It took two hours for everyone to get ready outside of the beach house. Even Lapis and Peridot came, however Jasper wished that they had stayed at the barn. This wasn't something that was going to be easy and would most likely result in failure or at the very least bring out memories that were best left alone. Jasper spent the time waiting leaning against the wooden rail of the patio and watching the gems argue amongst each other how to best approach this complicated situation. The quartz gem didn't voice her own opinion of how ludicrous this entire idea was. She held her tongue and observed the others with Lion sitting down next to her, occasionally rubbing his head against her arm when Jasper forget to pet him.
The gems settled on Jasper trying to fuse with Amethyst after much heated debate from everyone, saved from Lapis and Peridot, who just looked uncomfortable. Steven waved up to Jasper, signaling that they were ready. Jasper walked down the steps, each one adding more weight to her shoulders. She reached the group and kept her eyes everywhere but Lapis and Peridot. The quartz gem didn't want them to see how uneasy she was.
"Okay, just so everyone is clear; Jasper is going to attempt to fuse with Amethyst." Pearl cleared her throat, apparently as tense as Jasper at the aspect of the quartz gem attempting to fuse with Amethyst. She looked at the purple gem, her face guarded but her stance betrayed her discomfort. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Amethyst grinned and smashed her fist into her hand. "Yeah, I want to do this!" She smiled at Jasper, the excitement obvious on her face. "I've never fused with another quartz before." Her eyes flashed to Steven and she corrected herself. "Well, a quartz from earth I mean." Amethyst looked back at Jasper and held out her hand. "Let's do this!"
Jasper made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat and grabbed Amethyst's offered hand. She twirled the purple gem around, much like she did with Lapis when they fused to form Malachite, but it felt all wrong. Amethyst's movements were too erratic and… lewd. Jasper frowned and tried to follow Amethyst's steps but they couldn't connect. It was like they were operating on two vastly different wavelengths. Jasper was surprisingly slow and graceful in her dance style, but Amethyst was fast and everchanging. Both quartz gems were starting to lose their patience at how the other wasn't complimenting their dancing. As a last-ditch effort, Jasper dipped Amethyst but the purple gem had the same idea. They ended up falling on one another, an elbow jabbing Jasper in the ribs and a knee stabbing into Amethyst's back. Jasper got up with a groan and rubbed at her bruised flesh. "This isn't going to work," she said, hating how a part of her was relieved that she didn't fuse with Amethyst. Her eyes stayed glued to the ground, refusing to look up at the gems that surely knew this would happen.
"You're right," Garnet agreed. She watched the two attempt to synchronize their dancing with a deep frown. "You don't know anything about what fusion truly is."
Despite herself, Jasper glanced up at Lapis and saw that the blue gem did the same.
Garnet caught the shared glance and tilted her head to the right. "Are you sure?" The voice was rougher than what Garnet usually sounded and Jasper could see Steven slowly smile from behind the fusion. Garnet nodded to herself with a grin. "I'm sure." This voice was softer and more feminine.
The fusion lost her physical form to a blob of white light that split off in two, each with a gem. The blobs moved away from one another and reformed to create Sapphire and Ruby. Jasper's eyes widened as Steven yelled out their names and ran over to hug both of them at the same time. She didn't think the two would ever unfuse on purpose.
When Steven pulled back from the hug, Ruby looked up at Jasper. "Sapphire's better at explaining this stuff." She moved back with Steven and Sapphire had everyone's attention.
Sapphire ignored the eyes and only looked at Jasper. "You weren't able to fuse with Amethyst."
"Obviously," Jasper couldn't stop the growl of frustration from creeping into her voice.
The rare gem did not pay any attention to the growl, but Ruby narrowed her eyes and Steven had to take a step back from the heat suddenly coming off the red gem. Sapphire continued like Jasper had never spoken. "Fusion is the intermingling of two gems' consciousness into one being. You are no longer just Jasper or Amethyst, you are both at the same time. It cannot be taken lightly and it cannot happen between two strangers. The partners must know each other intimately, whether it is between friends," Sapphire gestured to Amethyst and Jasper, "family," she nodded towards Amethyst and Steven," or lovers," Sapphire finished with a smile to Ruby who blushed in return. "You must have a true understanding of one another for fusion to work properly. If not, then the fusion is doomed to fail and the partners will most likely be traumatized by the event."
Jasper knew that the words brought Malachite to everyone's mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lapis hold onto her arms like a barrier and Peridot resting a comforting hand on her side. Jasper felt the urge to make the sapphire stop talking but she pushed it down. She can't lose control right now, not in front of Lapis and Peridot.
"Watch as I demonstrate. Ruby?" Sapphire held out a hand and Ruby took it without hesitation. The two danced in a small circle and Jasper heard them humming a soothing tune. They were smiling at one another like no one else existed and Ruby reached up to move Sapphire's bangs away from her eye. Sapphire laughed at the action and the two melted into one another.
Garnet reappeared without her visors, joyful laughter still bubbling up. She looked at Jasper with all three eyes, each one flowing with the love Sapphire and Ruby had for one another. "Do you understand now?"
Jasper nodded, "I think so, yeah." She doubted that she could ever achieve something like that but she was going to try. Jaspers never give up after all.
Steven had sudden inspiration from the humming and took out his phone. He tapped at the screen eagerly for a bit and he brought up the mixtape he had made with Connie a few months ago. The boy turned up the volume to its highest setting and smiled at Jasper. "Music might help you synchronize your dancing," he suggested.
Jasper listened to the song for a moment and her eyes shifted towards Lapis without her knowledge. Steven saw how the quartz gem looked at Lapis and smiled. He grabbed the water gem's hand and walked her over to Jasper, ignoring how each of Lapis's step was a little jerky, like she was being moved by an amateur puppeteer. Jasper and Lapis said nothing when they were in front of each other and Steven beamed at the two of them. "You two should try to fuse! You did it before but now that you're friends it will be better this time."
The quartz gem felt a distressed whine rise in her throat and choked it down. She saw the knowing glint in Steven's eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing even though it was obvious that the two should never try to fuse again. Jasper wondered if it was Rose Quartz that was whispering poisonous ideas into his head. Still, when Jasper looked at Lapis, she realized that the water gem was the only one who she would attempt fusion with, except for Peridot. She held out a hand and Lapis laid her shaking one in it. Jasper closed her fingers protectively around Lapis's and placed her other hand on her shoulder, she was too tall to rest it on her waist comfortably. Lapis looked down and laid her hand on Jasper's waist, her breath catching a bit at the knowledge of what they were about to do.
Jasper let Lapis lead her in a slow circle. It was worse than her dancing with Amethyst. They were synchronized but everything was so tense, both gems weary of their possible fusion. Jasper felt Lapis's nails dig into her side but she didn't say anything, she was sure that her own hand was clenched too tightly on Lapis's shoulder. A new song came on and Jasper focused on the words instead of how Lapis not once looked at her when they began dancing.
"If I could be half of what you think of me," Jasper's and Lapis's dancing slowed to the time of the music. "I could do about anything, I could even learn how to love." Jasper almost jumped at the singing voice, reflexively relaxing her grip on Lapis. "When I see the way you act, wondering when I'm coming back," Jasper barely noticed how Lapis stopped clenching her side so tight, "I could do about anything, I could even learn how to love like you."
Jasper spun Lapis and felt something akin to joy at the sight of her lover twirling, a smile gracing her lips despite the apprehensive situation they found themselves in. "I always thought I might be bad, now I'm sure it's true." When the quartz gem pulled her back to her, Lapis gently stroked Jasper's side before resting a hand on it, apologizing for the marks that would probably be there tomorrow. Jasper answered with a soft swipe of her thumb against Lapis's shoulder where her fingers had gripped her before. "Cause I think you're so good and I'm nothing like you."
Lapis tilted her head up so she could look at Jasper. The quartz gem met her gaze and would have kissed the water gem if it weren't for the present company. It was strange; since they began dancing, Jasper didn't notice the others until now. But she couldn't tear her eyes away from Lapis's blue ones.
"Look at you go. I just adore you. I wish that I knew what makes you think I'm so special."
Jasper spun Lapis again and could see her gem glow softly on her back, like the embers of a cozy fire. She glanced down and saw that her own gem was glowing. "If I could do something right by you." The quartz gem's eyes flashed back to Lapis and for a moment, they were back to the wreckage of her ship months ago. She was supposed to dip her now and they would form Malachite. And she would be her prisoner. "I would do about anything." Jasper whimpered and dropped Lapis's hand. She turned her body before she could see the shock and pain on Lapis's face. "I would even learn how to love."
The song continued on, unperturbed by the turn of events. Jasper held onto herself, releasing a shaky breath and turning her head so she could look at the spot next to Lapis's left foot. "I'm sorry. I'm not-"
"Don't," Lapis interrupted, taking a step closer to Jasper and touching her arm lightly. "It's okay." She removed her hand and clenched her fists, all too aware of how everyone was staring at them. Her eyes shut tightly and two wings made of water sprouted from her gem. Lapis opened them again and saw that Jasper had turned her body around to look at her, sadness on her face. The expression shot a jagged piece of ice into Lapis's soul and she couldn't look at her anymore. Lapis jumped up into the air and took off in the direction of the barn without saying anything to anyone.
Jasper watched the gem she almost fused with fly away, guilt clawing at her sides. She shouldn't have just stop dancing like that. It was different now, they would be good together. Wouldn't they? Jasper sighed and looked at Peridot who met her eyes with her own dejected ones. The green gem didn't have any comforting words to offer but she did walk over and touched the red stripe on Jasper's right arm. Jasper felt a little better at the physical contact and nodded her thanks. She walked over to Steven who had his head angled to the beach sand, the forgotten phone still singing in his hands. He looked up when she was near and Jasper could tell immediately that Steven blamed himself for Lapis leaving. Before he could apologize as well, she pointed to the phone. "I want to borrow that."
Steven glanced at the phone and held it up to her without asking any questions. It was the least he could do for the trouble he caused. Steven couldn't help but flinch when Jasper took the phone and raised her free hand. His eyes clamp shut but snapped back open as he felt her hand ruffle his hair, a little harder than what Garnet usually did but it was still nice. The boy felt tears prickle the back of his eyes and he smiled up at the once corrupted gem. She really had changed.
The group watched the two with baited breath but visibly relaxed once Steven smiled. Jasper held the phone gingerly in her hand, knowing that she could accidently crush it quite easily. "Stay here for the night," she said to Peridot.
Just like she expected, the green gem protested instantly. "What!? I'm not staying here with these clods!" Garnet and Steven both chuckled at the word. They wondered how long it would take for Peridot to call them that again. Peridot gazed at the direction of the barn with uncertainty but hardened her expression with determination. "It's my home too, you know. If there's damage control, I want to be there to help."
Jasper looked at the green gem for a long time, but her eyes softened. "Fine," she grunted, secretly glad that Peridot would be coming. Just knowing that the technician would be close made Jasper more levelheaded and calm. "You can help me set up."
"Set up for what?"
"You'll see," was all Jasper responded with. The two started their walk to the barn, but not before Jasper spied Garnet giving them a thumbs-up.