It was late into the night, the moon hanging heavy in the starless, cloudy sky. Peridot paced back and forth through the barn, anxiety coursing through her. Even after the moment she had had with Amethyst, she couldn't shake the feeling deep in her stomach that she didn't belong here, no matter how badly she wanted to.

Even if I'm set to be shattered, I can't take living like this. I don't have any kind of purpose here. She steeled herself, stepping outside and walking around to the back of the barn, a pile of her ship's pieces lying behind it. She analyzed them for a moment in contemplation before beginning to pick up some of the smaller pieces and dragging them into the barn. She struggled with the largest piece, the control console, but at last, she was able to have the entirety of the ship's remains in the center of the barn, and she set to work, trying to rebuild from the ground up.

"Peri?" A voice came from the doorway, and she froze up, her stomach in knots, blood running cold.

"Amethyst? I thought you'd be asleep for the night."

"What are you doing with all that?" She asked, confused.

"I..." She looked down at the floor ashamed. "I can't do it. I have to go back."

"So everything you said in your recording. Was it all a lie?" Her eyes began to water, her voice wavering. "You said I make you feel at home. Like nothing else matters. And now you're just gonna leave?"

"Amethyst, no, I- I meant everything. I care so much about you, I promise. I never wanted to hurt you. I just... Being stuck here on Earth is just so hard. I don't expect you to understand; you were born here, so this is your home." Her voice began to crack. "I can't cope with it. I can't accept that I'll never go home again." She broke down, sinking to the floor and pulling her knees to her chest, sobbing openly. "I just can't do it."

Amethyst sat beside her, taking her into her arms. "It's okay, Peri. I got you."

She cried into her shoulder, hugging her tightly. "It just isn't fair! I never got to choose who I wanted to be. I was created for one purpose, and that's all I am now and it's all I've ever been. It's been drilled into my head that that's all I'm here for and I just can't fathom never serving that purpose again."

"You can be so much more than what they created you to be, Peridot. You're more than just Yellow Diamond's pawn. You are your own gem now. You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do."

"What if that includes staying on Earth?"

"Oh, Peri..." She held her tighter, fighting back her own tears. "I can't force you to stay. But if you leave, you'll die. And you've really only just started to live."

"You're right, Amethyst. I'm so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Please forgive me. I don't wanna leave anymore. I wanna be here with you. If you'll still have me after what I did."

"You didn't do anything, Peri." She kissed her forehead lightly, wiping the last of her tears off her face. "Do you want help cleaning any of this up?"

"That would be really nice." Peridot sniffled, looking up at her. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Peri." Amethyst stood up, offering Peridot her hand. "Where was it before you brought it in here?"

"Outside, behind the barn. We can put it back there until we figure out what to do with it all."

Amethyst nodded, shapeshifting into her wrestler form and lifting several large pieces of the ship over her head and carrying it outside, Peridot following with smaller pieces until a large pile was made behind the barn.

Amethyst shifted back to her normal form, looking at the pile with a sense of accomplishment. "Do you feel any better?"

"Kinda. It's still gonna be hard." She looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Amethyst?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay with me tonight? Or take me home with you? I don't really wanna be alone right now."

"Of course. Come on, I'll carry you home. Then you've got some space away from the barn for the night." She lifted Peridot bridal style into her arms, scooping her up easily and carrying her the short distance to the temple, Peridot's arms wrapped around her neck.

Amethyst laid her down gently on her bed and flopped down next to her, sighing softly and laying her head on her shoulder. "I understand, you know. Why you'd want to go back. I'm not mad at you. I'm sorry if I took it personally. I just. I've never had anything like what you gave me, and the thought of losing it so soon after it started really scared me."

"It's okay. And for what it's worth, I want this to last for a long time."