Hello, and welcome to the start of a new arc of 'Bayley's Universe'! Now, with this arc, ...I'll admit that this arc may err a bit on the heavy side at times. I'm only saying this because I'll be dealing with Roman, and what makes our strong and caring Gem himself. Want to see just what makes Roman himself and how he came to be? Read this arc to find out, my loves, and I hope you all enjoy. =)

(This arc's title may sound weird, but I think it fits what I plan for it to be about. I hope makes sense and fits for you all.)

It wasn't any real secret that Roman was always the most calm and level-headed of the Crystal Gems. Be it with helping diffuse arguments or calming people down, the brunette was always one that would be everyone's rock when they needed on.

...So, it had been a bit of a head-scratcher for Bayley and the others when, lately, it seemed-

"Roman? Is-is everything okay?" Bayley cautiously asked one Saturday afternoon.

"Yes, …Bayley. Everything's ...fine," Roman ground out, his fist clenching and unclenching.

"O...OK, Ro. If you say so," Bayley said before she walked over to where Sasha was sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen island before taking a seat herself and resting her head on the island.

Not yet looking up from the book she was reading, this book being volume three of the Sailor Moon manga-'Wait, two Usagis?! What is the meaning of this? Could the younger Usagi be the older Usagi's offspring?' Sasha thought, her eyes scanning each panel of each page as she took in this new development-it took the magenta-haired Gem a few minutes before, after putting her bookmark into the volume to save her place for when she'd pick up where she left off, she looked up and finally noticed Bayley sitting near her. "Bayley! I didn't see you there. I guess I was pretty wrapped up in my book. ...Is everything okay?"

"I dunno," the brunette shrugged with a sigh.

"Well, what's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

"I ...guess maybe I should."

"Well, then talk away. I'm sure that'll help you deal with what's troubling you."

Lifting her head up from the islandtop, Bayley said "Well, ...I'm not sure if it's just me that's noticed, but ...I've been feeling a bit worried about Roman lately."

"Worried? How so? What do you mean?"

"He's just seemed really upset about something lately, and I don't know what it could be. I've tried asking him and he says he's okay, but I just don't believe that. I just don't know what to do here," Bayley said before resting her head in her hands.

As she sat and listened to Bayley talk about what was on her mind, Sasha could find herself agreeing with the brunette. 'Roman has been acting fairly ...strangely lately. I wonder why? Has there been some manner of Gem beast he's encountered but hasn't been able to handle? Or could it be something else? ...I know it's been many years since I last saw them, ...but could something be wrong with Jimmy and Naomi?'

Before the magenta-haired Gem could say anything, both she and Bayley heard Roman say "I'm going for a walk" before leaping up from his seat and throwing the door open as he charged outside.

"Roman! Wait up!" Bayley cried as she leapt up from her seat.

"Bayley, no!" Sasha said, leaping off of the stool she was on and blocking Bayley's path. "No. Stay here and help keep an eye on the house. I'll see if I can find Roman and figure out what's wrong."

"O-OK," Bayley said as she watched Sasha dash out the door after Roman. Letting out a sigh, the brunette walked over to where Roman had been sitting before flopping down on the couch. She had been lying on the couch for a few minutes before she felt Rosey Paws nuzzling the back of her hand. Rolling over onto her side, the ponytailed brunette let out a light laugh before she gave the cat a few pats on her head. "I'm guessing you saw and heard Ro."

"Mew," the cat responded as it looked up at its owner, what Bayley could only guess was a worried look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm worried about Ro, too. I've never seen him like this before, so I just don't know what to do," Bayley moaned.

"Myaa!" the cat meowed in what Bayley could guess was a reassuring meow.

"I hope you're right. Hopefully, Sasha'll be able to talk to Ro and figure out what's wrong. We can only hope at least," Bayley said, her gaze fixated on the ceiling.

…

"Roman. Roman? Roman, where are you?" Sasha called out as she searched the wooded area for the taller brunette. She could've sworn she had seen the brunette come this way, so ...just where could he be?

Her search didn't seem to yield any results, so she had just turned to head back to the house, when she heard what sounded like two voices that sounded like Jimmy's and Naomi's. Only, ...they sounded rather angry about something. Not wanting to alert them to her presence, Sasha slowly walked in the direction of their voices before she hid behind a tree near where they were and listened on.

...

"We need to tell Bayley about us. She's old enough to know now," Jimmy said.

"And we will tell her. Just ...can't we wait just a bit longer before we do?" Naomi asked as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Oh yeah sure, we can wait," Jimmy said with an eyeroll. "Let's just wait until she's an old lady before we let her know."

"Now, Jimmy, that's not fair to say and you know it," Naomi countered a defensive edge coloring her voice.

"Well, then, just when would you want to tell Bayley? After all, don't you think she'd be excited to learn about Fusions and how to fuse herself?" Jimmy tried to reason with his partner.

"Of course, you know I want more than anything to tell her about that and about us and Roman," Naomi agreed with a sigh. "I just ...I just don't know how we should go about telling her."

"Well then. Since you can't seem to want to figure out when we should tell her…." Jimmy trailed off before he took to the air with a giant leap.

"Jimmy, wait!" Naomi yelled up to the brunette. But, it seemed like her yelling didn't reach him as, the next thing she knew, she saw Jimmy fly away. This was something that she wasn't expecting to happen. She knew that Jimmy had been ready for a while to Bayley about them and about Roman, and she knew that he was willing to wait for when she herself would be ready to let Bayley know about who and what they really were. So for Jimmy to seem so antsy as of late about letting Bayley know, ...it just didn't make any sense. Trying her best to make sense of this but not having much success, all Naomi could do was fall to her knees on the forest floor and let tears roll down her cheeks as she shook with a few sobs, the hurt of her partner, of her love, leaving her feeling like it was all too much to bear.

Her silent moping had gone on for a bit longer until she had heard a twig snapping behind her. Spinning around in a blur, her gauntlet summoned and at the ready to attack whoever or whatever was behind her, only to see that it was just Sasha, who had summoned her whip in defense. "Sorry, Sasha," Naomi apologized, wiping her face as she willed her gauntlet away.

"It's no problem, Naomi," Sasha responded as she willed her whip away. "Did something happen out here? Where's Jimmy? And, more to the point, what's caused you two to unfuse?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Naomi said. "But, if I had to guess, Jimmy disappearing like that…. ...I think it means that we broke up."

A break up?! Oh no! ...OK, I know this arc looks to be off to a rocky start. But worry not (that much)! I'm sure Jimmy and Naomi will make up and get back together. ...It's just going to take some time for our unfused Gems. So, until next time, don't forget to RR please. =)

(Sasha reading the Sailor Moon manga. Can we all just agree that that's pretty heckin' cute?)

(Stay safe, warm, and healthy out there, lovelies. *sends love and good vibes out to you all*)