Her head is tilted back as Beast shines a light into her silver eye.

"You're working yourself too hard. You're going to end up killing yourself."

She sighs.

"I've worked myself harder than this Hank. I know my own limits."

"You aren't the Lonely Angel anymore Etana. You're an X-Man. You have Jamie who adores you and you teach History. You can't keep working yourself to death like this."

"I can't stop Hank. I have to do something else I go insane."

"Take up a hobby."

"Can play eighteen instruments at concert level, have read every classic novel over fifty at least twelve times, even the ones I didn't like very much, can't do extreme sports as they're far too like the 'day job' and used to co-write plays with a very famous writer. And very successful they are too."

Hank frowns.

"Who?"

She says a name and I splutter. That playwright?

"Err…Etana…?"

"Yes, I did help write William Shakespeare's plays. I did most of Anthony and Cleopatra, as well as coming up with some of his famous quotes. Have you heard 'such stuff as dreams are made'? 'Heart of gold'? 'Off with his head'? 'Stand on ceremony'? 'Music is the food of love'? 'You've got to be cruel to be kind'? 'A wild-goose chase'? 'You can have too much of a good thing', which he adapted… 'Forever and a day' was one of mine, when he asked how long I'd been alive. 'Love is blind', although that was when I was telling him that the woman he was seeing was a scrounger and a cheat. 'Seen better days', and I did say 'the world's like one of your plays', which he adapted very quickly."

Hank is staring at her open-mouthed and she smirks at him.

"See, I don't need a hobby. I have a fully-balanced, very full schedule and my schedule says that right now, I'm supposed to be going for dinner with Steve."

Hank grins.

"And when shall we be expecting a happy announcement?"

Etana stiffens and I suddenly realise something. No one, and I mean no one, knows what we are to each other. I leap in.

"Hopefully by next month Beast. I'm wearing her away, slowly but surely."

He laughs and 'Tana relaxes. She gives Hank a dazzling smile.

"I can give you a signed copy of the first edition of the 'missing play'."

"You… You…"

Etana laughs, jumps up and grins.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lunch date to go to."