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?”