Chapter 12

Alexa wiped the beads sweat of her brow and rubbed the liquid into the newly created golden tourmaline. The sweat was pulled into the stone with a sparkle of light which then bled through the crystalline structure and rearranged the matrix of the gem into a Gem. This was the Diamond's secret to creating unenlightened Gems for later implantation or use in Gem-tech. Gems were literally made with the sweat and tears of their Diamonds.

Alexa pushed a little more energy into the new Gem and let it settle in. If she kept this up for a week or two, nurturing the stone with body fluids and energy she would eventually have a new customised Gem lifeform. Or she could shorten the process to a few days by adding ectoplasm and quickening the Gem with a pseudo-ghost spirit. There were pros and cons to each method. A full Gem would be stronger and more stable, it's personality could be moulded to an exact standard. A ghost-Gem would sacrifice power for versatility and it's personaliy could only be guided, with the end result having more… quirks? Maybe flavour would be a better description.

Alex shrugged to herself and put aside her musing as she forewent enlightening the Gem and instead, she put it down next to the dozen other newly created unenlightened Gems on a velvet covered table. With a minor thought she used her powers to create another golden stone and repeated the process. Each one of these pyroelectric gemstones would be used in anything from energy sources to weapon adaptations when used in the correct Gem-tech.

"Hey Alex, you in there?" Lyn's voice called into the Warehouse.

"Yeah. I'm here, what's up?" Alexa called back.

Lyn walked through the open portal of the Warehouse holding a crystal tablet in her hands.

"Did you give the temple's number to the kids, because Connie is calling from that phase-ship we gave them and she seems in trouble." Lyn flicked her finger along the tablet causing a holographic image of Connie, Greg and the Crystal Gems in the cockpit of the Phase-ship to appear.

"Hello? Alex? Lyn? Lapis? If you can hear us, please answer us. Some weird pink Gem has taken Steven and wants Grey Diamond. We need your help."

"I could take this ner'er-do-well Gem," Ruby growled, "that is if I wasn't protecting my Sapphire that is."

"You would be shattered almost instantly." Sapphire commented in a cold voice.

"I believe you are mistaken, My Connie. There are only four Diamonds existent and none of them are grey in colouration."

In the background a groaning Greg was slumped in a chair as a small Amethyst poked at his bruised head.

The message cut-off and repeated again, showing that it was on a loop.

"Well, I guess we've found Spinel." Alexa said as she stretched. "Don't know why she's hassling the Gems; shall we give them a hand?"

Lyn smiled. "It'll be fun. I like Connie."

"And not Steven?" Alexa smiled wryly.

"Nah, boys are gross."

"You remember that despite current appearances; I am a boy, right?"

"No, you're my brother. It's different." Lyn shook her head.

"Whatever. Let's get them here cause honestly Greg doesn't look so good." Not that Alexa had any particular fondness for Greg but it would be cruel to let him be hurt.

Alexa shifted to Alex as they stepped into the main chamber of the temple so that he could go ghost and burn open a portal to the phase-ship Connie and the others were on.

The portal opened in the air and the startled faces of Connie and the Gems looked through at him.
"Get back. I'll protect you!' Ruby pushed Sapphire behind her.

"Alex! Thank the stars, you got my message." Connie exclaimed and rushed through the portal and hugged him.

"My Connie, please! It may not be safe." Pearl followed closely.

"I foresee that we will find assistance on the other side of this portal." Sapphire walked through with a grumbling Ruby guard following.

Alex looked at the bleary-eyed Greg and the Amethyst standing next to him.

"Amethyst, could you bring the human through?" Alex asked the purple Gem.

Amethyst shrugged and roughly picked Greg up and walked him through the portal which closed behind them.

In the temple the rejuvenated Gems were looking around in curiosity while Connie paced anxiously.

"Amethyst, if you could take Greg through that portal and place him on the large metal table in the other room that would be much appreciated." Alex directed the Gem to take Greg into the Warehouse.

"I'll show her where to put him." Lyn said and followed the two into the warehouse and towards the medbay.

"Huh, why would Greg need to go somewhere else?" Connie asked.

"You didn't notice that he has a serious concussion?" Alex asked her.

Connie snaped out of her nervous pacing. "What?! He does? Oh, no, no, no. I didn't even think."

Alex put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Even if he had to actually reach up to do it.

"Hey, it's OK. You've had a shock and you weren't paying attention. Take a breath and calm down, he's going to be fine."

Connie closed her eyes and took a deep breath and then let it out.

"OK. So, tell me what happened." Alex pressed the girl when she had calmed some.

What followed was a tale of how Steven had pushed his Gem powers on his birthday and ended up stuck as an infant and that this morning she had panicked that he had de-aged into nothing but that he was fine. That was until a strange Gem had turned up that had easily beaten the two of them, knocked Steven out and fled after telling her to bring Grey Diamond to the Kindergarten at sunrise tomorrow in exchange for Steven.

"We'll get him back." Alex told the distraught girl.

Connie wiped the tears that had been threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. "Thank you."

"Now you said that she'll be waiting for us tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yeah, at sunrise." Connie agreed.

"Excellent, then we've got time to prepare." Alex looked at the girl and smiled as a thought occurred to him, he did have some extra tourmalines after all.

"Tell me, Connie." He asked. "How would you like to be a Gem like Steven?"

Connie's eyes widened. "Like a half-Gem, who would live and grow like Steven does?"

"Not exactly the same but very similar." Alex said.

"I would like that. I would like that very much." Connie told him.

"Good. Then let's get started." Alex led the girl into the Warehouse.

"Umm. Wait for me, My Connie!" Pearl followed.

"What should we do, my Sapphire?" Ruby asked the blue Gem.

"I foresee us waiting here and being very surprised."

"Alright!"

⦖⋄⦕

Steven woke in a bare stone cave with his chest throbbing. The stone was cold where his face was pressed against it and the stale smell of dust and minerals let allowed him to recognise that he was somewhere in the Kindergarten. If the stiffness and pain in his body was any indication then he had been out for hours, perhaps the whole day.

He looked around the bare stone space. There were crystals on the wall that softly glowed a dim red that allowed him to see a little around the cave. It was empty but for the pink Gem sitting hunched on a rock, her eyes glinting as she watched him.

"You know, you remind me of her." She said.

Steven groaned as he pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Who do I remind you of?" he asked as he pulled up his shirt to examine the bruising and possible broken ribs.

"Pink." Spinel almost whispered the words. "I've been watching you all since Yellow came and you… you remind me of Pink."

Steven licked his hand and pressed his palm against his side, sighing in relief as the pain faded under sparkling healing spit.

"If you've been watching for that long then you know that my mum, Rose, was Pink Diamond. Then you know that I have her Diamond." He said.

Spinel shook her head. "No, you're not her. You might have her Gem but you're not her."

She frowned and almost growled as she continued. "It's Grey's fault. She ran and hid on this dirtball because she knew, she somehow KNEW that Grey was coming. She ended herself through you so that she could escape the culling of the Diamonds."

"What are you talking about?" Steven stretched his arms feeling the healing of his side. He wasn't fighting fit but he was much better than before.

Spinel pulled a Diamond Communicator from her Gem and spun it to an active feed. The communicator projected a holographic image between them showing each and every one of the Diamonds being taken down. It slide-showed between the fall of Yellow, Blue and White and the army of Gems that swept through Homeworld bubbling Gems left, right and centre. The images also showed the trial of the bubbled Diamonds and their shattering. Spinel touched the communicator and zoomed in on Alexa sitting in the witness seats watching the fall of the Diamond Authority.

"She's the reason why Pink never came back." Spinel spat. "She's the reason why she killed herself and turned into you."

"Look, I don't think Alex was even in this reality when mum decided to have me." Steven revealed.

"NO!" Spinel shouted. "It has to be her fault! Or else, or else…" Spinel trailed off as her as she cupped her face in her hands and curled in on herself and started crying.

Steven didn't know what to do. This was the first time he had been kidnapped and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to say something to the emotionally brittle Gem. Eventually his gentle nature got the better of him and he stumbled over to the weeping Gem.

"It's OK." He wrapped his arms around Spinel. "It's going to be OK."

Spinel tensed up under his touch. "What are you doing?"

"It's called a hug. It's supposed to make you feel better."

"Oh."

"Is it working?" Steven asked.

"…A little." Spinel admitted, her voice fragile.

"So you knew Pink, can you tell me about her?" Steven asked the now quiet gem in his arms.

Spinel smiled. "I was her best friend…"

Spinel spun him a sad tale of being made for the purpose of being Pink's playmate. How Pink was often sad or angry because the other Diamonds would not take her seriously or let her have a colony of her own. How she spent her time trying to make Pink smile — a smile that would light up the room according to Spinel — and spending more than a thousand years playing games with her in the Garden: the one place that Pink could laugh and have fun. She spoke of how happy Pink was when she was finally given her own colony but that didn't take Spinel with her. How she had told Spinel to play a game and wait without moving in the Garden. How she had waited for six thousand years without contact, without knowing if she was coming back, steadily growing more and more certain that she had been left behind. She told Steven of when the Diamond Communicator activated with a message from White to all Diamonds about the dangerous Flawed Grey Diamond that was hiding on earth, the planet where Pink was shattered.

"… and so I knew that Grey was to blame. She's the one who stopped Pink from coming back to me." Spinel finished with a sob.

"Spinel," Steven started. "I don't think Grey was the reason Mum never came back."

"She had to be," Spinel whispered, "because if she isn't then that means Pink abandoned me."

Spinel tightened her hug around Steven reminding him near painfully of her nearly crushing him earlier that day.

"You didn't abandon me, did you?" She stared at Steven with distant eyes.

"Spinel. I'm not Pink. I didn't abandon you." Steven said firmly but with a hint of panic.

Spinel refocused on Steven and flinched when she realised what she was doing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she hastily let go of him and backed off.

"I don't know… I'm just so, I'm just so angry." She admitted.

"Hey now, it's going to be OK."

"It's going to be OK?" she repeated.

Any further conversation was interrupted by the sound of rocks smashing outside the cave and a distant call of Steven's name.

Spinels eyes hardened. "It's going to be OK. Because I'm going to shatter Grey Diamond!"

"Spinel! Wait!" Steven tried to stop her from leaving but she just picked him up and dragged him with her outside.

⦖⋄⦕

Connie couldn't stop grinning.

That made her feel bad because her friend — her boyfriend? — Steven had been kidnapped and she should feel sad and anxious — and she did — but still, she could not keep the smile off her face.

She peered down at the cave that Spinel was holled up in from where she was crouched high on the Kindergarten walls. Alex had sent a wave of invisible and intangible drones through the canyons in search for Spinel and Steven and they had found the two only an hour ago. Alex had mentioned the drones did have a new shattering beam weapon attached but that given how close Steven was; it was too risky to use. Why did Steven have to try and befriend all his enemies?

Connie found herself absently touching her Gem for the tenth time in the last few hours as she watched Alex cause a commotion below to lure Spinel out. Her Gem. She had never thought that was something she would ever think about let alone have. She was smiling again wasn't she?. Her fingers traced the hard edged of the golden tourmaline set between her small breasts. HER GEM! And damn didn't it feel amazing! Was this how Steven felt all the time? Strong, powerful, light.

Her fist clenched around the hilt of her sword as she watched Spinel exit the cave while dragging Steven. HER SWORD! Not Rose's sword, her own, her personal weapon that came with her Gem! It was a gladius with a golden crystal blade, a green leather-wrapped handle and a strait cross guard of a brass-like metal. Honestly, it looked much like how she imagined Lisa's iron sword from the Spirit Morph Saga books to look, other than the actual blade of course. But most importantly it fit her hand like no other blade before it because it was hers on a fundamental level.

Alex had said that she wasn't exactly a Gem or a Hybrid like Steven but that she was much the same. She had a 'Gem-like' body that would age with her maturity level and stay in it's prime for an incredibly long time. She was stronger and faster than any human could or would ever be. Alex said that he had gifted her with 'fighting prowess' and 'Biological Adaption' and she could definitely feel how much easier wielding a sword felt. 'Biological adaption' was harder to grasp but he said it was what allowed him to add an actual Gem into her body without rejection. Her Gem. Her golden tourmaline. It would allow her, with practice, to shift her physical form slightly and fuse more easily with Steven and it gave her a Gem power of her own. Damnit! She was smiling again.

She breathed out and calmed herself. Spinel was shouting at Alex who was in her Alexa form. Something about Alexa being responsible for Pink Diamond's death, which made no sense when you knew that Alex had been in this universe for less than a year. It didn't matter. She had one job to do. Wait until an opportunity to safely retrieve Steven presented itself and then take it. Alex had already run through Spinels strengths and abilities. She might be able to take her but it wasn't worth the risk. Get Steven and get out. That was the plan.

Connie watched as Spinel pulled a small baton from her gem and waved it around as she and Alex argued. They way she held it indicated it was likely a weapon of some type but she wasn't sure what kind: that is until it lengthened into a glowing energy bladed scythe. Damn. That is actually cool, Connie though to herself. She was a fan of fantasy genres after all and a scythe ticked a lot of geek boxes. Still, no time to be distracted, the opportunity will come… NOW!

⦖⋄⦕

Alexa quickly threw up a wall of clear crystal between Spinel and Steven as soon as Spinel had pushed Steven behind her as she twirled her rejuvenator Scythe and sprung at Alexa. Steven had stumbled and fallen at his sudden release from the crazy Gem but was safe on the other side of the new glass-like wall. Alexa parried the Scythes arc with a misericorde dagger and ducked the kick at her side from Spinels elongated leg. With a thought she caused spears of crystal to lance from the ground at her feet toward the pink Gem causing Spinel to contort herself into an S-shape to prevent herself from being pierced. Another application of her control over the crystal caused it to violently shatter, blasting Spinel backwards and peppering her with sharp fragments.

"You're the reason SHE'S GONE!" Spinel screamed as twisted herself to her feet. She used the momentum to swing enlarged fists at Alexa who matched each blow with her daggers and shards of created crystal.

Honestly, Alexa was over this. She was going to have one of the girls kick her if she ever selected multiple 'hunted' drawbacks again. All her fun creating new Gem-tech or hanging out in the city with the girls was overshadowed by the constant weariness of having to watch out for an attack. The diamonds had been annoying enough but at least she had been on top of watching their movements. Spinel had popped out of nowhere and truthfully Alexa just wanted this done.
With a thought, Alexa moulded the broken crystal around her into rudimentary light cannons. About a dozen pyramids of grey crystal levitated into a circle around Spinel and rotated until a point was directed at the pink Gem. Spinel had to duck, dive and literally bounce around the canyon to avoid the lances of light they fired at her.

"Is that all you've got?" Spinel taunted as she backed up against the crystal wall that separated her from Steven.

"Nope." Alexa smirked.

Spinel had to roll out of the way as a golden sword sparking with yellow lightning punched through the wall behind her. The sword cut through the crystal wall easily, creating a hole with a glowing molten edge. The tall woman who stepped through looked remarkably like Stevonnie except her normally long dark hair was instead in shades of golden yellow that shifted to pink at the ends. Her skin shone with glints of gold and her eyes were a vivid pink edged in molten gold; from her naval and her chest two Gems glittered with light: one rose pink and the other a dark gold. In one hand she held the golden blade and floating in her other hand was Steven's Rose Shield. She looked like a warrior in shades of an ocean sunrise.

"You don't get to kidnap my Steven." Stevonnie growled as she charged at Spinel.

Spinel lashed out but her strike was caught on Stevonie's shield and was countered with a slash of her sword that was narrowly dodged by Spinel stretching out of reach. Alex used the distraction to coat her fist in grey diamond and land a devastating punch into Spinel's side that sent her flying into the canyon wall with a crash.

Stevonnie crouched and golden lightning danced around her body before she disappeared in a streak of yellow light. Moving at incredible speeds she dashed and leaped off a stone outcropping and ran clear up the wall of the canyon toward the spot where Spinel had impacted the wall. With the speed of her approach, she kicked the still dizzy pink Gem out of the crater she had made as she passed her and continued upwards. At the top of the canyon, she leapt off the wall towards the airborne Gem and struck with her sword in a flash of light and the crash of thunder. Spinel impacted the ground with a sickening crash and Stevonnie landed lightly nearby. She walked over to the impact zone and found only Spinel's Gem when the dust settled. Stevonnie raised her sword as if to strike the deathblow when she hesitated and flinched away.

"No! She's not bad just confused." She said to herself. "She took you! She could have hurt you!"

Stevonnied stepped towards the heart-shaped Gem then stagged back as she faught with herself before Stevonnie's form glowed and separated into Steven and Connie who both fell to their asses. Alexa walked up between the groaning young teens and simply reached down and bubbled Spinel.

"Oww… Connie?" Steven rubbed his head and looked over at his friend. For a moment he didn't recognise her. Connie looked much the same other than her dark hair was streaked with gold and a golden yellow Gem sparkled at her sternum.

"Steven! You're OK!" Connie jumped to her feet and grabbed him in a hug.

"What happened to you?" Steven asked the happy girl. "Wait! Where's Spinel?" He looked around to see Alex holding Spinel's Gem in a bubble.

"I upgraded your girlfriend and Spinel is safely contained." Alexa told the boy. "If you promise not to let her out for another few months then you can keep her bubble. She'll be much more open to suggestion once I'm gone."

Alexa tossed the bubble to Steven once Connie had let him go.

Steven looked at the contained Gem in his hands before sighing and teleporting it to the Temple. "She's confused and needs a friend. Hopefully we can get through to her later."

Connie just glared at the bubble as it was teleported away while grumbling something too low for anyone to hear.

"Wait… girlfriend?" Steven's thought process finally caught up to the other part of Alexa's words. He looked at Connie and her change in appearance. "Umm… you look good, Connie." He mumbled as his face turned red.

Connie came out of her grumpy musing about Spinel and smiled at Steven.

"Isn't it awesome? Now I can fight alongside you against any threat!" She said as she pulled her sword from her Gem and brandished it with a flourish.

Steven didn't know what to say. On one hand he was so incredibly happy that he had someone else like him, who would understand. But at the same time, he felt like he had somehow stolen Connie's humanity from her.

"Umm could someone please explain?" He awkwardly asked Alexa and Connie.

⦖⋄⦕

Alex flopped onto the couch with an audible sigh and stretched out. He had explained everything to Steven about Connie's new abilities. How she was very much like a Gem now but not exactly the same. That she had access to some Gem abilities but that mainly that she was stronger, faster and healthier than ever before and that she would live a long, long time much like he would himself.

Steven had taken it as well as could be expected. Connie's exuberance definitely helped assuage any misplaced feelings of guilt. Alex could tell the moment of real acceptance had come when he realised that without the upgrade, he would have outlived Connie by centuries. It was likely Connie would soon realise that there were downsides to her new body but for now she was incredibly happy to have the new connection to her one and best friend.

Lyn and Lapis strolled into the room with a bag of donuts and a tray of takeaway coffees which they put on the coffee table.

"Any trouble with Greg and the other Gems?" Alex asked as he reached over for a cup of liquid bliss.

"Nah, the medbay healed Greg's concussion and we got him and the Gems back to the beach house easily enough despite Pearls constant insistence that she needed to be here to serve her Connie."

Alex smirked into his coffee as he remembered the completely inappropriate look Pearl had given Connie as he used his Diamond Enhancement ability to improve the young girl and give her a Gem. The process worked because he could gift Connie with a 'Gem-like body' and two of his perks. He had given her 'Fighting Prowess' and was happy that she was able to choose 'swordsmanship' herself rather than be stuck with his proficiency with daggers, he had also given her 'Adapting Physiology.'

Lyn's words from a month ago had gotten him thinking about how he could give himself and the others more Gem powers. He couldn't simply ghost fuse the Gems into them but he did think he could actually meld a Gem to an alt-form as long as they had the 'Adapting Physiology' perk and the form didn't already have a Gem. Gifting Connie with one of the Tourmalines he had on hand was a proof of concept for the eventual addition of Gems to everyone's eventual spare human Alt-forms. It also meant that they would definitely all want an alt-form blending perk soon so that they could access those powers from any other forms.

"You did leave Greg with the note to Steven detailing how he can restore their memories, right?"

Lyn took her time selecting a jam donut from the bag before she responded. "Of course. As funny as it would be for Pearl to be stuck idolising a tween girl; they are the only family Steven has, it would be cruel not get them their memories back as soon as they can."

The note didn't actually detail the specifics on how to get the Gem's memories back, only explaining that having them all re-experience key moments from their lives would trigger their memory return and offering some suggestions on how to go about it for the Gems that Steven didn't have the full backstory on. Alex was confident that Steven would be able to trigger at least one of the Gems to remember and then that one would be able to help with the others. If they hadn't made any progress in a week or so he would see about helping out.

"So that's all the drawback Gems taken care of, right?" Lapis asked from where she was curled up next to Lyn.

"That's all of them." Alex agreed. "We've got a few months free to have fun here before we can Jump again."

"Any plans for our remaining time?" Lyn asked.

"I've heard the theatre shows in Empire City are pretty good." Alex suggested.

"A few months of fine dining and the theatre doesn't sound bad." Lyn agreed.

"What's the theatre?" Lapis asked.

"Think Camp Pining Hearts performed live on stage." Lyn tried to explain.

Lapis gave Lyn a look of complete seriousness. "Tell me more."

And that's a wrap for the Steven Universe arc! YAY! It certainly went longer than i expected but i cant help but feel that that's a good thing. Jumping worlds ever other chapter would be bad too.
That said: i'm going to try and keep the next jump shorter.

Does anyone have any guesses as to which Jump i'm going to do after Chronicle 2012?