[Author's note:This story contains Jasper, Amethyst, Peridot, Steven, Lapis, Pearl,Garnet and some Beach City peeps- with the main focus on Jasper (the written point of view will change from time to time though). Feel free to interpret this fanficion as you wish^^ It may have some hints for possible ships but pretty much everything can also be interpreted as platonic ;)]

Jasper

She didn't want to be here. It hurt too much... Lapis was talking to her again, that concerned look still in her eyes. It was mixed with irritation, but mostly concern. It almost touched her. Almost.

Jasper threw a punch at the traitorous gem. She was sick of this hideous planet and all of it's life forms, including the Crystal Gems. All she wanted was to be free, to go home, and knocking Lapis out of her way would finally get her there that much faster. She wasn't surprised when Lapis easily avoided the blow. After all, she was only moving with a fraction of her concentration in place. Now Lapis had her hands on Jasper's shoulders, pressed her down to the ground and seemed to be yelling at her. Jasper thrust her hands up and broke the other gem's grip, thrusting her hands forward and pushing her off. This hurt even more. Damnit, she wanted the pain to stop. Lapis was getting frustrated now. She could see that, at least through the fog that clouded her current existence. Jasper felt a blow across her cheek, a hard one, she hadn't even bothered to block it.

Why couldn't the pain just stop? When would it end? What would release her from this?!

"Lapis!"

Jasper woke slowly. Sluggishly. Every cell in her body feeling as if it had exploded, and then been violently reshuffed as she rolled onto her back and stared at the azure blue sky. She moved her head carefully to the side and saw that she was lying on a beach. She took a sharp breath when her eyes met the calm sea. Where was Lapis? Did they finally unfuse? … Alexandrite...

Jasper groaned, and her throat felt not unlike she had been gargling acid. Her mind was turning over everything that had happened, from her fight against the Garnet fusion to to the defeat of Malachite. The fact that all of these battles were completely unfair, was still bugging her. First off, Garnet were a fusion plus that sassy gem didn't even really beat her. Jasper still had been able to fight even after she was electrified by the ship's force field and after she was buried under it's debris. Then there was Lapis, who was only able to keep her imprisoned for such a long time because she had the WHOLE ocean on her side. Well and the battle against Alexandrite was two vs. four.

Jasper groaned again and closed her eyes. Why was she still alive? Was she even still alive? Then again, she felt too bad to be dead. But how did she and Lapis survive the final strike of Alexandrite? Didn't the Crytsal Gems care to shatter her and Lapis? They were their enemies after all... Maybe those traitors hadn't found them yet.

'Lapis...'

Still wondering what had happened, she dozed off.

When Jasper awoke again, the pain still hasn't faded. What was wrong with her? Why did it feel so hard to move? She remembered the Lapis' punch on her cheek and wondered whether it was all just a dream or if Lapis really had been there and then left her, lying on the beach.

'Stupid Lapis', she thought angrily. 'Stupid little gem...'

Then again... Maybe it really had been just dream. Jasper knew what a dream was. She had experienced sleep a long long time ago. That was before Rose had started her rebellion...

But she didn't want to sleep! Not at a time like this! Where the Crystal Gems could appear at any moment and shatter her. Something was really wrong with her...

She forced herself to sit up and carefully touched her gem. She cringed when she felt the small crack.

'I'm broken. Useless. Trash. I can't get back. I failed my mission. They're going to recycle me...'

Jasper pushed the thoughts away quickly. She wouldn't think about what couldn't be changed.

'There has to be a way to fix my gem.'

She thought of Lapis...

'Rose! … Or was it... Steven?' She slowly shook her head and dismissed the thought immediantly. No. Those traitors cleary must have been lying. This boy has her gem and her shild. Who knows why she had choosen to pick such a strange looking physical form... 'Rose could fix me!' Jasper thought grimly. 'She fixed the Lazuli's gem. I just have to force her to fix mine as well!'

In moments like these – quite moments – Jasper sometimes let herself think about her difficult past with Rose. Sometimes she felt only curious detachment when she thought of her, other times, a fierce, dull anger, like a rock burning at the bottom of her stomach (if she would have one), and occasionally, a kind of longing she had no name for; like the tug she had felt while hearing a song which she used to love... a long time ago...

The sun warmed her face and the knot in her stomach began to loosen a bit. Suddenly, she heard the sound of running footsteps coming nearer. Jasper froze.

'They will try to shatter me!' She thought and anger rose in her throat, choking her.

Jasper quickly stood up on shaky legs and turned around, fighting the dizziness and the sharp pain that flew through her whole body. It was the Amethyst! When the little gem came to a halt, leaving some distance between them, Jasper was doing her best to look unimpressed and glared at the tiny twerp before her.

After a short moment of silence the Amethyst began to smirk. "Found ya."