Chapter Text
1987
Peggy dragged her godson with her as she got to Hank’s and Janet’s house. Janet had asked her to watch their daughter, Hope. Hope was coloring when they came in. Tony seemed surprised to see the young child as Peggy made him sit on the couch while she talked to Janet. He opened the book on Carbon Capture. Peggy didn’t know what the book was all about but she knew Tony was interested and it was science. Hope came over and asked Tony about the book. Tony seemed surprised but he went into explaining it to Hope as if she would understand all the big words. Luckily Hope stopped him and would ask him to explain what is going on.
“Should I be surprised at how well Hope is taking to talking to Tony?” Janet asked. Peggy smiled watching Hope and Tony talking about the book. Hank came down saying they were late. He was surprised to see that Tony was getting along so well with Hope. Hope smiled as she explained something to Tony that connected to what he was telling her.
“She is in safe hands,” Janet said. Peggy said goodbye to her friends as they left. She watched the two talking. Hope and Tony were still talking but the subject had changed to the book that Hope was reading on bugs. Tony seemed interested in the topic and Peggy knew that the two would get along. She could see them as brother and sister now. Relying on each other whenever they need someone. She didn’t know how right she was at that moment.
~
1989
Hank was annoyed. He liked Tony Stark. He could stand the boy. More because he had watched how the boy acted around his Hope. Hope would spend all her attention on her brother figure whenever she could. It was something that both surprised Hank and made him grateful that the young Stark didn’t take advantage of that to gain the other man’s company. Today though someone was trying to recreate his formula and he was done. He walked into the meeting and saw how Peggy looked surprised. Howard seemed a little surprised. Mitchell Carson brought up where Hank should be as he brought up the formula. Howard figured everything would be alright once he had the time to stop Hank from doing something he would regret.
“If you were half the man your son was,” Hank said. Carson made a comment when Hank was saying that to Howard and before Howard knew it Hank slammed Carson’s head into the table. Peggy pulled him back. Hank made sure they knew he quit as he walked out. Hank was done being a hero for SHIELD. He had other things he could do with his life. He decided to focus his time and energy into looking for a way to get Janet back while still running his company.
He got home to a younger Stark to bring Hope home from a Karate match and praised the girl. Tony must have been home from school since Hank hadn’t seen the boy in a bit. The boy was nineteen now but Hank heard him tell Hope to call if she needed anything. Hank thanked the boy as he left thinking that the younger Stark was going to be someone he could trust with his daughter’s safety. He still didn’t completely trust him because he was Howard’s son but there was some trust there.
~
2015
Scott Lang held up his arms ready to punch the man as he came at him. He had known this day was coming. He fought off the man as he hit Scott before the guards pulled them away. Scott and Peachy high fived after that before Scott left for the outside world where his friend Luis was. He was going to be staying with Luis for the time being. Scott and Luis hugged as Luis drove them back to his place. Luis knew he had to get Scott in on the job he was working but when he brought it up Scott told him no. Scott had one thing in mind and that was getting to see his daughter again. He was certain he would get a job.
~
Scott wasn’t annoyed at the job. It was a decent job. It wasn’t what he expected but it was hard to hide a record from people. He still didn’t succeed at hiding anything he realized when he came in only to find out that he had been made by his new boss. Baskin Robbins wasn’t keeping him. Scott felt defeated but there was one good thing. He could see his daughter again. He walked back to his place only to get Luis with two of his friends making waffles. Luis realized pretty quickly that Scott lost the job.
“Baskin Robbins always finds a man,” Luis said as he then decided to introduce Kurt who had an accent and Dave. Scott realized that Luis was trying to get him into a job. Something he didn’t need at the moment. He had a daughter and a reason to stay on this side of a jail cell. He wasn’t going back not when he had Cassie to think about. He got ready to head to Cassie’s to drop off the birthday gift. Something he knew Maggie wouldn’t like. She had barely visited him when he got arrested. It didn’t help that she left him right after he got in. She didn’t wait long to leave him. He didn’t know why but she had made sure Cassie knew her father. This would be the first time in a long time that Cassie saw Scott outside of a jail cell. Something Scott was sure Maggie would prefer compared to the last few times he saw his daughter. Now he just had to get a job so he could leave Luis and have a place to have Cassie come visit and he would be all set.
~
Hank pulled into Pym Tech. It had been a while since he was there. The security guards were all shocked as he entered the building. Hank knew it had been a while since he last was there but it hadn’t been that long. Or at least he didn’t think it had been that long since his last visit. His board had voted him out and now he was coming to see what it was that Darren Cross was up to. Hope had said it was something big. Not that the two were close. Hope had spoken to Tony Stark more than she had spoken to her own father in the last few years. Hank knew he had pushed her away but he had been trying to get her the one thing he thought she needed. Her mother.
Hope saw Hank and greeted him by first name. Something Hank was used to. The only one who called him anything besides Hank was Tony Stark who still referred to the man as if he was that seventeen-year-old kid who was read up on engineering in his free time. Darren seemed pleased to see Hank. Almost as if Hank would make it all better. Hank didn’t know what Darren was exactly up to but he knew it had to deal with the Pym Particle. Something that Hank would rather have destroyed. He was done with the Ant-Man suit. He had retired from it but now it seemed Ant-Man might need to come back. Someone may have to wear the suit. Hank watched the presentation about the Yellow Jacket with hate. Darren had done it. Or supposedly he had done it. Darren came over to gloat about his success but Hank knew that the success was not great. This weapon in the hands of those like Tony Stark could lead to disaster. Hank remembered the last time Tony Stark got his hand on something big. Hank gave Darren a warning but Darren just looked at him insulted as if Hank told him that he was the worst person on Earth. Not that he probably couldn’t be. There could be worse people but Darren might be up there. Once Darren was gone. Hope came over and told Hank that it was time to move on to the next plan.
“We could call Tony or Rhodey,” Hope reminded Hank. Hank disliked that. He knew Peggy would have agreed with Hope but this was something that he had to deal with.
“I rather not get the Avengers involved,” Hank said.
“Let me wear the suit then,” Hope said.
“I have someone else,” Hank said. Hope looked offended as he said that.
“Who?”
~
Scott arrived at the party he was not invited to. He didn’t know that Cassie was having a party. He figured Maggie would just be okay with him dropping off the present. Her fiance, Jim Paxton stopped Scott from going any further. Cassie came over and Scott gave her the present. She opened it and had the biggest grin when she saw it.
“It’s ugly, I love it,” She said as she ran to tell her mother that Scott was there. Paxton and Scott argued about Scott being there until Maggie finally came over to talk to Scott. Maggie told Scott then that if he wanted visitation rights he had to have a place and a job. Scott understood and was upset but he put on a brave face as he agreed. He had been locked up for a few years of his daughter’s life. He understood that Maggie wasn’t going to let him back so easily. He left knowing he would see Cassie soon. He would find a way to see his daughter again. Scott drove away hitting the horn as he left. Cassie smiled at him watching her dad leave.
~
Hope called Rhodey once her dad told her his plan. She couldn’t believe him. She knew he didn’t want Rhodey or Tony involved but this had got out of hand. It was time to call her brother and his best friend. Tony didn’t pick up so she called Rhodey. Rhodey picked up quicker than she expected.
“Hope?” Rhodey asked.
“Hey, Rhodey. Sorry to call you on such short notice but I may need your help,” Hope said.
“What trouble did you get into this time?” Rhodey asked.
“Actually, it's what trouble the world is going to be in if this new suit gets out. My dad thinks he has someone but I don’t trust this person,” Hope said. Rhodey seemed to be silent.
“Tony can’t help right now. He is getting two kids adjusted to life now that he is home all the time. They had a nice scare with Tony in Sokovia and the two don’t want to lose another parent,” Rhodey said.
“How are my nephew and niece?” Hope asked.
“Harley and Abbie are doing fine. It’s been a couple of hard years but I think they are getting through it,” Rhodey said. Hope understood that Tony needed time with his kids. She didn’t want to pull a father away from his kids. She had missed so much time with her own father because of that.
“When everything is better here, he has to bring them over to this side of the country,” Hope said. “I got to win the favorite Aunt award.”
“Yes, it’s not like anyone else is fighting for the award,” Rhodey jokes. The two laughed.
“Tell Tony I said hi when you go to see him,” Hope said knowing she wouldn’t be able to call him herself with everything going on she needed to focus on stopping Cross.
“If you need me just call. I can help out if you want me to,” Rhodey said. Hope said she would before handing up with her friend. She would need to see how her father’s plan goes before she calls in back up, but she had a feeling that she would be calling in Rhodey pretty soon.
~
Hope meets up with Darren for dinner after talking to Rhodey. She pretended to be happy while she was there but she knew she couldn’t be happy with someone who just couldn’t stop focusing on her father. She spent years being ignored by the man and now all Darren wanted to talk about was her father. It was annoying and she rather focused on their dinner then talked about how her father acted at the presentation. Hope smiled as she told Darren he was getting what he had come for. No one messed with the Pym family. Hope didn’t like her father but her dislike for Hank Pym was between the two of them. Years of abandonment that lead to her spending time with a brother who was her brother by everything but blood made her resent the man but she understood why the Pym Particle must stay out of anyone’s even Tony’s hands. It was too dangerous. She hoped then that this Scott Lang could pull everything off.
~
Scott was desperate. He was desperate to get money so he could see Cassie. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He would have to ask about the job. Once he had the long-winded details from Luis, cause Luis had to explain every little detail about something. Scott and their crew got together to work on a plan so they could get into the house. Scott made sure everything was ready so that this job was the success he needed so he could see his baby girl again. Once he got in he found the job to be a bust. Scott was upset. He still took the suit not knowing that he was being watched. Hank watched as the next Ant-Man left with the suit in hand. He grinned as the new era was beginning for the Ant-Man legacy, Hank didn’t know this part but he knew Scott was the man for the job.
~
Hope decided to stay clear of her father’s “operation” and was checking on Darren. She didn’t expect him to use a baby lamb. Hope watched as Darren let the innocent creature die and he seemed unphased. Hope wanted to call Rhodey then and there. Rhodey could maybe get some charge against this. There had to be some safe code about using baby animals for experimentation though knowing Darren, he would just ignore Rhodey and anyone else who tried to intervene. She couldn’t believe that Darren had come to this low. She may have been upset with her dad but killing baby animals and creating a particle this dangerous was low. She just hoped her father was having better luck then she was having.
~
Scott was furious. The plan failed and now he was going to have to find another job. He had wasted time on this job that he could be working to see his daughter again. Scott looked at the suit. He decided to put it on as it seemed to be not your average suit. Once on, Scott looked at himself in the mirror before he looked at the buttons. Nothing happened. Luis called out and he hid not wanting his friend to see him in the weird suit. While in the tub hiding, he clicked on the buttons at the same time and shrunk. He freaked as he went through the building and finally ended up outside. Being small wasn’t what Scott signed up for. The voice wasn’t helping. If this was some way to psych him out for stealing the suit, it was working. Scott decided once he was normal and out of danger that he was going to return the suit. Scott didn’t know why the person chose him but this wasn’t the life he wanted. He knew that much.
~
Hope was pissed. Her father’s newest pet project, Scott Lang wasn’t given the suit but stole it. She could have used the suit. She knew how. She understood the science. She knew nothing about this guy or who he was. Just that he was her father’s choice. She called the cops saying that someone had broken in so that the man could be arrested. He deserved it. He was just a common thief. Hope figured she could call her brother and complain.
“Something wrong?” Tony asked when he picked up.
“Just Hank being Hank. He hired a thief to help except he didn’t hire him and he let him steal something,” Hope said.
“Let’s start by calming down and talking about what exactly happened,” Tony said. Hope focused on calming down. She was really upset but Tony was right, she needed to calm down.
“Someone is trying to recreate something that Hank made and Hank wants to stop them. I agreed to help him because I don’t think this should get out. I figured he would let me help but instead, he is letting some criminal help instead of his daughter,” Hope said.
“Have you asked why he won’t let you help?” Tony asked. “Maybe he is protecting you from something?”
“He has no reason to protect me though,” Hope said.
“Maybe there is but he hasn’t told you,” Tony suggested. “Harley, I told you not to build the paint gun.” Hope laughed as she heard her nephew argue that the paint gun was better now and that he wouldn’t break another window.
“Looks like you have your hands full,” Hope said.
“Don’t get me started on it,” Tony said chuckling. He then got very serious. “If you need anything ask Rhodey or me and we will be there.”
Hope told him she understood as she let him go to deal with his son. She smiled as she thought about how great Tony was as a father and how his kids were lucky to have a great dad. She then thought about how she wished Hank could have been a better father and cared about her a little more. Now she had to clean up whatever mess he was going to make.
~
Scott screwed up again. He really had messed up. He knew Maggie wouldn’t bring Cassie to visit him this time. He was all on his own. He had lost everything just to return the suit that he stole. A suit that was now haunting his future. When someone came so he could talk with his lawyer, Scott was confused until the voice of the man on the comms spoke out. He seemed annoyed that Scott returned the suit he stole back to this man! As if he didn’t want the suit anymore! Which made sense to Scott, the suit was a little weird. The man said he would help Scott escape but Scott was unsure if he should trust this man. Hank warned him to actually listen this time before he left and Scott was dragged back to the cell. Not knowing what was to come.
~
Cassie asked about Scott. Maggie knew she wanted to see her dad but she knew Scott was in no place to see Cassie. She didn’t want to worry Cassie about everything. She made sure to paint Scott as just confused. She knew Cassie and Scott were close. Scott was a good father. Cassie couldn’t deny how much he cared and how much he changed for their daughter, but she knew that his lifestyle wasn’t always the best for the young girl and that she would need to know that what her father was doing was wrong. Maggie smiled as Cassie talked about how she hoped her daddy would be okay. Maggie just wanted the best for Cassie. She knew Scott did too.
~
Scott was back in his cell waiting for Hank’s great plan when he saw the ants come into the room. Once they hit the suit and started counting down, Scott hurried to get into the suit. Once he was in the suit and shrink to the size of the ants (just making it a second before his time was out), Scott exited realizing that none of the cops were going to notice him. Once he got out, he asked Hank who was on comms again where to. Luckily, Hank had a flying ant ready for him. The ant flew out of the five-mile perimeter and headed to who knows where. Once they were away, Scott noticed they were getting really high. He felt as if he was going to pass out. The view of the city slowly became black as the flying ant had to catch Scott after he fell off and fly him the rest of the way to Hank’s house. Once there Hank rolled his eyes at the younger man annoyed with how his perfect choice was not at the level he needed him to be and that they would have more time to train Scott had Hope not called in the cops. Hope was annoyed that her father wouldn’t see that she was capable as she decided it was best to have the ants watch Scott.
~
Scott awoke to Hope watching over him. He was surprised to see her as he had been dealing with Hank. Once she left and he got past the ants and into the kitchen, he saw Hank who explained that Hope was his daughter. Scott watched as the father-daughter duo argued and saw how the relationship was strained. He was confused about why he was here but he figured that they would eventually explain.
“We don’t need him, we could always ask Rhodey for help,” Hope said.
“Asking Rhodey is like asking Anthony,” Hank said.
“It’s a wise decision and one you would never make because you are too focused on your grudge against Tony’s dad,” Hope said storming out. Scott looked at Hank still confused as he asked Hank why he was here. Hank explains the Ant-Man suit and how he could no longer wear it. Hank told him about how he would need someone else to wear the suit. This led him to a lab where he explained everything that was going on with Darren.
“First thing we should do is call the Avengers,” Scott said. Hank disliked that idea and complained about the Avengers. Scott realized that Hank didn’t seem to like Tony Stark. He seemed to mention the man as if he was a child instead of a grown adult. Scott wondered if Hank knew him by the way he talked about him. Once Scott understood that this would have to be someone in the suit, Scott agreed because if he succeeded then maybe Hank could help him get a job and move on in the world. Scott could be a hero for Cassie. He also agreed because Scott could see how worried Hank was about Hope. He knew that he was there to be in danger so Hope was safe. Hank didn’t want to risk Hope’s safety like Scott wouldn’t let Cassie go into a dangerous situation. Scott could see a bit of himself in Hank, but whatever was wrong with Hope and Hank’s relationship was something he would never do to Cassie. He always made sure she knew she was first in his world. Even when he was in jail.
~
Paxton was enjoying breakfast with his fiancee and her daughter when he got the news about Scott’s lawyer being Hank Pym. It was strange enough that he needed to look into it. Maggie asked him if it was work and he said yes. Cassie looked at him and asked if it was about her dad. Maggie looked at Paxton with a warning. Paxton knew how much Cassie cared about her father. He made sure to make it sound like he just wanted to bring him in so he was safe.
“I hope you don’t catch my dad then,” Cassie said. Paxton left wondering if Scott would try to kidnap his daughter but knowing Scott wouldn’t. He couldn’t get anywhere far with a kid. He wouldn’t even dare come near her if he was on the run. Maggie watched Cassie knowing that Cassie was worried about her dad but that she also needed to know that her dad was wrong in this situation.
~
Hope watched as Darren succeeded at getting the Pym Particle right. She knew that they needed to move forward with their plans. She even brought that up with Hank but Hank would not listen. She could wear the suit but her father was against that. Scott watched the two fight.
“At least let me call in Rhodey to help us,” Hope said.
“That would be a horrible idea,” Hank said.
“Just because he would be the best choice?” Hope asked.
“He is too close to Anthony and I don’t want Anthony finding out about the Pym Particle and wanting to use it to create something that will only destroy the world,” Hank said. Hope was annoyed and walked out.
“She seems pretty set on this Rhodey guy helping,” Scott said.
“Rhodey is like a brother to Hope. Anthony and Rhodey are both like brothers. She met them when she was younger. Anthony and Hope are close. She looks at Anthony sometimes like he holds the universe together. I guess it may have been because he was there for her when I had to tell her about her mother,” Hank said. Scott made sure Hank knew that he could be the next Ant-Man. He was ready to help the father and daughter because he knew if he was in Hank’s shoes, he would do anything for his daughter.