Peridot felt her heart pounding as soon as she heard Amethyst yell Citrine's name. Her blood turned cold and she began to feel stress sweat bubbling up on her skin.

She couldn't do anything, though, so she stood there, cleaning the lenses of her glasses with the bottom of her green flannel. Should I stop her? But what if Citrine hasn't succumbed yet? What if she has?

Lapis tapped her wristwatch. "Time's a tickin', Per-Bear, it's almost twelve."

Peridot bit her lip and let her negative side win over. "Amethyst, I don't think we should…"

Then with force Amethyst was blown backwards.

Peridot's negative side won out…and Amethyst was lucky for this.

The blonde immediately pulled the trigger of the gun she picked up off of the floor where the other had dropped it, a blue flash emanating from it.

She heard a small scream as the ghost was sucked inside.

"CITRINE!" yelled Amethyst.

"Ame, you can't get too attached to these ghosts…you know that she was being used to manipulate you."

"I know…but-but-" The black-haired girl allowed her hair to drape around her face, not allowing the blonde to see the tears streaming down her face.

Peridot bent down beside her. "It's okay. I understand."

"But you can't see ghosts!"

"But I DO know what it is like to lose a best friend! Do you KNOW how much I grieved when I had to come here, leaving my best friend Jasper back home? And what about my mom? And my aunts?"

Amethyst swallowed. "Oh."

Peridot thought, then, remembering all the fun she would have with Jasper…especially since barely anyone else would talk to her.

(Flashback)

"I can't believe you have to move. I mean…you were up for adoption this whole time? BUZZKILL." Jasper said to her polar-opposite best friend, Peridot, whose knees were drawn up o her chest, her feet away from the water.

"I know. It's a foster family on the other side of the world that wants to take me in. Or something."

"Foster family?" Jasper raised her eyebrows.

"Either a foster family or some kind of slaughter house, mom said." Peridot muttered, toying with the diamond studs on the knees of her black jeans.

"Dude, did she really say that?"

"No." Peridot whispered, a ghost of a smile fluttering across the corners of her mouth. "But it sounded like that."

"Well then. If you do end up at a slaughter house, say hi to the chickens for me, okay?" Jasper joked.

But when she saw her friend staring straight ahead with a sad look on her face, she reached out and gingerly touched the girl's arm. "Hey…I'm sorry."

The other girl clenched her jaw and shook off her arm. She didn't respond.

"If you're leaving you have to still deal with my corny jokes…I need to call you and tell you them."

"But it won't be the same!" Peridot yelled, standing up. A blue jay on the tree above cackled and flew away in fear.

"WHAT won't be the same?"

"You won't be there…Lapis won't be there…" Peridot trailed off. Then she looked at Jasper with an alarmed look on her face. "OH NO!"

"What's wrong NOW?!" Jasper groaned.

"She won't be able to go to where I'm going! America isn't her natural habitat!"

"Yeah…I guess you're right…and long distance relationships NEVER end up well on TV…so sorry, Per…guess you're gonna have to break up to her!" the bigger girl said, standing up. "Anyway, I have a football game in a few hours…so this is our last goodbye, I guess. Let's make the most of it."

The two walked away from the lake towards the mall.

(end flashback)

The clock chimed twelve.

Immediately a blinding eerily green light flashed through the house, lingering for a moment.

The blue demon felt the pit of her stomach burning like it had before she had transformed the first time. I can't give in.I HAVE to.

She felt the burning spread through her body at a rapid speed. It hurt. She gritted her teeth, waiting it out. Clenching her fists and digging her nails in so deep that they left marks, she felt a change in her heart. The Axe Man will fix all of this. I must give in. This catastrophic world must end…but it is HER world. She loves it. I can't give in.

She saw black spots floating in front of her eyes…and before she was completely gone to the shock wave, she heard a thwap from beside her (Peridot) and felt the hard floor pound against her head.

II

Ghosts surrounded her. All different colors, shapes, and sizes.

The warning call from Citrine had warned them…now they had all given in.

But before the blue one in front could speak, they heard the click of the gun that Citrine had been taken by and they stopped, turning their yellow snake eyes on the one holding the gun.

The girl they had come for was still conscious. She was awake and pointing the gun right at them.

"Don't move." She said. "Or else I'll shoot."

The blue one in front stared at her. Then she laughed the most insane sounding laugh ever. "Oh, dear, troops, did you hear that?"

The group of ghosts behind her started laughing.

"She thinks that she can threaten the Axe Man followers! Is that right, dear?"

Amethyst bit her lip in doubt, but then tightened her grip around the gun. "You don't scare me."

The ghosts started laughing even harder…ugly, ugly witch cackles that made Peridot stir on her place on the floor. A trickle of blood started making its way down her cheek.

The blue ghost in front stopped laughing just long enough to say, "You can't use that gun against us."

The gun levitated into the air and snapped right in half. The black haired girl gasped and jumped away.

"Now, if you don't give up, we could do the same to you…but of course, the Axe Man did say he wanted you ALIVE…" the ghost tapped her chin. Then she turned to a black-aura-ed ghost and whispered something in her ear.

The ghost tilted her head and started scratching at a beard that appeared on her face. Then her face lit up in discovery, and the beard disappeared.

Amethyst would've laughed at this if she wasn't scared straight.

The black ghost said, "Should we just take her now? I mean, hehe, we are known for torturing people. Maybe we should go further into the apocalypse…"

"Great idea, Jet!" the blue ghost said. She turned to the others. "Right? Isn't that a good idea?"

The ghosts behind them exchanged whispers.

Then a green ghost raised her hand and said, "Yes, Azurite, that does sound like a good plan!"

The black ghost, Jet, pumped her fist and cheered.

They didn't notice the gun was levitating back off the ground and was rehabilitating itself.

Then it struck the blue ghost, Azurite, in the back of her head.

Then she turned around and narrowed her yellow eyes at the gun.

"Hm." She whispered. Then she turned back to Jet. "Can you see anyone holding that gun? You know I'm blind as a-"

But another sharp hit caused her to fall over on the ground.

Jet narrowed her eyes at the gun too. "Nope. I can't see anything either…"

"It's a demon!" yelled Amazonite.

Jet turned to her, and was met with shock at what she saw. She literally started drooling about how gorgeous Amazonite was…and who could blame her?

But Azurite stood up and whacked Jet in the back of her head. "Amazonite, quit being distracting. Jet, pay attention." But the gun continued whacking at Azurite.

"Lapis." Amazonite growled through clenched teeth.

"Hello, Ama and Azu dears, how nice to see you here! I'm just protecting my ex-girlfriend and her NEW sister. So if you'd excuse me…" the sweet voice drawled.

Then Amethyst saw the flashing light consume Amazonite and Azurite, then finally Lapis appeared.

"How can I see you?" Amethyst whispered, shocked.

"Oh, Amethyst, I can be seen by ANYONE if I want to be seen. Peri here is an exception…she can see me no matter what." She said, laughing.

The watching ghosts stared for a moment at the gun in her hand, then they flew away, afraid of being shot too.

Amethyst kneeled down next to Peridot, whose eyes were still closed. "Are you okay?"

Peridot turned over and opened her ginormous green eyes. "Yeah, I think so." She felt her head, then caught the sticky red fluid on her thumb.

Amethyst noticed the blood dripping from a deep scratch in her temple. "You're bleeding."

Peridot grimaced. "No kidding."

Lapis faded out of sight and Amethyst waved to her. "Thanks, Lapis."

Amethyst heard a small, "You're welcome."

Peridot tried to sit up, but Amethyst put an arm out to stop her. She picked her head up and laid it on her thigh, crossing her legs. She stroked Peridot's soft blonde hair. "I'm sorry that we couldn't stop it. I mean…we still can, right? Even if it has started?"

Peridot reached for her glasses on the floor beside them and Amethyst grabbed them, putting them on for her. "Yes." Peridot said.

Amethyst leaned down further. "You really are serious about this, huh?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? I mean, it's the apocalypse."

"I know. I think you should take a break from all this serious-ness."

"What do-you mean?"

Amethyst laughed. "Oh, Peri…"

Peridot felt a light dusting of a blush begin to form on her cheeks. "Seriously, what?"

"You're so adorable…" Amethyst said, tilting Peridot's head up to face hers. Peridot sat up in her lap, her sister's face level with hers.

Peridot felt her face on fire now, and instead of butterflies in her stomach, she felt…bipolar chickens with their heads cut off running around in her stomach. Blushing scarlet, she stood up and started walking back up the attic ladder.

But a hand on her shoulder spun her around. "Where d'ya think YOU'RE goin', you nerd?"

Peridot stuttered, "Back to sleep so I can dream about the horrors of the apocalypse that's coming this morning."

Amethyst shook her head. "No, no, no. None of that this morning. We're going to be LIVING those horrors in a couple of hours. You don't need to have nightmares about things that are literally about to happen."

Peridot rubbed the back of her neck, a nervous habit. "Um-I-I-uhhhh…"

"You know what? I'm tired of waiting. I need this now…as do you." Amethyst said.

She looked up at Peridot, whose face was as red as a tomato and tilted her head down. She stood on her tip-toes and rose up further, and then….

Their lips FINALLY met.

A spark went off in Peridot as it happened. It surrounded her, warming her up like a blanket, a hot tub, and a delicious hamburger all rolled into one. Her blush died down, and the bipolar chickens in her stomach exploded into purple fireworks. She deepened the kiss, working her mouth faster against Amethyst's, and Amethyst let out a small noise of happiness. Peridot felt the blush return, but the bipolar chickens did not.

Little did both of them know that jealous exes were watching them….one visible, one invisible to everyone but Peridot.

OMG THE FLUFFS

I AM DYING

OMG