Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Don't worry, baby, I'll be back very soon," says Rose Quartz to a small child, whom clings to her leg.

"But when?" the child asks, his eyes wide. Most of the children in Rose's home cannot stand to see her leave, even for a while. She's adored by just about everyone, not surprisingly.

"It might take an hour or two, but like I said, you don't need to worry." She smiles, ruffling the boy's hair gently. "And remember, when I get home, there will be three new girls here! Isn't that exciting?"

"Yeah! But, I wanna come along too! I can bring my ukelele, and I can tell them allllllll about this place, and, and--" He stops as he sees Rose shake her head.

"I'm sorry, baby, but I can't take you along."

"Awww, why not?" the boy asks, hugging the woman tighter.

"The girls are all going through quite a bit right now, Steven. It's best that everything happens a bit slower for them, okay? You'll get to meet them soon."

"Promise?" the boy asks.

"Promise." The boy finally lets go of her leg, stepping back a bit. "I'll see you soon, Steven. Keep an eye on everyone while I'm away." She smiles and walks out the door to her tiny car. There's enough room for about four people in there, and luckily, that's all she needs for this trip.

She takes out a slip of paper, which has three different names and addresses written neatly on it. First stop: Beach City Residential Treatment Center, to pick up a girl noted as being very fragile but very tidy.

Rose starts her car up, pulling away from her home, and begins her journey to the center. The ride is a bit long, as she has to travel all the way across town to get there, but she eventually makes her way there, parking very close to the entrance. She gets out, locks her doors, and steps inside the somewhat cold building. There is a kind-looking woman at the front desk.

"Hello, my name is Rose, Rose Quartz-Universe?" she greets. "I'm here to pick" --she pauses, briefly looking down at her paper-- "Pearl up."

"Alrighty," the woman at the desk says, typing away at her computer. "This'll take a li'l bit, hon. You can take a seat over there." She points to a large chair on the other side of the room.

"Thank you." Rose smiles and sits down in the soft chair.

It takes a long, long while for anything to happen. Rose is used to waiting (it DOES take quite a bit of work and time to adopt a child from a facility like this). After all, she does have a home full of many, many children, all taken from places similar to the facility she's in. Eventually, she hears a voice call to her.

"Rose?" the woman at the desk asks. "Come with me. I'll take you to Pearl's room." She moves from her chair and begins leading the way, Rose standing to follow.

They step through a large door, and Rose notices a few children peek at her. She's used to this as well, giving a friendly wave to each person she sees, until the woman leading her stops in front of a closed door.

"Mmkay, here she is," the woman says. "Introduce yourself, and I'll get started on the REST of the papers'n junk."  With a chuckle, she turns away and walks back through the halls.

Rose takes a slow breath, cracking open the door to Pearl's room. It's spacious, of course, as the rooms here are built for four teenagers. There are two sets of bunk beds against the walls, and four dressers as well. Everything is incredibly organized. Beds made, toys away, stray clothes folded, drawers closed. It's picture perfect, all because of Pearl. She has a tendency to strive for perfection, and fix mistakes, and she's been quite dedicated to this since the deaths of her parents.

Their deaths were, naturally, traumatic for Pearl. They were packed into a mini-van, on their way to a restaurant. Their trip was cut short, however, when they were rammed into by a drunk driver. Pearl had to watch as her parents were gored by oncoming debris, falling unconscious very soon after. Pearl herself does have a few scars from the accident, but she hides most of them well. The only one she can't hide is a very large one across her forehead, which she does her best to draw attention away from. She's been more stressed than ever since the event, and the fact that she's commonly crowded isn't helping. So she spends most of her time in her room, reading.

Now she's sitting silently on her bed, a bit startled by the sudden appearance of Rose. Rose approaches slowly, getting down on her knees, at Pearl's eye level.

"Hello," Rose greets, giving a small wave.

"Hello," Pearl stutters in return, having a hard time making eye contact with Rose.

"My name is Rose. It's very nice to meet you." She extends a gentle hand to Pearl.

"It's nice to meet you too." Pearl extends her own tremulous hand, giving the older woman a handshake. "My name is Pearl."

"That's a very pretty name. It suits you, considering you're a very pretty girl."

"Thank you," Pearl murmurs, looking away.

"I'm taking you home with me, Pearl, okay? I know that it's going to be a little hard to switch places again, but I promise, I'm going to help you get used to living with me."

Pearl bites her lip, finding it a little hard to find words to reply to that with.

"I, erm, I..." She wrings her hands, not looking up from her feet.

"It's all going to be just fine with me, Pearl. You'll get your own room, and you'll get to keep everything you have here. You can decorate it however you want, and you'll always, always have me there." Rose dares not make a move to rest her hand on Pearl's shoulder, as she hasn't asked about Pearl's level of comfort with physical contact yet.

Pearl struggles to speak, visibly nervous. But she's begun to think that maybe, just maybe, this could be alright. She's getting her own room, after all, which means she doesn't have to clean up after three other people. "Could you help me pack up, Miss Rose?" she asks.

"Of course, baby. You don't have to call me 'Miss', though, you can just call me Rose. Most people just call me Mama." Pearl likes being called 'baby'.

"Okay. Thank you, Rose." She still avoids eye contact with the older woman.

She pulls a very small suitcase from under her bed, unzipping it. Making her way to her dresser, she opens the top drawer, which she doesn't use for clothes. She uses that drawer for books, books, and more books. Rose steps over with a grin and assists Pearl in packing each of her books into the case alphabetically, occasionally making a comment about how much she loves some of these novels.

The second drawer is where most of her clothes are. They are all folded, sitting in perfect rows and organized by type of clothing. Rose helps Pearl pack these up carefully before opening the third drawer: socks and underwear, all folded just as meticulously. Pearl puts these in the suitcase herself.

"All ready?" Rose asks.

Pearl nods as she zips up her suitcase.

"Alright, then let's head out."

Rose gently takes the handle of the suitcase, rolling it behind her as she leads Pearl back through the halls and to the front desk, where the same woman from before greets them.

"There you two are! Alright, Rose, you just gotta sign these papers, and you two can get outta here," she says, handing Rose a clipboard, and a pen.

After a good ten minutes of reading, rereading, and scribbling, Pearl and Rose are at the car, the young girl's suitcase sitting in the trunk. Pearl seats herself in the back, buckling in with slightly shaking hands. Rose makes sure Pearl is safely strapped in before fastening her own belt, and soon enough, the car is on the move again.

"Alright, baby," Rose says with a grin, "we have to pick two more girls up, and then I can take you home."

"Two more...?" Pearl is a bit anxious about once again having to live with other people.

"That's right. Their names are Garnet and Amethyst. I'm sure they're just as sweet as you are." Rose looks down at her paper for the next address. Gosh, they're going to have to travel to the next town to pick up the other girls. But that's okay. She did say she was going to be out for an hour or two, and this will give her more time to help Pearl ease into being around her.

She pulls onto the road, beginning the long drive to the next center.

Chapter Text

It was indeed a long drive to where the next girl was. But Rose didn't have a problem with that. During their drive, Rose was elated to discover that she was finally getting Pearl to open up. Once she got her to start talking, it was absolutely impossible to get her to stop, but Rose had no problem with that either. Pearl rambled about her parents, her experiences in the treatment center, her likes, her dislikes, her favorite books--everything that crossed her mind, Pearl said it. Rose adored every second the girl was speaking.

Unfortunately, her words had to be cut off by their arrival at the center. It was just a little larger than the one Pearl had been in, though probably with many more children, being in a bigger city. Rose took Pearl by the hand as they left their car, walking her inside and to the front desk. Another horribly dull sign-in process began. Rose and Pearl sat on a large couch in the corner of the room, crowded amongst a coffee table and several chairs occupied by strangers who paid very little attention to anything but the magazines they were nose-deep in.

"This is really exciting!" Pearl chirped, a smile stretching across her pale face. "You're the only person who's ever listened to the entirety of one of my stories. It means a lot."

"Thank you, baby," Rose said, returning the grin. "I really enjoy your stories. You can tell me a story anytime you like, maybe I can tell you a few of my own!"

"That would be splendid!" She hesitated for a moment before suggesting, "Maybe, maybe you could tell me one now? While we wait for the woman at the desk to sign you in?

Rose tapped her chin in thought before thinking of something. "Of course, baby. I've got an excellent story for you. Are you ready?"

Pearl nodded, silent and attentive.

"Alright. This is a love story, Pearl. It's the story of how I met the single most spectacular man in the Universe."

"And who would that be?"

"My husband, Greg Universe," Rose cooed. She felt her cheeks gain a deep pink tint as she spoke Greg's name.

"Well, tell me how you met him!"

"Right, right. I met him a long, long time ago, before I had any children at all," she began. "I was rather lonely, of course. Though I was absolutely in love with everyone in Beach City, I wasn't very close to anyone. I baked for everyone, I attended parties and meetings, but I never made any close friends, you know?"

"Mhmm!"

"Well, that all changed one night. Some traveling musician, who called himself Mister Universe, came into town one day. He drove an old, painted van, and he never took off his sunglasses, indoors or out. I instantly assumed he was some celebrity that I'd never heard of, on a tour. So, of course, I purchased a ticket to his upcoming concert. I was very, very excited, but nobody else seemed to be. It was...odd, being the only one in town buzzing about the show, but I didn't think much of it. I didn't see much of Mister Universe until the show, which I was the first to arrive for. Well, the only one to arrive for. I came roughly twenty minutes early to get a decent seat, which turned out to be a waste since no one else was there. Mister Universe was absolutely heartbroken when he stepped onto the stage, but, I waved. I got his attention. I asked him to play, just for me, and he smiled. He sat down on a stool, he pulled up a microphone, and he began to play some of the most charming music I think that I've ever heard. I cheered after every song, and when he was through, I begged for an encore. That night, he decided not to leave the city. I started seeing him more and more often, and he began to write songs just for me. We were married a few years later, and we've stuck together ever since."

It was absolutely beautiful to Pearl--though her assumption of what Greg looks like was certainly different from his actual appearance.

"Rose, that's... that's so sweet!" Pearl squeaked, her smile wider than ever. "I'm glad you've found someone so kind and loving and dedicated to you and--"

"Miss Quartz? You can come get'er now."

Rose stood upon hearing this from the secretary.

"Wait right here, baby," Rose said to Pearl, giving her a very gentle kiss on the forehead. "This won't take very long." She joined the woman from the front desk who evidently was going straight to the girl whether Rose was following or not.

"She ain't in her room right now. I'll take you to her," the woman croaked. Rose was lead down winding hallways until they reached what was labelled as the exercise room.

Various equipment was scattered across the room, plenty for a dozen people, but there was just one person inside: a tall and muscly girl, with smooth, dark skin and thick glasses. The girl was making no noise besides the occasional soft grunt as she threw furious blows at one of the punching bags suspended from the ceiling. Carefully, Rose approached, standing behind the girl.

"Hello?" Rose asked.

The girl turned slowly, taped fists still balled. She was silent

"My name is Rose. You must be Garnet." Rose held her hand out for the girl to shake, as she had with Pearl.

Garnet did not reply. Rose retracted her hand, wondering if she spoke another language. Luckily, Rose was fluent in four languages.

"Mis disculpas. Hablas español?"

Garnet did not reply.

"Nun, Sie sprechen Deutsch?"

Nothing.

"She don't talk, sweetie, m'sorry," the woman behind Rose said with a cough. Rose nodded, a little irritated at not having been told this before but hoping Garnet was at least fluent in sign language.

Do you sign? Rose moved her hands quickly. 

Garnet tensed up in surprise at seeing someone else who used sign language. Yes, I do. My name is Garnet, it is nice to meet you, she replied quickly, her signing absolutely flawless. Are you the woman who is taking me away?

Yes, yes I am. As long as you're okay with that. 

I am, thank you.

This time, it was Garnet who made an attempt at a handshake, which Rose accepted eagerly. Garnet's hands were strong and leathery, she noticed, and there was a little birthmark on her forehead in the shape of an arch. It reminded her of Pearl.

Follow me, Garnet signed. I'm already packed.

Rose obeyed, not being used to a new kid having planned ahead and packed up. Garnet took Rose on yet another journey through the hallways of the center, eventually taking her to a small room. It fit four, much like Pearl's old room, just not as flawless. A few things were scattered here and there, but the mess was not Garnet's. The girl took her suitcase from under her bed, before following Rose out, wordless all the way to the lobby. Rose, once again, had to sign quite a few slips of paper before she could meet up with Pearl. As soon as she finished, she lead Garnet to a slightly shaking Pearl, who was relieved to see Rose return.

"There you are, Rose! Oh, a-and, my name is Pearl," she mumbled, turning to face Garnet. "It's nice to meet you."

"She can't talk, baby, I'm sorry," Rose said, resting a hand on Pearl's shoulder, "but I can tell you everything she signs, okay?"

"Okay."

Rose turned to the taller of the two. Garnet, this is Pearl. She's coming home with us, too, she signed.

Garnet gave a little nod, though her deadpan expression did not change. Tell her I am very happy to meet her and I look forward to spending time with her.

Rose repeated the words to Pearl before taking both girls out the door.

Garnet, the oldest, took the passenger seat, while Pearl took her same seat in the back.

"Alright, ladies," Rose said, "one more stop. We have to pick up one last girl, and then we can check out your new home." She punched the final address from the slip of paper into her GPS, and soon enough, the car was back on the road.

Chapter Text

It was, of course, another very long drive before Rose, Pearl, and Garnet arrived at their next destination, but just like before, this was in no way a bad thing. However, instead of Rose getting to know Garnet a bit better personally, she instead translated Garnet's sign language for Pearl (when she was able to take her eyes off the road, of course), which she supposed was just as effective as talking to Garnet herself to learn about her, and just a little more fun. Pearl already seemed to be growing attached to Garnet, which Rose found rather cute; she was also relieved that Pearl was being at least somewhat social rather than closing herself off.

Their conversation met a sudden end when Rose took them inside, leading the pair of them by the hand to the familiar setting of the waiting room. It was just as cold as the previous places, if not slightly more colorful. After signing in, Rose stood, facing the two girls.

"Alright, you two," said Rose, "I can't translate for now, but maybe Pearl can tell one of her amazing stories."

"Oh, yes, please! I have plenty to tell. Er, that is, if Garnet wants to hear one." Pearl murmured, looking away with a small grin.

Garnet nodded at that, mirroring Pearl's smile.

"Excellent. I'll see you two very soon. Have fun!" Rose chirped, following the woman at the desk into the other rooms of the facility.

Once again, Rose was being lead through room, after room, after room, children poking their heads out to see what was going on, and who was about to be taken away. After a walk to the very rear of the building, where it seemed the rooms got progressively smaller as indicated by the increase in doors, Rose was finally about to meet Amethyst. Her door was shut, with a sign reading "Do NOT Disturb!" hung lazily from the doorknob. Rose frowned, turning to face her lead.

"Is she asleep?" Rose asked, concerned. "If this is a bad time, I can always come back later."  

The guide shook her head. "No, no, she's not asleep. She usually has a sign like that up. She doesn't usually like visitors."

"I could give her a little time to deal with the news, and--"

"There's no need to worry, Mrs. Universe. It'll be just fine. Just be gentle with Amethyst, and your conversation should go swimmingly. But I honestly should warn you about her little, er..." The woman paused for a moment, scanning her mind for the word. "Outbursts, her little outbursts. She can't be blamed for her emotional issues, of course, as she's been through quite a bit, but she can be quite the handful at times."

Rose could tell that the woman was trying her very hardest to be kind when describing Amethyst, but, in her opinion, she was doing a horrible job. It must have been awful for Amethyst, having to hear people talk about her like this all the time.

"I understand, but I'll take my chances and talk to her now."

"Alright, just remember to stay calm, and try not to do anything to upset her."

Rose kept her smile as wide as ever, though she didn't see much of a reason for it. "I'll be sure to. I'll see you soon, ma'am."

Slowly, Rose cracked open the door, very slowly to make sure Amethyst was actually awake. Luckily, she was, and Rose was free to quietly tiptoe into the room, offering a nod to Amethyst, who was sprawled out on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Music quietly played from a speaker in the corner of the room, some old-as-hell rock band writing obviously drug-inspired songs.

"Hello," Rose greeted, "my name is--"

"Get out of my room." Amethyst's voice was on the higher side, but it was rather raspy as well.

"You're Amethyst, correct?" She felt bad for disregarding Amethyst's request, but she really had to try to get Amethyst to warm up to her. It was obvious to her that she'd take longer than Garnet and Pearl, but she'd come around in time

"I said: get out of my room. You deaf or something?" She didn't bother to look at Rose.

"Please, baby, let me talk to you for just a minute or two."

"I ain't a baby," Amethyst hissed. "Out." 

"Alright, Amethyst, I'll make just a little deal with you," Rose said, taking a respectful step back. "I'll talk to you for ten minutes, just ten. If you still don't like me, I'll leave, and I won't come back. Does that sound alright?"

Amethyst thought silently for a while before speaking once more. "Fine, but just ten minutes. Got it, lady?"

"Got it."

Rose eased closer, sitting on the edge of Amethyst's bed. Amethyst finally sat up, inch after inch of dark hair falling over her shoulders and down her back.

"My name is Rose. It's very nice to meet you."

"Yeah, yeah." Amethyst waved a hand.

"Your name is very pretty," Rose complimented, earning a slightly odd look from the girl, "but I can call you something different, a nickname, if you like. Does anyone call you Amy?"

"Amy?" asked Amethyst. She's never really had much of a nickname, aside from adults occasionally calling her "lazybones" or "sleepyhead". She liked Amy. It was nice. "Not really, but that's cool, I guess."

"Wonderful! So, Amy, I can hear you've got your music playing. You know, me and my husband, Greg, are actually very fond of this band."

"Really? Holy shhh--crap. I didn't think anybody else dug these guys!" Amethyst said, unable to help smiling--and nearly forgetting to stop herself from swearing. Rose giggled at that.

"Mmhm! I have a feeling you and Greg would get along pretty well. He's a musician himself, you know."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, yes. He doesn't travel too much anymore, but he goes by Mr. Universe."

"Never heard of him."

"It's a shame to say not many people have," Rose sighed. "He writes incredibly charming music, and if you ask me he doesn't get the attention he deserves."

"I guess I could give his stuff a try," Amethyst said with a shrug. "He sounds chill enough. I mean, you seem pretty chill too, Rose."

"Oh, thank you, darling," Rose cooed, refraining from calling Amethyst 'baby'.

"So..." Amethyst twiddled her thumbs. "You're here to, like, whisk me away or whatever? Take me out of here?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, that's it. As long as you want to go, that is."

"Maybe I could try. I guess. I can always come back here if it isn't what I was hoping, right?"

"Of course, Amy! I'm not going to keep you as a prisoner. If you want to go, just say the word, and I'll call to have you taken back."

"Thanks. Guess I should get packin', huh?"

"Yes, yes, you should. Here, I'll get your suitcase, and--"

"No." Amethyst wasn't trying to be rude, but she absolutely hated people touching her things. Nobody ever understood how Amethyst liked things organized; it could easily be called organized chaos, or even just plain chaos.

"Oh." Rose nodded respectfully. "Alright, then. I'll sit here while you pack. Just tell me when you're ready."

Rose patiently waited as Amethyst tossed things into a suitcase (including a few things hidden away in a pillowcase, which Rose guessed were personal, so she didn't ask about them). After a good ten minutes of packing, sorting, and re-sorting, Amethyst hoisted her suitcase upright. Rose let her carry it on her own, as she figured she'd prefer that. The pair trotted out to the main lobby, the receptionist rather surprised to see that Amethyst wasn't pouting or threatening to use her "amazing karate skills" on someone. After another sign-out, the four were finally out in the car, and on their way home.

Garnet took the front seat again, Amethyst and Pearl sitting close together in the back. Pearl cleared her throat, speaking up to introduce herself.

"Hello, Amethyst. My--"

"Amy. Call me Amy," Amethyst stopped Pearl, preferring Rose's nickname.

"But your name is Amethyst. I think that'll work just fine."

"Yeah, but I like Amy. That's my name."

"Your name is Amethyst, I do not have to shorten it!"

"Fine! How 'bout I don't call you your name? How 'bout I call you Beanpole McBignose?"

Pearl sputtered, eyes widening. "B-beanpole?! Amethyst, that was uncalled for, and incredibly rude!"

"Yeesh, don't get your feathers in a bunch, birdie." Amethyst snorted.

Pearl opened her mouth to speak again, but Rose silenced the pair of them with a raised hand.

"Girls," Rose said, "I understand that it can be a little stressful meeting new people for the first time, but really, we can't have any more fighting. You're going to be living with each other from now on, so you have to learn to get along, or at least agree to disagree."

Amethyst and Pearl grumbled empty apologies to each other, turning to face their respective windows with folded arms as the car took off. Rose could tell they'd fight for a long, long while, but no matter what, she was going to make sure they got along, all of them. Them, Steven, and all the other children in her large home, were all going to get along.

No matter what, Rose was going to make sure these girls had the lives they deserved.

Chapter Text

The car ride was silent for quite a while, Amethyst and Pearl both staring out the window. Pearl, however, did eventually break the silence by initiating a conversation with Rose. Garnet eventually joined in, her sign language translated by Rose whenever she wasn't focusing on the road; Amethyst remained silent the entire time, eyes fixed on anything and everything that was out the window. Rose became a bit concerned. She decided to wait until they reached their destination to ask Amy about her refusal to speak.

Rose continued to keep the other two girls entertained with stories and jokes, even bringing up a thing or two about music in hopes of getting Amethyst interested in the conversation. Alas, Amethyst still kept silent, her arms folded and her lips pursed. Rose did not frown, of course, because she knew for sure that as soon as the girl saw her new home, she wouldn't be able to help but smile. Rose hadn't had a single new arrival frown when they saw the place.

As Rose pulled up in front of the manor (inherited from her family along with the majority of the money she had to her name), Pearl could not look away from it, the expected smile spreading across her pale face. Garnet didn't exactly beam, but she cracked the tiniest of smiles. Amethyst did not look, not until Rose took her by the hand, leading her ever-so slowly from her seat in the car towards the house. Amethyst's jaw hit the floor. She'd never seen a house this big before, not even in pictures. She thought of her old home: a dingy, puny excuse for a place to live. She then realized that dwelling on these memories was not a great idea, and she folded her arms, a queasy feeling settling in her stomach.

She trailed awkwardly behind the steadily-paced Garnet, Pearl skipping ahead of both of them. Garnet, on occasion, would toss a look back to Amethyst, who would tilt her head away. 

The four ladies made their way to the entrance, and Rose stood in front of the door, her usual smile even wider than before.

"Alright, here we are!" she exclaimed. "Now, you all know that you will be living with quite a few other children, correct?"

All the girls gave a short nod.

"Excellent. You can introduce yourselves when you're ready." She unlocked the front door and let the girls inside.

Pearl gazed around, looking ready to burst into tears. The house was huge, tidy, and absolutely gorgeous.

"Oh, Rose," she squeaked, hands over her mouth in disbelief. "It's beautiful! It's absolutely beautiful!"

Garnet nodded, her smile growing a bit wider. Yes, she signed, I don't think I've ever seen a house this pretty.

Suddenly, three sets of eyes were set on Amethyst, who was twiddling her fingers and slowly sweeping her gaze across the room. She jumped when she noticed the stares and forced a smile.

"Uh, yeah! It's all big, and nice, and, and..." She couldn't think of too much to say after that, so she stared at her feet. Rose made a note to herself to show Amy to her room last so that they could have the opportunity to have a long talk. She wanted Amy to be as comfortable as possible.

"Well, I'm very glad you all like it!" said Rose. "But I think we should get you into your rooms before we start exploring. After all, you girls packed quite a bit, and we should get the unpacking out of the way first and foremost." The girls certainly had packed quite a bit up, especially Amethyst, who'd packed practically everything that wasn't nailed down so that she could really replicate her old hellish mess in her new room. It'd be hard to pull off, but she was dedicated.

"Of course!" Pearl chirped. "Who's first?"

"Hmm, I think we'll take you to your room first." This earned an abundance of thank-yous from the excited girl, who was itching to make herself quite at home.

She took Pearl by the hand, leading her down a hallway. The other girls followed close behind, bags in hand. Amethyst, once again, trailed behind Garnet, who made it a habit to look back at her. Rose opened the door to an unoccupied room, which had nothing but a bed and a dresser within it.

"I hope you don't mind how bare it is," she said. "I wanted you to decorate it for yourself. All your rooms are like this at the moment."

"Oh, I don't mind in the slightest!" Pearl replied, giving Rose's hand a squeeze. "I know I've been saying this quite a lot today, but, thank you, Rose. Thank you for everything." 

"You're very welcome. I'm so, so glad that you're happy." She planted a gentle kiss atop Pearl's head  before backing away from the door. "Come and find me when you've finished unpacking, okay? I'll show you, Garnet, and Amy around."

"Alright! I'll be sure to. I'll see you soon, Rose!" The door was quickly shut as Pearl began to methodically unpack her bag.

"Next stop, Garnet's room!" Rose said, Garnet taking Pearl's spot beside Rose. The trio of ladies walked a few doors down to another bare room, where Garnet was dropped off. Garnet and Rose shared a lengthy conversation in sign language, which left Amethyst rather lost. When it came to an end, Rose turned to face Amethyst. "Are you ready to see your room, Amy?"

Amethyst only nodded. Rose did not frown; she could tell Amethyst was anxious and hoped that if she remained positive, it would help her.

"Do you want to hold my hand?" Rose asked as she extended a hand towards the girl. Amy hesitantly took it.

Rose lead Amethyst to the last vacant room in the hallway, opening the door. Instead of leaving, she stepped in with Amethyst, sitting on the foot of the bed.

"Sit down, Amy," she requested.

Amethyst plopped down beside Rose, her eyes still on the ground, no words escaping her mouth. Her fingers closed around the glimmering pendant dangling from her neck. The stone matched her name. Rose noticed, deciding to bring it up as soon as soon as she found out what was eating at the poor girl.

"You look a little worked up, honey," Rose said. "Is there something upsetting you?" She knew well that the little conflict with Pearl must have been upsetting, but that had been a while ago.

"I just," Amethyst began, instantly tripping over her tongue, "I've never been somewhere this nice, and I've never been treated so well, and, and--"

"I understand. It has to be quite a big adjustment, but I promise, everything is going to be alright as long as you're here with me. But, I have to ask, what's this?" Her hand reached for the necklace, but Amethyst batted it away.

"Don't touch," she hissed. She couldn't help the hostility; the necklace meant quite a bit to her. 

"I'm sorry, Amy. I should have asked first. But would it be too much to ask why you're so attached to it?"

"Nah, I can tell you," Amy said, shrugging.

"Alright, then do tell."

"It was my mama's." She took the stone in her hands and stared at it. "She gave it to me for my birthday one year. I thought it was, like, the prettiest thing ever, so I put it on, and I never really took it off. But, mama's gone now. And this is all I got to remember her. No pictures, no notes, no nothin'."

For the first time since she'd picked up the girls, Rose frowned. "Oh, Amy," she said, the story like a dagger through her heart. Without much thinking, she added "How did she pass?" 

"Oh..." Amy tensed up visibly. "Dad. Deadbeat dad. Got hammered every night when he came home from work at God-knows-where. He drank a little too much and pummeled her 'till she stopped moving. I had to watch that friggin' drunk pound my momma to death. He almost got to me, too. I was cryin', and cryin', and cryin', and he yelled, 'Shut up! Shut up before I wallop you too!', and I ran as fast as I could run. I ran to the police station a couple blocks down, and I told everything that happened to the cops there. Now she's dead, he's in jail, and I'm here."

Rose's heart practically stopped. Her face lost color, and all she could do was wrap her arms around the girl and cry.

Something that everyone knew about Rose was the fact that she was a massive crybaby. She cried when she was happy, she cried when she was sad, she cried when she was surprised, or excited, or at any special occasion. And Amethyst's story drove her to tears. She wasn't a loud crier, only letting out a sniffle every so often.

"Whoa, whoa, Rose, ch-chill, that's contagious." Amethyst felt her own tears begin to well up.

She hated crying; nothing made her feel weaker. But something about doing it alongside someone like Rose made it seem a little less pathetic. She let the tears flow, and they spent a good fifteen minutes sobbing together before Rose broke their embrace. She let Amethyst have a bit of time to cool off and unpack before taking all three girls on a tour of their new home.

After an hour or so more of unpacking, decorating, and organizing, Rose called up for, well, everyone. It was time for a home-cooked dinner.

Chapter Text

Despite her earlier fit of emotion, Amethyst was the first downstairs for dinner. She wasn't picky in the slightest--there's nothing she loved more than food. Food, music, and beds. That was all she really needed to survive. 

Pearl, on the other hand, was the last down. She was a very picky eater, to say the least, and was often shamed for not liking the foods that other people did. She dreaded hearing about her 'lack of appreciation' for her meal, or that other children in poorer countries would be grateful to have what she'd refrained from eating. But she was sure that it would be different with Rose.

Garnet had never had much of a problem with food. She just didn't eat much. I don't need to eat, she'd sign to a caretaker.

"But you exercise so often, you must get hungry!" the caretaker would reply.

I don't need to eat. 

Amethyst took her seat at the enormous table that took up most of the dining room. A chandelier dangled over it, lighting the entire room, and laid out on the table was a gargantuan buffet-style assortment of plates and dishes. Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, sweet potatoes, collard greens--it was like Thanksgiving! Amethyst took a plate and a fork, preparing to fill her stomach, but was stopped by a voice.

"Hold on, Amy," Rose said, stepping behind the hungry girl. "Let's wait for everyone to sit down. Don't worry about not getting any of something; we're always sure to make plenty."

"Alright, alright." Amethyst seated herself again, and Rose kissed the top of her head.

Slowly, the other residents of the house began to pour into the dining room, sitting themselves down and adding to the chatter. Amethyst looked over the small crowd but she did not join any of the surrounding conversations. She noticed several bad haircuts, for starters. Especially that one kid who instantly sat next to the kinda cute chubby girl. She also saw a man with long hair lurking in the kitchen who she assumed was Greg. She decided to introduce herself after dinner, eager to meet the musician.

Pearl took the final available seat beside a very excitable boy, with puffy, unkempt hair, and a wide smile.

"Hi!" the boy greeted upon seeing Pearl. "My name is Steven! I haven't seen you around before, so you must be one of the new girls Mama was talking about."He swung his legs beneath the table with a vigor befitting only a child of his maturity. "What's your name?"

She stared for a moment before speaking. "Pearl. It's very nice to meet you, Steven." Okay, maybe Steven was a little cute. Pearl always liked children, though it did take some time for her to warm up to them.

"That's a nice name!" Steven replied with a grin. Pearl began to thank him, but was cut off by an announcement from Rose.

"Alright, everybody," she said. "Dig in, but remember to let our new friends go first." She sat down again and made a gesture to signal her permission to tuck in.

Pearl stared down at the food in front of her, picking up her plate. She carefully took the few things she liked from a platter, separating all the food carefully with her fork so that no two items touched. Steven's voice cut through her concentration.

"You eat funny!" he declared. He hadn't meant anything rude; he simply had a tendency to talk before his mouth could connect to his brain.

"Well," she replied, "I suppose that's true. I have a...limited palate, so to speak."

"Oh." Steven thought for a second. "So you only like a couple types of food?"

"Yes, that explains it."

"That makes sense! Mama says everyone has different taste buds." The boy grinned.

"That's a very nice way to say it, actually." She could have burst into tears of joy, but advised herself against it, as that would make a scene. She glanced over to Amethyst and saw that she definitely wouldn't need to worry about finding something to eat.

Amethyst's plate was piled high with a little bit of everything (except the collard greens, which she found disgusting), everything touching everything else. She ate quickly, too, to the point where Pearl was surprised that she didn't choke on something.

Garnet had a rather small plate, like Pearl, but with a bit more variety. She made sure to make her meal balanced, but not large. Like she said, she didn't need to eat. At least, not very much.

Pearl and Steven conversed quite a bit during dinner, talking about anything that came to mind. They talked about Pearl's past home, and how Steven was Rose's biological son rather than someone she took in. Pearl talked about Garnet, and how she didn't speak, and Amethyst, who spoke far too much.

"There's no such thing as talking too much!" Steven insisted. "If you think someone's talking too much, it just means you're around someone who likes you a whole lot, and can't stop talking to you!"

Pearl just shook her head.

Nobody talked to Amethyst, but that wasn't because she unsettled people. It was because she quite literally had too much food in her mouth at all times to speak. A few people tried to talk to Garnet, getting nothing but a stare and the occasional "Hello" in sign language, which nobody understood. Except for one boy, that is.

A very small boy with wide eyes and a large solitary tuft of hair sprouting from his head. Never spoke a word. When he saw Garnet, he prodded her, and waved.

Hello. Garnet signed.

I'm Onion. I want to try on your glasses, the boy signed back.

Maybe some other time, I need my glasses.

He left without another signed word.

After a long dinner and dessert (several tubs of ice cream), it was time for everyone to head back upstairs. Dinner was a little late, so it was already time for bed. Most reported to Rose for a quick hug and kiss before bed, and some others got them from Greg as well. 

It was odd for the girls, sleeping in a new bed. In their own rooms, without three other kids keeping them up.

It was a good kind of odd, though.

Chapter Text

Garnet was always awake before everyone else, no matter where she was.

Her first morning in Rose's home, she woke up around five. She didn't have too much personal workout gear. Most of what she used belonged to her previous home, but that didn't stop her; she could improvise easily. She began with stretches, timing herself, and keeping everything running smoothly. She then began her push-ups, then sit-ups, chin-ups, and a variety of other exercises.

Now, she was used to having to be as quiet as she could. It really wasn't too much of a problem for her, considering her lack of speech. But she was sure to make as little noise as possible. She kept equipment from hitting the floor too hard, and she didn't let out anything more than the occasional grunt. It was routine for her, no matter what orphanage or foster home she was bounced to. She's never had any problems doing it.

Unfortunately, Rose (a notoriously heavy sleeper) miraculously awoke to the sound of Garnet's exercise. Rose had an enigmatic ability to sense people moving around the house. Even she couldn't explain it, and some called it a sixth sense that only she possessed. Rose adjusted her nightgown, gave Greg a kiss on the forehead, and slowly made her way towards the sound.

She didn't want to alarm Garnet, so she was very cautious when opening the door to her room. Despite her efforts, as she opened it, it gave a loud creak, causing Rose to cringe. Garnet didn't seem particularly fazed, setting down her old dumbbells with a deadpan expression.

Garnet, baby, Rose signed sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. It's so early, why don't you go back to bed for a while?

I'm sorry, Rose, Garnet replied. This is my routine. I do this every morning. If I'm being too loud, I can try to keep it down.

Rose chuckled. You're not too loud, baby, I'm just not used to anyone waking up so early. Even I wake up late now and again.

When does everybody else typically wake up?

Around eight or nine.

Alright. I'll see you then, Rose. I need to get back to this.

Have fun, baby. Rose waved, and shuffled her way back into bed.

As Rose had said, the other residents of the house began to wake up at about eight thirty. Amethyst had to be prodded awake by Rose--if she didn't get up then, she likely wouldn't be awake until noon. Rose, Greg, Pearl, and a few others were in the kitchen, bustling around to prepare a large breakfast.

"Pearl, how about you handle setting the table for now?" Rose suggested with a smile. "We need skill like yours for that."

Pearl responded with a nod. "I'm on it." She balanced two stacks of plates in her arms and carefully walked out into the dining room. Pearl certainly was the best choice to set the table, everything set up in perfectly symmetrical rows. Pearl had a major appreciation for symmetry.

Rose, Greg, a few of the other kids, and a pair of employees from a local fast food restaurant worked to prepare breakfast for everyone. The Fryman brothers were only there to deliver a few bags of potatoes at first, but Rose had talked them into sticking around for a little while to help with breakfast. After all, that meant Peedee got to spend a little time with Steven and Connie, his best friends.

After breakfast was made, the dishes with the food were set up like they were at dinner, in a buffet-style row. Amethyst, once again, piled her plate high, and Steven decided to take the time to introduce himself to Garnet.

"Hi!" he greeted, sitting himself beside Garnet, and beginning to heap scrambled eggs and hash browns onto his plate.

Garnet waved in return. She had hardly anything on her plate.

"Why aren't you eating anything? The eggs are soooooo good!" He pushed his eggs to the side, making way for a waffle, which he topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

I don't need to eat, Garnet signed.

"Oh! Oh. I forgot about the whole talking thing. But, still, you should totally eat some more!"

Rose seemed to think the same thing, stepping beside Garnet and signing, You were exercising a whole lot this morning. Why don't you take a little more food?

I don't need to.

Well, I won't make you eat, but be sure you get enough, alright?  She kissed the top of Garnet's head.

I will, Garnet replied, staring down at her plate from behind her glasses.

Rose shuffled off, moving to eat with Greg, who was telling some story about the "Bear Incident" that occurred at one of his concerts. Garnet only ate what was on her plate, but Amethyst went back for seconds. "Bottomless pit" didn't begin to describe her.

After breakfast came the cleanup process, which was fairly quick. Pearl and Greg stayed behind in the kitchen to wash the dishes, and Rose took on the task of organizing the kids between the different rooms that had televisions. Saturday was always wild for the cartoon lovers, and she had to split them up by show.

Amethyst trailed behind Garnet on her way to a TV room, grinning.

"Hey, G! What'cha gonna do?" she asked, trying to be social.

Garnet stopped, looking at Amethyst, and giving a vague reply--one that Amethyst couldn't understand in the first place, since she didn't know any sign language.

It's Cowboy Saturday.

Chapter Text

"Boring, boring, super boring, boring...augh! How does Rose have, like, a billion channels, but nothing to watch?" Lars groaned, dropping a long remote on the couch. Sadie, the girl beside him, shifted a little, picking up the remote.

"C'mon, Lars, there's plenty to watch, you're just super picky," Sadie said, opening the channel guide. "That, or you just like whining for the heck of it."

"What?! Nuh-uh!"

"Yuh-huh."

Lars grumbled and snatched the remote back. "Fine, I'll pick a dumb show! Jeez."

Sadie smiled , watching Lars flip through the vast channel guide once more. Their relationship was an odd one. They were close, but they bickered and fought with each other frequently. Typically, Sadie was the one who initiated a gentle make-up after an hour or so of fighting--never Lars. Lars had trouble with things like that, and instead bottled up his emotions, letting it all burst at anyone who got too close when the pressure was high enough.

"Still boring, mega lame, ultra lame," he rambled as Garnet and Amethyst filled the remaining seats on the couch. Garnet sat by Lars, and Amethyst by Sadie. Sadie waved politely but looked away when she found herself unable to read Amethyst's reaction.

"Hey, aren't you those new kids?" Lars asked, looking the two up and down.

"We got names, Mohawk." Amethyst folded her arms, staring right back.

"I got a name too, Pudgy."

"Well I'm not gonna learn it, Stringbean."

"Well I'm not gonna learn yours--"

"Guys," Sadie interrupted, "calm down. Uh, you're Amethyst, right?"

"Amy." 

"Amy. Amy, this is Lars. Lars, this is Amy. There, settled."

Amethyst and Lars mutually grumbled, looking in opposite directions. Meanwhile, Garnet took the remote from Lars' lap. She scanned over the channel guide before finally switching it to a station that played primarily black-and-white movies. Every Saturday, they had a marathon of cowboy flicks. It was an unspoken rule in Garnet's other homes that each week, she was able to watch at least one of those horrible movies. Sometimes alone, sometimes with others. She enjoyed them; they were a not-so-guilty pleasure of hers.

"Hey, who said you get to choose, giganto?" Lars snapped.

"Calm down, Lars! Just a minute ago you were whining about how there was nothing to watch," Sadie retorted.

"Well, duh! I explicitly said that this channel was mega lame. Were you even listening to me?"

Sadie grunted and Amethyst snickered to herself, watching the two grow increasingly flustered.

Garnet slowly turned to Lars, and signed the same thing she'd signed to Amy earlier: It's Cowboy Saturday.

"I don't speak fingers, giganto!" Lars said.

Sadie leaned close to Amethyst and whispered, "What's her name?"

"Garnet," she replied, keeping her eyes glued to the hotheaded Lars.

"Alright, uh, Lars? C'mon, let's let Garnet watch the movie. There's, like, eight other TVs in here and we can easily go to another room."

"No way! I'm not ditching my spot because these two wanna watch some cheesy western flick!"

"Lars, honestly, you make everything so difficult--"

"You say that a million times a day, Sadie!"

"Because it's true!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

Amethyst cackled, clutching her stomach as she watched the two argue. It was like a bad soap opera to her. Garnet couldn't pay much attention to her movie with the two other kids yelling at each other, so she stood up. She took Amethyst's hand, pulling her up as well.

"Watch it, G!" Amethyst yanked her hand away. Garnet needed a translator of some kind.

Steven, Connie, and Peedee ran into the room, carrying water guns. They were on their way outside to have a little fun, but they were instantly stopped by Garnet. She took two of the guns, setting them on the floor. There was a small notepad on the coffee table for writing down channel numbers, which she took, as well as the pen that went with it. She drew a small star with the word "Sheriff" in the center of the page, tearing it off of the pad and tucking it into the collar of her shirt. She flipped to another page, scribbled down a quick message, and handed the pad to Amethyst. She tossed one of the guns at Lars and picked up another to wield herself.

"I...challenge you to a duel," Amethyst read from the paper, figuring that was what Garnet wanted. "The first one to fall loses control of the remote in this room, and must retreat."

Lars smirked. "Fine! Y'know, when I was a kid, I was the friggin' best with a super soaker." He bragged and boasted as Garnet backed up, gun at the ready. Lars stepped back as well until they were about the length of the coffee table apart. Amethyst  moved to the other side of the table so they wouldn't be caught in the crossfire, and Steven and his friends joined Sadie on the couch to watch.

"Ready," Amethyst said, "aim...FIRE!"

Before Lars could even touch his trigger, Garnet began launching massive bursts of cold water at him. Lars dropped his gun and stuck his hands out, trying to deflect the water, but he only managed to lose his balance and fall, landing on his rear with an oof. Amethyst and the kids cheered, Sadie stifling a giggle.

Garnet brought the barrel of the water gun to her mouth, blowing on it in as cliché a manner as possible, before setting the gun on the coffee table. Steven scooted to the side, and she sat back down on the couch, resuming her movie. Lars leaned on the arm of the couch, brooding silently as Sadie patted his shoulder.

As soon as the movie was over, Pearl walked in and, seeing the spots on the carpet, helped Connie clean up the remaining water.