This chapter is a lot longer and later than I had intended so I do apologise;; but I hope you enjoy!

Rose was strong. Jasper knew this. A beautiful, strong woman, probably even stronger than Jasper. Stronger than Jasper in many ways, actually. In her eyes, Rose was the perfect quartz soldier. Elegant and well mannered, collected and kind. Perfect, in her eyes. Of course, nobody was perfect, not even this gorgeous Rose Quartz. Not even the one she cared for the most.

Rose was a free mind, that was her first fatal flaw. She liked to tell people to do it their own way, which of course is no proper way to do things. If everyone did it their way, no job would ever get done. How were the diamonds supposed to run an empire with a bunch of free spirits? Rose spoke out of turn a lot, a rather stupid move for such an intelligent woman, Jasper thought. But the most heinous of all, was the sinful way she looked at Jasper and offered to sneak away from their watch duty.

"Are you insane, Rose? You know what'll happen if we step out of line. They'll shatter us and replace us without even blinking." She whispered, carefully looking around to be sure they were alone. She couldn't help but blush as Rose chuckled quietly.

"That's the fun part. C'mon! You ever fused with a Rose Quartz before~?" Rose purred back just as quietly.

Jasper didn't know why but her chest tightened and her knees weakened. If her brain had been working properly, she wouldn't have taken Rose's hand and would have stayed at her post rather than running off to an abandoned temple. The Bismuths were doing renovations on the place, but they couldn't work on this specific area for another few hundred years at least. They had to finish the library first.

Rose gently removed her armour, laughing at how tense and shy Jasper was. Jasper, on the other hand, avoided looking at Rose altogether. She couldn't believe she let her own colleague talk her into this. Rose seemed to glide over and smiled warmly, the kind of smile that made Jasper's face heat and her mind spin. They were really doing this, weren't they?

"If you really don't want to do this, we don't have to. I don't want to fuse with you against your will. Fusion is something that two gems do together, something that they do when they feel comfortable with it. Fusion should never be forced." Rose said, her look of amusement turning quickly into that of concern. She gently and carefully removed Jasper's armour pieces, running her fingers through the other's hair when she was finished.

Jasper's legs almost gave out from under her. She tried to gain some composure and took a deep breath. "If it'll help us, um, in battle and allow us to become stronger, then… then I am w-willing." She stuttered lamely, hating the fact that her voice had cracked about halfway through her sentence. It made Rose giggle. That giggle was going to be the death of Jasper.

Rose rested a large hand on Jasper's equally large shoulder, taking a rough calloused hand into her own soft, silky one. Jasper was hyperaware of each place they touched, as she herself placed a hand on Rose's waist. Her breath hitched; Rose was so soft and warm. They both started to move, Jasper's dance a bit more hesitant and unsure of herself, while Rose seemed to float about on her feet elegantly.

Rose kept eye contact, smiling genuinely at how endearingly shy Jasper was. The usually Rough and hard-headed gem was instead acting as if Rose was made of a super thin paper, like one small wrong move would shatter her or ruin her in some way. Jasper watched her feet the whole time, afraid of stepping on Rose's feet. She was being so gentle and sweet, it made Rose giggle. Jasper looked up as she heard the noise. She immediately regretted it. Rose's eyes were dark, warm, small stars glistening in them and lighting up the atmosphere. It made Jasper gulp and tentatively lean forward. Here eyes closed on their own accord, though she would've loved to keep looking at the other. Rose returned the gesture, meeting the other halfway in a deep and tender kiss.

Jasper couldn't control her hands as they reached up and cupped Rose's face, one of them running back to tangle in the thick pink locks of hair. Her gem flashed and her whole body went hot, not to the point of discomfort, but such a pleasant warmth, she almost forgot she was fusing with Rose. Fusion with other Jaspers always felt like herself, just larger. The fusion process was never this warm and loving. It never felt like anything, just a flash and suddenly she was a big Jasper. But now, she wasn't. She wasn't Jasper, she wasn't Rose, she was just… what was she? A glance down at her new stomach gem on her large form helped answer that question. Carnelian. She stretched, getting a feel of her larger form. It felt so right and so strange at the same time. She was in control of everything she did and every thought was hers, but she was a being created from two different beings. Her eyes sparkled with the same stars, all four of them glistening with happiness. It was a strange feeling to have four eyes, she had to touch them to make sure they were actually there.

A noise had panic coursing through her, making Rose and Jasper unfuse with a poof as they fell to the ground and both hurried to put their armour back on. Jasper grabbed Rose by the hand and hurried with her to the warp pad where they were teleported back to the palace. Rose scurried to her post and Jasper followed suit. They stood there, panting gently for breath and cheeks heated with exertion. They avoided looking at each other, to quell suspicion.

An agate was patrolling up and down the halls, sparing a glance towards the two gems at their posts. She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you tired? You've been standing here doing nothing, you lazy quartz's never move, why are you out of breath?" She snapped, making Rose and Jasper stand straighter and keep their gazes forward. The agate just huffed irritably and stormed off. Jasper watched as agate left and looked carefully towards Rose, who was holding in her laughter. When their eyes met, she started cracking up, making Jasper laugh heartily as well. Once the cheery noise settled, they shared a loving moment of eye contact, Jasper once again admiring those heartwarming eyes. She never wanted Rose to leave. Ever.