Before we get started this time, there's some news you should all know. I began writing this on May 2018 and first posted it to AO3. I've been reposting this chapter by chapter since earlier this year every Friday, but now we've finally reached the point where I've caught up. The good news is now you finally have the full version, but the bad news means updates will be far less frequent. This story has never been on a set schedule and right now my schedule's pretty full being a full-time college student. I thought it only fair to give you all a warning that I will now be emulating this show's only major flaw: inconsistent new releases.

With all that said, onward to the chapter!

Earth. The planet she had traveled so long to see. It took forever, even by the standards of warp speed, but the destination did not feel at all worth the journey. Even still, orders were orders, and she was in no position to question an assignment from White Diamond herself.

Silver Agate Facet-3B1R Cut 7X9 gazed out of the front viewport of the Satellite Shooter, one of the higher-tier ships she had been authorized to pilot, at the blue planet beneath her. Her prim face scrunched at disgust at the very sight of the lone world to elude Homeworld's grasp. Her pristine white hair tied into three downward-facing buns stayed perfectly still as she turned on her heels to the communication screen.

"Attention all ships, the planet has been located," she commanded, "Lock onto my coordinates and arrive in formation. That will be all."

The weather was pleasant for Steven and his father as they drove down the roads leading to the hospital where Connie was staying. The car was eerily quiet as neither of them looked forward to what they were about to see, but they each knew it had to be done. A conversation only started a third of the way there when Greg saw his son unscrew the cap to the water bottle containing the healing liquid.

"Uh, son, are you thirsty?"

"No, I just wanted to try something before we got there."

With that he spat into the bottle and proceeded to swirl it around once the cap was on again.

"Making extra-potent healing juice? That's a definite first…"

"Heh, maybe, but I just wanted to be sure. I mean I know it's silly since I know the water works, but I've only seen it heal Amethyst's gem. I also know my spit's healed Connie before so-"

"Mixing them together will make it so it'll heal her no matter what?"

"Yeah… It sounds silly, but there's no harm in trying."

"Either way, kiddo, you're helping your friend get back on her feet and that's A-Okay in my book no matter what. She's really lucky to have you as a friend."

"Thanks, Dad…"

With the pleasant chat done, the drive continued in silence though the spirits were higher than the start. Once this was done, both of them were hoping to proceed with business as usual.

Back at the Temple, the sight of Steven up on his feet again had the whole house abuzz. Pearl and Garnet were already warming up for the training to come by sparring with each other on the beach. As they continued, they were pulled aside by Bismuth with more good news.

"Guys, the warp protector's just about fixed!"

"Really? This fast?" asked Pearl.

"Yeah, the biggest problem was repairing that energy core we got from the Homeworld base. Outside of that it was just rebuilding the thing which is a cinch thanks to Peri's metal powers and my blacksmithing expertise!"

Garnet smiled as she felt the pun coming. "So that means you are…

"Back in Bismuth and you know it, baby! Woo!"

"Excellent work as usual. Let us know when you're both done, and we'll be right in."

The dreadlocked gem happily ran back inside, itching to put the finishing touches on her work. While that was going on, Lapis was spending some quality time with Adamite and Cinnabar in her room. She had to admit it was nice to be able to really test her elemental abilities against someone who could truly keep up with her. Though she had the home field advantage with her room being an endless expanse of water with little land, Adamite proved her resourcefulness by using the sand in creative ways. Cinnabar also showed her creativity, but she treated the whole situation like a game.

"Heads up!" cheered the arsonist alien as she summoned a small fireball on each finger before flinging them at the other two. Lapis, looking to fight her usual flight instinct, stood her ground and simply made a water shield to protect herself. Adamite shot several sand projectiles with perfect accuracy and they clashed harmlessly in midair.

"Nice try," commended Adamite as she subtly sent a tendril of sand underground, "But you should know better to announce your attacks."

Cinnabar barely dodged out of the way, having to leap into the ocean to keep her footing. Before she could jump out, she found two chains rooting her legs to the shallows.

"Good advice," said Lapis as she then sent a watery hand as big as Cinnabar into the trapped gem's back to send her flying. She took the attack well.

"WHEEEE! This is so much fun!"

The other two took that as a cue for a break as Cinnabar landed face first. The three calmly sat on the sand and took in the surreal beauty of Lapis' new room. It was something else watching shooting stars whizz by in one patch of sky while the one immediately next to it was a cloudless day.

"Man, feels like I've barely been in here," admitted Lapis, "Almost forgot what it looked like."

"It is surely something," responded Adamite, "Although your last dwelling was quite impressive as well."

"Yeah, it's still kind of sad what happened to the barn."

"Maybe," chimed Cinnabar, "But how many can say they've flattened a spaceship with their house?!"

"Heh, that was pretty cool. Just don't ever bring it up around Peridot or else she'll go crazy over all the meep-morps we made getting trashed."

Adamite chuckled at that. "I must admit it amuses me to imagine you as some form of artist."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not at all. I can now see the benefits of recreational activities as they declutter the mind and lower stress. Before, though, I would have dismissed them as unproductive."

"Homeworld just needs to learn how to lighten up!" griped Cinnabar, "Maybe they'd stop being huge jerks if they had some fun once in a while."

"Oh, yeah, so if we just send them a full DVD boxset of Camp Pining Hearts then they'd just forget everything and stop attacking other planets?" joked Lapis. That got quite the laugh out of Cinnabar and even Adamite who thought it was so ridiculous it just might work.

The last major group was Topaz and the Off-Colors who were in the Sun Incinerator parked on the cliff above the temple. While most days they would be preparing to go on a brief test flight to ensure the ship was in prime condition, there was one thing they all needed to resolve first.

The five gems were huddled in front of the main monitor, watching the scene before them with rapt attention. A figure hidden in shadow entered the frame and all of them gasped in shock, only to be heartbroken by what happened next.

"What?! The credits?!" shouted Rutile's left head.

"That's just heartless!" agreed her right head, "Now we'll never know who's spying on Paulette and Percy!"

"I still can't believe that stunt he pulled!" groaned Rhodonite, "Now who will win the canoe race?"

"Captain… Does she have…?" started Fluorite before Topaz took the moment to clear her eyes and remove the final disc of the Camp Pining Hearts second season DVD set from the player.

"Yes, Peridot does have season three, but we'll have to get back to that. We still have a test to run."

"Okay…" moaned Padparadscha as she moved to her usual spot, but secretly made a note to not tell any of the others that the oncoming figure was actually Pierre. She did not need to be a proper psychic to predict that her crewmates would never let her live down giving such a massive spoiler. Although it was not her fault that being able to see the recent past meant you were able to pick up on the subtlest of foreshadowing in television shows.

Instead she idly watched the others bring the starship to life and take off for a quick jaunt to Angelopolis on the other side of the country to ensure that everything was still running smoothly. After they were done with their daily run-through, they could get started for the even more important event of binging the next season of their favorite show.

The Universe family pulled up to the Delmarva Point Hospital about twenty miles outside of Beach City and exited the van. Greg soon called the Maheswerans about what they were planning and waited for a few minutes before the eager parents arrived.

"Thank you for calling us," said Doug, clearly anxious to see his daughter well again, "But is it true what you said? You can actually heal Connie?"

"Well, that's Steven's department, but I've learned to trust in stuff like this," admitted the other father.

"Yeah, it's some special water made to heal gems mixed with my spit. It fixed her eyes before and I thought having both would be a way to make sure it would work."

"I can just hear all of my professors laughing at that thought," admitted Priyanka, "But given the realistic alternative I'll take whatever magic potion you have. I just want my little girl home already."

The four of them entered the main lobby where Priyanka was greeted by her coworkers who were surprised to see her again. Many wondered if she was here to return to work, but she made it clear to the receptionist she was just here for visiting. One brief check later and the four made their way to Connie's room on the fifth floor. Steven had to admit the place was much nicer without the gem equivalent of necromancy wandering about or the eerie green lighting.

Of course, humor like that was just to keep himself from bailing as he got closer and closer to the room. He could feel his nerves take hold of him as the events that led to this point flashed in front of him, but that also included seeing his mother. That thankfully gave him the courage, alongside some reassuring glances from Greg, to reach the door to room 515.

Inside was Connie, but at first glance he could not tell. Her entire body was covered in wrappings and a large back brace around her midsection. She was hooked up to half a dozen machines made to keep her alive and the only real indication she was alive was the EKG letting out a high-pitched beep every few seconds.

"Goodness…" mumbled Greg as he took in the morose sight. The Maheswerans had at least seen the girl in this condition, but a sudden flash ran through his mind. He saw Steven in that bed for a split second before looking down and seeing his actual son's knees shaking. Greg gave him a gentle push which was enough to keep Steven moving.

As he stepped closer and closer, the replays in Steven's mind got more frequent. He heard that deafening scream she made from Jasper's last hit over and over again, but he shoved it down. He forced one foot in front of the other until he was at her bedside. His hands tried unscrewing the cap of the bottle he still held, but he felt something he needed to say first.

"Connie…" he whispered, "I'm so sorry this happened. I know you'll tell me not to worry about it when you wake up, but I still need to say it. I promise I'll protect you better next time… because I know you'll protect me."

With that off his chest, he opened the bottle and poured the pink liquid inside on the comatose girl. Her skin glowed as the mixture washed over her, but even still Steven emptied all of it. Irrational as part of him thought it was, he wanted to make sure his friend was back to full strength.

By the time he was done, Connie's body shimmered for a few seconds before her eyes ripped open and she took in a huge gulp of air.

"What the-?! Jasper…Gems…Pain…What the heck is-?"

She did not get much further before Steven covered her in a massive hug, overjoyed that the medicine worked. Any more attempts at questions were drowned out as her parents, both noticeably crying, swarmed her next and thanked whatever planet Rose was from that their child was alright once more.

Peridot and Bismuth had the entire house brought inside for the reveal of the reveal warp pad protector. While Fluorite had to stay outside because of her size, she was just as eager to see their success as the rest of the group. With a dramatic press of a button, the machine droned to life and the group applauded the engineers responsible.

"Ah yes, thank you, thank you, your praise is well understood," gloated Peridot, "It's not every day you pull off a complete recovery like this."

"Alright, everyone lighten up," joked Bismuth, "We don't her head getting any bigger."

"Har har. As if you don't ever take part in gloating."

"I'm not denying it, but at least I don't expect people to 'praise me'…"

"It was one time! You try winning at the Robot Olympics and see how you feel!"

"Robot Olympics? That sounds amazing!" squeed Cinnabar, "Can we see the next ones?! Please?"

"As entertaining as that sounds," admitted Pearl, "We don't have the surplus of spare parts we used for last time to build with. Plus, there is the whole Homeworld situation to deal with and…"

"It was pretty awesome," said Amethyst, getting the other newcomers interested in the idea, "We could even sell tickets for people to watch."

"We'll look at the later," said Garnet, getting everyone back on track, "But for now we should be happy that Homeworld can't surprise us again."

"Plus, we managed to analyze the sabotaging device the Diamonds used last time and thus planned ahead," added Peri, "They won't be pulling that stunt again."

"Great," sighed Topaz, "And with our check done, we have nothing major to worry about for now."

"Well then, the meeting is adjourned," concluded Pearl, "Back to whatever you were doing for the day then, everyone!"

As the group dispersed, the swordswoman seemed exceptionally giddy at the prospect of finally getting Steven back on his training regimen. Not only for his own sake, but also because she had loved the opportunity to teach. She figured it would take some time for Connie to recover and take up training herself, but having one of her pupils back would definitely be a step in the right direction. As for now, though, she pulled aside Rhodonite and decided to have a quick spar with her before Steven returned from his visit.

It took almost an hour for Connie to be cleared from the hospital. When the girl's assigned nurse saw her walking up and about when she still needed a machine to breathe a few minutes ago, she automatically assumed she had somehow ingested someone else's medication. It was not long before every single doctor in the building were trying to take her vitals, double-checking her bed to make sure this was not Connie's long-lost twin and trying to work through the enormous migraines that came when literally everything you spent years practicing was ignored.

Thankfully, Dr. Mahesweran was there to diffuse the tension and say that it was thanks to the Crystal Gems that her daughter was alive. That quickly sorted out many of the questions since the general consensus was if they were involved, it was something supernatural and/or magical and thus should be left alone. Greg even said he was grateful to have that excuse or else he worried his half-alien son would be hounded by paparazzi.

Eventually, though, the two families were free to go. All of them were glad, but Connie herself had a great deal on her mind.

"Okay, now that I don't have someone pushing a stethoscope on me I need some answers," she said to Steven, "What exactly happened to me?"

"Well…"

And that proceeded another very long explanation of the "Jasper Incident" as Steven recounted everything that happened from his wrathful transformation to his bout of depression to his wake-up call from Rose Quartz herself. By the end of it all, Connie's jaw was sore from being left gaping for so long.

"Woooooooow…"

"Yeah, that's been the past few weeks. Pretty crazy, huh?"

"Even by your standards. So Jasper's really…"

"Dead. No amount of healing water can fix that."

"Man… So how do you feel about all this?"

Greg and the Maheswerans, who had been listening this entire time, excused themselves for one reason or another. That left the two alone to talk in private on one of the hospital benches.

"I don't know now… Because it's pretty easy to say Jasper's evil."

"Pretty sure crippling someone for fun will do that…" remarked the girl bitterly.

"But even then… I don't want to think that. Everyone has so much to them, even her."

"You really think so? After all of this?"

"I mean, I can't really find out now, but yeah. Connie, almost half the people I live with were bad guys at some point. But then I managed to talk them through it and now they're my friends."

"True."

"So I just can't help but wonder… What if I said something different? Something that made Jasper change her mind and at least stop bothering us? Maybe she wouldn't have been a Crystal Gem, but what if she at least stopped being such a jerk?"

Connie stopped to think of that for a moment only to remember something from several years ago.

"I used to think that way before I met you."

"Huh? Think about what?"

"Whenever I was in a new town, I always just read books because I thought other people wouldn't like me. I wanted to meet new people, but every time I tried I started thinking 'What if they don't like me? What if I just humiliate myself? What if they hate me because I'll just move again?'"

"Okay, that's really sad, but what does that mean with Jasper?"

"It's thinking about what might happen instead of making it happen. I was always so scared about being rejected that I never bothered even trying. The whole reason I thought I was never going to have friends was because I just assumed other kids would hate me."

Steven just stared at her for several seconds, having to remember how Connie was when they first met. He almost could not imagine the shy bookworm from so long ago to the girl sitting next to him now.

"You know, Mom said something like that," he admitted, "And she said it wouldn't be easy."

"Yeah, but she also said you don't have to save everyone alone. She's right about that too."

Steven had to chuckle at that. "You know what would be funny? You meeting my mom."

"Heh, she'd probably just tell me to not break her sword or try anything funny with you…"

"Then we could all train together as one big insane family!"

The two laughed at the ridiculousness of the thought, letting all the tension out of their systems. After so much serious discussion, such a little joke seemed like the funniest thing they ever heard but they did not care. It was nice to actually act like children once in a while.

Once they finally calmed down, the three parents walked over to them and told them it was time to finally bring Connie home.

"When you see Pearl again, tell I'll be around in a few days to start training again, okay?" said the girl as her family got into their car.

"Sure thing! We'll be back to butt-kicking shape in no time!" boasted Steven before giving her one final hug before the two parted ways. Despite a slight bit of dread still in the air, the two felt a sense of optimism. This time, no matter how hard things got, they would be able to face the future.

The next day, high in the planet's stratosphere, Silver Agate's reinforcements had arrived. A force of only eight ships seemed insufficient compared to the scale of other operations, but the gem had absolute faith in the Diamond's plan.

"All ships, check in," she ordered through the communicator. Once she received an affirmative from all the vessels, she resumed speaking.

"Now that we have arrived, we will wait until the next nightfall of this planet before landing. What little information we have on these organic lifeforms is that they require an excessive period of rest every cycle to remain functional. We will strike when they are at their most vulnerable."

That received a cocky round of affirmatives from the other captains on board. What could a bunch of organics do to gems, anyway?

"Your mission is to abduct as many organics as possible and return them to your respective craft. You will meet interference from Rose Quartz's rebellion so be prepared for a confrontation at all times. Do not depart until after I give my signal, understood?"

One final sound-off from all the ships rang out.

"Excellent. Everyone maintain your position and prepare to succeed for the good of Homeworld. That will be all."

And so next time, we'll have Homeworld pulling the classic alien invasion on a much larger scale than the last time they tried.

As usual, thank you all so much for reading! Please feel free to leave a review!

Since the next update won't be coming for a while now, I'd also like to sincerely thank all the people who've been following and favoriting this little story of mine and bringing me to nearly 25,000 hits. Who knew my crazy little collection of headcanons would get so much attention?