Steven Universe © Rebecca Sugar/Cartoon Network

Kingdom Hearts © Disney/Square-Enix/Tetsuya Nomura


Six Days had passed, and Lapis was sitting with folded legs onto the Barn roof,
gazing out as the vast countryside as the golden sun began to set over the hills.

Watching the sun rise and fall was always Lapis' favorite past time.
She may like to sleep, but she would always be awake to witness the start and end of every day.

And, her favorite spot to watch was right up on the roof of the Barn.
where the natural beauty of the planet lay out before her like a 'Meep-Morp'.

Lapis always felt at peace here...mostly.

Lapis' smiled faded as she felt the old guilt creep over her shoulder.

The guilt of her former duty as a Lapis Lazuli of Blue Diamond's Court.
Her true purpose for her first coming to Earth..which was the same for every planet.

'Assist with the Gem Colonization of the Target Planet.'

That was the half truth that Blue Diamond spoke to hide the real truth'

'DEMOLISH the Landscape. EXTERMINATE the native life forms. DESTROY the Planet.'

Lapis gazed out at the vast farmlands as the sun slowly disappeared.
She didn't want to believe she could've destroyed this planet, and it's natural beauty.

She didn't want to believe...that she could've killed-

Suddenly, Lapis wasn't quite 'alone' anymore.

a pair of Water Clones that were perfect mirror images of herself materialized behind her.
One was of crystal clear water that gleamed in the light. The other was of darker, murkier water.

"We should thank her." said the Transparent Lapis who smiled bright.
"poofing us that day was the best for everyone. Imagine the destruction we might've caused."

Lapis frowned, not bothering to look behind her.

"We didn't DESERVE imprisonment." growled the darker Lapis who scowled angrily.
"We were LOYAL. INNOCENT. yet, we were punished in a manner that was CRUEL, even for Traitors."

Lapis squinted her eyes, feeling a hint of anger.

..but, who towards?, she couldn't say for certain.

"Forgive Her." spoke the Bright Lapis.

"NEVER FORGIVE HER." growled the Darker Lapis.

"ENOUGH!" snapped Lapis, dismissing the water clones.

Lapis placed her palms over her face, and rubbed her eyes stressfully.

*i will not break..i won't break.* muttered Lapis. *i'm better than this. i won't..let HER do this to me again.*

Lapis inhaled deeply as she tried to clear her mind.

..a technique that Zach taught her when they first started dating.

As Lapis finally exhaled...she felt a brief moment of relief.

With night falling, Lapis decided to go back inside the Barn.
as she re-entered the attic, she spotted Peridot down below at her workstation.

Hovering down with her water wings, Lapis silently approached Peridot.

"hello, peri." spoke Lapis, quietly.

"Hmm?..OH!, Lapis, Hi!" spoke Peridot. "I was just..going over my schematics."

Lapis looked over Peridot to look at the Peridot's work.
She saw various sketched papers, and even a crude model on the table top.

"So..That's going to be our house?" asked Lapis.

Peridot blushed dark green, mentally reminding herself that by 'Our House',
Lapis was actually referring to herself and Zach..not the two of them.

..or, was she?

"It's a hopeful concept, yes." said Peridot, who briefly removed her visor to rub her tired eyes.

Lapis smiled. "It looks..Nice."

"thank you for saying..but, designing the structure was the 'easy' part." said Peridot.
"Taking into consideration the needs of human beings, constructing a proper home will be difficult."

Peridot sighed. "Look, I know you don't want to hear it-"

"Then, DON'T say it." said Lapis, her tone neutral.

"I really can't do this properly without Bismuth's help." said Peridot.

"Nonsense. I know you can do it, Peri." said Lapis, smiling.
"You're the smartest Gem that I've ever known. I have faith in you."

Despite liking the compliment, Peridot wasn't swayed by Lapis' supportive words.

"I know my limitations.." began Peridot.
"I can build passable equipment, but stable structures are WAAAAY over my head."

Lapis resisted the urge to make a joke regarding Peridot's height.

..and, how 'everything' technically goes over her head.

"I just want to get this done..AND, to do it right." said Peridot.

Lapis grew serious. "yeah..me too. This has prolonged for far too long.
I'm married now. yet, a week has passed, and I am STILL separated from my life partner."

Peridot did some random scribbling. "Not to mention the fact that you STILL haven't made the trip
to wherever humans keep their unclaimed 'gemlings', and claimed one as your own."

Lapis knew Peridot was referring to child adoption as Zach suggested.

"I'm so ready to be a mother." said Lapis, softly. "to..have my own "Steven."

"Or, a "Nora." spoke Peridot, with a chuckle.

Lapis stared, but also chuckled along with her friend.

..THEN, Peridot's tablet started ringing.

Lapis looked at the screen as Peridot brought out the device, and saw Zach's name.
Peridot lightly tapped on the screen. "Peridot here. What's Elevated, Zach?"

Zach's face was on the screen, and he didn't look happy. (("Hey, Peridot. is Lapis there, too?"))

Lapis leaned in. "I'm here, honey. Is something wrong?"

(("You might say that..")) grumbled Zach. (("I've been locked out of my Apartment."))

"WHAT!?" exclaimed both Lapis and Peridot.

(("Yeah, my landlord changed the locks. My key isn't working.")) explained Zach.
(("I hate to even ask, but..could one of you come to Empire City and help me?"))

"Of course-"
"WE'LL BOTH BE THERE, ZACH!"
exclaimed Peridot, cutting off Lapis.

(("oh, thank god..Remind me to make it up to you both later.")) said Zach, who ended the video call.

"well, SHALE..this isn't good." said Peridot.

"Nevermind. Let's just get over there QUICKLY." said Lapis, who was already flying out the Barn.

Peridot grabbed her Tablet, and ran out of the Barn after Lapis.
As Lapis landed on their Warp Pad, Peridot ran up and joined her atop the crystal platform.

Without another word spoke, a beam of light shot up and the pair were warped away.

[Empire City]

Slumped against the locked door of his former apartment,
Zach Ligero was swiping the screen of his phone as he waited for Lapis and Peridot.

As he cycled through possible contacts to call, he suddenly stopped at ONE.

'Doctor Priyanka Maheswaran.'

Zach grimaced as he stared at the name and two sets of phone numbers.
(one from her office at the Beach City Hospital, and the other her personal cell number.)

Did he dare to even consider calling HER for help?

"ZAAAACHH!" called a distant voice.

Zach looked up to see Lapis flying towards him while carrying Peridot.
He smiled, then put his phone away as he walked up to the pair.

"Hey." said Zach. "Thanks for coming, I..really didn't know what to do."

Peridot gave Zach a puzzled look. "You could've used your Keyblade to unlock the door."

Zach instantly froze, his expression blank...followed by slapping his forehead.

"dios, soy tan idiota." muttered Zach, under breath.

"It's okay, Zach." said Lapis, reassuring. "We'll help you get in, anyway."

Zach smiled warmly at his wife. "thanks, honey..I appreciate it."

Peridot stepped up, approaching the door as she brought out a tool kit.

"Give me a nanosec, and I should have this lock picked in-"


((*CRUUUNCH!*))


Peridot froze in place, staring at the now demolished door that Lapis just busted open with her 'water fists'.

"I don't believe it.." spoke Peridot, her tone stoic. "you did it again."

Lapis blushed dark blue. "sorry, peri..I couldn't help myself."

Zach chuckled. "We need to work on your delicate touch, blue bird."

Lapis blushed even bluer due to Zach's casual flirting.
Peridot just sighed, and proceeded to enter Zach's former apartment.

"OH, SHALE!" exclaimed Peridot, suddenly.

Alarmed, Zach and Lapis ran into the apartment to see what Peridot was upset about.
the pair then immediately gasped upon seeing the interior COMPLETELY barren.

"oh, my..ZACH, ALL YOUR STUFF!" exclaimed Lapis.

Zach couldn't say anything..he was too stunned to utter a single word.

"It must've all been thrown out. Cloddit." cursed Peridot.

Lapis looked to Zach..who still bore a shocked expression on his face.
She frowned, and then placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Zach, i'm..I'm sorry."

"We should search the local waste disposal units nearby." spoke Peridot.
"We may not recover 'everything', but we should at least salvage all we can."

Zach shook his head. breaking out of his trance.

"ye-yes..Above all else, I need to find my photo album." spoke Zach, his tone shaky.
"I don't care if lose everything else, I NEED to get that back: my whole LIFE is in that album."

"I promise we'll find it." said Lapis, looking at Zach with soft eyes.

Zach looked at Lapis..and, smiled weakly.


Outside the Apartment Building, Zach and the two gems were digging through nearby dumpsters.
Trying to find any items didn't look like garbage, and were obviously Zach's possessions.

"I'm gonna need a serious bath after this.." muttered Zach.

Lapis frowned. somehow feeling 'responsible' for this bad situation happening.
She of course knew she wasn't directly at fault, but still felt like she could've prevented this.

Lapis hated to admit it...but, perhaps Zach was right before,
and they needed Bismuth's help to build the new farm house faster.

..All of this over a Six Thousand year old grudge.

"I FOUND SOMETHING!" exclaimed Peridot.

Zach and Lapis immediately went to Peridot. "Is it my Album?!" inquired Zach.

Peridot wiped some dirt off of a large, thick tome. "I think so.."

Zach took the book, and opened it. He exhaled in relief at the familiar photographs that were still inside.

"oh, thank god..they're all here." spoke Zach.

Lapis glanced at the dumpsters. "I can't seem to find any of your old awards."

"nevermind those trinkets. THIS is more important to me." said Zach, as he looked through the photos.

Peridot frowned. "still..I wish we could find at least ONE."

Zach frowned sadly as he stopped at a page of his photo album.
It was mainly of pictures of his deceased mother at various points in her life.

"..zach?" spoke Lapis, as she approached her husband.

Zach closed the album, and tucked it under his arm. "let's..go back home to the barn."

Lapis nodded softly. "okay."

"Hmmm..Not just yet." spoke Peridot. "There are a few things I need to do first."

Zach and Lapis watched as Peridot walk back to the apartment building.

Curious, they followed Peridot. But, by the time they caught up with her,
the lemon haired gem was already coming back out the door..carrying several light bulbs.

"No sense leaving these behind." said Peridot.

Zach smirked. "Well, that is one way to get even with the Landlord."

Peridot snickered. "Oh, this isn't me getting even.."


((*KA-BOOOOM!*))


Zach and Lapis jumped at a small explosion that erupted from within Zach's former apartment.

"THAT was." said Peridot, with a smirk.

As the other apartments in the building began to light up all at once, Zach winced.

"We'd better get out of here before the police show up!"

And, with that. Lapis, Zach and Peridot all ran off as fast as could.

[Later, at the 'Gem Barnyard'.]

Zach exhaled sharply as he flopped down on a sofa within the Barn.
Lapis and Peridot stood by, staring at the man with concerned eyes.

"ss-sorry about losing your home, Zach." spoke Peridot.

Zach looked at the candy colored pair. His expression unreadable.

"It was only a room in a building." spoke Zach. "a 'Home' is alot more than that."

Lapis eyed her husband. Knowing full well what was really bothering him.

"at least..your Photo Album is safe." said Lapis.

Zach smiled..but, quickly frowned again. While pleased at salvaging something irreplaceable,
he would be lying if he said he wasn't upset over everything else of his that he lost.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Peridot, as she approached Zach.

"for the moment.." replied Zach. "I can sleep here at the Barn for one night, maybe Two.
But, I'll REALLY need a better place to live temporarily while I wait for the new house to be built."

Both Lapis and Peridot frowned at this. Individually feeling responsible for this situation.

Lapis, for rejecting Bismuth's offer to help build the new Farm House.
and, Peridot, for not being skilled enough in construction to even get started by now.

"god, I have to be the dumbest smart person on earth.." muttered Zach.

"Huh?" spoke Peridot, confused.

"I knew this was coming..but, I did little to prepare for it." explained Zach.
"I am so fortunate to know you two so intimately. Otherwise..I might really be in trouble."

Lapis had a stern look as she approached Zach, and sat beside him.

"This is NOT your fault, Zach." said Lapis. "If anything, it is MINE."

"YOURS?!" exclaimed Peridot, still bewildered.

"Yes, Peri. YOU'RE the one who suggested Bismuth help us." spoke Lapis.
"But, I was too angry to listen to reason..and, now my husband paid the price for my stubbornness."

Lapis looked at Zach with wet eyes. "Zach..I'm so sorry. but, this IS my fault.
If I had listened to both you and Peridot, you wouldn't had lost nearly everything you have."

Zach looked at his wife..his eyes filled with Compassion, rather than Anger.

"You don't know that for sure." said Zach, softly. "Even with Bismuth's help, a house can't be built in a day."

"True.." said Peridot, as she sat beside Zach as well.
"But, there is no question this has prolonged for far too long."

"We have been distracted lately." said Zach, who briefly summoned his Keyblade.

"Well..that needs to stop right now." said Lapis.
"In between helping others, we really do need to help ourselves, too."

The trio became still as they sat in silence, pondering deep thoughts.

"I'll just..go up to get some sleep." said Lapis, as she began to flutter up to the attic.


((*KNOCK!, KNOCK!, KNOCK!*))


Lapis stopped mid-flight as she, Zach and Peridot looked towards the closed Barn doors.


((*KNOCK!, KNOCK!, KNOCK!*))


"Who on this planet could that possibly be?" spoke Peridot.


((*KNOCK!, KNOCK!, KNOCK!*))


"I'll go check." said Zach, as he walked towards the big doors.


((*KNOCK!, KNOCK!, KNOCK!*))


"ALRIGHT-ALRIGHT!, I'M COMING..No need to-"

Zach opened the doors...and, froze upon seeing a woman greeting him.
a 'muscular' woman with wild, unkempt hair. And wearing an armless biker jacket.

She smirked at him. "Hey, Zacky.." said the woman.
"heard ya' got kicked out of your apartment. So, I came by to..help ya' out."

Zach stared blankly, shocked.

"b-b-Betty?!"

[End of Part 27]


[Author Notes]

Since readers REALLY want some closure from my mention of "Betty" in the first chapter,
I decided to bring the character in so to expand more on Zach's character and backstory more.

I ultimately made Betty a "Biker" type, so try to imagine Betty as a humanized Jasper with a motocycle.

Apart from Betty "returning", I also gave Zach so relatable problems like pre-mature eviction,
and having to adapt to losing nearly all of your posessions (which HAS happened to me.)

I only just realized that my decision to give Lapis a "Shoulder Angel/Devil" via her Water Clones,
is kinda almost like introducing the Nice and Mean Lapides from Steven Universe: Future.

(I have plans for the actual characters, though. so stay tuned.)