Pearl whisked the bowl of eggs absentmindedly. French toast was one of Steven's favorites, and cooking was relaxing for her, even therapeutic. She added precisely one teaspoon ground cinnamon, one quarter teaspoon ground nutmeg, two tablespoons sugar, four tablespoons melted butter, one quarter cup of milk, and one half teaspoon vanilla extract. As she prepared the mixture, her mind began to wander. Maybe she's feeling lonely or ignored, she pondered, coating the bread. Sure, we haven't exactly fought in a while, but for that matter, we've hardly talked at all for the past week! The bread hit the pan, quickly beginning to sizzle.

The aroma of French toast on the skillet was unmistakable to Steven, even as he slept. With a yawn, he quickly came to and began to get up out of his bed. Spotting the gem in the kitchen below, he greeted her. "Good morning, Pearl!" Noticing Garnet entering through the front door, he greeted her as well as he descended the staircase. "Good morning, Garnet!"

"Morning." said Garnet, her voice plain but warm as she headed over to the couch.

"Good morning, Steven! I hope you're hungry." Pearl called out from the stove, though her thoughts where otherwise occupied. She must be feeling so unloved! That does it,she thought with conviction, by the end of the day, Amethyst will feel loved.

As if on cue, the temple door opened to reveal Amethyst, yawning loudly. Pearl noted how much she had been sleeping the past few days; she still looked so tired.

I'm going to say something to her. Pearl opened her mouth. "Good morning, Amethyst! I'm very glad to see you this morning!"

This prompted no response from Amethyst, who simply continued walking. Garnet looked up from the couch; Steven bit into his french toast.

Was that too artificial? Maybe I'm not being friendly enough. Pearl tried once more. "Y-you look really nice today. Did you do something with your hair?" She kicked herself mentally. That might have been a bit much.

Amethyst stopped in her tracks. Wordlessly, she turned around and ran back to her room.

"Amethyst, wait!" Forgetting his breakfast, Steven started after her, but was stopped by a firm hand.

"No." Garnet knelt down by the boy and looked him in the eyes. "Steven, I know you want to help. It's good that you're so compassionate," she smiled at Steven, who smiled in return. "but this isn't your problem to solve. Pearl needs to handle this one." The pair looked to the other gem, who was still staring at the temple door with a blank expression, entirely ignoring the second batch of french toast now burning in the skillet.

Still shocked, Pearl sputtered. "W-what? But I-"

"Pearl." Garnet said in a stern voice.

A few seconds passed. "Yes, of course." Pearl relented.

Though she walked slowly through the cavern, Pearl's thoughts were racing. What did Garnet mean by that? How on Earth is Amethyst's behavior my fault? I mean, yes, she did just react to my words specifically, and the same happened in the cave... Worry started to set in. Wait, what if this is all my fault? Maybe I'm the reason why she's been so distant lately. She stopped. I can't bear to see her like this. I just hope I can get her back.

It wasn't long before Pearl found who she was looking for. Amethyst had wrapped herself in an old duvet, but Pearl did not find it difficult to recognize her.

"Amethyst?" Pearl kept her voice as gentle as she could. "Are you alright?"

"Amethyst needs her sleep and has formed the sleep burrito. Stop talking to her."

Pearl sighed. "Amethyst, please. Tell me what's going on." The burrito shifted slightly. "If I've done anything wrong, please tell me!"

The next few moments passed very slowly; Amethyst crawled a little out from under the duvet, the distress evident on her face. "Pearl," she said, her voice creaking, "I don't know if you're trying to get at me or something, but whatever you're doing, it's not funny."

Pearl blinked in surprise.

"Look, I get that you're happy with Garnet. I'm trying to be glad, I really am, but I can't stand you ignoring me like this!" she said, slowly getting louder.

Pearl was lost. With Garnet? Ignoring you? She shook her head. "Amethyst, I-"

"And what was with you just now, being all flattering and junk? Were you teasing me? Trying to make me jealous?" Her voice cracked.

A distressing mix of concern, confusion, and frustration rushed through Pearl's head; she tried once more to get a word in edgewise. "Amethyst-!"

By this point, Amethyst was practically screaming. "Because it's working!" The pair fell silent. Barely above a whisper, Amethyst continued, her voice choked, "I hate it. I can't not fall for you, P, and I can't stand it." She sniffed. "I just don't want to get hurt."

Pearl's head was swimming. Everything Amethyst said, though shocking, made no sense. Rather than try to reconcile the disorienting thoughts in her own mind, she took a deep breath and knelt down to the other gem's level. "Amethyst, I had no idea that you were so upset about this."

The trembling Amethyst gave no verbal response.

"And for the record, Garnet and I are not together." Pearl was surprised by how little it hurt to say. That tearful night on the beach felt so far away now. "I'll be honest, I'm not sure where you got that impression."

Amethyst looked up. "What?"

"And I wasn't trying to tease you. I was trying to reconnect with you." A hand lighted on Amethyst's shoulder. "We've been so distant, I..." Her eyes began to well up. "I missed you. I missed you so much."

Amethyst didn't respond, but reached forward and grabbed her. Holding Pearl as close and tight as she could, Amethyst felt her reciprocate the embrace. Her tears falling onto Pearl's shoulder, Amethyst spoke softly.

"I missed you too."

...

A/N: End! I apologize if you guys wanted some more closure, but it felt right to me to leave it ambiguous.

Thank you guys so much for your support of this fic; I've learned a lot from it, and I'm definitely hooked, so you can expect more from me soon!

If you speak German, I'd recommend taking a look at the German translation of this fic on my profile, Fokus Verloren!