Amethyst

"What were you thinking?!" Pearl shouted. She stared at Amethyst, shock written plainly on her face. "What if she had attacked you?!"

Amethyst irgnored her friend and carefully picked up Jasper's broken gem from the ground. She felt a flare-up of rage. "Jasper was in no condition to fight", she growled back at Pearl. "Here, look at her!" She showed Pearl and Garnet the broken gem. "Didn't you see that?!"

"Oh, I... No, I didn't... I couldn't see that. I didn't see her face...", muttered Pearl, putting a hand to her mouth to keep herself from gasping and Amethyst was surprised at the look of honest regret on Pearl's face.

"Amethyst, give her to me", said Garnet in her usual calm voice. "I will put her in a bubble. She will be safe in the temple."

"No!", Amethyst barked and furiously turned towards her. "No, we won't just lock her away! She was finally warming up a little and now, thanks to you two, she thinks that I was lying to her!"

"Are you implying that you actually want to let her free?", Pearl asked in disbelief. "She is not like Peridot. We can't just put her on a leash. She is far too strong to control and I won't allow you to let her anywhere near Steven. Jasper is just too dangerous."

"So what?!" Amethyst replied angrily. "You gave Peridot a chance and she did way worse stuff to us than Jasper. And what about Lapis?! She almost wiped out the whole planet by stealing the ocean. She tried to drown Steven and Connie and she broke Greg's leg. Not to mention that she gave away where to find us, plus she still hates us. Lapis is stronger than all of us together and yet you're giving her a chance but not Jasper?! That's not fair!"

Pearl's lips thinned to a skeptical frown. "This may be, but Lapis likes Steven. She won't attack us because of him. Jasper however-" She gave Jasper's gem a dismissive look. "She served thousands of years under Yellow Diamond. She hates all of us. You can't just talk to her for a while and hope that she changes her mind all of a sudden. Quartzes are made to be loyal and to destroy everything that stands in their Diamond's way. She would probably rather die than becoming a traitor to Homeworld."

"But, she can be saved. She can be redeemed!"

"No. Jasper would do anything for her Homeworld. She's in too deep", argued Pearl and crossed her arms.

"But she is lost! She will eventually see that there is nowhere else that she can go. Just imagine how great it would be to have someone as powerful as her on our team."

There was a brief pause and Pearl exchanged a quick look with Garnet, before Garnet finally broke the silence. "Amethyst, please give Jasper to me. We have to bubble her. If she comes back now, she will only risk to be shatterd completly or to become corrupted."

Amethyst froze, then inched forward, around her two friends and shape shifted into a giant hawk.
"We won't lock her away!", she squacked, flying high above them. "I'll bring her to Steven. He can heal her!"

"Don't you dare-", shriecked Pearl, but Amethyst was already too far away to hear the rest of her words. Not that she would have cared anyway.

Peridot

"I'm telling you, I'm completly and one hundred procent innocent!" Peridot was gesturing wildly as she talked. "And yet she flooded almost half of the barn! Again!"

"Are you sure you didn't say something that might have offended Lapis somehow?", Steven asked while he was preparing a huge sandwich with extra much cheese.

"No! As if I would ever do something like that. You know me, I'm the most sensitive person you could meet", she burst out and put a hand on her chest. "I was really trying to make her feel at home. I even let her watch my Camp Pining hearts collection!"

"Did she like the series?", he asked and walked alongside with Peridot to the sofa.

"I can't believe I'm saying that", Peridot took a deep breath. "She said she hates it! Can you believe that? And she only watched one episode. One episode! That's all! How can someone already decide not to like a series after watching only one episode?!"

"Hey, wanna try? It's really good", Steven asked and offered her the sandwich.

"Now is not the time to eat! We have a serious issue here!", Peridot said frustrated. She sat down on the sofa next to Steven, pouting her cheeks and crossing her arms. She was annoyed that Steven had cut her off in the middle of her dramatic monologue, right when she was getting to the good part. "She's so mean and I'm trying so hard to be nice to her."

"I know", Steven said and gave her a warm smile. "Just give her a little bit more time. Lapis is still mad about the whole Malachite situation and about Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst. Because, you know..."

"But that's not my fault! Why is she letting her anger out on me? I thought things would get easier after the Rubies left but nope. She's still gloomy all the time and gets angry at nothing."

Steven looked at her for several seconds. His concerned look softend and he put the sandwich on the table. "Just give her some time. Things will work out eventually", he said gently and gave Peridot's hand a little squeeze.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one, who has to live with her", she mumbled miserably. She secretly wished there would be a room just for her alone in the tempel. She was one of them, so why couldn't she get her own room?

'Oh well, I guess the barn is still better than Steven's bathroom', she thought and tried hard not to show Steven how upset she really was.

Steven released her hand and took his sandwish. "Nobody can be mad for long at the most adorable green gem in the universe", he said with a huge grin on his face and took a big bite out of his sandwich. "You'll see."

Peridot was halfway between angry and flattered by being called adorable. She wanted to be cool, not adorable, just like Amethyst. But then again, she surely enjoyed being praised by Steven.

Steven

"Nyehehehehe."

Steven peeked at Peridot out of the corner of his eye. His smile grew even bigger when he saw, that she looked rather flattered and was giggling behind her hand. He was really proud of her. She had grown so much over the last few weeks and had proven so many times that she cared about him, the Crystal Gems and the earth, that he hardly could believe, that she was once their enemy.

Steven took another bite and let his eyes wander through the living room. Things could have ended a lot different, if he hadn't released Peridot out of the bubble, in which Garnet had imprisoned her. If it wasn't for Peridot, the earth would be destroyed by now.

He stuffed the last bit of his sandwich in his mouth and embraced Peridot in a big hug. Peridot made a small, squeaky noise. "Promise that you will always be one of us, that you'll never leave."

"S- sure", Peridot muttered in confusion. "You guys are all I have. You're my everything."

Steven released her so he could look at her. "N'awww, Peridot, you're soooo-"

"Gaah! Stop it Steven! Let's... Let's just talk about something else."

"'kay", he sniffed. "Hey, what do you think of the Camp Pining Heart's finale of season seven? I really enjoyed the part where Percy-"

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah! Spoilers!", Peridot interrupted him. "I haven't seen it yet!"

"Oh, sorry", he said apologetically. "Um, wanna see my Mini Golf video game then? I know you gonna love it! And guess what? There will be a new generation coming out this fall. It's called Mini Golf Day And Night. Pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so", Peridot said with a curious look on her face.

"Alright! Let me just-", he started, but was interupted by a loud bang as the door sprang wide open.

"Steven! Spit. Now!", Amethyst demanded and didn't care to close the door while she was making her way to him.

"Why?! What happend?!" Steven sprang up and ran towards Amethyst. Panic ran through his mind like wild fire. Were Garnet and Pearl okay? Did they get hurt?

Amethyst came to a halt in front of him and held out a broken gem in her hand. "Jasper happend", she said. "You have to heal her! Hurry!"

"Jasper?!" Steven flinched a little, remembering Jasper's headbutt all too well. A chill spread over Steven's body, starting in his chest and reaching to the roots of his hair. But then he thought of Jasper's unconscious body, falling into a deep crack. Who knows what she's been through since then...

He felt guilty for not instantly helping Jasper and he reached out for the gem. "She'll be fine in no time. I'll heal her."

But before Amethyst could give Jasper to him, a loud "DON'T YOU DARE!" filled the air.

Pearl was springing forwards, grabbing Amethyst's shoulders and shook them roughly. "I said, don't bring her anywhere near Steven!", Pearl said in a voice strangled with fury.

Amethyst opened her mouth to protest, but Pearl cut her off. "You do not put Steven in danger just because you'd like to prove that Quartzes aren't just impulsive brutes!"

"Excuse me?!", Amethyst growled furiously. She freed herself from Pearl's grip and balled her fists at her side. "And what about Rose, Steven and me?! We are Quartzes too, you know."

Pearl blushed for a second but quickly regained her composure and was glaring at Amethyst in her usual disapproving way.

"Rose was a huge exception and you know that!" She blurted out. Her voice was thin and high. "As for you and Steven, well, both of you never were on Homworld, so of course you two are different. Plus, Steven is half human and you are-", she paused for a brief moment, then she added with a superior sounding sniff. "You are often very impulsive. The difference between you and Jasper is, that you don't intend to beat us."

"Oh yeah?", Amethyst said grimly and made a step towards Pearl. "Are ya sure about that?"

Garnet stepped between them and crossed her arms. "That's enough. Stop it. Both of you. We have to decide what to do with Jasper."

Everyone fell silent and Peridot let out a long sigh. "Aren't you guys the heroes? I mean, isn't saving people kinda your thing?"

Everyone glanced at Peridot. The little gem spread her hands as if to say, well, duh! "Jasper is difficult, sure, but she's not as aggressive as you might think, Pearl", Peridot continued. "She's actually a defensive gem and not offensive. Why do you think she has a helmet as a weapon and not a cannon or something of that sort." She turned to Steven. "The headbutt she gave you must have hurt quite a lot, considering her bullhead, but she decided to do it without her weapon. Remember? She doesn't enjoy unnecessary harm." She shrugged before she continued. "It's your decision whether you help her or not. But having her on the team could be of great use. Escpecially when the Rubies or other Homeworld gems decide to come back to earth."

Steven nodded. "I'll help her."

"Steven no!", Pearl snapped.

"Steven yes!", Amethyst said grimly and glared at Pearl. "What the heck is it with you and Jasper? I'm beginning to believe that you let her fall into the cracks on purpose."

"It was an accident! I would never do somthing like that! I tried to catch her!"

"You call that trying?!"

"I tried to safe her but I still don't want her anywhere near Steven! Do you have any idea against how many Jaspers I fought during the war?! They're brutal and extremly dangerous! You can't compare them to Lapis Lazulis or to Peridot here." She pointed at Peridot, who gave her a suspicious look. "Peridot was no threat without her limp enhancers. That's why it didn't bother me to let her alone with Steven. Peridot can't fight and she probably doesn't even know how to summon her weapon, right Peridot?"

"Mhm...", Peridot mumbled, crossing her arms and avoiding Pearls eyes.

"There you have it!", Pearl said. "Peridot is weak and-"

"Peridot can hear you loud and clear, you double mega clod!", Peridot shouted and stomped to the warp pad but then she suddenly came to a halt, probably remembering that Lapis was still angry at her. She turned around and pouted her cheeks. "I need my own room!", she shouted and ran into Steven's bathroom, banging the door behind her.

"Oh boy...", Steven muttered.

"So what do you suggest, Amethyst? How can we possibly release Jasper, without bringing Steven in danger?", Pearl asked.

Amethyts looked at Jasper's gem. Conern written on her face.

"Well?", Pearl asked impatiently.

"I'm thinking!", Amethyst replied and gave Pearl an annoyed look.

"Don't strain yourself." Pearl replied and Amethyst hissed at her.

Garnet opened her mouth to interupt the two, when Steven quickly grabbed Jasper's gem out of Amethyst hand.

"Don't do that!" Pearl said alarmed, but Steven had already put the gem to his mouth and gave it a little kiss.

Suddenly it was completly silent as everyone was watching Jasper's gem in Steven's hand. For a moment nothing happened and Steven was about to panic, thinking that his healing power didn't work or that Jasper's gem was too broken to be fixed or-

He stopped when the gem began to glow. Relief filled his chest and a warm feeling flew through his body. The crack closed itself, making the gem whole again. They waited but then the glowing faded. Jasper didn't come back.

Steven's insides lurched painfully as he looked up at his caretakers and saw their worried faces. "What does that mean?", he asked nervously. "Why isn't she coming back?"

The gems looked at each other for a moment, concern written on their faces, and then looked back at him.

"Steven", Garnet began in a gentle voice. "Jasper was constantly standing under a great amount of pressure and was fighting since the moment she arrived on earth. Even a gem, who was made for fighting, can't take this sort of strain forever."

"So? Will she be alright?", he asked fearfully. "You're not saying that she is never coming back or,- or that she is coming back as a corrupted gem, right?!"

Before Garnet could answer, Steven felt that someone was squeezing his free hand. "Don't be silly, we're talking about Jasper." Peridot had come back and grinned at him. "Just... just give her a little time. She'll be back in no time. Right guys?" She looked at Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst. Amethyst looked angry and frustrated, Garnet smiled slightly back at Peridot and Pearl had a look of deep regret on her face.

"Right", Garnet said smoothly.

"So... what should we do?" Pearl asked and turned instinctively to Garnet.

"Pearl, I would like you to keep an eye on Jasper", Garnet said, after a pause.

It took Pearl several tries before she could find her voice. "ME?!" She laughed nervously. "You're making a joke, right?"

"Nope."

"Why should Pearl watch over her?!" Amethyst yelled. "She will only loose her or accidently shatter her."

"I would not!", Pearl snapped back, then turned back to Garnet. "But seriously though, I'm the one, who poofed her, she won't be too happy to see me again and I don't know, if I can stop her if she's trying to fight again."

"You're the right person for this task." Garnet said simply. "You defeated Sugilite and you will be able to keep Jasper in line. I believe in you."

Pearl's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Do not summon your spear unless it is absolutly necessary. As Peridot said, Jasper is mostly a defensive gem, meaning that she will see every little sign of offensive actions of you as a threat and therefore a reason to attack."

"Well, if you really think that this will work... Alright then."

"That's a terrible idea", Amethyst growled.

Steven took Pearl's hand and carefully placed Jasper's gem in it. "I trust you, Pearl. You're a great teacher. I know you can help Jasper to understand earth a little better."

"Oh Steven... I just hope you're right."