"Alright Steven, follow my finger" Peridot commanded, slowly moving her small pale finger from the left to the right. Steven, currently holding an ice pack directly onto the bump on his head, watched Peridot's fingers move from right to left since he was facing her directly. His tired brown eyes followed Peridot's fingers at the same pace as she moved her fingers, showing no discomfort whatsoever. "Hmm.... No discomfort I assume, you MAY still be getting over a concussion. Sleeping in a pile of garbage didn't seem to help with your headache, that and being dehydrated and starved is also effecting your headache." Peridot explained, adjusting her glasses, her emerald color eyes studying Steven. Steven sighed a bit, after showering and basically eating their whole stash of apples and Lapis cooking him several eggs, he felt ready to sleep again. After Greg helped Steven to Lapis and Peridot's apartment door, tears of relief were shed, many extremely strong hugs almost killed him, and a long hot shower took a lot out of him, but he still needed to talk to his dad about something important. "I think after cleaning up your lip, and some rest, you should be functional by tomorrow" Peridot stated, her attention turning to see the orange tabby named "Pumpkin" purring in Greg's lap. "Thanks Peridot, I'm glad Steven has such great friends to help him out....then again he WAS basically missing for a few days...." Greg mumbled that last part, realizing that maybe it wasn't the right moment to talk about that. "Speaking of friends, you may want to CALL them Steven, every one of them" Lapis stated as she flicked her hands in the sink, shaking off whatever water she had on her hands from washing dishes, and then grabbing at a clean dish towel to dry off her hands. Steven sighed as he nodded, "I will, I promise but....I need to talk to Dad first..... alone" Steven explained, putting more emphasis on the word "alone". "Very well, come on Peridot let's let them have their father son time" Lapis stated as she smiled softly, using her left hand to grip onto Peridot's right hand, and helping the short blonde woman up to her feet.

"What's up Schtuball?" Greg asked as soon as Peridot and Lapis Lazuli was out of earshot, Pumpkin continued to doze away on his lap. "Dad?......I think I'm going completely batty...." Steven sighed in defeat, if anyone knew what Steven was feeling, his dad would be his best bet in helping him figure out his thoughts and doubts. "Well after being kidnapped, stalked, and almost killed, I wouldn't be surprised if it's effecting you" Greg replied, petting the orange tabby on his lap as he focused his attention on his only child. "N-No dad....I don't know anymore if I'm in love or just plain obsessively crazy....." Steven sighed, running his fingers through his hair, paying mind to not touch the sensitive lump on his head. "Well who's the lucky lady that caught your eye?" Greg asked, knowing that his son was always a sap for romance, especially with others he can see having a future together, but it was extremely rare for Steven to be romantically attracted to any person. "Her name is Spinel.....and she's crazy. Crazy, crazy, crazy. A dangerous, beautiful, sexy maniac of a girl.... She's the right hand woman of The Diamonds, she can make you quiver where you stand when she even looks at you. Spinel isn't afraid to throw punches when you piss her off, not to mention she can knock you flat by a single kick to your stomach, she's crazy strong and won't be afraid to stomp your face in." Steven explained, pointing at the scar on his cheek "and she's NOT afraid to slice you open with her knife, or toy with your mentality". Greg listened intently to his son's description of Spinel, cringing the whole way through the summary, "dang kiddo...." was all he could muster up in response. "But.....she's angry for so many reasons, crazy because what she's had to do to survive in this FUCKED up City we live in, and in so much pain for because of what's happened to her in the past. Spinel seems so cold and maniacal because that's how she was raised, but she has emotions dad! I've heard her many different versions of her laugh, sexy, hopeless, tired, and happy.....I've held her when she cried many times before. It makes my heart feel so heavy to see her in so much pain, whether it's physical, mental, and emotional. But Spinel makes my heart skip a beat whenever I see her genuinely smile, her jokes make me crack up hard, and her teasing makes me so damn flustered to the pint my whole body feels like it's on fire. I've gotten to know Spinel more and more everytime we hang out, I could listen to her sing for a long time even though I've only heard her sing once when we went to a karaoke bar in Empire City.... I'm so confused dad....am I just lusting after her? Or am I in love?!...." Steven relayed his thoughts to his dad, Feeling a weight lift off his shoulders, but a guilty anchor weighing in his mind. Was it just his head injuries muddling with his thoughts? Or was it a repression of doubts he's been hiding for the past few months? "Steven you know what you sound like?" Greg asked, watching his son's attention focus from his lap to his own father's bearded face. "What do I sound like dad?" Steven asked, his heart pounding in his chest due to his anxiety spiking, and he hoped his father wouldn't say he was just plain crazy. However, Greg's face turned soft, his smile reassuring as he spoke the following words "you sound just like me after I met your mom" he chuckled, which shocked Steven to his core. ""After being with your mom for a while, I started to question whether I was just scared of dying because of Rose, or I was so in love that I didn't want to leave her. Was I stupid or was I crazy? In the end I came to the conclusion that, well, I was crazily, stupidly in love with your mother. I put her ahead of my own safety, she made me feel.....found. I was in a bad place at your age Steven, and Rose helped me out of that hole I couldn't get out of....." Greg chuckled softly, reminiscing about his time with Rose Quartz, the leader of The Crystal Gems.

"How do I know it doesn't run in the family?" Steven asked in a joking way, yet the chuckle he gave seemed forced, as if he still had doubts about his feelings. "No it doesn't" a familiar voice spoke up from behind Greg and Steven, they both turned their heads to see Lapis standing in the hallway, the blue haired female leaning against the wall. "Lapis? What do you mean? And....how long have you been standing there? I thought you were in the other room...." Steven asked, but also feeling embarrassed that someone besides his dad had heard his doubtful thoughts about his feelings. "Well I haven't been in this spot for long, I was just using the bathroom, but I just had to say something" Lapis shrugged, stepping closer to the couch where Pumpkin stood up and stretched on Greg's lap before jumping into Lapis's arms. "But what did you mean "no it doesn't"? Do you know someone that's been through something like that?" Steven asked, becoming even more curious on who else he can relate to. "Yeah, me" Lapis answered, petting Pumpkin affectionately and feeling the orange tabby cat purring on her forearms. Lapis snickered from seeing Stevens shocked reaction, "let me explain, I didn't notice it at first. Small talk here and their with a recurring customer at a bar, not realizing I was falling for a member from the Diamonds gang" she explained. Steven's mouth hung agape, only blinking as Lapis continued her story. "She was a hacker, and a damn good one at that. Always sat in a corner near the front, isolated but still open for the world to see. Only coming by on slow nights, but somehow knowing which nights I work, and asking for just me to serve her. It was flattering, but at the time I didn't pay that much attention since she was always focused on her computer. One time I asked her "why do you focus on your computer at a bar like this?" And she responded with "it's isolated, quiet for the most part, and besides....." only to pause for a brief second to look up from her screen. Then she did something that made my knees feel like jelly, her eyes that were so focused on her computer were then staring intently into mine, and the smile she gave me made my heart stop. "You're one of the few people I've met that doesn't annoy me~" is what she told me, now I didn't know whether to be flattered or somewhat insulted, but I couldn't forget the look she gave me. From then on I tried to talk to her whenever I got the chance, but then....after a few weeks, she stopped coming in. I wasn't worried at first, "maybe she's just busy" was what I thought. But then she still hadn't come around for another couple weeks, and I couldn't understand why I was so worried at the time but I couldn't just let it go. It took a few days until I learned she was in a hospital, it helps when you work in a bar where people talk to much when they're drunk. I was surprised when I found out that she was involved in an accident, and at a hospital for the past few weeks, so off I went to visit her......" Lapis trailed off in telling her story, and soon the room was filled with silence once again.

"Lapis are you telling that story again?" Peridot asked as she wrapped her arms around Lapis's stomach from behind, resting her head on Lapis's shoulder, which seemed uncomfortable since she was a good three inches then the blue haired female. "Yeah I was, I still remember how you thought I was the nurse to come change your bandages" Lapis spoke, snorting slightly as she giggled, "I still remember the dumbfound look you had when you realized it was me~". Peridot rolled her emerald eyes, "I was embarrassed that you had to see me like that...." she groaned, hiding her face by resting her forehead on the back of Lapis's shoulder, obviously hiding her flustered face. "Peridot? You were in The Diamonds gang?! " Steven asked, extremely shocked that the lovable Peridot was a part of something so dangerous, "wait.....why were you in the hospital?...." he asked carefully, feeling like that was a sensitive subject. "I was walking back to headquarters, and I heard the sound of something screeching. " Peridot spoke, explaining what had proceeded to occur after hearing the noise. "The sound continued to get louder, but I was distracted by a large tire bouncing down the street to notice the incoming, now three wheeled, pick-up truck hurtling down the street. The sidewalk I was walking on was connected to a road that was on a hill, so even if the truck wanted to stop, the forward momentum added with gravity, it would've been practically impossible. Anyways, I didn't know what was about to transpire until I turned around, the headlights of that truck were so bright, as was the spark that were being produced from the axle scrapping on the tarmac. I.....I thought I was quick enough to duck into the alley near me..... Unfortunately I miscalculated my speed and was slammed into the wall, the front of the truck had bent my arm backwards around the corner at a forty five degree angle, and the corner cut deep above my elbow. Well....at least that's what I was told when I woke up in the hospital a couple weeks later. When I had awoken, something felt off, I felt..... physically lighter. I could blink, I could move my fingers, and I could wiggle my toes. But....when I sat up to rub my eyes with my right hand, I was met with a bandaged stub. I thought I was being tricked since I could still feel my fingers bending like they should, I could still feel my fist clenching, and I could feel myself extending my arm like normal. However, I went to grab at that imaginary forearm, and was met with nothing but air."

Peridot paused, remembering how she felt when reality dropped it's anchor into her wave of emotions and thoughts. Peridot used her left thumb to wipe away a tear that was building up in the corner of her right eye, "apologies, I trailed off from the original topic. Eventually me and Lapis connected even more after that, visiting me everyday when she could, letting me live with her after I was discharged, and all that type of cliche sounding acts of kindness. As you can see, I fell for Lapis hard, but I kept asking myself some very doubtful questions. "Would she want to be with a cripple like me? What would she think about how I used to be in The Diamonds gang?...." Well, I wasn't the only one having doubts...." Peridot stated, her emerald eyes glancing up at the tall female she held dear in her heart. "I thought I wasn't smart enough to be with her, I still can't understand all of her techno jibber jabber, and I was scared of course. Of losing her, and of course.....I didn't know what would happen to either one of us since she was a part of an extremely dangerous group....." Lapis explained gently, her blue eyes glancing down at the short blonde female. Steven seemed a little confused at their story, "what does this have to do with my.....doubts...." he asked, the two wires in his brain finally sparked the realization he was missing. "You're going to have doubts about how you feel Steven, I only talked to Spinel a few times, but the way you talk about her, it seems my assumptions about her were incorrect" Peridot sighed, pushing her large glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "You can only come to a conclusion if you talk it out" Lapis explained, "me and Peridot were able to come together in the end because we talked, we communicated about how we felt towards one another, and we decided on what to do next together. Steven, you need to talk to Spinel about how you feel towards her, about your doubts in your future, and whether or not she feels the same way about you; it's not healthy to bottle up all of these emotions, expecting them to go away. I don't know how you're going to contact Spinel, but it's best you do it soon...." she pointed out. Steven glanced down, slowly taking in every little thing Lapis and Peridot had told him, which triggered a couple of his tears to fall from his brown eyes, "you're right.....I can't beat around the bush any longer or I'm going to go mad..." he admitted, choking back a sob. "Can someone hand me a phone?.... Please?...." Steven asked softly, knowing exactly what he has to do next.