Steven stared at the temple door, biting his lower lip with worry. It had been a few days since they had broken the news to Pearl about Freshwater not coming back, and she didn't seem to have taken it well. Pearl needed her space, and Steven respected that, but it still hurt to know that the gem was grieving and there wasn't much he could do about it.

Pulling the covers up to his chin, he tried to settle in for the night, but his mind wouldn't let him sleep due to the stress of the last couple of days. B9 and Jet had decided to crash with Lapis and Peridot, something the gems were hesitant at first about. While Jet seemed able to get along with anyone and everyone, B9 had a habit of snapping and flying off the handle at unpredictable times, something that made everyone extremely uncomfortable. While the gem hadn't physically attacked anyone, he feared hat he wouldn't be able to say that for long, as her outbursts were becoming more and more common.

The humans stayed with Greg for the most part, the man being gracious enough to share his van and even teach them about life on Earth, with Jet sometimes accompanying them. She said it was because she missed Johnathon and wanted to spend more time with him, something Steven didn't doubt, but he also noted how happy she was when she was away from B9.

Yawning, Steven closed his eyes. He'd have to ask her about it later. For now, though, he needed to rest.

….

Freshwater stared blankly at the reports in front of her, pursing her lips and frowning. Off-Colors roaming Homeworld freely below the surface, Amethyst Guards acting out at the zoo due to the fact that some cod had released the humans residing there – man if she ever got her hands on the gem that did that she'd shatter them on sight. Not to mention that the Crystal Gems wer still out there wreaking havoc and defending that dumb chunk of rock they called Earth.

Disgusting.

Yes, there were many imperfections on Homeworld. All imperfections that she was entrusted to fix. With a small smile, the gem felt her heart swoon. My, my how merciful her Diamond had been. To entrust herself, a Pearl, to watch over Homeworld in her absence while her Diamond decided what to do with the Crystal gems was an honor.

Groaning, the gem put her hands in her hands. Sometimes the stress did get to her, as she felt she couldn't handle it, nor was she deserving of it. There were even days where she felt a deep sadness pass over her, like she was missing something – someone. Sure, there was a sort of jolt of adrenaline when she let gems know exactly what they were doing wrong and threatened to take them to her Diamond, but scring awa all the ges who feared her made life quite lonely.

It also didn't help that she was having dreams lately. Dreams where she was with another gem that she felt she knew somehow. This gem was extremely beautiful to her – they had bright teal eyes and pale skin, a nice sash to accompany it. They also appeared to be extremely well made, unlike herself. The weird thing was, she would have hazy dreams of being in a forest of some kind with this gem, staring up at a sky that flickered on and off oddly enough. The dreams were always short and she rarely remembered much of what happened in them, but the face of this Pearl was always bored into her mind.

Who was she?

"Pearl? Pearl!"

Freshwater jumped when she heard her superior addressing her. Looking up, she felt her cheeks darken. "Oh, sorry White." She said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. While she may have been feared on Homeworld, everyone feared White Pearl. Nobody knew why she was like…..that, and nobody wanted to know.

White Pearl frowned. "Daydreaming at your desk instead of working?"

Freshwater bit her lower lip, standing and bowing to the gem. "I apologize, White Pearl. She said genuinely. "I was just catching up on the reports my guards were sending me. There is much to fix, and sometimes I grow weary. Forgive me."

White Pearl pursed her lips. "Fair enough. I highly suggest you take a short nap before you return to your work. Do not let this happen again." She said before turning and gliding out of the gem's room.

Freshwater nodded, not dropping her salute until the gem had left. Sighing, the gem shut her systems down and turned off the lights, climbing into bed. She enjoyed having her own space to work, courtesy of White Diaond herself, but sharing this space with the Pearls could be a bit…..frustrating.

Blue was alright, she supposed. Soft spoken, and enjoyed to draw. Yellow grated on her nerves every now and then, but she rarely had to interact with her as she was always roaming Homeworld. White, though….White just threw her for a loop in general, her vacant stare and monotone voice making everyone uncomfortable. Unfortunately, she had to interact with her daily, as she had to give her reports and updates on things she needed.

Yawning and stretching, Freshwater turned on her side. She rarely ever slept, and didn't even know where she had picked the habit up from, but it rejuvenated her every time. Her dreams were always adventurous too, even if they were a bit frightening. Things like running from a fierce Agate and jumping onto a ship only to be yanked back down again, trying to fuse with a human (she cringed at this every time she thought about it). Freshwater assumed this was her creative side that she suppressed all day trying to express itself, so she didn't really question it.

Plus she just really enjoyed spending time with that Pearl she kept seeing in her dreams.

…..

Freshwater opened her eyes and put a hand to her forehead, frowning as she pushed herself to a sitting position. She was sitting on a beach of some kind, the sign above her reading "Welcome to Beach City".

"Freshwater? Freshwater is that you?"

Freshwater looked up in surprise when she saw a boy with a bright yellow star on a red shirt rushing towards her, arms outstretched. Instinctively, Freshwater summoned her weapon and lunged at him, pinning him to the ground. "Who are you?" she demanded almost boredly, staring down at he boy below her, cringing in disgust when she realized it was the human she had tried to fuse with in a previous dream.

The boy below her looked shocked, holding his arms up defensively. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Freshwater chill out, it's me! Steven?" Freshwater cocked an eyebrow. "Steven, huh? Funny name for a human." She muttered, looking the boy up and down before she stood, deeming him a nonthreat. "Man, I need to stop eating. Gives me weird dreams." She muttered, starting to make her way over to the water.

"When's this dream supposed to end?" Freshwater muttered after a few seconds of silence.

"When one of us wakes up." The boy responded, looking up at her, confused. "Why do you…look like that?" he asked, blushing at the way he worded his question. "I mean not that you look bad. It's just…different." He said, looking up and down. The gem he was looking at looked nothing like Freshwater did. Her blue skin was replaced with a brilliant white, and her hair was now a dark pink that flowed behind her back. Her eyes were also a bright blue rather than the signature navy blue. She also wore a frilly green shirt and a pretty camouflage pattern skirt with bright blues, yellows, pinks, and splotches of white.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to." Freshwater muttered, picking up a handful of sand. "I've always looked like this." Steven shook his head. "No, you haven't. You used to have light blue skin, a Mohawk pink hairstyle, and you hated wearing frilly things." He argued.

Freshwater looked down at the boy before she laughed loudly. "Man that's rich." She said, shaking her head when she had finished, chuckling. "Let me get one thing straight with ya, kid." She said, turning her head and fixing him with a cold stare. "The colors you just described to me sound like they clashed horribly. What are you going to tell me next, that you think I'm defective?"

Steven bit his lower lip. "Well, I didn't think that, but the Diamonds di-"

Freshwater's eyes flashed. "I am not defective." She snarled, pointing her weapon at him. "Look, I don't know who you are or why my brain keeps coming up with these….dumb dreams or whatever, but this is a garbage. Whatever fear I have that manifested into you is completely irrational. I'm perfect. I've always been perfect, and I will always be perfect. Understand?"