It was getting cold.

Like really really cold. Like Lars was no longer ok cold.

Emerald didn't seem affected by the drop in temperature. She was leaning against the cave wall as calm as ever. It wasn't fair, Lars thought as he pulled his cape tighter around him.

He started thinking warm thoughts. Cookies, ovens, campfire, smores...this wasn't working. This was just making him hungry.

He leaned back against the (freezing) cave wall and tried counting the droplets of water gathering on the ceiling. The cold, cold droplets...

"H-HOW ARE YOU NOT COLD!" Lars finally yelled. It took most of the remaining energy he had. He collapsed against the cave wall shivering violently.

Emerald looked over towards him. Being a gem she was perfectly cold-resistant and hadn't realized Lars' discomfort. "What the heck's wrong with you?" She asked, poking him lightly.

"Hypothermia." Lars growled, trying to wrap himself even tighter in his cape.

"I don't know what that is. You're going to have to be more specific." Emerald said lazily.

"I'M FREEZING!" Lars yowled.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh." Emerald said. "Humans can die from extreme temperatures that's right."

If Lars wasn't so cold he would have shaken his head. Honestly if he weren't a zombie he probably would be dead by now. In a way he was lucky...ish.

Emerald watched Lars for a minute. It still struck her as interesting how life forms could be so helpless.

Lars could feel Emerald watching him. He just wished she'd do something already. Was she really just going to watch him suffer-

Lars let out a yelp of surprise as Emerald pulled him into her arms. He looked up at her in surprise.

"We're never speaking of this." Emerald said, pulling Lars close to her so that she was warming him.

"Deal." Lars said, unsure of what else to say or do.

Time seemed to pass much faster now that he wasn't freezing. As much as Lars wanted to snuggle against Emerald he was a little scared to, she was a magical warrior-lady after all. Emerald seemed to realize what he wanted and let him relax against her.

"Stop laying there like a stick." Emerald said. "It's weird. I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's not what you would have said last week."

"Well a lot has happened since last week so relax or else!" Emerald commanded.

"Apparently not much has changed." Lars sighed, but he relaxed.

In reality a lot of things had changed. More then Lars would care to acknowledge. His simple mission to get back to Earth had gotten so much more complicated in a span of a few days. And Emerald. Her classic villain role had reversed completely. Now she was on their side. It would maybe take some time to get her on the same level as the other off colors, but Lars was ok with this turn of events.

Very very ok. Almost too ok.

Lars was slightly uncomfortable with how ok he was with this. He had realized that deep down he had wanted to have Emerald on their team, and constantly had looked forward to their meetings. He really shouldn't of. She was his enemy, and wanted to kill him, and there was Sadie, but somehow he still had.

He had always found Emerald pretty damn impressive. She was this amazing beautiful strong alien thingy straight out of the comics Lars had fanboyed over back on earth. They had been through a lot together too. Almost dying several times with someone made some sort of weird bond.

Emerald had also sacrificed everything for him and the off colors. Maybe part of her cared for Lars as much as he cared for her. He certainly hoped so.

The snow continued to fall silently as Lars struggled to find something to say. Emerald clearly wasn't talking so Lars took it upon himself to break the ice.

"So...some weather we're having huh."

Emerald stared down at him. "You really are just realizing that now? Maybe the cold damaged your pathetic little human brain more then I thought."

"Hey!" Lars protested. He tried to move his arms but was wrapped up in a cape-cocoon. "I feel like a burrito."

"A what?" Emerald asked.

Lars went into great detail explaining burritos. "So there's the shell, it's all warm, and then there's the cheese and meat, they both come from cows, not gonna explain how, it's kind of a food turn off..."

Emerald listened as Lars talked about these great and mighty burritos. The way he spoke about them one would think they were some kind of gods. Maybe they were human food gods. That would make sense.

"Anyways I can't really explain it too well but when we get to earth I'll get you one." Lars said. "I need to make a list of things you need to see and try on earth. Oh man, that's gonna be a long list."

"I'll admit, I am interested in seeing this burrito." Emerald said. In reality she really wasn't sure if one existed. They sounded made up. Too perfect to be real.

Lars realized he was completely relaxed against Emerald. The two of them were having an actual conversation. It was amazing.

"This is nice." Lars said.

"No, this weather is not nice. I'm starting to worry about you." Emerald said.

Why did gems have to take everything so literally! "No I mean this, us talking without trying to kill each other."

Emerald grunted. "I guess it is."

"And now we're agreeing! What is the world coming to!" Lars yelled excitedly.

"Shut up, you're going to cause an avalanche." Emerald said, but she was smiling.

In all honesty, Emerald found the space pirate cute. She didn't know why, she just did. Lars was definitely stupid, but it was a good kind of stupid. He was funny and nice, he was one of the only people to ever treat Emerald consistently kindly.

It was nice that he was nice.

Emerald really didn't know what she expected to get from him. He was a human, and a toucher, and he was pathetic.

But still...

Something about him...

Emerald had been pushing these thoughts away for a long time, they had started when she had first laid eyes on that blasted space pirate. He wasn't like a gem, he was different, and that made him something of interest.

Ever since the toucher scene all that time ago, the idea of Lars and Emerald as a couple had been something of a joke, but Emerald had secretly enjoyed the notions...

No. She couldn't go down that road. It was unthinkable. He was a human and she was an Emerald. It would never work.

But still...

"I think it's starting to die down." Lars said, observing the snow. Emerald nodded. Neither would admit it but they were both a little disappointed this one on one time was ending.

"Alright. Do we start going back?" Emerald asked.

"I guess so." Lars said, untangling himself from his cape burrito.

It was too cold to have much of a conversation. Lars was convinced that his vocal cords were frozen. Emerald still didn't seem bothered by the cold. The unfairness of life, Lars thought as he stepped over a snow bank. These things were up to his knees!

Suddenly the ground gave way beneath him and he sunk into a snow bank.

"GYAAAAAAAAH!" Lars yelled, flailing around. So this was how it ended. Drowning in a snow bank.

Suddenly he was pulled out of the snow. "Are all humans this dramatic?" Emerald asked.

"Yes." Lars said.

Emerald sighed and shifted Lars until she was carrying you bridal style. "Don't get the wrong idea." she said. "I'm not doing this because I care about you, I'd love to stick you in a snowbank and leave you, but I think it's too much work to kill your crew."

"Ok then." Lars said.

"Fine!"

Lars sighed. Where was this going?

When they returned back at the Sun Incinerator the off colors were waiting for them. "There's a fuel reserve." Lars said when Rhodonite eyed his empty hands.

"Ohhhhh." the off colors said together. Emerald rolled her eye.

"Ohhhh." Padparadshca said a minute later.

"Is the sapphire ok?" Emerald asked, eyeing Padparadscha.

"She's fine." Lars said, picking her up and entering the ship. "Off colors lets roll out!"

"So Rhodonite." Lars said, rolling his chair up next to hers. "Let's say I like this gem."

Rhodonite looked towards him. "Where did this come from?"

"Let's say she's tall and majestic." Lars said, not hearing her.

"YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH A DIAMOND!" Rhodonite shrieked.

"NO NO NO!" Lars yelled as the other gems looked towards him. "Smaller. Smaller then a diamond."

"Oh." Rhodonite said. "I still don't understand where this is coming from."

"And let's say." Lars said. "That I might also like someone else but I don't know if she's moved on. And this gem I've spent a lot of time with, but the other girl I've spent more with, and the gem saved my life and-"

"It sounds complicated." Rhodonite said.

Lars sighed. Yes it was.

Padparadscha tried her hardest not to listen to Lars but she was too excited. All she had heard was that Captain Lars was in love with a gem that was small. This had to mean it was her!

Padparadscha had loved captain Lars from the moment she had first seen him. He was brave and strong, and treated the off colors like gems, not trash. It seemed however, Captain Lars was a bit unsure about his feelings. Padparadsha would just have to show him hers first!