"Can we talk?" Jasper asks as Garnet makes her way into the house.
Garnet stops and regards Jasper's question before nodding her head and moving toward her room. Jasper silently follows Garnet into her room.
When the two enter Garnet's room and the door closes behind them, Garnets summons a couch but remains standing.
Jasper looks at Garnet under a scrutinizing gaze, but remains standing herself. After a while, Garnet dissipates the couch.
"What's been going on?" Jasper finally asks. For the past couple of weeks, Garnet has been acting differently and as much as this goes against her character, she needs to know why?
"Nothing has been going on," Garnet responds and Jasper shakes her head.
"Nothing? First you start drifting, then you get this crazy idea that something happened between myself and Peridot. Oh, and let us not forget that you cracked my gem. So, are you confident that nothing is wrong?" Jasper asks.
Garnet looks at Jasper. She doesn't know anything. Something just doesn't feel right. She's missed Jasper, she has since the day she left. So why is it so hard to make them work right now? Why is she having second thoughts about them right now?
Jasper sighs and shakes her head. "I don't know who you are anymore Garnet. You're not the Garnet I feel in love with back on Homeworld. I think I'm losing you, but to be honest, I think I been lost you when you met Rose Quartz."
"Pink Diamond? You're going to the Planet Earth to work under Pink Diamond?" Jasper asks incredulously.
"Yes, Ruby and Sapphire are to go to the Planet Earth," Garnet says as they stand in Sapphire's room.
"What about us?"
Garnet is silent as she sifts through the possibilities but nothing pops up.
Before Garnet can say anything else, a knock is sounded at her door.
"Sapphire and Ruby, it's time to launch," a voice is sounded at the door, soft and gentle yet authoritive at the same time.
Garnet closes the space between herself and Jasper and places a kiss on Jasper's lips. "I'm sorry," Garnet whisper before pulling away and unfusing.
"Sapphire and Ruby, I repeat, it's time to launch," the voice sounds again.
"Affirmative," Sapphire responds and opens the door to reveal Pink Diamond.
"Good, I expect to see you there." With that Pink Diamond walks away.
Quickly Ruby and Sapphire file out behind Pink Diamond without saying another word nor sparing another glance at Jasper.
"I never stopped loving you. Even when you left, I never stopped loving you," Jasper says after a while.
"And I never stopped loving you. Leaving and fighting you were the hardest things I have ever had to do," Garnet finally responds.
"Then what is going on? Do you still love me now?" Jasper questions and takes a step closer.
"Of course I do. I always will, but" Garnet pauses and takes a step back," love is not enough right now."
"How? I admit it has been hard, getting back to where we used to be, but why is it not enough?"
Garnet shakes her head. She is made of love, yet here she is telling Jasper, her love, that their love is just not enough. She knows love takes work, but everything just seem to be working against them. There is so much that she doesn't know. What happened after she left? Who was with Jasper? Who was Jasper with or trying?
Garnet is pulled out of her thoughts as she feels Jasper's hands on her upper arms. When did she move?
"I'm trying to make this work. I'm trying to be there for you. Why won't you let me?" Jasper questions.
"I don't know what happened?" Garnet pulls away. "It's been over 5,000 years, no communication, no nothing. I don't know what transpired after I left." Garnet turns and walks further into her room, removing her shades along the way. "I heard a long time ago that you've always had trouble staying true. Jasper, it's not like I don't know there were others after you."
Jasper shakes her head. What is going through Garnet's head? "Yes there were others after me, but my love and anger at you wouldn't let me give them a chance. Loosing you hardened me completely." Jasper takes a couple steps toward Garnet.
"What happened between you and Peridot? I know something happened? I've had multiple visions concerning you two."
Jasper closes the gap between them and once directly behind Garnet, she turns her to face her.
Garnet looks at Jasper with fear, anger and brokenness in her eyes, a look Jasper has only saw once in her 2,300 years of dating Garnet.
Jasper gently cups Garnet's face. "After you left, few have tried, but at the same time, they knew that no one would be able to compare to you. I mean, they didn't know about us, but they knew that whoever I was with, I loved very much."
"What about Peridot?" Garnet whispers.
Jasper gently drops her hands from Garnet's face and looks away.
"Jasper, what happened?"
"Peridot," Jasper lets out. "She. I saved her a long time ago, and eventually she was placed under my care. I was to be her superior after I worked my way up the ranks. I was to be the superior of a lot of gems. Peridot never got over it and has developed a liking to me." Jasper turns her back to Garnet. "She doesn't listen to a word I say. She can't and won't understand why I would want you, why I do want you."
Garnet doesn't move. She forces her body to become completely still as she hears Jasper out.
"I don't even know if this last conversation has gotten through to her. But she's not my concern, my main concern is you and us." Jasper turns back to face Garnet.
"But if something was to happen to her, would you fight me?" Garnet throws out. She's asked this question before and has received and answer, but she didn't believe it then, would she now?
"Is this still about the vision?" Garnet doesn't say anything. "As her superior, I am obligated."
Garnet regards Jasper's statement and summons her shades. As her superior, she's obligated. Homeworld ranks hold no weight here on Earth. Rose had taught both herself and Pearl that.
"Ruby? Sapphire?" Pink Diamond asks as she makes her way into their shared tent.
As she pushed aside the opening, she is shocked that neither is there but instead a tall, chocolate Gem.
"Who are you?" Pink Diamond asks as she ready's her sword and points it at the unknown gem.
"Pink Diamond?" the chocolate Gem's voice rings out and it splits apart.
Falling apart and harshly onto their bottoms, Ruby and Sapphire quickly make it to their feet to begin explaining.
"Pink Diamond, we didn't mean anything about it," Sapphire blurts out.
"We know that fusion is only for desperate times, but we-," Ruby starts and is cut off by Pink Diamond's raised hand.
Pink Diamond lowers her sword and steps further into the tent. "Do not worry about it. What is her name?"
Ruby and Sapphire look at each other before turning back to Pink Diamond.
"Garnet," Ruby says.
"Her name is Garnet," Sapphire follows up.
Pink Diamond takes a step closer to the two and bends down to their level. "Is she who you two would rather be?"
Ruby and Sapphire are taken aback by her question but both nod their heads. Pink Diamond smiles and then and straightens up.
"I would like it if you two would allow Garnet to come into this world. I would very much like to meet her."
Both gems look at each other before they perform the necessary dance that was needed in order to form Garnet. Once Garnet was formed, she briefly looks at Pink Diamond before summoning her shades.
"Pink Diamond?" Garnet speaks and in an instant is bent down on one knee.
Pink Diamond loses her smile and offers a hand toward Garnet. "Stand, there is no need for that here. Homeworld ranks do not stand."
Garnet quickly snaps her eyes to Pink Diamond's hand and slowly reaches out to touch it. Pink Diamond smiles and helps Garnet to her feet.
"It is very nice to meet you Garnet. It has been a long time," Pink Diamond says. She remembers a long time ago when Garnet's components first introduced fusion to the Homeworld.
"Thank you," Garnet says. Her voice stoic but full of strength.
Pink Diamond studies the fusion gem before remembering why she originally came into Ruby and Sapphire's joined tent for.
"Oh, well, I wanted tell Sapphire and Ruby, but since you are technically them in a way, I shall tell you." Garnet looks at Pink Diamond with confusion in her eyes but with her shades covering them, no one can see.
"Well, I have decided to change my name to Rose Quartz. Homeworld ranks are no longer important here."
"Rose Quartz?" Garnet tests the word on her tongue as she lets it out.