Disclaimer: Everything belongs to DC et al. Except for the pseudo-science. That stuff is alllll me.

Diana was relatively certain she was in someone else's body. Her own body had certainly never felt so heavy. Moving her limbs felt like moving through concrete, and even that had never been so difficult before.

It's alright, Wonder Woman. You're safe. Be still. It was J'onn's voice, firm and gentle.

She struggled to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the familiar lines of the Watchtower infirmary. She glanced down at herself-and it was herself, armor and all. So, it was her own body betraying her.

"What...?" Her voice was barely audible, even to her own sharp ears.

Fortunately, Superman's were better. "You were hit by the MT Toxin."

She struggled to turn her head and look at Kal. "I was?"

"Yes. It...it was bad, Diana."

"Your heart stopped," J'onn supplied.

That was bad. "Oh," she managed. She tried to remember the moments leading up to everything going dark, and something alarming occurred to her. "Dinah-?"

"Black Canary is fine," Superman said. "She was nowhere near the room with the toxin."

That was wrong. Diana had seen her. "No..."

Superman exchanged glances with J'onn. "We're not sure what you saw, honestly. But Dinah is just fine. See?" He gestured at the room's observation window.

Diana looked over, and sure enough, there was Dinah, standing with Green Arrow. The blonde woman gave her a little wave. Diana could also see Shayera and Flash, so they were fine, too. That was good.

But... "Batman?"

"Also safe. He's investigating."

Good. That was good.

"How do you feel?" J'onn asked.

Diana could hardly voice how she felt, it was so foreign to her. "Tired," she said. Not accurate, but close.

"Get some sleep, then," Superman said.

She nodded, and let her eyes drift close. She floated midway between waking and sleep for a few minutes.

"-guess is that she will fully recover, but it will take time. A few days, at least, for her system to purge the toxin."

"Should we be searching for an antidote?"

"Not for Diana. But should anyone else become infected..."

She drifted off, thinking, So he is okay.

Bruce Wayne pulled his car up to the Manor, and when he stepped out he looked every inch the billionaire businessman he was. He'd put in a full day at Wayne Enterprises, which had been wall to wall meetings and conference calls.

Alfred opened the door as he approached. "Good evening, sir."

"Good evening, Alfred."

"Your timing is impeccable. Dinner will be served momentarily."

"Great."

Bruce strolled through the house until he reached his study. Admittedly, it didn't get as much use as his monitor station in the Bat Cave did, but it was outfitted with every comfort that the CEO of Wayne Enterprises might need to manage his empire from home, and he did occasionally do just that. He set his briefcase on his desk, loosened his tie, and touched his earpiece. "Watchtower, this is Batman. Is J'onn still aboard?"

"He is. I'll put you through to him," Bruce didn't recognize the voice and assumed it was a civilian contractor.

"Batman?"

"J'onn," he answered. "What's the status?"

"She is the worst patient I have ever had under my care. Ever."

Bruce tried to suppress his smile and failed. "Worse than me?"

J'onn sounded weary and amused. "Worse than you, Batman."

Bruce looked up as Alfred appeared in the study doorway. He nodded at the butler, then spoke to J'onn. "I might have an idea about that, actually."

Bruce followed Alfred into the dining room and took his seat. Alfred placed a dish in front of him. "Carrot ginger soup to start, sir, with Beef Wellington and roasted asparagus to follow. I've prepared affogato for dessert."

"Alfred, you're wasted on me."

"Indeed, sir."

Diana was ready to mutiny. You'd think that after spending centuries on the same small island, she'd have no problem staying on the Watchtower for a few days. The difference, of course, was that she now knew what else the world held, and had a purpose that she was itching to get back to. No, she wasn't back at 100%, but surely she could help out in some way. She could catch up on embassy paperwork, at the very least. And be anywhere but here, where all she had to do was smile reassuringly while her teammates came by and gave her worried looks.

She had escaped the infirmary while J'onn was back on Earth and was attempting to get back to her quarters. If she could get her armor on, surely she could con someone into letting her teleport back to the embassy.

"That's just sad," someone spoke up behind her.

"Shut up, Batman."

"What do you think you're doing, Diana?" Her aching limbs demanded she stop to talk to him, but she knew if she stopped, it would be doubly hard to get going again.

"I just want to sleep in my own bed without a crew of doctors watching me. Is that really so much to ask?"

"No." Bruce wrapped an arm around her waist, taking part of her weight. She allowed it, letting her arm rest across his shoulders. They continued towards her quarters. "If that's what you were actually doing. But it isn't, is it, Diana? You're planning to escape."

"Maybe." She paused to breathe heavily. He stood patiently until she was ready to move again. "What are you going to do about it?" She tried to infuse her tone with menace, and thought she did a credible job of it, especially considering she could barely walk unassisted.

They'd reached her quarters. Batman reached out with his free hand to open the door. "Help you," he said.

"What?" She peered into the room, and saw that a suitcase sat open on her bed, her armor inside it. She beamed at him happily. "Really?"

"Yes." She pulled away from him and made a beeline for her dresser. "But there are rules."

She stopped in the act of opening a drawer and sighed. "Of course there are."

He made sure the door was locked, then inputted a code on the keypad that she was pretty sure muted the monitor system. "You'll be staying at the Manor. Alfred can keep an eye on you, and we have the medical facilities should you need any additional care. J'onn will be checking in. Regularly."

Diana scowled. "I'm fine."

"You are not fine," he said, raising an eyebrow when she sat on the bed, breathing heavily. "You're at 20%, maybe."

She resisted the urge to groan, barely. He was right.

"You're free to do any work for the Embassy, so long as it does not require leaving the premises. I have state-of-the-art telecommuting equipment already in place, so you can even attend meetings. You will not be going anywhere as Wonder Woman. Deal?"

It was a good deal. More, it was the best deal she was likely to get. Plus, she liked Alfred. She had gotten to know him while she and J'onn had stayed at the Manor following the destruction of the first Watchtower. He would be good company without hovering over her. She had no illusions that she'd see Bruce any more than usual, even while staying in his house.

She reached into the suitcase and drew out her armor.

"Diana..." Bruce said in warning.

"Fine. I'll take your deal. But I am walking to the teleporter on my own, and wearing my armor while doing it. Got it?"

Pride was something he understood all too well. He nodded. "Need help packing?"

She started to refuse, just on principle, but she was exhausted and needed to conserve all of her energy for her walk across the station. "Yes."

She thought he might call one of the girls to help, but he stayed and obediently moved the clothes she indicated from their drawers to the suitcase. She started to point to her bag of toiletries, then remembered that she'd taken them with her to the hotel in Gotham. Which meant- "Oh, no!"

Batman didn't look up from where he was zipping the case shut. "What is it?"

"My dress! I left it in the hotel."

There was a beat. "It's already at the Manor."

"It is?"

"Yes. Bruce Wayne's loyal retainer retrieved it for you."

"That was kind of him."

"His motives were selfish, I assure you."

"Alfred's were?"

Another beat. "No." Before she could press him, he hefted the case. "All set?"

"Once I have my armor on."

"Right. I'll go on ahead. I'll see you in the Cave." He unlocked the door and walked out.

Presumably he would give her some way of teleporting to the cave on her own, since he'd certainly never given her the code. She carefully pulled off the scrubs she'd had to wear in the infirmary and donned her armor. She was grateful the uniform was as simple as it was. She wouldn't have had the energy to deal with additional pieces.

The boots were the hardest to get into, but she managed and left her quarters. Shayera was waiting in the hall for her.

"Oh, hello, Wonder Woman."

Diana stifled a sigh. "Hello." She started her slow trek to the transporter room.

"I hear you're taking a sabbatical."

"Is that what I'm doing?"

Shayera shrugged, an amused look on her face. "That's what I heard."

"You don't have to walk with me all the way to the transporter."

Shayera feigned surprise. "Oh, is that where you're headed? As it happens, so am I."

Diana shot her a suspicious look.

"No, really. Monitor duty. I mean, I could take the long way if you'd prefer..."

Diana wasn't going to make her friend circumnavigate the Watchtower just because she was grumpy. "No, no. I never asked-what did John find in China?"

"A whole lotta nothing. Whoever's behind the MT Toxin harvested a lot of the plant, but that was months ago, best he and J'onn can tell."

"Another dead end."

"Diana, save for any unexpected natural disasters, this is the only thing anyone's working on right now. It's terrible what happened to you, but we all know that if it had happened to someone who wasn't an Amazon..."

"I know."

"I know it sucks being out of commision, but trust me-we're on it."

Diana managed a smile. "I know that, Shay. I have the greatest faith in all of you to figure this out."

"Good." They'd reached the teleporter. J'onn was waiting for them. He offered his hand in a way that was too courteous for Diana to resist, even though she knew his ulterior motive was ensuring she stepped onto the platform without falling on her face.

"Enjoy your rest, Diana. I will see you soon." She squeezed his hand in response.

"Bye, Diana," Shayera said. She cocked an eyebrow. "Have fun down there!"

Then the platform lit and Diana was gone.

A/N: This chapter and the next are a bit shorter than the previous ones, as that's the way the pacing worked out. When I write these, I don't have a word count I aim for, I break chapters up based on where it feels the most natural. However, because they are shorter, I may put up the next chapter midweek, meaning you might get a two-fer! It depends on how much buffer I get written in the next few days.

Bruce's dinner: affogato is an Italian dessert-y beverage, a scoop of vanilla gelato topped with a shot of espresso. Some recipes also throw a shot of Amaretto or another liqueur on there, but Alfred makes it the classic way. Also, carrot-ginger soup is delicious and you should try it.