Chapter 1: New Mommy?

Hope van Dyne snapped off the helmet of her partner, Scott Lang, cradling him in her arms along the San Francisco pier. "Scott?"

A slight pause. Scott then woozily opened his eyes, focusing in on Hope's face. Hope let out something halfway between a laugh and a sob of relief. Scott grinned almost stupidly and uttered one word. "Hey."

Overcome, Hope grabbed his face and pushed her lips against his in a desperate kiss. If those two years apart had taught her anything, it was that trusting her heart to someone else wasn't always bad. Scott just might be the right partner for her, in all respects. Scott didn't fight Hope's kiss, returning it enthusiastically. Oh, how he had missed her!

In the weeks after Janet van Dyne's return from the Quantum Realm and Scott's release from house arrest, the Ant-Man and the Wasp embarked for the second time on a romantic relationship. This usually involved private dinner dates, cuddle sessions, dates with little Cassie, wild lovemaking in bed, then more dates, stealing kisses on missions, and even more time with Cassie.

Hope quickly came to understand that she was not getting just Scott. She was getting Cassie in the bargain too. The little 9-year-old was both a relaxing and an overwhelming presence all at once. Having grown up without her mother for most of her life, Hope had concluded that she was rubbish in interacting with children. And up until now, the rare moment when she had to engage with a child had borne this conclusion out. Ever the scientist, Hope had never felt the need to re-examine this finding or hypothesis... until now.

Most kids that Hope knew were loud and cranky and messy. But Cassie was different. She was well-mannered, bubbly. Extremely low maintenance. And from the way she smiled to her sense of humor, she was her father's daughter. What's more, she was quite mature for her age, especially when it came to the situation of her father dating someone. Scott tried to put that off on Cassie having to deal with a stepfather when she was much younger, but Hope praised her nonetheless. Not many kids could handle that much change. Whenever Cassie was at Scott's place on the weekend, Hope felt more and more drawn to the pair, to the point that she spent more of her free time there than at the Pym lab.

Like this one Saturday evening, another movie night with Scott and Cassie. Scott had ushered his daughter upstairs so she could prepare for bed, and so that he could escort his girlfriend out and have a moment alone with her.

"Are you sure you can't stay?" Scott whined adorably, sounding more like his child than a grown man. "Cassie won't mind!"

No, Cassie probably wouldn't mind, and the thought was tempting, but ever-practical Hope was not about to risk corrupting a little girl's innocence to merely satisfy her craving for pleasure. She smiled softly, more reluctant to leave than she had ever been. "I have to go check on my parents." It was a weak excuse, even she knew it, and Scott probably did too. But he left her on the front stoop with a lingering peck on the lips, a smiled "Good night," and then closed the door behind him.

She wasn't even halfway down the stone steps before she found herself knocking on his door. Scott opened it after barely one rap.

And then she was in his arms, as he bent her back almost into a dip as his searing kiss conquered her lips. Throwing her arms about his neck, tangling her fingers into his hair, Hope gave in, moaning, as the superhero couple staggered back into the house. Someone's foot kicked the door close - they couldn't tell who - before Scott and Hope stumbled up the stairs and quickly found themselves in Scott's bedroom...

"Oh, god..."

"Oh, yes..."

"Oh, Gooooooooooddddddddd..." Hope pathetically let out something between a whimper and wail.

"Yes... yes..."

"Hmmm... Scott..."

They didn't even make it to the bed. Hope was instead spread-eagled on the hardwood floor beside it, squirming and quivering as Scott feasted on her femininity, plunging his tongue between the petals of her sex. Unable to stand it any longer, Hope dragged her lover up her body and planted a wild kiss on his lips, lining him up with her entrance. He plunged in without mercy, and began to thrust. And thrust. And thrust. Hope trembled and convulsed underneath him, and only Scott's lips sealed to hers prevented her from letting out a scream. A scream of glee.

At last, with a cry, Hope came all around him, twitching violently. She breathlessly waited for Scott to speed up, hoping with all her heart that she could make him come too, but instead, the mood was shattered by a little girl's call down the hall:

"DADDY! Can you tuck me in?"

Scott huffed out a breath and pulled out, stumbling around to put on at the very least a bathrobe, but Hope stopped him. "I'll do it."

Scott blinked, taken aback, but looking grateful too. Hope quickly redressed and composed herself before exiting down the hall to Cassie's bedroom.

"Hope?" Cassie blinked. "I thought you left already."

"Forgot my purse," Hope lied smoothly. "Your daddy's washing up. Come on, let's get you in bed." She turned down the coverlet and Cassie crawled in amongst the sheets. Tucking her in, Hope dared to press a kiss to the child's forehead - something she had not yet allowed herself to do. "Good night, Cass."

"Hope?"

"Yes, Cassie?"

"... Will you be my new mommy?"

The question caught Hope off guard and she was stunned for a few seconds. She and Scott had never talked about marriage - as far as she was concerned, that conversation was months, if not at least a year, away. Struggling with how to answer, she decided to punt, by turning the question back on the little girl.

"Do you want me to be?"

Cassie was quiet for a minute, burying her face into the ugly bunny that Scott had gifted her one birthday. "Yes," she affirmed shyly. "If you married my daddy, that would make me happy."

Hope let out an involuntary gasp. Her eyes welled up. "You... mean that?"

Cassie beamed and nodded. "Yes. Daddy loves you, and I love you too."

Was this really happening? Had she been hit in the head too hard on a mission? Was she daydreaming? "I... love you too, Cassie."

"Does that mean I can be your flower girl?" she squealed.

Hope nearly choked. She hadn't expected that query, either. But Cassie deserved an answer. In that moment, Hope allowed herself to finally picture a future for her and Scott. Being a wife to Scott and a stepmother to Cassie. Having a goofy, adoring husband to come home to and a house full of her own children. Her heart warmed when she did not immediately bat away the image. She didn't dismiss it at all. And that was enough for Hope to give out an answer. "Yes, honey. You can be the flower girl at our wedding." The wedding that hasn't happened yet, and for which Scott has not yet proposed to me, she had to tell herself. She found herself turning out the light, closing the door behind her, and wandering in a daze back into Scott's bed and arms.

They were tangled, naked in sheets, as Hope slowly stirred against the sunlight streaming into their bedroom. No, Scott's bedroom, she corrected herself. Then, her rebellious and fantasizing mind tried out the bold pronoun again. Our bedroom. She smiled, liking the sound of it.

Her phone on the nightstand buzzed to life, and she snatched it up, only realizing just then that it was her mother's new number and that she was probably in for it. Hank had bought Janet her first cellphone and she had become fascinated with the technology, like a little kid who gets their first iPhone. That was the version that Janet had wanted, though Hank had insisted with a grumble that a Samsung Galaxy was much more reliable. Hope chuckled at the memory. God, they were such nerds.

"Hello?"

"Hope, thank goodness! Are you OK? You didn't come home last night."

"I stayed over at Scott's," Hope explained, feeling the blush coming to her cheeks. "It was last minute."

"Ah," Janet clucked her tongue knowingly, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Sleep well?"

Dear God, yes! Hope thought, recalling how she and Scott had made wild love until they could no longer move. She blushed again, and felt compelled to admit something she never had before. She thanked her lucky stars that, for the first time in decades, her mother was there to lend an ear. "Mom, I've... I've fallen in love."

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line, before Janet urged her on breathlessly. "And?"

"And..." Hope bit her lip. "It's wonderful. Not just with Scott. His little girl... I've fallen for her, too. It scares me, a little."

"Really? How so?"

Hope bit her lip. "I tucked Cassie into bed last night, and she asked me if I was going to be her new mommy, and were Scott and I getting married, and could she be our flower girl..."

Janet chuckled. "Sounds like you have the daughter's approval."

"That's just it. Even if Scott and I do marry someday, what if I can't be a good mother to Cassie? You know how bad I am with kids! With this... relationship, I could fail two people instead of one, and that's more than I can bear!"

"So don't fail them," Janet advised simply. "Hope, it is clear that you have found something - someone - you want. So fight for it, the same you would on any mission. As to being a good mother... first of all, Cassie already has a mother. And a stepfather, too, so Scott tells me. There are plenty of other people already looking out for that little girl's best interests; what's the harm with you being one more? Parenting is a team effort - between two and sometimes more people. Second of all, being a superhero and being a parent is not automatically easy. Your father and I were scared, but we developed a bond with you that could never be broken."

"But I never... carried Cassie. Or brought her into the world, or nursed her! That was all Maggie!" She had met Cassie's mother and Scott's ex after she tagged along with Scott to pick up Cassie one weekend. The new Mrs. Paxton was a lovely lady.

"Does that matter?" Janet quipped. "It shouldn't. If Scott and Maggie think it's OK, you are free to develop your own bond with Cassie, just as she has one with her parents and her stepfather. Love is the first building block to creating a family. Blood is just the mortar - a mortar you don't always need."

Hope dared to smile in thought. Although her mother's metaphor was a little unique, in a way, it made a certain kind of sense. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime, sweetie. Now give your man and that little girl a squeeze for me and hurry home! I'll cover for you, but I can't make any promises that your dad won't find out!"

Hope laughed as she hung up and began to dress. Hank is going to be apoplectic, she thought. Nudging Scott awake, she kissed him goodbye rather indecently. "Say goodbye to Cassie for me," she whispered against his lips, before slipping out of the townhouse.