And now the thrilling conclusion!... Of social bonding. Yay?

Lapis was surprised how accepting all of them were with her decision, but she appreciated the hospitality. It did, however, have the unfortunate side effect of making her second guess herself. If they were this friendly to her…

"No! I'm going and that's final!" she yelled to herself. Trying to look nonchalant, she walked outside for her final bonding session of the evening, but not before glancing at the massive portrait of Rose above the doorway. After admiring the artwork, she walked onto the porch where Garnet was calmly admiring the night sky in one of the patio chairs.

"Good evening, Lapis. Take a seat." She greeted and gestured to the chair next to her. Lapis obliged and wondered what the fusion had in store for her. She followed Garnet's gaze up to the night sky and took in the serene sight of stars and the waxing gibbous moon above the gently lapping waves.

"So, what exactly are we doing?" asked Lapis after several minutes of scenery watching in relative silence.

"This, unless you'd rather do something else," replied Garnet.

Lapis merely shrugged and went back to stargazing. She had to admit that after six hours of almost constant excitement, it felt very soothing to simply stop and smell the roses one last time. As time kept passing, though, she felt the desire to speak her mind.

"Garnet… you're the one in charge right?"

"Yes."

"How do you do it? Doesn't it bother you having so much on your shoulders?"

Garnet chuckled at the thought. "Sometimes it gets to be too much. I must admit there have been times I've fallen apart, but I have to look ahead and realize that the stress will pass. Although it does help to be able to do that literally…"

"Wait, what? You mean you can see the future?!" This caught both Gems by surprise.

"Huh… I suppose I never did tell you that. Yes, Lapis, I have an ability called future vision which lets me see possible outcomes to various problems."

"That's fantastic! You can see if Homeworld is coming or not! Are they coming soon? Will they be looking for me? Do you see me staying or going? I just have to know now!" exclaimed Lapis, eager to have some clarity in her conflict, but Garnet just stood there deciding how to let her down gently.

"Lapis, it doesn't work that way. I can't see everything and just because something can happen does not mean it will happen. Besides, knowing the future isn't always a blessing." Garnet became uncomfortably quiet on that last line, almost as if she was talking more to herself than her guest.

Said guest was not taking the news well. "Oh, okay then. I guess that makes sense." Lapis tried to turn away, but then Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back around.

"I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but let me tell you what I told Steven when he learned about it. You see, he started asking me about every possible way something could go wrong. He became so terrified something was going to happen to him that he couldn't live anymore. And even worse, I knew this could happen if I told him the truth. But that's when I told him I could see many things that can hurt him and I never should have let one of them be me. There are millions of possibilities for the future, but it's up to you to decide which one becomes reality. Lapis, you choose your own future."

This brightened Lapis' mood, especially that last line about choosing her own future. Although that did raise doubt in her mind about her impending departure, she let it stew in her mind while she and Garnet observed the stars in peace. Occasionally the fusion would point out a constellation in the distance, but the remaining hours passed in peace. It was not long before the half moon was climbing to the highest point, signaling it was time to say goodbye. With their last minute upon them, Garnet and Lapis simply stood up and shook hands without saying a word to each other though their respective smiles showed them leaving on good terms. They walked back inside surprised to find Steven fighting to keep himself awake on his bed.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" He had to repress a massive yawn, but refused to sleep until everything was said and done.

"It's fine Steven. I really want to thank you for this whole idea."

"No problem, buddy. Is it alright if I see you off, though?"

The water gem nodded and the two walked to the warp pad while Garnet went to get Pearl and Amethyst to see their fellow gem off as well. When they returned to the barn, Peridot was found inside with several pages of paper scattered around her feet. Pumpkin was merely watching as the mechanical gem tried every logical notion to sort out her feelings but very few met with any success. It seems even her intellect was no match for the befuddling power of pathos.

"Peridot, are you doing something important?" asked Lapis.

"Lapis! I was just… preparing a proper inventory to make sure we have all the essentials before a prolonged period of space travel. Since we have no set destination in mind and though we do not need as many supplies, I would like to be certain none of our possessions are left behind. For one thing, I've made sure we have our entire cassette collection before-"

"Peri, stop right there. I've had a really great day with the Crystal Gems and-" she interjected before being interrupted by the Crystal Gems themselves arriving via warp stream.

"Good thing your still here. We wanted to make sure we saw you leave," said Garnet.

"I mean, how many times do you get to see a barn blast off into space by a water pad? You can't make this stuff up!" laughed Amethyst.

"We feel it's only proper given how open we've all been with you today. So, do you need help preparing your belongings for take-off? I happen to know several procedures for this sort of operation thanks to my aeronautical research," said Pearl.

Lapis just stared at all three of them in shock. "You're all willing to do this after a few hours with me? We had barely spoken to each other before now."

"Don't be surprised Lapis. We're your friends, of course we'd want to make sure everything you want goes well!" said Steven. That final bit edged whatever debate was left in her mind. The flighty gem's mind was finally made up.

"You know, with all of you here so willing to give me a chance, I should be willing to do the same. Maybe I should sta-"

She never got to finish that sentence. A harsh yellow light broke through the peaceful air and beamed down on all six of them. Pumpkin ran to the barn in fear and quivered under the nearest crevice. All of them looked up and saw the two roaming eyes looming above them, having been thrown off by the interruption by their target entering the warp stream. Now they had arrived and sighted Rose Quartz.

Aaah, there's some more excitement! Now I have a REAL cliffhanger to make you all impatient with. HAHAHAHAHA! Tune in next time for an ACTUAL exciting conclusion!

Thank you all so much for reading! Please feel free to leave a review!