Morganite was finishing her painting when Jasper came into her room. She nearly dropped her brush out of surprise but calmed herself.

Though, there was something wrong.

"Jasper, what's going on? You never come to visit this late."

The intruder did not speak. She only stood there with whatever was on her mind; it was unable to leave her mouth. So Morganite put down her paints and moved towards the entrance of her room, both sets of fingers wrapping around Jasper's one enormous tangerine hand.

What she was feeling was so intense, the smaller gem almost had to let go. But she didn't. She fought past the initial emotion and eventually plunged into Jasper's thoughts.

Come on. You have to do this. Stop standing around!

There was a memory with Yellow Diamond.

"I need you to kill Morganite."

The warrior looked up from her bow and the Queen gave her one of those sympathetic, yet not entirely genuine smiles. "She's going to be trouble and I need her eliminated. Can you do this for me?"

"I—"Jasper got caught up in her stare. It felt like a thousand years passed.

Yellow Diamond might have been asking, but there was the mutual understanding that there was a single correct answer:

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Let me know when the job is done."

Morganite let go and her arms dropped to her sides. "I don't believe it." She nearly fell over, but managed to remain standing. "How could she ask you to do this?! She could have asked anyone else—"

"How did you—"

"Do you understand now? Do you understand why I don't want to be her tool? It's because she does things like this! Jasper, she's awful! She won't even dirty her own hands and kill me herself! She has to make you suffer too!" Morganite turned around and began to cry from the fury and sorrow. "I can't believe this."

Even through the tears, at that moment, there was only silence. Nothing moved. And inside the vacuum there was only the two of them, facing the same direction, feeling the same emotions.

"I'm going to finish my painting; I'm almost done. And then you can do what you have to do."

Morganite's feet tapped out a beat on the ground and she went back to her canvas, picking up where she left off. Throughout the course of several minutes, the only sounds were that of the brush filling space on the painting and quiet crying coming from either party.

Jasper sat down on her sofa in the center of the room, and when Morganite finished, she came over and took her former instructor into an embrace. Just like the first time, she sunk into Jasper's body and ended up with handfuls of that wild white mane.

But unlike the first time, Morganite placed their lips together.

They stayed that way a couple of seconds and then pulled apart.

"I want you to keep my painting. Take it with you before they come and destroy everything in here, okay?"

"How can you be so calm about this?" Morganite had her hands around the frame of Jasper's face. Her fingers came and caught the slow forming tears that came one at a time from her golden eyes.

They were so bright in the dark.

"It's better that it ends this way. It would get to the point that my powers would be too much for me, and honestly, when that day came, I was planning on destroying myself. I just wish she hadn't asked you to do it, of all gems. And I really wish that we could have been Agate one more time. I love being part of her. I guess what hurts the most is knowing I'll never get to see you, or anyone else for that matter, ever again. I'll miss you terribly."

"Will you just stop?!" Jasper pushed Morganite off of her, onto the floor. "It's like you're trying to make me cry!"

"Jasper—"

"Draw your swords!"

"Why? What's the point?"

"What's the point?! I'm not going to take your life while you just stand there and do nothing! So draw!"

The pink one stood back up. "You can't order me around, Jasper. Not anymore. Even if you are here to kill me."

Staring contest.

"Then won't you just do it for me?"

The battle continued.

"Morganite, please."

The smaller of the pair sighed. "Fine. If it'll make you feel better, I'll do it."

"Thank you."

And Morganite drew her rapiers and took a few steps back. "I'm ready."

Jasper summoned her weapon too, and they started to fight.

But Morganite wouldn't allow her opponent to land any hits, nor would she hit Jasper back. Each time the larger one moved, those pink fingers would brush past some part of her and know what was coming next. Even though either one of those pointed swords could have pierced her on numerous occasions, they never bothered with thrusting or slashing.

They ended up dancing an aggressive routine.

Then Jasper stopped. And Morganite stopped.

"Quit dodging!"

Half of the room had been destroyed in the cross fire.

"Why should I? In an actual battle, I wouldn't just let you hit me."

"This isn't an actual battle! You haven't struck me once! I know you can fight harder than this!"

"I don't want to hurt you!"

"I don't want to hurt you either but we have to do this!"

Jasper came at Morganite again, and after a few exchanges, the smaller gem allowed herself to be choked. The Warrior Queen held her in the air and removed the destabilizer from her hip, the bright electric light illuminating their faces and where they stood in that trashed chamber.

She could hardly speak. With her fingers gently resting on her attacker's forearm, she whispered. "Do it…"

Jasper was staring into her soul, and Morganite was reading hers like a scroll.

"Do it!"

But then the smaller gem landed on the ground.

"You're not even taking this seriously!"

It was too late though. Morganite stole the destabilizer from the opposite's hip and plunged it deep into her own stomach. Her body fell apart and broke in multiple directions until her heart-shaped gem clinked several times upon the floor.

Jasper broke that glowing weapon in frustration.

"You little pink moron!"

Then she smeared the upset around her face with the back of her hand.

Minutes passed. Jasper allowed her foot to hover over Morganite's defenseless gem, but could not bring it down with any force. It remained in the same place, with the warrior breaking into a cold sweat and pulling in her lips.

She could really only manage to stand there.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, Jasper scooped up the light pink stone as well as a few of the books that had come from Earth and ran out of the ex-aristocrat's room. Morganite was clasped tightly within her heart lines, so she wouldn't be dropped or found out.

"I'll go back for your painting."

She was making great time down the halls.

"I swear, I won't forget."