I'm Trying

Meeting Peri and Lapis

The next morning I woke up to a tap on my shoulder. I opened my eyes and realized I had fallen asleep while holding Steven's hand and resting my head on his shoulder. Smiling, I looked up to see Pearl frowning. My smile vanished, and she grinned. I blushed and removed my head from Steven's shoulder. I left my hand in his however, and Pearl laughed at my expression.

"So he finally told you then, huh?" Pearl whispered, not wanting to wake Steven. I blushed harder.

"Actually, ma'am, I was the one who told him." She laughed again. I tapped Steven on the forehead and removed my hand from his grasp. "Steven, get up." He grinned.

"Hi Connie. Oh, hey Pearl." He blushed and greeted us both. I giggled at how flustered he was in front of Pearl. He punched my arm in a playful manner, and I laughed.

"Get ready you two. We are going to see Peridot and Lapis in an hour." Pearl smirked. I blushed again, and walked to the bathroom. I didn't have a chance to bring anything for staying overnight, so I would have to make due with what I had. Luckily I kept a spare toothbrush in Steven's bathroom, because I thought ahead just in case.

I got ready in about 5 minutes, and walked out of the bathroom. I saw Steven leaning on the door frame. He got up and walked in as I walked out, purposely brushing my shoulder in the process. I blushed and smiled. He really did like me. Last night wasn't just a dream.

An hour later, the gems, Steven, Obsidian, and I were all standing on the warp pad. In a stream of blue light and a few seconds, we were standing just a few yards from the barn. It looked so different from when I had visited for Steven's 14th birthday, where I had first learned he was older than me.

A green gem that was about Amethyst's height walked out of the barn to see what had activated the warp pad. The gem, which I recognized as Peridot from Steven's descriptions of her, was soon joined by a blue gem at the doorway. This had to be Lapis Lazuli. Peridot smiled, then looked up at Lapis. She had a grin on her face as well. Steven looked at me, smiled and laughed, then ran towards the gems. He reached them in a matter of seconds and engulfed them in hugs. I laughed at him and followed the gems to the barn.

"Lapis, Peridot, this is my friend Connie. She is human. Connie, this is Peridot and Lapis." He gestured to the two gems standing behind him. I smiled and waved, and was surprised when they hugged me.

"Any friend of Steven's is a friend of ours!" Peri exclaimed while Lapis laughed at the expression on my face. I already liked these gems, and I had met them 30 seconds ago. They released me when Pearl cleared her throat behind us. I looked up and she smiled at me. She was in an unusually good mood today.

"Lapis, Peridot, this is Obsidian. Steven healed her from corruption. Peridot, she was wondering if you could help her contact Homeworld." I looked at Peridot and saw the color drain from her face. She gulped and slowly shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Obsidian. I would if I could, but I don't know how. I also wish to cut off all remaining ties with Homeworld. Speaking of which," she said, turning to Garnet. "Could you poof me so I can change my outfit? I have a whole new thing planned out." Garnet shrugged, then nodded. Steven winced as Garnet pulled out a gauntlet. I had never seen an uncorrupted gem get poofed before, but based on Steven's reaction, I didn't think I was going to like it. I turned around and heard a noise behind me. When I looked again, Garnet was holding Peridot's gem. I sat there in a stunned silence. I hadn't even witnessed her being poofed, and it still messed me up. I had heard stories from Steven, but this didn't even compare to those. A few minutes later, Peri's gem glowed and lifted into the air out of Garnet's hand. I stood, as did Steven. Lapis, however, literally jumped up, anxious to see Peridot again in her new form. Steven and I held back laughter while Lapis watched Peri's gem with admiration.

Peridot formed from the light being emitted from the gem. I gasped, as did everyone else, upon seeing her new look. Her hair, once triangle, was now split into 5 points, resembling a star. She had turned the diamond on her chest into a small star, and did the same to the ones on her knees. She had extended her tank top like straps to short sleeves. She smiled and looked down at herself.

"What do you guys think?" She asked, looking at all of us in turn. Steven smiled, as did I.

"It looks great, Peri!" Steven appraised. I nodded in agreement. The gems muttered praise for her new look, excluding Obsidian, who merely shrugged. I rolled my eyes at her attitude. She clearly wasn't meant to be a Crystal Gem.

"So you can't help me talk with someone on Homeworld?" Obsidian questioned. Peridot looked up at her with a pitying expression. She shook her head and Obsidian sighed. I hoped Garnet or Pearl wouldn't want to poof and bubble her. She hadn't done anything, and she just wanted to go back home. Lapis walked over to Obsidian and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Obsidian, I understand how you feel. I wanted to go back to Homeworld too. But everything has changed so much in the lasts thousands of years. It wouldn't be worth it." Lapis reassured her. Obsidian nodded and wiped a tear away from her eye. I noticed Peridot fidget uncomfortably out of the corner of my eye. I recognized the look on her face. She was jealous of Obsidian! I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I wasn't the only one.

Lapis took her hand off of Obsidian's shoulder and walked back to Peridot's side. I smiled as I saw a tiny smile blossom on Peri's face. I honestly wondered how they couldn't tell.

A few hours later, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that my mother had texted me. I opened it up. 'It is almost 3:00. I want you home by 3:30.' I sent her a quick 'Ok. Love ya. See you then.' and told Steven. He put on a fake pout. I laughed at him. He got up and went to tell the gems, who were outside of the barn talking. I wish I didn't have to leave. Life was getting so much better.

A.N.: Hey guys! Sorry for the slow update! Things have been kinda hectic for me lately. If you ever have any ideas, let me know! If they're good I will try to incorporate them into the story! I love you all. Keep reading!