Steven stared at the TV in Connie's parent's living room where he had paused it on a newsreel. It had happened while they were all on Homeworld. Bismuth was busy rebuilding the house and keeping Lapis and Peridot's gems safe until they reformed so she didn't know when it had happened either. A giant Corruption had come out of the ocean and almost leveled a highly populated city. It was being reported as one of the deadliest disasters in human history. Speculations on what the creature was ran rampant and reports of other Corruption sightings from the past came pouring in.

Steven knew exactly who it was. He recognized the blue spikes, the long clawed orange legs, and the powerful, fanged lower jaw, even though it was mixed with white, teal, and peach feathers and scales, giant wings, a long tail and neck and a slender head and upper jaw. That part of the Corruption reminded him of a dinosaur Connie had told him about once, the Archaeoptryx. Even if Steven hadn't recognized features of the creature, the two gems on its face, a pearl and a jasper, left no room for doubt.

Steven had been wondering why he hadn't been able to contact Pearl the past five months, and now he knew. She had been Corrupted. He kept thinking how unfair it was, after everything Pearl had gone through already, now she had suffered through Corruption, too. Steven clenched his fists in his lap. At least she wasn't corrupted now, he reminded himself.

Steven's visit to Homeworld had been mostly successful. He had cut a deal. It was the best option he had at the time, but he wasn't completely satisfied with it. The Diamonds had agreed to heal Corruption, and with White's help, it worked. They had played a song from space that covered the entire planet and even reached the gems in bubbles. It was one of Steven's happiest and proudest moments. The Crystal Gems and any who wanted were allowed to stay on Earth, and the Gems still loyal to Homeworld had been allowed to leave, but now they were quarantined. They would be allowed to live there with only minimum check-ins from Blue and Yellow.

Steven had also been allowed to liberate the human zoo. The Zoomans had ultimately decided to stay on the outpost since it was the only home they knew and they didn't want to leave, but they were allowed access to all of it now. The Famethyst was given more freedom. Holly Blue Agate had agreed to abandon corporal punishment and stay to run the station. Both her and Jay would send them separate reports on how things were going, and they would be allowed to visit every few months.

It really wasn't the worst deal, he had gotten a lot of what he wanted. The only thing was he had to agree to not interfere with Homeworld's activity and not leave the star system. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to keep that promise. Yellow and Blue were starting to warm up to him and were at least try to understand his point of view, but they were still tyrants, and they were still going to continue enforcing a rigid caste system and wiping out entire species to keep making new gems and gain more resources. He couldn't condone that. There were also The Off Colors that would eventually make it to Earth, and all of the Off Colors still living in fear for their lives on Homeworld and all the Gem controlled colonies.

Steven sighed and looked at the image of the Corrupted Tiger's Eye, "First things first," he said to himself. Connie came in from the kitchen with two plates of food her dad had made for them. She looked at the TV as she placed the food down and then moved her hand on his back, "Worried about Pearl?"

Steven nodded, "I want her home. She deserves to be free, and I want her safe. I want to reunite her with the Crystal Gems, all of them, and I want Jasper in a bubble, where she can't hurt anyone else. The past couple of weeks on Homeworld allowed me to learn a lot more control over some of my abilities. So tonight, I'm going into Tiger's Eye's mind and I'm not leaving until I know where they are. Garnet is busy getting all the new Gems settled, but I'm sure she'll make time for this."

"Okay," Connie gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll help too. She's my mentor after all."

Steven smiled, "Thanks Connie, I swear one of these days we'll go on a normal date though."

Connie chuckled, "Pfft, I knew what I was getting in to when I asked you out, besides, I think we would get bored on a normal date at this point."

\

Pearl felt like she was floating in nothing. Since Corruption she had been permanently stuck in the In Between. She had learned how to focus on bits and pieces of her life as they ran through her head. There was no rhyme or reason to the order, and many were unpleasant memories, but it was better than everything at once or the screeching mess of Jasper's life that plagued her otherwise.

Pearl remembered sparring with Amethyst not too long before Rose met Greg. A glint off a chunk of a broken glass bottle caught her eye and gave her an unexpected flashback of the war. Amethyst hadn't noticed Pearl had frozen up and was already mid-attack. Amethyst's whip slapped Pearl back to reality as it hit her in the face; she fell backwards into the sand.

"Oh shit! Sorry P." Amethyst rushed over, "I thought for sure you were going to dodge that one. Are you okay?"

Pearl groaned and sat up with her hand to her face, "I'm fine, was just blinded for a second. Good form with your attack though. I'll have to -agh!" Her form glitched.

Amethyst grabbed Pearl's forehead, "Ah! I cracked your gem! I didn't think I hit you that hard! Shit, we gotta go get Rose."

"Amethyst calm down," she gingerly felt her gem, there was a thin but long crack, "you really didn't hit me that hard, pearls just aren't that sturdy. We don't need Rose for this though, she's out with Blake and there is no reason to bother her. Would you mind helping me warp to Rose's Fountain though? The Warp Pad can be a little unpredictable with a cracked gem."

"Yeah, of course," Amethyst grabbed Pearl's hand and pulled her over to the Warp Pad. Amethyst didn't let go until Pearl was safely by the fountain. Pearl cupped her hands together and lowered her gem into the water in her hands.

Her gem glowed and she sighed in relief, "There all better, and we didn't have to bother Rose while she was out on her date."

Amethyst sat on the edge of the fountain next to Pearl, swinging her legs, "You're really okay with that?"

"Oh yes, Rose's healing spring is just as effective as the actual tears she cries, my gem is good as new."

"No I meant, well, I'm glad about that, but like, you're really okay with Rose going on dates with someone else?"

"Oh, well, Rose and I aren't dating so it's fine. Besides, humans don't even live that long anyway."

"I know you two aren't official, but come on P. My room connects with yours, I know she visits you a lot when she doesn't have a human and then almost never goes to see you when she does. And she does love you, and you obviously love her, and I accidentally once discovered you get naughty sometimes -"

"Amethyst! You spied on us?" Pearl stomped one foot and crossed her arms.

"Accidentally! I was bored on the beach and thought you were alone in your room so I went to say hi and then you were NOT alone. That's not the point though, it seriously doesn't bother you that she's all into you when she's alone and then she drops you the second some dude catches her eye?"

Pearl shrugged, "She loves humans. I'm not human and I can't fulfill that desire. Besides, they can never going to last, they age too quickly. She's still a constant in my life."

The memory changed to when Rose was pregnant and due any day. Pearl looked again to make sure they were alone on the beach, "Rose, I-" her hands started to raise to her mouth so she broke off. She wanted to try to ask Rose to overturn her last order to her as Pink Diamond. She had found new thoughts and feelings she hadn't been able to express since Rose had gleefully announced she would be giving up her form to have a child. Rose had been so excited she hadn't even considered the grief she would put everyone through. Pearl thought how selfish she was, and of course a Diamond wouldn't think of anything except her own wants. How could she leave, after everything they had gone through together, for a human whose lifespan would be nothing more than a second in their lifespan? How could she even leave Greg to deal with the child alone?

"Pearl please," Rose said, "I know this is hard for you, and you don't want me to go, but this is what Greg and I want, can't you respect that?"

Pearl placed a hand on Rose's swollen belly and she realized Rose thought this was just another conversation where Pearl tried to talk her out of having a baby.

"R-rose," she managed to start, thinking carefully how to word what she wanted to say, "isn't there something, maybe you could…" Pearl felt her fingers twitch, "in case something happens with Homeworld once you're gone, I'll be the only one that…knows."

Rose frowned and backed away, "Homeworld has left us alone for thousands of years, there's no reason that would change."

"Rose, please!"

"No! Pearl, you've been fine all this time, just because I'm leaving won't make a difference."

Pearl wanted to scream she wasn't fine though, and hadn't been, but the twitches in her hands and arms warned her she wouldn't be able to so she just choked out, "please."

Rose turned away, "No, it's unnecessary and that's final."

Rose started walking away. Since she wasn't facing Pearl, she didn't see as slender white fingers slammed hard against Pearl's mouth and tears fell from her eyes as she tried to yell, "It is necessary, this has been eating away at me since everyone was Corrupted because of what we did, what I did!"

That was the last conversation she had with Rose. Pearl had gone off on a solo mission going after a Corruption that had recently evaded them and caused her to reform. She was nearly shattered trying to take the beast down on her own, and as she sent the gem in a bubble back to The Temple she wondered if maybe she had hoped it would have. Then she returned home and found Garnet and Amethyst, glum with the news that Rose was gone. She hadn't said a single word, just sat down on the Warp Pad.

Exhaustion washed over Pearl and a cluster of memories overwhelmed her, baby Steven grabbing her nose like he usually did and struggling to say her name, which ended up being his first word, finding Amethyst on a rock in the kindergarten, alone and lost but excitedly zipping around her and asking her a million questions, grabbing Sapphire's gem on the battlefield after Garnet had lost a fight and the blue Gem had been stabbed in the belly, screaming Bismuth's name in the aftermath of the Battle for the Ziggurat, desperate to try to find her. She was whipped around in the torrent, desperate to try to cling to one memory at a time again, but unable to. Her memories played faster and faster until they were nothing but static. All she felt was she was lost, confused, and angry.

Then there was a sound, a song, which seemed both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. She swore she heard Rose and Steven call her name, and then everything was completely quiet. She was back in the In Between and everything was still. The Corruption was gone. Pearl scrambled to take control of Tiger's Eye, but Jasper pulled her down to The Mindscape. Pearl's hands were now chained in front of her instead of behind and she used this to her advantage. They were both exhausted, and neither said a word, they just struggled, tugging each other back and forth until they were both so worn out they were on the ground, unable to fight anymore.

Then Steven was there. He picked her up without hesitation and gave a quick healing kiss to her gem, "Come on Pearl, it's time to get you home."

Jasper lunged but Steven formed a bubble around them. It started cracking under desperate clawed strikes from Jasper. Pearl felt a small surge of energy she had gained from Steven and focused. She was in complete control of Tiger's Eye, and Steven was still with her. She felt Jasper dragging her down, but it was just a light tug.

"You're still in the ocean, but you're not so far down," Steven noted, "hurry, get to the surface and see if there is anything that can tell me where you are so we can come get you if I get kicked out."

Pearl ran Tiger's Eye to the surface of the water. When they broke through the sun seemed too bright, the colors too vibrant, the smells too pungent, the taste of the sea air too salty. Jasper used Pearl's overwhelmed senses against her. Pearl felt Steven reassuring her as he was forced out of their mind, "Pearl, I know it's a lot, but look! You're close to The Temple, lead Tiger's Eye home, we'll be waiting there to split you two up!"

Pearl saw Steven was right, The Temple wasn't too far away off in the distance, they must have been drawn there like so many other Corruptions.

Tiger's Eye thrashed and stumbled as Pearl and Jasper both vied for control. When they got the sand of the beach on the side of The Temple Pearl started feeling her grasp slip away. Anger welled up from inside of her and she didn't hold it back. Tiger's Eye's arms started pushing against her chest, trying to force herself apart, "NO! I WON'T! LET ME GO!" Pearl's voice yelled over Jasper's. Their body turned to light and started losing its form and they continued fighting despite the agonizing burn that coursed through both of them.

Their gems cracked almost all the way through as their bodies separated with a burst of energy that kicked up sand and water. Pearl felt gemmed hands on her, one hand cradling her head and the other at the bend of her knees. Garnet pulled her close and yelled for Steven as she landed as softly in the sand as she could, careful to not cause a single jolt. Pearl watched as Jasper's eyes locked onto hers. Then Bismuth's axe cut Jasper in half and the rainbow haired Gem bubbled the cracked quartz and looked at Pearl, her brows furrowed with worry. Pearl saw Steven running up to her, licking his hand, but everything was fading as she succumbing to fatigue with a smile, knowing she was safe.