AU: Again, this chapter will draw heavily from the actual movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, read at your own risk. Spoilers abound!

Chapter 2

Her foot stomped on the case holding the part they needed. Desperate to get it back from the grey hooded figure before her. She blasted the Ghost with her sting, hoping to set them a back only for the being to phase through it, slamming her into the pillar behind, leaving her gasping for breath. She watched as the shifting figure withdrew for a punch only for it to be caught in a fist that wasn't her own. She wheeled around, just catching the image of Scott in the Ant-Man suit kicking Ghost to the ground.

"You taught me that kick, remember?"

What was he playing at? "Yah," she breathed. "Great form."

"Those were the days..." he began, speaking fondly. She squinted at him in confusion. "What ever happened to us?"

"NOT the time Scott." She hastily looked around of the package. "Dammit, where did it go?" Just like that, it was back to the business.

They zoomed through the black and white tiles halls of the elementary school, in search of Scott's original Ant-Man suit. It felt good to be flying, even better to have someone next to her, though she wasn't going to admit it out loud.

He began to ramble on about the size of the school when all of sudden he fell from the sky, causing her heart to leap in her chest. He hit the ground safely, now the size of a garden gnome.

"What's going on?" came her Dad over the inter-com in their suits.

"It's the new regulator."

"Hank?! What's going on with this suit? How much of a work in progress is this?" cried Scott as he hastily tried to fix what was going on. Just then, the bell rang for recess.

They hurried into the nearest hall closet, Scott pounding the regulator on his belt in frustration. "Come on, come on...Oh!" In his desperate attempts he had somehow overshot it and was now well over ten feet tall, crammed in to the tiny closet with his head pushing uncomfortably into the ceiling. With his legs taking up the majority of the closet, he was unable to stand and sat there looking helpless.

The adrenaline of the moment and the glee at his embarrassing situation was too much for her. Hope erupted in giggles.

"What, are you laughing?" asked Scott, clearly uncomfortable. "Please will you.."

"Okay, okay." Stifling her mirth, she resized and crawled into his enlarged lap, reaching for the regulator belt. She fiddled with the sizing coils, zapping him hard as the belt shot sparks in to the air.

"Owww!"

She looked up in sympathy, suddenly aware of how close they were. "Sorry." She made a few more adjustments. "Try now."

Pressing his regulator belt once more, Scott shrunk back to normal size, Hope falling from his leg so that they stood, facing one another, mere inches apart, their chests heaving and their breath mingling.

Hope felt sparks erupt in her brain and her body flood with warmth at being so close to him again. It has been over two years, but it seemed her body had not forgotten her attraction to him.

"Sor..." he began, before the regulator misfired once more, shrinking him to the size of a toddler. He tried in vain to resize, jamming the buttons with his fingers. "Great, just great."

A grin spread across her features. This was just too good. "If only Cap could see you now."

They were getting ready in the back of their blue Mercedes surveillance van. Having tracked the lab to Ghost's house deep in the woods, they were partnering up once more, Ant-Man and the Wasp, to get the job done.

As Scott pulled on his gloves he couldn't stop himself from enjoying the moment. It had really been too long. "Look at us. Teaming up twice in one day."

Hope titled her head. "Makes yah think, huh?"

"About what?"

"Germany." She dared a glance in his direction, shooting him a soft smile and a raised eyebrow. She wasn't mad anymore, but she still wanted him to know that he wasn't quite off the hook yet. "We were working together, training together...other stuffing together."

His expression softened. "If I had asked you, would've you have come?"

"I guess we'll never know." She let that sink in for a moment before retreating to their playful banter, to the safety of the familiar and the light. " I do know one thing though. If I had, you'd've never been caught. "

They were getting closer. They finally had the lab back, the component they needed. All there was to do was make some final adjustments and they could try again. They could open the tunnel to the Quantum realm.

Assuring Hank that they'd be fine, she locked in the component, watching the light turn from blue to green. "This is it." said Scott.

Sighing a little, she smiled nervously. "Yah. You'd think after all this time I'd feel more ready."

"Going sub-atomic isn't something you can prepare for. It kind of melts your mind."

Her gaze still locked on the panel in front her, she corrected him gently. "I mean seeing my mom again."

"Oh."

Hope glanced up into Scott's kind face, looking for some comfort, her eyes watering slightly. "What if she's a completely different person?"

"Mm yah. Like George Washington?" joked Scott. He could always be relied on to lighten the mood.

She smiled in spite of her mixed emotions. "I'm serious Scott."

He attempted to look serious for her sake. "George Jefferson." was his reply.

The skin around her eyes crinkled as her smile spread wide upon her face. She gazed fondly at him for moment. She had missed this, so much. She hadn't really wanted to acknowledge it, but the longer he was back in her company the less she wanted to part with him. He had this way about him that just, made her feel okay, safe.

She felt her stomach bubble once more as the thought of her mother came back. "What if she doesn't remember me?"

Reading the situation, Scott left the jokes behind. "When I was in prison, the only thing that got me through was Cassie. They could have locked me up for a hundred years and I would have never forgotten her. " He gazed softly at Hope, wanting to make the pain on her face go away. "I know your mom is counting the minutes until she can see you again."

Her eyes watered at his kind words. She wanted to wrap herself in his arms, but settled for a shooting him a smile instead. "Thank you." He smiled that crooked smile back, his left cheek dimpling.

Fuck! she exclaimed in her mind. Fucking stupid...grrah why did you trust him again, why!?

The moment he had put on the Ant-man suit again she had felt her resolve slipping, had ignored the warning bells going off in her brain. She knew he was a good man, but a stupid one. He thought too much with his heart and not with his head. He was always screwing things up and he had done it again.

They had just gotten the coordinates to bring her mom back and had only two hours to rescue her and now they had the feds AND ghost on their tail. Rushing around to try and shut things down and getting moving before the cops showed up, she tried to push her ranting mind to think about the task at hand and not about that idiot Scott Lang, who in one foul swoop managed to undo everything he has just done for them over the last day and half.

More concerned with being caught out of the house than the jeopardy he had put them in, he had rushed off with the Ant-Man suit to get home before the FBI found the giant ant wearing his ankle monitor instead of him.

Locking up the lab, her father and her rushed out the door, using the remote to shrink it down for travel, revealing the squad team that had been waiting in the woods behind it. Placing her arms over her head as the police sirens blared she swore to herself, Never again. Fuck Scott Lang. I'll do this myself. We don't need him. I don't need him.

Hope jumped into the van, her long brown hair tied behind her, the helmet of her wasp suit retracted so she could look at their rescuer. Scott sat in the driver's seat, looking at her almost sheepishly, unsure how she would respond to him trying to make amends for the second time in two days. "Hi." was all he said.

Her heart thumped dramatically in her chest and it her took every ounce of her will power not to reach across the seat and drag him into a kiss. He had come back! He had shown up! He was here. Exclaimed her inner voice, beyond happy to see that scruffy grin of his once more. What about the whole 'fuck Scott. We don't need him' thing? asked the other part of her. Ohh shut up. None of that matters now. "Hi" was all she said back.

"Uhh, excuse me, but are we planning on leaving soon or are you two planning on staring at each other until they start shooting at us?" asked her father snarkily from the back.

Embarrassment flooded Hope as her cheeks burned. She put her seatbelt on as Scott raced away, feeling as light as air. They could do this. Together.

Scott staggered through the bay, his giant figure gesturing wildly. His head was spinning, the miniature lab clutched in his hand. "Move! Move!" he yelled, terrified of falling and crushing the people who were watching in amazement and horror at such a sight in Fisherman's Warf.

"Get out of the way!" yelled Scott, gesturing with a hand the size of a car. The lab rolled out of his outstretched hand, rolling like a suitcase across the pavement, away from his grasp. "Oh! No, the lab! I.. uh.. the air feels chunky..."

Luis and Hope raced up the warf towards him. "Oh no!" cried Hope. "He's too big!" They slammed the doors and ran as giant Scott staggered dangerously in the water, mumbling nonsense.

"Scotty!" yelled Luis.

"Scott!" cried Hope, panic evident in her tone.

"I'm sleep..." he replied. "I'm just going to sleep for like five minutes. Just five minutes...I just need five minutes..." Scott's towering form buckled and swayed, turning and falling with a gigantic splash into the sea next to the dock. His onlookers gapped and guffawed, having been soaked to the skin in the spray.

"You get the lab somewhere safe." said Hope to Luis. "Scott's air won't last."

Jumping into action she zoomed towards the surf, plunging gracefully in the murky depths. She swam towards his hulking figure as it descended, smacking the bottom roughly and sending clouds of sand puffing around them.

She banged on his helmet desperately. "Scott! Come on, Scott! Wake up!" Nothing.

She changed tactics, swimming instead to his regulator belt. Pushing the belt cover away she jammed at the buttons, resetting the regulator coils and causing his form to shrink once more to the size of an ant. The action threw up more sand and the murk grew heavier, blocking her view. She thrashed wildly. "Come on..where are you? Where are you Scott?"

The water cleared, showing a spec of man floating serenly in the surf, the metal of his suit catching the sunlight. "Gotcha!" she cried. Placing him in her palm she kicked towards the surface, emerging with heavy gasps as the water cascaded around them.

Holding him tightly she climbed out of the water and onto the boardwalk. She rushed over and leaned him upright against a bench, making sure his airway was open. Fiddling with his belt once more, she managed to bring him back to normal size and remove his helmet. He was still out, his features expressionless.

She removed her helmet, shaking him by the shoulders. "Scott." she pleaded. "Scott?" Slowly, he twitched. His eyes squinted and opened, confusion evident on his face. Hope broke, crying in happiness.

Scott looked up at her in a daze. "Hey."

"Hey" she laughed as she rushed towards him, capturing his lips in hers. She kissed him, over and over, her hands gripping his face desperately. He's alive. He's okay. Breathe.

She pulled back a little, their lips parting but keeping her forehead pressed against his. Her chest heaved as her breath came out in rapid pants, every part of her body on fire.

"What..what happened?" asked the still dazed Scott. "Why are you kissing me? Not that I'm complaining..."

She laughed. "You were too big, you passed out in the water. You're lucky I was here to save your ass."

He grinned his lopsided grin at her. "You were worried. You thought I was going to die." he said smugly, with a knowing little twinkle in his eyes.

She dropped her gaze, suddenly embarrassed. "Shut up. I...I wasn't going to let Cassie live a life without her dad."

His expression softened as his hand came up to stroke her cheek. Her turned her head towards him, so he could look her in the eyes. "Thank you." Hope smiled a watery smile as he leaned in this time, joining their lips once more. It was fierce, and passionate like the last, but short lived. Their problems still weren't over yet.

"Come on." said Hope, lifting him to his feet. "We've got to get to the lab."