Author's Note:

The previous chapter ended with the hint that Peridot would abduct Steven that night. This chapter is going to be a timeskip, straight from "Catch and Release" to "Steven Floats." Though in this AU, Peridot and Lapis move in with the Crystal Gems. Don't worry, though. Lapis is just as angsty as in the show.

Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis, and Peridot were present in the kitchen of the house while Steven slept upstairs. He was tired from staying awake in the air all night.

Peridot and Amethyst sat on the kitchen counter, Pearl stood beside Amethyst at the edge of the counter, Garnet stood with her back to the warp pad, and Lapis stood with her back against the opposite wall to the kitchen, her arms crossed.

The silence in the room was louder than anything the gems had heard before.

Lapis' feelings were conflicted. For one, she now knew that these "Crystal Gems" had no idea that she was still functioning. Her gem was cracked, so they assumed she was beyond repair. That was only natural. On the other hand, she was still really pissed at them for not even trying to heal her.

Peridot knew that she was where she was meant to be. With the gems, helping them protect the planet. Her only concern was Lapis. Even though the water gem had protected her from the ship that those rubies occupied, Peridot couldn't help but feel like she still wasn't on friendly terms with Lapis.

As for the Crystal Gems, well..

"Soo.." Amethyst said quietly, so as not to wake Steven from upstairs. "You guys want a tour of the temple?"

"I've seen enough of your sanctuary, thank you." Peridot refused politely, whereas Lapis was just surprised at the offer.

"I literally just joined you guys yesterday, why would you let me in there."

"Because Steven trusts you." Pearl answered the blue gem, laying a hand on Amethyst's shoulder.

"I.." Lapis had a retort planned for anything but that statement. So instead, her cheeks a darker blue than normal, she looked away from the group.

"Well whatever we do.." Garnet spoke up. "..how about we do it after a good rest?"

"Sounds good to me, G." Amethyst agreed immediately, never one to shy away from a nap.

"All we did was play baseball." Pearl stated. It was clear that she was the only one a little.. She wouldn't call it uncomfortable. But she was definitely reluctant to allow Lapis and Peridot to know the nature of her relationships with her teammates.

"C'mon, Sweet P.." Amethyst whined, wrapping an arm around Pearl's waist from the counter, burying her face in Pearl's back. "I'm tired."

""Sweet P?"" Lapis asked, looking back at the group. Peridot looked just as confused, watching this little exchange from her spot on the counter.

Pearl's cheeks were a light hue of blue, but Amethyst was more than happy to share their relationship. She pulled herself away from Pearl's back, turning to face Peridot and Lapis, who came to stand beside the green gem on the counter. "We're a thing."

"You and Pearl." Peridot stated, not bothering to ask a question she already knew the answer to. "You're complete opposites, though!"

"I like to think I balance them out." Garnet stated, with a chuckle. She walked forward and put her arm around Pearl's waist just above Amethyst's. This confused Lapis and Peridot even more.

Pearl hid her blushing face in her hands. It was clear she wasn't quite ready to show the affection she shared with her girlfriends to the two other gems in front of her.

"So what?" Lapis started, gesturing to the three gems with a wave of her hand. "You're all together? Like a three way?" Then she put her finger to her chin in thought before speaking again. "Four way?"

"Ruby and Sapphire have nothing to do with our relationship." Garnet stated. "My teammates have been with me almost longer than I can remember, and I can remember plenty."

"So none of you wanted to be alone, so you all got together?"

"It's more than that, Lapis." Amethyst spoke up. "Like, it's really a coincidence. I started liking Pearl almost a year ago, but I didn't realize it until I talked to her about this feeling I've had in my stomach. And from I could tell at that time.." Amethyst looked up at her pristine girlfriend, who peeked through her fingers to watch Amethyst speak. "Pearl was having trouble between liking me and Garnet."

"Let me guess.." Peridot interrupted, looking up at Garnet. "You used your future vision to see all the outcomes that would come from suggesting such a relationship to your teammates."

Garnet nodded. "Yes."

"I've seen weirder." Lapis uttered. Pearl took her hands away from her face, surprised that Lapis was actually okay with this knowledge

"You mean.. You're not left uncomfortable by this?" Pearl asked.

"Like I said, I've seen weirder." Lapis repeated, shrugging.

Pearl looked to the green gem on the counter. "Peridot?"

Peridot took a lot longer to speak her feelings on the matter than Lapis did. But when she finally spoke, it wasn't positive.

"I don't want this to bother me. I really don't." Peridot sighed, hopping off of the counter. She began walking toward the door of the house. "I'm going back to the barn to.. Think about things."

"Need any company?" Lapis called after Peridot, attempting to be nicer to the green gem. After thinking about it, Peridot's attempts to make it up to Lapis were really quite sweet.

"No thank you.." Peridot replied. This was all she said before she exited the house.

"It's a rather long walk to the barn." Pearl commented, looking over her shoulder up at Garnet. "Will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine, love." Garnet stated reassuringly. The fusion wrapped both of her arms around the pristine gem now, gently kissing her neck from behind. Amethyst smiled as Pearl let out a content sigh. Pearl's neck was always a sweet spot for her.

"Okay, I know I said I'm fine with this whole "poly" thing you got going on.." Lapis started, heat rising in her cheeks. "..but that doesn't mean I'm okay with you being all over each other in front of me."

Amethyst, seeing a wicked opportunity, took it. She stood on top of the counter and cupped Pearl's cheek in her hand. Garnet ignored Lapis and continued her administrations to Pearl's neck. "Well unless you wanna hear some serious lip smacking.." Amethyst threatened, turning Pearl's head so that their lips were inches apart, staring at Lapis all the while. "..you'd better plug your ears and close your eyes."

As if Amethyst's words were magic, Lapis closed her eyes, stuck her fingers I her ears, and started humming. She even turned away from the other gems.

"Wow, she's actually doing it.." Pearl commented. The pristine gem caught on to what Amethyst was trying to do and decided to play her part, half closing her eyes as she pretended to receive Amethyst's lips while she talked to Lapis.

"Oh my god, that's hilarious." Amethyst stated with a laugh. Even Garnet stopped kissing Pearl's neck to watch Lapis try to tune out the imaginary make out session. After a few moments, Lapis' humming began to die down, pulling her fingers from her ears.

Amethyst immediately started making sloppy noises with her tongue, throwing in a few moans in there for good measure. Lapis plugged her ears again, resuming her humming at an even louder volume.

"You're mean." Garnet said to Amethyst, though she couldn't hide the smirk curling her lips. Amethyst shrugged.

"It's a talent."

A few hours pass, and Peridot is sitting alone in the loft of the barn, where Steven had first shown her Camp Pining Hearts. The show was so fascinating to her. She was sad that it would never be able to continue forever. Human lives were short, and the humans on the screen would grow too old. Who knows? They might have grown old already.

The green gem had come here to think, so she did just that. Hours to herself and Camp Pining Hearts that she wasn't really paying attention to. Only when she finished a season did she acknowledge the show, if just to change out the disc. Her were on the Crystal Gems and their relationship. How could such an arrangement be beneficial to them? Yes they were together, like Peridot wanted Percy and Pierre to be, but there were three of them.

Peridot tried to bring Paulette into her world of Percy and Pierre. She's seen Percy and Paulette "kiss", as she learned it was called, but could she accept that as long as Pierre also took part in romancing Percy? She believed that she could. Peridot could accept their relationship as long as Paulette didn't bring their team down.

But she didn't know if she could accept the Crystal Gem's relationship. Not because it was out of the ordinary, not because it was odd.. It was because of Amethyst.

Ever since the incident with the drill, where she had saved Amethyst from being crushed by the drill, Peridot's felt a pit in her form whenever she locked eyes with the purple gem. She had no idea what this feeling was, but she didn't like it. She always put on a smile, to hide the pain in her chest, but she always wondered why she felt like this. Until now. Peridot loved Amethyst.

Hearing about Amethyst's relationship with her teammates, with Pearl and Garnet, it set a fire in Peridot's stomach. Then when Lapis had given her approval of the relationship, that fire grew hotter. Why did she feel that way toward Lapis' words? Was Peridot jealous that the blue gem could be so carefree about such a thing, so nonchalant? No.. As she sat here, going over everything that had happened in her mind, she came to another conclusion. Peridot loved Lapis.

How could Peridot have grown feelings for Lapis? Was it when she saved Peridot? Was it the euphoria at having been somewhat accepted by the blue gem? No, none of that mattered. All that she knew was that she was torn.

Peridot knew that Lapis would never agree to an idea of a relationship such as the Gem's, especially if it included one of those gems Lapis was so mad at. Amethyst might be adding to add Peridot to her circle of lovers, but the green gem still highly doubted it.

Peridot sighed and shook her head. Really, she was kidding herself. There was no way anyone would like a gem like her. There was no way that anyone could ever find her to be an attractive partner. Peridot lay herself on the floor of the loft, attempting to clear her mind as she finally allowed Camp Pining Hearts her attention. She would return to the house in the morning, and tell Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl that she's happy they could find solace in one another.

Of course, Peridot knew, she wouldn't really be happy.

Author's Note:

Be on the lookout for the next chapter of "Hell Hath no Fury."

If you have anything to ask me about this particular chapter, or any of my stories, don't hesitate to leave me a message. :3 As always, so long for now.