A/N:

Phew. What a doozy of a chapter. And haha! I have returned. Because I can't keep my loyal readers waiting. So anyways, now that we're here again, read, relax, and most importantly, ENJOY!

The woods outside of Beach City were another one of Steven's escapes. Sometimes it was nice to just get away from the noise of it all. No gems were there to breathe down his neck every waking moment. He'd found a nice tree to sit against, and pulled out a rather interesting autobiography he checked out from the library just this morning. He was just about to settle down when a familiar voice caught his attention.

"At least you're always here. Sometimes I just… wish I could say all this to Rose, but she just thinks too highly of that boy."

Steven peered through the bushes separating him from disaster. The owner of the voice was the Crystal Gem pearl. And she was talking to a… mirror.

"Not that you'd ever understand," She continued, proceeding to turn the object in her grasp. "You are broken now. So why is it I keep you? Maybe a metaphor for my own existence." Her face scrunched as her grip tightened. "Just a useless trinket." She then hurled the mirror into the brush, with tears falling freely from her face and collapsing to her knees.

As Steven watched the scene before him, he wanted to step in, but what could he possibly do? With what she said about him, would she even want him to? He hesitated, frozen in place while still staying hidden. But soon, a glint caught his eye. It was the mirror she had thrown away, just lying there on the forest floor. What was it about this object that was so captivating to him? He had nearly forgotten about the existential crisis having a meltdown just beyond this cover. In some strange magnetic pull, he found himself already in possession of the mirror. The golden eyes of his own image stared back at him, caught in a trance. A state which was broken by the movement in his peripheral. The boy could feel his heart beating out of his chest. He knew that that pearl wouldn't hurt him, but that didn't mean he wanted to be caught in such a compromising position. So he slung his bag over his shoulders, and with the mirror held firmly in his grasp, ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

Steven sat by Beach City's boardwalk, keeping watch over the sea. His bag was settled beside him on the bench which he sat upon, and in his hands was the mirror. "Why did Sword Pearl leave you behind?" He mused. He turned the object over, observing the cracked gem on the other side. His brows furrowed as a frown traced its way across his face. "Is it this?" He questioned, reaching for the blue gemstone, but stopping short. What was this strange feeling he had?

"Hey, Steven."

"Wah!" He jumped, crackling with static. "Connie, you know better than to sneak up on me." He groaned, craning his neck toward the girl.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She quickly apologized before noticing the gem artifact he held. "So what's with the mirror?"

"Oh, I uh… found it." He said, being as vague as vague as possible. "In the woods." If Connie knew the Crystal Gem pearl threw it at him, or near him, she'd be heartbroken. She looked up to Sword Pearl so much.

"Really, Steven?" She replied, crossing her arms.

"Really!" He exclaimed, holding his free hand up in defense. "I found it in the woods."

"That's not what I…" She held a hand up to her forehead. "Usually when you answer this vaguely, you're hiding something." She pointed out.

He couldn't deny it. Briefly, he looked down into his reflection, and something sparked inside him. He met Connie's eyes once more, this time, the fire of confidence burning within his own. "Whatever happened when I found this doesn't matter anymore. I have it now, and that's all that's important."

"Okay. I won't press you anymore." She answered. Victory for Steven! "But I do have one more thing to ask." She said, looking at the gemstone on its back.

"Uh… What?"

"Do the Gems know?"

Steven frowned. How could he have overlooked them? What would they even say when they found out? Would they try to take the mirror from him? Especially if they knew he got it from a Crystal Gem.

"I'll take your silence as a no." She sighed.

"Please don't tell the Gems." He begged. "You know they'll get mad at me for not telling them about it."

"They won't be that mad."

"But still." Steven muttered off.

Really, Steven?

"What the…" Connie said as her eyes widened. "Did that just come from the mirror?" She asked, propting Steven to turn its face toward them.

Did that just come from the mirror?

"It did!" Steven exclaimed, immediately jumping to his feet.

Connie, on the other hand, was not nearly as excited about this new development. "You know, maybe you should go tell the Gems."

"What? No way." He said before turning his attention over to the mirror. "So you can talk?"

I can talk?

"Whoa! Connie, it's piecing things together from what we said earlier!"

So enthralled was he, that he didn't notice his friend slowly backing away from the scene. "I'm… gonna tell the Gems."

"Uh-huh, yeah." He dismissed, completely ignoring the girl as she fled. "So what exactly are you?" He asked the mirror once more. "You clearly aren't just a mirror."

Gems

His brows furrowed as he thought about the blue gem on the mirror's back. "Is that blue gem you?"

I blue gem

"How did you become a mirror?"

Gems

"I…" Steven knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help the great amount of sorrow he felt. How could gems have done this to one of their own? He knew the Homeworld and Crystal Gems were at odds with each other, but if one of them did this? "Is there any way I can help you?"

help

"Yes, help. But how?"

gem

"Gem… your gem!"

Steven turned the mirror over, unsure of how to handle this cracked gemstone. He didn't want to break it by mistake. And stars know what he's broken without meaning to. So he reached his fingers around its edges, searching for a good hold. He pulled. But it would not relent. Harder. Still, it would not let go. Harder. "Please don't break."

The gem released violently as the mirror's face shattered in the boy's grasp. And as the gem began to glow, he released his grip, allowing it to fly toward the shoreline. It was interesting to Steven to see a new gem type. At least a new gem that wasn't corrupted. In fact, this was the first gem he's met who wasn't around when he was a baby, but something was off about her. He'd seen what happened to Amethyst when she had been cracked, and Steven could bet anything that it was why this gem's eyes seemed as mirrors.

"Thank you." She said to the boy.

"Oh, yeah. Thank you. I-I mean, you're welcome."

She giggled at his mistake. "Steven, right?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Well I'm Lapis. Lapis Lazuli."

"Steven!" A voice called from down the beach. The Crystal Gems were here. "Get away from him!" Garnet launched herself at Lapis as the others followed behind. Rose settled next to Steven, her shield raised to defend him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, looking up at the large pink gem.

"Connie told us everything. She's on her way to the ship right now." Rose replied.

Well now he was in for it. His attention was drawn back to the moment when a giant fist of water slammed down into the fighting gems on the beach. "But Lapis hasn't done anything. Why do you have to fight her?"

"Don't you realize what kind of a threat she could be to Earth? To you? We're doing this to protect you."

"But I don't need protection!" He yelled, sending his foot to the ground as static crackled around him. "And what about my mom, wasn't she a threat to Earth? What about Jasper and Peridot?"

"That's… different."

"How is that different?" He asked. But the static around him dissipated when the fighting Crystal Gems were sent flying overhead. "Lapis!" He called out to the blue gem, running past a distracted Rose to get down to her. "I know you're only defending yourself, but please, stop this."

"Yes, I am defending myself. But why are you defending them?" She exclaimed, gesturing toward the group that was regathering. "Do you have any idea what they've done?"

"Lapis…"

"I'm going, Steven." She said, turning towards the ocean.

"Where are you going?" He asked hesitantly.

"Home."

"I remember the first time I let a gem loose on the Earth." Greg laughed behind the wheel of his favorite van.

"Yes… hard to forget that." Pearl muttered as she glared at greg from the back.

"You still need to finish telling that story to us, Mr. Universe." Connie spoke up, leaning toward the two Universe boys in front.

"I know, I know. I'll get to it when I have time."

"Hey!" Came Jasper's voice, along with banging from the roof. "You all need to focus. We have a rogue gem to chase down." She was right, and Steven frowned at the thought.

"Why did that gem even run off anyway?" Connie asked just before the van ran through a small divot which threw the passengers to the side.

After recollecting himself, and a quick apology from his father to everyone, Steven decided to speak. "Lapis said she wanted to go home. Does that mean she's trying to get to Homeworld?"

Peridot spoke up. "If she is, then there's no reason to steal the Earth's ocean. Homeworld isn't even in the same galaxy. So what's she planning to do? Stretch it all the way?" She laughed. "Why doesn't she just fly home?"

Steven paused. He then spoke his thoughts aloud. "Maybe she can't because she's cracked. Remember what happened to Amethyst?" He groaned. "If only Rose was here."

"Hey, I can only take so many of you along at once." Said Greg in defense. "Heck, Jasper's riding on the roof!"

"Yeah, thanks for the acknowledgement!" She yelled down.

"The Crystal Gems did say they would catch up on their own." Connie said. As a great tower grew in their sights, the group paused to look on in awe. "I hope they come soon."

The van came to a stop, and one by one, its passengers took their leave. It was a brilliant sight before them as marine animals swam about in their tower of blue. But they couldn't forget the reason they were there.

Steven stepped forth, taking the lead as they approached the watery tower. Channeling the strength he knew was deep inside him, he bellowed out, hoping he would be heard. "Lapis, Lapis!"

"I don't think she's coming down." Pearl commented.

Before anyone could say something else, water burst from the tower and swallowed Steven up. Up and up he was pulled, all the way to the top of the tower. The boy was let go, finally allowing him to catch his breath. He looked up, seeing Lapis sitting on her knees as she gazed at the stars above. "Hey, Steven." She said, without sparing a glance back.

"You know this isn't going to work, right? Stealing the Earth's ocean. If you want to go home, then let Rose heal you." He said, having taken a seat beside her.

"I don't…"

"Whatever the Crystal Gems did in the past, it's in the past. The war is over." He explained. "If you can't trust them, then trust me."

Lapis was silent as she hung her head. But suddenly, it perked up. "They're here." She said.

"Let Rose heal you." He looked into her eyes with the firm gaze of his own.

"Okay."

It didn't take long for Rose to be brought to the top of the tower. And immediately, she rushed right over to Steven, scooping him up in her arms. "Steven, are you alright? Did she hurt you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He said, squirming to get out of the embrace he did not want to be part of. "Lapis though, she needs your help."

Rose looked over to the gem in question. "I see." She hesitated, but soon enough, approached the blue gem. "Hold still."

As she carried on in her process, Steven watched in anticipation. When Lapis' gem mended and she looked at him with her deep blue eyes, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Wings of water materialized around her gem. "Thank you. Again." She said, addressing Steven. Rose cleared her throat, making her presence known. Lapis then turned to address her as well. "And… you too." She seemed to force herself to say.

"So will you be staying?" Steven asked.

"I wish I could." She answered with a forlorn look upon her.

"Why don't you?"

"Earth never really agreed with me." She looked off in the direction of Homeworld. "Goodbye, Steven."

A/N:

This isn't the last we'll see of Lapis. I did get a few questions from readers asking about... you know what, I'll let that be a surprise.

Anyways. Reviews, follows, favorites. All of these make a writer happy!

And as always, this is your lovely Squish wishing you all a fantastic day! :D