Author's Note: This chapter made it for a Wednesday posting. And now, I'm glad to say, the edits have as well. Character ownership goes to DC Comics.

I relax for a moment, leaning back and looking up, past the monitors to the ceiling. "A week, Diana?" I sigh while pulling my arms back from the monitor controls.

'How could I let him just get away with this for a whole week?' I lean over my right elbow on the arm of the monitor womb chair. I move my left arm back a few inches so my hand is on the end of the other arm. I let my forefinger begin its tapping again. There's a small divot forming in the metal beneath where my fingertip has struck so many times.

Bruce has been…friendlier, kinder, and more accommodating lately. Even as Batman, he hasn't been as standoffish, as…dark. Somehow I have let his behavior cloud my judgment whenever he makes an excuse about his dreams. I've tried to be delicate about asking, as if pushing too hard might undo all the progress he seems to be making. The only positive, if it could be called one, is that Alfred and I are still on the same page. Alfred just hasn't bothered to ask again. Two different tactics, the same results.

Reporters aren't waiting at the manor anymore, either, so Bruce is free to drive or fly as needed into Gotham again. If I'm going to be honest with myself, I was disappointed to hear that he wouldn't need to use the Watchtower.

So, on the first night he went back into Gotham normally, I had to make sure I was still drinking iced mocha when he showed up at my bedroom door to visit before beginning his patrol. He's managed to find me almost every night since. The only time I missed him, I wasn't even aboard the Watchtower, I was leading a team for tsunami relief in the south Pacific.

I hear the monitor womb door slide open behind me. It's far too early for the end of my shift. I'm confident by the silence that it's Bruce, but I'm a little too frustrated about his dreams to turn and greet him yet.

Evidently, he sees fit to take advantage of my refusal to turn. Once again, I miss his stealthy approach. The first I hear of him is a whisper in my left ear. "Good evening, Diana." He gently kisses the edge of my ear, then drops his lips down and kisses the side of my neck. After a moment more, he kisses me again a few short inches away, where my neck and shoulder meet.

A moan escapes me as a hum of pleasure. Without thinking, I tip my head to my right, inviting him to continue with an offer of better access. He takes the opportunity without hesitation, kissing all along my shoulder and neck, adding in tiny nips with his teeth and spots of suction against my skin. At the same time, I feel his hands on my upper arms, just below my joints. Bare skin. He must have taken his gloves off before coming in, I never heard him doing it.

His hands begin moving down my arms. His lips roam up and down my neck, back and forth across my shoulder. His lips brush lightly across my skin, pausing almost at random to plant a kiss, a nip, or a quick suck and a nibble. His breath is a warm caress on my skin.

His hands continue apace until finally, they reach mine. He splays his fingers, places them directly atop mine, covering each hand completely. He plants a quick trail of kisses up my neck and, just when he kisses the bottom of my left ear, he slips his fingers between mine and wraps them around beneath my palm.

He gives the edge of my ear another kiss and then whispers, "There's a high-speed chase in Metropolis. Aren't you going to do something about it?"

"Let Kal handle it."

"He's in Africa fighting a brush fire in the savanna." His lips leave my ear, moving the short distance to kiss between the back of my ear and the roots of my hair.

Another moan escapes as a hum past my closed lips and my smile. "By Hera, Bruce, I'll put you in the infirmary if you expect me to go or plan to do something about it yourself."

"No. I was going to suggest Steel."

Bruce pulls his left hand back to my elbow and I extend my arm to the consoles. With a press of a button, I'm in the communication system. "Watchtower to Steel." I let the system handle all the work. After a moment processing, the system connects me and relays my words.

"Steel here. Go ahead."

"There's a high-speed car chase downtown in Metropolis."

"Understood. And…it just passed outside. I'll handle it. Steel out."

The channel closes automatically. Bruce pulls my focus back to him with a kiss on my cheek. I turn my head back to Bruce and he meets my lips with his. I feel his left hand leave mine completely as I close my eyes and as our lips gently work at one another's. The missing hand finds me again when he cups my chin and the side of my jaw.

He lifts my chin higher, then slides his hand back, weaving his fingers into my hair as he moves it around to the back of my head. His right hand comes loose from mine a moment later and I don't feel it again until it touches my lower right side. He lifts and pulls with his hand, moving me closer as his hand slides slowly higher, stopping with his fingers tantalizingly close to my right breast.

Despite myself, a moan of protest escapes me, but it's nearly lost against Bruce's lips. He takes the hint, but his response is even more frustrating. He runs his hand across to my left, centering his palm on my chest with his fingers now below my bust on my left side. 'He's doing this to me on purpose...'

I consider protesting once more when Bruce's tongue brushes against my lip. The sensation pushes the almost thoughtless lightness settling in my mind back enough to remind me that we have tongues to kiss with. He pulls his lips away and this time I notice the movement, realizing that his nose is not on the same side of mine as when we started.

I open my eyes and look up into his for a moment. There's a smile on his lips that I'm happy to see is lighting up his eyes. That's all I have time to notice before he leans back down to begin again.

I press the end of my tongue against his upper lip and he gets the hint immediately. His tongue presses against the underside of mine and we close out lips around our joined linguae. The taste of Bruce's tongue, the inside of his lip, it fills my head again, intoxicates me. Our tongues pull apart as our lips close. Bruce pulls back to put his nose back on my left before giving me my turn.

I can't stifle a moan of pleasure when my turn arrives and our lips meet. I feel Bruce's tongue and immediately capture it first with my tongue and then my lips. I savor him as much as I can. I luxuriate in the feel of him, the taste of him. I let the experience refresh old memories of the last time we shared so intimate a kiss, even as I commit everything about this moment to a new memory.

It's over too soon and for all the wrong reasons. Bruce straightens abruptly, tearing his lips and tongue from mine just as we were beginning to wind our kiss down. When I open my eyes a moment later to demand an explanation, I see that he is standing tall and has pulled his cowl back into place, wondrous blue covered by cold white.

His bare hands disappear beneath his dark cloak, where I'm sure he hides the action of replacing his gloves. "Thank you for your help, Wonder Woman. Contact me if you find anything else." His voice is loud, much more so than necessary, and without any of his previous emotion.

He begins to turn before I can respond. My expression turns from confused surprise to frustration. I'm halfway to lifting my arm to lash out at him when I notice the monitor womb door past him is nearly all the way open. Bruce gets a few long steps from my chair and then Black Canary steps out of his path, giving him a very wide berth as she lets him pass.

'He must have heard her coming in.' There isn't really another explanation. Suddenly it's a lot easier for me to forgive Bruce. Dinah takes his place earning my ire. There's an amusing irony in that. I'd be tempted to laugh if not for the fact that a small, spiteful part of myself is busy thinking back to the night of my first date with Bruce, regretting my apologetic gesture as I left Dinah behind on my way to get ready.

A few moments later, Bruce is gone, vanishing back into the hall as the doors close, leaving me alone with Black Canary. She steps up to my chair and only makes me wait a few breaths. I take advantage of the reprieve as best I can, calming my nerves and trying to push thought and sensation of Bruce from my mind.

"Wonder Woman, I'm covering for Ollie's shift tonight. I just wanted to come by and make sure it wouldn't be a problem."

I stare at her blankly for a moment. 'This is what she interrupted us for?' Even the thought sounds disbelieving. Finally, I blink and shake my head back and forth once. "Did he say why?" I try to sound concerned about the schedule change.

"Didn't have to. He's laid up in the infirmary for a day or two. He'll be making it up with my next regular shift. They expect him to be back on his feet again by the end of next week."

"Oh…" The news isn't anything what I was expecting. My face falls. "I'm sorry to hear." Dinah gives a weak smile and an appreciative nod of thanks. "Do you mind my asking what happened?"

Anger flashes across Dinah's face. She looks away as she leans onto the console to my left. "Idiot got careless. Let a bank robber get the better of him—a bank robber! I just don't understand it, the man takes everything Wildcat can dish out and then some, but lets himself get beaten up by a man in a mask aimlessly swinging a sack of quarters."

I can't help but laugh. The mental image is one thing, but I recognize something else in Dinah's demeanor, compassion. No matter what she is saying, she still cares deeply for Green Arrow. I've heard the rumors about the two of them dating, but I sort of feel as though I've been purposely kept out of the loop as to how they got together. This is the first I've ever heard about Green Arrow fighting Wildcat.

"What happened with Arrow and Wildcat?" I ask to sate my curiosity.

Dinah's eyes widen for an instant as she turns back to me. She schools her expression and stands straight, pushing herself from the consoles. "Don't worry about it. It's a long story, Wonder Woman. I'll have to tell you when we both have more time."

Before I can come up with a response, she turns to leave. I let her go, only turning to follow her with my eyes. 'There's definitely something she doesn't want me to know about Ollie.' I spend a few more minutes thinking about it after I turn back to the monitors. 'Or maybe it's Wildcat...or Dinah herself,' I suppose to myself.

I start to ask myself if I might have better luck asking Wildcat or the infirmed Ollie what it is Dinah doesn't want me to know when realization dawns on me. 'Bruce was going to talk to Zatanna! If I can't get anything out of him, I can always try getting some information from her.'

The prospect forces me to maintain my focus on my monitor duties. Every time my thoughts wander, I simply remind myself that as tempting as it is to speculate what Zatanna and Bruce might have investigated or learned, I will never make it through the rest of my shift if I get too caught up in it. My patience finally runs thin—though at the perfect time—the moment the door slides open and Dinah arrives.

I turn to Black Canary as the door opens for her. She steps in without saying anything, wanting to hold off until she is closer. I rise from my seat, though I still have a few minutes left before midnight and the end of my shift.

"Wonder Woman?" Canary asks, a little surprised by my sudden rising.

"Relax, Dinah. There's nothing wrong. I just have something I need to do." I can't help myself and I pause. I turn back, sparing a few moments to look for any alerts on the monitors. Everything seems calm. I turn back to Dinah. "You'll excuse me for hurrying off."

Dinah only seems more surprised. After a few moments, she gives a half-nod of her head as she blinks at me. She steps out of my way. "Of course."

I begin walking from the consoles and the chair, heading directly for the hallway outside and eventually, some privacy in my room or wherever else I can find it. "Have a…good night, then," Dinah tells me as I pass, hesitating as if weighing what to say.

"Thanks." I leave it at that. After the worry an extra detail caused Kal, I've been better at giving shorter, simpler answers when they are all that is needed.

I get out into the hallway and turn left as the monitor womb door closes behind me. It's a short walk to the communications room, but my anxiousness about what Zatanna might tell me stretches the minutes into hours. 'What could be so bad that Bruce wouldn't tell me?'

When the communication room's doors finally open for me, I steel my resolve and look up only to find a room full of Watchtower staff. I don't want anyone overhearing anything of this. I stop, pretend to have forgotten something, and then turn around and head for the elevators. "Alright, Plan B," I mutter as I leave the closing door behind.

In a way, I feel like Bruce as I briskly walk the halls, not talking to anyone, focused on what's ahead of me, both directly and my next step. A little surprised at myself, I begin to smile to those passing by. In a way, it makes me feel more myself, but it also calms me down a little bit, distracting myself with friendly greetings and letting myself respond.

I take the elevator down to Dormitory Deck A, sharing the elevator with three staffers on their way down for a maintenance check. I step out into the hall on my floor and go to the first door on the right. After a moments' hesitation, I knock. No one answers and I sigh with relief. The last thing I need right now is a misunderstanding from Kal overhearing my call to Zatanna and finding out something is wrong.

I move on to my door and use the voice system to gain quick access. Once I'm inside, I move to my bed and sit down on its edge, facing out towards the center of the room. I take another moment to decide my course of action and then lift my hand to my ear to activate my communicator.

"Wonder Woman to Zatanna." I close my eyes for a moment as the system processes the request.

"Zatanna here. What's going on, Wonder Woman?"

"I need to talk to you about…" I hesitate for a moment. I want to say Bruce, but for the most part, I know I should say Batman.

"About Bruce?" she finishes for me. "Don't worry, I know about Bruce."

That stops me. My first thought is that she means me and Bruce. By this point, who in the League hasn't heard or read about it? On the other hand, the second guessing begins immediately. I can't ask her, but I suspect she means Bruce and Batman. 'Is she one of the other women Bruce has been with?'

I'd told him to warn me before I started meeting them, but Zatanna hadn't come up at all. No one had, in truth. When I brought it up for only the second time, I'd only managed to let Bruce off the hook for telling be about the countless women he'd brought to parties and flirted with "in the skin of the Playboy," as Alfred had once put it.

"Yes," I finally answer. "Can you meet me on the Watchtower about it?"

"Sure, I just finished my show an hour ago. I'll be up soon. Where do you want to talk?"

"I believe I'm the only one on the floor right now, so we can talk in my room."

She must sense my concern. "It's alright, Diana. It isn't anything too bad."

'Not anything too bad? How could it not be bad?' It's almost too tempting to ask aloud, but I hold the words back, saving them for when we meet face-to-face. Instead, I reply with a simple "I'll be waiting."

For me, the wait is anything but simple. I spend the first few minutes sitting there on my bed, but most of the time I spend on my feet, pacing back and forth. Zatanna's attempt to ease my mind did the exact opposite. I need to know what he called Zatanna in for, but more worrying is what—if not what he and Zatanna learned—is he avoiding telling me.

I can't help but fly to the door when the knocking fills the room. With a press of the button, the door slides open, revealing Zatanna in her full magician's attire, complete with top hat. "Hi," she greets with a little bit of nervousness.

The nervousness catches me off guard for a moment. "Please, come in." I step aside and gesture into the room. I let the door close automatically behind her and then direct her towards a pair of chairs below one of my windows, both windows currently facing Earth, the chairs facing the center of the window.

'First thing's, first.' We both take a seat and Zatanna looks on in silence for a moment. "You said you know about Bruce…" I let the sentence hang in the air, giving her freedom to interpret as she wishes. I don't want to give Bruce's secret away if she doesn't already know.

Zatanna lifts her hands to her head, her index fingers extended towards the ceiling as she holds them up like the ears of Batman's cowl. "Yeah. My father was a world-famous escape artist. He came to us to learn everything my father had to teach. Would you believe he was calling himself John Smith when I first met him?"

She pauses to chuckle to herself. "That's what I thought his name was until I finally met up with him in Gotham. I was framed for a robbery and he helped me clear my name and solve the case. I'm just sorry my father didn't get to see what Bruce did with his skills while he could…"

I frown, not with disappointment, but with sympathy. She doesn't give me time to express my condolences. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't ask to see me because of my father or anything like that."

"No, you're right." I nearly let myself stop there. "Since you mentioned it, though, I have to ask, did you and Bruce…" The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I'm not so sure I still want to know.

"No, no," Zatanna replies quickly. She gives me a second to calm and relax. "We've only ever been friends. There was a long time where I wished there was something, but no matter that I could have sworn up and down that John—Bruce, rather—liked me, he was too focused on learning my father's techniques."

She pauses, smiles and leans forward a little, lowering her voice a little to add, "You know, I always knew things would turn out like this, Diana." I tilt my head forward and a little to my right to prompt her for more. "You and Bruce. I helped him out with chasing down Circe for you. Had the chance to ask him. He wouldn't admit it flat out, but he did make it all seem like he missed an opportunity."

She straightens in her chair. "Incidentally, how'd you get him to change his mind?"

The prompt sends my mind back to the cave, to his intentionally hurtful words. 'I have, you haven't,' I remember him saying. I turn to the window. North America is visible through the window.

"I stopped trying. I convinced myself that I needed to stop and move on. I didn't realize how weak my resolve was until he showed up at my door to apologize and I accepted him."

I turn back to Zatanna. She wears her surprise clearly on her face. 'Perhaps it's the news of Bruce apologizing.' "But again, that's not why I called for you to meet me here."

I give her a moment to nod in understanding. "I need you to tell me about what Bruce asked you to help him investigate."

"Oh. Well, I'm not so sure I should say if he hasn't said anything to you by now."

"Zatanna," I reply as authoritatively as I can, "Please." She spends almost a full minute in self-debate. Finally, she nods.

I immediately ask my first question to hold onto control of the conversation's flow and direction. "To start, how did he explain the situation when you met with him?"

"He…didn't really want to tell me anything. He told me he suspected magic had been cast on him, some lingering spell that might be affecting his mind without showing any external signs, or perhaps something that might be cast on him from time-to-time that only affects him while the spell is being cast."

She pauses, leaning back and relaxing a little, removing her top hat to rest on her lap. She plays her forefingers around its rim as she turns it slowly back and forth. "He was right, of course. I detected traces of magic. Strong stuff, too. It took some doing to dispel. I'm happy to say that it wasn't quite on Circe's level of sorcery, though. It was affecting his memory, blocking a few hours of a night from several weeks back."

My expression shifts to disappoint and confusion as I look off to my left and down. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah." Zatanna laughs. "That's what he said, too."

I look back to her. "You removed the spell, correct?" She nods. "Did he say what he remembered?"

"For the most part nothing. It was just a normal night of patrol. The only things of note he remembered happening were a robbery by the spellcaster and Alfred's concern that he was acting not quite himself when he returned home in the morning."

"What happened with the spell's caster?"

"He caught a man trying to break into a jewelry store. The man cast a spell on Bruce with a talisman or a charm of some sort. He must have expected it to knock Bruce out because he ran when Bruce managed to stay on his feet.

"I'm not sure what spell it was. Bruce wasn't convinced it was only a memory-blocking spell. From that expression, I'd say you aren't either."

She takes a deep breath, then leans a little closer in her chair. "Diana." I give a little start at the firmness of her tone. "There's something going on that neither one of you are telling me. Please, can't you tell me what it is? Or is that something I'm not supposed to know?"

Her hidden meaning is clear. I suppose I owe her that much for coming to talk to me, for her honesty. "He's been having these…dreams…"

"Dreams? I can hardly believe that a dream is what's gotten under Bruce's skin."

"No. Well, I don't know what they are. Bruce didn't seem too sure what else to call them past dreams or nightmares, but he's very adamant they aren't. All I know is that he seems to be witnessing some ongoing sequence of events across multiple nights and multiple dreams.

"The memory gap came in because it happened the night before the first dream. He was sure the two events were connected. I doubted it from the beginning. I'm guessing Bruce is starting to doubt it, too." Zatanna nods. "I think Bruce might have to accept that the memory gap and dreams happening on the same night is just a coincidence."

"I don't know if he'd ever do that." Zatanna laughs. She stands up. "Alright, well that's really all I know… Sorry I wasn't more helpful."

"No, I'm very grateful for what you've been able to say. Thank you again for coming."

Zatanna nods as she begins towards the door, me a step behind her. She pauses at the door. "Diana, if you don't mind my asking, would you let me know what you find out?"

"Of course," I reply.

"Thanks," she says while reaching for the button to the door.

She leaves me alone in my room with only my thoughts for company. I let Bruce linger in my thoughts for almost a half hour before I notice the time and see how late it is, nearly 1:00. 'I shouldn't stay up any longer.' I lift myself from the chair I had used while talking to Zatanna and head for the bathroom.

I take my time getting ready for bed before coming out, undressing, and climbing under my sheets. The sleep is a welcome change from the worry that's occupied my mind for so long. When I wake up, it comes back and I can't help but wonder how I made it through the night without any anxiety-fueled dreams.

After a shower and a leisurely pace putting my armor back on, I leave my room, heading for the commissary and breakfast. I keep my focus on my surroundings, greeting staff and League members alike as I pass them in the halls, in the commissary, and in the kitchen.

I manage to get a table to myself to eat, but when I finish my meal, I wonder if that had been for the best or not. I had spent most of the time thinking about Bruce, speculating about his dreams, about what they might be.

With the meal behind me, I head up to the transporter. I take my time getting there. I don't even bother using the founders' transporter interface as a shortcut to the Batcave. "Wayne Manor in Gotham," I instead tell the on-duty technician.

She nods. "Coming right up, Wonder Woman." Her hands fly across the screen for a few moments. "The parking loop in front alright?"

"Perfect," I reply before stepping past and onto the pad a moment after it finishes warming up.

Spots of light surround me long enough to disappear after blocking out all sight and sound of the Watchtower. Morning light in Gotham replaces the artificial ambiance. The grandeur of the ancestral Wayne home fills much of my vision.

My arrival this morning may be unannounced, but I doubt it will be a surprise to either of the manor's older residents. If Tim isn't off for school, I might catch him off guard, but that'd probably be it.

I hear a car engine behind me as I set my right foot on the bottom stair leading up to the main entrance. I stop and turn around to find Alfred driving up to the loop. He pulls up as close as he can, rolling the car to a gentle stop.

He is out of the car almost as soon as the engine is off. "Miss Diana," he begins before he closes the door and comes around the front end of the car, "Good morning. What brings you to the manor this morning, Your Highness?"

"Thank you, Alfred. Good morning to you as well." I pause before answering his question. "Is Bruce in?"

"Why, yes. I'm just returning from seeing Master Tim off to school and from my morning errands. I would be delighted to see you upstairs. He should be awake by now."

"Oh, he isn't awake yet? If he's not, I don't want to disturb his sleep. We both know how much trouble he's had of late."

"Nonsense, Miss Diana. Better for him to be awake. He'll need to go to the office eventually. We can't simply shoulder all of Wayne Enterprises on the good Mr. Fox just so Master Bruce can get a few more minutes of sleep."

Alfred's half-serious tone gets a good laugh from me in response and I'm once more indebted to the elder man for helping to lift my spirits. "Alright, you've convinced me."

He motions up towards the door and takes the first step. "If you will come with me, then."

I nod and follow, letting Alfred lead me up the steps. He pulls a key ring from a pocket and unlocks the front door, then swings it open before stepping aside and allowing me to precede him inside. I thank him on my way in and wait for him to follow me and close the door.

I let him lead me across the foyer to the steps to the second floor. We follow the hallway down to Bruce's room and Alfred knocks twice before opening the door and announcing himself. "Oh, very good, Master Bruce. I'm glad you're already awake," he says, but I can't see into the room and Alfred is still standing in the doorway.

"What is it, Alfred?"

"You have a visitor, Master Bruce. Miss Diana to bid you a good morning." He pauses and comments in a low voice, "She used the front door."

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce responds, with maybe a little sarcasm for Alfred's comment.

I step to my right, putting myself behind Alfred in the doorway. I smile at Bruce, but I'm not sure how well he can see my face. I have no trouble seeing over Alfred's shoulder. Bruce is wearing a pair of dark blue pajama slacks and a matching night shirt, sitting on the edge of his bed, turned towards the door.

He stands at the sight of me. Alfred correctly guesses why and steps inside and out of the way. I pass him after giving an appreciative smile. Bruce meets me in the middle of the room, drawing me into a warm embrace and giving me a kiss on each cheek, a little more 'good friend' than I'd like, but more than I'd have hoped for with an audience even as small as Alfred.

"Good morning, Diana."

"Good morning, Bruce."

"What brings you by so early this morning?"

"Well…" I pause. There is a lot that brought me here, but now that I'm here, I don't want to just tell him I went behind his back and talked to Zatanna. "I wanted to suggest we go on another date."

"Today? This morning?"

"Well, we don't have to go now. Alfred said you need to go into work."

"It's fine, Diana. Lucius will be alright without me around."

My expression grows more serious. 'This is exactly what Alfred said he wanted to avoid.' "Absolutely not. If you have time, I'd consider your lunch break, but we can wait until this evening.

"If that's what you want, Diana, I'd be happy to have lunch with you." For some reason, his response annoys me.

"Alright, well, how about what to eat? Or maybe there's some place in Gotham we could go to, make a date out of the visit instead of the meal."

"Whichever you'd prefer, Princess," he replies with a smile. He must be stealing it from me. I feel my face fall, my own smile reduced to a slight frown.

"Why don't you decide for us, Bruce?"

"Well, you were the one who suggested we have a date today…"

Finally, I realize that his tendency to accommodate my wishes of late is frustrating me. "Well, I'd rather hear your opinion. You're very opinionated. Why can't you just tell me what you want?"

"I want whatever you want, Diana." Something snaps in the back of my mind.

I push Bruce away. "I want to know what you think. I want to hear your opinion. I want you to make decisions concerning our dates again!"

My arms drop to my sides for a moment. "What happened, Bruce?" Even to me, my voice sounds weak. I cross my forearms beneath my bust. "I always thought relationships were supposed to be equal parts give and take. I thought we were coming into this as equals. I don't want to be the only one making the decisions.

"I really enjoyed you being nicer to me, but, Bruce, this is too much. What was so bad about the way things were before last week? Is it really so wrong for you to be a little more selfish?"

Author's Note: Reviews are welcome and appreciated, but certainly not required. Thanks for reading.

Honestly, I don't know what to say for half of these Author's Notes. They're the last things I write, but sometimes when I write something for them, they bump me past whatever hundred the word count was nearest, so they're the first thing that gets trimmed.