Hey guys! I am finally back!

I just want to apologize once again for just disappearing, even though I had promised a long time ago that all of this would just go as smoothly as a well-oiled machine. But, well, sometimes things just don't go quite as we have planned.

I can't promise that things will be going smoothly again from now on, until the end of the story. I don't want to lie to you guys again because that isn't the truth. Things can happen, my mental state can deteriorate again and if that happens, updates just won't happen, because I will have no motivations to continue.

What I can promise, is that for November, there will be a chapter coming out every Wednesday. These chapters have already been written. I am also hopeful, that with me using Nanowrimo this year to hopefully finish the rest of the chapters of this story, that I will be able to keep up with updating every Wednesday until the story has been completely published. But as I said, I can't promise that.

But I hope you all can forgive me, and that you will be enjoying this chapter!

Amethyst POV:

Rose has been here for three weeks now. And I don't know what to feel about it.

I always thought that if Rose somehow came back to us, that things finally would be like they had always been. I will even admit that when Steven had first been 'born', I had plans of getting rid of him. Just so I could be together with Rose again. But Garnet would see all of my plan because of her annoying future vision and would stop me.

It was when I finally accepted that Steven wasn't going to disappear, that I opened up to him. And where Rose had been like the mother I needed; Steven became the younger brother who would go on crazy adventures with me.

So, when Rose came back, the joy I would have felt years ago wasn't there. There was only worry for my little brother.

I couldn't believe Rose when she says that Steven was gone. Something in the way she said it didn't add up. It was like when Pearl made it seem like Peridot were fixing the communication hub when in reality it had been her. All so she could fuse with Garnet.

And I don't think I am the only one thinking this. While Garnet seems happy about Rose being back, she is still tense. Maybe only half of her believes her fully? I can't imagine Sapphire being too happy about not seeing this coming.

But something about Rose's statement about Black Quartz just rubs me wrong. Why would Homeworld use the body of a human for a Gem? She said they made him look more Gem like, but why would it matter if he looked like a Gem? And besides, didn't Homeworld frown upon all things different? A human turned Gem sounds a hell of a lot different to me!

And then there is Rose's behaviour. She is no longer like the mother I once knew. She tries to be, but the motherly smiles she uses seem more strained than before. Before I would have believed it to be grief over Steven or even Greg who is still in the hospital from his fall. But when I see her whisper with Pearl and them smiling so lovingly at each other, it just doesn't seem to be the case.

Another thing that worries me is Rose's involvement in the city. She started going around town, asking questions when it comes to Steven. Lars and Sadie don't want to talk to her. Sadie because she lost Steven and doesn't know Rose. And while Lars says he doesn't want to be involved with the Gems anymore, I think it is because he misses Steven and blames Rose.

But here the other day I heard her talk over the phone. And I think she was talking to Connie. I had already called to Connie the day Rose came back to tell her the bad news. I also told her to stay out of Beach City for a while, until we knew anything for certain. Seems Rose have other plans for that.

And then there is Greg. I have visited Greg every day since his fall, but he still hasn't woken from his, what did they call it, coma? Yeah, he hasn't woken from his coma yet. But I want to know what happened. How did he fall?

I sigh, before looking away from the clouds I had been watching, to look at a ladybug crawling on the grass.

'I need to talk about this to someone,' I thought. 'I can't talk to Rose and Pearl about it, for obvious reasons. I don't know how Garnet feels about this, and I don't want her to un-fussing. And I can't talk to Greg or any other human about it. Maybe I should call Connie again? No. She needs time to deal with this before I give her my problems to think about.'

I stared intensely at the ladybug before a thought came to me.

'LAPIS AND PERIDOT!'

It was a long trip to Peridot and Lapis' place. I had to warp a bunch of places, before taking a walk. It would have been easier with Greg's van, but since he is in the hospital...

I ran the last bit of way to the barn and saw that it was empty.

"Peridot!" I yelled. "Lapis!"

There was silence for a while before I heard a sound from the back of the barn. It sounded like it came from the outside, so I ran out to see what they were doing.

What I saw surprised me. The had built a primitive version of a warp pad and seemed to have used it to gather a lot of different items, from around the world. Including a Wailing Stone.

"Guys," I say slowly. "What are you doing?"

Peridot and Lapis at each other, before looking at me with hesitation in their eyes. They didn't seem to want to answer and I don't have time to wait.

"Never mind. I need to talk to you, like, right now!" I exclaimed. They both seemed relieved that I didn't ask further questions and asked what I wanted.

"Rose came back," I started, knowing that this might either freak Lapis out, or make her faint. But she did neither. She didn't seem surprised. "Wait, how come you aren't freaking out right now?"

"We already know," Peridot told me. "Pearl called the other day. She told us that Rose had come back and asked me if I could help them fix their ship. I told them I didn't have time at the moment but would come when I had. Pearl didn't seem to be pleased with that."

"But the reality is, she isn't going to come and fix it," Lapis explained. "With Rose back, we are no longer safe here, let alone Beach City."

"Is that why you have built a warp pad?" I asked. They both nodded.

"We were hoping to connect it to one of the other warp pads, which would go to another planet. But without the communication hub being activated, we have no chance of leaving. Garnet would know the minute it was fixed, maybe even before!" Lapis exclaimed frustrated.

I looked at them for a second. Leaving? But why? What about Steven? And then I thought about it. Do they even know about Steven?

"Wait, hold up," I said. "What did Pearl tell you guys?" They both looked confused at me.

"She told us that she had come back from out of space and that was about it," Peridot shrugged.

"So, she didn't tell you about Steven?" I asked. They looked even more confused now.

"What about Steven?" Lapis asked worriedly. I sighed, before informing them: "Rose says that Steven is dead. That Home World split him and Rose apart, before using his body as a vessel for another Gem called Black Quartz."

Peridot and Lapis gaped at me before Lapis seemed to cry. I went to comfort her when Peridot suddenly exclaimed:

"That is impossible!"

Lapis and I stopped what we were doing, and looked at her, shocked over her exclamation.

"The only way for them to have been separated would have been by the Gem Splitter. It was created because of an incident a long time ago. I don't know about the incident, but I was one of the gems who helped maintain the machine, in case it should ever be used again. In theory, the species mixed with the Gem would have been turned into a Gem themselves. If what Rose is saying is true, then Black Quartz isn't a foreign Gem, but actually Steven!"

I looked at her with wide eyes. That makes so much sense!

"I know what the incident was about," Lapis whispered, seeming to be scared to the core. "I had been a newly made Gem at the time, assigned to the planet where it happened. I was to help terraform the planet. A Quartz, I can't remember what kind, had somehow fused with an alien species, going into a dormant state, before sucking the life out of said alien. And when they re-formed, they had changed and become stronger. It started a war with that species, and a lot of Gems were lost." She stopped and looked at us terrified.

"I think that was Rose," she whispered horrified.

"We need to do something!" I yelled.

"Our original plan was to flee the planet, and then contact Home World through this Wailing Stone, and hope for forgiveness," Peridot explained. "But maybe instead of doing that, we should try and see if we can contact Steven!"

"Good idea!" I said. "You work on making that work. I need to check up on Greg and somehow talk to Connie. I need to warn them!" And with that I was running towards the nearest warp pad, forgetting they had their own.

My first stop was to the hospital. The moment I ran in, I saw nurses running in and out of Greg's hospital room. I got a hold of one of the nurses and asked what was wrong.

"We are losing him," they said solemnly. "He woke up a couple of minutes ago, and since then his heart rate has been fluctuating. We don't know how much time he has left."

I ran into Greg's room, in hopes of talking and seeing him for the last time. He was laying in his bed, trying to talk, while the nurses were putting an oxygen mask on his face.

"No!" He tried to shout, but it came out as a loud whisper. "I need to tell you something!"

"Greg!" I exclaimed. He looked over at me with begging eyes. I asked the nurses to leave the room, and after some debating, they did. I walked over to him, and the moment I sat by his side, he took my hand in a vice grip.

"Listen to... me," he said in a hoarse whisper. "I don't... have... long... You need... to get... out... of here... Don't... trust... Rose..."

"What is going on Greg?" I asked through tears, knowing he was slipping away slowly.

"Shh... listen... okay?" He asked. I nodded, shaking with sobs. "Find... Steven... Find Steven... and keep... him... safe..." He ended, his voice becoming lower.

"Greg?" I asked, panicked.

"Promise... me," he whispered so low I almost didn't hear him.

"I promise..." I said lowly through my sobs. He smiled at me one last time before he closed his eyes and the machine on his right made a long beep sound. His grip on my hand went slack and I knew he was dead. Nurses came in as I started crying. They quickly checked him over, before writing something down, and leaving me. Probably so I could be left in peace.

I sat there for a while, before whipping my tears away. 'I don't have time for this. I need to talk to Connie before going to Peridot and Lapis. I have a promise to keep now!' And with that in mind, I went to the temple, where I had left my phone.

When I arrived at the temple, I heard voices from inside. Curious, I peeked in through the window. And what I saw made me tremble.

Rose was having a conversation with Connie. I couldn't really hear anything; it was all mumbled. But suddenly Connie cried and flew into Rose's arms. Rose had a small smile on her lips, but where it should have been motherly, it was more sadistic.

I was too late. Rose had already gotten ahold of Connie.

'I need to get out of here!'

I ran through the door, shocking both Rose and Connie, before warping through the warp pad. The last thing I heard before I left, was the shocked call from Connie: "Amethyst?"

I ran off the warp pad, the moment I was back at the barn. 'I don't have much time!' I thought while running into the barn.

I couldn't help but think about Connie. Just the thought of her brought tears to my eyes. I started to doubt myself. Should I have stayed? Tried to explain to her, what really was going on? But every time I thought of what I could have said, I thought of Pearl and the training she received. 'She was trained, with the belief of Rose being the best thing to happen to the universe, second to Steven. And with her believing Steven is gone, then she will cling to Rose,' I thought grimly. I put her into the back of my mind. I could deal with that later.

Lapis and Peridot weren't in the barn, so I ran out again and through the cornfield. They weren't there either.

"Lapis! Peridot!" I yelled. 'I don't have time for this!' I thought again in a panic. Just then, I heard the sound of warping.

I felt the cold hold of panic grip me before I heard a yelp, which could only have been from Peridot. I ran towards the warp pad and saw Lapis in the process of removing the wailing stone from on-top of Peridot.

"Guys!" I yelled, flailing my arms in the air. They quickly looked over in my direction, and I could see Lapis sigh a sigh of relief.

"You're back," Lapis said, with a small smile. "That must mean everything went after the plan." Her smile fell, as she saw my solemn face. "What happened?" She asked.

"Greg…" I couldn't finish the sentence before I sobbed. I then did something I normally wouldn't do. But everything was just too much for me to handle. Steven is on Homeworld, Rose is back and Greg is dead. I ran to Lapis and hugged her, hiding my face in her stomach. I felt her freeze, before she slowly wrapped her arms around me, hugging me back softly. She was still tense, but I appreciated the effort she put into it.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "While I didn't have the same relationship with him, as you did, I understand your pain." I looked up at her with teary eyes. She smiled softly at my confused face. "You have to remember; I was there when the war broke out. I saw Gems being shattered." I gave her a sad smile before I stepped out of her arms. I looked over at Peridot and saw her trying to discreetly wipe a tear away. Like Lapis, she didn't have the strongest relationship with Greg. But she still cared for him.

"What about Connie," Peridot said, trying to look unaffected. For her sake, I didn't comment on the wetness of her eyes and instead answered her question.

"Rose got to her before I got the chance to," I told them sadly. "I don't know what she said, but I did see Connie throw herself into Rose's arms. The hospital must have called her, while I was running back from there. I can only guess she used that to strengthen her story to Connie. I came here right after I saw that."

Peridot looked down at the ground, before taking a deep breath and looking up at me and Lapis. "There is nothing we can do about it now. We need to get a hold of Steven as soon as possible, and find a way to get off this planet."

"About that," I said, looking sheepishly. "Rose and Connie saw me running to the warp pad, so I don't know if the others will be looking for me. I don't know if Rose knows I was there when Greg died, but I know she has been suspicious about me."

"Dammit," Lapis hissed, before turning to Peridot. "Then we have to act fast. How long do you think it will take to set up the wailing stone?"

"I am not sure," Peridot said, looking unsure. "While it was kind of easy for you to do that from Homeworld to here, with the kind of technology we have here, it won't be as easy the other way around."

"And contacting Steven is only half the problem," I intervened. "We also have to flee the planet. Heck, maybe even this solar system! And to do that, we have to set up the communication hub. And with the way it was damaged before, I don't know if that is possible anymore."

"I might have a solution for that," Lapis said unsurely. Peridot and I looked at her, prompting her to continue. "I have been preparing for something like to happen for some time. I always thought it would be for when the Diamonds finally came, but I guess this is as good a time to use it."

"What are you talking about?" I asked her confused.

"In case of an invasion by Homeworld, I have been practising how to escape with the barn and Peridot," Lapis admitted. "There is a lake close by, and I have been practising taking gigantic stones and encasing them in water. At the moment, I know I can take the barn and use the pool water, to at least travel to the moon. But after that, I would need to use a couple of days to gather enough energy to travel further."

"Lapis," I began. "That… is… brilliant!" Lapis looked pleased with my exclamation. "There will still be a risk of them finding us, especially the barn. But it should work long enough, for us to be off the moon when they figure it out."

"Then we have a plan," Lapis said. We all nodded and went to work.

Setting the wailing stone up to the tv and the microphone was surprisingly easy. But finding the right signal was another matter altogether. We knew the moment we let the wailing stone wail, it would only be a matter of time before we were found. So, we needed to be quick.

"Are you guys ready?" Peridot said, ready to activate the wailing stone. I and Lapis nodded. "Here we go then," Peridot said, before taking a deep breath and activating the wailing stone.

The noise I was expecting wasn't there, but Lapis was quick to explain why.

"Because we are making the message, we won't be able to hear the wailing. But a mile away from here, the sound will come through. Beach City should be able to hear a bit of it. Not a lot, but enough that the Crystal Gems knows what it is. Peridot, have you found the signal?"

"I think I am almost there," Peridot said, sweating slightly. "A bit more. Here it is!"

As she said that, a picture came on the tv. It looked to be a Peridot.

"This is Peridot Facet-2H6N Cut-5XG. You are contacting the training facility of Blue Diamond's personal guarding force. Please state the purpose of this call."

"Yes, this is Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, reporting an emergency on the planet Earth, in the solar system of the Milky Way. We are requesting an audience with the Gem named Black Quartz, preferably now!"

"Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG, you say? You are listed as a traitor of Homeworld and a member of the rebel group known as the Crystal Gems. Together with Lapis Lazuli Facet-4SH Cut-12XG and Jasper Facet-EA2 Cut-1XG."

"We are associated with Black Quartz. We are not Crystal Gems," Lapis was quick to explain.

"What about that Amethyst?" The Peridot asked. Other Gems had started to appear in the background, curious about the call being made, from alleged Crystal Gems.

"I was made here on Earth. I first came out after the war and was therefore taken in by the Crystal Gems. I never had a chance to learn anything from Homeworld," I quickly explained. "Look, I know you need to get a lot of information before you can do anything. But we are running out of time, and we need to speak to Steven before we have no choice but to flee!"

The Peridot looked at them, before turning to a Jasper, who was standing with the other onlookers. "Go and get Black Quartz, instead of just standing there. Hurry!" The Jasper nodded before running off. The Peridot turned back to us. "You better start explaining. As listed traitors, your word doesn't hold much."

"We will explain everything when we see Steven!" I exclaimed before Peridot and Lapis could say anything.

"Amethyst-," Peridot tried to intervene, but I didn't let her.

"No!" I yelled. "I don't care about how this is supposed to be done. We need to talk to Steven and then get off this planet as fast as possible! I don't want to be bubbled!" I noticed the Gems in the background started moving. "Steven? Steven!"

Steven POV:

I was in the middle of training. The last couple of weeks have been about nothing but making myself stronger. Not only for me but for my Diamonds.

Two weeks ago, I had been told that I would be assigned to one Diamond from now on. That may change, as more things are figure about me and my powers. But the Diamond I would be serving, for now, would be Blue Diamond.

I didn't mind. I clicked more with Blue Diamond, because of the warmness she surprisingly gave. For someone looking blue all the time, she was surprisingly happy and smiley about some things. And I now fell into that category.

But with her now being my Diamond, I was being trained by people from her elite army. We had been focused on my shield and working on making it bigger, so I could protect a lot of Gems at a time. We had also been focusing on my merging time. If I was poofed on a battlefield, I couldn't spend days fixing myself before remerging. I needed to be able to remerge in minutes, seconds even. My record at the moment is forty-five minutes, with me being in tip-top form. I can do it quicker, but then some of me would come out wrong, and I would have to be poofed again.

I was stopped during my training session when someone yelled at me. It was a Jasper.

"Black Quartz!" They yelled. I looked at them and nodded. "Someone is coming through on one of the communication stations. It is addressed to you."

I was confused. Who would be contacting me? I shrugged it off, and then followed the Jasper. Someone must have made a mistake.

When we came to the communication station, I saw everyone was surrounding one screen. As they saw me, they parted to let me through. They seemed shocked.

"Steven? Steven!" I heard as I got closer to the screen. That voice...

"Steven!"

As I finally got to stand in front of the screen, I saw who was calling

"Steven! Thank god you are alive!"

"Amethyst?"

Amethyst POV:

I then saw him. He had changed so much, but I could still see the Steven I knew and loved. "Steven! Thank god you are alive!"

"Amethyst?" He seemed shocked.

"In the flesh! Well not really, but that is beside the point." I quickly said. I was so relieved that he really was okay. And while seeing him as a full Gem should scare me, it actually made me more relieved. Being half-human, we were never sure how much damage he could take. But as a full Gem, we now know. He wasn't as fragile. "Look, Steven. We need your help. Things aren't going so good here on Earth."

"What do you mean?" He said, going into serious mode. Man, he seems to be so much more mature now. And I get it. I think I have matured a lot too, in the last three weeks.

"Rose is here," I said. The gems in the background gasped and Steven paled a bit. "She came here three weeks ago. Told us you were dead and that a new gem inhabited your body. I didn't believe her and neither did Lapis and Peridot after I explained it to them. But most of the town is under her thumb."

"What about Garnet? Connie? Dad?" Steven asked quickly, seemingly close to going into a panic. I shook my head.

"Garnet seems to be unsure. I think Ruby and Sapphire might be disagreeing but are trying to hide it. Rose got to Connie before I could."

"And dad?" He whispered, seemingly afraid to hear the answer. And I didn't blame him.

"Something happened," I said. I didn't want to break it to him now, but it didn't seem like I had any other choice. "There was an incidence with Rose and he was badly hurt. I got to talk to him shortly before he…"

"Before he what?" Steven asked, but it seemed he already knew the answer.

"He died," I choked out. "He died after being in a coma for three weeks. There was nothing there could have been done. He died today. I am so sorry Steven." I was full-on crying at this point. Lapis placed her hands on my shoulder and gently moved me away from the screen.

"Steven," she started. "I know this is a lot to take in, and that emotions are running high. But we really need your help. Rose is getting suspicious of all of us. And we fear, that if we don't get away as soon as possible, we might be poofed and bubbled. And I can only travel to the moon, before needing to stop to rest for a bit."

"I understand," Steven said. I could see tear tracks on his face, and he looked like he wanted to cry more, but held it in so he could continue the conversation. "I will have to ask Blue Diamond about this. The only thing I can tell you is to go to the moon as soon as this call is over. We will contact you again as soon as possible, so when you are stationed on the moon, reopen your end of the connection. If anything happens, make a distress signal."

"Thank you, Steven," Lapis said gratefully.

"Don't thank me," he said, smiling softly. "I am just happy you guys are alright. I will do everything in my powers to bring you to Homeworld safely."

And with that, the line disconnected.

We were quick to pack. Peridot had made an energy source, in case we needed to use the wailing stone on the moon. A good thing she had. It would only last for three Earth days, but hopefully, we wouldn't be there for that long.

As everything was packed, Peridot and I walked into the barn. Lapis engulfed us in water, created her water wings and then the journey began.

As I looked down on Earth from a window, while getting closer to the moon, I knew that this was the beginning of something big.

And I didn't know if it would end with a happily ever after.

Steven POV:

When we cut the communication, I turned to the Jasper who had gotten me.

"Get hold of Blue Pearl. Tell her I need an audience with Blue Diamond. There is no time to waste." The Jasper nodded and quickly ran out of the room.

"What do you think this means?" The Peridot asked. Normally they were all emotionless, but I could see this one had been raddled. That was understandable. This is a serious manner.

"I think this mark the beginning of the continuation of something that never really ended all those aeons ago," I told them solemnly, looking at the turned off the screen.

"I think that soon, we will be in the middle of the civil war that never ended."

A/N:

If any of you want to join me on Nanowrimo, seeing my writing progress and everything, you can go and find me there! I will be under the username llLittle_Sll.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you look forward to the next one!

~Little S