A/N: I just want to jump start into it here. I'll save my remarks and thoughts for the end.

Another loud series of crashes boomed in the dark sky of the evening as Pearl looked out the window of the Townhouse. The candlelight that encompassed the living room shook as the home shuddered from the force of each sound as she sat across from the former physician. They both held a copy of "Welcome to the Wizard Wilds", the second book in the Spirit Morph Saga. The pale woman remembered this being one of Connie's favorite series of novels. She would talk about it with her and Steven during their rest periods. With the themes of rebellion against overwhelming authority, she wondered if that's what inspired the young girl to request her training. Pearl also wondered if she was to blame for her demise by agreeing to do such a thing.

"It's been quite some time since we had a storm like this." The slender gemstone said as she returned her gaze to her fourth half-glass of Stella Rosé. While it was calming, she wasn't used to drinking alcoholic beverages. Of course she was mindful of over-indulgence, but her main reason was how quickly fluids passed through her system. Gems didn't require water or food to survive, but Pearl found the experience both soothing and uncomfortable. Just plain water was a bit too bland for her liking and sodas were too sugary and acidic. Hard Liquors, like bourbon and vodka, burned with a dissatisfying taste. The strawberry-blonde woman found wines had the happy medium she was looking for, a soft and smooth feel, sweet accent, and the right amount of alcohol to calm her nerves from her stress. The only thing that made it more enjoyable was doing it with some like-minded company.

"Yeah. It almost feels unnatural with how rapid and intense it is." Priyanka said bookmarking her place as she set down her novel, raising herself out of the recliner. She adjusted her magenta robe before picking up her empty glass. The homeowner passed a glance at her guest before making her way over to her. She tapped the table in front of Pearl, grabbing her attention. "Shall I take your glass, Pearl?"

"Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drift off there. Perhaps I have had more than my fair share."

"Not a problem. After all, this is supposed to be a recreational evening." The woman smiled softly, gathering the glasses in hand and took them to the dishwasher. "Besides, it looks like you'll be staying the night. So, I suggest getting comfortable."

"Are you sure? I hate to intrude on you. Plus, I'm sure I can handle myself in the rain. Water isn't as bothersome to Gems as it is to humans."

Priyanka laughed inwardly at the comment as she re-corked the bottle and placed it in the cabinet. It was like talking to a mirrored version of herself. "While that may be the case, you've already been drinking, and it would be poor manners if I let my guest stumble on home now. Plus, with Steven away, I wouldn't mind some company."

Pearl could hear a hint of sadness in her voice. "Well as long as you don't mind…"

"Not at all." Priyanka said as she walked back into the room with two bottles of water before she sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

Pearl chuckled as she opened one of the bottles, taking a small sip. "You want to talk about Steven, right?"

Priyanka sighed in melancholy. "Heh, I'm that easy to read, huh?"

"Not really, but I can tell that there is something on your mind. Besides, I'm also curious about how he is progressing." Pearl admitted.

"He… He is doing better. Therapy has really helped him. Both of us really." The bereaved mother leaned against the arm rest, silently thinking about their recent appointment at the psychiatrist. She could tell that there was progress on his end, but she couldn't really say that she was making the same strides in healing as Steven was.

"That is good. I could never convince him to go. It always turned into a big argument and after a while, I sort of just gave up on the idea. The headaches I gained from trying weren't worth it if he wasn't going to take it seriously anyway."

"Trust me it wasn't easy for me either, Pearl. He fought me on the topic until I had to almost drag him to the doctor's office and sit there with him until he opened up to her."

"I see. Well, bravo to you, Priyanka. You managed to do the impossible." Pearl said, raising her water in the air for a makeshift toast, causing them both to start giggling uncontrollably. "So, has he spoken about Connie much?" The pale woman wanted to kick herself for asking that as she felt the mood dip.

The ebony woman breathed heavily. It was all they talked about if they weren't awkwardly trying to avoid each other when they were alone in the same room. "He does it openly with the therapist, however I'm not allowed to be in the room with them. Don't want to be a conflict of interest or him feeling pressured to say certain things. At home... I'm sorry, it just brings up... memories."

"I understand… I apologize if I'm asking too many personal questions. I trust Steven in your hands, but I still feel like he is still my baby in a way. I want to be able to look out for him, even if I can understand why he doesn't want me near him. Honestly, it's quite silly that I'm like this and he's almost 22."

"I think it is a magical thing, Pearl." Priyanka said in a monotone voice. She stared off into the distance, trying to gather her thoughts. "To be able to see the one you nurtured, raised as your own, grow up." She could feel the anger and sadness that lingered welling up again. "To see them go through their journeys to discover themselves and to become their own person without needing you constantly over their shoulders. I... envy you."

"Priyanka…" Pearl said, placing a hand over the former physician's lap. "You know it's not your fault, right?"

The woman laughed bitterly, surprising the gemstone a bit. "I'm sorry. I know you mean well, Pearl. It's just funny, you know? No matter how many times people tell me that, or I tell myself that it's not my fault she's gone, I still can't fully convince myself that is the case." A tear rolled down her cheek as she stared into the rainstorm outside her window.

"Well, I guess that's a thing we unfortunately share in common, Priyanka." Pearl sighed.

Another concert of violent booms filled the silent room with the two women as the candles flickered around them.

"Perhaps we should shift topics." Priyanka chimed in, wiping away the stray tear.

"Of course. What do you want to talk about?"

"Damn it!" Lapis groaned as she unsteadily floated above the farm. Purple flames peppered the ground around her as she continued to evade the reckless and lethal strikes from Amethyst, taking any opportunity to throw waves of sea and rainwater at her attacker. However, the violet quartz would pretty much power through her attempts of slowing her down with her magenta aura. If she took damage, she didn't show it in her movement. Even though there were vivid purple cracks forming across her body, it was almost like she didn't care if she was dismantled by the end of this fight, as long as her opponent went down with her. Lapis' plan of stalling out the fight for time to heal herself was pretty much useless at this point. She was already beyond the point of exhaustion and if it wasn't for the storm, then she would have already been defeated already. "Would you just piss off already?!" She shouted as she sent another volley of water towards her adversary.

Amethyst had no intention of giving herself a moment's rest as she solely focused on the blue Gemstone, continuously charging at her like a puma chasing down its prey until it tires itself out, then pouncing at the first opportunity. Not only did Lapis find it hard to keep up with her speed but it was even harder to tell when she would strike or bluff herself into giving Amethyst an opening for a clean hit.

Breaking through another column of water, causing an ear-shattering boom from the force alone, the walking inferno leapt in front of the water nymph before wrapping her up in her burning whip and throwing her into the Earth with blinding speed, leaving a crater in the pumpkin patch. Having dealt with this move being performed on her over a dozen times during this fight, she was able to somewhat cushion her fall by merging her wings with the rainwater to create a large aqua shield. While it did hold up enough to protect her from the impact from the fall, the force combined with her fatigue, made it pretty much only good for one hit at a time and she wouldn't be able to recharge it for the follow-up.

The spinning magenta comet of white hair was rapidly approaching her. Lapis desperately tried to push whatever she had left in her to create another water barrier, only to find that she was completely spent. Her wellspring of power was dried out and all she could do now was lay there as death quickly fell from the sky towards her. Lapis took the moment to consider her mistakes throughout this encounter. She didn't regret her actions, not one of them. From her perspective, torturing Jasper for months on end was a justified and noble cause. Even if her King didn't agree with her, she knew that at least she was in the right. Lapis was always prepared to give her life in the service of Steven. Whether he agreed with that or not was irrelevant. But to have her miserable existence end in the hands of the one person that she despised almost as much as the Diamonds themselves was more salt on the wound. At least Peridot wouldn't be here to watch her life end.

"Well Peri… it looks like I'm going to have to miss Meep-Morph Day tomorrow." Lapis chuckled as she felt the heat of Amethyst's final attack nearing its target.

Suddenly, a blinding lime-green blast knocked the purple quartz off course, sending her careening into the earth, creating a large fissure ten yards away from the blue gem.

"Lapis, are you okay?!" Peridot shouted as she ran from the barn, through sweltering flames, and slid down the embankment toward her partner.

"Peridot…?" Lapis croaked as she lay in the center of the hole. She didn't have the strength to turn her head to her right to see if that was her roommate or if she was just having a near-death experience and this was all just her imagination.

The stocky green gemstone hurried over to her friend, setting down her wrist gauntlet. "Oh, thank The Stars you're alright… relatively speaking anyway." She corrected herself as she clumsily hoisted Lapis limp and bruised body over her short stature. "Come on, let's get you out of here. I don't think that Destabilizer Shot will keep her down for too long. And the prototype was only good for one shot."

Lapis could barely hear that echoing voice through the white noise bouncing around in her ears as her vision blurred into a mixture of hazing smears. "Peridot… Where's… Steven?" It hurt too much to speak clearly.

"He… he's not coming, Lapis."

After hearing that, Lapis felt like a sword was being shoved through her back. "Why?"

Peridot ignored the question as she struggled to carry both their weights up the wet dirt wall. She wondered how Lapis was so slender yet so heavy.

"Peri… why isn't… Steven coming?" Lapis asked once more, more concerned by her friend's silence.

At this, Peridot gave in. "I'm sorry Lapis but I didn't leave the barn when you told me to, but I wasn't going to leave you here alone. Besides, even if I wanted to, you two clods destroyed the Warp Pad during your fight, so now I must carry your fat butt all the way to town. Do you know how many miles it is to get there?!"

Lapis let out a few broken chuckles as her barn mate ranted about how reckless she was for fighting Amethyst and goading this entire situation into the disaster it was now. "You… you're the one with the fat ass, Peri…" She commented, interrupting Peridot's train of thought, and causing her to blush. "I'm sorry that I got you dragged into this, now we both are going to die. You should have just run when you had the chance, Peri."

"Just-Just shut up! The least you could do is help me get you out of here." The green gremlin groaned as she finally pulled her blue angel out of the crevasse.

"Heh… you're a good friend, Peridot." Normally, Lapis would probably squirt a stream of water in her gem for talking to her like that, but she didn't feel like she had the strength to lift a finger. The only reason she was still lucid was due to the rain falling on her body, passively healing her by a minor degree. However, it wasn't necessarily enough to get her back in fighting shape since she couldn't concentrate on it. "But I don't think I have the strength to fly myself, much less the both of us, out of here. Just leave me and get somewhere else before Amethyst gets back up and sees you helping me."

"Have you gone insane too?! I'm not leaving a friend behind, no matter! And I don't care if it's an order or not. Steven wouldn't leave you, and I won't forgive myself if I did either!" Peridot adamantly declared.

Behind her frayed bangs and disheveled hair, tears dripped from Lapis' eyes as she came to terms with their situation. There was no way they would make it out of here before Amethyst got back up, and she could tell Peridot knew that but was desperately trying to fight the reality of the situation. In the giant mountain of shit that she made of her series of fuckups tonight, the biggest one was that she wasn't a better friend to her Peridot, and it was because of her fixation on a guy who probably didn't want anything to do with her. To make matters worse, Peridot now would lose her life and freedom over protecting her. "I… I love you, Peridot."

Peridot's eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks, the tears she held back broke through the visage of bravery. Lapis was never the one that said "I love you" first.

"Lapis… please don't say that now." Peridot's grips slipped as Lapis fell face first on the ground. She quickly got on her knees trying to turn her over to pick her back up. The rain made it difficult, and her arms were tired from carrying her up the crater and the few yards she powered through. "Come on, get up Lapis! We still have to make Morphs tomorrow, and you still got to hear my new ideas for a Camp Pining Hearts Remake!"

Lapis smiled dumbly as her body gave into the pain. She just kept repeating the same phrase over and over again as her voice became softer and softer.

"I love you, Peridot."

"I love you. Peridot."

"I... love you. Peri..."

After the fourth time, the green gemstone broke, and she surrendered. She cried into Lapis' torn dress and could only reply through messy tears and a cracked voice. "I love you too, Lapis."

Like a violet specter of death, Amethyst wildly charged through the ruined farmlands, leaving a trail of purple flames in her wake, her fire coated eyes focused on the duo. Her violet aura was larger and even more untamed as she pounced. Her roar was like that of Lion's as she jumped in the sky above them before diving down. Peridot stood up and placed herself between Amethyst and Lapis, fearfully crossing her arms in a desperate attempt to block her attack. However, the green Gemstone was suddenly pulled away from Lapis by a water tentacle. During her short flight towards the barn, Peridot stared in shock as Lapis' outstretched arm went limp, causing the tentacle to disburse into water droplets. If this was to be their last moment together, then she was going to make sure Peridot had a fighting chance to get out alive.

Peridot stumbled, trying desperately to get some footing in the muddy ground of the Pumpkin Patch, running over to her roommate. Through her foggy visors, Peridot knew she wasn't going to make it in time, but she would still give it her all to save her. "LAPIS?!"

Lapis' smile slowly faded as she slipped into unconsciousness. 'Loyal to the end, my Peridot.'

She heard a loud boom and felt the force of the attack above her before the chaotic world around her faded.

To Peridot's shock, she saw a bulky Gemstone, coated in her own orange aura, standing above Lapis, holding Amethyst back, feet planted firmly into the dirt. The force of Amethyst's dive bomb put an impressive strain on the Quartz, but based on how she didn't buckle her stance, it appeared she could handle much worse.

"Jasper?!" The green Gemstone shouted as she covered her eyes from the clashing bright flames of the two quartz soldiers. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"Peridot, get Lapis and your worthless ass away from here now!" Jasper said, looking back in frustration as she struggled to keep Amethyst in place. The purple Gemstone was about as slippery as she was quick, making it difficult for the larger warrior to keep a grasp on her. "Steven isn't too far behind me!"

Peridot didn't question why Jasper was helping them out, much less how she knew to come here, but the hope of safety was enough to give her another surge of strength as she ran behind the orange goliath and pulled Lapis away from the two.

"He's just down the hill. Now get out of here before I change my mind and let her put an end to you two defects!" Jasper yelled as secured Amethyst's into a Full-Nelson headlock.

"Geez, Thanks…" Peridot muttered before running away from the scene. With the Barn Mates gone, Jasper shifted her focus on her opponent. The purple cracks and burn marks on her hair was a clear sign that Amethyst's Gem Matrix was completely unstable, and by the look of things, she was overclocking herself.

"Alright Amethyst, you need to calm the fuck down before I have to bury you in the dirt! You're burning way too much energy!"

" Lapis… Lazuli…" Amethyst growled in response as she tried to rip herself from Jasper's grasp.

"I know you're mad at her for what she did. Personally, if it was my decision, I would have let you destroy her without a second thought, but you're in danger of permanently destabilizing your form and if I let that happen, then I never hear the end of it. It's bad enough that she constantly talks about you every sickening day."

Amethyst continued to thrash about in Jasper's arms, only to have her tighten the hold.

"Alright you Purple Runt. If you don't want to listen, then I'll do this my way!" The orange quartz slowly began siphoning the flames from Amethyst's aura into her own, causing Amethyst's energy flow to suddenly stop. She slowly began to lose strength and a few moments later her sanity began to regress. Before she could ask what was going on, Jasper punched her on the back of the head, knocking her out cold.

"Well, at least I got you to settle down, you Little Runt..." Jasper sighed, loosening her hold on Amethyst, holding her bridal style as she sat down in the pouring rain. The purple flames of the earlier fight were present but weren't going to be growing anymore. She figured Lapis could douse them once Steven finished healing them.

'You know, you didn't have to knock her out.'

'You told me to stop her. You didn't say how you wanted me to do it.' Jasper scoffed as she inspected her wrists and hands. While it didn't necessarily hurt, she didn't get out of the confrontation unscathed. At least it felt pretty good to be able to interact in the outside world for a few moments, instead of being a bystander in that broken cage of her mind. 'Unlike you, I don't let my emotions stop me from getting the job done.'

'Alright, you're finished. I'm taking over now.'

Jasper's other personality groaned. She wanted a few more minutes to enjoy being outside at least, but a deal was a deal. 'I don't get so much as a "thank you" for saving your stupid girlfriend.'

After a few blinks, Jasper returned to normal. She quickly began checking Amethyst's exhausted body, noting the scorch marks on her clothes and her hair. "You know, if I wasn't so worried about you, I would probably be impressed that you managed to beat someone as strong as Lapis on your own." Jasper chuckled at Amethyst's limp body as it rested in her lap.

'Personally, I felt it would have been easier to just poof her rather than try absorbing her Flare first.' Her Other Self said as she cradled her unconscious friend. 'You of all people should know how risky that was.'

"I didn't imagine you'd be so worried about her safety." Jasper chuckled.

'I was referring to your stupid ass. I could care less about the runt going through Burn Out.'

The voice paused in her mind as Amethyst's voice cooed. 'But I guess it is a good thing that I prevented it. Now I don't have to hear you bitch and moan about your precious "Purple Diamond" dying on you.'

Jasper just laughed to herself as she tried to save face. "I guess I can't deny that. But I guess I owe you a thank you for saving her and giving my idea a chance."

'If I could vomit inside this empty head of yours, I would be doing it right now.' The voice said.

Jasper just took it as her way of saying "You're Welcome."

"Hahaha! There's no way he did that." Priyanka mused as Pearl recounted a memory from Steven's childhood. At a certain point during the discussion, the two had begun drinking again and both were drunkenly giggling as the slender woman told her story. "He just jumped off the ride?! Just like that?"

"Yea." Pearl affirmed, wiping a tear from her eye. "He was just like "I'd like to get off the ride now!" and just jumped. Oh my, the look on Mr. Smiley's face when the ride went haywire. Thank goodness we were there to get everyone off safely, but I was a mess of emotions. It didn't help that Amethyst pretty much slept through the entire event. Garnet was far more concerned for Steven's safety to help me explain and left me in charge of trying to fix the situation with the owner."

"Oh my, and I thought shifts at the hospital were hectic, but you guys take the cake. So, what happened next?" She asked expectantly.

"What do you think? Another "Lifetime Ban" from Funland, which ended after like 4 months. Steven apparently ended up helping him out with something in his spare time and made it up to him."

Priyanka sighed blissfully. "Well, that was kind of Steven's specialty. Always willing to help ya out at the drop of a hat." Her mind took her to all those moments where Steven would proactively go around the home helping with random chores. He would fix things that probably didn't need fixing and clean something that he just polished not a day ago. All with what appeared to be a soft yet forced smile on his face. When he smiled like that, Priyanka would be lost in melancholy.

"Yea. No matter what it was, or how out of his depth. He would just throw himself in the ring to help. It was always so cute how sweet he could be at times." Pearl thought of that moment where she first opened that pandora's box of emotions that was her heart to him. She remembered how he held her until she wasn't a sobbing mess of pain and regret. She compared it to how he was a few months ago. Bitter, spiteful, and lost in turmoil. But there were glints of that older, more innocent charm that popped out from time to time. Whenever he saw her depressed or down in the dumps, he would avoid saying anything that might upset her. He would take the time to spend time with her, whether it was training like the old days or sitting down as she sang while they were alone in the Sky Arena. Whenever she was the center of his attention, she would forget her troubles.

"Sweet, supportive…" Priyanka loved the way Steven held her as she wept. It was like Doug never left. The way he spoke to her in that confident yet understanding voice. The way he looked at her with those glowing pink-eyes made her mind slow to a crawl but made her heartbeat race and skip. How sturdy his lean yet muscular body was whenever she clinged onto him like her life depended on it. 'His lips were always a touch away.'

"Strong, attentive…" Pearl relished how intense those pink-diamond pupils appeared when he honed in on every movement of her body. The way he rushed at her with determination as they clashed and dance with a blade in hand. It made her trip up sometimes and before she knew it, he had her pinned to the ground. She was at his mercy, but he would just brace himself above her, smirking, waiting to hear her concede. If only he knew how long ago it was when surrendered herself to him. 'I always wondered if he ever considered keeping me there, all to himself, when he stared into my eyes.'

"I can see why Amethyst finds him attractive…" They both said at the same time, causing them to double-take as they shared a surprised stare at each other, blushing madly. The air was heavy between the mothers as they looked away in shame, both understanding that they weren't alone in their guilty pleasure.

A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter guys and gals, but this originally was supposed to be included with The Previous Segment. But While I have your attention, I wish to address a few things. One, I originally did want this to be a Non-Linear story, but after giving it some thought, I feel it will be easier for readers to keep up with Story events if I go back and reorder the chapters in order. Sorry After the next Segment, I'll reorder the chapters and for the author note I'll give more thoughts on goals, and a bit of a timetable for the Events that have taken place so far. I'm actually excited to get to the next arc, which will be more focused on Steven on his month-long stay at Homeworld. Another thing I want to mention is that at this moment, I'm working on a bit of a collaboration with one of my favorite Fanfic-Writers. I can't wait for that to come out on A03 once it's all set in stone. Anyway, enough rambling, I do hope y'all enjoyed the chapter regardless of the length. As always, thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts.