Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She breaks in six months. Six months. The ocean around Malachite bubbles with Laips’ rage and their stomach turns with Jasper’s despair. Six months. Six months is nothing. Six months of being trapped and that’s all it takes to break a trained gem warrior, a gem general.

“And you call me pathetic!” Lapis snarls out of their shared mouth. The currents whip around Malachite’s body as she speaks and Jasper yanks on her chains again as she curls in on herself a little more. “Six months is nothing! I was imprisoned here for thousands of years without even a physical form and you’ve broken in SIX MONTHS!”

“Lapis, please,” the warrior’s voice is thin with exhaustion. Malachite screams and the depths of the ocean tremble. There’s not enough rage left for her. Lapis feels the separation creeping along their spine up into her gem before it surges towards Jasper’s. The last thought they share is the burst of relief that Jasper feels when she thinks she’ll be able to drown now.

“NO!” She promised Steven, she promised herself, she’s not going to let Jasper hurt this planet. She’s not going to let her go. Lapis doesn’t take even half a second to enjoy having her own body back before she’s waving her hand and wrapping Jasper’s wrists with cuffs and attaching them to her own. Her wings spread behind her and with a powerful thrust she’s dragging them both towards the surface of the water.

“Hey guys,” Steven says as the door to the temple slides open.

“Yo Steven, whatchya making?” Amethyst bounds over and slides into a stool at the counter as he pours a bag of chips into a bowl.

“Just putting together some snacks for me and Connie. There’s a marathon of Under the Knife today so she’s coming over so we can hang and watch it together.” He responds cheerfully and gives the remaining chips to Amethyst who immediately eats them, bag and all. “What are you guys doing? Any missions today?”

“Well,” Pearl starts but Garnet interrupts her curtly.

“No.”

“What? But Garnet I thought that we needed to retrieve,” Garnet adjusts her glasses and Pearl stops speaking.

“It’s not pressing.” Her tone brooked no argument so Steven goes back to setting out snacks. “Besides we can’t go on a mission without Steven.” She smiles down at him and the weight in his chest lightens a little. Pearl’s mouth is set in a thin line as the doorbell rings.

“Coming!” Steven rushes over to the screen and throws it open with a grin. Connie smiles back from the other side and he quickly steps aside to let her in. “Hey! Are you so psyched for this?”

“Totally! Look,” she holds up a tray wrapped in tinfoil. “I made some brownies, I thought we could have some while we watched.” Connie catches sight of the Gems in the kitchen and moves the tray to one arm so she can wave. “Hello.”

“Hello Connie.” Seeing her student makes Pearl’s expression soften and whatever tension that had been caused by Garnet canceling their mission drains away.

“This is so awesome.” Steven cheers as they walk over to the counter so he can show her the assorted snacks sitting out. “I had lots of salty things but nothing sweet. We’re going to have the best snacking experience during our marathon now!”

“Have fun you two.” Pearl says as she and Garnet head back towards the Temple.

“Bye.” Connie responds with a smile while Amethyst takes the brownies from her and rips off the foil.

“These look great, Connie.” She says, popping one in her mouth before Steven seizes the tray and puts it on the counter next to the other snacks. “Wow, these are great!”

“You have to share Amethyst.” Steven warns the gem. “Do you want to stay and watch with us?”
“Not like there’s anything better to do.” Amethyst shrugs as all three gather the snacks from the counter and bring them to the TV. The small group settles in and Steven clicks over to the right channel which cheerfully announces the start of the marathon leading up to a brand new episode at seven. Soon a heavily makeuped actor is lying on the operating table while a resident confesses their love for the operating surgeon from the observation window and none of them speak for a long time.

Dead silence, save for the beeping of the heart monitor on screen, fills the room. Even Amethyst has stopped with a handful of chips at her mouth to watch as the scene unfolds before them. The head of the surgery stands stricken as he watches the EMTs wheel in their best friend. ER doctors swarm the man and the beeping of the heart monitor in the background grows louder and louder as the actors scream silently for a crash cart. The surgeon takes two shaky steps forward before stopping as the monitor flatlines and his friend’s form goes completely limp.

“Steven!” The shout makes all three viewers jump and Connie furiously wipes away the tears that have started to stream down her cheeks.

“What?” His head whirls around to find the source of the voice but there’s no one else in the house and the Temple door remains shut.

“Steven?!” The voice sounds a little desperate now and his stomach gives a mighty lurch as he recognizes the sound.

“Lapis!” He scrambles to his feet without further preamble and darts towards the stairs, knocking a bowl of pretzels onto the floor in his haste. He’s broken past the threshold before Amethyst or Connie have a chance to react. “Lapis?!” Steven’s eyes frantically scan the beach and he spots the gem as she trudges out of the ocean, her wings drooping behind her, and her shoulders slumped. He takes the steps two at a time and hardly notices the hot sand burning his feet as he runs towards her. “Lapis!”

“Steven!” Relief floods her worn features and she straightens up a little as she half turns back towards the water and yanks her arms in an erratic dragging motion. He only then notices the chains that surrounded her hands in the dream are still clinging to her skin. “Thank goodness you’re here.”
“Lapis, are you okay? What happened?” A thought strikes him as violently as the gem it pertains to. “Where’s Jasper?”

“Help me pull.” She instructs and after a second’s hesitation Seven wraps his fingers around the chains and helps Lapis tug on them. The water is dense enough to feel solid but still leaves his palms moist as he helps her drag Jasper onto the beach. The larger gem emerges without a sound and lays motionless in the wet sand. Steven swallows hard at the sight of her and he can hardly resist the urge to press his fingers against his formerly blackened eye. “She lost consciousness about halfway to the surface.” Lapis mutters disgustedly. “I forgot she wouldn’t be able to breath or withstand the pressure once we were unfused.” She sighs and her wings are reabsorbed into her gem. “I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t retreated into her gem to heal.”  

“Lapis, what happened? Are you alright?” The gem turns her full attention towards Steven and gives him a small tired smile.

“I’m okay.”

“Steven!” Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl call as they approach the three gems on the beach.

“Lapis Lazuli?” Pearl questions as she registers who she’s looking at. “But you were--” A series of violent coughs cut off the sword fighter as Jasper tries to expel the water from her chest. She retches violently as her body begins to shake as the damage to her lungs threatens to force a regeneration. Jasper grits her teeth and sucks in a few gasping breaths as she fights away the instinct to heal. She can’t let herself become a defenseless gem in front of her enemies. She won’t retreat and let them kill her.

“Malachite was too unstable for us to hold any longer.” Lapis lies and Jasper’s bitter laugh chokes her as it aggravates her sore throat. The brat is trying to spare her honor. How noble of her. “I was able to secure Jasper and I thought perhaps you could find a more permanent solution to take care of her.” Lapis glances back at her prisoner and then towards Garnet. The fusion stares back at her and Lapis shifts uncomfortably making the chains connecting her to Jasper rustle with a soft splashing sound. She may not have asked them to kill Jasper but everyone on the beach knows what she’s saying all the same. Steven looks stricken and slightly nauseous.

“We’re not at war anymore.” Garnet finally says into the tense silence. “We don’t shatter gems anymore.”

“We could force her to poof.” Amethyst suggests. “And then we could bubble her.” Lapis bites down hard on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from recoiling at the suggestion. Steven can’t stop himself from flinching though and he looks at his friends with wide horrified eyes. Amethyst kicks at the sand beneath her boots and shrugs. “It was just a suggestion, dude. Don’t look at me like that.”

“It’s not a bad idea.” Pearl adds hesitantly.

“We can’t do that.” Steven cries when it looks like the pink haired gem is seriously considering the suggestion. “She’s a gem just like us! It’s not right.”

“Steven she tried to take you away, she tried to destroy the entire town! We can’t just let her go free.” Pearl protests but Steven presses on.

“That doesn’t give us the right to kill her!” Lapis lets them argue as she turns her attention to the gem in question. Jasper is silently watching the proceedings with a savage expression, caught somewhere between rage and amusement, as the Crystal Gems debate her fate.

“Temple, now.”Garnet orders the gems. “This discussion is going to take time and it will be better if we go inside to have it.” She turns her attention to Lapis and Jasper, the former slumps a little under her attention while the later straightens. “Lapis, can you keep a hold on Jasper for a while longer?”

“Yes. As long as I stay near the water.”

“How near?” Lapis hesitates and tried to gauge her strength against the pull of the tide.

“A quarter of a mile?”

“Then please come up to the house and make yourself comfortable while we discuss this situation.” Lapis turns her attention back to Jasper who reluctantly pushes herself onto her feet. Pearl and Amethyst move to flank the large orange gem as they walk towards the house while Steven falls into step beside Lapis.

“I’m really glad you’re alright.” He says quietly and the sincerity in his voice makes her chest tight. “We’re going to figure this out,” the boy promises. “And everything’s going to be alright.”

“Of course it is,” she lies. “After all we’re beach summer fun buddies.” Steven beams up at her but the smile barely reaches his eyes and a moment later he’s turning his attention to the Gems with a furrow between his brows. Chains rattle between them and for a moment Lapis wants to turn and run as she’s overwhelmed with the feeling that she’s just handed herself over as a prisoner too.

Jasper can’t help but to think how impractical and domestic the entrance to the temple is as she and Lapis are lead inside. She immediately identifies the two main sitting areas and the open lofted bed, while a glance at the center of the room shows her a Warp Pad and she knows that a gem could warp in and slaughter everyone with a few well-aimed shots and quick reflexes. They halt at the center of the room as the fusion turns to speak to them only to stop with her mouth open as the Warp Pad activates with a sharp whistle. All of the Crystal Gems tense for a moment until the light fades away and they are able to see who’s intruding on their base.

“Connie!” Rose cries and approaches the small, although still larger than Rose himself, human carrying a sword.

“Connie,” The Pearl says with steel in her voice. “I think you should head over to Greg’s and get a ride home. You and Steven will have to watch your show another day.”

“No way!” The child protests. “This is what we’ve been training for, Pearl! I want to stay and help.”

“Well…”

“Come o Pearl, you guys have been working so hard.” Rose adds while tugging on the woman’s hand.

“Oh alright…” The two children turn and grin at each other.

“Gems to the temple.” The fusion orders. “And Connie can stay here as a guard.” The Crystal Gems turn two the temple door at the opposite side of the room. Each one activates their gem and the door slides open with a rusty clang. “Steven,” Rose looks up, clearly surprised, before he charges towards the door.

“We’ll be back soon Connie. See you soon Lapis.” He waves and the door slides shut again.

“Whoa, I’ve never been in this room before…” Steven’s eyes roam over the newly discovered chamber excitedly. The high ceiling is the same cave-like formation of rock and crystals that he’s grown accustomed to seeing in the temple and glows softly to give the large space light. A large circular table with eight high-backed chairs is the only furniture in the room and the Gems move towards it, sliding into the seats marked with their gems. Pearl glances over at him, an uneasy look on her face as he approaches the chair between her and Garnet with the Rose Quartz gem adorning it.

“This was your mother’s war chamber. We met her with her other generals in order to discuss battle plans.”

“It was originally a situation room.” Garnet adds. “But the Rebellion changed its purpose.”

“I only got to come in here once before the end of the war.” Amethyst says quietly as she too stares around the room. She regains focus soon and turns towards Garnet. “What are we gonna do about Lapis and Jasper?”

“We can’t let them send a message to Homeworld.” Pearl interjects quickly.

“I don’t think Lapis is going to try that again. They kept her prisoner!” Amethyst adds defensively when Pearl gives her an incredulous look.

“So did we.” Steven and the others turn to Garnet. “We can’t guarantee her compliance based on that.”

“But Lapis is my friend, she fused with Jasper to save us, she saved all of Beach City!” There’s a desperation in his voice that makes his heart pound. “And she came back.” He finishes lamely. Garnet stares at him for a long moment.

“We’ll need to keep an eye on her,” Steven’s entire face brightens even though Pearl is sniffing disdainfully. “But we won’t keep her prisoner. However Jasper is another matter. She will fight us if given half the chance and if she escapes,--”

“She’ll try and get home. She might even try to find Peridot.” The pink-haired gem says gravely. “We can’t let that happen.”

“Um Garnet, are you sure Steven should be here for this?” Steven can’t help the crestfallen look that he gives Amethyst who then turns guilty eyes to the table. “I mean Lapis is his friend, but dealing with Jasper… isn’t that a little much for him?”

“No. Steven has just as much right to be here as you. He needs to be part of this decision.” Relief expands the half-human’s chest.

“Fine.” Pearl doesn’t sound pleased with the verdict but she continues without protest. “Well leaving her free isn’t an option and for her crimes against Earth, well, during the war we would have shattered her.” The blood drains from Steven’s face and his stomach rolls unpleasantly as Pearl speaks of murder with squared shoulders and her head held high.

“But this isn’t the war anymore. We’re not going to just execute her. Garnet already said so,” Amethyst hesitates. “Right?” Steven’s hurt disappears when she voices his thoughts but his stomach continues to twist when Garnet doesn’t speak.

“We can’t! It’s not right,” he blurts out desperately. “I know she wants to hurt Earth and us, but we can’t just kill her. We’re supposed to be the good guys, we can’t kill her.”

“Steven she wanted to take you away and she will if she gets the chance. You’re too important to risk that way--”
“No! I don’t care!” He takes a breath and gathers his scattered thoughts. “This isn’t about me. This is about killing someone. There’s no justification for that! We can’t kill her, it’s not right!” Silence falls over the table as he and Pearl face off.

“Steven’s right. This isn’t war times. We won’t execute Jasper.” Steven doesn’t even get the chance to feel relief before Garnet is continuing. “However, we can keep her contained if we poof and bubble her like Amethyst suggested.”

“What?”

“I suppose that’s a logical method of keeping her in check.”

“What? No!” The Gems turn back to him. “We can’t--”

“Steven what is it now? Keeping her bubbled is the best way to keep her imprisoned and out of trouble while keeping her alive--”

“It’s still wrong! She’s not like the monsters, she’ll be trapped and… she’ll know it won’t she?” The looks on their faces are answer enough. “She’ll be like Lapis was. She’ll be trapped and suffering forever… no one deserves that.”

“Alright Steven , then what do you think we should do with Jasper?” He closes his mouth and frowns at the table.

Silence fills the room and not for the first time Lapis thinks it’s too light. The silence at the bottom of the ocean was dense and oppressive and she thinks she prefered it to the quiet on land. Jasper is sitting on the couch beside her with her arms crossed and a sneer on her face, but she hasn’t tried anything so Lapis is content to leave her alone. The small human, Connie as Steven had called her, is standing close by with watchful eyes and a tight grip on the sword strapped to her hip. Her stance is practiced and stiff while her expression barely contains her curiosity and the blue gem thinks this must be her first time doing a mission for the Crystal Gems.

“How did you survive underwater all that time?” Connie’s mouth snaps shut as she soon as she finishes speaking and she looks like she wants to reprimand herself for doing so.

“I have an affinity for water and while we were fused I shared that ability with her.” She says quietly as she gives the girl a hard stare. “I met you before, I think, before I went to Homeworld.”

“Yeah.” Connie scowls at her, a fierce look for someone so small, and her grip shifts on the hilt of her sword. “I came to help Steven fight you when you stole the ocean.” Lapis feels Jasper shift slightly and knows the larger gem is looking at her now.

“I gave them back.” Is the innocent response and Connie snorts a little.

“I guess so.” There’s a beat of silence. “Steven was really worried about you.” She says in a soft voice after a while. An ache resonates in Lapis’ gem. “He considers you a good friend. It would really tear him up if you betrayed the Gems.” It’s not a subtle warning but Lapis appreciates it, no matter how unneeded it is.

“I don’t have a home anymore, and I haven’t had a friend in a long time, I don’t plan on throwing that away anytime soon.” She reassures the girl. Jasper scoffs beside her and Connie turns to look at the larger gem.

“What do you want, brat?”

“I don’t think I could kill you in a fair fight, but I know how to shatter gems and I don’t plan on giving you the opportunity to fight back if you ever try to hurt Steven again.” Jasper sits up a little straighter and gives Connie an assessing look but after a moment she just scoffs quietly and speaks one clipped sentence.

“Guards aren’t meant to interact with prisoners.”

Connie straightens her stance and scowls back at the gem before lapsing back into silence again. Lapis has the distinct feeling that Steven’s friend has just earned the general’s respect before she lets the silence roll back over her in its infuriatingly gentle way.

Chapter Text

“Can’t we just keep an eye on her like we’re going to Lapis?” Steven finally asks but the suggestion is halfhearted at best. “Maybe we could find some way to hold her, like human jail, you know? Without bubbling her.”

“We might be able to work something like that out, but you have to understand Steven, nothing will be as effective as bubbling her.” Pearl says patiently.

“Plus we can’t keep her in the temple.” Amethyst adds. “A warrior like her would spend the time cataloging information to use against us if she ever did escape.”

“And we have no way of preventing that without bubbling her.” Pearl continues. “The temple wasn’t built to hold prisoners. We don’t have anything that could keep her in place.”

“What about the force fields that were used to hold us on Peridot’s ship? Could you extrapolate a working model from the technology in Peridot’s escape pod?” Garnet asks and Pearl frowns across the table at her.

“I haven’t found anything in the pod that could help me engineer that kind of technology.”

“What about Lapis?” Steven feels his stomach twist with guilt as he makes the suggestion.

“We already said Lapis wouldn’t be held captive.” Pearl waves away his question.

“I meant, I meant what if we asked Lapis to keep Jasper chained to her?” Silence falls around the table. “She can, we know she can.”

“I don’t know Steven, that doesn’t seem like your best idea.” Amethyst says while crossing her arms across her chest and slumping deeper into her chair. “Lapis is strong, no doubt, but she’s not exactly reliable.”

“Yes she is!” Steven snaps back, finally losing his temper. “Lapis did everything she could to warn us about Jasper and Peridot! She lied to them and got herself thrown into a cell right alongside us because she was trying to protect me. She fused with Jasper and willingly imprisoned herself to protect us! Why don’t you guys understand that?” He throws the three a disappointed look. “I know how dangerous this whole situation is.”

“Steven--”

“I know, guys. I understand. I know that a lot of people and gems died in the last war. I know how dangerous the Gem Homeworld is and how important it is for us to keep Earth off the radar. I know that Jasper isn’t like you guys are, isn’t like my mom was, I know she wants to hurt us all, but Lapis won’t let her.” He barely pauses for a breath. “Lapis will keep her under control if we ask her to, even if it means giving up her freedom. She’s already proved that.”

“I guess so.” Amethyst admits reluctantly. “But do you really want to ask her to do this?”

“No.” He responds quietly. “But it’s the best thing we can do. It’s the only way we can do this right.”

“Are you sure, Steven?” Garnet asks and he nods. “Alright. We’ll ask Lapis to keep Jasper chained, but that still leaves the issue of where to keep them.”

“Well if they can’t stay in the temple, and certainly not in the house, we’ll still need them somewhere close.” Peal says with a sigh. “Perhaps they could live in the lighthouse? That would keep Lapis close enough to the water to maintain her hold on Jasper and we’ll be able to keep an eye on them.”

“Ronaldo was using the lighthouse as his base, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if Lapis and Jasper stayed there. Maybe just until we find something more permanent?”

“What did you have in mind, Steven?”

“Well, Lapis didn’t do anything wrong, and it wouldn’t be fair for her to be treated like a prisoner, so I was thinking that maybe Dad could help build a home for her. Somewhere she could keep an eye on Jasper and still be comfortable.”

“Okay, Steven, that sounds like a plan. But,” he’s not a fan of anytime that Garnet says ‘but’. “This is on a trial basis. If it looks like Jasper is going to overpower Lapis, or like either of them mean you or the planet harm we will bubble them both. Understood?” He nods in spite of the cold sweat that’s broken out across the back of his neck. “Then let’s go talk to Lapis.” She stands and the other Crystal Gems follow suit. Pearl places a comforting hand on Steven’s slumped shoulders and he gives her a weak smile as they walk towards the door.

Lapis looks up as the temple door slides open again and the Crystal Gems step back into the house. Jasper folds her arms over her chest and the chains between them rattle a bit as they watch the gems approach with a vague disinterest. Whatever they’ve decided it won’t change the fact that she’s going to fight them every step of the way. If they want to kill her she won’t make it easy for them. Lapis huffs under her breath and yanks on the chains as if she’s following Jasper’s train of thought and is uninterested in having to deal with a possible battle.

“Lapis,” Garnet addresses the other gem with an even tone that makes Lapis sit up a little straighter. “We’ve made a plan to deal with Jasper but we’re going to need your help.”

“What exactly do you want from me?” She asks as her back goes straight with tension.

“What were you planning on doing after we took Jasper off your hands?”

“I,” she wasn’t prepared for this line of questioning and agitation bubbles along her skin. “Was going to find somewhere to call home.”

“On Earth?” Pearl asks.

“Yes…. If that’s alright?” This is their plant after all.

“Of course it is.” Steven jumps in before any of the others can speak. “Earth is home for anyone who needs a place. But Lapis, we, we need your help.”

“What is it Steven?” The worried look on Steven’s face gives her a bad feeling deep in her gem.

“We, we were hoping that you could keep Jasper, like she is.”

“We don’t have an effective way to hold an un-bubbled gem imprisoned.” Garnet adds. “We can give you lodging somewhere close to the beach and we’ll help you contain her and live out your life in relative peace, but we do need to to stay bound to her.”

“I,” Lapis frowns at Garnet then turns her gaze towards Jasper. She sneers back, all sharp teeth and fury, but doesn’t say anything. There may even be a smugness around her eyes that mocks her. Because once again Lapis is going to lose her freedom to do the right thing again. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as Steven puts a hand over hers. He squeezes gently and she sighs. “I’ll do it.”

“Thanks Lapis.” She tries to smile down at the child but can’t quite bring herself to.

“Where are you going to have us live?”

“There’s a lighthouse right here that you can stay in. A friend of Steven’s renovated it a few years ago and it should be suitable.” Pearl answers as Lapis stands, tugging on the chains until Jasper follows with a scoff.

“Okay.” It’s not a mirror so she’d say it’s a massive improvement to where she’d ended up last time she’d encountered the Crystal Gems.

“Steven why don’t you stay here with Connie while we take Lapis and Jasper to the lighthouse?”

“No, we want to come too. I can show Lapis the secret snack stash under the floorboards.”

“Oh alright. Come on then, let’s get them settled in.”

“It will be great, I’ll come by all the time and show you lots of human things,” Rose hasn’t stopped chattering to Lapis since they stepped out of the door but nothing can disguise how uncomfortable he is about this solution. Guilt rolls off of him in waves even as he tries to convince Lapis that this will be a fun experience. She smiles and nods along with him but even a fool could tell her heart’s not in it. “We can do lots of fun things that we didn’t get to before.”

“Of course Steven, that sounds nice.”

“Oh, do you think she’d like Under the Knife?” The small warrior, Connie as the others had called her, inquires.

“Who wouldn’t?” Rose replies with a grin. “We’ll have to watch it together sometime.”

“Steven, what’s that?” Lapis points down the beach and Jasper feels the manacle on her wrist shift slightly. Jasper and the rest of the party follow her finger to look at whatever she’s pointing at.

“Oh, that’s the tidepool cave.” Rose says excitedly. “It’s really cool in there but during high tide it’s mostly underwater.”

“Could we stay there instead?” Jasper flinches without meaning to and her hed whips around to glare at Lapis.

“Are you insane?” Lapis regards her coolly.

“I think the closer to the water we are the better. We can’t be any closer than that.”

“I don’t particularly feel like drowning everyday, brat.” Lapis ignores her and turns her attention back towards the Gems.

“I could make that place habitable.”

“I don’t know,” Pearl hesitates.

“I think Lapis should get to choose her home.” Rose says pointedly. Of course the child’s guilty conscious is going to make life more difficult for her. Of course it is.

“Oh alright, if that’s what you want.” Pearl concedes after glancing at Garnet.

“Let’s get you settled in before high tide.” Garnet adds and they head towards the cave. Jasper might drag her feet a little more as panic swells in her chest.

Stupid ugly dirtball. Filthy disgusting planet filled with gross biological life. Peridot seeths as she hacks her way through the jungle. And those wretched Crystal Clods, leaving her stranded on this deplorable rock without even the most basic gemtech to help her in her mission. A particularly springy branch swings forward as she tries to push it out of the way and smacks her across her face.

“Stupid tree, stupid plants, stupid CRYSTAL CLODS!” The rainforest doesn’t answer her outburst, just continues to be muggy and unbearable. A jolt of pain runs up from the stump of her leg and she grits her teeth as she leans more heavily on the branch she’d claimed as a walking stick. On Homeworld a removed limb was easily fixed, a removed limb never ached, a gem never considered regeneration. But this isn’t Homeworld. She feels that acutely as her forehead burns and aches with the innate desire to retreat and regenerate. She takes a deep breath of humid air and keeps moving forward. The research compound can’t be far from here. She can make it there, complete her mission, find someway to contact Yellow Diamond, find someway to get home. Only a little bit further

Once they’d arrived at the cave it hadn’t taken long for the Crystal Gems to leave them in peace, stating that Steven and Connie would need to go back up to the house soon as the Maheswarans would be arriving soon to pick up their daughter. Neither she or Jasper speak as she uses her powers to erode the cave’s walls until the space large enough to be comfortable. Lapis heightens the ceiling and carves out a ledge between the sandy floors and the stone walls just tall enough to give her and Jasper somewhere to stay during high tide. A few times she hears the quiet splashes of Jasper poking around in the tidepools. Steven had been right there were an abundance of them at the mouth of the cave and all of them had been teaming with life.

She finishes her work and sends the portion of the ocean that she’d borrowed back into the sea. Jasper watches it go with a deep frown but still doesn’t speak. There’s not really anything for the two of them to say to each other. Jasper knows that Lapis is strong enough to keep her exactly where the Crystal Gems want her to be. Lapis knows that Jasper isn’t ever going to stop thinking of a plan to escape. Lapis sits on the stone ledge and looks down at the Gem sitting at the mouth of the cave. Their chains glisten and cast reflections across the rocks in the sunlight. In the cool cave, breathing in the salt of the sea, Lapis can almost close her eyes and feel Malachite again. The thought makes her shudder so she stares out at the ocean as it slowly creeps closer and closer to the entrance of her new home.