A/N: Hello again! I'm here with the final chapter of the double-chapter week! don't be alarmed by the word "final". There's more where this came from! in any case, I bet you all were wondering in the back of your minds where the Crystal Gems were. Well, this chapter will answer that question! :3
I hope you enjoy this ((rather important)) filler!

Also, KittyCat151, something went wrong. I got your review in my email, but I can't reply to you and it's not showing up on fanfiction. You might wanna submit it again. And, a few more guests reviewed the previous chapter, and I'm again assuming that they're one and the same. I'm gonna reply anyway.

/QWERTY: Thanks. And, as I had stated before, I'm doing these chapters either weekly or biweekly. Please don't rush me. Be grateful that it's weekly. Some people abandon their stories or don't update them for months at a time.
/thisissoawesome: Thank you so much!
/Nyan cat: Of course. I'm glad you think it's fantastic. Sometimes you can't have extremely long chapters, though. I felt it was perfect to explain what was going on in Wendy's head.

And now, read on!

A Triangle in the Stars
Chapter Thirteen: The Mission

The Crystal Gems were wading through water in a brightly-lit cave, in a particularly beautiful place. It was similar to the Strawberry Fields, but with much more waters. Pearl bit her lip, her eyes wandering around. Garnet took each step carefully, looking down every now and then to see if where she was stepping was safe. It wasn't rare that she had to save Pearl a few times from falling through a hole because the pale white Gem failed to pay attention due to thinking about a certain young boy.

Amethyst trailed along behind them, following Garnet's steps. "So... what are we doing here again?" the purple Gem asked, for maybe the hundredth time.

"We're here to find an ancient Gem artifact that powers up one of our prized Temples, the Zodiac Temple..." Pearl explained, still wading, looking somewhat exasperated. Her tone didn't hold a lot of it, however, or even any excitement, but it was instead somewhat hollow. "The Illictic Cashid (Ill-ick-tick Cash-id)... it had gotten disconnected from its sacred place long ago during the war. And that place has suffered greatly since." She then sighed, "Honestly, I wish you'd remember things more, AmeTHYYYYST!"

She had started sliding into the waters once more because one of her feet had stepped on a weak surface. She was once again saved by Garnet, who pulled her up and set her back on some strong ground. Pearl gasped, and sighed, smiling gratefully at the fusion, who merely returned it with a nod. Amethyst chuckled softly, watching Pearl and Garnet, before slipping and falling herself and almost falling, yelling. Garnet grabbed her hand before the ground swallowed Amethyst completely and set her back on some sturdy ground. She sighed, "Be careful, you two. This is not a laughing matter."

Pearl nodded, staring at the ground. She felt her mind going back to Steven, but she pushed it aside for now and focused on the task at hand. Amethyst kept Garnet's hand, afraid to let go, but embarrassed, feeling like a kindergartner. Garnet kept wading, watching her step still. Pearl trailed behind this time, observing where the fusion stepped so she'd follow along. She sighed soon enough though, her mind going back to Steven once more. Was he alright? they'd been gone for so long...

Soon they reached the end of the tunnel and were finally on dry land. This portion of the area was even more beautiful, with a path weaving through the vibrant gardens, but also more dangerous, Pearl surmised to herself. She backed up against the wall of the entrance, sitting now. She was somewhat tired. Garnet looked around, her eyes narrowed cautiously behind her visor. Amethyst sat down, sighing. They all remained silent for a while, before Pearl finally broke it, eyes half-lidded with some sadness, "I wonder how Steven's doing on his own... it's been far too long.."

Garnet looked at her, but otherwise didn't say a thing. The frown she usually wore slightly deepened and her eyes betrayed some worry too. Not that the others would ever know.

"Yeah, he's probably gotten into trouble by now!" Amethyst exclaimed.

This didn't help Pearl. At all. She gasped and stood up again, declaring, "We have to go back! I have to make sure he's okay!"

Garnet shook her head, but still didn't say anything yet.

"Calm down, Pearl. He's gonna be fine!" Amethyst chuckled.

"How do you know that?" Pearl looked back into the tunnel, wanting to traverse through it back from whence they came. Back to her adopted child. But she then felt a hand settle on her shoulder, and her eyes trailed up to its owner. Garnet.

"You needn't worry so much about Steven, Pearl. He'll be fine, like Amethyst said," the tall Gem assured Pearl, but the latter still wasn't sure, as evident by the still full-blown worry and fear in her eyes.

"Yeah! the sooner we get done with this mission, the sooner we can get back home and see his dead body!" Amethyst rushed forward, laughing.

Pearl paled. She started running the wrong way, back through the cave, wading through the waters a little faster, but Garnet stopped her and brought her back just before she stepped on a failing platform. Garnet also grabbed Amethyst, frowning. She took a deep breath and calmed herself, however.

"That's quite enough. You guys need to believe in Steven a little more," she started. She then looked at Pearl, and said, "We can't go back. We've traveled miles to get to where we are now." She then looked at Amethyst, and said, "And no more death jokes about Steven."

Pearl nodded, though she was still incredibly pale. She glanced towards the cave every now and then, shivering slightly. But Garnet wasn't letting go. Not until they understood.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Amethyst crossed her arms, giving the ground a dirty look.

"They're not funny," Garnet supplemented, and then she sighed, looking at the both of them now. "Listen, I'm worried too. But I know Steven will be just fine."

"R..really?" Pearl asked, eyebrows knit together with worry. She was going to question it further, but she, at this point, knew that whatever the fusion said had unquestionable quality.

Garnet nodded. She could see the boy right now. Sleeping comfortably. Along with something else. A triangle. The fusion knew about this triangle, this demon. But she also could see several paths into the future. Only one was bad, but it was highly improbable at this point. She had faith in them both, and she smiled a little at that. Amethyst didn't care. She kicked a rock, "Can we go already?"

Garnet frowned. She let them both go. But she said these last few words, glancing at them both, "Let's believe in Steven."

Pearl smiled and nodded, "Alright. I shall."

This didn't mean she wasn't still worried about Steven, however. But she trusted Garnet, and that was all that mattered. The Gem was, matter of fact, one hundred percent right about almost everything she talked about.

"I already was..." Amethyst muttered honestly. She only said what she had to get under Pearl's skin. Garnet sighed a little, shaking her head slightly, and then she continued onwards through the path. Pearl followed behind her, eyes wandering every now and then to the gardens. Amethyst stayed there for a while, but soon enough she followed after them both, sighing sadly.

A/N: And there it is! now you know what the Crystal Gems are doing! I played Pearl and Garnet, while Ace had Amethyst. She's stated she relates to "On the Run" Amethyst more, so that's a reason the Quartz Gem is not really in full character. But it was nice nonetheless! I hope you enjoyed this, despite its brevity. Rest assured, the next chapter will be a LOT longer.
So, unless you have any reviews to leave, I shall see you next Saturday! ta ta!