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“Ladies, gentlemen, and gems of all ages!” Greg said. “After years of being away from Beach City, finishing college, and getting married, our favorite couple is back with a new addition. May I present to you Primrose Quartz Maheswaran-Universe!”
Greg opened the door to Steven’s old house, and polite clapping was heard as Steven entered with Connie. Their three-month-old baby, Primrose, was wide awake and taking everything in. When she saw Greg, she reached for him, and Greg took her, making everyone in the room go, ‘Aw.’
“Oh, let me see her; I must see her!” Pearl said. “Oh, look at her! She’s so perfect and chubby. Look at her little cheeks!”
“Primrose, this is Aunty Pearl,” Greg said. “She’s going to teach you how to be proper and, possibly, teach your sword stuff when you’re older.”
Primrose reached for Pearl. Pearl gasped and took her. Steven watched, unable to hide his smile. Primrose had proven to be friendly. Of course, she loved Greg. There were times when Steven had to fight to get his daughter back. She’d be curled up on Greg’s chest, her little fingers clinging to his clothing. She’d sometimes cry when Steven would take her back. Connie squeezed his hand, and he looked at her.
“I told you she’d love them,” Connie said.
“Okay, you were right,” Steven said. “It’s just a lot of people to meet. In the book I read, babies can get overwhelmed easily.”
“Hello, Primrose,” Pearl said. “As Greg said, I’ll be the one to teach you many things. Of course, you’ll be going to school. We’re going to make sure of that.”
“My turn, my turn, my turn!” Amethyst poked Pearl in the side. “I wanna see her!”
“Amethyst, stop that!” Pearl said. “I’ll give her to you, but you better hold her properly. Support her head at all times.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, give her here!” Amethyst demand.
Pearl reluctantly handed Primrose over. Primrose stared at Amethyst; she stuck out her tongue, and Primrose giggled.
“Hey, kiddo, I’m Amethyst! I’m going to be the fun aunt! Just wait until you get older! I’ll show you how to cliff dive!”
“You will not!” Pearl said. “That is out of the question!”
“Wow, this sounds familiar,” Steven chuckled.
It was like he had been taken back in time. He remembered how much Pearl had worried about him and her squabbles with Amethyst. God, he had caused so much trouble when he was younger. It was surreal thinking about his younger years. Here he was, married with a baby. Time really flew by. As Pearl argued about safety, Garnet reached down and plucked Primrose from Amethyst’s hands. Primrose cooed, grabbing hold of Garnet’s finger.
“Tiny hands,” She grinned. “My one weakness.”
“I still don’t believe that thing came from Steven,” Peridot finally spoke. “It doesn’t look a thing like Steven. And why isn’t it called Smaller Steven or Lesser Steven? It would make more logical sense!”
“I see Peridot is still having trouble understanding what a baby is,” Connie chuckled.
“She’s not Steven. She’s her person,” Garnet said. “Humans create other humans, but they’re not copies of them. Primrose will grow up to be her unique person.”
Peridot was about to argue when Garnet grabbed her by the hand and took her to the couch. Peridot was confused when Primrose was handed to her. The gem looked terrified as she held Primrose away from her. Garnet gently pushed Primrose back and then fixed Peridot’s arms so she had the baby correctly.
“Ah, what do I do? What do I do? Steven, guide me!” Peridot begged.
“Just hold her,” Steven said. “Talk to her.”
“Um--Peridot glanced down at the baby. “I’m Peridot. I’m a part of the Crystal Gems. I mostly reside at Little Homeworld. I met your father when I tried to destroy the planet.”
Primrose cooed, and then she gave Peridot a huge smile. Peridot stared at her before hugging her.
“This is my human now,” She declared. “You can’t have her back.”
“Hey, you can’t steal my grandbaby!” Greg said.
Steven burst out laughing. He had missed this chaos. Being on his own had been fantastic. Traveling the United States, meeting new people, and seeing the world had been cathartic. He had done that for a few years before Connie had started hinting she was ready to settle down. Steven had been waiting to hear those words from her, and after they got hitched, a baby was the next step.
Part of him had been terrified. Steven had no idea if his baby would be part Gem like he was. Rose Quartz had made an enormous sacrifice by having him, and Steven was scared it would be the same. Thankfully, the pregnancy went by without any issues. The only weird thing was Connie’s pickles, ice cream and sauerkraut dinners. Steven had been with Connie for every step of the process, from the classes to the doctor’s appointments. There had been no weird gem issues, except Primrose had been born with curly, pink hair. Other than that, everything went fine.
The warp pad glowed; Lapis and Bismuth had arrived. Bismuth was carrying something huge that was wrapped in mismatched wrapping paper.
“Sorry we’re late,” Lapis said. “We had to bring the gift.”
“Where is she? I want to see this baby,” Bismuth said, setting the significant gift down.
“Garnet had to steal her back from Peridot,” Connie said.
Sure enough, Garnet had plucked Primrose from Peridot’s tiny hands. She walked over to Lapis and Bismuth.
“Whoa, she’s tiny!” Lapis said.
“But look at that hair! She has the Quartz curls,” Bismuth chuckled.
Primrose reached up and grabbed Bismuth’s nose. Bismuth chuckled again, making the baby smile.
“That’s one heck of a grip you got there,” Bismuth said.
“You’re too close!” Peridot said. “Move back; you might have germs! I’ll go find the disinfectant!”
Steve watched as Peridot went to find some spray. He was surprised that she was the one who was more neurotic than Pearl. He glanced back to Bismuth, who was now holding Primrose. She brought the baby to the present.
“Ready?” Bismuth asked.
Bismuth grabbed the paper and tore it off. Underneath was a gorgeous silver crib with a mobile. Primrose’s name was engraved on it with a gemstone for the ‘o’. Both Steven and Connie gasped.
“Bismuth, that’s beautiful!” Connie said. “You made this for Primrose?”
“Yep!” Bismuth said with pride. “And watch this!”
Bismuth pressed the gemstone. The crib shook before transforming into a toddler bed with a pillow and blanket. Primrose gurgled, wiggling about in Bismuth’s grasp. Connie walked over to the bed and pressed the gem. Sure enough, it went back to its crib form.
“Bismuth, I’m speechless,” Connie said. “This has to be the most thoughtful and beautiful gift.”
“I did some research on human babies. I thought this gift would be the most helpful,” Bismuth. “What do you think, squirt?”
Bismuth placed Primrose in the crib. Primrose sat down and took in her surroundings. She then lay down in the crib, snuggling into the mattress. Peridot burst into tears.
“She’s so cute!” She bawled. “I love her so much!”
Steven couldn’t stop grinning. He was so happy Primrose had the Crystal Gems in her life. She may not have to save the universe or fight monsters, but she will always be loved.
“Whatcha thinking about schtu-ball?” Greg nudged Steven.
“I’m just happy,” Greg said. “I knew they’d love her, but seeing them love her just---feels right, ya know?”
“How could we not love her? She has the Universe charm,” Greg wrapped an arm around Steven. “Our family is known for making cute babies.”
Steven laughed.
“Peridot, get out of the crib,” Bismuth said.
“NEVER!” Peridot had climbed into the crib with Primrose.
“Oh boy,” Steven chuckled. “This might be a problem.”