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"Alright class! It's time to assign Lab Partners!" said The Science Teacher as he then listed names "and finally....Rebecca with Alex!"

"Oh noooo! Now we're gonna sit at the same desk! This is like in Dusk, that crappy Frankenstein's Monster romance novel series!" Rebecca thought to herself "that's a sure-fire way to get into a relationship! I'm gonna wind up so obsessed with him that I'll throw myself off a cliff like some sort of maniac!" 

"Erm, Universe, you've been spacing out for a bit...why don't you take a seat?" said The Science Teacher. "Oh! R-right!" Rebecca awkwardly made her way to her seat next to Alex. 

"Alright class, who wants to blow something up on purpose!?" The Science Teacher proposed. The class cheered before a lawyer from the school board came in and whispered in the Science Teacher's ear.

"Oh right...the "incident" last semester" The Science Teacher sighed "one student's eyes get dissolved and now I can't teach these kids anything cool anymore...not my fault Liam Patterson didn't put on his goggles..."

Meanwhile Rebecca was internally panicking while sitting next to Alex. "Think non-sexy thoughts, think non-sexy thoughts, think non-sexy thoughts..." Rebecca thought to herself.

Rebecca than imagined Bawling Bacon from Crying Breakfast Friends "Ah...Crying Breakfast Friends, nice and sweet childhood innocence, nothing sexy here!" Just then, bawling bacon reached up and pulled down a tag of a zipper which revealed it to be an imaginary version of Alex without a shirt inside a costume.

"What? You know how hot it is inside a mascot suit?" said Imaginary Alex "god, I'm sweating like a pig, I gotta cool off!" Imaginary Alex then poured some water out of a bottle onto his chest.

"Uh, Rebecca?" asked The Non-Imaginary Alex. "Gah! N-no I wasn't!" Rebecca yelped as she snapped back into reality "Erm, I mean...what is it?"

"I was gonna ask you to get the magnesium while I hook up the Bunsen burner" said Alex. "Oh! R-right!" said Rebecca. "Oh crap, my pen rolled off the table...should have listened to My Dad when he told me to get hexagonal pens instead of straight up round ones" said Alex.

Alex immediately bent down to get his pen "Gah! His ass is perfect! Why is his ass perfect!?" Rebecca thought to herself "why do you continue to unintentionally seduce me you incubus!?" 

Rebecca immediately ran off to get the magnesium "I can't let myself give in to baser urges and ask him out! I mean, I do like him, I can deny it no longer, but I can't risk the heartbreak of a breakup...Lapis leaving so many times, Alice straight up ghosting me...I just can't take it!" she thought to herself. 

Class continued on normally, until it was time to break for lunch, Rebecca, due to her self-imposed dietary restrictions, always packed her own lunch. "Yo, every other table's full, mind if I sat here?" asked Alex who showed up out of nowhere.

"Erm, no... go right ahead" said Rebecca, she would have felt awkward telling him "no" because he was right, the cafeteria was packed. The two sat in silence as they ate their lunch.

"So...brown bagging it, huh?" asked Alex. "Huh?" "Brown bagging...it's an old idiom for bringing your own lunch instead of buying it" said Alex "it came from the fact that homemade lunches used to come in brown paper bags." 

"Oh...first I've heard of it" said Rebecca. "Yeah, learned it from my Dad, he knows all sorts of old idioms" said Alex "he's a bit of an old-fashioned man, but he's more progressive than he lets on." 

"Cool..." said Rebecca. The awkwardness continued until they saw a pickup truck stop at the intersection near the school. The truck was covered in numerous layers of dirt.

"Wow, that is a dirty truck" Alex remarked. "Oh yeah, I do not like dirty things...erm, unless that's what you're into..." Rebecca answered quietly. "Uh, what?" "Wh-whaaat!? Ha ha ha!" said Rebecca pretending she never said that. 

Rebecca was feeling super embarrassed after lunch "Smooth..." said Rebecca Diamond "I can't believe it..."I don't like dirty things unless that's what you're into"!? Why did I say that!? God, I hope he didn't hear that! He'd think I'm unapologetically horny!" 

"Well, given how you physically react near him...I'd say you are. Not unapologetically, mind you, but you are horny" said Rebecca Diamond. "I know..." said Rebecca "it's getting harder and harder to not think about him."

After School, Rebecca went to her part time job at The Big Donut. "Hey Rebecca, you seem distracted, is everything alright?" asked Bill Dewey. "Huh? Oh, yeah...I'm fine" said Rebecca. 

"Is it a boy?" Bill asked. "H-huh!?" "Or girl! Or, whoever else, I don't judge!" said Bill. "Oh! It's nothing" said Rebecca. "I remember my first high school crush" said Bill I was just as distracted as you are...I asked her out, and she said yes...of course, things didn't work out."

Rebecca didn't say anything and just listening. "It sucks when your first relationship doesn't work out, heck, it sucks when any relationship comes to an end, but then I found the woman who would eventually become Buck's mother!" 

Rebecca was now curious. "Losing her to cancer was one of the hardest things I've had to deal with, losing someone who's special to you is a terrible pain" said Bill "but I don't regret a single thing about the time I shared with her, our time together may not have lasted forever, but it did last, and the wonderful memories we made together will be with me for the rest of my life. It can be easy to want to close your heart off altogether when you lose a loved one, but if you do that, you might be closing yourself off from new opportunities and memories." 

"Wow, that sounds pretty profound, Bill" said Rebecca. "Well, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on you and Rebecca Diamond's conversations in the break room. I know it's not my business and you've probably heard the same advice from your other self, but I thought it would mean more from someone who went through similar experiences as your dilemma."

"Actually...it did kind of help...but I don't know how to move forward...I've been holding myself back for so long" said Rebecca. "The first step is to just relax. But first, we've got our duties to fulfill as Big Donut Personnel!" said Bill.

"Right on!" said Rebecca. Just then the bell chimed indicating there was a customer "Oh! I've got to order more donut making ingredients! Could you get this one, Rebecca?" "Oh sure!" said Rebecca as she went to the register 

"Welcome to The Big Donut, how may I help you?" said Rebecca. "Rebecca? Rebecca Universe is that really you?" asked a familiar sounding female voice. "Wait...are you...Jenny!?" Rebecca exclaimed.

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"Oh! Em! Gee! Rebecca, it IS you!!!" Jenny Pizza continued. "Wow! Jenny! Oh my gosh, you look almost exactly as I remembered" said Rebecca "except you're a little..." "...Pregnant?" Jenny guessed. 

"Wow, I didn't want to assume but...congrats!" said Rebecca. "Thanks, it's kid number two in here. Buck's kid, to be exact. Sour Cream's showing our first kid to his family" said Jenny.

"Wait! You're expecting MY grandkid!?" Bill peeked out of the backroom of the store. "Oh! Surprise!" confessed Jenny.

"I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, you did tell us of your one child per husband agreement you made with my boy and Sour Cream" said Bill.

"It's good to see your polyamorous marriage with those too is still going strong" said Rebecca. "Hey, with the right amount of communication, any marriage can work. Or at least it has for me" said Jenny.

"But enough about me, look at YOU, girl!" Jenny changed the subject "I figured you'd be around sixteen by now, but look at you! You've grown so much! And are you working a part time job? Kids grow up so fast!"

"Heh. Yeah, I mean, I want to start saving up for Veterinary School, I mean, I know I can rely on my parents for tuition but I want to cover some of the expenses myself" said Rebecca.

"When did you get so responsible, huh!?" Jenny teased "anyway..." Jenny rummaged through her purse "this one's for you, and that's for your boss over there!" Jenny then handed Rebecca two envelopes.

Rebecca opened up the envelope and read into it "An invitation?" "Yeah! Me, Buck and Sour Cream booked the Party Room in the Community Centre! We're inviting all our friends and family to a big reunion shindig!" said Jenny.

"Wow! I was just a kid the last time I was at one of your parties!" said Rebecca. "Well, technically you still are, so no alcohol for you!" said Jenny. "What, hey come on, My Dad was my age when he started drinking!" Rebecca jokingly argued.

"Sorry, girl, no can do. I may not seem like it, but I'm a responsible adult now, I've got a kid and a second kid on the way, I pretty much have to be" Jenny playfully shrugged.

"Curse you responsibilities that come with adulthood!" Rebecca pretended to shake her fists in the air. Jenny and Rebecca then shared a laugh "Well, don't be too jealous of the other adults, kiddo, after all, I can't exactly drink anything the way I am now. Anyway, I got other invites to hand out, see you soon!"

Just then Bill came back out. "You knew it was Jenny who came in, you had me at the counter on purpose, didn't you?" said Rebecca. "I thought you could use a morale boost" said Bill.

"Thanks, for both that and the talk we had earlier" said Rebecca. "Hey now, when you're Store Manager, you are the leader of the store, and a leader boosts morale and offers guidance" said Bill "qualities I should have had when I was mayor." 

"Hey, for what it's worth, you're a pretty cool boss, Bill" said Rebecca. "And you're a fine employee" said Bill "seriously, with you and that other self of yours, you're like two employees for the price of one!" 

Meanwhile, above the Earth, The Sun Incinerator approached The Karman Line of Earth. "We're making our descent now...we should be safely on Earth in Beach City in about Ten Minutes" "Estimated arrival, Ten Minutes" Said The Rutiles.

"Perfect, it's nice to be back again" said Lars. "You sure you want to do this? You seemed so excited about exploring the stars" asked Rhodonite.

"Yeah, but a spaceship's not the best place for her, besides, we'll only be staying for eighteen years, and then we'll let her decide whether or not she'd like to come with us once she's old enough" said Lars.

Beside him was a makeshift crib with a small child inside, a green gem where her other eye was supposed to be "Wait until Steven finds out he's no longer the only one" Lars joked. 

"We'll be at Earth soon!" said Padparadcha. "I still can't believe SHE wanted to join us, let alone fall in love with you" said Rhodonite. "Well, it's like an old saying we have on Earth "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" don't know where it came from but, oh well." said Lars.

"The....giiiirrrl haaaas Emerald's Gem....but she...looks more...like our captain" said Fluorite. "She really does, can't wait to show everyone...if they're still here, how long were we gone again? I forgot!" said Lars. 

"About seven years" "Earth has made seven full rotations around its sun since last we were last here" said The Rutile Twins. "We are entering Earth's Atmosphere!" said Padparadcha. "Oh good, we haven't been gone that long" said Lars.

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"Isn't this great, Shep?" asked Sadie "my old bandmates decide to return to my Hometown and throw a reunion party, it's been a while since I've seen everyone!" "It sure is, wonder how Ol' Greg's doing?" Shep responded. 

"Well, we're about to find out, we're entering the town limits in....riiiiight....now!!" Sadie and Shep's car made its way into Beach City's outskirts making its way into town.

Sadie and Shep both looked around as they reached the town proper. "Wow, things have changed and yet everything seems the same" said Sadie. "What about this "Steven Universe Community Centre"? That's new!" said Shep.

"Hey! I think that used to be the Old Warehouse" said Sadie "wow, they really refurbished that place, I remember Sour Cream's raves used to be here!" "Apparently this party's supposed to be there too" said Shep.

"No way! For real!? It's gonna be so great to see everyone again, well, everyone except Lars, he's probably far out into space" said Sadie. "Actually, he might be closer than you think" said Shep. 

Sadie looked ahead and saw The Sun Incinerator coming in for a landing "Lars is here!? What a coincidence!" Sadie excitedly stepped on the gas. "Whoa! Slow down there! Speed limits, Sadie, Speed limits!" Shep cautioned.

Sadie stopped a mile back from the ship as it landed and excitedly headed up to the ship as it opened up. Out came the Off Colours "Oh! It's Sadie, Captain Lars!" said Rhodonite. "Sadie!? Really?" asked Lars.

She was excited to see Lars, but was surprised by what he was wearing...some sort of makeshift baby carrier with, well, a baby inside "Sadie! Wow! Never thought I'd see you again!"

"Lars! I can't believe it! I thought you'd be, like, lightyears away from here!" said Sadie "wait...is that a baby!?" "Heh heh, guilty as charged! Sadie, meet Darla" said Lars. Sadie inspected the infant.

"Wow, look at her, she has your...eye" said Sadie. "Yeah, I may be a little concerned she may not have depth perception" said Lars "but who knows, her gem might make up for that."

"Lars! Oh my god! I can't believe it's you!" said Steven who just happened upon the scene. "Hey, Steven, guess what? You're not alone anymore, check it out!" said Lars.

"Whoa! No way, you had a kid...with a gem!?" asked Steven. "Hey, that gem...Lars, is this kid's mom...?" "Yup! Meet Darla, daughter of Emerald and me" said Lars. "How did that happen!? Didn't she hate you?" asked Steven.

"Oh, she did at first, she wouldn't leave us alone, even after Era 3 started" said Lars "she was obsessed with me...an obsession which turned into infatuation. She sort of became like Helga from Hey Arnold! In a way"

"Wow, I'm surprised you even know that show" said Steven. "Hey, it was still on Nickelodeon when me and Sadie were still kids, we aren't THAT young" said Lars "anyway, she was born out in space, we tried to get back to Earth while Emerald was still pregnant but we were too far away. Anyway, we came back so that we could raise her here on Earth until she's a legal adult, in which case, we'll give her the choice to come with us back to space or seek out her own life on Earth."

"Who'd have thought you'd have been able to move on from me" Sadie joked "say, can I hold her?" "Sure...here you go. Darla, this is Sadie, we were friends for a while" said Lars as she gave his daughter to Sadie to hold.

"Wow! Hey there, Little Darla! Welcome to Earth, it's a bit brighter than that spaceship, huh?" said Sadie. "Yeah, this is actually the first planet she's ever been on" "good thing it's her ancestral home" said Rutile.

"Lars! I predict Sadie will be here when we land!" said Padparadscha "oh! And Steven will be there too!" "Thanks, Padparadcha" Everyone said. Sadie than handed Darla to Steven.

"Wow, look at you! Nice to meet you Darla!" said Steven "You're probably going to have some rough patches in your childhood due to being half-gem and all, but don't you worry, I'm part gem too so, if you need any guidance when it comes to being part gem, you can always count on me!"

"Thanks for offering, Steven. No, seriously, I didn't think of that" said Lars "Oh! I better contact my parents! Let 'em know I'm here! I also want to see how Spacetries has been doing since I've been gone!"

"Blue Lace is actually working on franchising it" said Steven. "Oh! Really! That's great, still, better see for myself" said Lars as he took Darla back "I'd love to catch up more, but I got some settling in to do first!"

"Perhaps we can meet again at the big reunion shindig The Cool Kids are running" said Steven. "Really!?" said Lars. "Well, I guess I can't call 'em kids anymore, they're in their mid-twenties now!" said Steven. 

"I'm gonna call Sour Cream, he's been organizing the whole thing, I'll let him know you and The Off Colours are here" said Steven. "Wow, I finally got a second chance to attend one of their parties" said Lars "and this time, I won't chicken out!"

"I'm sure everyone will be happy to have you back, Lars" said Steven. "Speaking of which, how are Connie and the kids?" asked Lars. "Well, me and Connie are as close as ever, and the kids, well, Joshua's no longer a little kid anymore, he's ten now, and Rebecca, she's about as old as you are now...physically at least."

"Heh. Yeah, forgot I was still a teenager, biologically speaking" Lars admitted. 

Meanwhile in a forest somewhere north of town, Red Diamond's Pearl was crawling around on all fours sniffing around a crash site. "Where's she!? Where's she!?" she muttered. 

She kept on sniffing around the area "...aquamarine, no, not her!...this one's a ruby...wait...Ah ha! Scent! Her scent! Her scent! Her scent!" Red Pearl was hopping with glee.

"Gonna find her! Gonna Find her! She'll be happy to see me!" Red Pearl was running around excitedly like an excited dog and scampered off in the direction of her diamond's scent. 

Chapter Text

Joshua was in the midst of training with Jasper "MUDA!" Joshua's blank, Thorn struck a huge boulder with its fist, causing it to scatter into pieces. "Good show!" Jasper praised "Not as strong as me, mind you, but you're on your way, kid!"

"That's only because I have an awesome coach" said Joshua. "What's a coach?" asked Jasper. "Well, it's sort of like a teacher but different. They help bring out the best in athletes, be it in running, sports, for fighting" said Joshua.

"I like the sound of that" said Jasper. "I can't wait until I can take you on in a full on, no holds barred, fight!" said Joshua. "That's right! Keep your eyes on the prize. But don't think I'll let you win" said Jasper.

"I don't want you to let me win, I'll beat you all on my own!" said Joshua. "Keep up that attitude...heh, feels weird complimenting someone" said Jasper. Suddenly, Joshua's phone buzzed.

"Damn it, it's a message from my parents..." Joshua looked on his phone "look, my parents are expecting me at some sort of party, sorry but I have to call it a day" "Ah, you've earned a break" Jasper shrugged.

Steven was sitting with Connie about the updates of The Cool Kids and Lars and Shep. "Wow, to think they were all just a bunch of kids in their late-teens when they first left this city, now look at 'em, pursuing their careers, becoming parents" said Connie.

"I know, oddly enough, I feel proud of them, and I'm not even their father" said Steven. "But you were there to watch them grow" said Connie "besides, it's not just them who are growing up. Don't forget about our own kids."

"Yeah, I mean, Joshua's got a pretty decent social life at school" said Steven "and Rebecca, a part time job, occasionally helping out at The Shopping Co-op, and balancing being a student. She's kind of like me, balancing multiple responsibilities...I hope it doesn't get to her."

"And let's not forget she knows how to cook her own meals. That's an important skill to learn" said Connie "I mean, I know it's a gender-norm for women learning to cook but, it's an important skill for anyone to learn. That's what my Home-Ec teacher said...even if he was a bit intense."

*25 years ago*

"Now, some of the boys in here may think that Home Economics is for girls...well, YOU'RE WRONG!!!!" The Teacher slammed his fist so hard on his desk, there was a hole in it. 

"Keeping up a home, rented or otherwise, is an ESSENTIAL SKILL to surviving in this crazy modern world!" The Teacher continued "for millions of years, since the discovery of fire, has our species been able to cook, and it wasn't just the women who did it! DID YOU HEAR THAT, DAD!? COOKING IS MANLY! I AM MANLY! WAS BEING BORN WITH UNUSUALLY HIGH TESTOSTERONE LEVELS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YA!? 

The Teacher took a framed picture of his father and threw it against a wall "Yeah, you heard me, I was born with high testosterone levels, higher than the average adult male! It's literal, physical hyper-masculinity! I am so biologically manly, I don't have to act in a traditionally masculine manner to compensate, but NOOOO! Dad wanted me to be a wrestler! I HATE WRESTLING! IT'S TOO AGGRESSIVE!" 

He then lifted his desk over his shoulders and slammed it against the ground, shattering it to splinters! Teenage Connie and the rest of her class was horrified watching the whole affair.

"Now, who wants to bake cookies?" asked The Home Ec. Teachers.

Later that evening it was the party, Jenny met up with Rebecca "Rebecca, meet my first kid, fathered by Sour Cream, Chip" she introduced a four year old boy."Hey, Chip, nice to meet you" said Rebecca.

"H-hi" Chip hid behind her mother's leg "Sorry, little guy's a bit shy" said Jenny "It's okay, sweetheart, Rebecca's nice! I used to babysit her when she was your age. It gave me practice on being a Mommy."

The kid slowly went out from behind his mother to properly greet Rebecca "He's got your eyes, Jenny" "I know, that's why he looks so good!" said Jenny. 

The Barriga family along with several of the Off Colours showed up, much to everyone's excitement. Dante and Martha Barriga were already ecstatic enough to find out their son had returned to Earth, but with a grandchild, they were twice as happy.

The couple was more than happy to let Lars stay for the next eighteen years. Lars bought along his famous Ube Roll for everyone to enjoy "I can't believe I was so worried you guys wouldn't like this!" He said to Buck, Jenny and Sour Cream as they laughed together. 

"Look at you, Buck! That goatee looks good one you" said Steven. "Of course, The Devil's beard style, for devilishly handsome guy!" said Buck. "So, you're officially a surgeon now, huh?" said Steven.

"Yeah, your wife's Mom made it official" said Buck. "Yeah, can't believe she's the director of the hospital now" said Steven "Connie's very proud of her."

"Greg, it is so good to see you again, you don't look half bad for a man in his seventies" said Sadie. "I'm only chronologically seventy, biologically I'm in my forties" Greg bragged.

"Rub it in, why don't ya?" said Nanafua who was in her eighties. "Now, Mom, don't be so jealous" said Kofi. "I was not, I was just joking" said Nanafua "I may be old, but my sense of humour's still sharp as a whip.

"Hey, you three, where's Fluorite?" asked Connie. "She said she had a craving for Burger Emperor, it's her favourite Earth Cuisine" said Rhodonite.

"Really? The nearest one's by the highway where Ocean Town used to be" said Connie. "She may talk slow..." "...But she moves fast when she wants to" said Rutile. "Fluorite's going to Burger Empire" said Padparadscha.

Meanwhile at a nearby Burger Emperor, Red Diamond's human disguise "Ted" was speaking with the manager of the restaurant. "Now, Ted, I normally don't do this, but I think I can trust you with managing the closing procedures tonight!" said The Manager.

"Is it really okay to leave in charge like this even though I am the new guy?" asked Red Diamond. "Oh, sure, I mean, it was your first full day on the job, sure, but you came in with the right attitude and flipped those burgers with a smile on your face!"

What the manager didn't know was why his new employee smiled. While it appeared "Ted" simply enjoyed the job, Red Diamond was tantalized by what the burgers were, ground up animal flesh. She loved it! She loved how she was searing the remains of what was once a living thing, it was almost as pleasurable as shattering gems, but she didn't get the same tingly feel as she got when she shattered gems, she couldn't help but enjoy that more, but it was enough to put a smile on her face at least.

"Anyway, The Big Game's tonight, can't miss it" The Manager said "Oh! And here! The remote for the security cameras, if you want to turn 'em off and make yourself something to eat, nobody needs to know" he handed Red the remote for the security camera. 

After the manager drove off, Red was left all alone, she decided she had no choice but to do what was on the to do list for closing. She had to keep up the identity she had stolen after all. 

Suddenly however, he heard a rustling in the bushes and saw something huge "Stars above, a smorgasbord!" Red thought to herself as she saw the full form of Fluorite emerge from the woods behind the restaurant.

"Oh!..... Are you cloooooosing already? Oh, sorry!..... Buuuut It's been sooooo.... looooong since I had one of your hamburgers.... Woooooould you mind serving just one more guest?... I have the mooooney..." said Fluorite.

Red gazed upon the fused gem with amazement. She heard that cross-gem fusion was forbidden, but seeing six gems together like this was all too convenient and satisfying.

"No....not at all. Please come in" said Red Diamond as she lowered her flesh puppet's head, covering the eyes with the brim of the visor. "Oh...Thank...yyyyyou!" said Fluorite as she excitedly scuttled in.

She then raised her flesh-puppet's head and gazed at Fluorite with a ravenous look in her eyes and grinned with a malicious smile. 

Chapter Text

The party continued, Buck was taking a selfie with his father and Jenny. "I still can't believe how grown up everyone looks...except for Lars" said Amethyst. "I know, it's crazy! But I'm glad you're still the same Amethyst!" said Sadie.

"Hey, I changed a little. I helped set up a program that gave gems jobs in town" said Amethyst. "Oh no, I remember that!" said Sadie.

"Man, I still can't believe how much you can pack away and not gain a pound" said Shep "I envy you gems sometimes, you know how much work goes into keeping my body the way it is?"

"Well, some of us are just lucky, I suppose" Amethyst shrugged. "Watching you eat all those chips was hilarious, you looked like chipmunk" said Sadie. "I did not" said Amethyst as she suddenly shrunk down.

Suddenly, Shep noticed a small purple rodent on their shoulder "This is me looking like a chipmunk" said Amethyst. Both Sadie and Shep were laughing at Amethyst's trick. "Never a dull moment with a friend like you" said Sadie.

On a projector screen was a video containing different photos of each of the cool kids at various points of their lives, including the wedding of Sour Cream, Jenny and Buck. 

"Hey, Lars" said Dante "me and your mother are getting kinda tired...and by the looks of it, so is your little girl. Mind if we take her home with us so all three of us could get some shut eye?" 

"Sure, alright, Darla, I'm giving you over to your grandpa, I'll be back soon, okay, kiddo?" said Lars as he handed over his tired daughter to his parents. 

"Captain Lars, Fluorite hasn't come back yet" "Fluorite's Late" said Rutile. "She hasn't? The nearest Burger Empire isn't that far away though" said Lars "and it should be way past closing by now, unless she went to a 24 hour location."

"Fluorite is late!" said Padparadscha. "Now, don't worry guys, we'll find her" said Lars "a gem as big as her couldn't possibly be that hard to find." "I'll help find her too" said Garnet. 

"Really? You will?" asked Rhodonite. "Of course, she's a fellow fusion, I'd be happy to help" said Garnet. "Then do you think you can use your future vision to help?" asked Rhodonite "I remember there being a sapphire in you, and I know we already have a sapphire among us, but as you already know...her vision's not exactly reliable in this sort of situation."

"Of course...let me see..." said Garnet "Hmm?" "What is it?" asked Rhodonite. "I saw something...but the vision got interrupted somehow, like someone pressed the skip ahead button on the remote" said Garnet.

"Is that bad?" "Is it good?" asked Rutile. "I don't know, it was like, she was there, but then she was not" said Garnet. "We better check out The Burger Empire when it opens in the morning" said Lars "it's likely the last staff members would have gone home by now!"

"I hope she's alright" said Rhodonite "especially with those "Humans Over Gems" people I've heard about on The News back at your parents' place." "Yeah, those guys are bad news" said Garnet.

"We better search the nearby area around Beach City in case she's there" said Lars "sorry everyone, but we gotta leave! But it's great to see you all again!" Lars and The Off Colours with Garnet in tow left the party.

And so the party continued on, everyone caught up with everyone and good time was had by all. As The Universe Family left, they noticed Bismuth cursing in frustration a bit.

"Hey, what's with you, Bismuth?" asked Steven. "Sorry, it was just, I thought the party would be the perfect setting but, Pearl was too caught up catching up with old friends..." 

"And, uh, what is it you were trying to do?" asked Connie. Bismuth opened her palm, showing a ring, fitted to fit Pearl. "No way...is that...?" asked Joshua. "Yeah...I've been wanting to do this for a while" said Bismuth.

"Well, don't feel bad, yeah, it's a big question to ask, but you'll get another chance, why not set up just another date night?" asked Steven. "I've been trying but I get too nervous about finding the right moment" said Bismuth. 

"Sometimes you got to just suck it up and just ask the question" said Connie "that's how me and Steven got married." "You're right! I've managed to make it through a war, I can pop the question!"

The next day, Rebecca was at the LGTBQ+ club at school and overheard a couple of her fellow club talking about the new Mach The Armadillo Movie coming out. Rebecca thought about what her boss, Bill Dewey, told her the other day.

She decided she'd ask that new boy out at some point, but first she had to get back in the game of just being friends with people "Um, excuse me, can I join you guys?" 

The students talking about the movie suddenly stopped "Yeah, sure, you can come" said one. "I'm surprised though, you never usually want to do anything with, well, anyone after school" said another student.

"I know...I was just...nervous" Rebecca admitted. "Well, you're welcome to join us, you'll have to pay for your own ticket though" said a third student. "Oh, that's fine! I could do that" said Rebecca