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Chapter Text

Steven Universe looked out the window of his cabin house and saw the nice lake that rested opposite of it. It had already been six years since he moved out of Beach City and started living in the small community of Forrest Town. Even Steven began to see the pattern of strange town names. He was happy there. He didn't have to deal with anymore Gem related activity, he was no longer stressed, he was happy communicating with his friends and family via phone or computer. He got to see them every now and then, but he enjoyed the tranquil isolation out in the woods as it made him feel like he was one with nature. He remembered encountering the town and meeting its own set of quirky individuals. When traveling across America, Steven found himself coming back to it more often than not and decided to settle there. They initially gave him a patch of land to sit on, but Steven became a regular member of the community and, following his father Greg's footsteps, built his house with his own two hands. He remembered inviting Greg to visit him and becoming proud of the person his son became. Steven had since become a model citizen, but spent most of his time at home and exploring the wilderness. His favorite pastime became meditation which he described as the best way to battle his inner demons.

While meditating in his favorite spot above a waterfall, Steven's phone began to vibrate. He looked and saw that it was Pearl. Steven always found it amusing when she used the phone because it was like trying to watch an elder trying to use a microwave. He never told her that. He picked it up and turned it on.
"Hey, Pearl how's it going?" Steven looked and saw only her big nose on the screen.
"Steven, is that you? I can't see you," Pearl sounded panicked.
"Pull the phone back," Steven said in an amused voice.
Pearl did so and her face came into view, "Oh good, there you are. Hey Steven, out meditating again, I see."
Everyone knew when Steven was meditating as he usually wasn't wearing a shirt when he did so; exposing his gem in the process. "This is the time I usually do it. What's up?"
"Oh, you know me. I just felt looking at my phone and decided to give you a call is all and see if... you could maybe like to move back to Beach City and never ever leave us, I miss you!"
That was the thing. Everyone had accepted Steven's independence except Pearl who seems to be stuck with a case of empty nest syndrome.
"Pearl, quit bothering Steven. He's happy being on his own!" Amethyst yelled from off camera.
Pearl turned to yell back at her, "It's just a suggestion!" She then turned back to Steven, "But maybe you can consider it?"
Steven laughed, "Look you can call me whenever you'd like, alright Pearl. Tell dad, I said hi. I'll see you later, Bye."
"Don't forget to eat!" Pearl said as the phone went out.

-

Steven continued to do his usual rounds around the town. He would fulfill various obligations and aid people who needed it. He was no longer doing such things to feel wanted, he was now doing them for the good of the town. One older resident would continuously try to hook him up with her daughter, but Steven had to constantly remind her that he already had a girlfriend who was just finishing up college. This didn't stop her from trying. Everyone marveled Steven's abilities to get things done so quickly, mostly due to his super strength and super speed. Everyone knew that he was a Gem, but nobody seemed to care. This made Steven relieved. As Steven was finishing up for the day, one of the residents, a man his age named Wyatt, came up to him.
"Howdy Wyatt," Steven said cheerfully.
"Hey Steven, I came to tell you that somebody was asking for you."
"Who?"
"Some giant orange lady. She had this weird gem stud on her nose, it looked tight."
Steven was stunned in silence. It couldn't be, could it? "Where is she now?" Steven asked nervously.
"I told her where your house was. I'm pretty sure, she'd be there now." Wyatt began to notice that Steven was shook, "Is everything okay?"
Steven composed himself, "Yeah everything's fine."

Steven drove back to his isolated house in the woods and, sure enough, saw the person he was afraid of seeing: Jasper the rogue Gem, now adorned with a cloak and a hat like a wanderer. She was a constant headache for him and he never knew what she was thinking. Last time he interacted with her, things were awkward. She tried to kill him, then he tried to befriend her, then she tried to kill him again, then she begrudgingly got into a fight with him, which resulted in him seeking her out for advice, which lead to him almost killing her, which lead to his breakdown. After all that, she seemed pretty calm, but Steven wanted to avoid her at all costs. Unfortunately, this was clearly the opposite of what he wanted. Steven got out of his car and cautiously approached Jasper. She slowly turned around and eyed him.
"Did you build that?" Jasper asked pointing to the cabin.
"Yes," Steven concurred nervously.
Jasper looked at the cabin again and then at Steven again before saying, "It's nice." and sitting down the ground in a crossed leg position.
Steven slowly walked up and sat next to her in a crossed leg position as well. There was an awkward silence before Steven said, "So, how have you been?"
"Okay, I suppose."
...
"What have you been up to?"
"Wandering."
...
"Seen or met anyone lately?"
"I've been alone."
Steven finally got to the question he was afraid to ask, "What are you doing here Jasper?"
Jasper turned to look directly at him, "I wanted to see my Diamond, or rather the person who used to be my Diamond."
"You know I'm not Pink, right?"
"I know, I just... wanted to see someone familiar."
Steven sighed, "We've been over this. I don't think that..."
Jasper interrupted, "I know, I know! Nothing is going to bring her back! I just wanted to be somewhere familiar, Okay!?" She covered her face in embarrassment.

Steven stared at her; unsure of what to do or say to someone who has been through so much. He gone through a lot and hoped that maybe they could connect on that, but Jasper seemed farther away with whatever her problem was compared to him. Steven got up and went inside his house to figure out what to do when Jasper suddenly walked through the door. Her size slightly budged the frame, despite the fact that he built it to handle people like her or Bismuth.
Steven began, "What are you doing now?"
Jasper walked closer to Steven, "You see, I've been traveling a lot and I realized that you're right, I can never have my Diamond back. She's gone and there's nothing I can do."
Steven felt relieved, "I'm glad to hear that. You're finally moving on."
Jasper cocked her eyebrow, "What?"
"You're finally moving on from your old life and starting anew. You can be a different person now, Jasper. You don't have to be a killing machine that's at war all the time. You can have a real life."
Jasper looked slightly confused, but agreed that things were different, "Yeah, things can be different, but that's not what I'm talking about... I'm gonna make a new Pink Diamond."
Steven froze, "What?"
"I'm going to make a new Pink Diamond. One that I can train to lead a new era of Gem-kind. What you did for White, Blue and Yellow has caused many other Gems to be unhappy and I want to help them by making a new Diamond that can lead a new colony!"
Steven was trying to hold back his laughter, "And how do you plan to do that? You can't use the drills because they'll drain the life from the Earth and it's not like you can conceive one."
Jasper towered over Steven with her intimidating physique, "You're going to help us with that."
Steven paused for a moment, "Us?"
"Like I said. Many other Gems are unhappy so we're going to do whatever it takes to make a create our new leader whether you like it or not."
Steven summoned his shield, "I'm not going to help you."
Jasper summoned her helmet, "I wasn't asking."

The two of them began to quarrel with Steven budding Jasper back outside. Jasper was using her full force against Steven who refrained from getting too caught up. He had gone overboard with fighting her once and it turned him into a monster; he wasn't going to do it again. This disappointed Jasper who yelled, "What's the matter Steven? Afraid you'll shatter me again!?" This angered Steven, but he was not going to give in. This ended up being his downfall as Jasper grabbed Steven and slammed him to the ground. She stood over him and said, "I shouldn't damage you too much, so I'll end this quickly." She pulled out what looked like a syringe and pricked Steven with it, knocking him out.

Steven was going in and out of consciousness and could only make out certain things. Jasper carried him somewhere and he saw that he was in the air. He next saw that he was in what looked like a Gem spaceship and was being carted down a hall. A bright light shown over him as several other Gems stood over him. One of them was a tall and lanky looking Gem who had a sinister smile. Steven blacked out completely and felt that he was nothing. Upon awakening, Steven found himself lying outside his house. There was no sign of Jasper or the other Gems that he saw. Oddly enough, Steven was no longer injured. As a matter of fact that sleep on the ground seemed to rejuvenate him completely as he looked around and wondered what happened to him. Jasper said they needed him, but for what? How were they going to make a new Diamond? Steven began to imagine that they were going to make an evil clone of him like in those sci-fi shows he would watch with Connie. Whatever Jasper had planned, he knew he wasn't going to be alone. Steven needed to prepare for whatever surprise Jasper and her allies were up to.

Chapter Text

Steven was mulling over the predicament he was in. He needed to contact his friends and family and warn them of what happened. He used a group chat on his computer to call up his Gem pals (Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Peridot, Lapis Lazuli and Bismuth), his father Greg and Lars and the Off Colors. He tried to get Connie, but she wasn't responding. Steven regaled what had occurred and they were all left dumbfounded by the events. They had all known that Jasper was difficult, but didn't think she would relapse to her rogue ways.

Lars finally spoke up, "Did they take your kidney or something?"
Steven was appalled, "What? No! Why would a Gem need a kidney?"
Lars was embarrassed, "It wouldn't hurt to check."
"Do you think they maybe they did something... inappropriate with you?" Greg calmly asked.
"I don't know what they did. They took me on their ship and did something and then I woke up back at home unharmed."
"It could be just a mandatory abduction," Peridot hypothesized, "Gems used to do that thousands of years ago. They had to stop in the 50's though."
Everyone looked at Peridot weird, "You actually abducted people?" Pearl asked incredulously.
"USED TO! Don't worry we didn't stick things up people's butts. Well actually, there was this one Gem I knew who..."
"Peridot focus!" Steven interjected, "We need to talk about what Jasper was doing with me!"
"Steven's right," Garnet added, "What did Jasper say exactly before she took you?"
"She just said that I was going to help her make a new Diamond."
Amethyst let out a scoff, "Like that'll ever happen."
"I don't think she realizes that that takes like... forever to do," Lapis added.
Steven leaned back in his chair, exhausted from thinking too hard, "I guess we'll have to figure this out later."
Bismuth leaned into her end of the camera, "Hey kid, if you like, one of us can go over and check on you to make sure that you're doing okay."
Steven felt at ease upon hearing this, "I think I'd like that. It's been a while since I met up with any of you in person."
Amethyst decided to address the elephant in the room, "Hey, where's Connie?"
Steven made a quick response, "She must be busy. I'll have to tell her later."
"Why don't you text her?" Greg asked.
"I'd rather she hear my voice," Steven responded, "Catch you guys later."
Everyone turned off their cameras, though Pearl had difficulty turning her's off.

-

Steven went into town and bought various home protection equipment so that he could make sure that no unwanted guests came by again. Steven had never been this suspicious of possible home invasion until now. He used to not be bothered by constant uninvited people that came to his beach house, but now he felt the need to be an adult. Now he felt that he needed to lock down and take better care of himself. Now he needed to... throw up. Midway through adjusting the cameras in his house, he ran to the bathroom and threw up straight into the toilet. What on earth did he eat? He had just made himself a sandwich and that was it. Did the sandwich give him food poisoning? He thought that maybe the traumatizing effects had finally caught up with him, but Steven had experienced trauma before and this was not it. Steven threw up a couple more times before he went back to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He headed to the couch and laid down on it before falling asleep.

After a couple hours of snoozing, Steven awoke to the sound of someone knocking at his door. It was hard and gruff, so it either had to be Bismuth or Amethyst. Steven quickly got off the couch, wiped the drool from his mouth and straightened himself up before opening the door. Sure enough, Bismuth; tall cyan with her rainbow hair, stood towering over Steven with her goofy smile.
"How's it going little buddy?" Bismuth asked with her soft kind voice. Steven was about to hug her when suddenly two more voices popped up from behind her.
"Hey Steven!", it was Peridot and Lapis.
Steven was happy to see them too, "Wow, so the three of you showed up. That's great."
Peridot spoke up, "The others are going around asking the other Gems as to what is going on with Jasper."
Steven nodded, "Makes sense, come inside."
Bismuth smoothly went through the door, just as Steven intended, before saying, "Still making homes out of wood, I see." "Yeah, we still do that," Steven casually concurred.

Steven had a good day with Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot and reminisced over the past. As usual, the Gems had very awkward retellings of their past with Steven, in that each of them tried to hurt or kill him in some form or another before seeing the error of their ways, but he took it all in good fun. While explaining how he built his house from scratch, Steven began to feel nauseous again. He tried to hide it, but the Gems quickly saw that something was wrong.
"What's happening with you?" Bismuth asked Steven, "You look... pale."
"It's nothing. I threw up this morning, but I think it was just something I ate."
"Is throwing up a normal human thing?" Peridot asked.
"More or less," Steven said truthfully. Steven began to massage his sides and chest. It started to look sexual and he stopped when the Gems started to look at him weird. "Do you need to be alone?" Lapis asked. "Maybe," Steven responded cautiously and got up from the couch and went into the bathroom.

Steven looked at himself in the mirror and gargled some water. Something weird was happening to him and he didn't know what. He took off his shirt and proceeded to wash his face and that's when he noticed something odd. His chest looked different. He didn't know what it was, but it looked tighter. He felt his chest and as soon as he got to his nipple, recoiled at how sensitive it felt. Steven simply rubbed his face, put his shirt back on and exited the bathroom to see the Gems still sitting around and chatting. They stopped and looked at Steven who forced a smile.
"So Bismuth, how are things between you and Pearl?" Steven asked in his positive Steven voice.
Bismuth paused for a while before answering, "Oh yeah, things are going great. Just good, you know. Pearl and I are good."
"She hasn't told her yet," Lapis bluntly stated.
Steven looked genuinely disappointed, "Seriously? After all this time? I thought you and Pearl were tight."
"We are... as friends, but you know how these things are. I'm taking it slowly."
"You shouldn't take it too slow. I waited too long with Connie and it almost killed me."
"We should establish a proper scenario for you two," Peridot interjected, "I'm thinking: sinking ship like in that movie I saw once. Lapis, do you know how to capsize a boat?"
Steven shook his head, "I don't think we need to go that far. Look, I admit that it's scary to tell someone how you feel, but it will be worth it."
Bismuth looked unsure, "What if I get... rejected?"
"Well, if you do, it won't be the end of the world."
This actually seemed to perk up Bismuth slightly as she clasped Steven's hand in comfort. "Thanks."

-

Steven had gone into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. Despite his issue in the bathroom earlier, he suddenly felt massive cravings. He pulled out whatever he had and settled on a jar of pickles, a jar of peanut butter, some spray cheese he had and cherries. He didn't think much of the combination, but he put it together and sat with the rest of the Gems to watch a cheesy sci-fi movie on TV. As they sat to enjoy terrible acting, bad visual effects and a rehashed plot, Steven began to dine on his strange cuisine. Soon, the Gems began to notice Steven's peculiar eating habit. While they themselves hardly ever ate, as they didn't need to, they thought it was unusual that Steven was eating the same way Amethyst would with anything.

Steven turned to look at his friends' expressions, "What? I'm hungry."
"We can see that," Lapis said.
"I may not be familiar with human food," Peridot began, "But I do know that that is not a typical combination of sustenance."
Steven grew irritated, "What are you talking about? I always eat pickles and peanut butter and cherries with... crazy cheese..." he looked at the mess he had made, "Okay maybe not like this, but these are foods I like."
"Are you sure your encounter with Jasper didn't affect your tastes?" Bismuth asked.
"I'm fine guys, seriously I am!"
Steven tried to get comfortable with watching the movie while the Gems slowly turned to watch the movie with him.

About halfway through the film, a female scientist character began exhibiting nausea. Steven didn't think much of it and continued watching the film. Over the course of the movie, the scientist began showing some other weird traits such as sensitive skin and strange cravings. Steven started to notice that his symptoms were similar and began to get nervous. The scientist later discovered that she had gotten pregnant by the alien monster in the movie. As Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot laughed at the ridiculous twist, Steven fell silent and began to sweat. Was he pregnant? He couldn't be. This was just a ridiculous movie and nothing more. He was a boy and Jasper didn't seem like the type of person that was capable of doing something that outlandish, or even understand what pregnancy was. Steven began to slowly chuckle until he remembered that it was strange for his mother, Rose Quartz (or Pink Diamond rather), to become pregnant, but she made it happen. Without a word, Steven got up and left the house while the Gems remained, somewhat baffled at his abrupt exit.

Steven drove down to the convenience store and searched up and down the aisles until he found what he never thought he would be looking for: a pregnancy test. Steven was nervous buying one, but he managed to purchase it without drawing too much attention. Besides, Nelson the cashier never seemed to mind who came and went through his store. Steven went straight to the bathroom and pulled the stick and peed on it. Immediately after doing so, Steven thought, "What am I doing? I'm being silly. I just wasted $10 on a pregnancy test because of a bunch of silly coincidences. I can't get pregnant. Boy, this is going to be a funny story I tell the guys back at home. Pregnant... how ridiculous is that?" Steven looked down at the stick and saw a blue plus sign. He froze and the next thing that came out of his mouth sounded as if it rang throughout the entire universe.

"I'm pregnant."

Chapter Text

Steven quietly drove home from the convenience store to his house. Upon entering, he was greeted by Bismuth, Peridot and Lapis who all looked at him in confusion as to why he left in the first place. Steven looked like he had seen a ghost.

Bismuth broke the silence, "Hey, buddy. We missed you."
Peridot unsubtly added, "We were worried sick about you!"
Lapis tapped Peridot on the head, "Speak for yourself. Seriously Steven, what happened?"
Steven, still shaken, looked up at the three and quietly uttered, "I'm pregnant."
The Gems couldn't hear and unanimously asked, "What?"
Steven took a deep breath and exclaimed, "I'm pregnant!", while tossing the pregnancy test on the table nearby.
The Gems stood in silence as they stared at the piece of plastic until Peridot asked, "As in you're procreating?"
Steven was frustrated, "Yes!"
The Gems all looked at each other with mixed emotions. Lapis walked up and hugged Steven with a pat on the back, "There, there."
Bismuth walked up and put her hand on his shoulder while Peridot came up and stated, "Congratulations, I think."
Steven loosened himself from them and flopped onto the couch.

The Gems stood over Steven in the hopes that he would say something else, but he just quietly covered his face in anguish. Steven had come to the terrifying conclusion that this is what Jasper meant by making another Diamond. If history repeated itself, that would mean that he would give up his physical form for the baby. However, he was human, so there was the possibility that he could give birth. Except for the fact that Steven was a boy and therefore it would be impossible for him to give birth the natural way. All of this information was swirling in his head and he was getting a migraine just thinking about all of it. Steven had to face the possibility that he was going to have to go through this pregnancy whether he liked it or not. He finally sat up to face his friends.

"I.. think I have no choice in this matter," Steven concluded.
"But Steven, what if you give up your physical form?" Peridot asked.
"I don't think that'll happen," Bismuth added, "He is half human."
"Are you sure you're pregnant?" Lapis interjected.
Steven perked up, "You think it might be a mistake?"
Peridot held up the pregnancy test, "I don't know much about these things, but I do know that it's possible that it detected something else."
Steven marinated on the idea before saying, "Well there is one way to find out."
"Which is...?" Lapis asked.
Steven couldn't believe what was about to come out of his mouth, "I have to go see the doctor. Specifically Connie's mom."

Steven called to make an appointment with Priyanka Maheswaran. She lived miles away from where he lived, so the only way to get to her was through Lion, who unfortunately had a habit of showing up whenever he wanted to. Luckily, he showed up just as Steven made the appointment. How does that giant, pink feline know these things? Steven opted to go by himself. He worried that bringing the Gems along would somehow cause a major disturbance. The thing was that Steven and Priyanka had a very unusual relationship. While Steven got along well with her husband Doug, Priyanka was a bit more conflicting. She understood Steven's weird life and apparently accepted that her daughter is in love with him, but every time they got together, he got the impression that she had difficulty putting up with him specifically. Last time he had an appointment with her, it did not end well and Steven had been afraid to go see her. But desperate times called for desperate measures and he needed the closest thing he had to a "medical Gem expert". Steven had to get what he could chew.

Steven made sure to schedule himself right near the end of Priyanka's shift at the hospital. He sat in the waiting room which was practically empty. He tried to read the magazines, but they were old and he couldn't get into them. Finally, the clerk called him in and Steven moved from the waiting room to the smaller room and tried to make himself comfortable on the table. Steven felt a sense of unease; what if he really was pregnant, but if he wasn't what could be then? A tumor? Steven tried to get hid mind off of it and think about something else when Priyanka entered the room and stared at Steven.
"Hello Steven, we meet again," Priyanka said with a sense of authority in her voice. Steven gave a small wave.
"I hope you don't tear apart my room again like last time," Steven gave a small chuckle as he noticed that Priyanka had a slight pep in her voice this time.
"So what are you in here for?"
Steven finally spoke up, "Well, it's kind of a long story, but I ran into some... acquaintances from my past and we got into a fight and the next thing I knew I was taken somewhere and..."
Priyanka interrupted, "Steven, just get to the point."
Steven froze before saying, "I think I might be pregnant."
Priyanka's eyes widened before she suddenly burst into a full hearty laugh, "You? Pregnant? Steven please, don't be silly."
"I said I might be! I just need an expert to tell me!"
Priyanka caught her breath and began, "There are various other possibilities. Worse case scenario is that it is a tumor. The best is that it's an infection that could be treated. Then again you are pretty healthy it would be strange that you suddenly got either of those."
"I need confirmation. How about an ultrasound?"
"If it will make you feel better. Just wait right here."

Steven laid himself on the table as Priyanka walked in with the ultrasound equipment. Steven lifted his shirt as Priyanka applied the gel onto his belly. There was an awkward moment where she wasn't sure if it was okay to spread it over his gem, so she went around it. She pulled out the wand and applied it to his belly and began to move it around.
After some silence Priyanka asked, "So, did you suddenly decide to get a pregnancy test out of nowhere?"
Steven answered, "I started to notice the symptoms."
"It could be hysterical pregnancy... I know it's not my place to ask, but have you and Connie... gotten intimate?"
"No... no! We're taking it slow. Besides I haven't spoken to her in a while."
"I haven't been able to speak with her either. She is a busy body."
"She is so focused on her work."
"One time I asked her to come down to dinner and Doug and I waited for an hour before she came down."
"Really?"
"She was trying to get through her arithmetic. I told her that she should eat first before finishing it.
Steven actually felt comforted by this conversation, but was pulled out when Priyanka suddenly tensed up over something on the monitor.
Steven was worried, "Dr. Maheswaran?"
Priyanka spoke, "I think I found it."
She pointed to the screen and Steven saw a small bean like shape on the screen, "Is that...?"
"I've seen a lot of ultrasounds to know what that is. That is an embryo," Priyanka turned to Steven, "You really are pregnant!"

Steven went through several emotions upon getting confirmation of his pregnancy. He was scared about the things that his body was going to go through and unsure what was to come of him when the baby came. He was worried what everyone else would say about his condition and how they would take it. As he sat in the office with Priyanka looking over the results that she had printed out, his mind continued to race. He was concerned about the solutions she was going to offer and the procedures he would need to take. What if he decided to keep the baby. If he did that, would Jasper be coming for him? He had to make a decision before he was too late.

Priyanka was finished looking at the results and sat in her rolling stool while facing Steven, "Now answer me this. Who else have you told about this?"
Steven was surprised by the question, but answered, "Just Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot."
Priyanka looked confused, "Those are Gems, right?"
"Yes."
"So you haven't told your father or the other Gems?"
"No."
"And definitely not Connie."
"No."
"I can only assume that this is something that we need to confront head on."
Steven's eyes lit up, "You're saying I should keep it?"
"Well, yes... why are you having second thoughts?"
"No no no, I think we should."
Priyanka actually looked relieved, "It's only a matter of time before you have to tell everyone about this. I could tell Connie for you."
"Actually, I think she should hear it from me."
"Okay. Let me get you some medication to take," Priyanka got up and was just about to leave the room when Steven stopped her.
"Dr. Maheswaran, are you concerned about my health?"
Priyanka stopped and looked at Steven with a look of confusion, but answered slowly, "Of course I am. You're having a baby."
As soon as she left the room, Steven stared at the ceiling and marinated on what had just transpired and what he had concluded. He was going to be a father.

Chapter Text

For the next two weeks, Steven tried to follow the guidelines that Priyanka had given him. He ate only certain foods and tried to stay healthy, though this was difficult as his cravings got ludicrous. Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot did everything they could to keep him on the straight and narrow. However, they had to deal with Steven's sudden emotional shifts. One moment, Steven would be having a great conversation and the next moment, he was crying over a commercial about dog food. Peridot made it her goal to chronicle Steven's pregnancy and understand the nuances about it.

"So Steven," Peridot would begin, touchpad in hand, "How would you say that you're feeling right now?"
"Pretty depressed," Steven would utter.
"Interesting," is all Peridot would say while writing down in her touchpad.
Bismuth came by and yanked it from her hands, "Knock it off Peri. We need to support Steven. And Steven needs to tell the others."
"How can I? What if they disapprove of my decision to have this baby?"
Bismuth put her hand on his shoulder, "They'll understand. They're your family."
Lapis and Peridot looked at Steven with support in their eyes.
Steven sighed, "I guess you're right. I've waited long enough."

-

Steven set up his computer and sent a video chat signal to everyone. As he waited patiently for them all to answer, the one that he kept his eye on was the signal for Connie. Out of all of them, she was the one he was most concerned about. The two were looking to have a serious relationship, but had to wait due to Connie's time in college. Steven would meet her during breaks and holidays, but these times always felt fleeting and it always bothered them. Steven's attention quickly shifted when the monitors came on. Greg, Amethyst, Garnet, Pearl and Lars came on screen, but Connie's was still blank. Another missed moment.

"Hey Schtu-ball!" Greg greeted. The others greeted normally.
"Hey guys," Steven answered calmly, "Have you learned anything about Jasper?"
"Well, we asked those around on the Gem Homeworld and a couple of other places, but no dice," Lars answered.
"Dice?" Pearl was confused, "Steven, you did tell Lars that we were looking for Jasper, right?"
Garnet interjected, "Our search has yielded no results. However, we do know that she is part of a collective of Gems who are trying to salvage the 'old ways' of life."
Steven was curious, "The old ways?"
"They call themselves the Gem Conservation Alliance and they have supposedly set up base on one of their abandoned planets."
"Major supervillain league type stuff," Amethyst added, "Their located in a Beta quadrant of space. No Gem has been there in eons!"
"The Beta quadrant? Even I've never traveled there!" Lars was dead serious.
Pearl tried to lighten the mood, "But, we don't have to worry about much because since your run in with Jasper, they have practically disappeared."
Everyone was silent before Steven said, "I don't see how that's a good thing."
Pearl's smile quickly faded.

Greg began, "So, Steven do you have something you need to add?"
Steven was silent and he turned to look at Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot for support who simply gave him a look of confidence.
Steven took a deep breath, "I went to the doctor because I wasn't feeling well."
"Well that's normal after a traumatizing incident," Greg added.
"Yeah, but this was different. I started to feel changes in my body and I went to see Dr. Maheswaran and she told me..."
"Oh my! Steven, it can't be!" Garnet yelled. Her future vision picked up what he was about to say.
Steven looked defeated, "Garnet already knows. I'm pregnant."
There was a sudden silence that you could hear a needle drop. Everyone's eyes were widened and mouth agape, but Pearl had her hands on her mouth.
"Steven, are you sure?" Pearl asked with tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm sure."

Steven explained the situation to everyone and their fears seem to die down when Steven mentioned his chances.
"I don't think it will kill me, but it is going to be difficult. Dr. Maheswaran said that they will most likely perform surgery on me."
Everyone was still silent until Amethyst spoke up, "Wow, I can't believe that you're actually going to go through with this."
"Aren't you freaked out that Jasper is basically using you as a carrier for some future sinister leader!?" Lars frustratingly asked.
"We're just going to have to make sure that doesn't happen," Steven answered.
"Once the baby is born, what will you do with it?" Greg asked.
Steven did not have an answer, but said, "I guess we'll just have to look after it."
"Well whatever you decide to do, we will support your decision every step of the way," Garnet added.
Steven was happy to hear this, "Thanks guys. I got Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot here to keep me company while we figure this out. I'll call you later."
Everyone hung up and once again Pearl struggled to turn her camera off.

Steven felt a sense of relief when he was finished talking to his friends about the pregnancy. Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot once again comforted their friend and told him that things were going to be okay. Steven went into the bathroom to wash his face when he took another good look at himself in the mirror. Out of curiosity, he lifted his shirt and looked at his belly. It was flat, but he could only imagine what was going to happen to him. HIs belly was going to get large and his gem would probably become pronounced. He wish he had asked his dad what his mom was like when she was pregnant with him. He rubbed hid belly, but suddenly became entranced with this action. He pulled himself out and quickly covered his belly with his shirt.

The door bell rang and Steven exited the bathroom and walked to the front door. He passed by all the Gems with an "I'll get it!" and opened it. As soon as Steven opened the door, he was surprised with who was there. It was Connie carrying her rolling tote and with a big smile on her face.
Steven was speechless, "Connie, what are you doing here?"
Connie put her arms around Steven and kissed his cheek, "Surprise, I'm on break!"
Steven hugged Connie back as his head was filled with mixed emotions.

Chapter Text

Steven was still hugging Connie who proceeded to kiss every part of his face. She was finally here. Steven could tell her about what happened and get her opinion, but with the moment of their reunion such a happy one, was telling her that he was pregnant something he should do? He had to be smart about it and his words needed to be true. Steven had spent so much of his childhood harboring feelings for her that he was too afraid to come out with. As they grew up, he became more depressed at the idea of losing her, that he tried to propose to her. When she, rightfully, rejected him, he was heartbroken and on the brink of a meltdown, but eventually came to his senses. Since then, he had tried to give her some space while also keeping a good relationship with her. They were technically boyfriend and girlfriend, but were still in the early phases of a serious relationship and had been trying to be more committed to one another. With Connie here now, Steven didn't want to let her go, but knew that his current predicament was going to be a barrier.

As Connie pulled away, Steven was finally able to get some words out, "It's great to see you."
"I'm happy to see you, too. We can be together!"
At that moment, Bismuth came up from behind, shocking Connie somewhat, "Hey Conns. Haven't seen you in a while."
Connie was perplexed, "Bismuth?"
Lapis and Peridot came out to greet their friend with the latter yelling, "It's the reunion of the Crystal Temps!" She hugged her while Lapis also gave a pat on the shoulder followed by a "What's up?"
Steven chuckled, "Yeah, these guys are here too."
Connie was taken aback, "Okay. Not that I'm trying to be rude, but I thought it would just be the two of us."
"They wanted to come check up on me because... they miss me."
Peridot was confused, "What are you talking about? We're here because of..."
Lapis put her hands over Peridot's mouth, "Steven's new house! He made some adjustments to it."
Connie looked up at it, "Oh yeah. I noticed. Did you reframe the door for Bismuth?"
Steven took the topic, "Yes, I did."
Bismuth played along, "Yep. The door is great, Steven!"

Steven and the Gems helped bring in some of Connie's things. Afterwards, Steven made tea for everyone.
Steven plaintively took a sip, "So what's been happening with you? I've tried calling you several times, but I guess you were busy."
Connie tried to look casual sipping her tea, "Yeah, I've been pretty hulled up with school work. I wanted to call you back, but I thought it would be more fun to surprise you like this."
"Your parents don't know that your here?"
"Nope. I'll call them later. I just wanted to be with you," She turned her attention to the Gems, "But, it's honestly surprising to see you."
Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot tried to not look suspicious until Bismuth said, "You know something? Why don't you two lovebirds go out and enjoy nature. We'll hold down the fort."
Connie was happy, "That's great idea! Steven, you can show me around the woods here!"
Steven was welcoming to the news, "Yeah, I know some places I can show you in town as well."
"Well, lets not waste any time," Connie stood up and stretched. Her shirt slightly lifted to reveal her midriff which actually made Steven blush. He got up and they took each other's hands to walk out the door. Just before they left, Steven turned and looked at the Gems who all gave a thumbs up. Steven followed suit, but his looked nervous.

Steven and Connie went all around town with the former introducing the latter to all the people and places. They ate out took in some of the sights and as the day began to set, ventured into the woods. Steven began to show off all of the spots he liked going to. A clearing where he showed off his tai chi, the top of the waterfall where he meditated and an area where he was growing herbs and spices for his own personal cooking. Connie was impressed with everything he had going for him. They sat in the woods and stared up at the sky as the sun began to set.
"I'm really proud of you Steven. You've really made a life for yourself here," Connie grabbed Steven's arm and leaned on him.
"Yeah, I've been taking care of myself. I have people like you to thank for that."
"I just wish, that I was here to share this experience with you."
"Well, you're here now... until you have to go back to finish college, but still."
"That's just it. I've already got the college blues. Once I graduate, will I even be interested in the topic at hand?"
"Your smart. I know that you can make a difference, no matter what it is you study."
Connie kissed Steven on the lips, "Thanks. I'm just glad that we can be open with each other about these things."
Steven looked nervous, "Open... yeah."
"From here on out, we need to be honest with everything that is happening to us, okay."
Steven gulped, "Sure. We are dating after all."

Steven and Connie headed back to the house. The Gems had left the lights on for them and they entered to see that dinner was made. Or rather something that looked like dinner. The Gems had put together a mishmash of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some popcorn, assorted fruits and milk.
The Gems collectively shouted, "Surprise!" to an amazed Steven and Connie.
Steven started, "Guys, you didn't have to do this."
"We wanted to," said Peridot, "For our favorite couple.
Steven and Connie blushed before sitting down to eat. They invited the Gems, but they turned them down, they didn't even need to eat, and left them alone. The two of them joked about past adventures and some current stories.
Things were going great until Connie said, "Can you imagine what our lives will be like when he settle and have kids?"
Steven nearly choked on his food, "WHAT!?"
Connie was taken aback, "I'm just talking hypothetically."
Steven calmed down, "Yeah, it's just that I was caught off guard."
"Is that a sensitive subject? I'm sorry, we can talk about something else."
"I don't mind, it's just sometimes, I still think about that day," Steven looked down at his food pensively.
Connie regretted her words, "Please, let's change the subject."
Steven reluctantly edged to what he wanted to talk about, "I encountered Jasper a couple of weeks ago."
Connie's eyes lit up, "Really? What happened?"
Steven struggled to continue, "We fought."
Connie covered her mouth, "Oh my gosh, Were you hurt?"
"I bounced back. I.." Steven looked at Connie's face. He couldn't bring himself to tell her what happened to him, "I... got rid of her."
Connie was relieved, "Of course you did."
"She was no match for me," Steven said smugly. Connie was slightly amused.

The rest of the night went well. Steven and Connie watched a medical drama on television together. As they leaned on each other, Steven was thinking about his pregnancy. He wanted to tell her but couldn't bring himself to do it. What was holding him back?
"Steven?" Connie asked sleepily.
"What is it?"
"I'm really happy to be here with you."
"I'm happy that you're here as well."
"The truth is I'm scared about graduating college and I want to know if you'll be there for me."
"Of course I will. I'll always be here for you... You'll be here for me too, right?"
"Sure. I feel like I can tell you anything."
"I feel that way too," Steven said lyingly, "I feel safe when I'm with you... like that you can handle anything that I..."
Steven suddenly realized that Connie had drifted to sleep. She was a snorer, albeit a pretty one. Steven lifted her up in his arms and carried her down the hall to the guest bedroom and laid her on the bed. He removed her shoes and hair pin before kissing her on the forehead. As he exited the room, the Gems suddenly appeared and gave Steven a slight shock.
"Guys, seriously I could've woken her up."
"Did you tell her?" Lapis asked in a confrontational voice.
"No, I didn't."
"Steven you have to tell her eventually. What do you think will happen if you wait too long?" Bismuth asked.
Steven sighed, "I'll tell her when I'm ready. Right now she's here and I don't want her to feel like she's being forced to watch over me. She's going through a lot in college and I don't want to fill up her plate."
"Fill her plate with what?" Peridot asked seriously, "What are you making for her?" Steven rolled his eyes and went to the bathroom.

Steven started brushing his teeth and proceeded to look at himself in the mirror. He noticed a slight fuzz on his face and decided to shave it despite it being the evening. Afterwards, he took a step back and looked down at his belly. He was two weeks pregnant and had thirty-eight to go. He knew that at some point, Connie was going to find out. He lifted his shirt up and rubbed his currently flat stomach. He already began to think about what he would look like with a bigger belly. He started to rub it and began to like the sensation from doing so. Steven went into his bedroom, took out his phone and did a selfie with his belly exposed. He smiled at the photo and got into bed. Steven had some explaining to do to Connie, but for now, he was going to relax in the moment.

Chapter Text

After a week, Connie went back to finish college. Steven didn't tell her about his pregnancy yet and probably wouldn't be able to for another two months. Steven laid in bed, slightly angry at himself for not being open to her about his condition. Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot chose not to accost him anymore about speaking up to her and let him be. As the next two weeks rolled by, Steven began to notice that his pants no longer fit. He looked at himself in the mirror and began to see some slight pudginess in his belly. Steven began to wear sweat pants to accommodate his growing belly and started to look rather homely. As his tastes began to change, he called Priyanka asking if these things were normal to which she sarcastically responded, "For pregnant women, not men." Steven felt uncomfortable talking to her about it. However, he knew that she was justified in her mood due to the fact that Connie chose to have her break with Steven rather than her parents. Steven felt that there might be something going on between them, but thought nothing further of it. One problem at a time.

Steven sat on the couch and watched TV while his friends continued to do various things around the house. The doorbell rang and Steven jumped off the couch, or at least tried to. With his belly getting thicker, he couldn't jump up too quickly and had to take it slowly. As he walked to the door, he called "I'll get it!" and did so. Steven's eyes began to water from what he saw: Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst all standing in front of him with big smiles. "My guys!", Steven yelled.
"I knew you would cry," Garnet said as she leaned in to hug and kiss on the forehead.
"Steven, my little baby!" Pearl cried as she hugged Steven next.
"What up, Steves?" Amethyst casually remarked, fist bumping his shoulder. "I see you're starting to show a little," Amethyst reached for Steven's belly, but Pearl swatted her hand away. Amethyst didn't say a word, but gave her a dirty look.
Greg shoved his way into the house, "Alright ladies, I think the boy's father ought to have some time with him. Hey kiddo."
"Dad!" Steven exclaimed excitedly. He hugged him the hardest before Greg pulled back quickly.
"Yikes, I forgot about your condition."
Steven patted his belly, "No, it's okay. I'm still in the first trimester."

Bismuth, Peridot and Lapis came from behind and were happy to see their friends together. It was one great big reunion and Steven was happy that it briefly took his mind off of recent events. Nevertheless, everyone treated Steven as gently as possible and what started off as a rather serious issue seemed to slowly lapse into that of a special event for everyone. The social event moved to the outside with Steven showing off his little patch of heaven to his family. It was at this moment that Steven slowly began to see that there was a very important reason why they were here.

"So," Steven began, "why are you guys here?"
The Gems looked at each other before Garnet approached Steven, "We have someone you need to meet."
Amethyst went back to the van they came in and pulled out a small box. She opened it to reveal a bubbled ruby.
Steven was shocked, "A Ruby?"
"Lars and the Off Colors captured her and sent her to us," Amethyst smugly stated, "I'm actually surprised they did it."
"Amethyst, don't mock," Pearl added.
Amethyst placed the bubbled Gem down and popped it. Almost immediately the Ruby reformed. It was Eyeball.
"Oh no," Steven said in an annoyed manner.
"At last, we meet again. I'll have my revenge!" Eyeball declared. She lunged at Steven, but he casually put a new bubble up that perfectly trapped her.
Steven squeezed the top of his nose in annoyance, "Why did you guys bring her here?"
"She might have info on your pregnancy," Amethyst declared.
"She might, but she is being very difficult," said Pearl. Steven looked at the feisty Ruby who had given him so much trouble in the past before saying, "You know you're outnumbered, right?" "I won't cease until I have my revenge!" Eyeball declared. Steven finally walked up to Eyeball and leaned down to get to her level, "Look we know that your whole 'revenge' thing is simply you trying to justify your insecurities. You think that by getting rid of me, you're somehow clearing whatever fault you've made in the past. You're not at war with anyone anymore. You do realize that, right?" Eyeball settled down and pouted. She knew he was right, but didn't want to admit it and simply uttered, "What do you want to know?"

Steven went over the events with Eyeball who actually seemed somewhat intrigued with what she was being told. Afterwards, Eyeball gave a response.
"I might know a thing about the GCA and I might not know a thing about the GCA."
"Well, do you?" Peridot asked.
"Of course I do!" Eyeball interjected, "I was messing with you!"
"Well talk!" Amethyst demanded.
"Alls I know is that they hope to use Steven as their vessel for birthing a new Diamond."
"Well we know that, but what else?" Lapis asked.
"Well let me ask you all this... how do humans make babies?" Eyeball's tone changed to genuine curiosity.
Greg stepped up and whispered into Eyeball's ear. Her single eye suddenly widened at the new slew of information.
"That's disgusting!" Eyeball shouted, "But yeah, they're not going to wait around for that."
Steven was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, they're going to cut it out of you," there was almost sinister joy in her voice when she said it, "and they are going to leave your carcass and carry our new leader to..."
Before Eyeball could finish, Bismuth poofed her back into her gem and bubbled her, "Yeah, I think we heard all we needed to hear."
Steven sunk onto the ground with worry.

-

Steven stayed inside for the rest of the day, drinking tea and rubbing his belly. He was no longer thinking about the GCA and instead his mind carried to how he was going to look over the next eight months. Steven couldn't take care of a baby, at least not that this point in his life. Even his father was much older when he came along and he knew that there was no way any of the Gems would have the patience to look after another child. He was only twenty-four and was scared for his life.

Bismuth came inside and sat next to Steven, "Hey buddy, how are you holding up?"
Steven gave an indifferent moan.
"Oh, that bad, huh? You know, I remember many years ago I knew a Gem named Beryl. She was so into nature and she grew obsessed with this egg she found. Everyone kept telling her to put it away, but she insisted on keeping it because she wanted to see a bird hatch out of it and wouldn't you know it, it turned out to be a snake egg. Ha ha!"
Steven looked up and gave a small chuckle, making Bismuth feel good about herself.
"That's funny. What's that got to do with anything?" asked Steven.
"Well, after the snake hatched, she still kept it around. Named it Charles."
"Charles?"
"It looked like a Charles. Anyway, this baby might surprise you, so don't give up on it."
Steven leaned back in his chair and absorbed what Bismuth said.
"This child is going to rely on you, much like how you rely on us. I know I said I wouldn't bring this up again, but I'm pretty sure it would help if Connie knew about this as well."
Steven felt miserable again, but quickly perked up, "Alright, but you have to talk to Pearl about your feelings."
Bismuth knocked herself into a corner, but she rebounded, "Deal. You drive a hard bargain."

Steven and Bismuth chatted some more well into the evening. He began to feel a little better, though still felt unprepared for what was to come. He knew that the GCA would be coming for him and he needed all the help he could get. Steven once again went into the bathroom and took another photo of himself. It started to become a habit and Steven was not sure why he was growing to love this ritual, but he continued washing up before going to bed. Steven looked up at the ceiling as his worries began to vanish and he dozed peacefully.

Chapter Text

Steven had entered his second month and his symptoms began to settle. Since he was showing more, he started to look like he had a beer belly which could only hide his pregnancy for so long. Steven continued to give into his cravings which got to the point that even Amethyst became slightly freaked out by it. He was happy to have support from those around him, but he was still unnerved by the predicament he had gotten himself into. He was having a baby and there was nothing he could do about it. He decided to set up a follow up appointment with Priyanka; something he was slightly dreading. He still had no idea where he was relationship wise with her and he was afraid to bring up Connie around her. Nevertheless, he knew that she was the only one that could diagnose him properly and once again set out alone to see her.

Steven found himself in the waiting room again and once again got called in to see Priyanka. She didn't look as intimidating as before, but she did look like she was slightly annoyed at having to deal with him, though he silently admitted that it was probably because of the work day she'd been having.
"So," Steven began, "how's work?"
"Fine," Priyanka answered bluntly as she pulled out the usual equipment. She began to feel up Steven's sides and press on areas of his belly while cautiously moving around his gem, "You're progressing nicely. I need to perform another ultrasound."
Once again, Steven had the gel sprayed on his belly and the wand moved about. Priyanka looked and saw that the fetus had gotten bigger, "Here's your baby, growing like babies usually do," she said bluntly.
Steven looked at the image on the screen and suddenly a whirlwind of emotions came up. He started to feel empathy for the small defenseless being that was growing inside of him, "It's so small."
"Fetuses tend to start off small, then they get big and then want out," Priyanka added in an apathetic tone.
Steven started to get perturbed by Priyanka and finally blurted, "Do you hate me?"
Priyanka looked up shocked, "What?"
"Do you hate me? I'm sorry that Connie didn't come stay with you! I'm sorry about disrupting your life! And I'm sorry that you're disturbed having to deal with a freak of nature right now! I know that you don't like me so just say it!"
Priyanka was taken aback, "I... I don't hate you. I just...," Priyanka had difficulty finishing her sentence, "I just want to know... is she going to be safe."
Steven was caught off guard, "What?"
"Is Connie going to be safe with you? Believe me, I don't hate you it's just that my big concern is my daughter. I have the right to be protective of her and I need to know right now if she is going to be safe with you," Priyanka pointed at Steven's belly, "Is she going to be okay with this?"
Steven laid his head back. He didn't have an answer because he failed at telling her about it. Priyanka spoke up, "Listen, I know I've been pretty stern lately, but I just want to know how you're feeling right now."

Steven was embarrassed. He felt like he had failed Priyanka and Connie and wanted to disappear before saying, "You act like you don't want to be around me."
Priyanka had a feeling of guilt. She was being rather difficult with him. She didn't hate him, or at least she didn't want to. He was doing the Steven thing of pointing out a flaw and forcing them to come to grips with it. She finally said, "I'm mad at myself for not knowing you better. I know bits and pieces about your Gem life and what Connie tells me, but I don't know... you. The Steven you."
Steven felt the sense of dread washing away and was breaking through to Priyanka. He started to see a vulnerable side to her that he had never seen before, but it made him feel better. "I... really like your daughter, but sometimes I wonder how she puts up with me."
Priyanka's eyes widened, "Really? Because she hardly ever says anything negative about you."
"Seriously?"
Priyanka leaned in, "Confidentially speaking, she told me that she thinks you looked cuter when you were husky."
Steven began to laugh, "Seriously? I guess I lost the weight for nothing."
"Have her cook for you and I don't think that will be a problem."
Steven and Priyanka began to laugh. They started to talk about their personal lives. Steven finally told her what it was like living with three "moms" while Priyanka detailed moving to Beach City for the first time and being afraid that Connie wouldn't make any friends.

Nearing the end of the conversation, Priyanka added, "You're having a girl by the way."
Steven's eyes lit up, "A girl?"
"Yes. I don't know how you feel about that, but the fetus is already showing."
Steven suddenly felt a sense of pride and smiled before saying, "Thank you, Dr. Maheswaran."
"Please, call me Priyanka."
Steven smiled as he looked at the screen to see his girl resting snuggly inside of him.

-

Steven returned to his home where Greg and the Gems were all performing various chores around the house. Steven didn't need it, but Pearl talked everyone into doing it. As he entered, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and went to him to see if he was doing okay. Steven with a big smile on his face proceeded to hug and dance with his friends and family. Understandably, they were all confused by his behavior, but they were glad to see that he was okay. Steven went into the bathroom and took another picture of himself. He cycled through the photos and saw what his belly was like a couple of weeks ago. He looked down at his small bump and began to rub it. The feeling felt good and as he drifted, he had to pull himself out of the feeling. He was going to have a girl. What would that mean for him? Steven realized that at this point he had no other option, but to keep the child.

Steven walked out of the bathroom to Greg and the Gems who all stood around him, waiting for an answer to his actions.
"Well?" Amethyst asked.
"I'm going to keep her," Steven said in a loud and clear voice.
Everyone stood in a silence for a moment before they all let out a sigh of relief with a mixture of "Thank goodness!" and "Of course!"
"Wait a minute," Bismuth began, "You said 'her'?"
Steven smiled with his hands on his belly, "It's a girl."
"Wow, that's really something," Lapis said.
"A little girl, huh. That oughta be something," Amethyst added.
"How do you know it's a girl?" Peridot asked.
"Because the doctor told me," Steven said in a confused tone.
"Uh huh," Peridot wondered off to think about it.
"You know what this means, right?" Greg asked, "I'm gonna be a grandpa already and my hair's not even grey, yet."
Pearl went up from behind and yanked a strand from his head, "Here's one."
Greg looked at it in annoyance, "Gee thanks."

Garnet walked up to Steven and put her hands on his shoulders, "Steven, this baby is going to change your life."
"I know. You must've had trouble raising me when I came around."
"I'm not just talking about that. Your mother had to give up her life in order for you to live, but you won't need to because you are half human. You get to be a part of your baby's life and that is incredible. The responsibility that you will have to uphold for a living thing is something you cannot just sweep aside. Steven, do you think you can handle raising a child, especially at a young age?"
Steven looked at his belly and looked back up at Garnet, "I think I can."
Garnet kissed his forehead as Steven joined everyone to celebrate.

-

Steven was in bed and looked at the ceiling. He still had work to do and still needed to come clean to Connie about his condition. In the meantime, Steven was going to bask in the glow in his accepted role of being a mother or father. He started to think back to when he learned that Greg and Rose (Pink Diamond) were trying to decide on his name, Steven or Nora. In a moment of clarity, Steven gasped and looked down at his belly. "You need a name right now. And since you're a girl, I guess I'll just call you Nora. I don't think you can hear me right now, but I think that's a name that will suit you." Steven had a very positive feeling in his stomach that spread to the rest of his body. He laid back down in bed and smiled. He couldn't wait to meet Nora.

Chapter Text

Steven had spent the next month embracing the idea of motherhood. He began to make changes around the house to accommodate for his baby's arrival. Greg and the Gems had to remind him that he was only in his third month and that the baby was not for quite some time, but Steven would declare, "You can never be too prepared!" He started reverting to his more effeminate characteristics he had when he was a kid and had no idea how serious the Gem War was. He also tried to forget about Jasper and the GCA with the Gems trying to caution him about the threat they posed. To him, his only concern was to focus on the baby and her future. Underneath it all, Steven was still thinking about Connie and was concerned about how she would take the news of his pregnancy. He would sooth himself with the knowledge that she would always be with him no matter what and was trying to find the right way to break it to her. In the meantime, Steven was trying to push Bismuth into talking to Pearl and while they had some private moments together, neither of them have made a move on each other, disappointing him.

In his fourth month, Steven hid a road block. He could no longer get away with wearing sweatpants and had to wear something more presentable. Not only that, but his larger shirts were barely covering his belly now and he was starting to feel very indecent with his appearance. Suddenly, Steven began to meander around the house with his pants undone and his shirt slightly lifted from the hem, and began crying into the couch. Amethyst and Peridot were playing video games during one of Steven's cries and were very concerned.
"Hey, Steven," Amethyst said in a very confused tone, "What's wrong buddy?"
"I'm fat!" Steven cried.
"That's not unusual for you. You used to be fat before, you know," Peridot said bluntly.
This did nothing to quell Steven who cried louder and Amethyst punched Peridot in the shoulder.
"Look Steve, don't think about it as getting fat. Think about it as 'making room' for the baby," Amethyst said.
Steven's crying calmed down and he looked at the two, "Really?"
Amethyst nudged Peridot, "Yeah. It is very important that the baby have bigger space for their vessel."
Steven wiped his eyes and sat up. He was quiet for a moment before saying, "I want food."
Amethyst and Peridot were screwed.

-

Due to a prior discount with the t-shirt company that he worked with in the past, Greg was able to secure bigger shirts for Steven. Pearl took a down to earth approach and made a couple of, what were essentially, muumuus. Steven wore one and felt that it made him look too big and decided to stick with the shirts, though he knew that he would have to wear the muumuu eventually. Steven also began to buy jeans that were stretch fit to handle his growing waistline and, for the first time, decided to wear something other than his usual sandals. Steven began to wear slip-on loafers which he found odd to wear. He usually wore full shoes when it got cold out, but in moderate and even hot temperatures, Steven felt a little constricted.

Steven was watching cat videos on his laptop in bed when he got a text from Connie. Steven immediately shot up to read: "Miss U! Finished with college. Will have private graduation and then meet up w/ u! <3" Steven's eyes bugged out. Connie was coming and this time might stay permanently. Steven put his laptop aside and edged himself out of bed. He slightly fell to the floor, but he recovered and ran out of his room in a panic. He immediately addressed the first people he saw in the living room (Greg, Bismuth, Peridot and Amethyst) with the news.
"Guys! Guys! Connie is coming over I need to find a way to hide this pregnancy!" Bismuth got a smug look on her face, "Or you can just talk to her directly about it as if you made a special a deal with a close friend to get something done."
Steven pulled back, he was cornered, "Yeah, I can do that too."
"So is she done with college?" Greg inquired
"Yeah, she said she was going to have a private graduation. She really wants to see me and I think I may have waited too long to tell her about this."
"Pfff, I'll say," Amethyst interjected.
Greg looked at Amethyst with annoyance before turning to Steven, "Look, the point is, you won't be alone in this. We'll make you feel as comfortable as possible," Greg then touched Steven's belly, "Besides, I'm pretty sure she will understand this."
Steven felt a little better. He had time to prepare and hearing his father's words was comforting to him, "Thanks, dad."

-

It didn't take too long for Connie to arrive. Steven had a week to prepare and had cleaned up his house to look nice. He also convinced Greg and the Gems to go camping out in the woods so that he and Connie could have the house to themselves for the night. He started looking through his clothes, all of which looked the same, and picked the one he felt "spoke to him", much to everyone's confusion. Steven wore his trademark attire, but switched out his sandals for loafers. Honestly, you looked really good it you didn't draw attention to his belly. Steven looked at himself in the mirror and saw the same dumb kid he was many years ago. He felt wiser and more mature and loved himself for who he was. As he looked at his belly, he suddenly got a strange feeling. An almost unnerving feeling as if things were not going to go the way he wanted them to. As this feeling began to worsen, the doorbell rang and Steven was pulled out of his funk and rushed to the door. He opened it to find his beloved Connie standing there in a blue dress looking cute as ever. They stared at each other in total enamored silence; happy that they were finally together again.

Connie couldn't resist and dropped her bags and ran up and hugged Steven tightly while kissing his cheek. All worry began to leave Steven until she suddenly pulled herself away in confusion.
Steven looked nervous, "What's the matter?"
Connie looked Steven up and down, "Did you gain weight?"
Steven looked down at himself and chuckled before saying, "Yeah, I got into my old food habits again," he said lyingly, "I couldn't stay a vegan for long."
Connie shook her head in amusement, "Oh, Steven. You're so..."
"Schmaltzy," Steven added in confidence.
"Yeah that." She leaned in and kissed him on the lips before going inside. Steven adjusted his pink letterman jacket before going inside as well.

Steven and Connie spent the evening conversing and catching up with one another while also watching their favorite bad medical drama "Under the Knife". Steven liked these moments and he knew that Connie was enjoying being with him. They began to talk about their future together and what to do. Connie clearly had a long term plan as opposed to Steven was was hoping to "make it up" as they went along.
Finally, Connie said, "You know, I was really scared about what the future was holding for us, but when I'm with you, I feel prepared."
Steven smiled, "I'm glad you think that. There are... some things I want to get off my chest, but I want you to feel comfortable. I need to be comfortable."
"Is something wrong?"
"I... really missed you."
They proceeded to kiss, but this time, it felt more passionate. Steven never felt this sudden pull, but he was embracing it. Connie had her arms wrapped around Steven and had apparently forgotten about his girth when a new feeling came over Steven. It felt like, the baby within him was trying to move. She kicked! Steven never felt her kick before, but it had happened at the worst possible moment because Connie knew something was up and pulled back.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" Steven asked nervously.
"It felt like something poked me!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Connie looked at Steven intently, "Steven, what's going on? Please tell me. I don't want to be left in the dark again."
Connie took Steven's hands and looked at him in the eyes. He couldn't resist them and how beautiful she looked.

Steven took a deep breath and stood up, "Four months ago, when Jasper came, I didn't defeat her. She knocked me out and took me somewhere and... did something to me. I woke up outside my house and I wasn't sure what happened, but sometime later I began to have these weird symptoms and I..." Steven paused and was clearly having difficulty getting out the next sentence.
Connie got up and held his hands, "Steven, it's okay. I won't judge. What happened?"
Steven looked at her and his eyes began to water, "Connie I... I'm pregnant."
"What?"
"I'm... I'm pregnant and I don't know what I'm going to do. I want to keep the baby, but I'm not sure if I can take care of her and..." Steven began to slowly tear up as Connie sat him down.
"Steven, Steven, take a deep breath! Just look at me. Are you sure?"
Steven nodded.
"Who else knows?"
Steven looked up at her, "My dad, the Gems and... I also told Priyanka."
"My mom knows about this!?"
"I know what I did was stupid, but I was afraid to tell you! I didn't want you worrying about me!"
"Steven, I'm your girlfriend! I'm always going to be worried about you!"
"Are you angry with me?"
Connie leaned back on the sofa. She definitely looked exhausted, "I am, but I get it. I know that it's difficult, but we can work through this."
Steven also leaned back on the sofa when Connie suddenly began to laugh.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Does it make me bad that I kind of had a fantasy about this happening to you?"
Steven also began to laugh as he dried his tears, "I'm that predictable, huh?"
Both of their laughter died down before Connie spoke, "This is really freaky, but I guess it can't be helped... you said her. So it's a girl."
"Yeah."
"What's her name?"
"Nora."
Connie placed her hand on Steven's belly, "We can figure this out. Don't underestimate me, okay?"
Steven smiled, "Okay," he grabbed her other hand and put both of them on his belly. They waited for another kick, but nothing came.

Chapter Text

Things began to get easier for Steven. Connie was finally with him, but the circumstances were not perfect like he had hoped. She became very protective of him and tried to get him to be more conscious of himself and his surroundings. Despite him not liking it, he knew that it was for the best. Greg and the Gems hung around Steven to make sure that he was okay. Peridot took her job seriously as a "Steven Guard" and would map out complex situations and scenarios for when Jasper or the GCA showed up. Steven was usually in bliss, but would suddenly become depressed at the mention of them. Upon entering his fifth month, Steven found it harder for his shirts to reach below his belly and was forced to switch to wearing the muumuu Pearl made for him. It had the same light blue hue to it with the star, but had other patterns on it that made it look native. Steven was embarrassed for having to wear it, but it eventually grew on him.

Connie had to get Steven out of the house and out into the world. Steven was afraid of being confronted in public about his appearance. He hadn't spoken with anyone in Forrest Town for quite sometime ever since he began his journey into motherhood.
"I don't know if I want to do this," Steven said nervously.
"It'll be alright, Steven. I'll be right with you," Connie said holding onto his arm in a loving fashion.
As they walked into town, an older woman in gaudy clothing approached them. Her name was Victoria and she always admired Steven.
"Steven, darling!" Victoria cried as she saw him in the street, "I haven't seen you in almost ages! And who is this lovely creature with you?"
"Hey Victoria, this is Connie; my girlfriend I told you about," Steven greeted casually.
"So, this is the Constance I have heard so much about," Victoria said in an authoritative voice, "Pleasure."
Connie was slightly embarrassed and turned to Steven, "Nobody has called me 'Constance' in forever."
"It certainly looks like you have disappeared," Victoria began, "It appears you have gained weight since the last time we have conversed."
"Steven has a reason for that," Connie started, though Steven motioned to quiet her.
"I do have a reason," Steven looked at Connie who urged him, "I'm... pregnant."
Victoria's eyes widened and after a brief pause stated, "You young millennials and your newfound ways of doing things. Woman finding complex jobs and men now carrying the children, how queer. Then again, I think I would take great pleasure in watching my husband have a child," she let out a big laugh as she pondered the thought.

Steven and Connie got similar reactions to the people in Forrest Town. Some were indifferent to hearing about a pregnant cisgender boy while others treated it the same way they heard the news of a pregnant woman. Steven began to feel better about his condition, but he felt bad for underestimating Connie's reaction and now had the same emotions for underestimating his neighbors. The only thing that bothered him was that everyone seemed to think that Steven's biggest concern was getting fat, as opposed to it being that he was a boy having a baby.
Steven and Connie spoke with a ten year old named Charlie who thought the same thing, "It's okay Mr. Steven, my mom also has a baby in her belly and is sad because she's fat."
"That's not really the issue," Steven said.
"You can just do what mom and dad do and go do exercises and stuff," Charlie said innocently.
"You mean Lamaze classes? Steven that sounds like a great idea," Connie said shaking his arm excitedly.
After Steven balanced himself he responded, "I guess that's not a bad idea."

-

Steven and Connie wore more comfortable clothing to Lamaze and sat in a circle with other expecting couples. Charlie's parents were there; looking like typical new wave, white bread types. A young Chinese-American couple was there, both of them wearing glasses and the wife looking smaller than she should be with her belly as big as it was. An Afro-Cuban woman with her hair done up in an afro and her Caucasian husband was lovingly rubbing her shoulders. A woman with a punk hairstyle, looking like she didn't want to be there and her wife who looked like a hipster was holding her hand and whispering into her ear, which seemed to cheer her up. The instructor was a woman who Steven and Connie couldn't help, but felt looked like a human version of Pearl and even sounded like her, though she was much more calmer and spoke with a softer voice. She too was pregnant and glided into the room in such a way that Steven was slightly enamored with her presence.
"Good morning, everyone. I see some new faces so I will introduce myself. My name is Paula, I am seven months pregnant and I plan to name my child Leaf so that he is one with the wind." She made some unusual hand gestures as she said this, "Now introduce yourselves for the newcomers."
Charlie's mother spoke, "My name is Mary, this is my husband Randy and I am six months pregnant with a daughter we plan to name Clarissa."
The Chinese-American woman quietly spoke up, "My name is Lily, this is Peter, I am eight months pregnant and we are thinking of naming him Ryan."
The Afro-Cuban woman excitedly piped up, "My name is Andrea this is my husband Toby, I am five months pregnant and our kid will be named Zachary!"
The punk woman gave a soft smile and spoke, "I'm Donna, this is Tina, I'm in my seventh and we're going with Travis."
Steven was next, he was nervous, but Connie gave him an assuring look, "I'm Steven, this is my girlfriend Connie, I'm... five months pregnant and I'm going to name her... Nora."
There was a slight pause before everyone unanimously greeted with, "Hi Steven and Connie."
"As you can see," Paula began, "we have our first male pregnant member here. I never thought I'd see the day."
Andrea leaned over to Connie, "You must be really lucky." Steven laughed at this

The class continued on as normal, but all throughout, the other moms to be would take notice of how happy Steven looked being pregnant with the others.
"You're not concerned about having a baby?" Mary asked.
"I was, but now I feel really good about it," Steven answered positively.
"I hope you don't feel left out," Lily told Connie.
"As long as Steven is happy, I'm... happy too," Connie answered back.
"So, how the heck are you going to give birth?" Donna asked in a somewhat cynical tone.
"Connie's mother is a doctor. She has the whole thing set up," Steven said.
"It's about time we got some men doing the tough work," Donna said with a light tap on her belly.
"Now, now," began Tina, "how the women do it is important too."
"I think it's wonderful how you're all going through this. I see how it can be tough, but also amazing," Steven said earnestly.
"That's the spirit!" Andrea responded.
"No offense, but I don't think you'll be seeing me go through that," Toby added, "But anyway good for you."
"Thanks, Toby," Steven said.
As the friendly conversation continued, Connie began to feel less and less part of the conversation. She didn't notice at first, but she got a strange sense of displacement as the class went on.

"Now, mommys and daddys," Paula declared, "we will take part in some breathing exercises. The moms to be will sit crossed legged and their partners sit behind them. I want you to hold the other's hand and breath in and out together while rocking your body back and forth."
Everyone followed suit, but while everyone was in tune, Connie began to look around the room and looked at Steven. She started to notice how strange it was for her to be in the position that she figured Steven should be in. As she lost the momentum, Steven addressed her.
"Connie are you okay?" he whispered.
"I'm fine. Sorry"
They continued, but they fell out of sync again.
"Connie, what's happening. You're out of rhythm, and you usually have good rhythm," Steven's voice grew concerned.
"I'm sorry, Steven," Connie responded in a rushed manner. As she did so she wrapped her hand around his belly and felt a strong kick from the baby.
"Oooh!" Steven declared.
Everyone stopped and looked over at the two. "Is something wrong?" Paula asked.
"My baby kicked!" Steven answered.
Everyone was happy and giving him compliments. Steven turned around, "Feel it!"
Connie looked nervous and after a brief pause blurted, "I gotta go!" She stood up and ran out of the building.
Steven was stunned. Was she abandoning him? He suddenly had a vision in his head of being a single parent and without the person he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. He hastily stood up gave a quick thank you to the everyone and ran, or rather waddled, out the building.

-

Steven managed to make it back to the house. He was glad to see that Connie's car was still there and rushed through the front door, sweating and panting. Greg and the Gems were in the living room and saw Steven in an intense emotional state.
"Steven! What's happening? Have you and Connie broken up? Are you going to be a single parent?" Pearl said in a highly worried tone.
Garnet grabbed Pearl and pulled her back, "Give him some space! Connie is in her room. She won't go anywhere."
"Thank you Garnet," Steven was slightly happy.
As he walked to her room, he saw Bismuth putting her hands on Pearl's shoulder which gave him some relief. He went down the hall and knocked on her door. They agreed that they would have separate bedrooms for the time being as he wanted to give her some privacy. He didn't hear a response and leaned on the door.
"Connie it's me. You kind of left me back there. I ran here and... well you know... extra weight," no response, "Is the door unlocked? I'm coming in if it is," Thankfully, it was.
Steven walked in and saw Connie lying in a fetal position on her bed. He walked up and sat on one end of it while looking at her.
"I know this must be strange for you, but I can't help with what's happening to me. I'm having a baby and I have to see it through. If you don't want to be a part of that then... I understand. Having a baby this early is scary and this was pretty unexpected.
"It's not that," Connie finally spoke as she sat up, wiped her tears and looked at him, "You wear it wonderfully. You were practically born for this kind of thing. I wasn't kidding when I said I imagined you going through this. I'm really happy you're taking responsibility."
"Then why did you run and why are you sad?"
"Because... I wish I was the one carrying the baby," Steven was surprised as Connie wiped another tear, "I wanted to be the one to experience all the things you're going through. I know that sounds selfish, but... it hurts to know that the baby isn't mine. When the baby comes, how can she love me when I'm not her mother?"
Steven stood up and walked over to Connie with his belly just up to her face. He lifted his shirt as she stared at his familiar gem stomach. Steven smiled, "Well, she kicked when you touched her. I think she already likes you and maybe wants to know you better. Try telling her that."
Connie blushed, but she went ahead and put her hands on the side of her belly and stared directly at the spot where his gem was, "Hi, Nora. I'm not sure if you know me that well, but I really like your dad and well... I really want to like you. I know how weird this is, but give me a chance and I think we can make this work."
Almost immediately afterwards, Nora let off another kick that surprised both of them. Steven began to laugh and Connie was so overjoyed that she planted a kiss right on his belly before pulling away. They looked at each other and were filled with happy emotions. Connie placed her ear on Steven's belly as she began to stroke her hair. It may not have been what either of them wanted, but it was a moment that they needed.

Chapter Text

Steven was in his sixth month and stood in his bathroom; looking at himself in the mirror. As he stared at his body longingly, he began to be filled with intense emotions. He began to sob over his appearance and shouted for Connie. Moments later, she entered the bathroom in a rush with her hair all messy and wearing a loose fitting shirt.
"Steven! What's the matter?"
Steven turned to look at her, "I'm so ugly!"
Connie looked annoyed, but she walked over and put her arms around him, "There, there. You're not ugly."
Steven began to calm down, "Really?"
"Of course. I still love you," she bent down and examined his belly, "and I love you, too," and planted a kiss.
Steven wiped his face, "I know I've been a real handful for you and I'm probably being the biggest nuisance in the world, but I really do appreciate you."
Connie smiled, "I know. I'm great."

-

As Steven entered the living room where everyone was, Pearl ran up and put her arms around Steven, "Steven! How are you? I heard you crying. Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"
Steven removed her arms, "I'm fine Pearl, I was just having a pregnancy moment."
"I hope you don't have more moments like that," Amethyst said, "I don't think I can wake up to that."
"Why don't you just stay awake? You know we don't need to sleep!" said Peridot.
"I know, I just love doing it." Amethyst smugly answered.
Connie went up and put her arm around Steven, "He's going through some things. We all need to support him."
"What's happening to Steven is very special," Garnet interjected, "we need to remain committed to protecting him and the baby."
Greg walked over to Steven, "You're very lucky. You have a lot of friends and family here to support you. I had to raise you by myself."
"Hey, we helped!" said Amethyst.
"Yeah, you 'helped'," Greg made quotations.
Steven looked at his belly, "This still feels very unreal, but I'm happy that you're all here for me and Nora."
"You know we might be able to get some information from the Incubator," said Lapis.
Everyone looked at her in surprise. "The what?" Steven asked.
"I don't know why I didn't think about it before, but thousands of years ago, there was a place called the Incubator where they experimented on Gem reproduction."
Pearl slapped her forehead, "Of course! The Incubator! Why didn't I think of that?" she grabbed Bismuth's arm and started hopping up and down, "We should go there!"
"I take it, it was one of those places that the Diamonds abandoned," Bismuth deduced.
"Did they impregnate humans there?" Greg asked.
"No... I don't think so... no definitely not! At least not that I know of," Pearl said honestly.
"We should at least check this Incubator place out and see if there is any information about how they impregnated Steven," Peridot said.
"I should come and see for myself," Steven said with determination in his voice.
Connie held him back, "Steven, it's dangerous for you. You're six months pregnant!"
"That's why you'll be there with me," Steven said positively, "You're strong and you'll be able to protect me."
Connie blushed at this, "I suppose so. Alright, but I'm not letting you out of my sight."

-

Steven, Connie, Bismuth, Pearl, Peridot and Amethyst all arrived on an area that was clearly taken over by the Gems at one point before getting abandoned. A desolate landscape that may have been lush at one point now a product of the long finished Gem war. A large cube shaped building stood in what now looked like a rock quarry, The heroes all stood in front of the structure; all were filled with the same dread that they had all known at one point. Everyone stood dynamically in front of it except for Steven and Connie. Steven stood with one hand on his back and another on his belly while Connie had her arm over his shoulder and the other also on his belly.
Amethyst looked over at the two of them, "Heh, you guys look like a couple of dorks."
"Amethyst!" Pearl said in a admonishing tone.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go in and raid the place for its secrets and technology... I mean find out how they knocked up Steven and junk," Peridot said.
Just as they all approached the building, Connie addressed Steven, "Are you sure you want to go in like this? We can wait outside together."
"I have to know everything about this. I need to know if there's anything wrong with the baby. Something Priyanka might not be able to see," He rubbed his belly as he said this.
"Okay. I'm not letting you go."

The group went inside and were greeted by walls and walls of incubation pods. There was equipment scattered everywhere; some of it looked broken while others looked like they were still in good condition. One thing was for certain, the incubation pods were all empty which allowed a sense of relief from the group.
"Yep, another dead Gem factory," said Amethyst.
"Or is it?" Peridot added.
"We should look around," Bismuth suggested, "I'll take Amethyst and Peridot can go with Pearl."
"Why don't you go with Pearl and Amethyst take Peridot?" Steven suggested.
Bismuth froze and turned to look at Steven in a slightly nervous manner with Pearl asking, "Why that particular pairing?"
Steven paused for a moment, but then said, "You and Bismuth are tall and compliment each other with brains and brawns. Peridot and Amethyst are both short."
The Gems looked at each other before Peridot said, "I'm not sure I follow, but I like your thinking Steven. Come on Amethyst, short power!"
Peridot ran off in a random direction followed by an unenthusiastic Amethyst humorously saying, "Meh."
Pearl walked up to Bismuth, "So, are you ready for some exploring?"
"Um, sure," Bismuth said as she turned around to look at a smug Steven. Pearl grabbed her hand and lead her away, causing her to blush.

Steven and Connie attempted to navigate the premises, but didn't get far. Steven was breathing hard and Connie took him and sat him down on a fallen over block that could have easily been mistaken for a bench.
"I don't want to stop," Steven said after catching his breath.
"Well, too bad," Connie said with humor in her voice.
"I'm only six months and I already feel tired. I thought that didn't happen until the third trimester."
"You are cutting it close. And besides, it is a Gem baby. I bet she needs a lot of energy."
Steven was finally calm when suddenly he said, "I'm hungry already."
Connie pulled her bag out, "Good for you, I came prepared. I have bottled water, bananas for potassium, strawberries for vitamin c and some legumes."
"Great!" Steven said as he began to munch on the snacks.
"I've been looking up foods you should eat while pregnant."
"Thanks," Steven continued to eat, but after a while noticed that Connie was staring at him in a very intimate manner which caused her to look away shyly.
Steven put down the food, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You eat like a pregnant woman. I think it's cute."
"You think I look cute pregnant?" Steven was smiling.
"I didn't say that."
"But you like me like this, don't you?"
"It is adorable," Connie began to cover her face.
Steven slowly lowered her hands, "You're happy that I'm happy, aren't you?"
Connie finally looked Steven in the face, "I... know I'm not the baby's mother, but I want you to feel comfortable and healthy when the baby arrives."
Steven's expression became serious. He held her head up to look directly at him, "I don't care that the baby came from other Gems. You've been very supportive and probably had to deal with me the most. You're looking after my health and the baby's well being, you've been taking me to Lamaze and giving me the right foods to eat. As far as I'm concerned, you are the mother of this baby. I want you to be a part of her life, not just mine. She's... our baby."
Connie's eyes were filled with hope, "Oh, Steven," she leaned in and passionately kissed him and the two started to become intense. Steven briefly had to pull away when Nora began to kick him. They looked down at his belly and back at each other where they chuckled and went back into kissing each other. Neither of them wanted the moment to end.
"Am I interrupting something?" Bismuth unexpectedly returned and shocked Steven and Connie back to being separate.
"Where did you come from?" Steven asked incredulously.
"Pearl and I didn't find anything."
Pearl came out from behind, "This place is a maze, I doubt Amethyst and Peridot found anything."
"We found something!" Peridot yelled as she run up and directed everyone to follow her. Pearl and Bismuth immediately tailed her while Connie had to help Steven up and walked him in their direction.

The gang grouped into a room that looked familiar to Steven. It looked like a surgical room with various monitors including one that was still powered. Steven removed himself from Connie's grip and examined the room including the bed in the middle of the room. As he looked around, his eyes widened.
"Steven, what is it?" Connie asked concerned.
"This was it. I thought I was on a spaceship, but Jasper took me here. This is the place where I became pregnant!" Nora kicked Steven again which alarmed him and he began to rub his belly. Connie ran up and grabbed his arm.
"That would probably explain this," Amethyst directed toward a video screen and pushed a button that began to play.
On the screen was the tall lanky Gem that Steven recalled from his vision. It was a Jade who was tall and lanky and had crystalline hair with a pointed nose. She had a long thin smile and spoke with a rather young sounding voice. "Jade here. I have just been given the opportunity of a lifetime. I am going to be experimenting on the infamous hybrid known as Steven Universe! A half human half Gem who has forever changed the course of Gem history. With the research I have conducted, I believe that he is not only capable of reproduction, but that we can recreate the same process that Rose Quartz, a.k.a Pink Diamond, experienced when she birthed her offspring. We think that..."
Amethyst fast forwarded the video, "Yeah so she pretty much said the exact same thing that we figured out. Steven can't give up his physical form so they are going to remove the baby from him instead."
"Oh, well I guess there isn't really anything else we need to know," Steven said assuredly.
"That's what we thought, but then Peridot found this," Amethyst stopped the video.
Jade came on, "I have made a terrible mistake..."
"This is after you got impregnated," Peridot added.
"I manage to successfully impregnate the hybrid known as Steven Universe with a perfect Gem embryo, possibly the first of its kind. However, there were unforeseen circumstances. While Steven can carry the baby to term, the birthing will be difficult. If not properly treated... both Steven and the baby could die!" Everyone let out a gasp; Steven clutched his belly, "Jasper won't listen to reason. She believes that a forceful c-section is the solution, but... it's more complicated than that. I wanted to help the GCA because I believed in their cause, but all they want is blind destruction! I must flee with my work before...," something off screen drew her attention, "What are you doing here? You shouldn't...," the camera went out.

After it was all said and done, Bismuth and Pearl were in utter shock, Peridot and Amethyst could only recollect what they had already heard. Connie turned and realized that Steven was gone. He had stepped out of the room and was sitting on the block from earlier, rubbing his belly while trying the fight back tears. Everyone came up to him to see if he was okay and he had turned to address them.
"If I had to choose between my life and Nora's... Nora would need to live."
Connie sat next to him, "Don't say that. You're going to hold your baby in your arms and raise her... with me."
Steven turned to look at her and saw that she was crying which allowed him to cry too.
"Yeah, we just gotta find this Jade and get her to help us out," Bismuth said assuredly.
Amethyst ran up and put her hand on Steven's shoulder, "We won't let you or the kid die on us!"
Pearl stood in a very heroic stance, "I lost a loved one once, I'm not going to let it happen again."
"It'll be tricky, but I think with the tech hear, I can get an idea of where Jade and the GCA are," Peridot positively added.
Steven wiped his tears, "Thank you all. I think we can do this," as soon as he said that Nora gave another kick as if to say that she too was on board.

Chapter Text

The doctor's office, no longer felt like a place of dread, but instead like a safe haven for Steven to go to. He laid out on the table with his belly exposed while Connie held his hand for support. Priyanka moved the wand over his gelled belly as she attempted to look for the child on the ultrasound.
"Ooh," Steven moaned, "That's still cold."
"You never get used to it," Priyanka said, "I used to do my own ultrasounds when this gal was rooming in me."
"Mom," Connie said embarrassed.
"I just have to be careful I don't bump into that gem of yours," she said as she cautiously moved the wand around it, "It doesn't hurt if I bump into it, does it?"
Steven looked at the gem, "You know, I'm not really sure. I feel it when I touch it, but only from my fingers, not from the gem itself. It did get pulled out me once."
"Are you sure that's something you want to bring up?" Connie asked, "I was pretty traumatized seeing you like that."
"I won't talk about it anymore," Steven said assuredly.
"There's little Nora!" Priyanka said excitedly.
Steven and Connie looked and saw the seven month fetus forming inside of him. She looked mostly formed and adorable within Steven's womb. All three let out a collective sigh of enamor at how far along Nora had come. Steven could just tell that she wanted to be alive and he was determined to make that happen despite what Jade had said.

After Steven wiped his belly clean and adjusted his shirt back on, Priyanka proceeded to give a basic run down.
"The baby is very healthy, my daughter trained you well, and you're well on your way to having a timely birth, providing that this Jade person is found and made to help us. You've also avoided fusing, which I don't understand, but it keeps the baby safe. I think things are going well. Now when it comes to stimulation, what have you two done?"
"We've taken Lamaze, gone for walks, I've had her listen to music, She really digs my dad's songs," Steven said excitedly.
"Honestly, I think the baby is very stimulated," Connie added.
"Well that's great because Steven also needs stimulation to help with the baby," Priyanka said.
"Like what?"
Priyanka twisted her mouth nervously, "Not that I'm advocating this, but... have the two of you thought about getting... very intimate?"
Steven and Connie's eyes widened. This was something they had thought about, but they didn't think it was something that would happen anytime soon. Their faces turned red.
"I'm not saying that you should, but it is healthy for the parents to partake in such activities to relieve stress and calm the nerves and it is technically healthy."
"We'll talk about it," Steven said nervously as Connie helped him onto his feet and walked him out the door.

-

Steven and Connie had been pretty quiet for the rest of the day. The Gems and Greg had asked how the appointment went, but the two of them would give a very blunt answer of "Fine" or "Okay" and leave it at that. They didn't mention Priyanka's suggestion of the two of them getting frisky and quite frankly it was embarrassing to even mention it in any shape or form. The two of them "still had their flower" and intended to keep it that way until the time was right, but was it right already?
Steven caught Greg moving things around in his van, "Hey dad."
"Hey, Steven," Greg said excitedly.
"Do you need help moving things around?"
"Steven, you're pregnant. You're not really in any condition to do much."
"Oh, yeah. I'll just watch you then."
Greg stopped what he was doing and looked at Steven, "What's going on?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you clearly have that look like something is wrong. I'm your dad, I can recognize these things."
Steven took a deep breath, "Dad, how did you and mom... make me?"
Greg's eyes widened, "Why are you asking me that?"
"I know that mom had to make a womb for herself so that she could have me and I want to know what you had to do."
"Oh... well... we 'made' you the same way parents make their kids through... you know. It honestly wasn't that different."
"Were you scared?"
"Oh heck yeah I was! Totally. Even when she told me that she was having you, I was freaking out! Why do you think I'm balding?"
Steven laughed at that, "It's just that Priyanka said that Connie and I should... try to stimulate me and..."
Greg looked surprised, "Say no more son," Greg went into the van and opened a small compartment on the side where he pulled out a small store box and handed it to him.
Steven examined it, "What is this?"
"What do you think?"
Steven suddenly had a moment of clarity, "Dad, how long have these been in here?"
"They're still good. They're the long lasting ones. I saved them for... you know, but I think that ship has sailed," Greg suddenly had a look of longing.
"I guess, thanks."
"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take part in that old American tradition of having a mid-life crisis," Greg crawled into his van and started listening to music on the radio.

-

Steven put the box in his nightstand before doing pregnancy exercises on DVD. The pregnant woman in the video was super excitable and pumped up Steven, "Now what you want to do is widen your legs and cruuuuunch down! Now do it in rhythm! Cruuuuunch down! Do it again! Cruuuuunch down!"
Steven followed the woman's example. He was confidant enough to say that he was flexible for a pregnant boy, if that was even a thing. When the video got to the slow section, the woman began to speak in a softer, yet still perky manner, "Breath in, breath out. Tell yourself that you are a powerful woman doing the greatest thing in the world... creating life."
"I am a powerful woman doing the greatest thing in the world... creating life," Steven repeated. He was well aware of the irony of that sentence.
Steven was starting to get comfortable with his condition and began work on what was supposed to be the baby's room. He had painted the walls a nice shade of pink and had started putting up photos of his belly progression to accommodate his changing body. He initially took the photos himself, but now he had Connie and occasionally the other Gems to help take them for him. He was currently building the crib during which Nora began to kick excitedly which made it more difficult.
"I know you're 'oof' really excited right now, but 'oof' daddy needs to finish this," Steven said as he rubbed his belly.
As he put the final screw in, Steven tried to stand up, but realized that he was unable to do so. He sat on the floor embarrassed by his blunder and remained in place. Luckily, Connie walked by and saw Steven's predicament. She leaned in with her hands on her hips, "What are you doing?"
Steven looked up, but didn't make an expression, "Just sitting."
"Uh huh. Were you doing the thing I told you not to do?"
"Maaaaaybe."
Connie sighed, "I got you."
Connie grabbed Steven from behind and tried to lift him up, but the sudden shift in weight caused him to fall back on top of her. The two looked at each other in utter confusion.
"What happened?" Steven asked.
"I have no idea," Connie answered.
"I can probably roll over..."
"No wait, let me just..."
Before anyone could make a move, Nora kicked again, but this time Steven's belly was right on top of Connie's and she felt it. There was a pause before Connie let out an, "Oh my god," and she began to tear up. Steven smiled; for the first time, she was able to experience what he was experiencing and if felt wonderful.
"Is that what it's like for you?"
"Yes."
"I can't wait until it's my turn."
Steven looked at Connie with a big smile, "I think that will be great."
The Gems all just so happened to be standing outside the doorway and heard everything. Steven and Connie were flustered.
"Need any help?" Bismuth asked with a big smile on her face.
"Yes." Steven and Connie said in unison.

-

The rest of the day was as typical as one would imagine with Steven refraining from anymore extraneous activity. When nighttime came, Steven was preparing himself for bed. As he exited the bathroom, he bumped into Connie in the hallway.
"Oh, Steven. Be careful," Connie said alarmed.
"I'm sorry, pregnancy brain," Steven reasoned.
"I need to get to my bedroom now."
"Yeah, okay."
Steven let Connie pass him, but then turned around and blurted, "Do you want to sleep with me?"
Connie stopped dead and slowly turned, "Sleep with you?"
Steven nodded.
"As in in the same bed?"
Steven nodded again.
"Are you asking me to sleep with you or to sleep 'sleep' with you?"
"Sleep... sleep, I suppose," Steven said slowly.
"Oh. Um... okay."
Steven was surprised that she agreed as the two of them slowly walked over to his room.

The two of them had no idea on how to start being intimate, as Priyanka put it, so they began by getting undressed to their most comfortable which for Steven meant his underpants and for Connie meant underwear and bra. They then held each other as if they were going to dance with Steven's belly rubbing up on Connie's flat stomach. They had to make a conscious effort to try and not fuse. After a while, Connie leaned her head on Steven's shoulder as their stomach's pushed up against each other.
"Are you comfortable like this?" Steven asked.
"It's okay," Connie said in a very aloof way.
Connie rubbed her nose into Steven's neck and began kissing him. Eventually they made their way to the bed and finally "got intimate" with Steven pulling out the box his father gave him. It was awkward, but for a couple of first timers, especially with a baby on the way, they weren't half bad. They thought it would be like fusing, but this was a whole new experience. As a matter of fact it felt very euphoric. After it was all said and done, they lay in bed exhausted, but happy. Both of them looked at each other and saw the same goofy person they knew when they were young, but now older and more adult. Steven couldn't believe that he was with someone so incredible and Connie was happy that she was able to spend this time with someone she cared so much for.
"I love you," Steven said weakly.
"I love you, too," Connie added.
They held each other with their hands resting on Steven's belly; feeling more closer than ever before.

Chapter Text

Steven found himself happier and more optimistic than before. He gained a new sense of confidence that began to puzzle the people around him. Steven was becoming more affectionate and talking to his belly more as he openly expressed interest in being a parent. He was no longer embarrassed by his condition and would openly flaunt his belly to those who wanted to see it. It got to a point where his friends were telling him to dial it back some. "I can't help myself. I'm just so excited to being a parent!" Steven would declare. He started making a list of things he was going to do once Nora came. While everyone was glad that he was preparing for the baby's arrival, they knew it would only be possible once they had found Jade and that was going to take a while. Or it would if Peridot hadn't rerouted some old Gem communication technology, which was surprisingly not as good as earth's, and managed to get a readout as to where Jade was.
"Yeah, who's the genius!? Who is the genius!?" Peridot declared, "I quickly narrowed down all the possible locations where Jade could be at based on information that had been sending to and from the Incubator and highlighted the area where she would most likely be. I'm the best!"
Steven picked up Peridot and planted a big kiss on her cheek, "Thanks, Peridot! You saved us!"
Peridot could have done without the kiss, but she wasn't going to say that to Steven. Plus she was happy to get the praise.

It was quickly decided that Steven was going to stay this time, which greatly disappointed him. However, he was not going to be alone. Of course, Connie and Greg would stay to look after him, but Peridot and Garnet were also staying.
"We'll bring back a souvenir," Amethyst jokingly said.
"Yeah, like a severed limb or something," Lapis said, "I made a funny."
"Sure you did," Amethyst said nervously.
Bismuth put her hands on Steven's shoulders, "Be cool now, ya hear? We'll get Jade to come with us whether she wants to or not."
"Hopefully she'll be willing," Pearl added.
Steven was happy to have his friends, "Look if you guys don't get her..."
"She will come," Bismuth said, "Don't you worry your pretty little head."

Steven was already being impatient, "How much longer until they get back?"
"Steven, they've only been gone for fifteen minutes," Connie pointed out.
"They said they'd be back. They're strong," Greg added.
As Steven sat on the couch with them, Peridot came busting in with a stethoscope, "I found the primitive listening device so that we can hear Steven's baby!" She ran up and put the ends her in ears and placed the small resonator on his belly.
"Peridot, stop!' Steven demanded.
Peridot pulled back, "I wanted to hear her!"
Connie pushed her back slightly, "Peridot, I don't thing now is the best time."
Garnet walked over, "I have a feeling that you are concerned about something."
Steven looked up at her, "You have future vision. Don't you already know?"
"I only have a glimpse of what you will possibly say. For all I know, you could be lying to me."
Steven looked at her and then at Connie, Greg and Peridot, "I don't know if I can say it while they are here. It's sort of embarrassing."
The three of them left the room as Garnet sat on the couch with Steven and removed her sunglasses, "Is this about the baby?"
"Kind of, I guess. I'm really am happy that I'm having her and I do think that they will find Jade, it's just that... that's not my biggest concern right now."
"You're worried for your friends?"
"It's kind of about Pearl... and Bismuth."
"I see."
"I want to know how they're doing. I know they really like each other and want to see them together, but I don't know if I can..."
"Steven! One problem at a time. What's happening between Pearl and Bismuth is special, but as of right now, that is their problem. Your biggest concern..." Garnet placed her hand on Steven's belly, "is caring for the life of the miracle happening inside of you. Everyone had problems Steven, even me, but you can't solve them all and you can't always be involved with them. Do me a favor... please focus on Nora. She needs you right now."
Tears began to form in Garnet's three eyes as she bent down and kissed Steven's belly. Steven didn't know what she saw, but it was enough to make her care a great deal for the life inside of him. Steven smiled, "Okay... for Nora."

-

Steven and Connie had fallen asleep on the couch as they waited together. He had grown so impatient that he needed to rest and he didn't want to be alone. Steven awoke when he heard a noise outside and shuffled so that Connie would wake up.
"Hey, I think I hear them," Steven said in a tired voice.
"Are you sure? It's probably just an animal," Connie said groggily.
Amethyst burst through the door, "I'm a wild animal!"
Steven looked at Connie, "I guess you were right."
Amethyst shook the two of them, "We got her! We got her!"
Hearing this was enough for Steven to get fully awake, "You did?"
Lapis, Pearl and Bismuth entered followed by the new Gem Jade, "She came willingly," said Bismuth.
Steven tried to stand up, but needed help from Connie who walked him over to Jade, "Um... will you help me and my baby?"
Jade looked at Steven up and down and gave a small smile, "I will. I have to be honest, I'm still not sure what to make of you. I just implanted you with a baby and yet you still want to raise the child?"
Steven cradled his belly, "I love her."
"You haven't even met her yet. You are a very unusual person Steven Universe."
Steven was obviously dumbfounded. While he was happy that she was willing to help him, he knew that she still didn't understand a thing about parental-child relations, "Just... just help me please."

Steven was lying on his bed while Jade waved her hand over Steven's belly. Her gem was in her palm and thus was her main "instrument" for performing tasks. Afterwards, she began to press and feel up Steven to check him, but Steven didn't get the same positive sensation he would get from Priyanka.
"Okay, you are developing nicely," Jade said directly.
"So what are you going to do?" Steven asked clearly concerned.
"Birthing the child will be difficult. You know you weren't even supposed to be capable of carrying a child to term."
"We know that!" Bismuth declared, "So what are you gonna do about it?"
Jade calmly rubbed her hands, "First, you need to understand how I was able to impregnate Steven," She moved into a position as if she was sitting on a chair, despite there not being one and crossed her leg over in a very relaxed manner, "You see, I wasn't able to impregnate him through normal means. I injected Steven with a special serum that essentially lowered his body defenses. I then used a special device that contained a remnant of Earth's essences; the same way that Gems were created before the Great Gem War. The baby that is growing in Steven has a body chemistry that is exactly like Steven and yet also different in some aspects. Basically, I helped create a very special child," Jade had a very proud smile on her face as she looked at Steven's belly.
"But how is he going to give birth?" Pearl asked.
"The baby is not complete and won't be complete unless I incorporate the final essence to it. Steven won't be able to give birth to the baby until it has one final piece to its development."
"Which is...?" Greg asked.
Jade took a deep breath, "The baby needs a birth mother... from a Quartz."
Everyone looked on in utter confusion and made a collective, "Huh?"
Jade stood from her invisible chair position and walked over to Amethyst and pulled her by the hand and placed it over Steven's belly, "You will need to help Steven give birth. Once you do, the baby will be able to live."
"So that would mean..." Amethyst began.
"Amethyst will have to be the baby's biological mother," Connie finished.
Steven was shocked by this, "Oh boy."

-

Connie was sitting outside on a log when Steven came out to see her. He slowly sat next to her and looked out at the starry sky, "Pretty night isn't it? You know, you look really beautiful," Steven began to rub his belly, "I think Nora would like for you to talk to her again."
Connie turned to look at Steven, "Does she? Maybe she would like Amethyst to talk to her."
"I don't think Nora likes Amethyst that much... which I don't blame her for."
"Steven, is this a joke to you? Not only am I not going to be the mother, but Amethyst will have to be and let's be honest she would make a terrible mom."
"Connie, you know Amethyst isn't going to be raising her; you are. I want you by my side when I... when I go into labor."
Connie wiped her face and looked at Steven and then eyed his belly. She moved over to him and leaned on his shoulder, "When you're in labor, you're going to feel extreme pain in your back and pelvis. You do know that right?"
"Yeah, I know."
They began to hug each other tightly; not knowing what to do with themselves. Jade came out of the house and saw the two of them.
"What are you doing?"
"We're hugging," Steven said in a very tired voice.
"Why?"
They stopped hugging as Steven turned to address her, "Do you actually care about my health or the baby's?"
"I care that I complete the entire conception."
"That's what I'm talking about. You address the baby as 'it' instead of 'her' and you question why I would care about Nora to begin with!"
Jade had a look of surprise on her face, "You named the baby Nora?"
"Yes! I doubt you understand why."
Jade was embarrassed. She walked over and sat beside them and put her hand on Steven's belly, "Believe me, I will help you deliver this baby. I may not totally get why you care about... her, but I do want to help you."
Amethyst suddenly burst outside, "Connie, I have to talk to you!"
"I'm right here," Connie answered annoyed.
Amethyst ran over and grabbed her hands, "Listen, I know how weird it is that I'm... going to be the mother to Steven's kid, but I want to let you know that I'm not trying to move in on Steven. I don't even like him that way!"
"You just made things awkward," Steven said.
"Amethyst it's okay," Connie said.
"No it's not!" Amethyst yelled, shocking them, "You don't think I know how you feel? I know how much you love Steven and want to be a part of his life. Having to imprint myself on Nora is making you feel distant, but believe me it will only empower you to wanting to be closer. When that baby comes, she is going to know that you're her mother not me. Get it?"
Connie was speechless and Steven was impressed by what she said. Jade didn't think anything.
"I... thank you, Amethyst," Connie said.
"Yeah, thanks," Steven added.

Steven was having trouble sleeping. He stared at the ceiling, reflecting on the things that happened that day while rubbing his belly. He was surprised by Connie entering his room. Neither of them said anything, but knew what they were thinking. Steven pulled the blanket over and Connie slid under the covers with him. They huddled close as she began to rub his belly. They smiled, kissed and slowly fell asleep together.

Chapter Text

It seemed natural that Steven get a baby shower, yet the funny thing was, it wasn't even his idea. The Gems all pitched in to make Steven's baby shower a real treat for him. When they told him that that was what they were going to do. Steven was a little concerned.
"I don't know guys. I'm not sure about having one this late."
"Steven, you have had a very rough eight months already. Believe us, you need this baby shower," said Pearl in an authoritative voice.
"Yeah besides, we haven't had a party in like forever," Amethyst added, "Let's let loose now!"
Steven looked at his belly and then back at his friends, "I guess it wouldn't hurt. We can invite my friends."
"That's the spirit!" Declared Bismuth.
The next thing Steven knew, his house was filled with streamers and pictures he had taken of himself and his ultrasound images. His house began to feel brighter from it.

Besides Greg, Connie and the Gems, Lars and the Off Colors arrived to make an appearance. Sadie and Shep also took a break from touring to stop by and Sour Cream, Onion, Buck and Kiki and Jenny came by as well. True to their usual personalities, they paid no mind to the fact that Steven was the one having the baby as all of them took their chance to touch and rub his belly. Steven was proud to have a large circle of supportive friends who were used to his weird life.
"Truth be told, I'm surprised you didn't get pregnant sooner," Kiki said.
"You do realize what that means, right? Ronaldo was right about this too," Jenny said.
"I invited him as well. Why didn't he show up?" Steven asked.
"Something about, having to protect the you from home... yeah, I don't understand him," Buck answered honestly.
"You know Steven, I always thought that between all of us, you and Connie would definitely have a kid before any of us," Sadie said as she patted Steven's belly.
"Technically, I'm the 'spiritual mother' of Steven's baby," Connie said, "Biologically, it's going to be Amethyst's."
"Mazel Tov!" Sour Cream declared.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm only being the mother to help birth the kid!" Amethyst declared as she crossed her arms, "Besides, Steven's not my type."
"Uh huh," everyone collectively said with a jesting tone. Amethyst blushed.
"Well regardless, Connie is going to help me raise the baby. I don't think we've discussed how though," Steven said.
"You know what? I'm going to move in already," Connie said.
"Really? So soon?"
"Yeah, I... I think we can do it."
"I don't want to force you. You don't think that I'm intruding on your freedom?"
"My freedom is with you, Steven! I love you. I think we're ready for the next step."
Steven smiled as they held hands with their fingers crossing, "Okay... roomie."
"Consider this my baby shower present... besides the other present I got you."
They kissed, but pulled back when everyone let out a collective "awww."

Jade was in attendance for the Baby Shower, though slightly unwillingly, she did find the festivities amusing, though she was still having trouble trying to grasp why they were making such a fuss over the baby.
"What's the matter Jade, the cake not to your satisfaction?" Peridot asked with some in her mouth. She didn't usually eat, but found cake to be quite pleasing for her "mouth sensors".
"It's... fine. Do humans usually throw parties for children who haven't been born yet?" Jade asked as she poked her cake slice.
"They have one before the birth and then every full year the kid is alive," Lars answered.
"That sounds tiring," Jade responded.
"It's awesome, though I can see it getting on some people's nerves."
Steven walked over to Jade, "It's fun. Celebrating life is wonderful."
Jade was still uncomfortable about the issue. She had offended Steven and didn't want to upset him further, "I'm... just concerned if it will have an affect on... Nora, right?"
"Yes."
"You have one month to go before the baby arrives. Are you okay with all the things happening today?"
"I am. Nora can hear things right now and I'm pretty sure she's enjoying this party for her. A mother just knows."
Jade stared at Steven's belly. She still showed concern, but the fact that he was happy calmed her somewhat, "May I... feel your belly?"
Steven looked surprised, but smiled, "Go ahead," and lifted his shirt to reveal his belly.
Jade planted her Gem hand onto his bump and rubbed it slightly. After a little while, Nora kicked and his surprised her that she withdrew her hand. After a moment, Jade suddenly felt happy. She didn't know why, but it just felt nice knowing that the baby acknowledged her. She put her hand on Steven's belly again with positive feelings and felt another kick, "Oh my. This is very interesting."
Steven was happy, "Do you get it now?"
"I think so. The baby's movements make you happy which means that... the baby's happy too. But she's still inside of you and... is this the feeling of motherhood?"
"Yeah, I think you're getting it now."

-

Steven sat on the sofa as everyone started handing him gifts. Some were baby clothes, baby toys, Steven got three strollers. The abundance of gifts were a little overwhelming for him, but he managed to power through it all.
After it was all said and done, Steven took the time to address everyone, "I just want to say that the past eight months have pretty crazy. When I found out I was pregnant, I was really scared and afraid to come out to everyone about it. I didn't even know if I was going to keep her. But the thing is... the more something, or someone is a part of you, the more you don't ever want to let that thing go. You start to love it and cherish it for as much as you can. I'm glad that Nora is growing within me and knows that I love her... that you all love her... and when she finally gets here that she is welcomed into this wonderful family that we have."
Everyone clapped for Steven while Connie leaned in for a hug. Jade quietly walked out of the house which Steven took notice of. He made a gesture to Connie so that he can get lifted up and walked after her out the door. Jade was staring at the sky and Steven stood some distance behind her.
"How is it that you're still happy?" Jade asked without turning.
"What do you mean?"
"How can you still be happy when you know that the GCA is going to come for you any second?"
"I'm not worried about them right now."
Jade turned around, "You realize that your child is at risk, right? I willingly came with your allies back here. You didn't even think that I might be a double agent or anything?"
"Are you?"
"No... no I was telling the truth. I wanted to get you away from them so that I can deliver your baby successfully."
"I know about the dangers, but sometimes you need to have break. I used to be so wracked with the feeling that I needed to be on my toes; that I needed to be... needed that it almost killed me. I almost hurt my friends. I almost killed myself. I don't want to make that mistake again. If Jasper and the GCA come, I'll be ready. We'll all be ready."
Jade smiled and walked up to Steven, "That's good."

Just then lights started coming from the sky as Steven and Jade looked up in shock and confusion.
"What's that?" Steven asked covering his eyes from the light.
Jade gasped, "It's them! Come on!" Jade grabbed Steven and ran inside, "They're here!"
Everyone turned on high alert and began to fortify the walls with furniture. About a minute in, Padparadscha declared, "Oh no! Jasper and the GCA are here to kidnap Steven and his baby!" Everyone briefly stopped before resuming whatever it was they were doing.
Connie grabbed Steven's arm, "What are you doing?" he asked incredulously.
"Protecting the boy I love. We need to hide you." before pulling him away.
Lars turned to the other human friends, "You guys should run out the back! Get as far away as..."
"Forget that! We're not gonna let these guys harm Steven!" Sour Cream declared.
"Whatever you need, we'll do it!" Shep declared.
Onion pulled out a bat with barbed wire at the end it.
"Was he carrying that this whole time?" Kiki asked.

The house had quickly changed from a party to a fort in just a couple of minutes. The lights from outside began to shine through the windows as Gems and humans teamed up together to protect their hybrid friend. They heard loud footsteps approaching the house as an immense feeling of tension began to rise. Everyone had a part to play in this battle and no one was backing down. The footsteps stopped and silence fell. After a couple of seconds, the door crashed open as Jasper stepped through the front. Wearing her cape and helmet she had a huge evil grin on her face.
"Steven! Your baby mama is here!"

Chapter Text

Jasper had brought numerous Gems to aid her in their effort to take Steven and Nora, some familiar, some new. A fight inevitably broke out at the house. Everyone was holding their own. Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst lead the fight with Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth taking on the soldiers as a team. To everyone's surprise, the humans were all not doing half bad. Shep, Sour Cream, Buck, Kiki and Jenny took out the small Gems with whatever they had laying around. Onion was a monster and actually scared some Gems. Sadie had to pull out some held back emotions to fight and Lars and the Off Colors swiftly took care of things. Greg... hid in the bathroom. Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst fused into Alexandrite to "even the playing field". Nobody noticed that Jasper snuck away.

Steven was struggling to run through the woods even with Connie beside him. She was doing her best to get him to move quickly, but safely. Out of nowhere, Lion appeared. They collectively let out a sigh that was a combination of annoyance and relief. Connie helped push Steven onto Lion who was breathing heavily before she hopped on top as well.
Steven felt Nora kicking, "It's okay, it's okay. Everything is going to be alright."
Connie put her hands around Steven and under his belly, "Hold on tight."
Lion took off as the two of them held on tightly to his mane. Steven was struggling more, but had faith in the feline creature. Lion proceeded to roar a tunnel for them to escape, giving the two relief at an exit. However, the three suddenly felt a giant force of energy knocking them to the side. Steven and Connie found themselves flying in the air with the former instinctually creating a bubble to safely land. Lion was not so lucky and slammed into a tree, though he was still able to recover, but just barely. It didn't take a genius for them to figure out who was behind that sudden attack. Steven and Connie looked over and saw Jasper coming out of her speedball mode and turning to see her goal.
Jasper glared at the two, "Are you going to come with me, or am I going to have to force you?"
Connie got up and stood in front of Steven, "Stay away from him! That baby is not yours!"
"You're right it's not. Not yet anyway," Jasper answered with irony in her voice, "Jade believed that I was going to use force to remove the baby, and I do, but I want Steven to suffer for it, the way I suffered at the loss of my Diamond."
Steven was seriously annoyed, "Would you stop with that? This isn't going to bring her back! She's gone! Why can't you accept that?"
"Because she was all I had!" Jasper came charging at them when Lion counterattacked with a bash. Jasper was caught off guard by Lion's appearance as he bit and swiped at her, but she countered with attacks of her own. Steven had never seen Lion attack so ferociously, but Connie had to keep him moving.

Some ways away, Steven couldn't move anymore and Connie was forced to sit him in a hovel under a large tree. They were scared and sweating from all the excitement. Steven just wanted to disappear.
"We have to keep moving, Steven," Connie ordered.
"I can't move anymore. Nora won't let me," Steven said out of breath.
"I know," Connie placed her hand on Steven's belly and began to rub it.
"Connie... I don't know how this is going to turn out. But if somehow I can't make it, but Nora does..."
"Don't say that! You're going to have this baby and hold her in your arms and then when we get married and start living together we're going to have more kids, but I'll have them! We'll grow old together because even though your a Gem you love me and know that you can never leave me and, and..."
Steven put his hand over her mouth, "Look after Nora."
Connie's eyes began to water, "I will," she leaned in and kissed him intensely.

"Steven! I know you're here! Your dumb cat was no match for me!" Jasper sounded delusional.
Steven and Connie tried to hold their breath as the sounds of her footsteps began to approach.
"I'm coming for you! You can't hide that child forever! It must be hurting you! Having that thing grow inside like a parasite! If you come with me, I can relieve you of it! You'll be in pain, but at least it'll live!"
Connie looked at Steven with intensity in her eyes she whispered, "I love you," kissed him and jumped out from under the tree. She didn't have her sword, so Steven was frightened for her.
"I won't let you anywhere near him!" Connie yelled.
Jasper looked at her as if she was eyeing a meal, "You won't huh?" she lunged at her like a tiger and got on top of her, "Not even if I ask? What's the matter scared?" Her eyes had lost any soul or humanity behind them, she was practically a zombie.
"Leave him alone! Take me!"
"I have no reason to take you, except as bait!" Jasper grabbed Connie by the face and held her up, "Come on, Steven! Are you really going to let her die for you!?"
Steven rubbed his belly, stood up and came out of hiding to face her, "PUT. HER. DOWN. NOW!"
Jasper smiled sinisterly and threw Connie to the ground.
Connie's eyes welled up, "Steven no!"
Jasper's smile got bigger, "Steven yes!"
"Call off your army and just take me!" Steven said with authority.
Jasper approached Steven slowly as if she was savoring every minute. As she towered over him, she dropped her smile, "I'm going to enjoy this."
Jasper threw a punch as Steven, but suddenly a pink shield formed over Steven. It wasn't a bubble, it was a fully formed suit around him. Jasper and Connie were confused by this. Jasper threw another punch, but it had no effect. She threw another and another, but Steven stood firm. He and the baby were unharmed. Jasper threw another punch, but Steven grabbed her large hand, "You were actually going to hurt a mother... a Gem Mother!"
Steven threw Jasper back with force and before her and Connie's eyes, Steven grew spikes from his body (the same ones from when he was corrupted) and his eyes glowed pink.
"Steven no! Not again!" Connie screamed with tears in her eyes.
Steven looked at her. He wasn't fully corrupted and still had his humanity intact, "It's okay, Connie. Everything will be okay."
Steven returned to facing Jasper as the pink bubble around him got bigger and began to take on a humanoid form, "You harmed my friends, you harmed me, and you tried to harm my baby! What do you have to say for yourself!?"
Jasper cowered in fear, "We'll leave! We'll leave!"
Steven picked up Jasper and stared her down before tossing her far away.

Jasper landed in the middle of the fight at Steven's house. Everyone stopped fighting to see her somewhat humiliating arrival. She looked around to see that the majority of her army was defeated, but that all of Steven's friends were still standing. She was so shocked that she didn't have any words. Steven came out of the woods and left everyone in shock. He bent down and picked Jasper back up again.
"Please, I'll stop! I'll go away!" Jasper declared rather pathetically, "Let me go!"
Steven stared at her, "I'll let you go, but you need to tell whoever is in charge that if they ever come after me or my friends or family again, they know what I am capable of."
Jasper was scared out of her mind. He somehow knew that she wasn't the leader of the GCA. He tossed her towards the ground and she got up to yell, "Retreat!" The remaining GCA picked up the remnants of their fallen comrades and fled for good, just in time for Connie and Lion to return to see their victory.
"I guess we won," Sadie said matter of factly.
"Yahooo!" Amethyst yelled.
Steven powered down and lost his horns and glowing eyes. He was back to being simple pregnant Steven as all his friends celebrated.
Greg came out of the house (having hid this whole time), "Good we won! I have faith in you all."
Connie walked up to Steven, "Are you okay?"
Steven turned and smiled, "I am now," and collapsed from exhaustion as everyone shouted, "Steven!"

-

Steven awoke in bed with his loved ones all standing over him. He was groggy, but awake enough to feel comfort at the fact that he was taken care of. Even Lion was in the room as he began licking his master causing a giggle from him. "I'm up, I'm up Lion." Connie silently hugged Steven tightly.
"I have a very important question to ask Steven... What the heck was that back there!? You went all kaiju on Jasper!" Peridot exclaimed.
"I have future vision and even I didn't see that coming," Garnet added.
"I don't know what came over me," Steven answered, "One moment I was scared for me, Nora and everyone else and the next I really wanted to do something about it."
"Well, whatever it was, it certainly helped," Lars said.
"Yeah, Pink Steven all the way," Buck added.
Everyone started cheering for "Pink Steven" or "Bubble Steven", but when they cheered for "Monster Steven", Connie was shaken.
"What is wrong with all of you!? This isn't funny! Steven nearly got hurt because I lead him into danger! You need to all leave and give him some space!
There was silence as everyone guiltily walked out of the already cramped room until it was just Steven and Connie by themselves.

Steven was beside himself and looked at Connie like she had taken something important away from him, "Why did you do that? I miss them already."
Connie wiped her face, "Steven what you did was... helpful, I admit that, but you could've hurt yourself and the baby. I could have lost you, again!"
"Lose me again? What do you...," Steven thought about it for a moment, "Right."
"If we're going to have this baby, you need to take better care of yourself!"
"Well, sometimes I might need to do things that require some hard choices. This is just like Aquamarine all over again."
"I'm not going to have you do these things anymore! The first thing you need to do is follow the instructions that..."
Connie continued talking, but Steven was tuning her out. He was growing tired of her expectations for him and suddenly found her "care" for him restrictive. He wanted her out and without thinking blurted, "You're not this baby's mother!"
Connie became silent as Steven continued, "I'm the one carrying this child, me! I know what's best for her! When she comes into this world, she's going to take after me! What do you have to offer for her?"
As soon as he finished his piece, he immediately regretted it. Connie's eyes welled up as she turned around and ran out the room with her audibly sobbing. Steven pulled himself out of bed, but couldn't keep up. He heard the front door open and, just as he feared, the sound of a car starting and leaving. Steven ran outside and saw Connie's car drive away as everyone else looked on. Steven fell to his knees and cradled his belly and he began to weep.

Chapter Text

Steven entered his kitchen and lazily made himself a bowl of cereal. He sat at his table and ate his bowl like it was the only perfect thing he had going for him. He had become a hopeless parent to be in just a week following Connie leaving him. He still had Greg and the Gems in his house, but it was Connie that he wanted, or needed rather. Steven was in no mood to do anything and didn't think he was going to be prepared for the birth. He just started his ninth month and his rock was not here anymore. What was the point?
Greg sat next to Steven, "Hey kiddo, how are you holding up?"
Steven didn't look up, "Mmmmm."
"Oh that bad, huh? You know, you need to look on the bright side of things. You still have your health... most of it anyway, you got us and your family is getting bigger. I mean, talk about being a father, I'm gonna be a grandfather. How crazy is that?"
"Mmmmm."
"I know you cared about her and you two obviously said things to each other that shouldn't have been said. So why don't you give her a call?"
Steven put his face down on the table, "I can't, dad. Not after what I said."
"I'm certain she's waiting for you."
"How do you know? This is the girl I had my first time with, who told me that she would move in with me and help raise the baby, only to tell her that she will offer nothing and made her life miserable."
Greg was shocked by this information, "Woof. That is bad. Well let me ask you this, do you still love her?"
Steven looked up, "Yes."
"Do you still want to spend your life with her?"
Steven began to perk up a little, "Yes."
"Is a nine month belly going to stop you?"
"Yes... I mean no."
"Well then what are you waiting for? You need to get her!"
Steven stood up, "I will... right after I go use the bathroom," Steven turned and waddled to the bathroom, "Come on kid, I got a girl I need to reunite with."
The Gems all walked over to Greg, "Wow, Greg I didn't think you would be able to do that," Pearl said.
"Yeah, I actually thought you were going to screw it up," Amethyst added.
"Sometimes I surprise myself," Greg said smugly.

Steven sat on the toilet and pulled out his phone to call Connie. Understandably, it went to voicemail and Steven decided to leave a message, "Hey Connie, it's me Steven. It's been a week and I'm ready to talk. Look I don't know if you're doing one of those things where you're just sitting and listening, so here I go... I love you. I love you because you are always there for me and you believe in me and you're the only one that gets me and... I'm sorry for what I said. I Need You for this. We need you for this. I can't do this alone. I'll see you in person." Steven hung up and wondered if it was enough.

-

Steven and Greg rode Lion through a portal to the Maheswaran residence. As Steven hopped off Lion, Greg immediately ran over to a bush and threw up.
"Oh yeah, you've never ridden Lion," Steven said bluntly.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," Greg said out of breath.
They rang the doorbell and Priyanka answered, "Hello Steven."
"Hi Priyanka," Steven greeted nervously.
"You have no idea how happy I am to see you."
Her husband Doug walked by, "Greg, how's it going? And Steven, you really are pregnant. I thought Priyanka was exaggerating."
Steven was perplexed by this reaction, "So can I come in?"
"Oh please."
Steven and Greg entered with the former plopping down on their couch. Priyanka recognized he was out of breath and tended to him immediately while Greg and Doug entered the other room.
"I said some terrible things to her, Priyanka," Steven started, "things I shouldn't have said to her."
"I figured," Priyanka said as she was checking Steven's blood pressure, "You're fine."
"You have?"
"Call it a mother's intuition. When I was pregnant, I said things to Doug that I shouldn't have said, but he knew it was the hormones talking."
"Connie must hate me right now."
"On the contrary, she was really worried about you."
"Seriously?"
"No matter how angry or frustrated you make her sometimes, she always talks about how she's concerned for you."
"Really?"
Priyanka had lifted Steven's shirt and began to press the areas around his belly, "I've seen her do it over and over again. It's practically routine."
Steven started feeling better after hearing this, "Alright. I think I'm ready to talk to her now."
Priyanka pulled his shirt back down, "Well, you're gonna have to wait. She's out right now. But in the meantime you can watch TV. We upgraded."
Steven sighed, but at least he was among good people.

Steven watched TV for what felt like hours when out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure walking up towards the door. He immediately recognized it as Connie and turned off the TV and made himself up, or as good as a pregnant boy could. He stood anxiously with a nervous smile as the front door rattled. The door swung open as Connie entered with a bag of groceries and froze upon seeing Steven standing there.
"Hey Connie, what an unexpected surprise," both of them knew it was not unexpected.
Connie looked behind Steven and into the kitchen where she saw her parents and Greg peaking from inside, but slowly withdrew. She put her bags down and crossed her arms, "Hi Steven."
"I don't know if you got my message, but I think I should tell you in person... I'm sorry. I was angry at myself and at you when I shouldn't have. It's just that sometimes I feel like you're constantly pitying me or looking down on me and it makes me feel like I can't make my own decisions. My life is always going to be a mess with all this Gem stuff and it's always going to be a part of me. I know your just looking out for me and I want you to be a part of... our lives. So, I'm ready to accept that. I want all of you."
Connie's face was not stern, but instead very direct and open, "I'm sorry too. You're right, I do push you. It's because I love you too much. I've seen you go through so many things and it hurts me that I can't do anything about them. You know what I love when we're together? Being Stevonnie, and we can't even do that because of your condition. I was being selfish and pushing aside your trauma in favor of my own."
Hearing this surprised Steven, "Your trauma?"
"You're not the only person who has long term baggage from our adventures."
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I always thought you had a cool head. That's why I like you so much."
Connie gave a shy smile, "Sorry to disappoint."
They both looked down at Steven's large belly and put their hands on it. "I think we should go somewhere private don't you?"

-

As the sun began to set, Steven and Connie drove down the road in the latter's car all the way back to the one place they haven't returned to in years: Beach City. The place that was full of memories both good and bad. They passed through the familiar streets and saw all the old faces there. Steven started to feel his eyes water and turned to Connie to see that she too had water in her eyes as well. They saw Ronaldo and proceeded to cover their faces as they drove by. Finally they arrived at their destination and parked the car right next to the Big Donut. Connie helped Steven out of the car and down to the sand; the smell of the beach hit their noses as nostalgia filled their minds. They turned the corner of the giant hill overlooking the beach and saw it; the old beach house and the temple behind it. They held hands as they approached the front door. Steven bent down to the floor mat, but couldn't bend any further, forcing Connie to bend over and pull the mat to see the key. They entered the front and took in the familiar architecture.
Steven walked around the main room and rubbed his belly while pointing, "Look Nora this is the couch and over there is the kitchen counter. I cooked a lot of meals here. Over there is the temple entrance. I plan to show you what that's all about," Connie helped Steven upstairs, "This is my old bedroom, well now it's your grandpa's," they looked around to see that Greg had redecorated with some posters and rock band memorabilia, "And over there is the entrance that I used to visit the Homeworld Gems. I haven't used it in a while."
Connie put her arms around Steven and placed her hands beside Steven's on his belly. He turned around and they looked into each other's eyes. She bent down and lifted Steven's shirt before placing a soft kiss on his belly. Steven smiled, "This is your mother. She has a lot to offer you."
The next thing either of them knew, they were in bed together and getting intimate.

-

Steven and Connie stayed at the beach house sometime afterwards. When Greg came back, he realized what had happened and cautiously decided to clean his sheets, something he never thought he would have to do. He also realized that they needed his bed; leaving him to sleep in his van again. The Gems, along with Jade, also came back to make the beach house feel lived in. Despite it being Steven's final month, he wasn't anxious anymore. He was going to have fun with his friends and family for as long as he could. Steven was feeling really good now that the danger had practically passed, he was free to do whatever he wanted to do with himself and his child.

Steven walked out on the beach one mid-morning to see his friends all having fun, though Jade was standing on the beach and merely observing. Connie was wearing a nice sun dress as she turned to look at him.
"Come on, Steven! Enjoy the water with us!" she declared.
Steven walked over to her to appease her when he suddenly got what felt like a discomforting movement inside of him. He paused for a moment, but recollected himself and continued walking. The next thing Steven felt however was a deep pain in his lower area and he faltered slightly.
Connie looked concerned, "Steven?"
Steven looked up with tears in his eyes, "Connie, I think... Aaaaaahhhh!" Steven fell to his knees.
Everyone on the beach saw Steven in peril and ran over to help him up.
"Steven! It's the baby isn't it?" Peridot surmised.
"Dude, how many fingers am I holding up?" Amethyst asked.
"Stop that!" declared Pearl.
Steven was having trouble speaking, "She's coming! She's... coming!"

Chapter Text

Greg was racing down the road in his van, which luckily for him, no one was out on. Pearl had made the call to Priyanka about Steven's current situation and made plans with the staff to prepare for an "unusual surgery". Steven sat in the back of the van breathing hard and trying to remain calm as Connie and Jade held his hands.
"Everything's gonna be okay Steven, we're here for you," Connie said assuredly while stroking his head.
"We will be arriving at the medical center in short time," Jade said.
Steven looked up from his pain and saw Bismuth and Pearl holding each other's hands. This made him smile, "I'm glad."
Amethyst walked up to Jade, "So what am I going to do exactly?"
"You will be sufficing the child with the energy necessary for her to live."
Amethyst's eyes widened, "Wait, does that mean I have to give up my physical form?"
"Thankfully no. Steven is already supplying the child with enough energy, so you will only supply a modicum, though I do suspect that you will feel tired afterwards."
Amethyst wiped her forehead, "Phew! You scared me there J!"
"It's Jade."
"Right."
"Oooooohh, mmmmmmmhhhh!" the pain was increasing for Steven, "It feels like she's trying to push out already!"
Connie lifted Steven's shirt and saw his belly moving inhumanly, "Oh my gosh! Greg hurry!"
"We're almost there!" Greg said, "I can literally see the building!"
"Priyanka says we need to go through the back entrance," Pearl said, "There is a quicker access back there!"
"Hang on!" Greg spun the wheel and drove the van around the perimeter of the hospital before pulling up around and right in front of the back entrance where Priyanka was standing with a wheelchair ready, "Okay I'm not doing that again, sorry."

Steven was quickly moved to the wheelchair all the while making pained groans as they rushed him into the building and into the elevator. Priyanka and Steven got on it with Connie, Greg, Amethyst and Jade. Pearl, Bismuth, Lapis, Peridot and Garnet remained behind.
"We'll get on the next one!" Pearl shouted.
As the doors closed, Steven saw that Pearl and Bismuth were holding hands which briefly took his mind off the pain. Steven continued to breath hard before jokingly saying, "I don't suppose it's too late to have second thoughts about this?"
Jade was confused, "He's not serious is he?"
"He's trying to get his mind off the pain!" Amethyst said.
"Is it working?"
"No," Steven said with a slight chuckle.
Priyanka leaned over Steven, "You know what we have to do, right?"
Steven looked up with water in his eyes, "C-section, right?"
"Yes. You know the dangers?"
"I don't care. I've decided to give birth. If that's what has to be done then so be it," Steven looked up at Connie who gave acknowledgement. She was prepared to go all in with the surgery.
"Amethyst and I must be part of the surgery. The baby can only be born if we take part in the process," Jade added.
"Fine. I know I don't understand any of this, but if that's what you need to do, then we need to be prepared," Priyanka said.

The elevator doors opened and they were greeted by two other doctors; a young Caucasian woman and an African-American man.
"Who are these guys?" Greg asked.
Priyanka quickly walked up to them, "These are the specialists. Doctor Sagar," referring to the woman, "and Doctor Quincy," referring to the man.
"When Dr. Maheswaran told us that we were doing surgery on a pregnant man, I knew we weren't going to pass it up," Dr. Sagar said.
"It's amazing what science can do now a days," Dr. Quincy added.
Steven continued to make uncomfortable noises as they rolled him into the changing room and removed his clothes until he was completely naked, "Sorry about this," Dr. Sagar said.
Connie entered and stood beside Steven as all of this was happening, but Priyanka pulled her back, "Connie, I think you need to wait outside for this."
"No, mom! I abandoned Steven, I'm not going to do that again! Let me be in the room with him! Please!"
Priyanka saw how serious she was, "Okay then, but you need to change into scrubs," she did as instructed.
Greg walked over to Steven, "How you holding up, bud?"
Steven struggled, "Not so good, but I'm gonna see my baby soon."
"You got this son. Remember, we're all here for you and Nora."
"Thanks, dad."

-

Steven found himself lying on a table with a blanket over his body that covered everything except his rotund belly. He was nervous just looking at himself in this predicament. Had he been told that he would carry a baby to term and give birth, he would have suspected that someone was listening to one of Ronaldo's crazy theories. The thought made him chuckle. Dr. Sagar and Quincy were prepping the equipment the former began to spread a thick paste over Steven's belly which he realized right away was numbing solution. He then took out a syringe and injected it into Steven below his navel. Steven couldn't feel the injection, but he felt the needle filling his insides.
Steven only barely looked up, "What's that for?"
"This is to make extra sure that you don't feel anything," Dr. Quincy answered.
"Don't worry, you'll be given a calming gas so that you'll just rest through it," Dr. Sagar added.
As they put the mask over his face, Priyanka entered the room as well as Amethyst and Jade in scrubs who stood with the other doctors.
Steven looked around, "Where's Connie?" Steven couldn't panic as the gas was calming him.
Connie rushed in with her scrubs on, "I'm right here! I'm right here!" she pulled up a rolling chair, held his hand and sat beside him. They weakly smiled at each other.
"Now Steven you're going to have to be awake for the surgery; it'll be safe for the baby. Are you okay with that?" Priyanka asked.
"Anything... for the baby," Steven responded.
Priyanka poked and shook Steven's belly, "Do you feel that?"
"I can't feel my legs."
"That's good," Priyanka turned her attention to Jade and Amethyst, "Do you know what you're gonna do?"
"I'll walk you through it," Jade said, "It's really simple."
Dr. Sagar pulled a sheet out under Steven's chin, "This is so you don't see anything you don't want to see."
"But, I want to see my baby."
"You will. Just keep thinking about her."
Priyanka looked from behind the curtain, "Ready?"
Connie looked at Steven who had a look of determination on his face, "I'm ready."

Steven was partially asleep through the surgery. The mask was doing wonders for him and keeping him calm. Connie continued to hold his hand and stroke his hair and occasionally kissed his forehead. Steven's mind began to wander about this and that. As he reminisced on having a growing belly, he suddenly had an image of Connie with a pregnant belly of her own. He knew that she wanted to experience such a thing and felt that one day she will be ready. His smile was spotted by her who smiled back at him. Through the curtain, Steven heard Jade quietly saying, "Okay Amethyst, now," and could faintly see a glowing violet light. He didn't know what was happening, but knew that Amethyst was doing something to help the baby. The light was glowing slightly longer than Steven expected as he heard Jade say, "A little longer, hold on... that's good," and the light died down with Amethyst letting out an audible sigh. Steven thought that would be enough, but the surgery was still going. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes as if he was going to sleep and in a matter of seconds managed to doze off. Almost immediately afterwards, Steven heard a soft moan that grew into a crying wail. Steven's eyes opened with fat tears streaming down his cheeks. He turned to Connie whose eyes were also filling with water as they both looked at each other in relief.
Dr. Sagar came out from behind the curtain, "It's a healthy baby girl!"
Steven and Connie smiled with joy as Priyanka carried the baby and placed her next to Steven. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen; small, pale and with small violet colored curls on her head, "You're here! My baby, Nora!" Steven managed to wheeze out.
"You did it Steven!' Connie said as she gave him a big kiss.
Priyanka smiled at the moment, "Steven, if it's okay with you, may I be allowed to call her my granddaughter?"
Steven was surprised by this, "Of course, you're family."
Priyanka was touched by this, "Thank you."
Amethyst groggily came out from behind the curtain as well, "Yeah... maza frog, Sgheven!" she fell on the floor and began to snore loudly.
"What happened to her?" Connie asked.
Jade walked up and lifted Amethyst up like a baby as she began to suck her thumb, "She'll be fine, she just needs rest. By the way Steven, I have to say, the miracle of life is amazing."
Dr. Quincy peaked around, "We still need to patch him up."
"Oh right," Priyanka pulled out a long cotton swab and held it over Steven's mouth, "Steven?"
Steven knew what she wanted and licked the end of it. Priyanka took the cotton swab and rubbed it over Steven's belly where his body not only miraculously healed itself, but also returned feeling to it. Steven suddenly sat straight up and looked down at himself, "You have no idea how long I missed seeing my legs and toes!' Steven picked up Nora and held her in his arms and cradled her as her crying began to die down, "Hi Nora, welcome to the world."

-

Steven still had to recuperate in one of the hospital rooms. He happily held Nora, full of energy and ready to return to his old ways, but with a child in tow. He began to regale her on all of his adventures, not that it mattered as she didn't understand a word he was saying, "...So then I went through Lion's mane and went through that pink space again and when I came out of Lars' hair on the other side he had turned into a space captain and was having these incredible adventures! I tell ya, those were some good days. I was just fourteen and already I was..." Steven was distracted by Connie entering the room.
"Don't stop I wanna hear more," she said playfully. She went up and crawled into the bed with him, "Hi Nora. Do you remember me?"
Nora let out a moan and reached her tiny hand out where she made contact with her finger and grasped it tightly. "I think she does," Steven said.
Soon, Greg, Priyanka and the Gems all entered and surrounded the proud mother (father?) and beamed down at her.
"Hey, Amethyst feeling better?" Steven asked.
"I'm getting there... it feels like I partied hard," Amethyst answered.
"Wanna see 'your' baby?"
"What? No way! You're on your own with that one!"
"Awww but then I'm a single abandoned mother," Steven mockingly said.
"You're a bad father," Connie also jokingly said.
"Don't guilt trip me!" Amethyst said, "Fine let me see her."
Amethyst walked up and looked at Nora who made a small yawn. Amethyst smiled a little, "She does look cute. Heh, who knows? Maybe I'll show her a thing or two about how to be cool."
Greg leaned in over Nora, "Wow, now I definitely feel old. It's not too bad."
"That makes two of us," Priyanka added.
Steven looked over at Bismuth and Pearl who were holding each other in pride, "Bismuth, Pearl, is there something you want to say?"
They gave a nervous look before Bismuth said, "We're trying something out."
Pearl continued, "We're not in a serious... I mean we are, but... look it's your day we should be celebrating you."
Garnet put her arms around Pearl and Bismuth, "You two need to learn about staying cool in a relationship."
"Yeah, like Lapis and me!" Peridot said.
Lapis rolled her eyes, "It's not that kind of relationship."
"What relationship is it?"
Lapis bent down and whispered into Peridot's ear. Her eyes widened, "Really, you two? I don't see it."
Lapis slapped her forehead.
Steven continued to cradle Nora as he kissed Connie and beamed down at this amazing creature he created.

Chapter Text

"Nora! Nora! Where are you?" Steven playfully called in the halls of his house. Four years had passed since the birth of his daughter and already she was causing trouble. She had gotten into a habit of hiding in areas throughout the house, "If you don't come out you won't get a cookie cat!" Steven stood in the hall and put his hands on his hips. He smiled looked up and saw Nora hiding in the rafters. "You know better than that." Nora giggled and hopped down while shouting "Nora bomb!" Steven grabbed her and kissed her on the cheek.
Nora had already grown her long violet messy locks which had strands of black in them. She looked like a tiny girl version of Steven and loved wearing pink, purple, blue and orange clothes. Steven spun her around as she giggled and put her on the floor. She then pressed her face into Steven's stomach, a possible remnant of her time in his womb.
Steven laughed, "What are you doing?"
Nora pulled her face out and shyly said, "I don't know."
Steven picked her up again, "Let's go look for your mother."

Steven carried Nora outside to find Connie in the middle of gardening. Nora reached her hands out, "Mommy!"
Connie turned around and smiled, "Hey, sweetie!" She struggled to stand up as she was in her seventh month of pregnancy. She was only wearing a skirt and a top that allowed her belly to hang out.
"Is it just me or have you gotten bigger?" Steven asked.
"Shut up," Connie said with humor in her voice. She walked over and took Nora from Steven and kissed her on the cheek, "How's my little Gem?"
They walked inside where Connie plopped herself on the couch and Steven sat comfortably beside her. Nora began to pat her big belly, "Mommy, your belly is big."
"That's right sweetie, the baby needs room to grow."
"How come he doesn't come out now?"
"Because he isn't ready yet," Steven answered.
Nora put her ear on her belly and smiled, "Did I come from your belly Mommy?"
Steven and Connie looked at each other. They figured that it was okay to talk about it now, "No Nora. You didn't come from Mommy's belly," Steven said slowly, "You came from my belly."
Nora was confused, "I thought all babies came from Mommy's belly."
"Well in your case, it was different," Connie said.
Steven and Connie scooted closer so that Nora was tight in between them. Steven began, "You see, a long time ago there were these Gems."
"Like Aunt Pearl and Bismuth and Lapis and Garnet..." Nora began.
"And Aunt Peridot and Aunt Amethyst," Connie added.
Steven continued, "Yeah, but these Gems were not nice. They were mean and they wanted something from me. So they forced me to have you. They wanted me, and you, to do something terrible, but we banded together and made sure that wouldn't happen."
"Are they gone?" Nora asked in a slightly scared voice.
"They're gone. You have nothing to worry about. But I was still having you. And I realized that if you were growing inside of me, then I should have you and care for you and love you."
Nora smiled, but was still confused, "What about Mommy?"
Connie began, "Well, I'm not related to you by blood, but I wanted to raise with you with Daddy because I love him. Just because we're not related doesn't mean I love you any less. As far as I'm concerned, you're still our daughter."
Nora was trying to process what she heard. Being a small child, it didn't take long for her to get over it, "Can I listen to your belly?"
Steven and Connie smiled, "Sure."
Nora put her head down to listen and then kissed it, "Come out soon so that I can play with you!"
Steven hugged his family tight. He knew that there were things he was going to have to encounter in the future, but for now, he was happy being where he was and he was going to enjoy it.

END