Pieces

Yuriyaoihet_ILoveEmAll

Chapter One

A/N: This story has been in my head for a while now and every time I go back and rewatch Steven Universe, the urge to write it gets stronger. The thought of Jasper, my favorite gem, getting her redemption is one I avidly hope will be a future canon event, but until then, here is my take on Jasper's redemption story.

I have tried to keep the pacing and character interaction as true to SU as possible and tried to keep everyone as IC as possible, that being said, I have taken a few creative liberties and hope they won't stretch things too far.

I started writing right around the 'Pool Hopping; episode, so events after that will not be a part of this story. Sorry.

That being said, let's go on an adventure! Read on, loves!

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Jasper blinked a few times as her form solidified around her. Her hair fell around her broad shoulders in a wavy mass as she stood stretching and flexing to her full, impressive height. Blearily, she blinked again and the world finally came into focus. She was in a strange place she'd never seen before. Beige wooden walls surrounded her, broken by windows of glass. Odd and unknown artifacts were everywhere. But before she could really take it all in, her eyes rested on none other than Rose Quartz.

She sneered down at the puny abomination, her entire form rippling with hatred. She so ached to start a fight, to take advantage of the surprised and terrified look on the little Rose's face, but she reigned it in. It took every ounce of her formidable control to simply continue standing there.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As she released the breath she opened her eyes and looked at the gem again, determined to keep control. "Where am I?" Her voice was low and steady.

She saw Rose take a deep swallow. "You're in my house!" Rose squeaked.

She grunted, not knowing what to make of the statement. Before she could say or do anything else, a bright light flared to life behind them and both of them looked around to see Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl appear on the warp pad. All of them froze, utterly shocked.

Pearl was the first to move. "Get away from him!" She screamed, instantly materializing her weapon and assuming a fighting stance.

Garnet growled and got low, her gauntlets flaring into existence as Amethyst's whip cracked in the air, drawn from her gem ready to strike. Jasper gritted her teeth and turned to face them. She stood before them, tall and proud, but made no move to ready herself for the seemingly inevitable fight. She stood there, alone and defenseless. She was utterly terrified, but knew everything would hinge on this moment. She glanced back at the little Rose Quartz, wondering just how much of that pretty speech at The Kindergarten had been true.

Would Rose really stand up and save her like she was promised during their last encounter? Was she falling into a trap? Had she been tricked?

Just as she'd given up hope and the Crystal Gems moved to strike, something amazing happened. Rose's shield was there, protecting her. The weapons of her enemies were stopped inches from her by the shield of their very own Rose Quartz. Her heart leapt in a strange sense of awe. Rose had been telling the truth. A strange sensation spread through her and tears danced in her eyes, though she wasn't sure why. She blinked them away quickly as the Crystal Gems looked on at them completely stunned.

"Stop!" Little Rose screamed. "She's not going to fight you!"

Pearl sputtered incomprehensibly. Amethyst cut her off before she could force out whatever she was trying to say. "Yo! You do realize that's Jasper, right? The one who was trying to kill us?!"

"I do!" Rose screamed. "But she wasn't going to fight this time." Frantic tears pricked Rose's eyes as the rebellious leader turned back to look at Jasper. "Right?" The word was a tiny waver of sound.

Jasper looked down at the gem who had shaped most of her life so far and made the final decision. There was no going back now. "I won't fight you." She spoke firmly.

A tiny part of her died as she fully gave in to her worst enemy. The rest of her felt a strange sense of... duty? Hope? Fear definitely played a part. She wasn't sure how she truly felt, but she would hold to this promise. Slowly, she lowered herself to one knee, crossing one arm over her chest as she bowed. She waited on eggshells for Rose's response.

There was a long moment of tense silence, before she felt a small soft hand come to rest on her shoulder. "You don't have to bow down Jasper. You never have to bow again." Rose's voice was firm.

Jasper looked up, surprised. "I don't?"

The tiny Rose smiled at her. "That's not how we do things here on earth. Everyone here is an equal."

Jasper contemplated this, looking from Rose to the other Crystal Gems. All of them were still tense, but their weapons were gone. She blinked back at Rose. She was equal? What about the natural order?

She opened her mouth to ask, when the door behind her suddenly slammed open. She immediately rose to her feet and looked around to see Peridot walk inside. The short green gem was totally engrossed in a device strapped to her wrist and was carrying a small paper bag.

"Steven! I have acquired your greasy, sweet confection of roundness and sprinkles!" She called without looking up. Jasper was so confused she didn't even react when Peridot kept walking and bumped into her. "Oops! Sorry, I was just-" The green gem finally looked up and froze when she recognized Jasper. "Oh my stars..." She whimpered.

Jasper looked down at her and remained still. The little gem looked terrified. After a moment, the tall warrior gem glanced back at Rose. Rose seemed to understand and moved toward the frozen Peridot.

"Thanks for getting my doughnuts, Peridot." Rose took the bag from her and looked inside happily.

Peridot glanced at the little Rose with wide eyes before resuming her stare at Jasper. "No problem." She whispered haltingly. "Um, Steven?"

"Yeah?" Rose responded, mouth full of the contents of the bag.

"It might just be something wrong with my vision spheres but... I think I see Jasper standing in our house." She finished quickly, her voice uncertain.

"Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with your eyes."

"We were just as surprised to warp back and find her here. Alone. With Steven." Pearl's voice was cutting as she stepped around the tall warrior gem.

Jasper watched as Peridot began to look even more scared. "He said he wanted doughnuts." She squeaked.

"Doughnuts could have waited." Garnet joined the furious Pearl.

"And where is that lion? He should have been here too!" The pale gem snapped.

"Lion is with Connie. She asked to use him to go to a book signing. She's getting me one too!" Rose said excitedly.

Pearl looked fit to burst, while Garnet rubbed her forehead. "Why didn't I see that coming?" The fusion groaned.

"You guys maybe wanna talk about this later?" Amethyst hissed her eyes still on Jasper.

The tall warrior gem pursed her lips down at the diminutive Amethyst. She felt her old resentment stir, but forced herself to remain neutral as all the eyes in the room turned back to her. She stood tall under their scrutiny.

It made her strangely nervous. She crossed her arms and humphed. "I know I'm the perfect gem, but you don't have to stare." She said haughtily.

Rose chuckled nervously as the tension level in the room jumped. "Jasper's got jokes."

"This situation is a joke." Amethyst muttered.

"Okay! Maybe I'll just go show Jasper around on the beach and let you guys have a little talk." Rose said, voice trembling.

The little Rose walked around the tall warrior gem towards the door. Jasper followed the tiny Rose without a thought. This small place was full of so much tension it already claustrophobic for her. She had a feeling if she stayed without the little gem, it would be even worse.

Part of her was already wondering whether or not this whole, 'good' thing was worth the effort considering what little time they had, when a pale trident was suddenly pointed at her. "You're not going anywhere alone with Steven."

Jasper fought to keep her expression neutral as she looked down at the Pearl in her way. She opened her mouth to make a scathing remark, but Rose cut her off. "Pearl! Put that away. Jasper isn't going to hurt me." Rose spoke slowly, but firmly. "Right, Jasper?"

Jasper took a deep breath and nodded, keeping her eyes on the deadly gem in front of her. "I'm not going to fight." She said again.

"That is highly unlikely." Peridot cut in. "Jasper's are made to fight. It's what they do."

Jasper ground her teeth, surprised at the hurt she felt inside. Anger followed swiftly on the heels of the sadness. She could hold her tongue no longer. "What happened to all the Earth talk about gems being able to change?" She asked. "I haven't even been reformed for five minutes and you're all ready to poof me again." She laughed harshly. "Is it because I'm the only one of you that's actually worth something? Afraid I'll outshine you?" She glared around at them all, before focusing on Rose. "Call off your Pearl."

Pearl started to sputter and the others visibly reacted, but Rose spoke before any of them could reply. Jasper saw real anger on the little Rose's face. "First of all: Pearl doesn't belong to anyone. No one does. Here, we are all our own person. Secondly..." He looked around at the others. "Jasper is right. You guys haven't even given her a chance."

They were all silent for a moment. Jasper looked away from the strange looks on their faces. She heard a heavy sigh and looked up to see the perma-fusion, Garnet, step closer to Rose.

"Steven. I know that you have your mother's gem. I also know that you have her heart." She stooped and squeezed Rose's shoulder. "You believe the best in everything around you. You seek to find goodness in everything. And that is an honorable thing." She squared her shoulders and looked at Jasper. "And we can do no less. Jasper is here for a reason and we should let her be."

Pearl was aghast. "Garnet! You can't be serious?!"

The tall fusion crossed her arms. "It was Steven's decision to unbubble Jasper and try to heal her. We all agreed to it."

"Wow." Amethyst suddenly laughed. "This is either gonna be amazing or horrible."

Garnet smiled. "We're just gonna roll with it."

"Does anyone here know the definition of 'doomed'?" Peridot asked dryly.

"Yeah. It's what you are when those two remember how mad at you they are." Amethyst smirked, jerking her head at Garnet and Pearl.

"Oh, we haven't forgotten." Garnet said forebodingly. Pearl poofed her trident and crossed her arms, glaring at the green gem.

Peridot sighed and pouted at the snickering Amethyst. "Wow... thanks." She muttered.

Jasper was utterly confused, but she sensed that they had all granted her at least a grudging acceptance. For the moment, at least. A tiny part of her was relieved. The rest of her had no idea what was going on. One thing she did know was that no matter what the cost, the Crystal Gems and Rose needed to hear about the horror resting beneath their feet. If she was going to try and be good, then she wanted to tell the truth, no matter what the cost.

She looked to Peridot. "Have you told them?" She asked.

The ferrokinetic gem blinked at her in surprise. "Told them what exactly?"

"About... The Cluster." She spoke the name in a hushed voice, as if even the mention of it would send it bursting forth, destroying them and everything around them in an instant.

All of them stared blankly at her. "The Cluster?" Peridot asked. "We took care of that thing ages ago!"

It was Jasper's turn to stare blankly. Her heart was fluttering in her chest. "What?"

"Yeah." Rose spoke. "It was right after the island where..." Rose trailed off. "Well, it's been awhile. But it really is gone."

"Gone?" Jasper asked in half fear-half hope.

"Well, not gone gone. It bubbled itself once it realized it didn't want to take shape and hurt anyone. It's in stasis."

Jasper was astonished. "So... the Earth isn't going to be destroyed?"

Rose smiled up at her. "Nope."

Jasper felt a horrible pressure inside her ease and she swayed. She had to lower herself down on one knee because she could no longer hold herself upright as a sense of profound relief stole her strength. "All this time I thought it was still there..." She whispered. She pressed her fingers into the wooden floor.

"Jasper." Rose gasped. "You really thought that it was still active?"

"I thought every one of us was on borrowed time." She breathed, her voice trembling.

Her heart swelled so much it hurt and she squeezed herself tightly to try and ease the pain. She felt tears prick her eyes and she started to laugh. The entire time she had been on Earth she had walked with the certainty that her demise was brewing beneath her. Being underneath Lapis as Malachite, building her pathetic army, every action had been tainted by the fear of death. Every thought had been that she had only the next moment to live. There was no time to stop and reflect until she was poofed in the Beta Kindergarten by three of the gems standing in front of her. Now... now her life stretched before her in an endless line. She couldn't decide which would have been better.

She wanted to scream, cry, rant, but she was still surrounded by enemies. Her laughter was the only outlet she'd allow, so she dug her trembling fingers into her skin and laughed to hide her tears. The Crystal Gems watched silently and Jasper was ashamed to realize she was afraid to look up and see their expressions. She turned away from them and forced herself onto her feet. She dropped her arms and clenched her hands into shaking fists, fighting for control.

"I need a moment." She rasped around the lump in her throat.

"It's okay." Rose told her. "I'll show you around on the beach."

Part of her rebelled at the thought of a witness to her turmoil, but the rest of her knew it would be foolish to think that she'd be left free to her own devices so soon after defecting from her adopted Diamond. What better gem than the one who had started it all to see it through?

Silently, she followed Rose to the door. This time, no one moved to stop them. She ducked through the small entryway and stepping into the cool evening air. When she stood, her whole world rocked. In front of her was the ocean as far as her eyes could see. Her skin tingling, she stepped forwards and leaned on the railing in front of her. She breathed deeply, inhaling the briny scent of the sea. After everything, the ocean had been her first 'home' on Earth. It hadn't been pleasant, but it had been the first real constant she'd known in her life of war. And what Lapis had done didn't outweigh what she herself had done. If she had been here, this 'new start' would have been a disaster. The hydrokinetic gem would never forgive her, and the tall warrior gem knew she would never be able to fight her again.

Thinking about Lapis made her heart twist painfully and begin to beat faster. Where was Lapis? Would she be coming here? A trace of renewed fear lanced through her veins. She shook her head to dislodge the thoughts and forced her face into a blank mask as she felt Rose move up beside her. The tiny gem leaned against the railing, mimicking the tall warrior gem's pose.

"Quite a view, isn't it?"

She nodded mutely, tearing her eyes away from the waves and looking up at the darkening sky above her. They stood in silence for a few minutes as the first stars winked into sight. Their light was reassuring as she slowly began mapping the sky above her. Suddenly, she knew where she was.

"This is where I fought you seriously for the first time." She said quietly.

Rose chuckled nervously. "Or, as I'd like to call it, Home."

"Home." She repeated the word.

Home was a lie. She had no home. It meant nothing to her and yet she felt the strangest sense of longing. Her eyes were drawn back to the dancing waves. Her fingers tightened into the weathered wood of the railing.

"So." Rose began. "Want to look around?" She shrugged, mind full of barely controlled thoughts.

Rose turned and began walking toward a set of steps she hadn't noticed before. Slowly, she followed, almost dragging her feet. She'd only been reformed for a few minutes and already felt as fatigued as if she'd been fighting the whole time she'd been in stasis. Her boots crunched on sand and she started walking, almost mindless, towards the waves lapping at the shore in front of her. She knew that Rose was following her, but at that moment, she didn't care.

She dropped to her knees on the damp sand, just out of reach of the lapping waves. Above her, far away in space, was the world she'd left behind. Behind her, were enemies, old and new. Beneath her, a weapon of phenomenal proportions lay dormant. Before her there was nothing but ocean and sky. What would she do now?

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And there is Chapter One! I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought!

And yes, Jasper will eventually learn Steven's name, but logically, he is still Rose to her at this moment in time. Sorry if there was any confusion.