De-Fused - chapter 1! This is an alternate version of jailbreak. Warning, very depressing shit ahead.

Alone in a cramped jail cell on Peridot's ship, a small red gem was regaining consciousness after being sent back to her gem by Jasper's destabilizer. "Ugh" she groaned. "Oh,… No! No! No, NO!" She shouted, punching a wall. "I can't be… I can't be split up from my Sapphire…" Ruby started shaking and sobbing. "SAPPHIRE!" Ruby shouted loud enough that everyone in the ship could hear her.

"Sapphire!" Jasper exclaimed mocking Ruby's cries for her other half. She currently had Sapphire's gem in her enormous hand and was tossing the fragile gem in the air like a coin.

"Jasper… I don't think we should do this…" Peridot mumbled quietly. She didn't want to upset her boss, but she didn't want to end another gem's life. Jasper punched a wall next to Peridot, causing the green gem to jump and spat "We end this brat's life and the whole team goes under! That Amethyst is good for nothing, their Pearl is defective, and whatever that 'Steven' thing that has Rose Quartz's abilities looks like he couldn't even sleep without a teddy bear! That fusion is the only thing holding us back! We break this Sapphire physically and the Ruby will break mentally!"

"Fine" Peridot agreed reluctantly, throwing her hands in the air as a sign of defeat ", but if you think I'm going to watch, you're dead wrong" with that, the green gem walked out of the room and Jasper smiled her shit-eating grin and crushed Sapphire's gem under her gargantuan foot. Peridot shivered as she heard the tell-tale sound. The crunch was so loud that it reverberated through the whole ship. The ship grew chillingly quiet and then all Hell broke lose. The sound of one's gem being cracked was very distinct and could be identified by any gem.

"SAPPHIRE!" Ruby wailed as she fell to the ground. "Maybe… Maybe it wasn't her…but we were the only ones who were sent back to our gems…" Ruby's loud sobs woke up Steven.

"Where… Who… What's wrong!" Steven questioned, standing up in his cell and cupped his mouth. "HELLO!" he yelled "CAN YOU HEAR ME!" The only reply he got back was Ruby's loud, incoherent blubbering. Steven looked around the room for something he could use to escape. "Don't worry friend! I'll help you…" he mumbled, running around the cell. He tripped and to his surprise, his hand went right through the force field.

He slipped his entire body out and went searching for the gem in destress. "Where are you?…" he questioned, looking in every one of the cells he passed until he got to the cell with the gem he had been looking for. Ruby was laying on the floor examining her right palm with tears in her eyes.

"Hi" Steven began calmly "I am Steven Universe and I'm here to save the day!" He got down to eye level with the shorter gem and waited for a reply. When he got none he frowned and started making silly faces in a vain attempt to cheer this stranger up.

"Steven… I know you mean well" Ruby groaned placing her hands over her eyes "but please leave me alone.." she sighed and rolled over on her side, facing away from Steven.

Steven was rather perplexed at how this strange girl knew his name, but he decided it didn't matter and thought maybe she had overheard it from one of the others. "You don't need to be alone!" Steven reassured her, unaware he just used the worst choice of words possible.

Ruby's face contorted into one of rage. She stood up and balled her fists up, as if she was going in for a punch. "I AM ALONE!" Ruby roared at the young half gem. She saw his face sink into a frown and realized he didn't mean any harm, though she was still stung by his words. It then dawned on her that he must not know who she is. She sat down and looked at Steven. It was the first time she had ever saw him with her own individual eyes, though she already loved and respected him. "Steven…" Ruby uttered her first calm phrase since waking up "Do you know who I am?…or was…"

Steven sensed something familiar with his new friend but couldn't quite place her. He then noticed where her gem was and gasped. "Garnet…" he gasped in awe.

Ruby just nodded and rubbed her hand over her gemless right hand and sighed "well… I *was* Garnet…half of her anyway..."