Interlude 1 - Steven Helps Jasper

Interlude chapters will only progress the story, and will not contain any sex scenes. If you are only here to get your rocks off (gem pun), feel free to skip. ~

Pearl was the first to sweep Steven into her arms, "Steven! I'm so glad you found your way back! That was likely the longest reformation in all of gem history!"

"Heh heh," Steven chortled happily, "I'm still not sure how I did it!"

"Steven," Garnet spoke grimly, "I've seen what happens after you cure Jasper, and-,"

Steven's eyes lit up as he fell from Pearl's embracing arms and turned to Garnet, "You saw me cure Jasper! Garnet, Garnet, we have to do it now! Please?"

"Garnet. What exactly do you see happening? If we get Lapis, the six of us should be able to take her if she lashes out," Pearl reasoned.

"We win," Garnet explained, "But Steven gets poofed again, and afterwards-,"

"I can just reform again, Garnet!" Steven interrupted proudly, "And then we can all work together to show Jasper how great the earth is, and she can join the Crystal Gems, and she can move in with Peridot and Lapis, and we can add a star to her helmet, and-,"

"Fine. We'll do it," Garnet agreed, begrudgingly, "but only because your passion is so cute."

Steven ran up to Garnet and gave her a hug, before turning to the Jasper bubble and popping it. The corrupted gem fell into his open hand.

"Jasper. Are you in there?" Steven asked the poofed gem, "I'm going to find a way to cure you-ooOOoo-ohhh!"

Steven's world spun about as he felt his astral projection powers carry him out of his body. Rose's room faded and was replaced with an orange sky full of storm clouds. In the distance, he could see Jasper wrestling with the air. As Steven got closer, the horrible out-of-tune singing began to fill his ears. He could also see visible sound waves popping into existence in front of Jasper, and each wave caused Jasper's body to fizzle for a moment like television static.

"STOP SINGING!" Jasper shouted, delivering an ineffective punch to the personage of sound.

"Jasper! I've come to help you!" Steven shouted about the terrible singing.

"Rose? Wha- No! Stay out of this! I can fight my own battles!" Jasper growled.

"You can't win this one alone! Please! Let me help!" Steven begged.

The sound waves caused Jasper's form to ripple again, and she dropped to one knee.

"I'd rather lose," Jasper huffed, exhausted, "Then fight alongside a traitor."

"Grr, ahh, fine then!" Steven screamed with tears of frustration, "I don't need your help!"

Steven charged the sound ripples, screaming his anger, and dove at it as if tackling the sound creature to the ground. The singing stopped.

When Steven opened his eyes, he was laying on his stomach, arms stretched out in front of him. In his hands was an empty pink bubble that seemed to vibrate slightly every few seconds.

"What did you do, Rose?" Jasper asked, dumbfounded before the dream-state collapsed.

When Steven woke up in his real body, Lapis was hovering over his collapsed form, splashing his face with water from her wings.

"Steven, what happened!" Amethyst asked worriedly, "We thought you died!"

"I... did it," Steven said, dazed. He drowsily rose to his feet and wiped a strand of drool from his chin. Jasper's gem was on the ground in front of him, glowing. Before anybody could react, the orange gem sprouted arms, legs, and a head, and materialized into Jasper's normal, uncorrupted form.

"Guh! Huh!" Jasper gasped, panting profusely for some reason, "How did I- ROSE!"

"Jasper, you're not sick anymore!" Steven smiled, running towards her for a hug.

Jasper saw this as a threat, summoned her helmet, and bashed Steven to the ground. Steven slid backward from the force, his vision spinning.

"She's a hard-headed... woman," Steven strained, before poofing into a puff of smoke.

"Damnit, Jasper! We don't want a fight!" Garnet said, gritting her teeth.

Jasper ignored the plea for peace, and began to take in her surroundings frantically, "Wuh! Where am I? Why is everything pink? This is one of Rose's tri-!"

A lightning bolt crackled up from the ground, tearing through Jasper's form like a gem destabilizer. Her eyes bulged and her body dissipated, leaving only her gem in her wake. And there was silence.

Everyone slowly turned to Lapis, who was staring down at Jasper's gem, bored.

"You were hyping yourselves up for a meaningless fight," Jasper shrugged, "Just use the Room to kill her. Duh. Now is somebody going to bubble her?"

"Ooh! Ooh! Me me me," Peridot squealed, charging the gem and summoning a green shell around it. She then tapped it to send it away, but nothing happened, "Um...,"

"We can't escape until Steven's back, and neither can Jasper's bubble," Garnet explained, "Also, it's... going to be a few days before he figures that out again. Shall we...?"

Silence fell, and Lapis found all eyes looking towards her again.

"What?" Lapis grumbled, "Shall we what? Are you going to finish that sentence, or are you just going to keep staring at me?"