Chapter 10

Her grasp on his soft cheeks was lost as he was violently snatched away from her, his head snapping upwards as if he were struck. Connie watched in terror as Steven's body slipped away, his eyes rolling back as he fell straight through the floor of the golden courtyard. Her arms uselessly flailed out after him, his name brimming on her lips.

Steven had disappeared, just when she thought there was hope. Connie stood alone in her dreamscape, their too-short interaction playing over and over in her mind.

…

Her eyes opened slowly, the moonlight from the sliding glass door reflecting brightly off of Steven's white sheets. She took a deep breath in, searching for any trace of his scent left on the bed. She had slept here in his room since she first came back to beach city, and the duvet smelled more of her own perfume than his now.

She rolled out of the bed, throwing the blankets off of her as she stood. The soft moonlight beckoned her to the window, pulling the front of her cardigan tighter around her sides as she walked. She leaned against the doorframe, basking in the pale glow as her mind recounted what she had dreamt.

She had no doubt that Steven had finally visited her, though she couldn't imagine what had taken him so long. He had looked…rough, to say the least. His hair and clothing were disgusting, and Connie felt lucky she wasn't able to smell him in her mind. Everything about him seemed somehow altered, as if he had been through a lifetime since she had last seen him. His shaky, frightened voice, the shrinking way in which he moved, and the substantial injuries she had seen on him clenched her heart painfully.

His filthy, stained clothes were slashed open in multiple areas, revealing dried blood underneath; a brown, flaky coating that seemed to cover much of his unusually pale skin. That some of the flaked blood had previously rubbed or fallen off, she had no doubt. He had been through hell, though it seemed like most of his injuries had healed. Most.

Perhaps the most striking thing about his appearance, which had thrown her off when she first locked eyes with him, was his left eye. Rugged pink scars ran over his eyelid, which hung half-closed of its own accord. The small slit of his eye that was visible wasn't his usual deep brown, but a dark, polluted black. Through the grime on his cheeks ran several pale streaks, pathways that his tears had followed.

Her own tears flowed incessantly from her eyes as she recounted his appearance. She couldn't even imagine what he had gone through to end up looking so bad, though if she'd had more time with him, she might've found out. It was evident that he knew he was about to be woken up from how he had looked fearfully to the sky right after greeting her; he was beyond terrified.

The comfortable, warm bedroom suddenly felt stale and claustrophobic, driving Connie out onto the patio. She leaned her arms on the wooden rail as she deeply breathed in the salty scent of the ocean. The tears on her face cooled in the seabreeze, soothing her puffy skin. The dunes of sand casted artistic shadows on the beach, complimented by the rushing, crashing waves breaking on the shore nearby.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?"

Connie turned her head towards the familiar voice, a sad smile playing on her lips. Lapis Lazuli sat on the roof of Steven's room, her oceanic wings wrapped protectively over her figure as she hugged her knees. She gazed out at the sky, millions of specks of light reflected in her wide eyes.

"Yeah, it really is. You, um, you couldn't sleep?"

Lapis looked down at her, shrugging playfully. "I don't really do it that often. I'm not like Amethyst." She cracked a grin at her own quip before her expression dropped again, returning to her solemn pondering.

"Why are you out here so late, Connie? Don't you actually need sleep?"

Connie ran a hand through her hair, calculating her next move. Everyone had been trying to get a hold of Lapis since their meeting with Sapphire, and this was the first time she had made any kind of appearance. Pearl was absolutely beside herself.

"Can you give me a hand? It looks pretty comfortable up there." She gave a sheepish smile and wiped her tears as Lapis nodded, gracefully gliding down to meet her on the patio. She grabbed both of Connie's hands, and with a few salty waves, they were both on the roof. They settled down languidly before Connie spoke.

"I'm out here because…Steven visited me, in my dream. He's alive out there, somewhere."

Lapis's shock was tangible as she stared at Connie in disbelief, seemingly at a loss for words. Her widened eyes directed themselves at the constellations again as she gathered herself.

"Lapis, he…he looked really bad. He-" Her voice broke as she stifled a sob. "He's really hurt. I tried to talk to him, but something snatched him away from me. He was so scared."

Lapis's hand patted Connie's back in a comforting gesture, while the blue gem's eyebrows creased together in worry.

"He's alive…well, that's good to hear; we can still find him. There's gotta be a way."

Connie wiped her runny nose on her sleeve, chewing her bottom lip nervously. She needed to be delicate with Lapis, or else she'd get scared off.

"Lapis…there is a way." She peered over to Lapis, discreetly gauging her reaction. Her lean blue arms tightened over her legs, hugging them closer as she buried her face in her elbow. She sat completely still for a long while.

Connie turned her eyes towards the shoreline again, allowing the crashing waves to fill her senses pleasantly. Out across the ocean was an undulating plane of dazzling reflections, sparkling all the way out to the horizon. She let herself get taken in by the beauty of it all, affording herself a single moment of peace in the chaos. From up here, she could almost forget that the world had fallen apart into violence and confusion.

"Steven visited me too."

Connie's alarmed gaze flashed over to Lapis, the question evident in her wide eyes.

"Not now! When I was trapped as Malachite, he visited me. In my mind. He tried to help me." Her eyes glossed over as she continued, the events of her imprisonment playing fresh in her mind.

"He was trying to find me. At the time, I thought I was doing him a favor by staying with Jasper, that's why I let myself stay that way for so long. When he saved me from that mirror, I felt like I owed him my life. I was on borrowed time, and I didn't care if I lived or died. My purpose, my vengeance for being trapped my whole life, was keeping and torturing Jasper. My life is so much more now. I've learned who I really am, what my real purpose is." She sighed, pleading with her eyes as she turned to face Connie.

"That's why there has to be another way. Doing that, fusing again…it would destroy me. Not only that, but Peridot would be affected too. I don't want to go through that again myself, but I can't put her through that. She doesn't understand…I've kept a lot of it hidden from her, but if we fused? She would feel all that I've felt. I can't let that happen to her, I won't."

She held her breath, hesitating before she admitted, "Connie…I love her. She's my new purpose. I'm sorry, but I can't fuse with her. We'll find some other way."

With that, she stood, soaring from the rooftop with a blast of salty wind. For the second time that night, Connie was left alone with a bombshell of information to take in.

.

The next morning, Connie called a meeting. She hadn't slept a wink since she had seen Steven, instead planning how to deliver the news to everyone.

Bismuth, Peridot, and Pearl greeted them at the beach house first, having received a text from Connie calling them over. Greg followed shortly after, accompanied by Amethyst, who had been sent out to fetch him. Connie didn't see the point in inviting Ruby and Sapphire, as they probably wouldn't have come anyways, nor did she think it would be beneficial at all. Everyone settled anxiously on and around the couches as she prepared to break the news.

She looked around at her silent audience. Greg looked much worse for wear, his brown hair lank and oily as it hung over his eyes, mingling with his unshaven beard. Red, tired eyes peered up at her as she cleared her throat and tried to organize her scattered thoughts.

"So, I have news for you all. Last night, Steven visited me in my dream. He didn't say much, but at least we know he's alive."

Excited relief washed over the faces of the room's occupants. Pearl and Greg alone seemed to be secluded, though Greg's numb eyes did widen marginally at the announcement.

"Also," Connie continued, calling their attention back, "I spoke with Lapis last night too."

Finally, Pearl's attention was intently aimed at her.

"She explained to me why the, um, fusion situation is, for the moment, out of the question. I won't go into detail, but we need to work hard to find a different way. But, as it is, I think she'll be coming back soon."

Her last sentence was directed at the two gems standing off from the group, both of whom had been rather upset by Lapis's sudden departure. Pearl's hands clasped earnestly in front of her chest as her wide eyes threatened to well with tears of relief.

Peridot nodded shortly, glaring up in annoyance at Pearl's emotional display. Pearl hadn't left her alone since Lapis had left, assuming that if she returned, she'd go to Peridot first. The tension of Steven's kidnapping combined with the strain on her relationship with her roommate was quickly pushing Peridot past her emotional limit, and she felt as though she was about to snap.

Suddenly, Greg voiced the questions half of the room were burning to ask.

"How was Steven? Did he tell you anything useful?"

Connie gave a small, pitiful smile towards him before she responded.

"Well, I didn't get to really talk to him before he, um, woke up. All that I know is that he's alive, and that we need to double down our efforts, fast. He didn't look particularly good." She looked down at her wringing hands as the room absorbed the dismal information. Thankfully, Bismuth broke the silence.

"Well. Come on guys, if we all work together, we can get Pearl back by the end of the day. If it's as bad as you say, Connie, there's not a second to lose. We've gotta be able to brainstorm through this." She looked around her encouragingly, her rainbow locs swinging.

Amethyst's pessimistic voice was the first to chip in, her tone dismal. "Bismuth, none of us here knows her as well as you and Garnet did. If anyone in here can brainstorm through this, it's you. Have any ideas?"

Bismuth's hand stroked her chin thoughtfully as she racked her brain. All eyes were on her as she suddenly gasped, smacking the coffee table with her palm.

"I know just the thing! But how would we do it…" Her hand returned to her face as she rescinded into her mind again.

"Amethyst, I'll need your help. And we'll need Lapis too, to get Pearl there." She purposefully left out the details of her plan, aware of the suspicious gaze of Pearl from next to the couch. Without Lapis here, no one could order her to stand outside, and she had stubbornly decided to stick to Peridot.

Everyone's budding excitement over the new plan was thrown off-track when Greg issued a loud, sighing cry. He hunched over himself, shielding his cringing face with his unwashed hair. The room exchanged worried looks before they all descended on him, showering him with comforting pats, hugs, and words.

"Steven is tough! We're gonna get him back just fine!"

"It's going to be okay, Mr. Universe. Just breathe."

"Hey, man, don't worry, Steven'll be back soon!"

Their voices cracked and broke as they soothed him. Greg was expressing the exact emotion everyone around him was feeling, though they were distracting themselves with the 'mission'. Putting their feelings aside and focusing on finding Steven seemed the best, and least painful, course of action.

Greg's hanging head shook dismally, his knuckles white as he gripped the roots of his hair. He blamed himself for Steven's kidnapping, a sort of survivor's guilt combined with his failure to protect his son. His feelings were eating him alive, consuming his every waking moment with torment. He had long since stopped caring for himself and his health, instead choosing to sulk in self pity.

Connie pulled Amethyst to the side, whispering, "We need to get him some help. Do you know anyone who can take care of him until we get Steven back?"

Amethyst eyed Greg with sad, worried eyes as she responded, "Yeah, I think I know someone who can take him. I'll have to talk with her first, but it should be no prob. She knows what's going on, everyone does, so I'm sure she'll understand." She glanced over to Peridot and Bismuth as they quietly hatched their plan between themselves, while Pearl sourly looked on.

"I guess I'll go do that now, and hopefully they'll be done when I get back."

Connie nodded at Amethyst as she gave one last glance at Greg's pitiful form before walking out of the door, headed towards Beach City. She watched the purple gem's retreat tiredly before she dropped down onto the couch, praying Bismuth could somehow come up with a miracle.

…

The blooming garden stretched around them, its vibrant flowers and vines swaying in the artificially generated breeze.

Steven looked to his right to see Pink leaned lazily against a decorative column with her arms crossed over her chest. Boredom clouded her drooping eyes as she watched Pearl's display with disinterest.

Pearl stood in the center of the walkway, spinning porcelain plates on long wooden sticks balanced on her hands and nose. Her poise was perfect as she jabbed the sticks upwards, tossing the plates up before she spun, catching them all on the opposite sides. The display was impressive to be sure, but Steven and Pink had many things they'd prefer to be doing.

In an impossible feat, Pearl pulled a fourth spinning plate from her gem, deftly kicking up and balancing it on her pointed foot above her head. This caught Pink's attention, earning a raised eyebrow and a small smirk.

Steven clapped and laughed heartily, glad to see Pearl finally loosening up. The weird tension between all of them was a big strain, worsening considerably after the 'kiss' incident. After that situation had calmed, Pearl's attitude towards him changed from coolly dismissive to hotly competitive. She had been making efforts to get Pink's attention, shifting away from her strict sophistication to accommodate her Diamond's tastes.

Still clapping, Steven looked up at Pink at the same time her diamond pupils flashed towards him, a playful glint shining in her expression. She shiftily jerked her head to the side as Pearl caught all of the plates and bowed.

With the performance finished, Steven's hand was taken and they both left Pearl alone in the courtyard looking thoroughly forlorn.

"She doesn't seem too upset anymore, does she?" He grinned as he made the observation, idly plucking leaves from the bushes as they trailed down the path together.

"Tch," Pink rolled her eyes, "She's still upset. She can be so possessive, it's like, who owns who here?" She snorted at her own joke, scanning the bushes around them. Due to her enormous height, it was no stretch for her to see over the whole garden. She took hold of Steven's hand again, trailing him behind.

They walked along towards the entrance to the garden, his shoes emitting soft squeaks with each step. Just around the corner, the warp pad glittered in the starlight atop its short platform. Just before they reached it, they turned and walked straight into a bush.

Steven's sleeves were tangled in the twigs and he struggled to pull himself through. Pink crouched ahead in the clearing with her hands on her hips, the amusement on her face growing with each passing moment.

He tugged and pulled at the tangled fabric and sticks, his feet straining to walk forward out of the brush. At last, he gave up, and let his body hang. He looked up to find Pink stifling a laugh, her eyes alight with joy. He couldn't help but to smile, then laugh at the hilarity of his situation.

"I'm-" He gasped out between peals of laughter, "I'm stuck!" His stomach was weak as he went limp.

Pink fell to the floor, clutching her sides as she cackled boisterously.

"Only…only you, Spinel!" Pink crawled over to his sagging, shaking form and began to snap the branches trapped in his clothes. When he was free, he joined her on the ground.

Together, the two of them crawled to the center of the clearing, mindful to stay hidden behind the cover of the bushes. If they stood, Pink would surely be seen, and their secret hiding place would be discovered.

Pink's fingers splayed out on the grass, her eyes straining. Steven watched on excitedly, waiting. Minutes passed as Pink grew frustrated, her white stockings becoming stained green and brown from the dirt and grass. She huffed, throwing her head back and rolling her eyes. Evidently, she was having a difficult time finding the trap door that blended in with the foliage. Steven hummed, thinking aloud in a singsong, absentminded tone. They had come here a few times already, and each time, Pink had a hard time finding the entrance.

"We should mark the door when we find it… Ooh! We could make a little sign! No one would ever come over here to see it, and we could decorate it together! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Pink gave an uncharacteristic growl of exasperation, pulling him from his happy thoughts of arts and crafts.

"Spinel, nobody can know about this! I've told you this a hundred times, if someone finds out what we're doing, they'll take you away from me. That can't happen, so we're not risking it. No sign, no marker."

He looked down at his hands in his lap, put off by the impatient tone in his friend's voice. Was she mad at him? He shook his head, clearing himself of those negative thoughts. Of course Pink wasn't mad at him, she was just frustrated. He looked back up at her as she continued to search, and he tried to shake the uneasy feeling from how she had just snapped at him.

Suddenly, her face washed in pleased relief as her fingers caught a corner, lifting a squared door up from the dirt. Grasses grew up from the wood panel, their thin roots stringing down softly on the inside like fur. She smiled pleasantly.

"After you, dear."

Pink gestured to the hole in the ground with her free hand and held the door open for him. Inside was darkness, a pit that extended down a little over twenty feet by a ladder built into the wall.

He stepped in and paused with his feet on the first rung, stretching up to meet Pink's crouched eye level. Smiling, he planted a soft kiss on her cheek and watched her face warm. He then giddily stretched his leg all the way down to the cold floor below, too impatient to actually climb down. Pink followed him in, taking care to step gently on each wooden rung until she landed on stone. The door above swung closed as soon as Pink's hand was removed from it, casting the underground chamber in black.

Steven grabbed her fingers, leading her through the short walk to a flat, seemingly dead-end wall. Pink pulled away from him, reaching for the stone with outstretched fingers, but he stopped her short.

He held her hand clasped between both of his as he pleaded, "Let me do it this time!"

He heard a gentle chuckle from just next to him, and her fingers dropped.

Excitedly, he slapped the wall with his open palm. His grin beamed as the wall lit up in a frame of bright hot pink, illuminating the hall. The door opened with a grinding of stone, and they stepped inside.

Pink let out an exaggerated sigh of relief as the door closed behind them, stretching her arms up, almost brushing the ceiling.

The small room was cozily lit by a clear window to the outside, situated right in the middle of the ceiling. The Pebbles had done an amazing job digging out the room, even though the hard stone was nothing like the malleable dough Pink's rooms were made from.

Steven wandered over to the window, looking up to the stars that dazzled back at him. The warp pad served as a magnifying glass, its perfectly clear surface amplifying the starlight a thousand times. The constellations glittered in his eyes as he spoke to Pink.

"I just love it in here, don't you?"

She sighed again, sinking to the floor languidly.

"I do. It's nice to have a place…separate, from all of the 'Diamond' stuff. I'm sick of everyone telling me what to do, or acting like I'm some paragon of perfection. I just want to be me. Here, with you, I can be."

His heart swelled with emotion at her confession; his overwhelming love for her tinged with a swirl of pity. Pink was the most fun out of all of the Diamonds, though the others rarely spent time with her. No matter what she did or how hard she tried, they all took out their frustrations on her.

He stepped away from the center of the room to the wall where she sat, plopping down next to her. For a moment he considered what he should say to her.

"You know, you can always be yourself with me. And I love that I can be myself with you. That's why we're best friends!" He punctuated his statement by nuzzling his head into the crook of her arm. Her other hand came down to rest on his hair, stroking a few strands from his eyes while she hummed thoughtfully. He closed his eyes, deeply breathing in the smell of Pink's perfume and listening to her soft breath. Her soft touches on his scalp melted his brain, and he pressed a warm kiss into her arm.

"I'm so glad you're here, Spinel. I mean, imagine if I was stuck with Pearl all the time. Stars, she'd suck the life right out of me!" His head was shaken in her arm as she giggled at her own musings. Her twinkling gaze met with his as he looked adoringly up from her lap, and she whispered, "You're my favorite, Spinel…you're perfect!" She trailed a finger down his cheek as she spoke, the smile in her eyes shining brilliantly.

Words couldn't express how his heart swelled, so he opted to hum excitedly, pushing himself upwards. His nose brushed Pink's as he kissed her, lingering a bit longer than usual, as he tried to convey all of the overwhelming love he felt in the tender action. Pulling away, he smiled so hard that it hurt, and he was glad to find his expression mirrored on Pink's face.

Her long eyelashes brushed her reddened cheeks as she looked downwards, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth. Her glowing eyes flashed back up to him, and she rushed out a breathy laugh.

"See? You're perfect. You always know what to do to make me feel special." She leaned forward and pulled him into a tight, rib-cracking hug, and spoke in his ear. "I…I don't know what I'd do without you."

Steven returned the embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. Her gem warmed the pit of his stomach, sending chills up his back and down his arms. The silence of the underground chamber pressed in around them, until all they could hear was each other's quickening breath. Down here, when it was just the two of them, there were no games. They could just do whatever they wanted, without worrying about anyone seeing or judging. This was their world. Theirs to explore themselves, and to find each other.

His hands wandered up into Pink's hair, reveling in how unbelievably soft it was between his fingers. His chest warmed as her hand swept up his arm to cup his cheek, pressing his face into the crook of her neck. Her warmth and scent filled his mind drunkenly, and a dizzy calm swept over the room.

Their chests rose and fell together in unison as they held each other in the dark, the heat between them growing like the embers of a reviving flame. Pink's cloud of hair slipped through his grasp as she turned her head to plant a kiss on his forehead, then down further to whisper into his ear.

She took a deep breath in, then halted, as if she were struggling to put her thoughts to words. Finally, in an anxious tone, she asked, "Do you want to try…us, again?" She held her breath as she waited for his response.

He lifted his head from her chest to look at her fully, broken out of the love-drunk reverie he was in. He felt like he had been struck by lightning as flashes of adrenaline flooded through his chest. The first time it had happened by accident, and they hadn't been able to hold themselves together; it had been very uncomfortable. Would this time be any different?

He looked up earnestly into her diamond-pupiled eyes, seeing a glimmer of apprehension there. Their surroundings flew from his mind as he nodded to her, preparing himself. He wanted to try again.

Pink's sigh of relief was caught between them as they leaned in, hungrily pressing their lips together. His hands were shaking nervously as he reached up to touch her face, his cold fingers instantly warming against her blushing cheeks.

Her diamond began to glow and heat up on his stomach, and he focused on his own heart-shaped gem on his chest, pulling away from the kiss to nuzzle into her neck. Her head tipped to the side as he breezed his lips across her flaming skin, his anxiety melting as his gem began to emanate a soft, white glow.

Pink's gloved hands guided his hips onto her lap, pressing his body flush against hers. Her strong arms held him in, pressing into his lower back and draped across his shoulders. Like fanning a flame, he focused all of his energy on the heat building in his chest and on his stomach, trying his hardest to let his physical form dissipate.

The searing heat between them mounted, melting them together in a blinding flash of light. His mind slipped away as his vision blipped.

.

Four slanted eyes blinked open in the darkness, surveying their new surroundings curiously. Massive, bubbly clouds of pink hair swung out on either side of their face, framing their bright, rounded cheeks. They looked down at their toned legs, marveling at their puff-toed kitten heels and white stockings.

Shakily, they placed four mismatched palms flat on the floor, pushing themselves up onto their knees. Their hair brushed against the ceiling as they sat upwards, pulling at and inspecting their new clothes. A long, pink and white striped skirt fanned out behind them, left open in the front to reveal rounded, puffed shorts of bright pink silk. Ornate windows in the bodice of their dress showcased their two gems, sparkling in a light pink blush. Soft light emanated from every inch of their smooth, blush-colored skin, warming the room.

Looking downwards at the gems on her front, she gasped, clapping a pair of hands to her cheeks. It had worked!

"Wow! Just look at me! Us!"

Pink Tourmaline's melodic voice rang through the now crowded room, reverberating back at her from the hard walls. She held her smaller pair of hands up in front of her face, watching as they twisted playfully into balloon animals and hearts at the slightest thought.

Their laugh of pure joy rattled the stones, shaking debris and dust from the ceiling.

"This is…we're…amazing!"