Three….two….one! Ready or not, here I come!"

Steven snickered and took a deep breath before leaping into Lion's Mane. Not only was his Not-So-Ferocious-Beast an absolutely adorable storage container, but he made for an excellent hiding place as well.

Honestly, he was surprised nobody had found him out by now. It was really quite simple, as all he had to do was stay close enough so he could stick his head out for air if necessary before ducking his head back in. He had recently been trying a game of seeing how long he could hang in there, and his current record was a minute and a half.

Growing slightly bored, Steven swam his way over to the small island where the Mr. Universe T-Shirt blew in the wind. Looking to the side, he also noticed – a bubbled gem? What was that doing he-

Steven's eyes widened as he ran back to the pink sea of hair and jumped out, gasping for air.

"Aw man, that's cheating! If I would've known you could hide in a cat, I would have tried." H11 said, crossing her arms. "You must admit, it was a rather smart choice of hiding. Your pet is very good, Steven." H10 said, stroking Lion's mane happily.

Steven laughed awkwardly and pushed himself to a sitting position. "Sorry guys." He said sheepishly. "I need to go show something to the gems." He said, climbing on Lion's back and trying to get the lazy cat on his feet. "Why can't we ever play with Steven and his other gem friends?" Johnathon whined as Steven was riding off. "Well…..because the Crystal Gems aren't really playing." Jet explained. "They're working." She said with a small smile, waving at Steven as he left.

"And it was…in Lion? Not in Rose's room?" Amethyst asked, looking at the bubbled gem in Steven's hands. Luckily, Pearl had been out of her room when Steven had come home, preparing tea at Amethyst's request in a desperate attempt to get the gem out of her funk.

"Yeah, it was in Lion." Steven said, holding up the bubble. "I don't know why it wasn't in the Temple." He said, looking up at Garnet for some sort of explanation. The usually stoic and calm fusion, however, looked shocked as she and Pearl stood in stunned silence. "Should we unbubble it, or just put it with the others? Ooh, maybe I can try to heal this one!" he said excitedly, starting to put the bubble down.

"I don't even think it's corrupted, dude." Amethyst said, grabbing his shoulder before the bubble could hit the ground and pop. "I mean, look at it. I've never seen a gem like that, but it doesn't have those gross splotches on it." Steven hesitated. "Yeah, that's true." He looked up at Garnet and Pearl. For a moment, the gems exchanged a look, appearing to have agreed on something as they looked back at Steven, summoning their weapons jus in case.

"Unbubble it."

Amethyst summoned her whip as well, watching carefully as Steven put the bubble on the ground and it popped.

Almost immediately, the gem inside started to reform, taking the form of a large gem with purple skin, brightly rainbow colored hair, and a bold black star tattooed on her left arm. She was wearing burgundy colored pants with a red star as a sort of makeshift belt.

Steven and Amethyst exchanged a look of confusion as the gem picked herself up off her feet. "I…I'm back?" she said, looking up , her eyes widening when she saw the fusion and the Pearl. "Garnet…Pearl?" she said in disbelief.

Immediately, Pearl's whole demeanor changed as she happily threw herself at the gem in question, wrapping her arms around her and laughing happily, being caught almost instinctively by the newcomer. "Whoa, hey, the Pearl I know never jumps into my arms!" the gem said with a wide smile, holding the gem bridal smile with a big grin. "Hey, did somebody lose a Pearl? Who do you belong to?" The gem said teasingly. Pearl scoffed but laughed. "Nobody!"

"Hey you clods, do you have a-" B9 stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the commotion going on in the living room, but nobody seemed to have noticed her yet. "Where have you been? We thought you'd been captured. Or worse - shattered." Pearl was saying, her hand coming to her mouth.

Bismuth snickered. "Shatter me? Pssh, Homeworld couldn't lay a scratch on this gem. Being rough and tough is in our nature." She said, turning around and picking up the couch as if it were nothing.

"Ahem."

The gem paused, looking down at Amethyst, Steven, and B9. "Who is this?" Amethyst asked, looking up at the gem, confused.

"You're Bismuth!" B9 said, pointing to the gem in disbelief. "Bismuth facet-6w7f cut 828, right?" Everyone looked down at the shorter gem, surprised by her outburst. S/hen she realized she had made things awkward, however, the gem's face darkened noticeably. "I…I'm sorry. I suppose just because you're a Bismuth on Earth, it doesn't mean you're who I thought you we-"

"No, that's me." Bismuth said with a smile. "I was just caught off guard that you know about me." She admitted, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "You know we could always use more Bismuth for the Crystal Gems." She said with a smile.

B9 stiffened at that and bit her lower lip. "Yeah….." she said awkwardly, looking behind her. "I have to go." She said, bending and grabbing her toolbox before rushing back outside.

"What was that?" Bismuth asked, looking at the others, who only shrugged.

"Anyway….what's been up since I've been gone?" Bismuth asked, sitting on the couch.

…

"Bismuth! The Bismuth!" B9 said, pacing back and forth in front of her barnmates.

"What's so big about her?" Peridot asked, watching as the gem paced back and forth. Jet shrugged, grabbing a baseball and beginning a game of wall-ball. "I dunno." She said simply.

B9 rolled her eyes. "She's all anyone in my Kindergarten ever talked about," she explained, projecting figures of glorious buildings on Homeworld that Bismuth herself had worked on. "She helped built tons of spires and temples for only the most elite gems! I studied her work." She boasted, staring wistfully at the architecture.

"Don't you miss it, sometimes?" B9 said, pursing her lips and watching as Jet caught the ball in one hand and tossed it back at the wall. "Eh, sometimes? Honestly, I was never really into working." She admitted. "I think I'm still in shock to be honest. Like…it doesn't feel real." She said, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she caught the ball again.

B9 pursed her lips but didn't respond. "So…you're staying here?" she said, scowling. Jet shrugged. "Dunno." She answered again. "I don't know enough about Earth to just go wandering on my own yet. It also depends on what conditions are right for Johnathon and the other humans. Greg shouldn't have to babysit them all the time. We saved them, so we have to protect them now." She said with a shrug, tossing the ball from one hand to the other before looking up at the gem.

Peridot and Lapis exchanged a look before joining the two outside. "You…really don't miss Homeworld?" Lapis said, looking up at the sky. Jet shrugged again. "Lately, I've learned that Homeworld isn't about where you are," she said, watching as Johnathon chased D13 throughout the corn fields. "But who you're with." She explained with a small smile.

…

"That Freshwater sounds like some character." Bismuth said, letting out a low whistle as she and the main four materialized on a Warp Pad overlooking a dark, gloomy area. Pearl nodded sadly. "She really was." She said as the gems began to walk to the Forge.

"I'd love to meet her some day. She seems like she has quite an attitude to her." The others frowned. "I…don't think that will be possible." Pearl admitted. "Last we heard of her, she's changed, and not for the better." She said, worry apparent in her voice. Bismuth looked down at Pearl, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder as the other gems continued to walk ahead. "Pearl. Look at me." Pearl did as she was told, meeting eyes with the Bismuth guard.

"I never had the displeasure of meeting White Diamond, but from what it sounds like, they need her for something. It sounds to me like they can't afford to throw away gems due to a lack of resources. That being said." She squeezed Pearl's shoulder and looked the gem in the eyes.

"The likelihood of Freshwater shattered is probably lower than you think."

"Bismuth! Bismuth, is this the forge?" Bismuth rolled her eyes with a small smile when she heard Steven's voice from a few feet away. "What I'm saying is. Have faith, okay?" she said, giving Pearl's shoulder a final squeeze before making her way to the door.

"I don't know why you left the door open." Garnet said, looking over her shoulder as they walked around the dark area. Bismuth frowned. "I didn't. I always make sure to lock up before I leave this place." she said, looking at the other gems. "I don't even know how you would get in here without another Bismuth around."

For a moment the gems exchanged glances, Garnet putting a finger to her lips and making her way over to a grey containment unit and grabbing a very familiar gem by the shirt collar and pulling her out.

"Hey! Let me go, you-" B9 cut her insult short when she saw the Bismuth guard towering above her. "I…sorry!" she said, standing and trying to scamper off. Before she could, though, Bismuth grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and raised her to eye level. "How'd you even find this place?" she asked, sounding more curious than angry. B9 bit her lower lip. "I've been…..looking around." She said awkwardly, fidgeting with her hands. "See….you're considered one of the elites on Homeworld. Even after you left Homeworld, gems were instructed to bring you back alive if they could. They considered your work phenominal." She explained, blushing. "And….so do I. You're my favorite architect." She said, looking down awkwardly.

For a moment, all was still until the sounds of Bismuth's laughter bounced across the walls of the forge. "That explains why you were acting all weird when you first saw me, huh?" she said, dropping B9 to the ground. B9 shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Yeah…I always dreamed of meeting you, and I actually found this forge a few weeks back. I didn't know it was yours, I'ms sorry!" she said, her face getting redder and redder as she spoke.

Bismuth chuckled, clapping the gem on the back and almost sending her to her knees. "Don't worry about it, small fry. I'm always down to help a fellow architect. Hey, have you tried the lava yet? It's really nice on the gem."

Garnet nodded. "Bismuth and I used to have competitions to see which of us could sit in the lava in the Crystal Heart. I never won, but it was impressive." She said, playfully punching the gem in the arm. Bismuth snickered. "Yeah, I love me some lava. Here, you gotta try it." She said, picking the gem up and putting her down on a large marked black square. B9 looked around hesitantly before looking up. "Bismuth….I don't know about thi-"

"Don't worry about it, Pearl. Bismuths love this stuff." Bismuth said, bringing her fist down hard on a small statue. Bismuth opened her mouth to object at the last second, but immediately fell silent when the molten lava hit her skin. "Ohh….that does feel nice." She said, standing under it and lowering her head, enjoying the way the lava ran down her skin. "I haven't felt this relaxed in ages" she admitted, looking over at Bismuth. "Hey there tiny, leave some room for me too." Bismuth said, joining her fellow Bismuth under the raining of molten lava.

"You feel free to use this place any time ya need, got it?" she said, smiling down at B9. B9's eyes lit up. "R-Really?" she said as they stepped out of the lava-bath. Bismuth nodded. "Well, of course. Us Bismuths gotta stick together, right? She said, winking at the gem.

B9 hesitated. "I…I dunno. I don't even know how I feel about being a Crystal Gem yet." She admitted. For a moment, silence filled the room. "Hey. It's okay to not know. You may have a lot of experience, but you aren't that old. I'd say what 3, 4 thousand years?" B9 nodded. "You don't gotta be a Crystal Gem if you don't want to be. Just don't rat us out to the Diamonds, and we're a-okay, got it?" B9 looked up at Bismuth, starry eyed. "Y-Yeah. Got it."

Bismuth grinned, turning to the others. "Alright, so we're trying to make some weapons for these gems here." She said, gesturing to Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven. "What additions do you think would work best for these gems, my new apprentice?"

B9's jaw dropped. "A…Apprentice?" Bismuth nodded. "Yeah, why not? I'm not gonna be around forever, and I don't need this place going to waist, now do I?" she said, flashing the gem a bright smile.

"Now, who's first?"

…

B9 let out a happy whistle as she stood under the molten lava. To be an apprentice under The Bismuth. Rumor had it that even though she was the first of her kind, she was the best. Crystal Gem or not, she could learn a lot from this gem. Speaking of which….How did she feel about the Crystal Gems?

B9 mulled it over as she shook herself off and made her way out of the forge, the sky darkening quickly above her. When you threw aside all of Homeworld's roles, the gem were fine, but…..they were different. Not Off-Color or defective, as they could follow the roles if they wanted to. They just chose not to. B9 still wasn't sure how she felt about anyone besides Freshwater, who she begrudgingly respected for getting them to somewhere safe, unless ou forgot about the huge weapon baking at the Earth's core.

Eh it was too late to talk emotions. The gem thought to herself, stifling a yawn as she came up to the barn she and Jet were now sharing with Peridot and Lapis. Right now she needed some sle-

"Why are you getting back so late?"

B9 jumped at the sound of Jet's voice on the side of the barn. Rolling her eyes, B9 yawned and stretched. "I was working. And while we're playing 20 questions," she said, locking eyes with the gem. "Why didn't you tell me Steven was Rose Quartz's mom?"

Jet froze, turning to face B9. "I….I know how you felt about Rose, so I-"

"Steven isn't Rose." B9 said simply, shrugging. "There's no reason for me to hate him."

"Oh…..Sorry." An awkward pause. "You thought I was going to do something to hurt him. Didn't you." B9 said, her eyes flashing for a moment before dying down again.

Jet bit her lower lip. "Y….Yeah, actually." She admitted, raising her head. You're just…not the best gem when you're angry." B9 bit her lower lip and looked down for a second. "What, is this about the whole Freshwater thing?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. The Onyx fell silent but nodded.

"I….don't like how I act when I'm around you. We used to be so close." Jet said, wrapping her arms around herself. "And now you treat me like I'm nothing – no, worse than nothing. It's…frustrating." She said, shaking slightly as tears welled in her eyes. "It's like even though you're my mentor I'm having to be the mature one, because you're still dealing with the guilt of what happened to Bu-"

"Don't say her name." Jet snapped, looking down at the Earth as if their voices enough were enough to pop the bubble surrounding the cluster. "I've accepted the role I had to play in our leader's downfall. That's why I'm trying to keep you from turning out like her."

"Why would I not want to turn out like Buck, B9?" Jet whispered. Silence. "I loved Buck. You loved her too. We all did. Rose may have done things we hate, but you saw the positive change she made on Buck. She smiled a lot. She laughed a lot. I wasn't there for the times before Rose, but from what I heard, she used to be strict and no-nonsense. But in the last years of her life she was –"

"Weak? Spineless? Unable to control her crew?" B9 suggested, refusing to drop her anger.

Jet shook her head. "No. She was happy, Buck. Sure her final moments suck, and they probably suck now, but the things she did while she was with us made her happy. And to me that's all that should matter." She said, wiping a tear from her eye. "You can't keep letting her death tear you up like this, B9. It's not good for you." She whispered.

B9 raised her head for a moment, letting the Onyx's words sink in before she shook her head. "I'm going back to the forge." She muttered, picking her toolbox back up and making her way away from the barn.

Jet reached out an arm to stop her, but paused, falling back. She had spoken her mind about Buck, and that felt like a positive move in their friendship, something she thought she would never be able to do. Leaning back and putting her hands behind her head, the gem sighed.

This was going to take time for both of them.