When I wrote "Until It Happens to You" I got a lot of messages asking one or more of three questions:

1) What happens next?
2) What's Jasper's backstory?
3) Where's Garnet?

A sequel was naturally the way to answer all these, so here is the sequel. Please note I usually wait until stories are done, but I've got a pretty solid idea of where this one is going, so I'm taking a chance and posting it as I write.
I'm working on this and "When Tomorrow Comes" at the same time, so updates may not be as frequent on either but good things are worth waiting for. :)

Chapter 1 – Babies

Amethyst

"What are you up to?" Amethyst asked over the phone as she glanced up from her magazine making sure Allie wasn't injured or painting on the wall.

Garnet's smooth voice came over the line. "Heading to a club. You should come out when you're done babysitting. It's been a while since we all got together."

"Definitely, as soon as – DON'T PUT THAT IN THE FISH TANK – my mom comes home to watch Jasper's demon spawn. I swear; she is just like my sister." Amethyst smiled as the five-year-old went over to her toys and picked up a truck. She really wouldn't have it any other way. Allie was a handful, but with her wild hair and gold-brown eyes, she looked like a mini-Jasper and her whirlwind personality was definitely inherited from her mother.

"Auntie Ames, I say 'hi'?"

"No, go play. You don't even know Garnet."

"HI GARNET!"

Amethyst sighed as her friend chuckled over the phone. "Sorry."

"Tell Allie I said 'hi' and meet up with us later. I'll text you when we know where we're going for sure."

Amethyst hung up and Allie was immediately in her lap. "When is Gramma back?"

"Later. Are you sleepy at all?"

"No."

Darn. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"Watch Moana?"

"Sorry, that DVD got burned in a fire." If Amethyst had to listen to 'You're Welcome' one more time, she was going to scream.

"Oh. Go to the park?"

It was dark out but Amethyst could hear water pelting the house. "It's raining. And nighttime."

"Tell me a story."

"About what?"

"Mommy."

Amethyst held her close and kissed the top of that unruly hair. "What do you want to know?"

"Did she ever kill anyone?"

"You're five – you sure you don't want hear about her wedding?" Actually, a courthouse wedding really was not that great of a story. Allie shook her head. "Okay, so there was one time she told me about; she was in the heat of battle – enemies all around and all of a sudden – BOOM – a bomb goes off!"

"BOOM!"

"Yeah. She was thrown about fifty yards away, nearly knocked unconscious, but she was a fighter. She got up and realized that she'd been holding onto another soldiers arm and still was, but the rest of him wasn't there."

Allie's eyes were wide with wonder. "He got blew up."

"Yep, but not your mom – she was a badass. An enemy soldier came at her, thinking she'd be an easy target. 'Ha – a woman', he said. And your mom took her gun and yelled 'no, I'm a motherfucking lady!' and splattered his brains all over the sand." Amethyst was actually not sure this story was true, but could totally see her sister doing that. While Jasper had shared stories from the front, Amethyst had never asked about her kill record – no self-respecting person would. She figured there were things done over there Jasper hadn't been proud of, but it was the life she had chosen. She always saw honor in serving her country.

"And Daddy is still over there, right?" Allie asked.

"Yeah, he'll be over there for a while. By the time he comes back, you'll be six." She booped Allie's nose with her finger causing her niece to giggle for a second before she was distracted by the sound of the garage door opening.

"Gramma!" And Allie was up and off to greet Amethyst's mom as she came in the door.

"Thank you for watching her, Ames," her mother said.

"Gramma, guess what? Mommy was a badass."

"Amethyst!"

"Allie, what do we say after a word like that?" Amethyst asked.

The little girl looked at her grandmother seriously and said: "Pardon my French."

Amethyst shrugged. "She wanted to hear a story."

"She has how many fairy tale books in her room? You didn't think to tell her Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty?"

"I wanted a story about Mommy," Allie told her.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing: your mom wouldn't want her sister using that language in front of her child."

Amethyst laughed. "Yeah, she'd say: 'only I'm allowed to talk like that in front of my kid'. See ya." She pulled out her phone and made her way out the door. After this evening, she could definitely use a few drinks and some dancing with her co-workers.

She sighed thinking about the small ad agency she worked for. The entire family had made a promise Allie would grow up with all of them in their lives. She could have gotten a better job in a bigger city if things hadn't turned out the way they did. She imagined walking through the skyscrapers of Empire City on her way to work, looking up to see an ad for a play starring her friend Lapis, whom she didn't see often but maybe could if she was ever able to get out of this small town like her friends had. Driving down the street, she looked over at the house where Peridot had grown up. They had been best friends once. Now she was all the way across the country working as a technician for a huge computer company and communication was spotty at best.

And Amethyst…was stuck as a babysitter whenever needed. Now, she was about to go out and drink and maybe find a hook up to forget how broken her life had become after her sister's death.

Lapis

The applause was deafening as the curtain closed in front of her and Lapis could finally let out a sigh of relief. She wove her way in between others actors and employees and sat down at her mirror so an assistant could help her out of her wig and makeup. "You were amazing, Miss Lazuli. So believable."

That was the thing about acting...Lapis could convince others everything was perfect when in reality it was not. Before the play went on tour, she'd caught her girlfriend of a year sleeping with someone else…a guy of all things. It had broken her heart. So, her character, a young woman who fell tragically hopeless during the course of the play before she died was much more believable.

She'd also never expected to be staring in a touring play. She had auditioned for the background and was cast as an understudy; then the principle actor in the role had an argument with the director and got herself fired and Lapis found herself being adored and cheered.

That would end though when she would get to her hotel room and realize there was no one to greet her and she wondered how it was possible to be surrounded by so much "love" yet feel utterly alone. She stopped at a store nearby on her way to the hotel and bought a bottle of booze – it had to be hard liquor; wine just didn't cut it anymore. Tonight it was vodka, which had become her go-to.

Lapis sat on the hotel bed, drinking straight from the bottle and going through her phone. She deleted all the photos of her previous girlfriend; she'd already deleted the pictures of the one before that who got too controlling and abusive. Her two-year relationship with Peridot, however, those pictures stayed. Peridot had brought her happiness and love and they'd split amicably, mostly due to distance and the future pulling them apart. Lapis paused at a photo of them with Amethyst at their college graduation almost four years ago. They promised each other they'd stay together; that they'd stay in touch.

Now Amethyst was back in her old hometown; Peridot had moved to Emerald City and Lapis was constantly traveling. There was Facebook, but Amethyst posted little about her life – defaulting to mostly cartoons and jokes. Peridot rarely updated at all and seemed to have gone eerily quiet over about the past year or so except for a few photos from a vacation to the tropics and to Europe, which Lapis wondered how she could afford. Entry level positions in computer companies could not pay THAT well, but maybe she got a promotion. Maybe Lapis would know if she ever answered the phone.

Half the bottle gone and in desperation, she called Amethyst, knowing it would be late on the East Coast. The other end of the call was noisy and Amethyst was practically shouting. "Hey Lapis! What's up?!"

"Not much, how are…"

"I can hardly hear you and I'm like five tequila shots in – woo! Go Garnet! That's my bad bitch! Hey, Lapis, lemmie call you back tomorrow." And the call went dead.

Amethyst was surrounded by people and having a great time. Lapis took another swig from the bottle, the phone screen highlighting Peridot's number now. It would only be nine where she was; she should be home. The phone rang four times before it was answered. "Hey Per…"

And her voice came from the background. "Shit I meant send it to…"

"Who is calling at this hour?" A cool, authoritative voice asked.

"No one."

Silence…call ended. No one. Two years of dating and Lapis was 'no one'. "Well, fuck you too, Peri," she said, tossing the phone on the nightstand.

Her life was not what she wanted. She was an up-and-coming theater star; a recent magazine said she was a 'Broadway Baby worth watching'. What did all that matter if she was alone?

Lapis finished off the bottle.

Midori

Every teenager in the world would have been envious of Midori Diamante. If there was such a thing as a charmed life, she lived it. Starting out the day waking up in her four-poster canopy bed whenever she wanted and being able to spend in her time in whichever pursuits she chose. Sure, she had to make sure she wore what her mothers wanted and watched her weight and stayed in the mansion if not with an escort or on a pre-arranged vacation. But, overall, she had a pretty good life.

Except, she really didn't.

Because Midori Diamante was made up. She didn't exist.

Amarela and Neela Diamante had no children – adopted or otherwise.

What they had was a sugar baby.

Midori

Peridot

And it really wasn't a horrible life, Peridot realized as she lay in the bathtub that night. She had everything she could ever want – her needs were met, both material and emotional. Sure, she was bound by a contract, which outlined several do's and don'ts she was careful to follow.

Her mornings consisted of turning herself into the ideal fourteen-year-old, complete with contacts that made her eyes look bigger and brighter, a golden blonde wig that framed her face, taking a few years off and a school girl outfit Amarela insisted she wear. Her days were spent in "homeschool", basically meaning she could do whatever she wanted on the computer – take classes or not (she had brushed up on some post-college education), read fanfiction, write fanfiction, watch Netflix. Stars, had she ever grown up?

Yes, she had and found out it was hard. She got an entry-level position at a start-up computer company in Emerald City. She made hardly enough to afford a studio apartment and her diet had consisted mostly of instant noodles. The company did not work out and went bankrupt just before Peridot would have hit that two year experience mark most employers looked for. She had been unable to find anything and faced the very real possibility of working at a fast food place – or two with the price of rent – or going home in defeat.

So, she had applied at the Diamante Corporation, run by Amarela, who took one look at her and her resume and shook her head. Great, another college graduate who simply could not make it. She had turned to show herself out.

"Hang on a moment," Amarela had said in that deep, cool voice. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"Really?"

Maybe that's why she wasn't getting work. She put effort into her appearance, but standing hardly five feet tall and having very little in the way of a figure, most people assumed she was much younger.

"I think I may have an opportunity for you."

It all had happened very fast after that. She'd met with Amarela and her wife, Neela, only a day later. It was explained that their existence was rather lonely and they had considered hiring someone to play the part of their "child". Peridot had heard, of course, of the term 'Sugar Daddy' – in this case, they'd be her Sugar Mamas. She'd have a place to live and her needs would be met as long as she provided them with 'companionship'. She'd raised an eyebrow and Amarela had confirmed it was exactly what she thinking. "Isn't that…prostitution?"

"This is completely different and we are very careful to ensure your privacy in such matters and will make sure it looks legal on paper."

What other choice did she have? No one wanted to hire her. She was close to being evicted and having to return home in shame. So, she signed a contract for five years – they'd take care of her from age thirteen to eighteen (twenty-four to twenty-nine) and Amarela put her on the company payroll so she could earn a paycheck legally…without actually having to set foot in the office. She moved into a bedroom larger than her studio apartment; they bought her a complete wardrobe – sure it was all school uniforms, Lolita dresses and knee socks – Neela loved her in knee socks. Her 'mothers' were nice. If she completed her contract, she'd be given a six-figure salary position in the company, no questions asked. By age thirty, she'd have it made.

Peridot had been with them nearly two years now and it could be hard, definitely. She had little in the way of freedom. She could not have visitors – instead, she got a week off every three months and for good reason. The birth control they insisted she take caused her to have a period only every three months – not that she was in any danger of pregnancy, of course, but it meant more opportunities for…'companionship' without a monthly break. So, they weren't great vacations, but they were something and they were paid for. Once a year in December, she'd return home for the holidays, everyone believing she was a lowly computer technician for the Diamante Corporation.

"Anyone special in your life?" her family and friends would ask.

And she'd say no because this arrangement was secret. She closed her eyes and exhaled. She couldn't believe she'd accidentally answered the phone tonight when she was with Amarela. She would have loved to talk to Lapis, actually, but her mouth was previously occupied with other things. At least the sex was good…at least she was getting some, and regularly. Amarela was the kind who was in charge – not that it was rough or unpleasant – but she definitely called the shots in the bedroom. Neela was much more into cuddling and kissing – actually, she hardly ever wanted sex, but when she did, it was gentle and at least she would reciprocate. There were times, like tonight, where Amarela would not.

Undoubtedly, her mothers were talking right now and in about fifteen minutes when Peridot was done in the bath and Midori was once again in her elegant bed, in a nightgown they'd bought her, Neela would come in to say goodnight. She would know already, but would ask if Midori had been 'taken care of' and upon a negative answer, the sheets would be peeled back and her nightgown pulled up and her needs would be met.

She was their sugar baby. It was a charmed life…an easy life that would lead to an easier life.

Peridot got out of the tub and pulled the plug from the drain. It was, however, not the life she thought she'd have.