Steven's return to consciousness the following morning was slow. For a few moments he simply lie there, gaze directed towards the ceiling as the early morning light filtered in through his bedroom window. It was then that he glanced down and spotted a familiar green Gem curled up on the other side of the bed not too far from him, one of her robotic arms dangling over the edge. Her visor was only halfway on her face but despite that she looked content, occasionally letting out small snores as she continued to doze.

The boy was elated to see that Peridot had ended up falling asleep after all. This was something the Gem had probably been in desperate need of for a while now; he just hoped she would feel refreshed once she woke up. In the meantime, Steven decided to follow up on his promise of letting her sample a donut or two.

Taking care not to wake his guest, the young half-Gem made his way out from under the bed sheets and grabbed a spare set of clothes before making his way downstairs to the restroom. He made sure to turn the television off as well, not wanting to leave it on while he went out.

After changing into his typical outfit and getting ready for the day ahead, he made his way over to the kitchen to leave a note for the sleeping Gem upstairs. He expected her to still be resting when he got back but he didn't want her to panic if she happened to wake up early. After leaving a sticky note up on the fridge, Steven then made his way over to the front door.

"Lion, did you want to come with me?" The feline was still situated over by the warp pad, looking up at him briefly before laying his head back down. On second thought, it was probably a good idea to leave Lion here with Peridot. He didn't think the Gem would try anything but the warp pad was right here in the house. His trusty animal companion could just continue to keep an eye on it while he was out.

"Alright, I'll be back shortly. Bye Lion!" And with that Steven stepped out onto the porch, the screen door lightly swinging back to its original position behind him.

The morning air was still warm but not nearly as bad as it had been yesterday; it was nice enough weather to walk in. The boy made his way down the stairs and onto the beach before crossing over into the main part of town.

Upon reaching the Big Donut, Steven briefly glanced inside to see Lars and Sadie going about their typical work routine; Sadie restocking some of the shelves while Lars was situated behind the counter with his headphones in, his feet kicked up on the smooth surface in front of him. Steven entered through the door, immediately catching the attention of the short blonde girl. She smiled up at him before making her way over to the counter.

"Oh, hey Steven! Want your usual?" She offered in her usual friendly tone as she took her place behind the counter, not even bothering to attempt climbing over Lars after what had happened the last time she'd tried. The lanky teen didn't acknowledge either one of them, too into his music to notice much of anything.

Steven returned her friendly smile with one of his own. "Yeah, that sounds good. Could I get a couple of the regular chocolate frosted ones too?"

Sadie nodded politely before grabbing a small bag and pulling out the donuts. "That's a few more than you normally get. Are you going to be having Connie over later this morning?"

Steven debated telling the blonde about his current houseguest. He glanced over to Lars, making sure the teen was still oblivious to his surroundings. He could trust Sadie to keep a secret but Lars he wasn't so sure about.

"Uh, well maybe. Sadie, is it okay if I tell you something?" He asked in a somewhat hushed tone. He needed to let someone know about this whole situation. At some point, he was inevitably going to have to lie to the Gems about Peridot and he really wasn't looking forward to that. He hoped telling someone else he could trust about it would help reassure him that he was doing the right thing.

"Of course you can, Steven." Sadie said sweetly as she placed the donuts into the bag.

"Uh, well…it's kind of a secret. Can you please promise not tell anyone about it, especially the Gems?"

Sadie looked up at him, momentarily pausing her previous action. Steven wasn't normally one to keep secrets, especially from his own family... "Yeah, I promise."

"You know how we're still kind of after one of those Gems that invaded Beach City not too long ago?" The boy asked.

"Oh yeah, how could anyone forget?" Sadie placed the last donut into the small takeout bag, setting it on the counter.

Steven rubbed the back of his head slightly, an awkward smile on his face. "Well…I may or may not be sort of helping one out by letting her stay with me while the rest of the Gems are out on a mission."

Sadie gave a look of surprise, raising an eyebrow at him. "You mean you're like…harboring one of them?"

The boy cringed slightly at her wording. "Kind of? But she isn't that bad!" He immediately added when he noticed the concerned look on the blonde girl's face. "She's just trying to find a way home. And the other Gems don't really want her to find one…"

The blonde's features softened, feeling a small amount sympathy for the Gem in question. "Oh. Well Steven, I think that's a very selfless thing for you to do." Her expression hardened slightly. "You're absolutely sure she isn't dangerous though?"

"I don't think she is, not in this state. She's just lost."

"And pretty scared too, I'd imagine." Sadie added solemnly. "Well Steven, if you want to keep this between us, my lips are sealed." She made a zipping motion across her mouth to further emphasize her point.

Steven couldn't help grinning at her. Sadie was the best. "Thanks Sadie!" He exclaimed, reaching into his pocket to pull out the needed change. The blonde handed the bag to him immediately.

"It's on the house this time. If you ever bring your friend in here, I want to make sure I'm on her good side!"

Steven took the bag from her, stars in his eyes as he contemplated her offer. He had to wonder… If Peridot had a chance to see just how nice and welcoming Beach City's residents were, maybe she wouldn't even want to go back to Homeworld. Regardless, Sadie's approval made him feel much better about the whole situation. For the time being anyway.

"Thanks for everything, Sadie." He made his way over to the door. "Oh, and be sure to tell Lars I said hello when he finally comes to!"

"Of course, Steven! See you later!"

Once outside, the child pulled out one of the donuts and began nibbling on it a bit as he walked back towards the beach house. He hoped Peridot would still be resting peacefully when he got back.

Peridot wasn't entirely sure how long she'd been asleep but opening her eyes and just watching the sunlight filter in through the window was a very relaxing experience. She fixed her visor back in place, realizing it had come off slightly. The Gem noticed that she had curled into herself slightly during her unconscious state, and that her arm was currently hanging off the edge of the bed. She lifted it back up next to her as she rolled onto her back and stretched, helping to loosen her form a bit from the stiff position it had previously been in.

Sleep seemed to be a rather pleasant act, one that she would be sure to repeat in the future if she ever got the chance.

The green Gem lifted her head, suddenly aware that the Steven was no longer with her. She was about to call out for him until she recalled him mentioning something about bringing her back some food last night. She glanced around cautiously, also remembering that she was still in the enemies' base. The Steven had told her the rest of the Crystal Gems would be gone for a while and thankfully that statement seemed to hold true as they were nowhere in sight. She allowed her head to fall back onto the plush surface underneath her, relaxing once again.

Despite being right in the middle of enemy territory, the night before had been the most content she'd been in a long time. The Steven seemed to have such a pleasant aura to him. She'd had few issues leaving herself in such a vulnerable state as long as he was there with her.

'Ugh, don't let yourself get too attached, Peridot. You still need to get off this planet while you have the chance.'The Homeworld Gem sighed wearily to herself, her thoughts wandering. She had tried to find a way home multiple times now.

Her personal interface wasn't enough to reach Homeworld from such a distance.

She had no idea where her escape pod was, having been forced to abandon it after her rather rough passage through the Earth's atmosphere. The glowing insignia it left on the ground had been far too conspicuous for her liking.

The archaic communications tower she had haphazardly repaired had been wrecked by those Crystal Clods shortly after she'd gotten her message out.

And of course, the Homeworld warp was still in pieces.

No matter what Peridot did, the Crystal Gems always managed to come after her and do everything in their power to prevent her from returning home.

It infuriated her.

The green Gem felt no remorse for attempting to put an end to them back on the ancient Gem warship. That was the Homeworld way of doing things; if something impeded progress, whether it be a faulty piece of machinery or another Gem, it was done away with. Simple as that.

Peridot glanced down at the makeshift replacement for her foot, pushing back undesirable thoughts of what her failure could mean for her once she returned home.

Another, more selfless thought also occurred to her. Aside from losing most of her mobility, her failed attempt at revenge could have very well ended Steven's life. She cringed. The thought of killing the one being that had shown her so much hospitality and compassion made her feel nauseated. Sure, she had been focused more on the Gems than him, but at the time she wouldn't have had any issues with Steven ending up as collateral if it meant disposing of his allies.

The fact that she'd also nearly crushed him during their initial encounter wasn't doing anything to ease her feelings of guilt. Getting rid of the other Gems simply wasn't worth taking the Steven's life. He wasn't like them; he was different…

Peridot let out a groan, shaking her head. 'Oh my stars, get a hold of yourself!'

She had to stop thinking about these things. She was loyal to Homeworld and she needed to make sure it remained that way. Thinking otherwise was simply too dangerous. For the time being, her main goal was to continue enlisting the Steven's help in keeping her undercover until Yellow Diamond sent help. Then she could finally leave this whole nightmare behind.

With her thoughts settled, Peridot glanced up at the large portrait above the door, having noticed it the night before when the Steven had led her up here. She took the time to examine it thoroughly now that she could see it better in the morning light.

The image portrayed another Gem, one with a very maternal appearance. Peridot speculated that this was Rose Quartz, remembering back to when Jasper had referred to the Crystal Gems as her army. She had even referred to Steven by the Quartz' name multiple times when they had first arrived, much to the green Gem's confusion.

Peridot had not been alive during the war for Earth; it was long before her time. She had obviously heard about Rose Quartz from the rather limited, vague records her lower ranking position allowed her access to but she had never seen her image before. Homeworld had gone to great lengths to cover up their past mistake, abolishing any imagery that depicted the rebellion or its leader. She wondered how much information Homeworld had purposefully withheld from their more public archives…

Peridot's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of something large jumping up onto the loft with her. She abruptly sat up to see that it was Lion, the animal having suddenly taken an interest in her for some reason. She wrinkled her nose at the large creature.

"What do you want you annoying quadruped?" She had no doubt the animal was just here to make sure she didn't attempt to access the warp pad.

Lion's unsettling stare didn't waver.

Before Peridot could say anything else, the animal lightly batted one of its massive paws at her head, knocking her visor off and onto the bed sheets. The Gem sat there in shock as the world around her suddenly lost the yellow hue she was accustomed to. She blinked once. Twice. Three times. Then the rage overtook her.

"Y-you did not just do that you infuriating beast!" She watched the animal then take her visor into its mouth before leaping down from the loft. It stood right by the door, watching her. It almost seemed to be daring her to come after the stolen item.

Oh, she was more than willing to oblige.

"You give that back this instant!" The technician abruptly leapt off the bed, wasting no time in making her way down the stairs to the main floor. The animal roughly pushed the screen door open, Steven apparently not having made sure it had closed completely. Lion rushed down the stairs with Peridot in tow, the Gem completely oblivious to the fact that she was now out in the open in her enraged state of mind.

Lion finally took cover under the porch, curling up with Peridot's visor still in its mouth. The Homeworld Gem wasted no time running right up to the beast, attempting to grab her eyewear from its mouth. Much to her annoyance, the feline kept turning away from her anytime she got close enough to retrieve it. Peridot could feel her already non-existent patience wearing thin. She stomped her intact foot on the ground in a fit of frustration, clenching her floating digits into fists.

"Oh, you wretched little-"

Peridot's words were suddenly interrupted by an eerily familiar sound emanating from within the house. The chiming of a warp pad activating.

A chill ran through the technician's form, her anger towards the creature in front of her dissipating as she felt panic begin to take its place.

'Oh Diamonds, no…'

From her spot under the porch, the green Gem could hear muffled voices. She immediately recognized the Pearl's familiar voice.

"Unbelievable... I should have known something like this would happen."

Peridot instantly hid behind the pink animal, praying to the stars above that the other Gems didn't feel the need to come down onto the beach for any reason.

"It's Amethyst. She'll be fine in a couple hours." That was the fusion who had spoken that time. The green Gem was admittedly curious as to what exactly had forced the small group to return so early but she wasn't about to move anytime soon if she could help it.

"Peri!" She peered out from behind the large creature she'd taken shelter behind to see the Steven running over to her hiding spot, a bag of some sort in his hands.

"S-Steven… the Gems." She pointed up towards the house, her cylindrical digit trembling slightly as she attempted to keep her voice from cracking.

The look on the Steven's face mirrored her own as he visibly paled. He spoke as quietly as possible, unable to keep the anxiety out of his voice.

"What!? But they're not supposed to be back yet!"

Peridot would have rolled her eyes at him for pointing out something so obvious, if not for the direness of the situation.

This was bad. They hadn't come up with a plan of any sort. Where could she remain hidden from them? She couldn't stay here. The Kindergarten seemed far too obvious. The structure she'd taken refuge in yesterday probably wasn't going to work long-term.

The Steven was looking almost as panicked as she was. His eyes were wide and his hands rested on the sides of his head while he walked around in circles, mulling over any possible plans his mind could conjure up in such a short amount of time. He then glanced over to the pink feline the green Gem was currently huddled behind before speaking abruptly.

"I think I have an idea!" She watched the Steven walk up to Lion, prompting the creature to stand before placing a hand on the animal's torso. Much to her astonishment, the boy's hand passed right through it as a bright light engulfed the area. Some sort of pocket dimension perhaps?

He signaled for her to come out from her hiding spot. "You don't need oxygen, right?"

She scoffed at him as best she could in her shaken state, reluctantly making her way over to him. "Of c-course I don't. Gems don't need to breathe." She took the time to hastily retrieve her visor from the pink animal's mouth, scowling at the clear secretions left on it.

"Good. Let's just hope this works…"

Steven nervously made his way through the screen door, Lion following behind him. He could see Pearl standing over by the fridge, reading over the sticky note he'd left. He was so thankful he hadn't decided to address it with Peridot's name, instead just using her first initial. Pearl would probably just think it was written for her.

The pale Gem glanced up from the note, smiling to Steven and his animal companion. "Hello Steven, were you alright while we were out?" She asked in her usual motherly tone, laying the note on the counter. The young half-Gem nodded stiffly in response.

"Uh, y-yeah. I just went over to the Big Donut earlier to pick up some breakfast." He laughed uneasily. "So, how did the mission go?"

Pearl's expression suddenly looked annoyed. "Well, thanks to Amethyst we unfortunately had to come home a bit early." The pale Gem then stepped to the side to show a familiar purple stone sitting on the counter. Steven immediately let out a gasp, his nervousness forgotten as he ran over to the counter and took the gem into his hands.

"Oh no, what happened?" The boy wasted no time retrieving a small basket from the closet underneath the stairs before folding a soft piece of cloth in it, setting the precious stone in the middle of it. Pearl let out a sigh.

"I'm sure you recall the floating land formations back at the Strawberry Battlefield." Steven made his way over to her, nodding with an anxious look on his face while he placed the basket on the counter. "Well, Amethyst wanted to check the tops of them to see if Peridot had taken refuge on one. Of course, she decided to be a showoff and somehow ended up falling right off the highest one. She must have landed at an odd angle because she poofed right after hitting the ground."

Steven looked over to the basket he'd set up. "When did this happen?"

"Not long ago. Fifteen minutes or so. She seems to have at least learned her lesson on not rushing regeneration…" Pearl crossed her arms over her thin torso, following the child's gaze. "Garnet's in the Temple already if you were wondering. Were you and Lion going somewhere?" She asked, briefly taking notice of the feline lying down by the couch.

Steven hesitantly tore his concerned gaze away from the purple gemstone. "Oh, yeah I was going to ask you if you guys had been to Mask Island recently."

Pearl nodded to him. "Yes. We actually checked there after looking around the Kindergarten. Nothing out of the ordinary. Why do you ask?"

'Perfect.'

"I was going to ask it was alright if Lion and I went there. I wanted to see about training him a bit more and figured it'd be a good place since that invisible Gem monster isn't there anymore."

"If you'd like to. Just please keep a reminder of where the warp pad is this time." Pearl told him, turning to the freezer and pulling out a Lion Licker. "You might want to remember to take one of these with you as well." Steven took the frozen treat from her hand, Lion's attention now completely focused on him.

"Thanks Pearl!" He made his way up to the loft to grab his backpack before wandering over to the warp pad, the pink animal impatiently hovering over his shoulder.

"Just don't stay out too late, Steven. I'm sure Amethyst will be happy to see you once she regenerates."

"Don't worry! I'll be back later. Bye Pearl!" The pale Gem waved to him, a small smile on her face as the young boy and his companion disappeared into the warp stream.

A/N: I headcanon that Peridot and other young Gems, though they've heard of Rose Quartz, have never actually seen her image because Homeworld is doing everything they can to cover up their losses from the war. Thanks for reading!