CHAPTER NINE
"-And we lost two of the drill heads. But we're not trying to destroy the Cluster this time, so a single drill should be sufficient," Peridot explained, pointing to the relevant part of her plan, which had been scribbled on the back of an envelope. "And that's what we have so far." She gave Garnet a hopeful smile. "So… that's it."
Garnet ignored the hint and picked up the envelope, examining it carefully. "I see you changed the blaster controls."
Peridot's smile slipped slightly, and she sighed and nodded. "Steven is more familiar with the newer Nintendo controller these days."
"I'm pretty good at keeping zombies out of my garden," Steven added helpfully.
"Are you sure you'll even need the blaster this time?" Garnet asked.
"Yes?" Peridot looked blankly at her. "I know we've since bubbled a lot of the Cluster experiments, but we don't know how many-"
"I meant because presumably we'd be drilling from another location," Garnet interrupted. "Andy sold the land the barn was on, remember?" she added as they both stared blankly back at her. "We can't drill there again. Well, we could," she continued thoughtfully. "But the new owners would probably complain and get in the way. And I don't think it would be wise to drill on the beach either."
"Uh…" Peridot glanced over at Steven, who shrugged helplessly. "Well, we'd still need to drill somewhere nearby, otherwise the trajectory will be completely wrong, so we should assume there will still be some fusion experiments around. I don't know where we should drill though. I still don't really know enough about the geography of this planet."
"What about the Kindergarten?" Garnet suggested. "I know, it's creepy," she added as Steven groaned. "But we don't have to stay there this time, we could just warp in to work during the day. There's plenty of space in which to work, and more importantly, it's isolated, so it's unlikely that anybody's going to go poking around when we're not there. Besides, I'm sure Peridot could rig up a security system of some sort."
"Of course I could." Peridot puffed up proudly.
"Then it's settled." Garnet nodded firmly. "We'll start as soon as you're ready. Steven? Would you mind making a cup of coffee?" she asked abruptly.
He blinked in surprise. "You want a drink?"
"I have a sudden craving." She smiled sweetly at him. "Make it a fancy one."
"Uh, OK." He stood up and walked out to the kitchen and searched through the coffee pods for something interesting. As he waited for it to filter through, he glanced over at the time on the microwave and sighed. It was almost lunchtime, and he had no idea if his father was planning to come back, but considering how the day had gone so far, it was probably wise to assume he was. Even if Garnet left now, there wouldn't be time to pick up where they'd left off. Still, maybe it was for the best. Next time, they'd plan for it, make it more romantic. He'd make sure there were flowers and music and candles and that everybody else was at least twenty miles away on the other side of several locked doors.
Back in the living room, Garnet turned back to Peridot. "I want to apologize to you," she said abruptly.
"Why? What have you done?" Peridot asked, bewildered.
"It's more what I haven't done," Garnet said cryptically. "I haven't been a very good leader," she elaborated as Peridot continued to look blankly at her. "As you know, we Crystal Gems have been isolated on Earth for millennia, and not much has changed for us during that time. Of course, human civilization had its advances, but we mostly stayed away from them, and they stayed away from us. Finding Amethyst was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to us, until Rose fell in love with Greg and decided to have Steven. The first few years without her were hard, but after a while, we fell into a routine. And then Steven freed Lapis, and you showed up, and everything changed." She sighed and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs. "When you asked to stay behind in the barn, it was something of a relief. It meant I could kid myself that everything was back to normal. Homeworld coming back onto the scene terrified me, and so I tried to ignore it by clinging to everything that was familiar. And as a result, I found myself leaving you – and Lapis – out of things."
Peridot gaped at the elder gem. "But… that's completely illogical!"
"I know." Garnet smiled wryly. "You had information about the current state of Homeworld, their technology and society. Lapis's power on Earth dwarfs ours combined. And yet, even when Steven was taken, I didn't think to ask either of you for help. And then of course, when everything settled down again, I saw even less need to involve you. After all, you both seemed happy enough where you were."
"I was, mostly," Peridot said honestly. "But I was also upset about not being included in missions. After you all made such a big deal out of me becoming a Crystal Gem, it hurt to be ignored. But I didn't know how to bring it up." She hesitated for a moment, and then continued. "I thought… maybe you were all mad at me. Because I reported that list of names that got Steven taken."
"I don't blame you for that at all," Garnet said firmly. "That happened back when you worked for Homeworld, long before you learned the value of life on Earth. Ruby, Sapphire, Pearl, Lapis… we've all done things for Homeworld that we regret. But I'm sorry you felt that way."
"Thanks," Peridot mumbled.
"Anyway, the reason I bring it up is because I feel somewhat responsible for Pearl's attitude," Garnet carried on. "If I'd made more of an effort to integrate you into the team, perhaps she wouldn't have reacted the way she did. It doesn't excuse her behavior, of course, but it may have been a factor."
"Maybe." After what Amethyst had said earlier, she wasn't convinced, but she appreciated Garnet's apology anyway.
Garnet stood up. "I understand that you're not ready to talk to Pearl yet, so I won't ask you to come home. Just do as much as you can here please."
"I will," Peridot promised, already mentally drawing up plans for a security system to install in the kindergarten.
"Here's your coffee- oh." Steven stopped when he saw that Garnet was now standing. "You're leaving?"
"I am," she said simply.
"But… your coffee…" He looked down forlornly at the mug of coffee in his hands. He'd even squirted whippy cream on top and sprinkled it with cinnamon.
"Oh, it's not for me."
She smiled sweetly at him and as if on cue, there was yet another knock on the door. A moment later, they heard the sound of the key in the lock, and then Greg stepped inside. "Steven? Oh hey, there you are." He grinned happily at his son. "Wow, that's some coffee!"
"It's for you," Steven said at once and held out the mug.
"Ooooh!" Greg took the mug and took a sip as Garnet walked past him and out of the door. "This is a nice welcome home. You two can definitely stay as long as you want."
xxx
Two additional people in the house meant that Greg was inspired to make something a little more substantial than his usual dinner of ramen. Alas, his enthusiasm was tempered by a severe lack of ingredients, but still, everybody agreed that the Spanish omelet was delicious.
"So how was your morning?" Greg asked, gathering up the dirty crockery. "Did you get your planning and shopping done?"
Peridot and Steven exchanged guilty looks. "Um, no, not really," Steven admitted. "But that's because Amethyst, Pearl and Garnet all showed up," he quickly added without bothering to go into any further detail.
"I did get some planning done," Peridot pointed out, waving her envelope aloft. "So we could purchase some of the parts this afternoon."
"In that case, could you pick up some groceries too?" Greg asked.
"Sure," Steven said with resignation. They were definitely going to have to leave the house now. "What do you need?"
"Uh…" Greg glanced at the fridge. "I guess it depends on how long you're planning on staying."
A short silence followed his words. "Um, I don't know," Steven said slowly, glancing over at Peridot, who blushed and pretended to be deeply fascinated by a stain on her shirt. "We'll have to talk about it. But definitely the rest of the day, if that's OK."
"Of course it's OK!" Greg quickly reassured them. "In that case, we're definitely gonna need more milk and bread. And I'll make meatloaf for dinner."
"Sounds great!" Steven waited while his father scribbled down a list, and then he and Peridot stepped outside and began walking towards the bus stop that would take them to the city part of Beach City. They didn't have to wait long, and it wasn't a long trip, so soon they were walking down the main street towards the electronics store.
"Right," Peridot began, unfurling her own list. "I need solder, PC boards, retention cords, relay switches, flux capacitors-" She paused and laughed at his blank expression. "Grab a basket and follow me."
Steven obediently grabbed a basket, took a step after her and then wisely decided to grab a second basket while he was at it. He followed after her as she confidently strode down the aisle, grabbing components seemingly at random and tossing them to him. "Ah, a drone kit!" she exclaimed gleefully, pouncing upon it. "With a few minor modifications, that will be perfect for the security system!"
"What sort of modifications?" Steven asked with interest. He may not have known what all the stuff she was buying was for, but her enthusiasm was infectious and he wanted to learn.
Peridot thought for a moment. "I was thinking automatic lasers. Maybe electric shock weaponry too."
Steven was immediately reminded of the strange… thing he and Connie had found themselves battling after finding his mother's armoury, and he shuddered slightly. "Isn't that a little dangerous? What if someone gets hurt?"
"Oh, don't worry," Peridot said dismissively. "The repulsion field still seems to be operating perfectly adequately-"
"The what field?" Steven interrupted in confusion.
"Repulsion field," Peridot repeated. "You know, the energy field that keeps humans away…?" She trailed off, seeing that he still didn't understand. "Gem structures on alien planets tend to have a low-level energy field surrounding them that repels the more intelligent lifeforms on the planet. In this case, primarily humans, crows and pigs-"
"Pigs!?" Steven snorted with laughter. "Seriously?"
"Pigs are extremely intelligent animals," she said sternly. "Anyway, as I was saying, the fields are always particularly strong around Kindergartens. Homeworld doesn't want the native species interfering in Kindergarten production, after all. And have you ever seen a pig near the Kindergartens? No, you have not." She folded her arms smugly.
"Wait, so is that why all those places are abandoned?" Steven asked, amazed. "Because they've got the gem version of anti-Muggle charms on them?"
Peridot laughed. "That's one way of putting it. But yes, the repulsion field makes humans avoid those areas."
"Huh. That makes so much sense," Steven mused aloud. "I just assumed people didn't care. Do you think there's one at the Temple? And that's why people don't really come around to that part of the beach?"
"Oh yes, there's definitely one there." Peridot scanned the back of the kit, handed it to Steven and then picked up a second one. "It's not very strong though. I imagine it was just designed to keep people away so they wouldn't try and enter Garnet's bubble room."
"But… Buddy Buddwick found all those places," Steven said slowly. "He even wrote a book about them."
"Well, a particularly determined human can force their way through the field," Peridot admitted. "Especially when they know there's something there. If it helps, I can make the weaponry non-lethal to organic life," she offered.
"That'd be great," Steven said with relief.
They spent almost two more hours browsing for parts before paying, and then Steven had the bright idea of bubbling their purchases and sending them to Greg's house. "I need all the practice I can get," he said reasonably as Peridot protested. "I mean, if I can't send this to the right place, I probably shouldn't be trying to send the Cluster anywhere, right?"
"Ugh, fine. You're right." She stepped back and watched as he screwed up his face in concentration before tapping the top, and crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping it hadn't gone to the Temple, partly because he really was right, and partly because she still didn't want to go back there.
Her eyes drifted to a clothing store across the street and she frowned, rubbing the small stain on her shirt again. While it was true that she didn't want to face Pearl again just yet, she had to admit, she missed the house and her room. She didn't have her tablet, she hadn't been able to check on her computer, and she'd been wearing the same clothes for two days now and was beginning to feel quite grubby. And she missed having her own, private space. While Greg hadn't seemed to mind her being downstairs in the house while he and Steven slept, it wasn't the same as having her own room to retreat to, and she felt awkward and in the way, like she had when she'd first moved into the beach house.
"Peridot?" Steven waved a hand in front of her face and she jumped back with a startled yelp. "Whoops, sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he apologized. "Are you ready to go to the grocery store now?"
"Yes. Sorry." Peridot snapped back to attention. "Steven? Do you wish to return home?" she asked abruptly.
"What? Now?" Steven asked, baffled. "But we haven't brought the food yet-"
"Not your father's house," Peridot interrupted. "The beach house!"
"Oh." Steven looked wary. "Not unless you want to."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's not what I asked."
"Well… I guess I kinda do," he admitted. "I mean, I like staying at Dad's occasionally, but like you just said, the beach house is home. I've lived there for more than ten years. And…" He trailed off awkwardly.
"You miss the Crystal Gems," she guessed.
"Yeah." He sighed. "I'm sorry-"
"You don't have to apologize," she said sharply. "They've been your caretakers for many years, it's understandable that you would miss their presence."
He smiled slightly and gave her hand a quick squeeze. "It's only been a day though, and I've seen them, so it's not so bad. I guess it's more that I miss… well, the normal stuff."
Peridot nodded slowly. "I understand, I think." She took a deep breath. "Then let's go back." She held up a hand as Steven began to protest. "The longer we stay away, the harder it will be to return," she said reasonably.
Steven still looked dubious. "But what about Pearl? You were pretty upset earlier."
"Oh, I haven't forgiven her," Peridot said, almost cheerfully. "But I need to face her eventually. Besides," she huffed, "it's our house, not hers!"
Steven couldn't hold back a snort of laughter at that. "Well, if you're really sure…"
"I am."
"Then we'll go back. After dinner," he added, holding up the shopping list. "We can't let Dad down! But if you change your mind, that's fine too," he added softly. "We can leave again any time."
Reassured, she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you." Then she grabbed the list from him and skipped a few paces away. "Come on. Let's go shopping!"
xxx
Steven wasn't quite sure what he'd expected upon their return later that evening, but he was almost disappointed by how uneventful it all was. Greg had offered to let them stay another night, but now that her mind was made up, Peridot was determined to go back before her resolve left her and so after dinner, he sent the bubble containing their drill equipment on ahead and they walked the short distance back to the beach house and the Temple, hand in hand. As they walked around the headland and the structure came into sight, Peridot faltered slightly, and Steven gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We can still go back," he said softly.
Peridot shook her head and took a deep breath, straightening up resolutely. "Let's do this."
They walked up the steps and pushed open the door to find Garnet and Amethyst in the middle of a video game. "Welcome home," Garnet greeted them, keeping her gaze fixed firmly upon the television screen.
"Yeah, hi. FINISH HIM!" Amethyst roared, making them both jump. "Come on, G, fatality!"
There was a nasty crunching sound and a scream from the television, and Steven winced. "Where's Pearl?" he asked, looking around.
"In her room," Amethyst said, madly button-mashing as the next battle began. "Hiding."
"Speaking of which," Peridot muttered, and walked over to her own bedroom door and unlocked it.
"Keep the door open!" Garnet called after them as Steven followed her into the room.
Steven rolled his eyes but did as he was told, batting a few green-bubbled strawberries out of his way. "Do you want me to get rid of these?" he asked as Peridot made for her dresser.
"Yes please," she said gratefully, pulling out a clean shirt and holding it at arms length as she critically examined it. "See if Amethyst wants them or something. Oh!" she exclaimed, finally catching sight of her computer screen. "My program! It's decrypted another file."
"Oh yeah?" Steven began herding the bubbles out of the room. "What it is?"
Peridot scanned the screen and frowned. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I'll take a closer look at it later after I've changed." And caught up with my cheeps, she added internally. Garnet probably wouldn't approve of her priorities, but it wasn't like the file was going anywhere.
Steven nodded and then left the room so she could change. Amethyst immediately abandoned the game and took possession of the strawberries. "I'll make jelly," she said gleefully, grabbing a large saucepan. "Lots and lots of jelly!"
It was almost normal. Steven helped Amethyst chop up strawberries and when Peridot emerged from her room, Garnet persuaded her to take up Amethyst's abandoned avatar, and when the jelly was done, they all watched TV for a while in companionable silence. Nobody mentioned Pearl again.
Finally Steven yawned and stretched. "I really have to sleep now guys, sorry."
"All right, we'll see you in the morning then," Garnet said, and stood up. "Bright and early. Then we can get to work."
"Oh yeah, the drill." Amethyst turned to Peridot. "Do you wanna come and look at your old ship junk now?" She smirked wickedly. "Or are you gonna stay here and tuck Steven into bed?"
Peridot tilted her head back slightly so that she could look down her nose at the other gem. "Steven is perfectly capable of tucking himself into bed," she said haughtily. Then she smirked back. "I am going to kiss him good night though." Then she spun around and wrapped her arms around Steven's neck and kissed him full on the mouth.
"Ugh. Gross." Amethyst made sick noises behind them. "Put him down, you don't know where he's been!"
"Good night," Peridot said to him, ignoring Amethyst entirely. "I love you."
"I love you too." He gave her another quick peck on the lips and reluctantly disentangled himself. "Good luck with your junk hunt or whatever."
"I'm going now," Amethyst called out, following Garnet towards the Temple door.
"All right, I'm coming." Peridot ran after her and they both disappeared into the Temple.
xxx
The remains of the ship had been in far worse shape than Peridot had ever imagined, but eventually she was able to rig up a power source and activate another escape pod. Not wanting to disturb Steven, Amethyst agreed to keep it in her room until the morning, and Peridot made her way back to her own room.
The interior of the beach house was in darkness when she stepped out of the Temple; she'd lost track of time while she was working and it was later than she'd expected. She looked up to the loft where Steven was sleeping and smiled fondly. Would it be creepy if she went up there and watched him? Yes, she reluctantly concluded, she'd worked that much out from television. Instead, she decided she would go to her room and work on her fanfiction, which she hadn't touched for several days now, and she was halfway there when the Temple door opened again. She turned around, half-expecting to see Amethyst again, but deep down, she wasn't entirely surprised to see that it was Pearl with a box in her hands.
"Oh." Pearl froze. "I-I thought you'd be in your room."
"I'm going there now," Peridot said shortly and turned around again.
"Right." Pearl swallowed hard and placed the box on the kitchen counter. "I'll um, I'll be out of your way then."
Peridot sighed and debated whether or not to take the bait. They weren't going to get anywhere like this, she reluctantly concluded, and turned back. "What's in the box?"
"Um…" Pearl's gaze danced around the beach house, avoiding the other gem's. "It's donuts," she finally answered. "For you and Steven. I thought… maybe you could both share them for breakfast. I was just going to leave them here, I thought you'd be in your room."
"Oh. Thanks." There was an awkward pause. "From the Big Donut?" Peridot finally asked, more to break the silence than anything else.
"Oh, no." Pearl screwed up her face in disgust. "No, the last time I went there, the donut girl was picking her nose. I made them myself. Amethyst taught me how."
"Right… what flavor are they?" Peridot asked warily.
"Raspberry and lime," Pearl said, blushing slightly. "I… thought that combination worked best."
"Oh! Thanks!" This time, Peridot's reply was a bit more enthusiastic, and a small smile appeared on her face as she peeped into the box and saw the donuts with their glossy green and pink swirled icing. It was a peace offering, she realized. And while she still wasn't quite ready to forgive Pearl, she was willing to acknowledge that it was a nice gesture. "Well, I'll be going back to my room now-" she began.
"I'm jealous," Pearl blurted out. "I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I am." She sighed and hugged her arms around herself. "Steven's all I have left of Rose, and I'm terrified of losing him too."
"Oh," Peridot said cautiously.
Pearl smiled a little bitterly. "I've always been too possessive of him. The first time he met Sugilite, I was upset by how much he admired her. I wanted him to look up to me the most. I was even jealous when he spent time with Greg. Then when he said he was in love with you, all I could think was that you were taking him away from me. I know it's not healthy," she continued. "I should've been happy for him, for both of you, but I wasn't. Part of me still isn't. But that's my problem, I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
Peridot wasn't sure whether she should be agreeing or making sympathetic noises, so she said nothing, and after a moment, Pearl started talking again.
"I'm envious as well. I adored Rose Quartz from the moment I joined her side, but I always knew I loved her far more than she loved me. I wanted the kind of relationship you two have, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't make her love me enough." Tears shone in Pearl's eyes. "Part of me hates her for that. And I hate myself for hating her, because it wasn't her fault."
"Uh… there, there." Peridot walked a little closer and tentatively patted the other gem's shoulder.
A small snort of laughter bubbled out of Pearl's mouth and then the tears spilled over. "I'm truly sorry. I've behaved terribly."
"Yes, you have," Peridot said without thinking, and then hurriedly stepped back out of reach. "Ah, I mean-"
"No, you're right." Pearl sighed and wiped her eyes. "Not just towards you, to everyone. I don't expect you to forgive me at once, but I am going to try and do better." She straightened up and stepped back. "I hope you both enjoy the donuts. And Peridot?" For the first time, she met the younger gem's eyes. "I'm sorry I said you were still a Homeworld gem. I know how much it hurts when somebody looks at you and only sees what you used to be. But when you did it to me four years ago, you honestly didn't know any better. I had no such excuse." And with that, she turned and walked back into the Temple.
"Uh… thanks, I guess," Peridot muttered under her breath. It was a slightly backhanded apology… and yet, it was still a better one than the one she'd received earlier. She took another look at the donuts with their pink and green icing and smiled.
It was a start.
XXX
I'm so sorry this chapter's late, I've been having computer problems and it took a couple of days for me to sort out. But it's all fixed now, and I'll start working on the next sequel shortly. Thank you for reading!
