She just stares at me, hand resting on the glass.
"Hey."
"Hi 'Tana."
"Look, I'm… I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
"No. If you'd been there, there would have been more damage, more hurt. You're too good at what you do."
She laughs and smiles sadly.
"Oh Steve. What have you gotten yourself into?"
"I don't know Tan. I don't know…"
We stand on opposite sides of the glass, hands resting together.
"Tony. Can you let me in?"
"You were never here, understand?"
Tony's voice rings out and the glass slides away. Etana steps forward and pulls me into a hug.
"I've missed you so much…"
"I missed you too."
"What, even with all those pretty young ladies fawning over you?"
"Ha ha Tan. Very funny. Not. Anyway, what about all the SHIELD agents?"
"I was in custody Steve. As in, kept in a room, alone, with only Dum Dum and Commander Hill for company. How utterly boring…"
I have to laugh. She smiles slightly.
"Tora ended up blackmailing them to let her in. I had a nice long chat with her and handed over my Roman empire notes. She's been covering my classes. The poor dear. She teaches Modern Languages, Espionage, Mutant Pride and now World History, does a marvellous job of raising Jamie and Eva, keeps Curt from blowing stuff up, acts as the X-Men's point so has to be in all Danger Room sessions and archives reality on the side. And I thought I was busy."
"She does all that?"
"Not officially, which is why she gets away with it, but she still does it. I suspect she's tweaking time a little. I'm sorry. This should be about us, not them."
"Look… I… I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry for."
"Do you know what the odds are for the trial?"
She sighs and sits down on the fold-down bed.
"Put it this way, if you get an outright acquittal, I'd be a billionaire from a cent."
That bad huh? I stare at her and she goes on.
"There are people calling for capital punishment. Tony says if it comes to that, he wants me in as your wife, to try and persuade the panel otherwise. I'm not entirely sure that's a good idea, but I'll give it a try if needed. Otherwise, I'm not going to be there."
"Why?"
She tilts her head away.
"It will hurt. If you want me there, I will be, but otherwise, I'll avoid it as much as possible. TVs are all off at the mansion."
"No. If you want to stay away, stay away."
She smiles and leans over to hug me, her shirt slipping down to reveal an inhibitor collar.
"Tana! Why are you wearing that…that thing! I thought they hurt you!"
"They do. But it was the only way I could get in. Better to hurt than not see you."
I want to kiss her but a part of me knows that Tony is watching and that he's already sticking his neck out for this. He seems to have guessed what I was thinking.
"Oh whoops, the cameras have just all mysteriously turned off… Oh well, these things happen. Be good you two. No taking that collar off and teleporting him out. What else you do, well that's up to you two. Hey, I'm rhyming!"
I stare at Etana. She shrugs.
"Look, what Tony does is all at his own prerogative. I don't have any influence over him."
I smile slightly.
"Remember to thank him for me."
And I lean in to kiss her.