"What were you thinking, Peridot," Pearl yelled as they made their way back home. Just before the sun had peeked over the horizon, Steven, Pearl, Ruby and Amethyst joined Peridot at the fallen tree. They looked worn and a little beaten; however, they were alive and intact. No one offered the final outcome of the confrontation and, frankly, Peridot did not want to know. They had successfully saved Steven-and the Water Witch, who was sleeping in Steven's arms as they trekked through the rocky terrain. She had fallen asleep next to Peridot, and nothing they did could wake her.

Peridot grumbled an unintelligible response under her breath. As soon as they were a safe distance from Jasper's castle, Pearl had turned her attention to Peridot. She was furious with her. Amethyst and Ruby shared the same irritation but voiced it with heavy curses and insults. Peridot kept her head down, and her hands shoved in her pockets. She could not quite explain what had been going through her head when she promised Lapis to take her home and helped her escape. She knew it was dangerous. She knew Lapis was not innocent by any means. Peridot had done it anyway. She knew a majority of it was because she felt sorry for Lapis. But, she could not tell them that. Why would she feel sorry for her after all she had done?

The best explanation that Peridot could muster was she knew Lapis was being coerced and taking her away from Jasper could stop her from doing more damage. It was not entirely false, but it wasn't what drove Peridot to save Lapis. She felt like an idiot for actually feeling sympathy for the nymph. She just could not get rid of the image of Lapis being beaten by Jasper. It was like finding out some big bully was being subjected to the same abuse from an even bigger bully. Pearl did not seem to buy it. It just led to more interrogation and annoyance.

"So, you thought helping the Water Witch would just magically stop her from sinking our homes? Do you ever think she would still do that? What about Jasper? Did you think about the possibility of her trying to find her?" Peridot opened her mouth, but Pearl cut her off quickly "You didn't think! How are we going to explain this to everyone? How are we going to guarantee this isn't a trap or she won't turn on us? We live near the ocean, for Gods' sake!"

"Pearl, enough," Steven said. "We can't take her back."

"Just leave her ass right here," Amethyst suggested.

"No! Jasper would find her and probably kill her," Peridot exclaimed. Four pairs of eyes turned toward her.

"So? Not our problem. Let Jasper take care of her for us," Ruby remarked, callously. Peridot pursed her lips together, glancing over at the Lapis cradled in Steven's arms. Maybe Pearl, Ruby, and Amethyst were right. Lapis might end up being more trouble than she was worth. Peridot apparently had not thought this all the way through. She acted on her emotions than her logic. Peridot shook the cruel out of her mind.

"We aren't taking her back, guys. I am with Peridot on this. If something does go wrong, we will deal with it. This might give us an advantage," Steven reasoned with the group.

"Yeah. And t will be all your fault if something does go wrong, Peridot," Amethyst sniggered, causing Peridot to wince. It would be her fault, wouldn't it? If Lapis turned on them, it would be because she abducted her. Oh, fuck. She really did not think this through.

"I don't think she will turn on us," Steven said.

"You are too trusting, Steven," Pearl sighed.

"That's what you love about me." Pearl gave him a long look. Peridot rubbed her temples from underneath her glasses. She had to agree with Pearl. Sometimes Steven seemed too trusting. But, his trust had never failed. He had a remarkable knack for judging character. Sometimes it could be misguided, but he simply had the patience for people. Even with Steven backing her, Peridot knew that the rest of the humans at the Temple would not react as favorable. Actually, she was expecting a lynch mob to form when they came waltzing in with the sleeping Water Witch. What have I gotten myself into, Peridot wondered. She could feel the beginning of a headache forming in her skull.

They had to figure out what they were going to do. They were getting closer to home. Peridot could see the outline of the sea against the skyline. The water glistened underneath the rising sun, and the shadow of the Temple hill loomed over the unseen beach. Peridot thought she would be relieved to see home, but it filled her with uneasy. She would have to explain to hundreds of humans why Lapis was with them and why she had saved the enemy. Peridot wrung her hands together nervously. Why did she do this again? She looked at Lapis, noticing how the sun made the bruises on her face more evident. Oh, yeah. That's why.

By the time they reached the beach, the group had decided to talk to Sapphire. They planned on sneaking Lapis into the Temple to avoid a riot amongst the humans that resided there. Depending on what Sapphire said, they would go from there. They just needed to hide Lapis and get her passed everyone. It was fortunate that Lapis was in a deep sleep. However, every now and then, she would whimper or murmur incoherent words under her breath.

The Temple was a massive structure of an unknown goddess that was constructed millennia ago for the Gods; a busy shrine where people came to worship, give gifts and congregate with their fellow human. Now it was a dilapidated; a former shadow of itself; the entrance devoured by the continuously rising sea and guarded by large serrated rocks. Her outstretched hands had crumbled away; her stoic face and curved body were discolored and half destroyed. The forest had expanded over the slope behind the towering figure that overlooked the sea. At the angle, no one would be aware of the old goddess image behind the hill. She could only be seen by someone traveling by sea. This had been a sanctuary for humans for a hundred years. They had created a thriving, hidden city behind the carved rocks.

Peridot had called this home for five years. When she was 15, Peridot's home was destroyed by Jasper and the Water Witch, and she was orphaned. She traveled, by herself, from place to place for two years, always in transit before coming to the Temple. Her stay at the Temple was supposed to be temporary, but she had been welcomed by Steven and the Crystal Gems. Five years passed in a blur and before Peridot realized it, she had found a new home and family. They bickered; they laughed; after being alone and depressed for years, it was wonderful. In a way, Peridot thought she should thank Lapis. Her biological family had not been the greatest, and it led her to Steven. She almost considered it. Almost.

They came to the banks near the Temple. The only way to enter was through the water. The ones who had created this haven wanted to make sure that it was well hidden and near impossible to access without knowing how to get in. There was a rumor a second entrance existed; however, it was meant to be an emergency exit if they were penetrated. Out of boredom and curiosity, Peridot had spent hours trying to find this so-called mysterious entry but never had any luck. She was convinced that it did exist because it seemed dangerous not to have another means of escape. It was not just because of Jasper but any common natural disaster or accident caused by some foolish person within the Temple.

Pearl was the one to summon the boat. She placed her fingers between her lips and whistled. The whistle was too high-pitched for Peridot or anyone to hear. While they waited for the ferryman to arrive, Steven covered Lapis' face with his shirt. The story they had fabricated was that Lapis was another prisoner who had been jailed with Steven, and they could not leave her in the cell or wait to get caught, so they brought her along. It was not a complete lie. Peridot wasn't particularly happy about having to come up with these consistent half-truths. After a few minutes, there was the tall tell ding of the approaching boat.

The ferryman was a bulky woman with rainbow dreads and dark skin named Bismuth. She served as the guard of the entrance. If anyone was to stumble upon the signal, Bismuth acted as additional security to prevent unwanted visitors. She smiled wide when she saw the group. Once the vessel hit the sand, she jumped out and lumbered toward Steven. Steven had to step back from her embrace before she crushed Lapis.

"What do you have here," Bismuth asked, gazing up the sleeping form underneath Steven's shirt.

"She was my cellmate. We brought her along. She is hurt, and we need to get her to Sapphire," Steven lied with ease. Peridot was impressed. She would have stumbled over her words under that pressure. Bismuth studied Steven hard but accepted his explanation. No one would question Steven.

"Well, it's good to see they were successful in rescuing you!" Bismuth roughly patted Steven on his back. Everyone silently stepped into the boat, and Bismuth pushed off toward the Temple. Peridot looked out onto the sea. The water was calm today, and the sun was rising high into the sky. The coolness of night was giving away to the heat of the day. A fine sheen of sweat formed on Peridot's forehead. Water lapped against the side of the boat as it rocked gently in the waves. A breeze ruffled Peridot's blonde hair, filled with the aroma of salt and sand. Peridot kept glancing over at Lapis still sleeping in Steven's lap. What would they do if she woke up now? How would Lapis react? How would Bismuth react?

"Hang tight," Bismuth warned. They were close to the jagged rocks that surrounded the Temple where the waters got very rough. There had been many unfortunate ships that had tried to navigate through this quarry; they all had failed. The wreckage looked like bits of food between the sharp teeth of a massive monster. Bismuth knew how to get safely through the dangerous tides, but it made for a very turbulent voyage nonetheless. Peridot hated this part. Her stomach was already beginning to churn, and bile was forming in her throat. Groaning Peridot held her head in her hands and tried to fight the upcoming seasickness. She glanced up to make sure that Steven was still holding tightly onto Lapis. The boat violent pitched back and forward against the rough sea. Pearl, Amethyst, and Ruby were holding tightly onto the sides. Pearl's skin was tinted with a sickening shade of green.

Peridot was proud of herself for not vomiting after they made it passed the rocks. The water finally settled. They were in a large cave that was dimly lit by the sun outside. The rocks were slick and green with moss and water dripped from the ceiling. They drifted into the small passage that led to the inside of the Temple. The passage was unnervingly dark with only a minuscule point of light that could only be seen once you got deep enough. This was another safety measure. Other crevices lead back out to the sea or the shore. If someone did make it passed the rocks, there would be no indication that this particular entrance was being used.

The passage opened up into another cave. There were a few wooden docks, a couple more boats of varying sizes and a sizeable hut. Bismuth landed the ship next to an empty port and jumped out with a loud thud. She took a thick rope and tied it to a post to anchor the boat to the deck. After climbing out and bidding Bismuth farewell, they headed toward Sapphire's room. Peridot was nervous about seeing Sapphire. It was only a few days ago when Peridot approached her about Lapis. Only Sapphire really knew the truth about Peridot's feelings toward Lapis' abuse. She would know why she acted the way she had. Would she tell everyone? Peridot was going to find out soon.

Once they left the bay, they came into what was called the Marketplace. Rows of makeshift tents were lined up in the vast room with people trading or selling goods and services. It was usually very busy around the time of day. The Marketplace was filled with vendors hollering, people browsing, children playing and animals running around. Above the Marketplace, there were at least five floors of several caverns. It reminded Peridot a lot like a hive. The caverns accommodated hundreds and hundreds of rooms and homes. Peridot's room was closer to the top of the Temple along with Sapphire and Ruby's room.

Everyone greeted Steven as they made their way through the Marketplace. They were unaware the Steven had been taken prisoner by Jasper's men. Sapphire and the rest of the Crystal Gems thought it was better that only a select few knew about it. Lars was the only other person to know about it and he was sworn to secrecy to not reveal it. They wanted to avoid a panic if everyone knew Rose's son was captured. Steven was very loved by everyone in the Temple. Even some groups outside of the Temple knew about him. He was regarded as an unsung savior though Steven did not feel he deserved any of this recognition. It was his mother that the people worshiped.

When they finally were able to push through the crowd, they made their way to Sapphire's room. It took a while and many flights of stone stair, but they made it. Peridot felt exhausted. She realized that she had been up for over 24 hours now. Her body ached; her head was throbbing. She felt dirty and oily from trekking through the words and the amount of sweat she had produced. All she wanted to do was sleep. This was why she did not leave the Temple. It was too tiring. Sapphire was waiting for them in her room, hands folded politely in her lap. Her room was one of the few with a proper door, which Steven shut and laid Lapis down on the ground. To her credit, Sapphire's face did not reveal much, but she did glance quickly at Peridot. She knew. Peridot tightly pursed her lips.

"So, you kidnapped the Water Witch," Sapphire spoke carefully.

"Not exactly kidnapped," Peridot replied shakily.

"It doesn't really matter. She is here, "Ruby interrupted. "What are we going to do with her?"

"Why come to me?"

"We thought you would be more sensible about the situation," Pearl said, flashing Peridot a dirty look.

"Fine. Fine. I fucked up. I thought I was doing something good, and I really screwed up. I get it," she angrily yelled. "But, she is with us now. All she wants to do is go home. And if we find her home that is one less nymph we need to worry about. And a big problem at that!"

"You don't know if she will turn on us! We are next to the fucking sea, Peridot. And what if Jasper comes looking for her? You have put everyone at risk!" Amethyst crossed her arms over her ample chest. Ruby and Pearl nodded in agreement. Peridot felt outnumbered and defeated. She wasn't going to win this. Besides Steven, the other three were against her, and she had not been a part of this group for long. They really had no basis to trust her judgment. They made sense; Peridot couldn't argue with their reasoning. It was all very true.

"I know. I know. I am sorry. I just…" Peridot didn't know what to say. What could she say? "I just…I don't know. I thought I was doing something good."

"Ha! What good can come from her?" Pearl motioned over toward Lapis. Peridot's jaw clenched, and she lowered her head. All true. All very true. But, she promised Lapis. She put her in danger of suffering from Jasper's wrath. She really had made of complete mess of things.

"She stays," Sapphire finally said.

"WHAT?!" Everyone cried in uncanny unison. Pearl, Ruby, and Amethyst yelled and argued and repeated themselves over and over about why having Lapis here was wrong. Sapphire did her best to explain her decision with Steven backing everything she said. She believed that it would work in their favor if Lapis were home. It wasn't out of pity for the water nymph but a strategic move. They would keep her away from the rest of the Temple population because it was unnecessary to cause an uproar for a temporary stay. They weren't convinced but begrudgingly accepted Sapphire's decision. Sapphire turned to Peridot.

"You will be her keeper, Peridot. She will stay with you until we find her home."

"What?! No! Why?"

"Simply: your choice, your responsibility."

"But…But…" Peridot sputtered. She had fought so hard to have her own room. She wanted…no…needed her privacy. Sapphire wouldn't budge on the issue, and Peridot knew that she had no choice. She had a roommate. Damnit.