This update is long overdue! Thank you everyone for your messages and reviews. Sickness and school kept me from writing for a while!

Lapis fidgeted in her chair as she glanced over at the closed door. Jasper and Pearl had called Peridot in a few minutes ago. She could hear the muffled sound of voices but, the words were hard to make out. The rise and fall of tones were her only clue to what was being said. Her stomach was in knots, and she could barely concentrate on her job. Exhaustion weighed down on her as she struggled to stay alert and focus. She had worried all night about Peridot and everything she had learned. It seemed unfair the company was doing something shady and they could all be held accountable.

It seemed like hours when the door finally opened and Peridot stepped out. Her face was drawn tight, and her green eyes glistened. She sniffed, straightened her back and briskly returned to her seat without a word to Lapis. Her heart sank. Lapis was tempted to say something. She turned in her chair, opened her mouth and shut it again. Jasper stepped out, looking worn and tired. She was in simple black slacks and a white blouse. Her eyes flashed toward Lapis, who felt as if she was caught doing something wrong. Jasper shook her head and twirled her fingers to tell Lapis to turn around and return to work. Lapis wrinkled her nose and scowled. She bit her tongue and did as she was told.

The mood was so harsh that it seemed like the simplest sound would set off an explosion. Pearl remained confined to her office while Jasper hurried in and out on errands. Peridot did not speak to anyone and quietly did her work. When lunch came around, she was gone before Lapis had a chance to say anything. Lapis sat alone in the break room, staring blankly at the wall, nibbling on her food. When lunch ended, Peridot was already at her desk, typing intently. She did not even glance up at Lapis as she took her seat at the scanner. Did Peridot blame her for this, Lapis wondered. Did Jasper or Pearl say something? Lapis tightly pressed her lips. She should apologize.

For what? Lapis took a moment to consider this as she fed another paper into the scanner. What was she apologizing for? She had told Jasper what happened but, it wasn't like she had tried to get Peridot. Lapis hadn't even known that is what occurred or it had anything to do with the blackmail. It seemed like a trivial event. And, maybe, Peridot didn't even blame her. She could just be withdrawing for the day because she was in trouble. It was plausible but, it didn't make Lapis feel any better. When the day ended, Peridot quickly packed up and rushed out of the office without a word. The burning guilt in her stomach grew hotter. Lapis pulled out her cell and stared at the screen. What could she say?

"Are you ready," Jasper asked, causing Lapis to jerk. A flare of anger crackled through her body until she turned and looked at Jasper. A weak smile ghosted over Jasper's lips. She looked tired and worn, subtle shadows gathered underneath her eyes. Her white hair fell loose around her broad shoulders that were slouched and defeated. Lapis wanted to entirely blame Jasper. Peridot did nothing but her job, and it was Jasper's illegal activities that got her into this mess. Yet, the weary and exhaustion etched in Jasper's features melted away her anger.

"Yeah," Lapis muttered, shoving her phone into her purse. She powered down her computer and followed Jasper out of the office. The drive home was silent and awkward. Lapis stared out the window and watched the city pass by in a bright blur; her mind muddled with emotional overload. She wondered how Peridot was doing and what Jasper and Pearl had said to her. She thought about Jasper and how she traded one shady profession for another. Her life might have improved from the rundown house in the photo, but her morals were still questionable. Lapis was shocked that Pearl would go along with something that risky and illegal. Or, maybe, she was putting too much blame and responsibility on Jasper. It could have been Pearl's idea for all she knew and Jasper just went along with it. Lapis was tempted to ask. Jasper would never give up that information willingly.

When they got to the apartment, Jasper immediately went to the fridge and grabbed a beer; Lapis went directly to her room. After undressing, Lapis collapsed onto her bed with her phone clutched in her hand. She slid the top up and ran her finger along the keys of the board. Should she? Would Peridot even reply? Lapis couldn't stand another day of that tension filtering into the office. She wanted to know if Peridot was mad at her. With a deep breath, Lapis typed a simple 'hey' and hit send. A long groan escaped her throat, and she tossed the phone onto the pillow next to her. She watched the shadows dancing and twisting on the ceiling, her eyes heavy and sore. Sleep was creeping against the edges of her conscious; her eyelids were continuously obscuring her vision as her body tried to drift into slumber. Lapis's eyes snapped open at the loud buzz of her phone on the pillow. Eagerly, she snatched it up and read the message.

P: Hi

Lapis stared at the two-letter word, scowling. She tried typing a few different responses before settling on one, still sounding awkward.

L: Is everything okay?

P: No.

Before Lapis could respond, her phone rang in her hands. Peridot. Quickly, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Today was fucking awful! I nearly got fired, Lapis!"

"Oh," Lapis responded dumbly. If Peridot noticed her lackluster response, she ignored it.

"It's my goddamn fault. I messed up big time. I am super, fucking lucky that Jasper and Pearl did not fire me. That—that woman got a hold of a client's information! How could I be so fucking stupid and blind?"

"It's not your fault…"

"It is, Lapis! You don't understand! She got a hold of someone's personal information because I was careless. Ugh. I had it out in plain sight where she could just grab it. Stupid, stupid."

"Don't beat yourself up. Everyone makes mistakes and…"

"Not like this! This is pure negligence. Miss Diamond could have stolen this person's identity or accessed their accounts or sold their information. This person could have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars or have their life completely ruined. And Jasper and Pearl would be liable for it. I'm actually surprised they didn't fucking fire me! Pearl would have if it weren't for Jasper! She saved my ass! I would have fired me! " Lapis let Peridot rant for nearly an hour, occasionally interjecting, trying to offer words of comfort. She finally understood the severity of the situation and why Jasper was upset. It wasn't just that Yelena found out her secret but, that someone's information was compromised, and their life could've been derailed. As much as she hated to admit, Peridot did slip up, and Jasper was sympathetic enough to allow Peridot to keep her job.

Peridot apologized for talking so much and thanked her for listening. Lapis was just relieved that Peridot wasn't mad at her. They said good night and Lapis laid on her bed, staring at the dark wall. Jasper wasn't a bad person. Look at all she had done for her in the past couple of months. And she saved Peridot's job. However, it was still hard for her to get over Jasper's dishonesty. That was the primary reason her and Pearl were upset. They were caught. That could potentially put everyone else at risk too, right? It might have been better for Peridot to be fired if that was the case. Lapis wasn't sure. She scrambled out of bed and threw on an oversized shirt. Jasper was sitting in the living room, glowering at the wall with a glazed stare, sipping at her beer. Jasper turned her head slowly toward Lapis, half-hooded eyes sweeping over her. Wordlessly, Lapis settled next to Jasper, leaning against the back of the couch to face her.

"What's up Blue," Jasper slurred.

"Will everyone else get in trouble if Yelena exposes your scheme?"

"No."

"So, you didn't save Peridot's job so she could take the fall?" Jasper snorted.

"You really think of me as some sort of villain, don't you?"

"I don't know what to think. You are doing something wrong, and I'm looking out for myself and my friend."

"I'm not your friend?"

"You are but, you're the one doing something stupid, so you kind of brought that on yourself." A bitter smile curved Jasper's lips as she pressed the bottle to her mouth.

"Fair enough." Jasper lowered the bottle into her lap and absently rested a hand against Lapis's knee. Heat rose in her cheeks. Jasper began to drunkenly ramble, "This was just meant to save the company. Pearl was close to bankruptcy and we needed more investors. High investments with little to no risk? Of course, that would attract people. We just needed new people, new money. It wasn't meant to go this long…it went too far but, fuck, we were doing so well…no one was getting hurt…too close to the sun…"

"I don't understand." Jasper snorted, shaking her head.

"Don't expect you to. Long story short…helped a friend, now I'm a criminal again." She added with a snicker, "But, so is she."

Jasper lurched forward, cradling her head in her hands, her shoulders shuddering. Lapis felt lost and conflicted. It was Jasper's foolishness that caused this trouble. If they hadn't resorted to illegal means…well, they wouldn't have jobs. They might believe they weren't hurting anyone but, that wasn't always true. There were others involved. The employees and the clients. Someone had to be getting hurt. And if Peridot hadn't been thoughtless, would they have ever stopped? It didn't sound like it. Her head throbbed as she tried to wrap her thoughts around it. Lapis couldn't figure out if she sympathized with Jasper or not. She just hated to see her upset. Despite her inner turmoil, she embraced Jasper, wrapping her arms around the shaking woman, burying her face into her shoulder. That was all she could think to do.