A/N: Here's Ch 2! I'm so glad that you all enjoyed the story so far~! That makes me extremely happy! I'm trying to (hopefully) put out a new chapter every week or so, because the way this story is heading (Which I have sort've planned out), is going to be a long one, so please bear with me.

Replies:

20Last-Sparkle01 - I'm sorry I made you suffer! I tried my best to make the story interesting !

twiggy - Thank you! I'm so glad you like it! :0

Kanasty - I'm sorry for emotionally wrecking your brain! (but that's what I was aiming for~ mwahaha)

Shiranai Atsune - Hmm maybeee~ I guess you'll just have to wait and see (or just read below)

Gil saucedo - Thank you! I hope you can bar with me on a lot of chapters!

Lady of the Sky - Hm I guess it is a good thing to not 'poof', but slowly being swallowed by light is somewhat better, right? And thanks for my stone naming! took me a while to come up with that one!

Okay please enjoy CH 2!

END A/N:

CH2: We Are the Crystal Gems

Warmth.

Warmth was all he felt.

Both from the sun cascading on his face and the feel of something fuzzy wrapped around his body.

Steven slowly but surely started to wake. First his ears adjusted to what noises were happening around him. He heard the soft noises of the ocean, calmly washing up the sandy shore. He heard seagulls squawk happily to one another, while some squawked angrily at something they didn't find so appealing.

Next, Steven's nose woke. The smell of the beach was immediately present, not to mention the scent of his laundry detergent staining the soft material his body was wrapped around.

Finally, Steven slowly fluttered his eyes open, squinting at the attacking light from the merciless sun. His eyes slowly adjusted to the familiar surrounding of his bedroom.

Steven was wrapped securely in a cozy blanket, like a cocoon, on his bed. His bay window was opened, letting the sounds and smell of the nice ocean breeze to settle in.

He was home.

He was safe.

'I'm...home?' Steven thought. Looking at no where in particular, Steven tried to remember something– anything - prior from apparently going to sleep in his room.

All he last remembered was being in pain. Intense pain and numbness. He felt like he was dying. The last thing he saw was Sapphire, Pearl, Amethyst and Ruby, towering above him, and crying.

This was all because he touched and somehow activated the Versal Stone.

Steven squinted around in confusion, 'It felt so real. I remember it hurt so much...could it...all have been a dream?'

Steven couldn't rule out that possibility, seeming that weeks ago, his dreams seem to have heightened his senses, including his gem powers. He learned that he could telepathically communicate with others in his dreams, so the possibility of dreaming up his own near death experience was entirely plausible.

'I wonder where they are...' Steven pondered about the Crystal Gems. When he last saw them, they all seemed very concerned about his well being. They last hovered over his limp body, crying their eyes out for him, but now, they are no where in sight. You would think that at least one of them (at least Pearl) would be sitting next to him as he woke up from his traumatizing experience.

'Hm, that's kinda selfish of me...they have lives to live too, they can't just sit here and watch me sleep...' Steven concluded. The Crystal Gems had their own rooms to occupy, other than his. Not to mention their duty they have to protect the Earth. They might have went on a mission while he slept.

On top of that, Steven wasn't even sure if what he had 'experienced' was real or not. It could have been a dream and now he's just waking up from the previous night.

Suddenly, Steven's stomach made a a gurgling noise, signaling it was time for him to eat. 'Hm, I guess it's that time of day again,' Steven smiled. He untangled himself out of the ferocious blanket he was securely wrapped around and got up.

Well, he tried to get up.

His body felt worse than that time he exercised way too much when he tried to be strong like Sugilite. His body ached in every place imaginable. From his face all the way to his toes, he felt incredibly sore.

"Ow..." Steven croaked out, flopping back down on his bed.

Croaked?

His throat was raspy and dry. Like he hasn't drank anything in a month. It felt as if he had a sore throat.

"I hope I didn't catch a cold..." Steven groaned. That was the only explanation for his sore body and throat. Last night, he must have foolishly left his window open. It was so cold later on that night, he must have tucked himself in a secure position in his blanket. Steven sighed. Pearl had always warned him about leaving the window open.

'Humans have frail bodies and a weak immune system, you must always take care of yourself,' her voiced echoed in his mind. Now was the time that Steven should've listened to her, instead of shrugging it off haphazardly.

Steven's stomach growled unappreciatively, and he once again sighed. Using all of his muscle power, Steven managed to get up and onto his feet. Steven groggily made his way down his stairs and into the kitchen. He opened the freezer and found waffles and plopped it in the toaster.

Steven then opened the refrigerator, hoping to add some fresh strawberries on top of his waffles. Scanning the fridge, Steven came across some foreign objects. There was a large jug of protein milk and some protein powder next to it.

Steven rose a brow and examined the milk. This type of milk has never been in the fridge before, so why was it here now? Pearl normally did all the grocery shopping, and knew the type of meals that Steven liked, and protein milk was never on that shopping list.

'Maybe...Amethyst brought this home?' Steven concluded. Amethyst still sometimes did her late night wrestling routine, so maybe she thought drinking protein milk would make her feel stronger.

Steven shrugged it off and continued to search for his strawberries. It seemed like they were out of strawberries, which was a huge bummer on Steven's part. Steven closed the fridge door and sat on the floor, feeling rather disappointed, not to mention he felt terrible. His body ached, and it felt like he had a massive and splitting headache that was going to split his head open.

Steven sighed again and rested his elbow on his knee as he cradled his cheek in his palm. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. Maybe he would ask Pearl to make some tea for him later to nurse his cold. Mm...he could taste it now. Some nice hot tea to make him feel warm and snugly. It would feel like cool robotic fingers crawling up his leg.

Wait. Cool robotic fingers?

Steven's eyes shot open and saw a round robonoid trying to climb up his pants leg. The robonoid looked like one of the many that belonged to Peridot. He and the Crystal Gems did take quite a few home, but none were actually activated. Steven gasped and wiggled his leg until the robonoid rolled off. It wiggled and squirmed, trying to regain its composure.

How was it working? Did Peridot secretly activate it somehow, without any of their knowledge?

The robonoid got back onto its feet and began crawling back over to Steven and started climbing back up his pants leg again.

"Auh...uh... What do you want?" Steven asked hesitantly, as if the robonoid can answer him. The robonoid didn't respond, but continually tried to climb all over Steven. It tried to pounce on Steven's face but Steven plucked it from mid-air and sat it back down on the floor, "No jumping." Steven chastised, however, the robonoid tried again to scramble on top of Steven. Steven sighed again, but then he heard the Crystal Gate open up. Good, maybe one of the Gems could help him with this pesky robonoid situation.

Before Steven could greet whomever walked through the gate, Steven heard some foreign, but somewhat familiar voices murmuring to each other. Confused and a bit frightened by the intruding voices in his home. He stayed put in his location behind the kitchen counter. It was here that you couldn't see him from the Crystal Gate, keeping Steven hidden.

First he heard heavy footsteps, followed by a gruff voice, "–and what would that help us do?" It asked.

Next, a nasally type voice answered the gruff voice, "Well, if we wake Steven and analyze him, I can conduct a proper check up on his vitals." The voice said in a matter of fact tone. Steven's eyes widened. Whoever these intruders were, they knew his name. However, that wasn't surprising, considering the fact that both of these voice seemed very familiar. Their names were on the tip of his tongue.

"Why didn't you do it when we first took him home?" Gruff voice asked, irritated.

"Because," The nasally voice snapped, "Lazuli urged us to leave him be and let him rest."

Steven's heart was racing so fast that he clenched the part of his shirt where his heart would be. Lazuli, as in Lapis Lazuli, urged these intruders to let him sleep? How was this possible? She was at the bottom of the ocean, fused with Jasper, as Malachite. How was she aware of him being home, and getting some rest?

Scratch all that. Before we question about Lapis' position, the real question was: Who was in his house and how did they get in? They activated the Crystal Gate somehow, and casually strolled in like it was their own home. Not to mention, Steven was confused as to where the Crystal Gems were. Where was Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst? Were they out on a mission? Hurt? Bubbled? Kidnapped? Were they aware of the intruders in their home?

All these questions raced through Steven's head and he clenched a lock of his hair in pain as his headache got worse. He was worried, frightened, and overall confused on what he should do in this situation.

"Hmph, well he's awake now, because he's not in his bed." the gruff voice replied half-heartedly.

"What!?" the nasally voice shrieked. Steven heard robotic movements walk around the living room and climb up his steps, "W-where has he gone?!"

Heavy footsteps walked to the center of the living room, then the gruff voice responded, "Who knows. Maybe he went to the hospital to get his vitals checked." Steven unwillingly cracked an amused smile. He could practically feel the sarcasm dripping off the gruff voice's response.

"Jasper! That's not funny! He could be anywhere! He needs a proper check up before he leaves the temple!" The nasally voice snapped.

Steven's smile suddenly disappeared and his heart dropped down into is stomach. His eyes widened in fear and he broke out into a cold sweat.

Jasper, the evil Homeworld gem that threatened him, his home, and his family? The same gem that made Garnet unfuse and head-butt him in the face? The gem that fused with Lapis and was imprisoned at the bottom of the ocean? That same Jasper, that was currently in his home?!

Steven tried to gulp, but his mouth was so dry, he couldn't manage it. Steven felt the robonoid climb up his pants leg again, but this time, Steven ignored it. He was too petrified by his predicament to make any action.

"Relax. What's the worst that can happen to the runt? He's probably down by the beach." Jasper sighed.

Steven heard a digital noise come from the living room, "Negative. My flask robonoid detectors have just confirmed that Steven is still in the temple." The nasally voice corrected. Their flask robonoids? That must mean that the nasally voice belonged to Peridot.

Somehow, Steven's throat became even dryer. Not one, but, two Homeworld gems were occupying his living-room. Two of which that threatened his and the Crystal Gem's lives before.

Steven looked down at the flask robonoid that was currently trying to balance itself on his knee. Was this robonoid giving Peridot his location? If so, they couldn't pinpoint his exact location, because they would've already known he was in the kitchen by now. Whatever the case may be, he needed an escape plan, and fast. But, maybe they would go back into the Crystal Gate to check the different rooms first, since they couldn't see him in the main room. If they left, Steven could slip out of the temple without them noticing. He just needed to be quiet and stay hidden.

However, that was easier said than done.

Suddenly, the loudest, but somehow soft 'pop' noise came from the kitchen. Steven's eyes widened at the noise, and realized it was his waffles that happily popped out of the toaster. This was probably the first time that Steven hated waffles, especially given the awful timing it had. Steven prayed to his mother, that Jasper or Peridot didn't hear the toaster, and hoped that one of them didn't go and investigate.

First, there was a moment of silence. The next noise, however, was slow, heavy, footsteps coming towards the kitchen.

'Oh no,' Steven eyes widened. Jasper was coming. Steven needed to retreat. But how? He was going to be cornered once she reached the kitchen.

The heavy footsteps came to a stop. Steven looked ahead and saw a pair of reddish brown boots, following a pair of reddish pants, and finally a black tank top with a reddish-orange star design on the left side of her body. Jasper's thick off-beige hair cascaded wildly down he shoulders and her back and she stood akimbo, as she looked down at Steven with confusion and a hint of amusement.

The two stared at each other, to what seemed like hours. Jasper's bright yellow eyes bored into Steven's terrified ones. They were silent. They studied each other's form, not knowing what the other was going to do. Steven was thinking of a way to escape. Garnet always told him, that if he couldn't fight them, simply, 'run away and fight another day'.

"Steven," Jasper said, snapping Steven out of his thoughts. Odd, she never addressed him by his name before. The large gem stepped toward him with caution, "What are you doing?" she inquired, taking another step closer.

A careful Jasper? Strange.

Suddenly, Steven saw an opening for an escape! It was a risky plan, but he couldn't take the risk of Jasper catching him. Ignoring Jasper and his aching body, Steven went on all fours and dashed between Jasper's legs; making the flask robonoid fall off of him. Once he went past the confused Jasper, Steven jumped to his feet and ran towards the front door.

Heart racing and body aching, Steven could practically taste the freedom awaiting at the front door. But, as quickly as his plan began, is as quickly it stopped. Before he could make his escape, Peridot stood between him and the doorway.

She was standing with her robotic fingers on her hips and her face unamused. It was the 'where do you think you're going' look that Steven knew all too well. He's seen it from Pearl plenty of times, especially when he and Amethyst gets caught doing something wrong.

Steven yelped, stopping in his tracks. He turned back around, this time running towards the Warp Pad. They couldn't find him if he hid somewhere they didn't know about.

As Steven ran away from the Homeworld Gems, he looked behind him, seeing a confused Jasper in the kitchen and a gasping Peridot by the front door. They didn't seem like they were going to chase him. Good. When he reached the Warp Pad, they wouldn't have a clue to where he was going.

Suddenly, Steven bumped into a figure. He bumped into it so hard that he toppled over and fell on the said figure.

"Oww..." Steven groaned. All this extra physical action was really putting a strain on Steven's already sore body. Steven closed his eyes and put a hand on his forehead, as if it could soothe his throbbing headache.

"Steven?" A sweet, familiar voice under him said. Steven looked down to see an indigo eyed, blue woman, with a shocked look on his face. Steven's eyes widened in confusion.

"L-Lapis...?" Steven blurted put in surprise. He managed to crawl off of her and steadily helped her up.

This was a Lapis Lazuli. A friend. A friend that could help him. She was a comfortable face to trust, unlike the other gems that were slowly approaching behind them.

"Steven, what are you doing up out of bed so soon–" Lapis tried, but it went in one ear and out the other for Steven.

"Lapis!" Steven grabbed a hold of her wrist, "There's no time! Jasper and Peridot are here! We need to run!" He said, and tried to drag her to the Warp Pad.

"Steven, where are you going?" Lapis asked confused. As if the danger wasn't walking up behind her.

"To the Warp Pad! Hurry! We have to find the Crystal Gems before Jasper and Peridot captures us again!" He exclaimed, pulling her closer towards the Warp Pad. They were almost there. They were so close.

Lapis suddenly wrenched her hand from his grasp, as if a fire had scorched her.

Steven turned around and saw the three Homeworld Gems, side by side, stare at him in confusion.

"Steven, what are you talking about–" Lapis began, but wasn't able to finish, as Steven reached for her hand again.

"C'mon! We need to go before they capture us again!" Steven begged. Why wasn't she cooperating? She was stuck in a watery hell with Jasper for so long, that she obviously didn't want to be put in that situation again. Right?

"Uh... Is this some type of game I should be informed about?" Peridot pipped up from behind.

"Probably," Jasper grumbled as she scratched the top of her head in confusion.

Steven let go of Lapis' hand and jumped back in defense, "It's not a game!" He yelled back at them furiously, making all three gems jump.

When no one decided to reply, Steven took the initiative to talk again, "It was probably a game for you! Was it a game when you poofed Garnet at the beach? Was it a game when you head butt me in the face? Was it a game when you threw me, the Crystal Gems, and Lapis in a cell, after you threatened to kill us?!" Steven yelled, looking directly at Jasper.

Jasper's cat-like eyes went wide at the onslaught of accusations, "I did what?"

"When you and Peridot came to the beach that day and attacked us!"Steven yelled, reminding her of that heart wrenching day. How could she not remember. It was the first time she and Steven met.

All three gems glanced at each other.

"And...who did we attack, exactly?" Peridot asked.

"The Crystal Gems!" Steven threw his hands in the air dramatically. It was like explaining what 1+1 equals to, and no one was getting it.

"But..." Lapis started, "We are the Crystal Gems." She said with a small smile on her face.

As soon as the words escaped her lips, Steven's face visibly blanched.

"What?" He muttered.

"Affirmative. Look at out uniforms," Peridot suggested, and Steven did.

Much like Jasper's choice of clothing, Lapis had adopted a dark blue star on her blue crop top. Peridot, who's clothing was much more in 'uniform' attire, than the other two, has adopted a yellow star on her v-neck and knees, where the yellow diamond used to be.

"What...?" Steven repeated himself again, more to himself than the Gems before him. Confused tears pricked his eyes as he took a few steps back and stared at them as if they declared something seemingly irrational.

Well, it was seemingly irrational!

The Homeworld Gems, just said that they were the Crystal Gems! This wasn't making any sense! How in the world did that make sense!? Steven grew up with the Crystal Gems. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were the Crystal Gems! Amethyst was like his sister, Pearl was like his overly protective symbolic mother, and Garnet was his motherly type mentor.

Not these three! These three gems were potentially the enemy!

"Where's Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl?" Steven sobbed out, getting confused looks.

The three gems looked at each other, and then back at Steven. Jasper decided it was her time to answer, "I don't know who Garnet and Amethyst are, but, Pearl is hundreds of thousands lightyears away from this planet." She scoffed.

Steven's bits and pieces of hope that was left in him melted away at that comment. Why was Pearl lightyears away? Did Jasper send her there?

"Where is she?" Steven demanded. He may act like he was tough, but deep down, he was so scared that he may accidentally wet himself if any of the gems made an aggressive movement.

Lapis and Peridot turned to Jasper for an answer, who in turned just blinked at Steven before answering, "She's hundreds of thousands of lightyears away in space." She repeated.

"I want to be with her!" Steven declared. He needed to be with her. She was his safety. Hell, any of the Crystal Gems was his safety.

"Steven, you don't even know her–" Peridot tried to intervene, but was cut off by a confused and heartbroken Steven.

"I do know her! She's my friend, my family! She's one of the Crystal Gems!" He cried.

All three gems looked at each other in speechless confusion, as Steven was on another verge of tears.

Lapis was the first to clear her throat, "St-Steven...we are the Crystal Gems." She tried reassuring, "Myself, Peridot and Jasper."

Another waterfall of tears fell down Steven's face, and his face twisted into defiance and confusion, "No! You aren't the Crystal Gems!" He yelled back, "The Crystal Gems are Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl! Not you! You guys aren't–" Steven choked on his words. The gems before him were looking at him as if he had fused for the first time. Steven knew at this point that they were confused at his words, as much as he was confused in his situation.

Peridot decided it was her turn to calm him down, "Steven, relax,"she said as she stepped towards him. Jasper decided to follow her in suit.

Steven immediately blanched at the two approaching gems. Sure, he trusted Lapis, but Jasper and Peridot were pushing his boundaries. Steven was never alone with the advancing enemies before, and now that the Crystal Gems – the real Crystal Gems – were no where to be found, Steven couldn't help but to form a protective bubble around himself.

The trio jumped in both shock and amazement at Steven's defense. Wide eyed and even more confused, the three gems stared in awe of a bubble that they've once seen before.

"How the hell did he do that?" Jasper mumbled to herself, but reached the ears of her comrades.

"Didn't... Rose have a bubble like that?" Lapis wondered aloud.

"He's...he's obviously tapped into his inner gem ability and produced one of Rose's shields!" Peridot gaped as she activated her holographic touchscreen with her fingers, "But how could he have done it so easily? Just the other day he could barely do a simple shapeshifting technique...!" She thought out loud as she scanned through her interface.

Peridot began to walk up and inspect the bubble, "Can you control that bubble? Can you get out of it?" She asked Steven.

Steven narrowed his eyes at her, "Of course I can, but I'm not getting out!" He yelled in defiance.

A flash of confusion hit Peridot in the face, "Why not? We aren't going to harm you."

"Yes you are!" Argued Steven, tears brimming once again.

"No, we are not!" A frustrated Peridot yelled out.

Steven shook his head in defiance. Steven was confused, scared, and felt more alone than he's ever been in his life. Steven was always surrounded by loved ones, and even if sometimes he was alone, there was always someone he trusted and loved nearby.

But this was different.

Steven was in the comfort of his home, but it was occupied by his enemies. Even if Lapis was there, it didn't make him feel any better. This was the home of the Crystal Gems. Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet and himself. The fact that none of them were there while Jasper, Peridot and Lapis occupied his space of comfort made him feel alienated in his own home.

This all felt like a dream. A terrible dream like he had months ago when images of Malachite flashed in his mind. Steven was ready to wake up. Wake up and find Amethyst raiding their refrigerator, while Pearl nagged at her for eating, and Garnet stoically watching the two bicker with her hands on her hips.

A gem collage of light blue, purple, and burgundy was his comfort.

Instead he was met with the hues of orange, green, and dark blue.

"Yelling at him isn't going to help, genius." Jasper snapped at the flustered Peridot.

"Well excuse me for trying to help!" Peridot angrily stomped, "I don't see you trying anything to help, you gigantic clod!"

Being a hothead, Jasper grabbed Peridot's shirt by the collar and lifted her up to be face to face, "I dare you to call me a clod again, you defiant, incompetent, piece of green, shit–!"

"Hey! Knock it off you two!" Lapis intervened, pulling on Jasper's arm, "Can you two stop arguing with each other for one minute? For Steven?" She tried.

Peridot narrowed her eyes at Lapis, "How could I?! This gigantic brute is always in the way! Never helping in any situation–"

"And you think you're helping him by yelling at him like a damn banshee?" Jasper bellowed, almost breaking Peridot's eardrums because of how close they were.

"Jasper, put Peridot down, this isn't helping!" She tugged on Jasper's arm again, "We need to help Steven! There's obviously something wrong with him–"

"I am not a banshee! Now stop screaming at me and get your touch stumps off my uniform!" Peridot hissed back, ignoring Lapis.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you too high tech for a brute like me to touch? You have no high ranking above me. You're as worthless as your title back on Homeworld!" Jasper bared her teeth at the now flustered and upset Peridot.

"You guys! Seriously, cut it out!" Lapis tried again, this time pulling on Peridot's body to let her go free.

Steven darted his eyes back and forth to the three bickering gems. He was confused on what was actually going on. First, they were arguing about helping him and now they're just arguing personally between themselves.

Oddly, this reminded him of when Pearl and Amethyst would fight. Except, this time, Steven wasn't sure of the outcome.

Jasper was large and could get physically violent with anyone that would stand in her way. Steven experienced this from first hand, when Jasper decided to headbutt him in the face when they first met.

Peridot wasn't as vicious, but that didn't mean that she wasn't capable to cause any harm.

The three gems bickered back and forth, as if it were a natural occurrence in the household. They all seemed terribly occupied in each other's rants; leaving Steven alone to recoup.

How confused he was of what was happening. Everything was different. Well, almost everything. The only things that seemed out of place was the Crystal Gems. They were replaced by Jasper, Peridot, and Lapis Lazuli. Everything else seemed to be the same. He was in the temple, in the same house. The kitchen and his bedroom remained the same.

These Gems didn't seem like they wanted to hurt him like Peridot previously said. Of course, this could all just be a ploy to get his guard down so they could suddenly strike.

Steven needed to leave. He couldn't stay here with these Gems. They were obviously preoccupied, so Steven could just leave now.

But where?

This was his home. It wasn't like he had a second home to go to. He needed reassurance. Reassurance from someone who he trusted and loved, and didn't need to second guess if that someone was going to hurt him or not.

An idea suddenly sprung in Steven's head. Steven looked back at the bickering Gems again, making sure they were absolutely occupied. He only had one shot at this, before one of the Gems caught onto him and trapped him inside the house.

Steven readied himself for a full on sprint. He took a deep breath and popped his defensive bubble. The action alone made the Homeworld Gems turn around in surprise. However, as soon as they turned, Steven made a dash out the front door. He jumped down a few steps until the sandy beach touched his toes. Steven dashed down the beach, heading for the town. His head throbbing, body aching, and heart racing, Steven continued to push through. He did not stop running towards the town, not even when he hear feint shouts of his name back at the temple.

Steven only had one name running racing through his mind as he ran as if his life depended on it.

Dad.

A/N:
Uh oh, it's getting a little strange and heated. I hope little Steven will be okay! Stick with me to see what happens next chapter!

Reviews to tell me how I did! I absolutely adore all your helpful reviews! Thank you!