her Wasp suit that her mom had pitched in, and her dad and her were working on it to get it up and running as fast as possible.

"Jellybean, your phone's ringing! It's from Scott!" shouted Janet Van Dyne from the living room. She was playing around with her iPhone, something that she didn't have pre-Quantum Realm. To Janet, emojis were the funniest thing ever, and she loved to use them in reply to the texts that Hank or Hope would send to her.

Noticing that she didn't get a reply, Janet got up from the sofa, picking up the phone from the sofa table to go downstairs to the lab where her husband and daughter were working hard. She clicked on the answer button, and was surprised to see an adorable little girl holding the other phone.

"Hi Grandma Janet!" greeted Cassie, glad that someone had finally picked up the phone.

"Hi sweetie, is your dad looking for Hope?" asked Janet, confused that the little girl had called instead of Scott.

Cassie shook her head. "No, I am. I wanted to invite her over to watch a movie with me." clarified Cassie.

"Oh, I see. Well, Hope is downstairs, I'm bringing the phone to her right now," said Janet, walking down the stairs that led to the basement.

"Ok Grandma Janet! Thank you!"

Hope was so focused on working on the upgrade, that she didn't notice her mom standing in front of her, behind the laptops that were scattered around the table top, all working different things all at once.

Janet cleared her throat.

"Jellybean?" she tried again to get her hardworking daughter's attention.

"Mom? What is it?" asked Hope, not even looking up from her laptop.

"Bye Cassie!" said Janet, waving bye to the little girl.

"Bye Grandma Janet!" Cassie waved back.

"Cassie's looking for you." said the older woman, handing her daughter's phone to her, before she went back up to the living room.

"Hi Hope!"

"Hi Cassie, what's up? Where's your Dad?" asked Hope, as this was the first time Cassie had ever called Hope without Scott there.

"Could you come over to watch Tangled with me?" Cassie completely ignored the question about her dad, noted Hope.

"Cass, what about your dad? You know he loves the daddy daughter time you guys have,"

"Yeah, but it'd be cool if you were there too!"

Cassie could hear her dad yelling at himself for messing something up in the macaroni recipe

"Plus, he made mac and cheese." She tried her very best to make puppy eyes, knowing Hope would give in.

"Okay then," said Hope, giving in to Cassie's adorable puppy eyes. "I'll swing by later, in maybe 20 minutes? I need to finish some things up over here."

"Yes!" exclaimed Cassie, pumping her fist in the air. "You're the best, Hope! See you later!" Cassie blew a kiss at the camera, waving bye, before clicking the screen to end the call.

Hope's heart swelled from how sweet the little girl was, and waving bye to her, she went to finish her work as quickly as she could.

In 15 minutes, she knocked on Scott's door, one hand holding a bag of huge marshmallows that she had picked up from the store. She had showered and changed into something more comfortable, sporting a black sweater to match the breezy San Francisco weather, as well as a pair of well worn skinny jeans. Her hair was pulled into a loose braid.

Scott, wore a blue apron with food smudges down the middle, opened the door, his mouth dropping slightly, shocked that Hope would just turn up without telling him. Cassie spotted the pair from the kitchen, jumping up from her spot, running to the doorway.

"Hi Hope!"

"Hey Cassie, you didn't tell your dad that you invited me over?" asked Hope, leaning down a bit to face the running girl.

Scott pivoted on his foot, to face his daughter, mouth wide open. It wasn't like Cassie to invite his friends. But he had noticed the way that Cassie looked up to Hope and the way that it made Hope more relaxed whenever they would hangout together. And Cassie was thrilled that someone like Hope was watching her dad's back. Maybe it was because Hope and himself were both superheroes, he thought.

Cassie leaped into Hope's arms, her little legs wrapping around her waist. Hope stumbled back slightly, stepping back to even out the added weight.

"No," Cassie said, shaking her head. "I wanted to keep it a surprise! Hope's gonna watch Tangled with me!" she continued, facing her dad, as Hope carried her.

The marshmallow bag had started slipping from Hope's grasp, and she flicked her hand upwards, and thankfully, Scott's reflexes were enough to catch the bag before it fell to the ground.

Scott stared at her, wide-eyed. In Scott's mind, there was no way that Hope, who was all about healthy eating and working out, would voluntarily bring marshmallows to his house.

Cassie, psyched for marshmallows, threw her arms around Hope again. She leaned back, arms still around Hope's neck, to face both Hope and her dad.

"We could do the chubby bunny challenge!" exclaimed Cassie.

"The chubby what challenge?" asked Hope.

"The chubby bunny challenge!" repeated Scott, in the exact same tone and pitch his daughter used moments before. Still sensing that Hope was confused, he clarified: "You know, where you stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth as you can and try to beat the other players."

Hope nodded slowly.

Sharp beeps travelled from the kitchen to the doorway, signalling that something had overflowed onto the stovetop.

"Crap, that's the macaroni. I'll be back. Okay, Peanut, behave." said Scott, mentally kicking himself, before turning to run back into the kitchen to clean up the mess he made.

Hope stepped through the doorway, and gently put Cassie down on the floor. Cassie held onto Hope's hand, leading her into the living room. Scattered across the floor were some lego buildings, some half built and some in pieces. It was supposed to come together as a replica of San Francisco, but Hope suspected that Scott only worked on it when Cassie was there, which was why it still wasn't built even if Scott had bought it 7 months ago.

"Hope? Could you help me tidy up? Dad says we have to tidy up before we eat dinner. And we have the chubby bunny challenge and the movie after."

"Of course Cassie, just tell me where I need to put the stuff."

Together, they put the blocks that belonged together into the same ziplock bag, placed them in a big container, carried it back to Cassie's room, and slid it under her bed.

"Mac and Cheese!" yelled Scott from the kitchen.

"Race you!" challenged Cassie, sprinting out of her room as fast as her legs could carry her.

Hope followed suit, right behind Cassie, their footsteps making a thump thump sound on the creaky floorboard.

Scott produced three identical bowls of Mac and Cheese, sliding it across the table to each of their designated spots. Lastly, he placed a steaming pot full with macaroni and cheese, smack dab in the centre of the countertop.

Cassie ran into the kitchen, jumping up to peck her dad on the cheek. The lightbulbs that hung above the countertop flickered and illuminated a soft glow on the walls.

"Thanks for the dinner, Dad!" said Cassie, sitting down on her spot, waiting for Hope and Scott to sit down so she could dig in. Cassie usually sat on the left hand side, and her dad at the head. However, when Hope came over, Hope and her dad would sit on the right and left side of the counter, leaving her the middle spot. Scott took of his apron, leaving it on the side counter.

"Peanut? Do you want a juice box or something?" asked Scott.

"Orange juice please!" answered the little girl.

Scott opened the fridge door, getting 3 orange juice boxes. He put them next to their bowls, went to sit down next to Cassie. His back faced the doorway, leaving the spot opposite of him for Hope.

Hope walked in moments later, her braid barely holding in place. She leaned down to kiss Scott on the cheek, silently thanking him for the dinner. A blush crept up Scott's neck, causing Cassie to burst into fits of laughter.

Now with Hope sitting down, Cassie started digging into her food. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, eating their food.

"Oh my god Scott." said Hope, covering her mouth as she chewed her mac and cheese. He definitely improved since the last time he cooked. If she wasn't so pissed at him for getting mixed up with the Avengers, she would say the 2 years on house arrest payed off.

"What? Is it bad? Is it too salty? Too cheesy?" asked Scott, scared that he'd down something wrong.

"No actually," said Hope, laughing as she wiped her mouth. "It's amazing. Better than my dad's."

"No way. Better than the Hank Pym. Could you repeat that again?"

"Scott." Hope arched her eyebrow. "Don't push it." she said jokingly.

After bowl after bowl of mac and cheese, they cleared their dishes and placed them on the counter next to the dishwasher.

"I'm full now. Thanks!" said Cassie.

"You're welcome, Peanut. But if you're so full, do you still want to play the Chubby Bunny challenge with Hope?" asked Scott, teasing his daughter.

"You bet!"

Cassie opened the cabinet, revealing the pack of huge marshmallows that Hope had brought. She ripped the packaging open, letting the contents spill over the countertop.

"Okay, Hope. So the Chubby Bunny challenge is to get as many marshmallows as you can in your mouth. After I take one and put it in my mouth, I have to say Chubby Bunny. Got it?" said Cassie, demonstrating by putting one in her mouth. "Chubby Bunny."

"I think so...." said Hope, nodding her head.

"And you're not allowed to swallow. Or chew. Or cheat like daddy always does." she continued on, glaring at her father, earning a laugh from Hope.

"What?" He put his hands up in mock surrender, sending innocent looks to both Cassie and Hope, who simultaneously rolled their eyes.

Cassie went first, placing one marshmallow into her mouth. "Chubby Bunny."

Hope went next, following what Cassie did. "Chubby Bunny."

Scott picked one up, flinging it towards the ceiling, opening his mouth, allowing the marshmallow to fall into his mouth. With a triumphant look on his face, he said: "Chubby Bunny."

The game went on and on, until Cassie had 5 stuffed into her mouth, and she couldn't say Chubby Bunny without choking. She spit out 2, and chewed the rest. "Yes! 2 more than last time! High Score!" She high fived her dad, who couldn't look more proud.

Now the competition was between Hope and Scott. Hope, determined to win, since she literally kicked his ass every time they had training. Scott, also determined to win, since this was something he actually had a shot at beating Hope at.

Hope had managed to put 7 in her mouth, before having to spit them out.

"Yes! I w—in!" came the muffled victorious yell of one Scott Lang.

Cassie shook her head. "Dad, you still need to say Chubby Bunny."

"Chu—" He put his hand out, pausing so he could shift the marshmallows in his mouth.

"—bby Bunny." In less than 2 seconds, Scott managed to chew and swallow the 7 marshmallows in his mouth.

A few drinks of water later, Cassie decided to go watch the movie. Scott had placed his arm around Hope's waist while she leaned into his side. She grabbed her dad's hand, guiding him to the living room.

Together, they went to watch Tangled. Cassie got the remote, then flipped through the Netflix profiles until she reached the kids one, and quickly found Tangled. All three of them sat on the couch, Scott sat in the middle while Cassie sat on his lap. Hope leaned against Scott's left side, tucked her legs under her, with his arm wrapped around her. Cassie held her bunny in her hands, occasionally played with it's ears.

At the end of the movie, Cassie's head lay on Hope's lap, her feet in her dad's lap. Scott gently moved his daughter's feet off his lap and shuffled to the kitchen to load the dishes into the dishwasher. He motioned to Hope to carry Cassie to bed.

"Please," He mouthed from across the room and pouted like a six year old kid.

Hope, tempted to roll her eyes, but she nods in response and her attention went back to Cassie. The eight year old's eyes flutter shut, as she tried her very best to keep them open, as well being worn out from the day. Hope turned to the clock on the wall, and the clock hits 11:45.

Hope watches her sleep peacefully for a few moments, before remembering that she needed to bring Cassie to bed. Carefully, Hope puts one hand around her back, and lifted the little girl into her arms. Cassie's hands automatically loop around Hope's neck and Hope carried her up the few steps up the staircase and into her bedroom. She closed the door slightly so a little sliver of light shines in the room.

Hope tucked Cassie in bed, gently placed so she's under her butterfly-themed comforter. Cassie brought the bunny into the crook of her arm, and hugged the bunny tighter.

"Goodnight sweetie," said Hope and kissed Cassie gently on the forehead.

"Hope?"

"Yeah sweetie?" replied Hope.

"Could I tell you something?" asked the little Lang.

"Of course hon," Hope said, as she sat down again on the edge of Cassie's bed. She used her hands to push Cassie's hair that had fallen near her eyes, and tucked it behind the little girl's ear.

"You remind me of Rapunzel. And Daddy reminds me of Flynn. Or you know, Eugene." said Cassie, noting the parallels between the movie and her dad's life.

"It's like people think he's a bad man for going to jail, but really, he isn't," clarified Cassie, who noticed Hope's slight confusion. "And he's funny. Like daddy." giggled Cassie.

Hope smiled at the little girl, and admired how bright and charming she was, just like her dad (well, not the bright part).

"And what about me?" asked Hope, referring to the connection that Cassie made between herself and Rapunzel.

"Well......" Cassie started off, thinking about the movie she just watched. "You're brave, like Rapunzel. Adventurous, pretty, nice, and she can beat Flynn's butt. Just like you beat daddy's butt all the time. And that's why Tangled is my new favourite movie," smiled Cassie, who looked up at the older woman. "It reminds me of you and daddy!"

Hope, speechless as the compliments spill out of Scott's young daughter, and lightly pinched Cassie's adorable cheeks, smiling at her. Tears threaten to spill out and over her cheeks, but she willed them to stay in place.

She imagines the version of her 3 years ago would have shaken her head, wondering why she would be sentimental just because of some compliment a little girl gave her. She would have convinced herself that she was still the stone cold bitch that had her walls up, guarded, protecting the mess that was inside. Something clicks inside of her, and she knows, that she'll love Scott and Cassie forever, no matter what.

"Hope?" asked Cassie, noticing that Hope's eyes were watering.

"Yeah?" Hope wipeed her eyes, the tears blurring her vision.

"Are you crying?"

"No," Hope denied, though the tears said otherwise.

"Are they happy tears? Or sad tears?" asked Cassie, and sat upright to face Hope.

"Happy tears, Cass, happy ones." answered Hope, smiling once more, as more tears stream down her face.

Cassie puts her hands on Hope's shoulders, kissing both her cheeks and lastly her nose. Hope recognised it, something she'd seen Scott do countless times to Cassie. She's amazed by how much a small gesture can make her feel, and she's content and happy and proud. Proud of Cassie, for being a caring, supportive, amazing daughter to Scott, proud of Scott, to have raised a wonderful, brave, and welcoming person even if he had decided to take on the job of a "modern day robin hood".

"Hope?" said Cassie again, and caught the older woman's attention. "Will you be my new mommy?"

The question caught Hope off guard, and she's stunned for a few seconds. She's not sure how to answer. She contemplates between two answers, and finally settling on one that she hopes Cassie understands.

"If you want me to be," answered Hope.

"Of course!" squealed Cassie, throwing her arms around Hope.

Hope smiled against Cassie's dark brown hair, and whispered: "I love you, Cassie. Goodnight sweetie."

"Goodnight Hope," whispered Cassie back at Hope. "I love you too." Cassie snuggled back underneath her bed, and hugged her bunny to sleep. Hope got up, leaving Cassie's bedside to find Scott. Scott waited outside of Cassie's room, waiting for Hope to come out. He could hear the faint whispers of them both, and could practically imagine Hope tucking Cassie in.

He pressed his ear against the door, wanting to know what was taking Hope so long. But through the thick material of the door, he could barely hear anything.

Not long after he heard the shuffling of Hope's slippers cross the floorboards, he leaned back knowing she would open the door. Seconds later, she slowly opened and closed the door, leaning on the wall opposite of Scott.

"Scott," she said. "Were you there the whole time?"

"No. Nope." He replied, shaking his head for extra measure.

"Scott."

"Well yes, but I was there and I didn't hear anything, and I was done loading the dishwasher, so I came to look for you, but you were still in there......." He babbled, going on and on, explaining his denial.

She headed towards the en-suite bathroom in Scott's bedroom at the end of the hall, shaking her head while laughing at how idiotically hilarious her boyfriend was.

Scott followed but stayed in the bedroom, rummaging through his cabinet to find an old grey shirt that he wore as Pjs.

He rummaged through some more clothes, looking for the ones that Hope had left over at his house. Finally finding a pair of shorts and deciding to get one of his own other shirts for Hope to wear since he couldn't find any of her own.

Holding the set of clothes in one hand, he knocked on the door for two raps, and then opened it.

"Hey Hope, catch," he said, throwing his arm in an upward motion to toss the clothes to his girlfriend.

Hope had texted her parents quickly, to tell them that she was staying over at Scott's house, as she usually did. She was standing in front of the mirror, brushing her messy, curly hair as it was in braid for the entire day. She alternated from running her brush through her curls, and then running her hands through to make sure it was knot-free.

'Scott!" Hope's quick reflexes caught the clothes, placing them down on the counter. "I'm changed!" she gestured up and down to herself, and Scott noticed that she had worn her navy blue blouse and another pair of shorts. She handed the clothes back to him.

"Oh. Okay. I'll just—" He went back to the cabinet, absentmindedly throwing them in one of the shelves.

Happy with her untangled hair, Hope tied it up, to brush her teeth. Scott took this an invitation to snake his hands around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Hey," he said, kissing her shoulder. "What did you and Cassie talk about anyway?"

"Nothing," she replied. She didn't want to scare Scott, someone that she knew she loved for 3 years even if she had absolutely despised him from the beginning, with the whole becoming Cassie's mom thing. It felt wrong for Hope, as if she was replacing Maggie. She didn't even know if she would be a good mother to Cassie (or to anyone, in fact), someone who truly deserved the best. And knowing that her mother had disappeared for 30 years in the quantum realm, she knew there were chances that she (and Scott) could also disappear into the quantum realm, even with the technology that they had and used to pull her mom out. Also, when Ant-Man and the Wasp went out to defeat the bad guys, it was hard for them to avoid bruises and cuts from all the fighting.

She turned around, leaned against the sink counter, her hands behind her to support her, close enough to Scott to feel his breath on her neck. Scott could see the freckles that were barely visible, freckles that were scattered around the bridge of her nose and extended to her cheeks.

He brought his hands up to cup her cheek, stroking it slowly with his thumb.

"You're so beautiful, you know," tucking her hair back

"Well, you're not so bad yourself, Lang,"

He leaned in, his lips hovered above hers, before he kissed her gently. Hope smiled into the kiss, and kissed back, putting her arms around Scott's neck.

They broke apart, exhilarated; Scott noticed Hope's shining hazel eyes. He smiled at her, she smiled back, and they stood there for a few moments, in each other's arms, happy and content.

~

The rain softly pitter patters as it hits the roof, trailing down onto the windows, creating little transparent dots. The thunder rumbles for a bit, but the lightning is too far for them to see. As they both crawled under the covers to get ready to sleep, Hope turned to face Scott, her head resting on the pillow. She sat up, ran her fingers through her hair, as if to shake away stress. Scott sat up next to her, gently intertwining their fingers together to give her support.

"Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Cassie, she asked me something, and I don't know if I answered it correctly."

"Okay?" His mind ran through the different questions that Cassie would ask. Something related to the movie or her suit, he guessed.

"She asked me..." She took a deep breath, her eyes slightly watering as she breathed out.

"Hope, its okay," He comforted her, tucking a stray hair behind her ears, wiping a tear.

"She asked me if I was gonna be her mom. And I know I'm never going to replace Maggie, but I'm scared.....Scott, I'm scared." admitted Hope, unsure of how Scott was going to answer. Breathing in again to calm herself, she continued: "She said she would love it if I was her mom," smiling as she remembered Cassie replying to her.

"Really? That's amazing!" said Scott, his eyes wide, shocked.

"I know Scott. But what if, I'm not good at this?" She waved her hand in the air, gesturing to the situation, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Hey, hey." He comforted. Hope leaned into him, her hands nervously fumbling with the corner of her shirt.

The door opens at this exact moment, its creak running up the support beams of the house. A small figure is halfway in the doorway, clutching a small rabbit toy, sniffling as she makes her way towards the bed.

"Dad? Hope?" Cassie ventures; she can barely see them, only silhouettes that are leaning against the bed board.

Hope and Scott turn at the same time, watching as the little girl tries to control her tears.

"Hey honey," says Hope, drying her tears, using the backs of her hands to wipe her eyes.

"What's wrong?" adds Scott, helping his daughter up the bed. Cassie sits cross legged in-between them, her grip on the rabbit still tight.

"I'm scared. Of the thunder. Could I sleep with you?" asks Cassie, her lower lip quivering.

"Of course honey," says Hope, making space for Cassie between herself and Scott. Cassie lies down, kisses both Hope and Scott on the cheek, and whispers: "Goodnight." She fell asleep quickly soon after.

"I love you. And Cassie does too." stated Scott, glancing down at his daughter.

"I love you both so much," replied Hope leaning up to kiss Scott. She rests her head on his shoulder, snuggling close to him, while his other arm was safely wrapped around her. They watch Cassie sleep, waiting for her breath to even out.

Hope sleeps on Cassie's right side, while Scott sleeps on Cassie's left, and he's never felt happier.

He watched Hope sleep for a while, a peaceful look washing over her face. She seemed to relax more and more, her facial features loosened up. Soon, her breathing evened out, and Scott fell asleep soon after.