Disclaimer: Characters, settings, names from the cartoon television show 'Steven Universe' are creations and property of Rebecca sugar and Cartoon network. Any non-steven universe characters, settings, names, Gems, Gem powers, beliefs, mythology are my own creation.

Author's Note: Alright time for Chapter 8 to kick off. Lapis returns two days after being released from her fusion with Jasper, by Peridot. The Crystal Gems, when they find Lapis with Steven, try to attack her. But Steven tells them she's not a threat.

Tags: Steven Universe, Connie Maheswaran, OC's, Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Beach City, Gem Powers, Romance, Adventure, Comfort, Destiny.

Music Inspiration for Chapter: "Child of Wrath" By: Ancient Mariner

Chapter 8: Lapis and Steven

Tuesday

5 May, 2016, 3:00 [Morning]

Crystal Temple, Beach City, DE

Two days after being freed from her fusion with Jasper, Lapis hid inside of the deepest trenches of the ocean floor. Encased in a blue orb which was harder than any metal, Lapis took those two days to think about what she wanted to do. Steven promised to set her free, he even intended to help her when she was being held as a prisoner in the giant hand star ship up in space. But she refused to listen to him. And for that she was used by Jasper to take revenge on the crystal gems at the last minute. But, going against her desire to get her revenge against the gems who imprisoned her.

Only the thought of the half gem, Steven, made her realize that Revenge was not the answer. So in a last ditch attempt to turn away from revenge, she fought against Malachite's control and chained herself up to keep Steven and the rest of the planet safe. Two years went by in a bitter struggle to keep Jasper from trying to undo the fusion. Two years that were not spent alone, but ones which she wished she had spent alone.

But now she was back, driven by the need to see Steven's face. To be near him, to be near the only person she could remember who did not look at her with distrust or suspicion. He healed her, repaired her gemstone. If only Steven knew how much that meant to her. He gave her freedom, hope and life back to her. She needed to make it up to him, somehow.

Breaking out of the blue orb she encased herself in, Lapis swam up to the surface of the ocean and flew over to the shoreline. Her blue feet touched the cool sand as she started to walk towards Steven's beach house. The morning was quiet, a passing breeze sent sand swirling around on the ground. Lapis looked around and noticed the Jungle gym that was not there when she landed in front of the crystal temple with Jasper and Peridot.

She flew over to it using her water wings and sat down on it. She felt the cold bars with her hands and closed her eyes. Concentrating, Lapis saw images of Steven and Connie sitting down on the same spot she was on and kissing. Seeing Steven blush and looking down made her feel angry and sad. Looking at Connie smiling at Steven made her angrier and created a storm inside of her chest, a feeling she was unfamiliar with.

"Steven..." Lapis said his name, almost sadly.

Lapis flew off of the Jungle gym and went over to the deck of Steven's beach house. The moment her feet touched the deck, her wings returned back into her gemstone. She walked around over to a window and looked through it. She saw Steven sleeping comfortably on his bed. Near his bed she saw the pink lion who accompanied him and Connie when she took the world's ocean to try to reach her home world.

Lapis's countenance went soft and tender looking down at Steven's sleeping face. She tapped lightly on the window, getting only to wake up and look up at her. He growled lowly and stood up on his feet, lowering his head and baring his teeth slightly at her. Still, Lapis tapped on the window. This time she got Steven to open his eyes. She tapped once more, steven sat up on his bed and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and noticed Lion in a defensive position.

"What's the matter Lion? Something caught your..."

"Steven...Steven" Lapis said from the other side of the window.

"Lap...Lapis? Lapis!" Steven said with shock and excitement.

But Lion saw Lapis's presence as Un-welcomed and hence, growled at her louder.

"Lion that's enough!" Steven said sternly. Lion looked at his young master and turned his back on Lapis. He relaxed back on the floor and flipped his tail back and forth.

Steven undid the hook keeping his window closed and pushed it open. Lapis stepped inside and took a seat next to Steven. Steven closed his window and sat down next to Lapis who had raised her knees and hugged them against her chest.

"Lapis...it's been a while, how did you escape. Wait a second, where's-"

"Jasper's not on the planet anymore. Being fused to her for so long granted me the ability to sense not only her presence, but the presence of other gems. Your signature is a little different, I didn't think half gems could give out signals."

"So is Jasper is off the planet, what happened to Peridot."

"Peridot is the reason me and Jasper unfused. She must have figured out how to fashion a gem destabilizer while she was here on this planet. After I escaped, I never looked back, but I felt Peridot's life just vanish soon after releasing me and Jasper. I guess Jasper took out her anger on her subordinate."

"Wow. I really wish those two could have turned out nicer."

"There are a lot more worse gems out there than those two. Trust me. Steven, i'm sorry."

"Sorry? What's there to be sorry about Lapis."

"I should have left with you when we were still in space. I thought that if we really gave in to their demands, they would show us leniency. But I was a fool. They would sooner see us dead than show mercy on an ancient gem like my self and a half gem.

Steven felt for lonely gem, he scratched the back of his head and placed an arm around Lapis's shoulder. Lapis, who had her head sunken in under her crossed arms that rested on the top of her knees looked up. She turned her head to the side and looked into Steven's kind, emphatic eyes and couldn't help but she tears when Steven smiled at her.

Lapis wiped her tears away and smiled softly back at Steven. "You look different Steven, you were shorter and more...stocky."

"Oh, yeah I underwent a lot of training. Lost some weight and gained some muscles. When we last met I was twelve, now i'm fourteen. I'm a growing boy and gem."

"Hah hah hah, Steven..." Lapis laughed. she reached over to hold Steven's other hand. She took it, pressed her hand and kept it on his.

Steven blushed and allowed her to express herself. Under the moonlight, Lapis almost looked human. Her eyes, wet and alive. Lapis locked fingers with Steven and slowly leaned her face closer to his. "Steven..." she said softly.

Steven blinked several times when he felt Lapis's head fall down on his chest. Steven laid her down next to him. He wasn't sure if he should sleep next to her, but then again he did sleep next to Pearl when she retreated back into her gem stone to heal after being stabbed her hologram. Steven threw his covers over Lapis and himself. He fluffed his pillows and laid his head down. He put some distance between himself and Lapis. But Lapis wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close to her.

"You don't have to be alone anymore Lapis. I'll never leave your side, because starting as of tonight, you're a crystal gem." Steven declared before giving into sleep.

Lapis shed a tear, smiled and kept her head firmly between the crook of Steven's neck and shoulder.

Crystal Temple, Beach House

8:00 [Morning]

Walking out of the crystal temple and her bedroom, Pearl looked absolutely happy and relaxed. She looked over to Steven's room and saw an arm around his waist, hand and fingers locked with steven's.

"Steven! Who's in bed with You!" Pearl shouted.

Lion awoke from the volume and sound of urgency in pearl's voice. Steven rose up and so did Lapis.

"YOU! When did you Escaped from The Ocean!" Pearl shouted, pulling out her spear from the pearl stone on her forehead.

Pearl jumped up and flew towards Lapis. Steven saw everything happen in slow motion. His flaming pink aura flared up and surrounded both him and Lapis. Steven kept Lapis's hand firmly locked in his. A giant pink ethereal arm wielding Rose's giant shield appeared, but something else appeared. Rose's shield was encased or rather, reinforced with four inches of impenetrable jagged ice. The pink ethereal arm was covered in blue chain mail and armor plating. Pearl jabbed her spear into the ice shield, but was repelled back from the defensive power of the shield.

Steven was amazed and confused as to how this happened, he looked down at his gem in his stomach. It was glowing! Just like the one on Lapis's back. Their gem powers were so in-sync with one another, they vibed well enough to support each other.

"What on Earth? Steven, how are you doing that?"

"I could always do this. Well except for the ice and armor part. But anyway, Pearl you don't have to attack Lapis. I made her a crystal Gem last night."

"last night? You don't have that authority Steven! Get away from Lapis, she's dangerous."

"The only one dangerous here is you." Steven's expression went from soft to stern. Two giant wooden hands formed from the floor. They sprouted up and locked pearl between them. Pearl dropped her spear which vanished.

Pearl felt her energy slowly being sapped, enough to calm her down. Lapis saw this and told Steven to ease up.

"Steven it's ok, I promise I won't fight her or do anything to ruin the peace." with Lapis's assurance, Steven undid the wooden hands restraining Pearl. he sent them back to reform back into the floor.

Pearl fell on her knees and placed her hand over her chest, breathing intensely. "Steven...let that be the last time you restrain me."

"Lapis wasn't hurting anyone, and I won't ever restrain you again, unless I have to." Steven told her.

Coming running out of their own rooms, Amethyst and Garnet joined Pearl who rose back to her feet. Amethyst pulled her whip out of her chest gemstone and garnet manifested her gauntlets in both her hands.

"Steven, what is Lapis doing in bed with you." Garnet asked him.

"You guys please. Lapis isn't our enemy. She did save us from jasper."

"And where is Jasper!" Pearl said out loud.

Steven looked over to Lapis, still keeping his shield up. Lapis decided to speak for herself.

"I made my choice to spent all of eternity with Jasper because I wanted to keep Steven safe. I didn't do it for any of you. Especially for you, Ruby and Sapphire. It's because of you that I ended up being stuck to a mirror. But I can look past the mistakes of children. Peridot is dead, Jasper is off the planet."

"You're a liar!" Amethyst said, joining the party.

"I was stuck to her long enough to sense other gems. I don't feel either of their presence on earth."

"But the galaxy warp is broken, there's no way she could have left the planet. You better not be lying to us." Pearl warned Lapis.

"You three really don't know anything about how far advance home world technology has come. Jasper only needed to shape shift into a rocket and fly out into space. When she was far away enough from the earth, she most likely pulled out a diamond capsule from her suit that she brought with her. That capsule would enlarge and form into a Starship."

"Do you guys think she's telling the truth?" Amethyst questioned.

"Whose to say, but I want you two to search every dimension to make sure Jasper or Peridot are not hiding. I'm going to make sure Lapis isn't pulling a facade on us. Go you two!" pearl ordered garnet and amethyst.

Garnet nodded and stepped onto the warp pad, amethyst followed her and the two were beamed away.

Steven undid his shield and disembodied arm. The ice and armor vanished too. Lion went over stood before lapis, he bowed his head lightly to her and jumped down to the first floor.

"See pearl, Lion already trusts Lapis. If my mom was here I bet you would have dropped your suspicion for her."

Pearl blushed and told Steven to get up and take a shower. Steven stretched his arms and legs and stepped out of his bed. Lapis stood at the foot of the bed looking out of the window. Pearl stood near and kept her eyes on Lapis. Lion yawned and licked his paws and underbelly.

- Continued in Chapter 9