Peridot felt a warmth hit her back. It was refreshing, but she didn't know where it was coming from. In fact, she couldn't make out much of anything. It was dark, and all her senses seemed to have been nullified, at least somewhat. Faintly, she heard a voice calling out to her.

"Peri, hey. Peri. Periii."

Her eyes shot open as she jumped slightly.

"H-huh, wha?" she said dazed, blinking a few times to adjust her blurry eyes. In front of her was Lapis, smiling dimly as the sun bounced off her radiant skin.

"You fell asleep. Funny, I didn't even know gems could fall asleep like that." she said.

"Sleep? Such as... how Steven rests at night? But why? I've never slept before."

Lapis gave little but a giggle and a shrug in response. They were sitting upright, arms still intertwined. As Peridot realized this, a tint of green spread across her face. Memories of the night before came rushing back to her, things she beleived she would never do.

"Good morning." Lapis whispered to her, interrupting her train of thought.

The green gem let out a chuckle. "Good morning, Lapis."

They sat in silence for a few moments, not quite sure of what to say. That is, until Lapis gazed behind them at the cracked Jasper.

"we need to bring her to the Crystal Gems. They'll bubble her." Peridot said.

"Bubble?" The watery gem asked, getting ready to stand up.

"Yes. They... did it to me when I was against them."

"They trapped you? I'm sorry, Peri..."

"No, I don't have any memories of it. All I remember was getting picked up, squeezed, and popped. After, I opened my eyes, my limb enhancers were gone, and I was in the temple of the Crystal Gems."

Lapis shuddered at the thought of being squashed like some kind of bug. Though, she supposed that she did the same thing to Jasper. She stood up, holding Peridot as she did and set her down on her feet. She reluctantly let go of her and walked over to Jasper's gem, picking it up.

"Come on. Let's get to the Gems." She said lowly as Peridot walked behind her.

Peridot didn't respond. She was still a bit flustered from the night before. She didn't know what to make of it. They had exchanged words and kisses, but it felt so surreal that she doubted it actually ever happened. That was, until Lapis crouched down and gave her a soft, quick kiss. Peridot blushed as her lips tingled. She didn't want to stop, but she understood the importance of getting Jasper to the Gems.


Steven rubbed his eyes. He hadn't slept last night, and it was really beginning to show. He yawned constantly, and his marathon of Crying Breakfast Buddies got kind of boring after the seventh episode.

His eyes closed as he layed on his bed, sinking into the warm, soft sheets. He began to doze off, but just before he succame to sleep, there was a knock on the door. He jolted out of bed, drowsily yelling "I'm comiiiing," just before falling down the steps and in front of the door. Despite the pain he felt from tumbling down the jagged wood, he still managed to laugh it off and open the door. At it were Lapis and Peridot.

"Hey Lapis! Peridot! Why are you here?" Steven asked, blinking a few times to adjust his eyes to the light.

"Hey there, Steven." Lapis said with a smile. "We need you to bubble something and give it to the gems."

"Well what is it?" Steven asked. Lapis responded by handing him Jasper's gem.

"What is this?"

"Jasper."

Steven gasped. "She's cracked. What happened?"

Peridot scoffed and smiled. "Let me tell you what happened."


"And then Jasper was all like, 'Get back on the ground!' and I was like 'Nah, I'm good.' so I got up and PEW PEW brought out these swEET laser blasters, and Lapis and I just took her out at ranged."

"Wooooooah Really?! That's awesome, you guys!" Steven said, now criss crossed on the floor with them.

"Yeah. Mostly true." Lapis cooed.

"Mostly? I'll have you know my storytelling is 100% accurate." Peridot yelled, crossing her arms.

"Uhuh." The water gem said,

Steven laughed, holding the newly bubbled gem. "You two seem to be getting along!"

Lapis and Peridot blushed at the statement, giving a bit of a chuckle as they exchanged glances.

"I... Yeah. I guess you could say that." Lapis said meekly. Steven looked a bit confused at their sudden differing body languages, but before he could ponder on it, he heard the warp pad activate. He whipped around to see Garnet appear there with a flash of light.

"Garnet!" He yelled, standing up and running to her. Lapis and Peridot stood up quickly with her presence. Garnet herself chuckled at Steven, noticing the bubbled gem in his hands.

"Is that Jasper?" She asked, kneeling down with a straight face.

"Uhuh! Lapis and Peridot beat her up!"

Garnet stood back up, grabbing the bubble and warping it to the inner temple. After, she looked to the duo standing in the floor of the living room.

"Good job, you two. I'm impressed. Jasper was a difficult fight, even for me."

"No one said it was easy." Peridot mumbed, rubbing her still sore arms. Lapis softly ushered a soothing touch to her arm, as to show concern. It didn't do much good, but the green gem flashed a smile to show she appreciated the gesture.

"What happened?" She asked, walking over to them.

"Weeeellll," Peridot said, flashing a snarky, confident grin. "It started when-"

"She showed up Peri got blasters and we beat her." Lapis said, interrupting.

"Blasters?" Garnet asked, to which Steven also tuned in, "Yeah, can you show us?"

"I most certainly can," Peridot said as she removed her visor, handing it to Lapis and swiping her hand over her gem. Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Peridot grumbled, squeezing the air with her hands. "Hold on, that wasn't..." She swiped her hand over her gem again, but again, nothing happened. Growing emberassed, she frantically swiped back and forth.

"Go! Summon! Blasters!" She yelled, blushing and sweating a bit.

Lapis chuckled. "She did summon them. I can verify."

Garnet nodded. "You probably just summoned them in the heat of the moment. You'll need more practice to be able to summon at will."

By this time, Peridot had stopped trying and slipped her visor back on, clearing her throat.

"Yes I... knew that."

The other three chuckled at her.

"Well, we should get back to the barn. We'll see you guys later." Lapis said, turning to the door.

"Yes! Indeed!" the green gem said, turning to the door, still a bit emberassed by her failure. Garnet and Steven waved goodbye with a smile.

"Bye guys!" Steven yelled, chuckling. Peridot cleared the doorway, and Lapis began to walk toward it, but Garnet stopped her with a hand to her shoulder.

"Lapis." She said, still wearing her same expression.

"Uh, yes?" Lapis asked, a bit weirded out.

"Give her the night to think. She'll say yes."

Lapis raised an eyebrow, looking even more weirded out and confused than before.

"Uh, right." She said before walking through the door. "Bye."

Peridot was already on the beach, waiting for her. She was gazing out to the Ferris wheel of which poked out above Beach City. Lapis noticed this as she walked down the steps of the beach house. When she got to her, she softly asked, "What is that?"

"Some kind of ride from that 'Amusement Park' that Steven kept talking about. It seemed rather... strange."

"Wanna go?" the blue gem asked, taking her hand. Peridot blushed as their fingers intertwined.

"But... we don't have any means of entry. If I'm not mistaken we need human currency to enter." Her green counterpart added.

"We can think of something." She responded, walking toward it with her.


The gate was open to everyone. People flooded in and out, talking with loud, hearty voices. Lapis chuckled nervously seeing the crowds.

"Ehehe, maybe... this wasn't such a good idea." She said, gripping her arms.

"We're already here, let's just go in and see what it's all about." Peridot said as she began to walk forward, still gripping her hand tightly. Lapis didn't argue or resist, but any sensable person would be able to tell that she was highly uncomforatable.

Peridot looked past the crowds of people lining the straight dock which held the rides. People waled with no order, simple pushing through crowds and standing in lines for bigger rides. Every which way she saw signs that said "2 tickets required," or "4 tickets required." She saw that near the gate there was a booth that said "Tickets" on it, so she began walking in that direction. Luckily, it was away from the crowds, so Lapis eased up a bit.

"It seems we need to procure these "Tickets" to try these "Rides." We can get them over here." Peridot said, pointing to the booth. Lapis nodded, looking around at all the people. She didn't know if she could be here for long.

"Excuse me," Peridot said as she neared the booth. The man inside was asleep, his head on the desk next to the roll of tickets. Peridot was about to wake him, but she read in the background "$1- 4 tickets"

"It looks like we do need money." Lapis said nervously, rubbing her hair. "Alright. Looks like we don't have any. We should go."

"I'm interested in this place. Let's just.." She said as she tore a line of tickets off of the roll.

"Peri!" Lapis yelled, "Put those back! You have to pay for those!"

"It's only 12 tickets. It's not like they're missing them." Peridot said, looking away.

Lapis grunted, knowing that she wasn't going to leave until those tickets were spent. She didn't want to leave her alone, though, and she figured that 12 tickets could only go so far...


"Bumper cars?" The watery gem asked as she moved to the front of the line with her green counterpart.

"It looks like you get in them... and battle it out to see who will come out on top!" She yelled, getting to the ticket collector.

"You two goin in together?" he asked, looking at them.

"Yes. We are." Lapis answered.

"Four tickets." He said, reaching his sweaty, hairy hand out to collect them. Peridot took the tickets and dropped them in his hand, making sure as to not touch him. After, they stepped into the battle grounds, which were dotted with cars. Peridot ran to the nearest green one, jumping in with a smug grin. Lapis couldn't help but smile at her, and got into the red car next to hers.

"How do you work this thing?" She asked, tilting her head.

"You just press the pedal down and move the wheel."

"It's not working!"

"We have to wait for it to start."

And so they did, as children and adults alike got in other cars. A noise resounded once everyone was seated and the cars began to vibrate. Lapis, who had kept her foot on the pedal the whole time, shot forward with a screech.

"PERRIIIIIIII" She yelled as she crashed into another car.

Peridot laughed and drove her car into the madness, a wide grin on her face.


"Let's go again!" Peridot yelled as they exited the ride. Lapis was a bit shaken by the experience, but it didn't influence her decision.

"Don't you want to expreriment with more rides? You've only got 12 tickets." She said.

"Yeah, you're right." the small gem said, looking around at all the rides. What caught her attention was the spinning swings.

"What about that one?" She asked, walking to it. Lapis followed close behind, sticking to Peridot especially in thick crowds. The ride she pointed to was almost like a flight simulation. The people wold be strapped in and spun around on bungie cords. Surprisingly, it looked fun.

Four tickets and a long line later, they were being strapped in. Peridot and lapis were on two side by side cords, the same as other pairs who went in together. The men finished strapping them and the other participants in before starting the ride slow.

"This isn't too bad, we're just spinning." Lapis said with a giggle.

"Yes, the wind feels-" Peridot was interrupted by the sudden jerk of the chords, sending them almost parallel to the ground as they spun at a speed topping 30mph.

"WHAT IS THIIIIIIIISSSSS" She yelled, gripping the cord tightly.

"Fun!" Lapis yelled, extending her arms and laughing as the wind hit her face,

"HOW CAN YOU ENJOY THIS WE COULD FLY OFF AT ANY SECOND!"

"I can just fly away!"

"I CAN'T!"


Peridot set her shaky feet on solid ground once more, breathing heavy as her usually triangular shaped hair had morphed and conformed to... well, something. It looked more like a bird's nest than anything else.

"Come on Peri, it wasn't that bad" Lapis said, fixing her hair back to which it once was. Peridot shook her head quickly and gulped.

"Never. Again." She whispered, walking out of the ride area.

"Alright, alright. Let's go on something more tame. What about that ferris... wheel? Is that what they call it?"

"Anything but what we were just on!"


By the time the line was up, it was sunset. The duo stood in line patiently, Lapis not really minding the wait because the line was straight and orderly. She didn't feel cramped, and with Peridot holding her hand, the wait wasn't that bad. They gave their last four tickets to the man, loading onto a cart in the ride. It swayed with their movements, which made Peridot a bit nervous, but she supposed that if the ride was still here, it must have been safe.

The ride moved a bit to let the next couple on. Peridot and Lapis sat opposite of each other, trying to balance their weight so that the cart wouldn't flip over.

"When will this thing actually start?" Lapis asked as the cart moved up a bit further.

"When all the spots are full." Peridot replied. They were one of the last ones on, so it only took a couple more carts for the ride to kick off. They started lifting up and forward. By this time, the sky was painted orange, coating beach city dimly as it began to fade away into the night. Lapis gazed out over the city, smiling.

"Wow, it's... pretty." She said softly. Peridot looked out over the town, taking note of the undeniable beauty in front of them. It was funny how Lapis seemed to show her the beauty of the planet she had originally loathed for its simplicity. But the more she stayed here, the more she admired it. It really was nice, leading a life that wasn't just "Serve serve serve."

"Funny to think. There are places like this all over the world." Lapis said, still gazing over the city as the ride peaked, sending them downward slowly.

Peridot looked back to her. She looked dreamily over the railing, and with a smile, she turned to her.

"I want to see them. Wouldn't that be cool?" Lapis said, tilting her head. Peridot straightened up, thinking for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess it would be..." the green gem responded, scratching her head.

"I've been thinking about it every day since I moved in. I think I'm going to go see it. Exploring beach city has kinda left me wondering what else Earth has to offer." the blue gem said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the mid table.

"What?" Peridot yelled as the ferris wheel completed its first rotation. "You're just going to... to go?"

"I want you to come with me." Lapis added, grabbing her hand. Peridot interlocked their fingers, but didn't speak for a few moments.

"I..." Peridot started, sighing. "I don't think I want to leave Beach City. I've grown... fond of this place. It's starting to really feel like home. Can we just stay?"

Lapis' smile faded as she raised an eyebrow.

"You won't leave at all?" she asked, her voice softening.

"I don't... think I want to."

Lapis sighed, looking back over the city.

"I'm going to explore the Earth."

"Nothing will make you... stay here? Not even.. me?" Peridot asked, putting a hand to her chest, looking a bit upset.

"I'll come back every week or so to visit, if you want."

Peridot pulled back, pulling her hand away from Lapis'.

"I don't want to be alone."

"Then come with me."

"Just stay!" Peridot yelled, tears welling up in her eyes. "You told me that you... Loved.. me, last night. Now, you just want to leave me back at the barn and go off and do whatever it is you do!"

Lapis was taken aback by her sudden outburst. She had been calmly trying to get her to come, but that had apparently upset her beyond measure.

"I dont-!" Lapis started, raising her voice, but quickly realizing that she was yelling and stopped herself. "I don't... want to leave you here. I want you to come with me."

"If you really love me, you'll... stay here. With me! At the barn." Peridot said softly, yet still angrily.

"If you love me then you'll just let me leave!" Lapis yelled, balling up her fists. She was no longer trying to keep her emotions in.

"It's not like I can stop you! You're going to go no matter what I do!"

By now, people in the other carts had turned to see what was going on.

"Why can't you just understand, that I don't want to leave you! But I can't let you trap me here!" Lapis Lazuli yelled, fluffing her fingers into her hair. A tear began to roll down her cheek. Peridot began to say something back to her, but when she saw her tears she stopped all hostilities and reached for her, scooting in her direction.

"Lapis, no, I'm... I'm sorry I-"

"I don't want to hear it!" She yelled, wiping her tear away, which was soon replaced by another, and another that quickly rolled down to her chin. "Just stop! I'm leaving, find your own way home!"

Lapis stood up and grew her water wings before jetting into the sky, rocking the cart with the force of her takeoff.

"Lapis!" Peridot yelled, gripping onto the cart as to not fall. Her cries fell on deaf ears.


Lapis practically crashed into the yard of the barn in a flurry of sobs. She landed on her hands and knees, crawling to the wall in which she layed against to stargaze at night. Hey eyes weren't focused on the stars tonight, though. The tears made it hard to see much of anything. She leaned against the wall, curled her legs up and let out all of her fury and sadness into her fist, connecting with the side of the barn and breaking a hole next to her.

"Dammit Peri! Dammit, dammit, dammit!" she screamed to the nothingness before her, holding her head and pulling her hair. "Everywhere I go is a prison. And now, NOW, you're just trying to lock me away again. I can leave, I can leave, but not without making you hate me. So What am I supposed to do?!"

Peridot didn't come home that night.


Morning came, and The sunlight had begun to breach it's way to the barn, into Lapis' weary eyes. She didn't blink, just wore that same, dull, tired expression on her face.

She was leaving soon. She wouldn't visit anymore. She would just try to forget. Yeah, forget the only gem that she'd ever loved. Still loved, madly. She'd think of her every day, every night. But she couldn't be held here anymore. Not now, not ever again.

She stood up, basking in the warmth of the sun, looking over the barn one last time. At the trees, the grass, the little green dorito running toward her...

Wait wait, that last part wasn't normally there.

"LAPPIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSS" Peridot yelled, huffing and puffing as she ran as fast as she could.

Lapis winced. She had hoped she would stay away. She couldn't bear to leave her side again.

"Lapis!" She yelled as she ran right up to her, hugging her at her midsection.

"Peri, I'm sorry." Lapis said, choking on her own words. "I have.. I have to-"

"Bring me along!" Peridot yelled, holding onto her tighter.

"I thought you just wanted to stay here, at home." Lapis said, her eyes open wide. "Isn't that what you want? Don't let me take your new home away from you."

"You... I.." Peridot said, backing up off her a bit, searching for the right words. "I don't care about this place. I just, well, I really want to.. Home... Home is wherever you are."

Lapis dropped to her knees, holding Peridot's cheeks. She took a deep breath, shakily holding back tears. "I won't take you places you don't want to go!"

"I don't want to be anywhere unless you're there!" Peridot yelled, her arms dropping to her sides. "I don't want to be alone. I just want to be with you. Please, I'm so, so sorry about last night!"

Lapis' lip began to quiver.

"This isn't like you, Peri." She whispered. "You don't usually apologize like this."

"I've never been so scared to loose someone before." She whispered back, a tear falling down her cheek.

Lapis pulled her into a kiss, their lips crashing together, neither making a sound. They held the kiss for what felt like hours, pulling each other as close as they could possibly be to one another, gripping on tightly.

After a time, they pulled back, breathing heavily. Lapis pressed her forehead against hers, fogging her visor with her breath. They stayed that way for a few moments before pulling apart from each other.

"Where are we going?" Peridot asked, gripping Lapis' hand.

Lapis stared her in the eyes and laughed, her voice getting hoarse. "I don't know. Let's just find out."

"That way?" Peridot asked, pointing toward the forest. Lapis shrugged and giggled. "Sure." She said. "And if we get tired of traveling, we can come back home anytime."

Peridot chuckled, rubbing her eyes.

"I already told you, Lazuli-"

"Home is wherever you are" Lapis interrupted, making Peridot giggled.

"Quit interrupting me, you Clod!" She yelled, eyes closed and smiling.

"Quit being so boring and I won't have to talk about more interesting things!" Lapis said playfully, picking her up and laughing with her, kissing her cheek a few times.

"H-hey! Stop that!" She giggled, blushing.

"Climb on my back, come on!" the watery gem said, smiling.

Peridot climbed on and squeezed her tightly, smiling as she burrowed her face into her back. Lapis wasted no time in taking off, confidently striding out over the forest. Off to see the world. Off to adventure. Off, together.


It's Done! This is the final chapter of this story. However, I may do a continuation of this story in ANOTHER fanfic, like a... sequel or something. Thank you all so much for positive feedback, for your follows and your favorites. It means a lot. If you want to see a continuation, post a review and tell me in it. That's the best way for me to know. Thanks everyone! Bai Baii!

Update: The sequel is now out! Read it here ( s/12033092/1/A-Thousand-Stars-LapisXPeridot )