The attack on the Avengers Academy compound came with no warning.  An early adversary of the Avengers, the Executioner, had come to attack the academy and its students.  Fortunately, he had blustered on his way in, challenging Giant-Man to combat before he started destroying items.  Then he grabbed a student and threatened to slash her throat with his axe.

The problem was, the student he grabbed was Hazmat.  He had knocked Jenny Takeda out with a single finger flick from behind.  It wasn’t clear if he knew that slashing Jenny’s suit would potentially kill everyone there -- maybe even himself -- but whether he knew it or not, he now had to be stopped, and both quickly and delicately.

With a glance, Hank had told Tigra all she needed to know.  Now she was creeping with her feline silence behind the Executioner in an effort to break his grip and free Jenny.

Jan bristled as she worked to distract the evil Norse god.  Her strength was nearly as great as his, but she wasn’t quite strong enough to take out the over-muscled god.  A stealth assignment like Tigra’s was one she would have had in the past, but, since her return, it wasn’t possible now.

Jan’s return from death had come at a price.  The magics involved had mystically reset her base height to 512 feet.  She could no longer grow above that, and could only shrink to one-sixty-fourth of that height -- eight feet.  Hank had modified her wings to retract, and she could fly up to 12 feet tall, but now she couldn’t sneak up on a bad guy by virtue of tiny size, and she’d had a slight loss of flying speed as well.

Now, with her remarriage to Hank less than two weeks away, the Executioner had turned up, taken one of her bridesmaids hostage and was threatening to kill everyone at the academy -- and all she could do, for the moment, was be a distraction.

Tigra was in position.  She dived silently at the Executioner, but the experienced warrior heard the subtle sound of her rustling mane as she came down.  He spun around, extending his axe and slicing Tigra straight across her abdomen.

Several people, instructors and students alike, screamed, “NO!”  at once.  Tigra fell, writhing in agony.

But the Executioner had lost his grip on Jenny when he moved for Tigra.  She half-fell, half-pulled away from him.

Now Jan acted on instinct, her days as the Avengers strategic leader in mind.  While she was just as strong at 8 feet tall as at 512 feet, and therefore as strong as any Norse goddess, the villain was still stronger, but she knew she had a tactical advantage she could exploit.  It might mean a killing blow, but there were lives at stake.

All this Jan had processed in a fraction of a second.  She shot up to her maximum height and slammed down her fist full force on the Executioner, making sure to land her center knuckle directly on top of him, and to position her hand so Jenny was in a space between knuckles.

Jan moved so fast the villain had no time to react.  If he’d had time, he would have been shiocked;  the Wasp he remembered was a shrinker, not a grower, let alone one as big and strong as this.

Jan was already shrinking as she pulled her hand back.  She moved to Jenny.  “Little Sis, are you all right?” Jan asked.

Jenny and Jan weren’t sisters, but they’d come to call each other Little Sis and Big Sis respectively.  When Jan first got back and tried to sort out her place on Earth after her time away, Jenny had given her hope.  Jan, in turn, had given Jenny hope to someday be free of her containment suit, since Jan had been toxic like Jenny and had been cured.  The cure wouldn’t work for Jenny, but it meant there was a chance of a cure.  Then Hank had discovered Jan’s cure had left her as the only person on Earth immune to Jenny’s toxicity, and the twosome had become even closer.  Despite the difference in their ages, Jenny was now one of Jan’s best friends.

“I’m … OK,” Jenny said.  “Everybody else?”

Jan pivoted toward Tigra.  Hank was already beside her.

Jan was there in a second.  “Greer!  Hang in there, please!” Then  she saw the wound and knew things weren’t good.

Hank was caressing the furry face of his one-time girlfriend.  “Greer.”

“We need you at our wedding,” Jan said.  “Hang on!”

Greer shook her head.  “No good,” she said.  “Cats know … when they’re dying.  It’s my time.”

“No,” said Hank.  “Greer, we can get you to the med lab.”

“Nothing there … will help,” Greer said.  “Jan, sorry … ‘bout the wedding.  Wanted to … see you two… get it right this time.”

“Greer,” said Jan.

“Hank, Jan, … Tigra gasped.  “Take … care … of … William.”

Hank nodded.  The situation with Tigra’s son was complicated, but he was Hank’s son, even though he wasn’t.  “I promise,” he said.

“Me, too,” Jan said, tears streaming down her face.

“Love … you … both,” Greer said.  “Give … Will… my … love … always.”

Then Greer went limp, and her labored breathing stopped.

Tears were snagging in the cloth of Hank’s cowl even as Jan bawled on his shoulder.

Pietro came running up.  “Executioner’s dead,” he said.  “Jan’s blow pretty much broke every bone in his body.”

Hank swallowed hard.  He looked at Jan.  “He was going to kill a lot more people,” Hank said.  “It had to be done.”

Jan wiped away tears.  “Wish it had been in time to save Tigra,” she said.

“What now?” said Pietro.

Hank had pulled back his cowl and was rubbing his forehead.  “We’ll need to get her body to the Cat People,” he said.  “She was ‘The Tigra’ to them, the manifestation of one a great protector spirit.  They’ll want to have her there.  With their magic, they probably already know he’s gone.”

“And we’ll need to see William,” Jan said.  “He’ll need you now, Hank.”

Hank nodded and looked at Pietro.  “We’ll need you and Clint to handle things here,” Giant-Man said.  “Can you handle that?”

“If not, we can call for back-up,” Pietro said.  “We know who to call.”

Jan looked back.  Mettle had his arms around Jenny.  Lightspeed had darted up to Pietro, and was practically dissolving into tears against his chest as he tried to sort out what was safe to do as a teacher.

Lyra and X-23 were standing by Tigra’s fallen form.  “It was a good death.” Lyra said.  “She died a warrior, and saving her comrades.”

On Pietro’s instructions, Lightspeed had flown in and gotten a blanket.  She covered Greer with it.

Jan looked around at the shocked faces on the students.  “I wish we could stay,” she said.  “I wish you could stay.  They need us -- especially you -- here now.”

“I know,” Hank said.  “But we owe Greer this trip…. Greer and William.”

Jan nodded, and began to weep once again.

The students, Clint and Pietro watched as Hank, now 10 feet tall, gingerly loaded the casket with Tigra’s remains into the back compartment of the Quinjet.  Jan was standing near Jenny, who was being held, containment suit and all, by Mettle.  Ken wished he could hold her more closely, but even he didn’t dare.

Jan sighed.  “I wish I could stay,” she said to Jenny and Ken.  “But it was Greer’s wish that Hank and I take custody of her son, William, and I guess I have to make the trip to do that, according to her people’s custom.”

“It’ll be OK, Wasp,” said Julie Power.  “Pietro and Hawkeye can handle things for a few hours.  This is traumatic, but we’ll get through.  All of us have been through rough times before, after all.”

“Some rougher than others,” muttered Jenny.

Hank stood by the steps into the flight compartment of the Quinjet.  “Um, I know we’re going to have a service, but I think a few words now are appropriate,” he said.

“The reality is, every one of us here has faced death before,” Hank said.  “It’s hit some of us harder than others.  For a few of us, we’ve been lucky enough to get someone back.” He smiled glancingly at Jan and Clint.

“But everyone dies,” Hank continued.  “The question isn’t if you will die.  The question is, how did you live, and was your death one that gave your life meaning?

“Tigra lived as a heroine and died in an action to save the lives of everyone here.  She fought for others, and gave her life for them.  That’s a meaningful life, and a meaningful death.

“The Wasp and I are on our way to see, and possibly bring here, Tigra’s son, William Nelson,“ Hank said. “He’s a little younger than most of you, but he’s also just lost his mom.  Remember her when you see him.  Treat him with the consideration someone who’s just lost a loved  deserves.  And, if your so inclined, take a lesson from Tigra.  Live a life with meaning.”

Hank gestured to Jan.  They entered the Quinjet in silence as the students, Clint and Pietro watched.

Once they were on their way, Jan said, “That was really beautiful, Hank.”

Hank smiled sadly.  “I had to do a better job than I did at your memorial service,” he said.  “Besides, it was a rotten time to have to leave as headmaster; I had to say something.”

“You owe Greer this,” Jan said.  “We owe her this.”

Hank nodded.  They flew for awhile in silence.

“Jan,” Hank said, “What was it like to die?”

Jan shuddered involuntarily.  “In my case, it was hell,” she said.  “I was toxic, killing everyone around me -- not just the aliens who were killing us, but my friends.  Then Thor threw me out of this world, and I felt -- something.  An awful, hideous pain and a tugging.”

There was a pause before Hank asked, “Do you remember anything about being dead?”

Jan shook her head.  “No … at least, I don’t think I do.  I’ve got this kind of vague image of … well, this is going to sound stupid, but I have a faint reminiscence of seeing … Hercules before Ultron revived me.”

Hank looked at Jan out of the corner of his eye.  “Hercules?!”

“Yeah,” Jan said.  “I think I saw him twice, which is why I remember it.  But that can’t be right, can it?”

Hank shrugged.  “Well, he IS a Greek god,” he said.

There was another silence.  “How old is William now?” Jan asked.

“If he were human, he’d be a toddler,” Hank said.  “But he’s part cat-person, so he’s maturing faster than humans.  He’s about the equivalent of an early elementary school kid now, and he’ll probably be around the age of the academy’s students within a year.”

There was a pause.  “Does he know … about his father?” Jan asked.

“No,” Hank said.  “I don’t see much point in telling him now.  If it matters when he’s older, then I will.”

Jan put a hand on Hank’s thigh, not out of passion, but compassion.  “It must be hard on you, treating him as your son when he isn’t,” she said.

“He is genetically,” Hank said.  “That’s the part that gets to me.  There are two constant reminders to me of what the Skrulls did here, of what they stole from me.  One is William.  The other changed when you came back.”  He looked at Jan.  “It used to be your death due to their trickery.  Now it’s your size, that we can’t get you back to your old height.”

“I’m OK with that,” Jan said.  “I’m alive, and I’m home, and I can still interact with normal humans … including the man I love.”

Hank smiled.  “Don’t get me wrong, Honey,” he said.  “I’m glad you’re back, and your condition is a minor issue, not a major one.  I’d much rather have you at any size than not have you.  And William is actually a joy to me.  He isn’t my son, but he is, and he loves me and calls me Papa.  He needs me … especially now.”

They completed the trip saying little, but glad of each other’s company.  Each was a comfort to the other.

When they arrived among the cat people, they quickly took custody of Tigra’s remains.  After some words, they took Hank and Jan to William.  The cat-boy had fur and markings similar to his mother.

William bounded over to Hank.  “Papa!” he shouted as he hugged Hank.

Hank tousled the boy’s mane.  “It’s good to see you William,” the man said, “but I really wish it was for almost any other reason.”

“Me, too,” said William.  Now he was clearly sad.

Then he looked up at Jan, all 8 feet of her.  He beamed.  “You must be Jan,” he said.

“That’s right,” Jan said.  “How did you know?”

“Mama told me about you,” William said.  “She said you were really tall, and really pretty, and that you were Papa’s alpha female, and always had been until you were gone for awhile.  She said she knew when you came back she’d have to give him up, but she loved you both so much she said that was easy, ‘cause she knew you’d be way happier together than apart.”

Jan could feel tears welling up.  “Well, she was pretty special to know that.”

“I know she was special, silly,” William said.  “She was the Tigra.  The Tigra is the most special of us all.”

Jan smiled again.

“They told me somebody stopped the bad guy who killed Mama, and killed him when they did it,” William said.  “Is that true?”

Jan looked to Hank.  “Yes, William,” Hank said.  “Jan stopped him, and killed him, and your Mama’s sacrifice saved other kids at the school where I teach.”

William looked seriously up at Jan.  “You took him out.  He was a threat.  That’s good.  It’s what cat people would do.”

Jan shrugged.  “Well, I’m an Avenger,” Jan said.  “It’s what we do.”

“You avenged my Mama,” William said.  “Thank you.”  He hugged her.

Jan’s heart melted as she felt the furry child’s embrace.  She stroked his mane.

William looked back up at her.  “You’re soft and warm,” he said.  “I can smell how you and Papa feel about each other.  And I think I smell you liking me.”

Jan nodded.  “I think I might more than like you.”

“That’s good,” William said, “because I like you.  Since you love my Papa and you‘re his mate, can I call you my Mama Jan?”

Jan was smiling and fighting back tears at the same time.  “If you’d like to, I would love that,” Jan said.

“Good.  Then  you’re Mama Jan,” he said.

A cat-person Jan and Hank didn’t know came up to them.  “William, we need to get ready for the ceremony,” she said.

“Oh,” said the cat-boy sadly.  “OK.”

“May we come?” asked Hank.

“We usually don’t allow humans,.” the cat-person, “but, as William’s father and the Tigra’s most recent mate, you are welcome -- and allowed to bring your current alpha female.”

“We’ll see you there, William,” Jan said.

William smiled sadly as he followed the other cat person out.

“Wow,” Jan said, “His mood’s shift in a hurry,” she said.

“That’s partly being a cat-person and partly being about the equivalent of a 6-year-old child in grief,” Hank said.  “He really likes you.”

Tears were running down Jan’s cheek.  “I really like him, too,.” she said.

Hank smiled up at his ex-wife/fiancee.  “Well, you said you wanted to have children.”

“This isn’t quite what I meant, but I think I’d like to be his Mama, or at least  Mama Jan.”

Hank patted her arm.  “You’ll do great,” he said.

Jan stared at the ground as they walked.  Something about the situation, about William, still bothered her, but she put it out of her mind for now.

For the cat-person, a funeral celebration was normally very simple, but Greer wasn’t just any cat-person.  She was the Tigra, the manifestation of a primal being of their species.  Greer had been an avatar, and that made her special.

Hank and Jan watched as William snuggled into each of them at times.  He alternated between restless and inconsolable.  From what Jan had learned about child psychology since her return to life and Earth -- she viewed that as part of what she needed to do to understand where some of the students might be emotionally -- that actually was pretty typical of most children around William’s apparent age when they were dealing with grief.

Words were spoken, some in English, some in an ancient language.  Then one of the female cat-people got up to speak who had been silent to this point.

“Greer Grant Nelson was not born one of us, but she became the vessel by which the Tigra chose to return to Earth,” the new speaker said.  “She was a reminder that the Tigra moves where it will.  Her chosen mate and his chosen alpha are also examples of this.  That one such as the Tigra would become a beta female may seem strange to us, but look at the alpha female she relented to.  You can feel the mystical energy from her presence.  She, too, has returned from beyond life to this life, as the Tigra does.  She is large and strong and powerful, and yet she has a very feline spirit, despite her insectine scent.  She, like the Tigra, has been touched by the gods, and chosen to walk again on the Earth.  And besides, Greer could smell the love these two share, and she knew what would be best for her love.  That’s what the Tigra does; look out for what is best for those she cares about.

“We know that, one day, like so many cats, the Tigra will be back.  Where, when and in what form, we know not, but she will be back.  She may choose to come in a familiar form, or not.  We know not.  But she will be back.

“And, in the meantime, she has left us William, named for Greer’s late human husband , born of Henry Pym‘s genes, and himself a bearer of some aspect of the Tigra.  He is his mother’s son, and a gift to us and to the world.  It was the Tigra’s wish that we care for him for a time, and her wish that Henry Pym and his alpha female care for William.  Where William will go is up to them and him; such is the way of the cat.  But, wherever they may go, the three of them will always be welcome here, as we await the return again of the one who so trusted and loved them, the Tigra,” the speaker said.

Once the ceremony was over, Tigra’s body was cremated on a funeral pyre.  William wept silently, curled up on Jan’s lap, as the pyre was lit.  Hank rubbed the boy’s back, stroking his fur.

Jan walked up to the speaker who had talked about her after the ceremony.  “Thank you,” Jan said.  “That was beautiful, and I’m so moved that you included me.”

The speaker smiled up at Jan.  “You have no idea what you meant to Greer, Janet Van Dyne.  She spoke of you often during your first life, and after your death, and after your return.  She knew you were a warrior to be reckoned with, and you were the one woman who could have supplanted her as an alpha female to any male.  Add to that that you avenged her death and stopped the madman who killed her, and her faith in you has been justified.”

Hank knelt down to talk to William eye to eye.  “Son, your Mama Jan and I will need to go back to the school for young super-beings where we teach,” Hank said.  “We’ll have a memorial service for her there; she taught a lot of students, and they’ll need that.  Plus, your Mama Jan and I are getting married soon, and we would like you to be there.  I think it would help the students there if you came for the service, but your home has been here.  We’d like to have you with us, but we’ll understand if you want to stay here.”

“The students loved my mama?” William asked.

“Some loved her,” Jan said.  “Most liked her.  All respected her.  She mattered to them, and she made them better at using their powers.”

William nodded.  “The Tigra would want to help them,” he said.  “And I’d like to see where Mama lived, … and where she died.  And, with the wedding, can I watch?”

Jan knelt down, still needing to look down at William since she was stuck at no smaller than 8 feet tall.  “We want you to do more than watch, William,” Jan said.  “We want you to be our ring-bearer.”

William cocked his head, looking confused.  “But I’m not a bear-person.  I’m a cat-person,” he said.

Jan and Hank both chuckled.  “No, not ring-bear,” Jan said.  “Ring-bear-er.  It’s a very important job.  The rings we’ll wear are signs that we’re married to each other, signs of our love.  Your job would be to carry them in for us. You’d be their protector, and the one who shows them to everyone as you walked in.  It’s usually a boy who does this, and one who’s special to the bride and groom.” Seeing William’s expression, she added, “I’m the bride, and your papa’s the groom.”

“So I’d be helping you?”

“The wedding wouldn’t be as good without you,” Hank said.  “Even if you don’t do this, we want you there, but we’d actually planned to ask you to do this before your mama died.”

“I’ll do it,” William said.  “I’d like to be part of your wedding, and I think Mama would have liked it.”

“We’d actually talked about it with her before she died,” Jan said.  “She thought it would be great, if you wanted to do it.”

Hank made the arrangements to take William back.  For now, it was set up as a visit, but both Hank and the cat-people agreed that it could become permanent, depending on what William wanted and what Hank and Jan felt was best for him.

Once in the Quinjet, William was fascinated with all the electronics.  As soon as they were airborne, Hank called ahead to the academy to make sure a guestroom was set up for William.  The boy was both thrilled and slightly terrified by flying, but overall he loved it.  After awhile, he curled up in Jan’s lap and went to sleep.  Jan realized that, at times, he was purring, and other times, crying, both in his slumber.

They arrived at the campus to little fanfare.  William, now full of energy, had to go exploring.  Hank and Jan gave him the tour, feeling worn out trying to keep up with him.

It was suppertime when they reached the cafeteria.  They got William a tray and helped him understand how to pick out the foods he wanted (he chose meat and fish) and introduced him to some of the children.

One of the students came up.  “I’m called X-23,” she said.  “Your mother was a special teacher of mine.  I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” said William.  “I’m sorry for your loss, too.”

As they walked to a table, William saw someone and froze.  Suddenly he handed his tray to Jan and bounded over to a nearby table, where White Tiger and Reptil were sitting together.

The boy stood staring at White Tiger, who looked up at him.  “Oh, hi,” she said.  “You’re William, right?”

“Yeah,” said William.  “You’re like a cat person.”

Ava was taken aback.  “I guess I am,” she said.  “I’ve got a tiger spirit in me that gives me special powers.”

William’s eyes widened.  “You’re like a Tigra,” he said.

Ava bit her lip.  “I … guess I am,” she said.

Hank had come over and put a hand on William’s shoulder.  “William, we’re eating over here,” he said.  “Sorry, kids.”

“It’s OK,” said Ava.  It’s good to meet you, William.”

“That was weird,” said Reptil.  Then he realized Ava was staring after the boy.  “White Tiger, you OK?”

“It’s the weirdest thing,” she said.  “I can’t explain it, but there was … something more going on there.”

“Like what?” Hector asked.

“I don’t know.” Ava said.  “I don’t know.”

William looked up at Hank as they walked to the table.  “What was that girl’s name?” he asked.

“Ava Ayala,” Hank said.  “She goes by White Tiger.”

“And you humans marry your mates?” William asked.

“Not always,” Hank said.  “When we want just one who’s really special, then we marry them, if they want that, too.”

As they sat down, William said, “I’m going to marry White Tiger.”

Hank started to chuckle until she saw Jan’s face, then  looked at William’s.  Then he realized this wasn’t a little boy talking.  It was something more.  Maybe that eulogist at Tigra’s funeral was onto something, Hank thought.  That sounded like something far more ancient than his adopted son talking.

Conflagration surrounded Jan.  She was wasp-sized and flying, stinging Skrulls left and right, trying to get the one who ’d replaced Hank.

The giant in the Yellowjacket uniform grabbed a control device.  “I was going to save you for last, Jan, but if you’re going to make this into a thing --” he said through fanged teeth , hitting the device’s button.

Then the pain flooded into Jan, the unimaginable pain as she began to grow, at first unevenly and out of control.

Jaqn sat bolt upright In bed, screaming.

Hank, next to her, rolled over.  “The nightmare again?” he said.

Jan was breathing hard.  The pain, remembered from when she died, always made it difficult to shift back to reality when she woke up from the nightmare.

“The flashback to when Critti Noll killed you again?” Hank asked, wiping the sweat from Jan‘s brow.  “It’s been weeks since you’ve had that one last.”

Jan looked down at Hank. She’d gotten used to being the taller of the two of them most of the time now.  “This time was different,” she said.

“How so?” Hank asked.

Jan turned toward Hank.  “The voice was still Critti Noll’s,” she said, “but the face was William’s.”

Jan saw Hank’s chest and shoulders sag slightly at the news.  “Oh, Jan,” he said.

“I know, I know,” Jan said.  “William isn’t Critti Noll’s child in any meaningful way, but he is biologically Critti Noll’s son; the son of the ‘man’ who killed me.” Almost involuntarily, she chuckled.  “Do you know how weird that sounds?  ‘The man who killed me?’”

“You’re doing it again, Jan,” Hank said.  “You told me to call you on it.  I bottle up my feelings, bury them, even from myself.  You deflect them, making jokes or flirting.  You’re deflecting now.”

“I know,” Jan said.

“Jan, William believes he’s my son in every sense, and he is in every sense that matters.”

Jan’s voice broke slightly as she said, “I understand all that.  Hank, I want to love him, and part of me already does.  But there’s some corner of me that just can’t get past the fact that his biological father took my life, and tried to take out all the Avengers, and was even part of the plot to kidnap you.  He almost kept me from ever seeing you again, and he cost us years together… So many years …”

Hank rubbed Jan’s long arm.  “You’re still so young and beautiful.”

Jan grabbed his hand, holding it gently.  “But, Hank, life was so hard for you while I was gone.  You were already older than me, and the gap widened when I came back the same age as when I left, while your time on the Skrull war world and the grief you felt over my death aged you even more than the time.  My being so young may well mean I’ll have to live more years without you down the line, if we both manage to make it to old age.”

“I know that,” Hank said.  “But I thought we both want to take advantage of what we’ve got, and not worry about what we’ve lost.”

“We do.  I do,” Jan said.  “But William brings all that back.  I look at him, and I see Greer, and I see you, and I see a little boy… but part of me sees my murderer.  I’m just having a hard time getting past that.”

Hank nodded.  “Would you like a hug?”

“I’d like to be held,”  Jan said.  “Could you come up a little?  I’d really like your arms around me for this one.”

“Gladly,” Hank said.  He grew to 10 feet tall and enfolded his 8-foot wife.  He was glad he’d had a Goliath bed, designed for giants up to 10 feet tall, installed in his rooms.

After a couple of minutes, there was a knock at the door of Hank’s apartment.  “Who is it?” he asked.

“It’s Lightspeed,” came Julie Power’s voice.  “Giant-Man, it’s about William.  He’s down the hall in the guest room, crying.”

Hank put a hand to his forehead.  “Thanks, Julie,” he said.  “I’ll be right down.”

Hank got out of bed and got into his robe.  He was surprised when he realized Jan was putting on her robe, too.  “Jan, you don’t need to go,” he said.

“Yes, I do,” Jan said.  “You’ve made William part of your family, and I’m remarrying you.  That makes him part of my family, too.  And, besides, Greer entrusted him to both of us, and he calls me his Mama Jan.  I’ve got to work through this stuff, for all our sakes.  You and Greer, and that little boy, all need me to… And I need to do it for me, too.”

Hank nodded.  By this time they both had their slippers on.  “Let’s go,” he said.

They walked quickly down the hall to the guest room where they’d placed William.  Hank knocked.  “Son, it’s Papa and Mama Jan.  Can we come in.”

“Yes, said William,” his voice sounding like a child who had just stopped sobbing.

They entered to find Julie kneeling beside the boy.  He bolted for Hank as soon as he came in.  Julie stood up.  “I’ll let you two handle things from here,” she said.  “Take care, William.”

“Thanks, Julie,” William said, even as he hugged Hank.

Jan tousled the boy’s mane.  “Hey, Will,” she said.

“Hey, Mama Jan,” the boy said, leaping from Hank’s arms to hers.  He hugged her tightly.

Hank patted the boy’s back.  “What’s wrong, son?” he said.

“It’s just … I’m lonely,” said William.  I miss my Mama, and everything’s so different here, and I just wish …  I just miss her.”

“We all do, William,” Hank said.  He glanced up at Jan.  By now he was used to her being taller than him most of the time.  “Son, would it help if you slept in my --”

Jan raised an eyebrow and Hank stopped in mid-sentence.  He’d been about to ask William to stay with them tonight.  Was Jan trying to block that, to keep William away?

“William, look at me,” Jan said.  He did so.  “Would you like to see your mama’s rooms here?”

William nodded and sniffled.  “I’d like that a lot,” he said.

Hank smiled.  Now he understood what Jan was doing.  As usual, she’d instinctively figured out what would work best to solve, or at least address, a problem -- in this case, William’s.  “Let’s go,” he said.

“Hank, would you mind if I took him, by myself?” Jan asked.  “I’d really like to do this.”

Remembering their earlier conversation, Hank nodded.  “All right,” he said.  “Son, we’re just down the hall if you need us.”

“I know, Papa,” William said.  “I can follow your scent trail if I need to.”

Hank patted the boy’s back, stroking his fur.  “I love you, son.”

“I love you, Papa,” William said.  “G’night.”

Jan carried the boy.  “It must be kind of hard, sleeping at night when you’re nocturnal -- a night hunter,” she said.

“A little,” William said.  “Mostly I just miss my Mama.”

Jan got to the door of Greer’s room.  “Here we go,” she said.  She opened the door.

William slid from her arms and gasped.  He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.  “Mama!” he said.  “I can smell her!  Her scent’s all through here!  It’s everywhere!”

“I thought that might help,” Jan said.

“Look,” William said.  “Here are pictures of me with Mama, and Papa with Mama.”

Jan suppressed a cringe.  The “Hank” in the picture was in a Yellowjacket uniform.  It was Critti Noll, but the boy knew nothing about that.

Suddenly the boy was back in her arms.  “Thank you, Mama Jan,” he said.  “This is perfect.  It’s almost like having her here with me.”

Jan stroked the boy’s mane.  “She is with you, William,” Jan said.  “Her body may have died, but her love of you lives on in your heart, and it’ll always be there.”

William snuggled into Jan and yawned.  “Can I stay in this room tonight?’ he asked.

“You can stay here as long as you want,” Jan said.  “If you like, this can be your room.  I’m sure your papa won’t mind.”

William got onto the bed.  “Can you stay with me for awhile, Mama Jan?” he asked, holding his arms up.

Most of Jan’s heart melted.  “Of course,” she said, sitting on the bed.

Soon the boy was snuggled in as he sat on her lap.  She realized he was purring.  Then, as he warmed up, she was sure he was asleep.  Gingerly, she placed him atop his bed and rose to leave the room.

As she was leaving, Jan heard the boy mumble sleepily, “I love you, Mama Jan.”

“I love you, too, William,” Jan said, mostly telling the truth.

The next morning brought a really surreal moment for Jan: while Hank was preparing for Tigra’s Avengers memorial service at the academy, Jan needed to work on preparations for their wedding.

Hank and Jan had finished a game of Hank the Mountain-Climber, the Monsoon version.  Jan was done toweling down after her shower and had put on her robe, her nightmare of the night before almost forgotten.

Then came the knock at the door.  “I’ll get it, Lover,” Jan said.

“Good,” she heard Hank say.  She smiled.  The game had worn him out.

Jan opened the door to find Lightspeed.  “Hi, Julie,” Jan said.  “What’s up?”

“This package came for you,” Julie Power said.  “It looks like the one you told us to keep an eye out for.”

Jan looked at it.  “You’re right,” the adult said.

“Can I ask what’s in it?” Julie asked.

Jan smiled.  “A surprise for Jenny,” she said.  “Thanks, Julie,”

Julie did a half-salute, half-wave.  “No problem,” she said.  “See ya.”  Then she was gone in a blur.

“Hank!  Jenny’s wedding gear came!” Jan called.

“Oh, good,” said Hank.

Before Jan could open the package, Hank’s cell phone, sitting on the table by the front door, rang.  “I’ll get it,” she said.

Jan picked up the phone and answered it.  “Hello, Pym residence,” she said, somewhat playfully.

“Oh, Jan,” said a familiar voice.  “I was calling Hank.”

“Scott!” Jan said.  “Hank told me you were back, too.  I’m so sorry about Cassie.”

Like Jan, Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man, had recently come back from the dead, but his return had come at the cost of the lives of several Young Avengers, including Scott’s daughter, Cassie Lang, Stature.

“From my perspective, I was never gone,” Scott said.  “The world just changed.”

“It’s the same for me,” Jan said.

“Jan, I really want to talk to Hank,” Scott said.  “Can you please put him on?”

“Sure,” said Jan.  “Are you coming to the wedding?”

“I’m not coming to the wedding or the funeral,” Scott said.  “Please put Hank on.”

“Oh, Scott, I’m sorry to hear that,” Jan said.  “Can I try to change your mind?  Hank and I really want you here. It won’t be the same without --”

“Jan, I don’t want to talk to you!” Scott yelled.

“Scott!  What --”

“Jan, you’re just … another reminder of what I lost,” Scott snapped.  “My Cassie is dead.  I became Ant-Man to save Cassie’s life when she was sick.  Now she’s dead because of Ant-Man.  You’re back alive, I’m alive when I should be dead and my little girl …”  Jan heard Scott sobbing over the phone.  “Seeing you as a giantess … the last one I saw was Cassie, just before … I can’t.  I just can’t.  Please let me talk to Hank.”

“OK,” Jan said quietly.  She was already walking to the bedroom, where Hank was in his robe.  “Here’s Hank,” she said quietly.  She passed the phone.  “Scott Lang,” she said.

Hank took the phone.  “Scott, what’s going on?  Actually, I could hear you yelling from here, and I’m in a room down the hall from where Jan was at the time.  Yes.  But you bought her years;  she was a kid when you became Ant-Man, and so many people owe their lives to Stature.  Scott, give me a minute, so we can talk.”

Hank muted the phone and looked up at Jan.  “Honey, why don’t you take Jenny her package?  It may take awhile to talk this through with Scott, and it may be easier if I can do it alone.”

Jan nodded.  “I hope I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Hank smiled.  “You shouldn’t have to apologize for being alive, and I won’t let anyone put you in that position.  But Scott’s got a problem I think I can help with.”

Jan nodded.  “Right,” she said.  “Good luck.”

Jan went down the hall and got out a Wasp uniform.  She grabbed the package and headed to Jenny’s dorm room.

Jenny Takeda looked forward to Jan’s visits to the room.  Since Jan was uniquely immune to the toxins Jenny’s body constantly emitted, so Jan was the only one with whom Jenny could have contact outside the Hazmat containment suit.  Jenny had been an avid runner before her powers, and she and Jan would run together on adjoining treadmills in her room.  Jan would change in the decontamination area at the entrance to Jenny’s room, come in and run, then change back into her uncontaminated clothes.  They would also talk girl talk and just connect.  Jenny was just so glad to have a human being she could touch without sickening or killing the person, and Jan gave her hope for a cure.  For Jan, Jenny had been the person who hugged her when she felt unloved during the period right after the Wasp returned to life on Earth.

Jan spoke into the intercom to Jenny.  “Hey, Little Sis!  The package arrived!”

“Cool!” said Jenny.  “Come on in!”

Jan entered the decon room, changed and entered Jenny’s room, waving the package.  “Here you go,” she said.

Jenny grabbed it and opened it.  Inside was a suit with a helmet similar to the one she wore as Hazmat, but hot pink instead of yellow.  The suit itself was much thinner than the one she normally wore, and looked smaller.

Jenny looked doubtfully at Jan.  “Won’t this be kind of … form-fitting?” the girl asked.

“It needs to be,” Jan said.  “All my bridesmaids are wearing hot pink sheath dresses, the same color as this suit.  All my bridesmaids.”

“I’m wearing a dress over this?” Jenny said.

“You’d better be,” Jan said.  “This will be invisible.”

Jenny’s head jerked in surprise.  “Invisible?”

Jan nodded.  “Reed Richards built tech into the suit that will allow a charge from Sue Richards’ invisibility powers to hold in the suit for about six to eight hours, making the suit invisible.  Sue’s going to charge it right before the wedding.”

Jenny’s jaw slowly dropped.  “You mean … I’ll get to look … normal?”

Jan smiled.  “Everyone will get to see your beautiful face for a change,” she said.  “Even Ken.  I mean, you’ll still be in the suit.  That’s why it’s so thin.  Hank used some Pym particles to make it so thin.  It’s sturdier than it looks, but won’t be much good in combat, and I wouldn’t try to wear it too much before the wedding.  We can’t guarantee how long it will hold up.  That’s actually why it’s the same color as the dress; if something goes wrong, you’ll still fit in.”

Jenny hugged Jan.  “Thank you!” she said.  “And I’ll thank Dr. Pym and the Richardses, too.”

“You’re welcome,” Jan said.

Jenny looked at the suit again.  “You really think I need to worry about combat at the wedding?”

Jan’s expression became distant.  “It happens a lot at superhero weddings,” she said.  “When I married Hank the first time, the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime crashed it.”

“I know,” Jenny said.  “Everybody here knows.  The day Hank got you back was your anniversary, and he was so ticked when that bunch turned up and kept him from part of his time to look for you, he beat the snot out of ‘em.  They were taking away the only way he had of having time with you, or so he thought.”

Jenny realized that Jan’s massive shoulders were sagging.  “What’s wrong, Big Sis?” the teen asked.

“I ... shouldn’t ask you this,” Jan said.  “You’re just a kid.  But, you’re also my friend, and, with Tigra gone, there’s no other woman here to talk to.”

“What is it?”

Jan looked up.  “Am I doing the right thing here?  I mean, Hank was always older than me, and I didn’t age while I was dead, and he aged about twice as many years as passed.  He told me I’d been gone months when I first got back, but it was years, not months.”

Jenny patted Jan’s shoulder.  “You told me you knew Hank was the man for you the first moment you saw him, when you were in college,” the teen said.  “You’ve still got all your shared experiences.”  She smiled.  “Besides, what older guy doesn’t want a hot young trophy wife?”

Jan laughed, but there was no joy in it.  “But, Jenny, we’ve messed this relationship up so badly before.  Hank gets most of the blame, but it takes two people to screw things up this badly, and I did my share.  Even with the first wedding.  Hank was out of his mind, and I married him and held him to it.  I know he said he wanted to and stuck with it, but then, when his madness turned against me with a slap of his hand once -- just once -- I bolted.  I’m a super-heroine, and Avenger, for God’s sake!  I could have stood up to him.  Even after leaving him, I had the money to try to get him help, but I didn’t.  I just dumped him.  I married him because he was out of his mind, and then I left him because he was out of his mind. And he proposed to me again, and I was stupid enough to turn him down.”

Then Jan began to sob.  “You remember how I knew who he was, when he went mad and became Yellowjacket the first time?” the woman asked.

Jenny smiled at the romance she heard in the story.  “When  he had everyone fooled -- even, up to that point, you -- you knew him by his kiss.”

“One kiss,” Jan said, holding up her index finger.  “That sounds all romantic, but I let that Skrull impostor kiss me and even share my bed, and I never knew it wasn’t Hank.” Jan sobbed again.  “Jenny, I let him down so many times, and he had his share of troubles, too.  I love him so much, and I want to marry him, but …” Jan’s voice trailed off into weeping.

Jenny put her arms around her gigantic friend as best she could.  She got her face in front of Jan’s.  “You love him, right?”

Jan nodded.

“Believe me, we all see that here,” Jenny said.  “And we all see how much he loves you.  You two light up when the other is there, and more so since you’ve really gotten back together.  Jan, I only know what my mom and dad always said.  They said marriage takes hard work, and that it’s sweeter when you really know each other.  You and Hank have a lot of years under your belts, and you know each others strengths and weaknesses so well that you’ll know what to work on.  Are you willing to do the work?”

“Absolutely,” Jan said, sniffling.

“Is Hank?” Jenny asked.

Jan smiled, now starting to look really happy.  “I think so,” she said.

“Then you’re doing the right thing,” she said.

Jan hugged the teen. “Thanks, Little Sis,” the giantess said.

“No problem, Big Sis,” Jenny said.

“Think we still have time for a short run?” Jan asked.

“Absolutely,” Jenny said.  “Let’s hit the treadmills.”

After Jan had left Jenny’s room, she returned to Hank’s apartment.  She found Hank sipping a cup of coffee.  “Jenny like the suit?” he asked.

“She loves it,” Jan said.  “She said she’ll thank you later.  How’s Scott?”

“Still deeply grieving,” Hank said.  “He won’t be here for the memorial service -- he didn’t know Tigra that well -- but he’s coming to the wedding.”

Jan’s eyes widened.  “That’s great,” she said.  “How on Earth did you manage that?”

Hank finished another sip of coffee.  “A suggestion from shared experience,’ he said.  “You’ll see on the day.”

Jan bent down and kissed Hank’s cheek.  “You are wonderful, Lover,” she said.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” Hank said.  “Um, do you think we’ll have some folks in super-suits at the wedding?”

Jan shrugged.  “Sure,” she said.  “Some will be bound to.  Why do you ask?”

“Think it would be all right if I wore one of my old ones?” Hank asked.  “I think it might help Scott.”

Jan’s brow furrowed.  “What you wear is up to you,” she said lightly.  “Just show up, please.”

Hank smiled.  “Not even an alien army is going to keep me away,” he said.

Jan headed back to get on a uniform for the class she was to teach.  As she did, she puzzled over one of Hank’s comments.  How could one of his uniforms help Scott Lang?

The day of the memorial service was a bit of a zoo.  Media were outside the school compound as Avengers and friends arrived in droves.  Students were also in the mix, some marveling at how many heroes were here.

Only a few people were slated to speak.  Hank, of course, was one.  So was Jan, as the person who brought Greer into the Avengers.  X-23 had asked to speak, as had Lyra.  They had learned that Greer had been Presbyterian before she became Tigra, and had convinced a Presbyterian pastor to officiate both at the memorial and at the upcoming wedding, since Hank and Jan had no ties to anyone else who could officiate a wedding at present.

Hank put on a suit and tie while Jan helped William put one on.  It was a challenge buttoning his shirt over his heavy fur, but he cooperated.

“I hate these things,” Hank said as he fiddled with his tie.

“Most men hate neckties,” Jan said.

“Not neckties,” Hank said.  “Memorial services.  This si the second one I’ve spoken at for someone I’ve loved.  The last was yours, which … didn’t go so well.  I hope I don’t have any more to speak at -- or attend, for that matter -- for a long time.”

Jan, who was now standing, leaned down and kissed her beloved.  “Me, too, Lover,” she said.

“Am I supposed to say something at the service today?” William asked.

Jan patted the boy’s shoulder.  “Only if you want to, Will,” she said.  “Do you want to?”

“I don’t know,” he said.

Hank knelt down by the boy.  “Well, you can even decide during the ceremony.  Just let us know.  OK?”

William nodded.   “OK.”

Hank, Jan and William sat at the front of the room as the noteworthies came through.  Most surviving Avengers were there, especially those who fought beside Greer for any length of time or in key situations.

A tense moment came when Tony Stark came through the line.  He offered his hand to Hank, who didn’t take it.  “Hank, I’m really sorry … about Greer,” Tony said.

“So am I,” Hank said.

When he got to Jan, she hugged him tightly.  “It’s good to see you, Tony,” Jan said.  “Thanks for coming.”

“I couldn’t stay away,” he said.  He glanced at Hank, who was pointedly avoiding Tony by looking at the next person in line.

“He’s still really hurting,” Jan said.

“I … guess that makes sense,” Tony said.  “Um, can I talk to you for just a moment afterward?  Away from Hank”

“Sure,” said Jan.  “But I’m off the market.”

Tony smiled.  “Much as I wish it was, it’s not about that,” he said.

Jan introduced Tony to William, which went uneventfully.

During the service, X-23 spoke of Tigra as a teacher, while Lyra talked about her warrior spirit.  Jan  spoke of the woman who started as a stranger and became her friend.

Jan’s eyes teared up as she continued.  “Greer loved Hank and me enough to step aside when I came back,” the Wasp said.  “She was more worried about what was best for us than herself, and trusted us enough to put her William in our care.  She was really a better friend than I deserved, and I miss her.”  She stepped down, using a handkerchief to wipe away tears.

Hank stood up, looking awkward for a moment.  “Greer was the best,” he said.  “She was a terrific Avenger and teacher, and she would want me to say a terrific girlfriend -- which she was.  She loved me enough to let me go, which can’t have been easy for her.  She died saving others. I am proud she was in my life.”

William looked up at Jan.  “Can I say something?  I want to.”

Jan nodded.  “Go on up,” she said.

William walked up, passing Hank.  “You did good, Papa,” the boy said.

Hank smiled as the boy went to the podium.

William stood beside the podium, so he could see.  “My Mama was the Tigra,” he said.  “The Tigra always comes back.  But it doesn’t always come back the same as when it left.  It’s like Mama Jan, who could shrink to bug size when she died, but now is a giant.  My Mama loved me, and I miss her a lot.  But she died the kind of death the Tigra should die, saving other people.  And she’ll be back, or some part of her will.  And meanwhile, she’ll live in my heart, and the hearts of everyone who loved her.”

The boy stepped down and rejoined Hank and Jan.  Hank patted Williams’ shoulder.  “You did good, Son,” the man said.

Jan hugged the boy.  “Your mamas -- both of us -- are proud of you,” she said.

As people were leaving, Hank and Jan were surprised by a boisterous greeting.  “Fair Janet!” came a booming, familiar voice.

“Hercules!” Jan shouted.  She ran toward him, working to remember that his strength had diminished and hers greatly increased.  She hugged him as tightly as she dared.

“Oh, Herc, it’s so good to see you!” Jan said.  “When did you get here?”

“Just as the service started,” the demigod said.  “Janet, ‘tis so good to see thee again!  ‘Tis good to see my efforts in Erebus worked.”

Hank had approached, with William talking to others nearby.  “Erebus?” he said.  “What’s that?”

“It’s one of the realms of the dead in Greco-Roman mythology,” Jan said.  Then she looked at Hank.  “How do I know that?” she said.  “I was terrible in that part of classical studies in college.”  She turned back to Hercules.  “But I’ve never been in Erebus, Herc.”

“Ah, thou rememberest not now, but thou wast there,” Hercules said.  “I was on a mission there with Amadeus Cho when we found thee there, gambling, trying to win thy way back to life because of thine unfinished business.  Scott Lang was there, too, but twas thee I approached.”

“You … talked to me there?” Jan said.

“Aye, but thou took no notice of me,” Herc said.  “Not surprising, really.  I was alive, and thou weren’t, but thou wast as driven as ever I have seen friend Henry, here.  Thou just kept playing, knowing the game was rigged, but working to get back to this life.” He chuckled.  “And thou just kept complaining about who had already gotten out.”

Jan’s eyes widened in realization.  “Bucky,” she said.  “Bucky Barnes.  I was .. Ranting that they let out Bucky Barnes.”

Hercules beamed.  “Aye! Thou dost remember!”

“Wait,” said Hank.  “Herc, you said your efforts in Erebus worked.  What did you mean by that?”

“Well, I was on a mission to free another from death at the time I saw Janet, so I could not act then,” Hercules said.  “But I was able to … make some arrangements about the machine Janet was playing.  It took time and some guile, but the work was done.”

“Arrangements?” Jan said faintly.

Hercules smiled up at her.  “Now, Janet,” he said, “thou knowest I have always hated a rigged game.”

“When … how …” Jan said.

“I believe thou wast released on … why, as I think of it, twas on thine old wedding anniversary day.”

Jan could no longer contain herself.  She screamed in shock and joy, then hugged Hercules, holding back just enough to keep from truly hurting him.  “Herc!  You saved my life!  You brought me back to life!”  she shouted, kissing the demigod.

“Well, I had a hand in it,” Herc said.  “Thou mayest express more such gratitude, if thou wishest.”

Hank grabbed Herc’s arm.  Smiling, he said in mock anger, “Hey, watch it there, buddy.  She’s my fiancee, you know.”

“And glad I am for thee both,” the demigod said.

“But, Herc, it sounds like you knew about this some time before you got things done,” Hank said.  “Why didn’t you tell me about it before this?”

Hercules put a massive hand on Hank’s shoulder.  “Friend Henry, if I had told thee, what wouldst thou have done?”

Hank sighed as he realized the answer to his own question.  “I’d have gone charging in to try to get Jan out,” he said.

“And most likely gotten thyself killed in the process,” Herc said.  “This way took longer, but thou must agree, is more eminently satisfying.”

Jan looked down at Hank.  “Lover, everyone else involved in saving me is in the wedding party.  We need Herc to be there, too.”  She looked to Hercules.  “You are coming to the wedding, right?”

“Of course!” Herc said.  “I lovest a party even more than I hatest a rigged game!”

“I agree, of course, but it’s kind of late to add a groomsman,” Hank said.

“That’s not what I had in mind,” Jan said.  “she turned to Hercules.  “Herc, in our weddings there’s a tradition of the father of the bride giving away the bride to the groom during the ceremony.  My father died before I became the Wasp.  Actually, avenging his death was the original reason I became the Wasp.  My first wedding was a hurry-up affair, just this side of an elopement.  You sort of ‘fathered’ my return.  Will you give me away during the ceremony?”

Hercules beamed.  “Twould be my honor,” he said, hugging Jan.

“Then that’s settled,” Hank said.  “Welcome aboard, ‘Dad.’”

Later, while Hank was with William at the meal for those in attendance, Jan met Tony outside.

“I haven’t gotten my invitation to the wedding,” Tony said.

“I haven’t sent one,” Jan said.  “I’m sorry, Tony.  I want to invite you, but Hank won’t let me.”

Tony momentarily closed his eyes.  “I’m not surprised.”

“Are you ever?” Jan asked.

Tony chuckled.  “Sometimes,” he said.  “Look, Jan, I expect not to be at the wedding, so I wanted to give you this now.”  He handed her an envelope.  “I know a funeral is a crummy time for a wedding gift, but this is pretty much my only chance.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Jan said.  “I’ll work on Hank, but I can’t promise anything.”

“I understand,” Tony said.  “Look, I’m making Hank uncomfortable, and that seems to be spilling over to Tigra’s son.  I’m going to take off.”

Gently, Jan scooped Tony up and hugged him.  “Take care of yourself, Handsome.”

Tony looked around, making sure no one and nothing was watching.  He kissed Jan’s cheek.  “You, too, Gorgeous,” he said.  “And you might want to open that gift sooner, rather than later.  It’s one I hope you can use right after the wedding.”

Once Jan put him down, Tony turned and walked away.  She sighed as she watched him.  He didn’t look back.

Jan until the next night to bring up Tony’s gift.  She showed Hank the envelope, but at a distance, afraid he might try to grab it and rip it up.

“That was nice of him,” Hank said coldly.

“He said we ought to open it early,” Jan said.  “Mind if I see what it is?”

Hank shrugged.  “Suit yourself.” he said.

Jan opened the envelope and gasped.  “Oh, my!” she said.  “Hank, you’ve got to see this!”

She handed the envelope to Hank, who tossed it into the trash without looking at it.  “I’ll be in my room,” he said.

“Henry Pym!” Jan said angrily.  She grabbed the envelope and followed him, then stopped abruptly.  Hank was sitting on his side of the bed, sobbing, his legs pulled up near his chest, his arms holding them in place.

Jan sat down and gently placed an arm on Hank’s shoulder.  “Lover, what’s wrong?” she said.

He looked her in the eyes.  “That’s the way you used to yell at me, back in the day,” he said.  “You haven’t yelled at me like that since you got back.”

“I’m sorry,” Jan said.  “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

His cheeks still wet, Hank laughed.  “No, that’s not it,” he said.  “I missed that.  When you died, I mean.  I found myself missing the strangest things about you, like how you’d yell at me about the toothpaste.  This is going to sound stupid, but I was so happy to hear you yell at me like that, it made me cry.”

Jan smiled.  “I can yell at you some more, if you like,” she said.

Hank’s smile broadened. “That was enough for now,” he said.

Jan patted Hank’s back, rubbing it slightly.  After a moment, she said, “Hank, I really want Tony at the wedding.”

“No,” Hank said, his expression gone stony.

“I know you’re angry at him, but I still think of him as a friend,” Jan said.

“How can you?” Hank snapped.  “His actions got you killed!”

“A lot of things got me killed, Hank,” Jan said.  “But, if nothing else, Tony deserves to be there as a fellow founding Avenger.”

Hank jumped out of bed.  “No!” he shouted.  “Don’t you understand?  He got you killed!  How can I forgive that?  I can’t forgive anyone who helped get you killed, and I won’t have him at the wedding!”  Hank turned toward the window, staring at nothing.

Jan thought for a moment about what Hank had just said, remembering how her beloved had a way of turning his feelings inwards and sideways.  Then she looked up at him, and suddenly she understood.

Jan stood up and, standing behind Hank, put her arms around him.  “You said you can’t forgive anyone who helped get me killed,” she said.

Hank nodded.

“Hank, that night I thought you’d dumped me, after you’d gotten me back, you told me you blamed yourself for my death, because of getting kidnapped and replaced by the Skrulls.”

Hank nodded again, a little less forcefully than before.

“You still haven’t forgiven yourself, have you?” Jan said.

Hank shook his head.

“That’s part of why you don’t want Tony here,“ Jan said. “It’s not just his role in my death.  He was the one who brought back the ship you were in, when just too late for you to be there when I died.  You blame him for that, and you still blame yourself.”

“I meant what I’ve said about Tony before,” Hank said.  I blame him for your death.  But … what you said is right, too.  I blame him for not getting me back in time, … and I still blame myself for getting caught and letting you get set up to die.”

Jan bent down to put her head on Hank’s shoulder.  “I thought you were supposed to be working on forgiving yourself for that, like I forgave you for it,” she said.

Hank patted Jan’s hand.  “Yeah, well, it turns out it’s easier for me to forgive you than to forgive myself,” he said.

“Funny,” said Jan.  “I’m still having the same problem forgiving myself for getting duped by Critti Noll.”

Hank turned toward Jan.  “I’ve already forgiven you for that, Jan,” he said.

“I know,” Jan said.  “And that means you can forgive someone involved causin g my death.  So, it’s a step.”

Hank chuckled.  “Yeah, I guess,” he said.

Jan kissed Hank.  “Lover, what we’ve been through has left a lot of baggage to sort through for both of us.  It may take years.  Heck, it may take the rest of our lives for some of it.  But we’re in this together -- really together this time.  And this giant lady thinks you deserve to be forgiven, including by yourself.”

His eyes moist, Hank nodded.  “Well, that helps,” he said.  “and I think the giant lady deserves to be forgiven, even by herself, too.”

Jan hugged Hank ardently.  After a couple of minutes, she said, “Hank, I won’t push any more about Tony coming to the wedding, but you really should see his gift.”

Hank nodded.  Jan got the envelope from the bed and handed it to Hank.

Inside was a cover letter over some legal papers.  The letter read, “Dear Hank and Jan;

“We have, over the years been good friends.  I know I’ve let you down at times; I am, after all, human.  I don’t ask anything from you, but, for the sake of our past, I wanted to give you a gift I know you can  use.

“I heard just enough over the years to know there are some things you two might like to do on your honeymoon -- things that wouldn’t be practical, with Jan’s current size limits, in most places.  So I give you this private island I acquired some time back.  It’s been squirreled away in case I needed it as a hidden base -- you know me and my contingency plans.  I give it to you now, as a get-away for a couple who deserves one, from a friend who still values the time we had together.

“Your friend,

“Tony Stark.”

Hank looked at the other papers.  “It’s the deed,” he said.

Jan nodded.

Hank looked at her.  “How’d he know about the games?” he asked.

“We weren’t exactly subtle when we were newlyweds the first time,” Jan said.  I’m sure we talked about things like Hank the Teddy Bear, and The Giant and the Fairy Princess, in front of … well, everybody.  Remember how Cap used to blush at that stuff?”

Hank closed his eyes as he nodded.  “Oh, yes,” he said.

“Do you want to accept this?” Jan said.

Hank nodded.  “Although, knowing Tony, we’d best have it swept for spying equipment.  I don’t think he’d watch us; he’s just paranoid enough to have the place covered that way.”

“I definitely agree,” Jan said.

“I’m still not ready for Tony to come to the wedding,” Hank said.  “But, if it’s OK with you, I will write the thank-you note for this.  It’s a generous and carefully considered gift, and he deserves a proper thanks for it, whay=tever else is in the mix.”

Jan kissed Hank’s cheek.  “I agree again,” she said.

“Do you want to see the note before I send it, in case I say something stupid?” Hank asked.

“Nah,” Jan said.  “I trust you.”

Sleep that night wa peaceful, except that Jan had the nightmare again.  Like last time, Critti Noll was wearing the Yellowjacket mask and had William’s face, complete with extended fangs much longer than Will’s.

Hank had an early class the next day, but Jan was free until afternoon.  After her treadmill run with Jenny, she came back to the apartment and took some time to relax in a warm bath.  When she was done, she put on some jeans and a blouse and decided to go down the hall to check on William.

Jan walked to Tigra’s old room and knocked on the door.  “William,” she said.  “May I come in?”

“Sure,” came a more mature voice than Jan expected.

She swung the door open to see a male cat-person who looked to be the equivalent of a human teenager standing, looking in the mirror.  He had the same tawny coat as both Tigra and William, and was built with the same deep chest and broad shoulders Jan knew so well from all her years with Hank.

The cat-teen turned toward Jan.  Smiling, it suddenly collapsed into William, back to his boyish self.  “Hi, Mama Jan!”  he said, bounding over to her.

Jan’s blood ran cold as she realized William had just shape-shifted, but it got even colder when she heard his next words.

“Mama Jan, what’s the Skrull?”

Jan was fighting to hold onto her composure as she asked William, “What did you just say?”

“I asked, ‘What’s the Skrull?’” William said.  “You saw me change ages just now.  I can do that for a little while, when I want to bad enough.  Some cat-people said it was because of my Mama being the Tigra, and some said it was because of the Skrull.  But I don’t know what the Skrull is.  So, what’s the Skrull?”

Jan fumbled for the cell phone she had stashed in her jeans pocket.  She held up an index finger.  “William, that’s a very important question, and I’d like to have your Papa’s help answering it.  Let me just see if I can get him here, OK?”

“OK,” William said.  He plopped down on the bed, smelling it.  Jan realized as she dialed he was smelling the mix of Tigra’s scent with his.

“Pym,” Hank said on the other end of the call.

“Hank, it’s Jan.  What are you doing?”

“Finishing my class,” he said.  “Why?”

“William just asked me what ‘the Skrull’ is.”

“’The Skrull?” repeated Hank.  “That’s an odd way to phrase it.”

“There’s more,” Jan said.  “He had morphed older before I walked in, then switched back.”

“We’re about done here,” Hank said.  “I’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

Hank was true to his word, and still in his Giant-Man uniform when he arrived.  “Hi, Papa!” said William, running over and jumping into his arms.  “I like your red suit.”

“Thank you, William,” Hank said.  “I do, too.  It’s from a design Mama Jan made for me.”

William, still hugging Hank, turned to face Jan.  “You make good clothes,” he said.

Jan smiled.  “Thanks, Will,” she said.

Jan told Hank exactly what she had seen when she walked in, and William repeated his story.  “Other cat-people can’t change ages,” he said.  Even Mama couldn’t.  That’s why I don’t think this is a Tigra power.  Sometimes I can see things that will happen, and that’s a Tigra power, but not this.  I think this is from the Skrull.  So, what’s the Skrull?”

Hank and Jan looked at each other.  With all their years together, they each knew instantly what the other was thinking, and that theyw ere on the same page.

The adults sat down on the bed, William functionally now on Hank’s lap.

“William,” Hank said, “there’s a race of alien shape-shifters called Skrulls.  They can look like any living thing, and some have learned how to copy beings down to the smallest level, what are called genetics.”

“Oh,” said William, looking confused.  “What’s that got to do with me?”

Hank sighed.  Jan patted his thigh to show support.

“William, the Skrulls have attacked Earth several times,” Hank said.  “One of their favorite tricks is to kidnap people and make themselves into doubles of those people.  A few years ago, they … did that with me.”

William looked aghast.  “With you, Papa?” he said.

Hank nodded.  “Everyone on Earth was fooled, including your Mama and your Mama Jan.”

Hank took a deep breath.  “William, as a cat-person, you know where babies come from,” he said.

“Yeah, silly,” said William, “from sex!”

Hank closed his eyes for a second before continuing.  “William, I never had sex with your mother until after you were born.  The Skrull, who copied me to the genetic level, had sex with your Mama and put you in her belly.  Genetically, you’re my son, but it was the Skrull who actually fathered you.”

William looked mortified.  His lower lip was quivering.

Hank put his hands on William’s shoulders.  “But that doesn’t change anything for me,” Hank said.  “You are my son, William, and I am proud to be your Papa.”

William tearfully hugged Hank, then realized that Jan was sitting beside them, sobbing.  He climbed over onto her lap.  “Mama Jan, what’s wrong?” he asked.

Jan looked to Hank, afraid to answer the question.  Hank nodded.  “He’ll need to know eventually, and he’s asking now,” Giant-Man said.

Jan grabbed the boy and hugged him, then sat back to look him in the eye.  “William, the Skrull who pretended to be your Papa … is the one who poisoned me.  He’s the one who killed me, who murdered me.”

Now the cat-boy started to cry.  Jan gathered him into a colossal embrace.  “Mama Jan, if I ever find him, I’ll kill him.”

“He’s already dead, Will,” Hank said.  “He died within minutes of killing your Mama Jan.”

Jan looked William in the eye.  Suddenly, for the first time, she saw nothing but the little boy, and not the Skrull of her nightmares.

“Now, you listen to me, William Nelson,“ Jan said.  “You are who you choose to be.  That’s the whole point of a school like Avengers Academy.  You can choose to be good or bad, a hero or a villain.  You aren’t the son of a Skrull.  You, William Nelson, are the son of Greet Grant Nelson, the Tigra, and you’re the son of Henry Pym, the Giant-Man … and, if you’ll have me, you’re my son, too, because, if you’ll have me, I choose to be your Mama Jan, now and for always.”

William hugged her hard.  “I choose you, too, Mama Jan,” he said.

Hank patted the boy’s shoulder.  “And I choose to be your Papa, William, for as long as I live.”

Sill holding Jan with one arm, William grabbed Hank with the other.  “I choose you, too , Papa!”  he said.

There were a few minutes of tears.  Then Jan, now holding the boy by herself, said, “Oh, William, I love you.”

“I know that, silly,” said William.  “I can smell it.  And I love you, too.  But … Mama Jan, your love smells different now.”

Jan stroked the boys’ mane.  “How so?” she asked.

“It’s … purer now,” William said.  “Before, there was just a little bit of something mixed in it … fear, I think.  That’s gone now.”

Jan hugged him again.  “Yes, Will,” she said.  “Before I was still afraid of the Skrull in you, but that’s gone now.”

“Good.  I’m glad,” William said.  He turned to Hank, “And I’m glad it’s gone in you, too, Papa.”

Jan was momentarily surprised, the smiled.  Of course, Hank, who buried his feelings until they tied him up in knots, had shared her fears about William, but hadn’t admitted them until now -- even to himself.  And now, even he was feeling better.

Hank looked at Jan.  “Have you got time for some lunch before your class?” Giant-Man asked.

“Just,” Jan answered.

“I’ll whip something up in the apartment,” Hank said.  “C’mon, son.”

“I want seconds on the meat!” William said, darting down the hall.

Hank slipped his arm around Jan’s waist as the Pym family made their way down the hall to the apartment.

That night, Jan had a radically transformed dream, one she would later tell both Hank and William about.  In it, Critti Noll was reaching for the fateful button, but he looked like a Skrull, as he had in real life.  But then Hank, dressed as he was when he used Critti Noll’s own device to help rescue Jan from Ultron in Underspace, stripped the device away from him and smashed it.  Then Hank and William, the latter looking like the teen version Jan had briefly seen, attacked the Skrull, driving him off.  Afterward, the three of them embraced.  It was at that moment Jan woke up and saw the real Hank dozing next to her.  Smiling, she went back to sleep.

The wedding day finally arrived.  Rather than a wedding shower (Hank and Jan didn’t need any more stuff) or a bachelorette party, Jan had opted to have a simple breakfast the day of wedding with Sue and Bobbi.  Jenny had been invited, but felt awkward at an eating establishment since she couldn’t practically make that work through her suit.  Jan made sure to get her run in with Jenny before leaving.

The truth was, Jan wanted the breakfast in part because Sue had traveled so far and arrived barely in time for the rehearsal, and partly so she could avoid alcohol.  She had never quite gotten over her slip of the tongue while tipsy that had cost Ant-Man his life.  Even with Scott back, she felt that error led indirectly to Cassie’s death.  Part of how Jan lived with herself for that error now was to make sure she never made it again.

The three woman had taken the Fantasticar to a simple café in one of L.A.’s trendier neighborhoods.  In the interests of time -- it was a late-morning wedding -- Jan had suggested they wear their dresses. For the ceremony.  All three women looked spectacular in a simple sheath. Jan’s was floor-length with a thigh-high split seam and a plunging neckline; with her build and current height, she was one of the few women who could outdo Sue and Bobbi.  For that matter, Jenny was going to be drawing her share of attention, too.

They were just finishing up their elegant breakfast when sirens began to roar past.  Then they heard someone say the tallest building in the city had an upper floor fire.

There was no hesitation.  The three long-time super-heroines bolted for the Fantasticar.  Jan could fly, but this was probably the fastest way there for Sue, and certainly for Bobbi.

On arrival, Jan approached the incident commander, with Sue and Bobbi close behind.  “Wasp, Invisible Woman and Mockingbird reporting, chief,” Jan said.  “How can we help?”

The chief nodded.  “The biggest issue is getting people out on the upper floors,” he said.  “The fires about two-thirds of the way up the building, and the fire exits are blocked by flames.”

“Arson?” Bobbi asked.

“Almost certainly, but the lives are the first priority,” the chief said.  “Can you help get folks out.”

Jan nodded.  “On our way,” she said.

Sue used a force-field elevator to propel herself up, while Bobbie used the Fantasticar.  They worked on getting people out of the south and west sides of the buidling.

Knowing she could save more people by being big, Jan made sure she had the clear stance room and swelled to her full 512-foot height.  She was glad now she’d worn the top tights to an old Wasp uniform underneath; with people the size of bugs to her, some could get under even her ankle-length dress.

But the Jan saw something horrific.  A massive tongue of flames shot out the top of the building and people trapped on the north and east sides of the roof were screaming and starting to panic.

The problem was, the building was nearly double Jan’s height at 1,018 feet.  Even stretching her arms all the way up, they’d still fall more than 200 feet to her hands.  She needed to be even bigger, but the limits of her size changes since her return blocked that possibility.

Jan set her jaw.  I have to try, she thought.  I have to grow.  Lives are depending on it!

Jan willed herself bigger -- and started growing even larger.  It felt strange, different than any otgher growth she’d ever experienced, like she was sliding an old-style slide rule as she did it, but it was working.

Soon, Jan was nearly 770 feet tall, and no able to reach her massive hands up to the people on the roof, on eon each of the two endangered sides.  They climbed on as quickly and carefully as they could.

Then Jan realized she was getting wet.  She looked down to see the firefighters spraying down her dress.  It was smoldering, and they were working to keep the massive wall of fabric from catching fire and endangering both her and the people she was saving.

Gingerly, Jan lowered her hands.  The people climbed off the hands, now 10 feet thick, with some difficulty, but were able to get down safely.

Bobbi flew the Fantasticar over by Jan.  “I thought you weren’t supposed to be able to get this big,” Mockingbird said.

“I’m not,” said Jan.  “I don’t know what the price will be, but we saved a bunch of lives today.”

Sue came over on her force-field platform and stepped into the Fantasticar.  “I’ve been around the building.  I think that’s everybody.”

Jan sighed, looking down at her ruined wedding dress.  She had designed it herself.  Still, the lives were more important.

Jan willed herself back down in size and hit the familiar wall of her minimum height -- but something was wrong.

Jan looked around her.  The men were barely hip-high, and the women a little lower.  She was closer to 12 feet than 8.  She tried shrinking several times, but it was no use.  She was stuck at 12 feet tall.

Realizing something was wrong, Sue and Bobbi made sure their help wasn’t needed for anything else, then got their colossal friend into the Fantasticar.  Bobbi piloted, knowing Sue would be better able to help Jan.

With years of experience in putting on a good public face, Jan held it together until the car was airborne, then let loose.  “Omigod, omigod, omigod!” she said.  “Sue, I’m stuck!  My dress is ruined, and I’m stuck at 12 feet tall!  What am I going to do?”

“Jan, focus!” said Sue.

Jan started to bawl.  “You don’t understand!” she wailed.  “After what happened the last time, I wanted this to be perfect, to get the wedding off to a good start.  But now my dress is ruined, and I’m not just a giantess, I’m a freakishly huge giantess!”

Sue grabbed Jan’s colossal head.  “Jan.  You say you want this wedding to be perfect?”

“Yes,” Jan replied.

“Who are you marrying?” Sue asked.

“Hank,” Jan said.

“And who is Hank?”

“You mean today?” Jan asked.  “Right now he’s Giant-Man, but he’s been Ant-Man, Goliath, Yellowj--”

“No,” said Sue.  “Who is Hank to you?”

Jan had calmed down considerably by now, and the question seemed to center her even more.  “He’s the man I love,” she said.  “The man I loved from the moment I laid eyes on him; the man I’ve always loved even through the trouble and the weirdness, the man I’ll always love.”

Sue smiled up at her friend.  “Then the wedding will be perfect,” she said, “not because of the trappings or the ceremony.  What makes a perfect wedding isn’t the day, it’s what the day is about.  What makes a perfect wedding day is a good, strong marriage, with love and trust.”

Jan closed her eyes.  “You’re right,” she said.  “But why can’t I shrink?”

Sue got on a communicator in the seat console in front of her.  “Reed here.”

“Darling, it’s Sue,” she said.  “Is Stephen Strange there?”

“Yes,” Reed said.  “What’s wrong, Sue?”

“We may be a little late,” Sue said, “and we need to talk to Stephen.  Jan’s kind of … stuck bigger than she was.”

“Hmmm,” said Reed.  “Well, he knows the magic that helped get her back to our dimension better than anyone else, and that’s what set her size limits.  I’ll let Hank and the minister know about the delay, and I’ll have Stephen on momentarily.”

“Thanks, Darling,” said Sue.  “I love you.”

“I love you, Dear,” Reed said.

Dr. Strange was on the phone within a minute.  Sue explained the situation.

“Janet, how were you able to grow to more than  750 feet tall?” Stephen asked.

Jan, still wet, was shivering with the airflow in the Fantasitcar.  “People needed saving, and I was the only way to save some of them, but only if I got that big,” she said.  I just … did it.”

“I see,” said Stephen.  “I’d have to do more research, but it sounds like an unforeseen side effect of the magic that both sent you from Earth when you were toxic and brought you home.”

“Explain,” said Bobbi from the front seat.

“The initial magic Thor used was to save lives from Janet’s toxicity,” Stephen said.  “the magic we built on that spell to get Janet home was to save her life.  Apparently, Janet can slide her size scale when lives are on the line -- but she still has the same range limitations of one sixty-fourth of her maximum height as her minimum, and 64 times her minimum height as her maximum.”

“So I’m bigger because I slid my range up?” Jan asked.

“Essentially, yes,” Stephen said.  “You may someday be able to slid it down, or even further up, but one or more lives will need to be on the line for you to do so -- not just in danger, but able to be saved only by you changing you size range.”

“But she’s otherwise fine,” Sue said.

“Yes,” Stephen said.

“Thanks, Stephen,” Sue said.  “We’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Jan, shivering, bit her lip.  “Sue, what will Hank think of me this size.”

Sue looked at Jan with an expression that screamed, are you kidding?  She said out loud, “Sue, this is Hank.”

Jan laughed.  “You’re right,” she said.  “If there’s one person in all the Earth who won’t care what size I am, it’s Henry Pym.”

Jan asked Sue to contact Jenny and Lightspeed using the communicator; Jan’s fingers were now too big to easily work the controls.  They arranged to meet at Jan’s old bungalow, near the beach area where the wedding was to take place.

On seeing Jan, Jenny put her hands to her mask.  “Oh, my gosh, Big Sis,” Jenny said, “Now you’re my Really Big Sis.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to rework our running routine somehow,” Jan said.

Jenny smiled up at her older friend.  “If you’ve taught me anything, it’s that there’s a way to solve almost any problem sooner or later,” Hazmat said.  “We’ll figure it out.”

“Right now, the problem is this wedding dress,” Jan said.

“It looks like all the damage is actually below the waist, mainly in the leg area,” said Sue.

Jan grabbed a notepad.  “Every fashion designer’s had to do an emergency, last-minute fix,“ she said.  “I just wish this one wasn’t on my own wedding dresss.”

Jan drew a quick sketch and handed it to Lightspeed.  “Julie, can you quickly cut and sew this dress to match this design?”

“Sure.” Julie said.  “Where are the scissors, needle and thread?”

“Sewing basket under my bed,” Jan said.

Julie was gone and back in no time, and the dress was transformed in matter of seconds. The skirt now came to a point in front and back.  Jan was showing a lot more leg than before.

“It’s .. daring,” said Sue.

“But you’ve got the legs for it,” said Jenny.

Jan ducked down to look in a mirror.  “It’ll do,” she said.  “Let me negotiate the door, and let’s get down to the beach.  I’ve got a headmaster to marry.”

Hercules, Reed, Stephen and Clint were waiting for the women at the path entrance on the ridge above the beach.  As had been planned, Sue cast an invisibility field over the area, keeping those below -- especially Hank -- from seeing the women -- especially Jan -- until they made their entrances.

Hercules gazed up at Jan.  “Janet, thou art … further enlarged,” he said.

“I know,” Jan said.  “I’m kinda stuck this way.  You still willing to give away the bride?”

Hercules beamed.  “Twill be my honor and my joy so to do,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sue touched Jenny’s pink Hazmat suit, charging it with invisibility.  The Invisible Woman smiled at the teen.  “You’re a beautiful girl, Jenny,” Sue said.

“Thanks,” said Jenny.  “I’m in good company in that department.”

“We’ve kept everyone waiting long enough, I think,” said Jan.  “We’re pushing being more than fashionably late.  Stephen, Jenny, are you ready?”

Jenny grinned up at Dr. Strange, who gently smiled back.  “I believe we are,” he said.

“Then let’s do this,” Jan said.

Stephen and Jenny entered first, with the music played by the minister’s church organist on a keyboard.  Clint and Bobbi were next in, followed by Reed and Sue.  That just left Hercules and Jan.

The crowd gasped when they saw Jan.  Most, even those who knew her well, were taken aback by her sheer size.  A few were marveling at the wedding dress; it was daring, but Jan had the looks for it, and it worked.

As Jan approached, she had to suppress a giggle.  Hank was wearing an outfit she’d only seen in pictures, but it was unmistakable.  It was yellow and black with goggles and earphones, and clearly patterned after the costume she was wearing when she died.  It was his Wasp uniform.

Jan walked up and stood beside Hank, who barely came up to her hips.  Hercules passed her hand to Hank’s.

Hank and Jan were each beaming at the other.  “Nice outfit,” Jan said.

“Thanks,” Hank said.  It’s in solidarity with Scott.  He’s here, by the way.”

“Good,” Jan whispered.

“Why are you so big?”  Hank asked.

“I’m kinda stuck,” Jan said.  “I’ll explain later.  You OK with this?”

“As long as I’m marrying you, I don’t care what size you are,”  Hank said.

“That’s what I thought, but it’s still nice to hear,” Jan said.

The minister leaned in, smiling.  “Can we start now, or do you two want to keep chatting?” the pastor asked.

“Go for it,” Hank and Jan said together.

The ceremony followed a traditional one until the point of the vows.  At that stage, Jan went first, and said vows she’d written.

“Henry Pym, I, Janet Van Dyne Pym, take you to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, but not only for as long as we both shall live.  We superheroes seem to have a way of dying and coming back.  If one of us has died and then gets back, and the survivor is still available, I promise, I’ll still stay married to you, if you’ll have me.  I’ve played at a lot of things over the years -- fashion design; early on, superheroing;  and, unfortunately, being your wife.  I’m done playing at those things.  I’m ready to work.”

Jan glanced at Herc and smiled.  “Hercules tells me I had unfinished business, which is part of why I’m back.  You’re that unfinished business, Hank, and I aim to finish that business by living out however many lifetimes I have with you.  I love you.”

Hank gazed up at Jan.  “Janet Van Dyne, I, Henry Pym, take you to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for bigger or for smaller -- and I like your lifetimes part, too.  Count me in on that.”

Jan, and the crowd, giggled.

“I promise to work to be open to you,” Hank continued, “to unlock my feelings to you so they don’t lead me back into madness, and to trust and listen to you all my days.  I learned what it is to live without the possibility of you in my life when you were dead.  It was hell for me.  The day you came back, and ever since, I’ve been in heaven.  Even a bad day with you is better than my best day without you.  I promise to live with you and lve you with all I’ve got for every one of the days I have left, even if they wind up spread out like yours have been.  I love you.”

Then Hank beamed up at his bride.  "And, Jan: Soon is now," he said.

Jan couldn't help but laugh.  "Soon" had become a catch word between them in the hours when Hank, Reed and Stephen were laboring to free her from Underspace.  The go phrase for the rescue was, "Soon is now."  And, when Hank and Jan were asked the night they announced their engagement when the wedding had be, they answered in unison, "Soon!"

Now Jan was beaming down at Hank.  "Yes," she said.  "Soon is now.  Now the marriage begins."

Hank, still smiling, nodded.

Jan’s wedding ring, like her dress, was treated with unstable molecules.  When Hank slipped it on Jan’s finger, it grew to fit.

Soon the minister reached the end of the ceremony.  “I pronounce that they are husband and wife together,” the pastor said.  “What God has joined on Earth, let no human separate.”  Looking up at Jan, the pastor added, “Under the circumstances, I think I should say, you may now kiss the groom.”

Jan scooped up Hank and kissed him hard, and he kissed back as the crowd cheered.

The wedding party formed a reception line leading guests to the spot just down the beach where the reception was set up.  Jan knelt to be at eye level with the guests.  The reception actually was at the spot Hank and Jan had each proposed to the other to get this engagement started.

The Jan saw Scott, and instantly knew why Hank had worn his Wasp costume.  Scott was wearing Cassie’s Stature uniform.  Since it, too, was treated with unstable molecules, it fit him properly.

“Scott, I’m so glad you’re here,” Jan said, hugging him.  “Cassie would be honored, and so proud.”

“I guess she wore my Ant-Man uniform at first, and called herself Ant-Girl and Giant-Girl, if only for about five minutes,” Scott said.  “I owed it to her.  And, besides, she would want to be here, and I wanted to wish you both well.”  Tears were starting to run down his cheeks.

Jan kissed Scott‘s moistened cheek.  “I miss her ,too,“ she said.  “But we both got back, and so many others have.  Maybe she will, too.“

“Maybe, but it’s not like we can count on that,” Scott said.  “Meanwhile, at least for today, I’m Stature.”

The line was finishing up when  Jan heard a familiar roar: boot rockets., and a lot of them.  She looked up and saw a whole set of Iron Man armors flying over.  One, the current armor, flew lower than the rest and saluted before zipping off.

To Jan’s surprise, Hank saluted back.  She looked at him quizzically.

Hank smiled up at Jan.  “It came from the thank-you note I wrote Tony,” Hank said.  I explained that I wasn’ ready for him to be at the wedding, but knew you wanted him here.  I suggested some kind of Iron Man flyover as a compromise.  As you could see, he ran with it.  I think the older armors were being operated either remotely or by preprogramming.”

Jan caressed her husband’s cheek.  “Thank you,” she said.

“Thank you for keeping at me about it,” Hank said.  “It was actually good to have him here.”

At the reception, Ken wasted no time approaching Jenny.  “I asked the band to play a slow dance,” he said.  “Will you dance with me?”

“Ken, I’m still in the suit,” Jenny said.  “It’s invisible, but you’ll still feel it.”

Mettle gazed down at Jenny.  “But I’ll see you,” he said.  “And you’re who I want to dance with.”

Jenny beamed.  “Let’s go,” she said.

After a bit, Sue asked Hank to dance, and Reed did the same with Jan.  Reed stretched up to match Jan’s height for the dance.

While they were dancing, Reed glanced at Sue and Hank.  “Does he know she fell in love with him when they were the Skrulls’ captives?”  Reed asked Jan.

Jan was shocked.  Sue believed she had kept this a secret from Reed.  “No, Hank doesn’t know,” the giantess said.  “When did you find out?”

Reed looked at Jan.  “I knew the moment Hank got the word of your death,” Mr. Fantastic said.  “I saw the look on her face, and I knew what had happened.  But I also knew from her touch and everything she did and said that she was still mine, so I let it ride.  I figured, if she needed to tell me something, she would.”

“You’re right on all counts, Reed,” Jan said.  "How did you know I knew?"

"It was the night you asked us to be your matron of honor and best man," Reed said.  "The way you phrased things -- 'someone who really loves both me and Hank' -- to Sue told me you knew, and Hank's lack of reaction told me he still didn't then."

Reed glanced back at Sue.  “I can see the love on her face,” he said, “but Hank clearly doesn’t know her cues.  You’re right.  He doesn’t know.”

“She loves you, Reed, and she’s deeply committed to you,” Jan said.  “Nothing’s going to change that.”

Reed smiled.  “I know,” he said, “and that’s all I need to know.  I love Susan, and I trust her, and I know those feelings are returned.  What more do I need?”

Jan smiled, eyes wide.  “No wonder Sue loves you,” Jan said.  “You’re something special, Reed Richards.”

“Actually, I’m fantastic,” Reed said.

Jan chuckled ruefully.  “But your jokes leave something to be desired,” she said.

Later, Hank and Jan were sitting together when William approached.  He again looked teen-aged.

“Dad, Mom,” William said.

Jan glanced at Hank.  He hadn’t seen William’s previous transformation.  After the initial shock, her husband was grinning, wide-eyed.

“You’re not why I did this, but now that I’m this age, there’s something I understand better, and I’ve got to tell you,” William said.  He took each of their hands. “I just want you to know, I understand how hard it has to have been for you to love me, with all that went on before, and knowing that you choose to love me anyway just makes me love you all the more.  Thank you both.”

“You’re welcome, Son,” Hank said.

“Yes, you’re welcome,” Jan said.

William went over to White Tiger, who was seated talking to X-23, as the band prepared to play slow dance.  “Excuse me, Ava,” he said, “May I have this dance?”

“William?” said Ava.

“Yes,” William said.  “It’s a gift I have.  This is what I’ll look like in a few months.”

“Months?” Ava repeated.

“Months,” William said.  “By then I hope to be enrolled here.  Will you dance with me?”

Ava stood up, looking up into the tall cat-teen’s eyes.  “Yes, I’ll dance with you,” she said.

Jan smiled.  “Hank, that son of ours is going to be dangerously sexy in a few months.”

“I see what you mean,”  Hank said.

Jan turned Hank’s head toward hers.  “Then again, so is his Dad,” she said.

Hank smiled sexily.  “And so is his Mom,” he said.  They leaned together and kissed.

Hank and Jan were stretched out on the beach of their private island.  William had gone back to stay with the cat-people until they got back from their honeymoon.  Hank, with the help of Reed, had removed any potential spy tech from the island, although they found nothing conclusive.  The two of them were alone.

Hank took a sip of some fruit juice.  Out of respect for Jan, he was off alcohol -- not that he had ever been much of a drinker anyway.

“Happy, Honey?”  Hank asked.

“Mmm-hmmm,” Jan said, nodding and smiling.  She was wearing a skimpy black bikini.  “The weather here is perfect,” she said.

“That it is,” Hank said.

“Do you think Scott will be OK?”

Hank sighed.  “It’s hard to say,” he said.  “Losing a child is supposed to be the hardest thing to endure, and Scott’s having a rough time.  But becoming Stature seems to have helped him.”

Jan smiled.  “Like you becoming the Wasp helped you cope with my death?” she asked.

“Exactly,” Hank said. “Or, for that matter, like Cassie herself took from wearing Scott’s costume at first.”

Jan smiled.  “I’m really glad you gave Tony some way to plug into the wedding,” she said.

“Yeah, I have to admit, I am, too,” Hank said.

“Is there any chance this could lead to a reconciliation between you two?” Jan asked.

Hank shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I’m still having a hard time sorting all my feelings out on this, and that’s not my strong suit.”

“Well , at least it’s a step in the right direction,” Jan said.

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Hank.

Jan looked over at Hank.  She was still working on getting used to being twice his height.  “You know, my height range may shift again, if someone’s life depends on me being in that range,” she said.

“I know,” Hank said.  “That’s why I usually prefer science to magic;  science is more predictable.  Still, I can’t diss magic too much.  It got you back to me.  Besides, that was why I threw ‘for bigger or for smaller‘ into my vows at the last minute.”

“I thought that was an ad lib,” Jan said.

Then she rolled toward him and smiled.   “So, what game do you want to play now?”  she asked.

“I seem to recall you were really anxious for one game in particular that we haven’t been able to play at the campus,” Hank said.  “The Giant and the Fairy Princess, as I recall.”

Jan flicked hair over her ear.  “You have a good memory,” she said.  She turned serious, “You know, the scale won’t be quite the same as the old days.”

Hank smiled back at her.  “So what?  These are our new days.  Let’s enjoy who we are and what we have now.”

“Yes, let’s,” Jan said.  She willed her retractable wings to pop out.  “You ready?” she asked.

Hank smiled as he started to grow to his maximum size as a giant.  “Going up,” he said.

Jan smiled at her husband.  Yes, we are, she thought.