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Chapter Text

Steven leaned into his seat behind the wheel of the Dondai Supremo, the old two-door hatchback rattling with every bump in the road. Greg’s handiwork still clung to the rear window- a bright yellow Dad on Board sticker slapped right over a faded one that screamed !!USED!! . The seats were worn soft, the tape deck stubborn in its slot, the faint smell of old upholstery and ocean salt mixing in the air.

He’d grown into himself since the last time he made this drive- taller now, with a scatter of facial hair along his jaw and black curls that brushed his collar. His black T-shirt stretched comfortably over his chest, the familiar yellow star riding the center like an old friend.

The farmland rolled past in long green swells until the horizon cracked open to water. There it was- Beach City, crouched across the bay. The lighthouse stood on its cliffside perch, the six-armed stone giant holding aloft his old home, the Gem temple. Near the temple, the crater still yawned where Spinel’s injector had struck, a scar in the sand. And above it all, the water tower kept watch, the words Beach City fading but still proud against the sky.

Steven eased the hatchback under the water tower and into Beach City proper, the town unfolding like a postcard stitched to the shoreline. New storefronts had crept up since he’d last been home: a renovated building had been emblazoned with the sign “the Pixel Temple”, which pulsed with LED icons. From the windows it looked like a game shop stacked with boxed discs and rows of consoles and mobile pads. Ronaldo, still with those blonde dreads that resemble spaghetti, knelt at one of those windows, having an oddly proud look as he wiped a smear away- Steven slowed, heartbeat loosening; Ronaldo was harmless, just…extra. He kept the car moving. Let someone else make the first awkward hello.

Then out of a motel building, bringing boxes into them, there was Sadie Miller- broad-shouldered, haircut short and practical. When her eyes snagged the pale yellow star on his shirt she stopped midlift, then dropped the gear and ran. Her grin split her face the way sunlight breaks open a cloud.

She barreled into him the moment he climbed out, arms looping hard around his ribs. “Steven! Oh my gosh!” she squealed, breath sharp with laughter and beer. He stumbled, then wrapped one arm around her back the way you hold a friend who’s already done something reckless and entirely forgivable. “Hey, Sadie,” he said, voice low with a smile. “Long time.”

“Three months and some change, since you saw my show in Empire City.” Sadie rubbed the back of her neck, “Not very long, compared to other people that know you…”

“I’m going through town saying hello to as many people as I can,” Steven said, still catching his breath from Sadie’s hug. “You’re just the first. The Ex-Suspects in town?”

Her smile widened. “Yeah, actually. We all planned to visit our families here.” She tipped her chin toward the stage gear behind her. “We’ve got a reunion show on the beach tonight.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.” She gave a quick, satisfied nod. “New song and everything.”

“That’s awesome…” His voice trailed as his gaze drifted up past her shoulder, toward the hill that loomed over town- the lighthouse, the carved six-armed figure, and the home waiting at its feet.

Sadie followed his eyes and let out a knowing breath. “Say no more. You’ve got a family to see.”

“I’m taking it slow,” he said, though the words felt like he was trying to convince himself.

“Steven!”

He turned at the voice to see Kiki across the street, mid-jog, her skin gleaming with sweat under the afternoon sun. Dark curls bounced around her face as she waved and crossed the road in long, easy strides.

Steven stepped forward, arms opening, but she twisted away with a laugh. “Wait! Jog sweat!”

He froze mid-hug, grinning sheepishly looking her up and down. “Woops. Sorry.”

“When did you get back, Steven? It’s so good to see you!” Kiki said, still catching her breath from her run.

“Just now. You’re the second person- ”

“Steven! Steven!”

He turned in time to see Ronaldo barreling down the street, one hand flapping in the air like a signal flag.

“Oh, geez…”

“Steven’s back, everyone!” Ronaldo shouted as he closed the distance, sneakers slapping the pavement. He skidded to a stop in front of them, bent over and wheezing, then straightened to bellow again. “Everyone! Steven is back!”

“Uh, Ronaldo- ”

“Get out here! Everyone, Steven is back!”

“Ronaldo!” Steven stepped forward and caught his eye, forcing his voice through the noise. “I know you’re loud, but everyone who knows me is probably way too far to hear you.”

Ronaldo hesitated, chest still heaving. “Maybe… but…” He dug into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and thumbed the screen with a flourish. “I saw your Supremo and posted it on my blog.” He grinned, cheeks flushed. “They’re out looking for you, bud.”

“Ronaldo! Seriously! I was trying to take it slow!” Steven said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Sadie crossed her arms. “Does anyone even still follow your blog?”

“No,” Ronaldo admitted, undeterred, “but the Steven post got, like… ten views?”

Steven barked a laugh. “That’s the whole town!”

Before anyone could answer, a shadow spilled over him.

Something cold and heavy splashed across his head, drenching his shirt and plastering curls to his face. He blinked against the salt sting, hands swiping at his eyes.

And then she was there. Lapis Lazuli dropped out of the sky, water wings dissolving into spray just above him. Azure skin glistened in the sunlight; chin-length blueberry hair framed her face in soft, wind-tossed arcs, long bangs sweeping across her forehead. Her royal-blue eyes caught his for a heartbeat before she hit him in a tangle of arms and laughter.

They went down together, her hug knocking the breath from his chest, the smell of the ocean still clinging to her skin.

“Hello, Henry!” Lapis said, her arms still locked tight around him.

“Heeeey…” Steven wheezed. “My name’s Steven.”

“Of course,” she said, squeezing even tighter.

Kiki tilted her head. “Don’t see you around often.”

Ronaldo crossed his arms, solemn as if announcing a conspiracy. “The Gems are too good for us Beach City folks, all up in their hyper-advanced city down yonder.”

“Oh, that’s why,” Kiki said with a cringe look.

Steven finally peeled himself free, giving Sadie a parting hug. “See you tonight- good luck with the reunion show.” She waved him off toward the car.

He and Lapis slid into the Dondai Supremo, the seat springs creaking as he started the engine. The afternoon sun stretched long stripes of light across the dashboard as they headed up the winding road toward the temple.

“What have you been up to, Lapis?” he asked.

“Oh, you know- making more Meep Morps. Painting with those water colors and that set you gave me. Night shifts at the hydroelectric plant.” She glanced out the window, the ocean flashing between rooftops. “How about you?”

“I’m visiting for about a month before I decide if I want to head out again. Got in touch with my grandparents, worked at a Patty Queen for a bit- had to quit, though. It sucked.” He flicked a look at her. “Made anything interesting lately?”

She brightened slightly. “Besides a painting of you made from my tears? I took a piece of your house’s broken front wall and made a piece commemorating the organic matter human homes are made from.”

“Broken wall? Broken from wha- oh.”

Her lips quirked. “The time you turned into a bigantic monster?”

“Actually it was broken before… by cactus Steven.”

“I heard about that,” Lapis said. “Hey, Steven?”

“Lapis?”

“Next time, if you think the Crystal Gems kinda suck, come to me and tell me all about it. I’ll be your cactus Steven.”

He almost laughed- then actually pictured it. Lapis, standing there blank-eyed while he spilled every awful, tangled thought in his head. The image made his stomach knot. Yeah… no. That was less comfort and more trauma-dump.

“Still mad about the mirror thing, huh?” he asked.

“Yup.”

He smirked. “You still watching Camp Pining Hearts ?”

“You know it.”

“Even though it’s been off since the reboot?”

She frowned at him. “What are you talking about? There’s new episodes coming out all the time.”

“Wait- what?”

The road gave way to soft sand, the tires humming as they rolled onto the beach. Up ahead, the carved stone giant loomed over the sea, arms outstretched to cradle the temple. Steven made a mental note to hit up his dad’s car wash later before the sand ate the paint.

“There’s the episode where Rodrigo and Percy get together,” Lapis continued, eyes bright. “And then there’s one where Jasmine gets kidnapped by weird aliens and given fire powers. That one’s my favorite, but it’s a long read.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s fanfiction,” Steven said.

The Dondai crunched to a stop at the edge of the temple’s shadow. Out front, two massive, round machines squatted in the sand, their sides open to reveal glittering gears and coils. Peridot zipped between them on a hovering metal platform, barking short commands to the whirring parts. Her lime-green skin caught the sun, pale chartreuse hair sculpted into its perfect tetrahedron, the yellow visor over her eyes flaring like butterfly wings.

She spotted him instantly, turning to reveal the yellow star on his old pink shirt he had given her. “Steven!”

Down by the base of the nearest machine, Bismuth straightened from her work. Her hair spilled in bright locks of yellow, purple, and blue, all pulled back under a lilac headband. “S-Steven!”

Before he could answer, Peridot abandoned her platform, letting it clatter into the sand. Bismuth jogged up beside her, both of them grinning so hard it hurt to look at. Then they were on him, Peridot a quick, fierce squeeze at his middle, Bismuth wrapping him up in arms that felt like they could bend steel.

For a second, the ocean wind and the machine noise faded, and all he felt was home closing around him.

The front door above swung open, and two shapes came charging down from the house cradled in the temple’s stone hands.

Garnet vaulted the last step and launched herself skyward, her deep-violet, cube-shaped afro catching the light as she spun. Magenta skin flashed in the sun, her square jaw and full lips set in a rare, open smile as she somersaulted toward him.

Beside her, Amethyst hit the railing at a run, collapsing into a perfect ball of bright lilac. She bounced once off the sand, then unfurled midair- thick pale-lavender hair flying in every direction, one heavy bang still hiding her left eye. Her dark indigo gaze locked on him, plump lips curling into a grin, her small upturned nose crinkling with joy. Arms spread, she barreled in.

Steven caught her with a grunt, almost stumbling backward from the impact. Garnet landed an instant later, and he spun with her weight in his arms, the motion effortless between them.

They all mingled, Steven, Amethyst, and Garnet, arms tangled, foreheads pressed close, breath hitching in short bursts. He had to pull away some, as he could feel himself start to fuse. But he kept gripping. His eyes burned, and judging by the shimmer on theirs, he wasn’t the only one. The salt on his cheeks might’ve been ocean spray, but he knew better.

“Steven!”

The shrill call cut through the sound of the waves. Steven turned to see Pearl sprinting from the road he’d just driven down, ivory skin catching the sun. Her light cyan eyes were locked on him, her pointed nose and thin lips drawn tight in a breathless smile. Light peach hair framed her face in a neat pixie cut, tapering to a single point in the back, and the smooth gleam of her gemstone shone at the center of her forehead.

He broke from Garnet and Amethyst, their hands lingering on his shoulders as he jogged toward her. This time, it was his turn to leap into someone’s arms. Pearl caught him without breaking stride, clutching him tight, her head pressing briefly against his shoulder.

Garnet and Amethyst closed in again, pulling them both into the circle. Across the sand, Bismuth, Peridot, and Lapis stood shoulder-to-shoulder, blinking back tears. It took only a heartbeat before they crossed the distance, wrapping everyone up in one sprawling, laughing embrace.

When they finally loosened enough to breathe, Steven tilted his head. “Wait. Pearl, what were you doing in town?”

“Oh, I was just shopping for some… detergent!” she said, a shade too fast.

Garnet adjusted her glasses. “She was keeping watch for you near the water tower.”

“Oh, Garnet!” Pearl’s cheeks colored.

“I didn’t even see you,” Steven said, squinting. “What’s that green stuff on your cheek?”

Pearl hesitated. “I may… have been watching from the bushes… with some binoculars… in a ghillie suit…” She plucked a few strings of vegetation from her shoulders. “With paint.”

Pearl swiped at her cheeks with the back of her hand, blinking hard. “I don’t know why I’m crying. It’s only been a year and a half.”

Garnet’s voice softened. “We’ve never been separated from Steven for so long.”

“Pearl not so much,” Amethyst said with a smirk, “’cause she’s a total stalker.”

Pearl’s head snapped around. “Amethyst! Stop making things up about me!”

Garnet adjusted her stance, unbothered. “You did want to hire a private investigator to track him after the first day.”

“And then after the interviews, you nearly bought a car and- ”

Pearl clamped a hand over Amethyst’s mouth. “Okay! We’ve got a big day ahead of us, with the reunion show and whatnot.”

Steven tilted his head. “You’re helping with that?”

“It seemed like it would be a blast,” Garnet said.

Steven hesitated. “Is Connie…?”

Pearl’s gaze lowered. “We haven’t heard from her since she left, too.”

Trying for casual, Steven said, “Too busy at college?”

“She didn’t go to college,” Garnet replied.

Steven blinked. “What?”

Just then, the voice belonging to the subject of the conversation called out as a portal closed behind them. “Steven!”

A flicker of movement on the shoreline caught his eye. Connie rode toward them atop Lion, the great beast’s pink fur rippling in the wind, his light rose-colored mane tossing like waves.

This time, it was Steven’s turn to run. Sand kicked up behind him as he closed the gap, and just as he was a foot away from head butting lion, both he and Connie leapt toward each other. His powers surged on instinct- the world dropped away as they shot skyward, weightless, the air cool and bright around them.

Light wrapped them in a warm, electric glow. Steven’s curls mingled with Connie’s dark hair, strands shifting to a deep violet. Their shapes blended, stretched, and when the light faded, Stevonnie hovered in the sky- barefoot, laughing, arms and legs splayed wide. Steven’s too-small black shirt and jeans clung awkwardly to her taller frame, his faint facial hair shadowing a face sharpened by Connie’s lean build.

They spun once in the air, letting the wind carry them, before drifting down in a slow spiral. The moment their feet touched sand, the glow pulsed again, splitting into two familiar figures; Steven and Connie, grinning like they’d just stolen back a piece of their old lives.

“Steven, I’m so glad you’re back,” Connie said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“I’m glad to be back,” he answered. The words came out smooth, but somewhere in his chest they felt heavier- too tangled with old trouble to ring true.

Pearl clasped her hands. “It must be wonderful to be reunited after all these months.”

Steven let out a small giggle, glancing away. “Yeah…”

Connie’s brow furrowed. “Wha- ?” She caught the odd look in his eyes, then straightened with a quick smile. “Oh! Yes, it’s been a long couple of months!” Her voice wavered just enough to make it sound rehearsed.

Steven rolled his shoulders, pushing past it. “You guys need help setting up for the concert?”

“Well…” Pearl glanced toward the beach. “Bismuth is taking care of the stage. The Suspects are bringing their equipment.”

“Which I’m helping set up,” Peridot added from her perch on a metal platform.

Steven nodded toward the hulking shapes out front. “What’s with the big machines?”

“They’re the caterers for the event,” Peridot said matter-of-factly.

He stepped closer, taking in their odd proportions- big as compact cars, their rounded shells gleaming in the sun. Something about them didn’t look like anything meant for food. “They’re a bit big…”

The sentence trailed off as the light dimmed around him. A shadow rolled over his shoulders, cold and sudden, swallowing the sand at his feet.

The sky seemed to split with light as the familiar shape descended- a massive faceted torso and head like White Diamond’s, flanked by two colossal arms: one bright yellow, the other deep blue. The ship tilted forward, fixing Steven with that eerie, unblinking glare he’d never liked.

From the diamond-cut forehead, a flawless pearl-white sphere emerged out before floating down toward the beach. It shrank away, releasing the three towering figures in a spill of light.

White stood front and center, arms outstretched in her signature pose, pale as moonstone. Yellow’s stance still bristled with the readiness of a conqueror, all sharp lines and authority. Blue’s face, however, softened instantly- her eyes bright with open gratitude.

“Steven!” Blue’s voice rolled over the surf.

Even Yellow and White’s composure melted at the sight of him, their usual grandiosity shrinking into something warmer.

“Oh, Steven,” White breathed, stepping forward with a shake in the ground. “I had hoped you would be here. Honestly, I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t here again.”

“Again?” Steven asked, blinking.

He and Connie shared a quick, knowing smile.

“They’ve been visiting regularly,” Connie explained. “Checking on Little Homeworld… and playing board games.”

Yellow exhaled, folding her arms. “Honestly, it’s our break. The work of undoing the damage from the empire has been nonstop otherwise.”

“Except when we’re playing!”

The voice sang out before a blur of pink tumbled into view. Spinel uncoiled from White’s shoulder like a slinky gone rogue, her long limbs bending and springing until she landed in front of him. Her pigtails bounced messily, dark cerise against her pink complexion, mascara-like streaks under each eye giving her an almost theatrical look. Puffy hot-pink sleeves and rose shorts puffed with every movement as she stretched her arms wide.

She lunged for him- 

- and Steven stepped back, just out of reach.

“Hey, wha…?” Spinel’s grin faltered.

Steven’s hands fidgeted at his sides. He drew in a breath, feeling Connie’s presence at his shoulder, her calm anchoring him.

“I’ve… been told…” His voice trembled, but he pressed on. “That I need to work on my boundaries when it comes to touch. Especially with people who’ve hurt me in the past.”

The words hung heavy in the salt air.

The Diamonds stood motionless, worry tracing their features. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl stayed rooted in place, their expressions carefully still. Only Connie moved, resting a gentle hand between Steven’s shoulder blades.

The waves filled the silence that followed.

Spinel’s eyes widened, the edges trembling. “B-but… don’t you remember the big hug we all took? The one that helped you? I was there too- ”

“I know, I know.” Steven’s voice softened, but he didn’t step closer. “And I appreciate what you did… but one-on-one? It’s not the same. I need time.”

Her shoulders slumped, pigtails drooping. “O-okay…”

Blue knelt slightly, her tone coaxing. “Spinel. Why don’t you stay with us for now?”

“Yes,” Yellow added quickly, already motioning her over. “Show us that new twisty trick you wanted to try.”

Steven’s chest eased as Spinel backed away toward them. His gaze drifted beyond the Diamonds- where a cluster of familiar figures approached along the sand. Sadie’s band spilled onto the beach with instruments slung over shoulders, Sour Cream in a sun-bleached hoodie, Buck waving lazily, Jenny flashing a grin. The knot in his stomach loosened into a smile.

It was late afternoon, the sky fading to gold as music drifted over the crowd. On stage, Sadie belted out lyrics beside Shep, who breathed notes from that odd, slender instrument Steven recognized the first time he saw them play with Sadie. An Electronic Wind Instrument. Sour Cream stood behind the beat pads, nodding in rhythm, while Jenny plucked a slow, steady bassline. Buck strummed an acoustic guitar, glancing at Jenny between verses.

Steven knew the stories now- how Sadie had chased her music with Shep, how Sour Cream had started a fishing business with his stepdad but still DJed on the side. Buck and Jenny were saving for a move to Empire City, working shifts at the Fish Stew Pizza together in the meantime.

From the edge of the crowd, a familiar voice called out.

“Hey, Schtu-ball!”

Steven turned to see his dad making his way over. Greg had kept the hair at the sides and back trimmed short, letting the last of it drape a little over his shoulders. They wrapped each other in a hug.

“Hey, Dad.”

Greg stepped back, smiling. “It’s been a long time- well, aside from that trip to Empire City.”

Steven took a sip from his cup of punch. “So, how’s being Sadie and Shep’s manager working out?”

Greg scratched at the side of his beard. “Full-time gig with Sadshep. Luckily, it’s just Shep’s EWI and a mic for Sadie, so equipment’s easy. It’s the connections, marketing, and-” he sighed- “funding I gotta worry about.”

“Funding?” Steven grinned. “Aren’t we filthy, stinkin’ rich?”

“They wanted something… you know… sustainable.” Greg waved a hand. “Anyway, how was your trip?”

“Oh, you know.” Steven’s shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “Back and forth down the country, a few motels, a few nights in the Supremo. Even made it to the Great White North.”

Greg’s eyes lit up. “That’s great! How was their poutine?”

Steven’s smile widened. “De. Licious.”

Greg forced a smile, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know it is.” His eyes flickered nervously. “So… hey. Sadie mentioned you visited my parents.”

Steven’s gaze softened. “I did. They were great. Even asked about you- wondered where you were. They miss you so much.”

The memory hit him sharp and clear- his grandmother’s quiet tears when she thought no one was watching. The weight of all those lost years settled heavy in his chest. Greg had a son out there, and they hadn’t known.

“I’m sorry, Steven.” Greg’s voice cracked just a little. “There’s too many problems there for me to face. I’m not as strong as you… especially when it comes to estranged family.”

His glance flicked toward the Diamonds, who sat cross-legged on the sand, their vast presence somehow calm in the afternoon light.

Nearby, the massive spherical machines Bismuth and Peridot had built loomed- four-legged behemoths topped with compartments bristling with robotic arms. They moved steadily, ferrying giant trays stacked with giant bowls of mixed giant chips and giant pretzels, plates of giant finger sandwiches, giant pitchers of iced tea and lemonade, and stacks of giant cookies and giant brownies wrapped in clear giant plastic.

Steven had to double take and wonder where the heck all this giant stuff came from. And how they got the Diamonds to actually eat and drink.

Steven straightened, a determined set to his jaw. “Speaking of…”

Greg’s eyes softened with understanding. “You say what you need to, Schtu-ball.”

They embraced, the scent of Greg’s shampoo faint in the summer air. “By the way,” Steven whispered into his shoulder, “don’t tell anyone me and Connie travelled together during her gap year.”

“You got it,” Greg murmured.

Steven stepped back and moved toward the Diamonds. Yellow spotted him first, her eyes narrowing slightly before she reached over to give Blue a quick pat. Blue’s lips pressed together, then she reached up and tapped White’s arm at the same time as Yellow -  a hesitant, almost nervous gesture, as if the two needed each other’s courage to get White’s attention. All at once, the three towering figures turned their gaze on Steven.

Steven’s voice trembled. “Hey, White. I just wanted to say… I’m sorry.”

White’s eyes widened, shock flickering across her pale face. Yellow and Blue watched, their usual cool masks melting into captivation. Spinel perched silently on White’s shoulder, her gaze flicking down at Steven, but she squashed her form, hiding from Steven.

“I’m sorry I took control of your body, and tried to hurt you.”

White opened her mouth to reply. “Steven, you don’t need to- ”

“I do,” Steven cut in, voice steadying. “Not just for you, but for me. I betrayed you, and I betrayed the person I wanted to be.”

Blue’s gaze softened. “You are still that person.”

Yellow nodded, voice low but firm. “Seriously, I’ve done a lot worse than you have.”

White’s eyes drifted away for a moment, a shadow crossing her expression -  as if silently saying, I have done much worse than anyone here.

“That doesn’t excuse what I did,” Steven said quietly. “I can’t downplay it. I shouldn’t.”

White’s expression softened, the sharp edges of her usual severity blurring. “…I forgive you, Steven. Though to be honest, you were hurting yourself more than me. I don’t know if you remember, but I was the big Steven, and you were the smaller me.”

Yellow shifted uneasily. “Maybe this should be a more private discussion…”

The quiet tug of their conversation pulled eyes from the small crowd nearby. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl exchanged furtive glances, all doing their best to hide how closely they were listening.

Steven caught their worried stares and smiled- a small, grateful curl of lips.

He stayed with the Diamonds a while longer, trading stories from the road. They blinked in surprise when he mentioned working fast food jobs, and Steven cringed as they compared it to “a job for pearls.”

“Of course,” Yellow said with a smirk, “Pearls do a lot more than that now. I’ve even seen Hessonites volunteer as greeters.”

Laughter bubbled around the group as they are regailed about the time Steven was chased by a moose in the Great White North.

Steven’s gaze drifted, landing on Pearl, sitting further down the beach, close to where the waves can nearly touch her. With a nod, he slipped away to talk with her.

Pearl stood by the ocean, eyes fixed on the horizon. A somber smile played at her lips.

“Hey, Pearl. How are you doing?” Steven asked gently.

“Oh, just… enjoying the sight. The fact that I get to see it every day.”

Steven frowned, then offered a knowing smile. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. But it gets old eventually.”

She nodded slowly. “Eventually. Lars visited a couple times, you know. We thought we’d see him today, but I guess he got caught up in another adventure.” Her gaze drifted skyward, the sun slipping low, stars waiting to bloom. She looked like she might sit there all night, waiting.

Steven’s stomach tightened. He could feel the undercurrent- Pearl wanted to leave, to reach for the stars again. But he forced himself to breathe, to let the feeling pass.

“You wanna go out there, don’t you?”

“Is it surprising?” Pearl’s voice softened. “Remember UUU Space Travels ? I nearly killed you.”

“I remember.” Steven smiled, though his eyes held the memory’s edge. “It was scary. But I had a lot of fun anyway. I think you should do it.”

Pearl’s breath hitched; tears spilled free. Her voice cracked. “You must be so tired of seeing me cry every time we have to talk about something serious.”

“I’m used to it.” Steven winced inside for sounding rude. “If you do go, I’ll miss you a lot. Even more when I go back on my trip. But I’ll know I can reach you.”

Pearl smiled, voice soft. “I’ll visit as much as I can. I’ll buy a phone plan with extragalactic reception.”

Steven snorted. “Pretty sure they don’t sell those.”

They giggled together, folding into a warm hug.

Then suddenly, a shadow spilled over them.

Pearl’s eyes sparkled. “Looks like Lars actually made it.”

Steven laughed nervously and looked up. “I can’t wait to hear about his latest adve- ”

He cut off mid-sentence, eyes spreading wide, frozen in fear.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as all eyes snapped skyward.

Above them hovered a new sight, not the first of the impossible, but new. A slow-spinning pinwheel of slender arms, each tipped with a large hand. In every palm, a single wide-open eye stared unblinking, cold and searching.

Then the eyes locked onto him, and a chill spiraled through his chest, icy fingers tightening around his heart. He whispered, voice trembling, “Please… I thought it was over.”

The air thickened with tension, the salty breeze stilled. A sandal fell out of Steven’s foot. Then chaos exploded around him.

Lapis summoned towering water fists that crashed against the sky, droplets spraying like rain. Yellow unleashed fierce bolts of crackling lightning, the air sizzling with ozone. White’s eyes burned bright beams that scorched the clouds, humming with raw energy. Peridot’s robonoids whirred and clanked, hurling scraps of metal and stone into the swirling sky.

Only then did Steven realize- he was rising, helpless, away from the crowd and toward the pinwheel of arms.

A rough, cold hand closed around him, fingers tightening like iron bands. The air grew thin; distant shouts and screams muffled beneath a ringing buzz in his ears.

He was being taken.

Chapter Text

The Diamonds’ ship- a body shaped vessel of white, blue, and yellow- lifted slowly from its resting spot on the beach, its surface gleaming against the fading sun.

From the nearby mountains, a massive arm of exposed muscle erupted, the Cluster rising in raw power and fury.

Together, ship and Cluster surged forward, three different arms bracing outward as they charged the pinwheel-arm entity.

Suddenly, the spinning mass halted their advance. Two slender arms extended, fingers pointed sharply.

A crackling force shot forth- icy, invisible.

The ship froze midair, suspended like a statue. The Cluster’s mighty arm stilled, locked in place as if gripped by an unseen vice.

Suspended, motionless, the two forces faced down the eerie pinwheel of eyes and hands.

On the beach, Blue, Yellow, and White Diamond struck commanding poses. Yellow clenched the right arm of the diamond ship, fingers curling with precision; Blue mirrored her on the left arm, eyes narrowed in concentration. White’s glare tensed, sharp and unyielding, fixed on the ship as if willing it forward with sheer force.

Lapis stomped her foot, sending a tremor through the sand. She raised her arm, summoning a towering column of seawater from the ocean. The arm of water surged skyward, fingers stretching wide toward the pinwheel entity.

Peridot zipped upward on her metal platform, racing to catch the watery limb as it passed her.

“We’re coming, Steven!” she shouted, determination clear in her voice.

But the entity was quick. One of its massive hands slapped down hard, shattering the water arm. The torrent crashed back, uncontrolled, sweeping Peridot off her platform.

She tumbled helplessly, dragged by the collapsing wave, plummeting toward Beach City.

Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst stood frozen, eyes wide with horror as the floodwaters surged through the streets, swallowing everything in their path.

Garnet’s voice cut through the chaos. “There are people still in the city. We have to help them.”

Amethyst hesitated, glancing toward the Diamonds and Lapis locked in battle. “But Steven- ”

Garnet shook her head firmly. “Let them handle it.”

Without another word, the Crystal Gems dashed into the flooding streets, eyes sharp and alert. Their focus snapped to the pinwheel entity looming overhead- the same monstrous force that had swallowed Steven whole.

Inside the twisting mass at the center of the pinwheel of arms, Steven was drawn through its hull and into a strange chamber. Fingers lined the walls, floor, and ceiling, long, slender, endlessly reaching.

Steven floated in the center, lifted telekinetically by dozens of pointed fingers converging on him from every angle.

“Please,” he pleaded, voice cracking. “Whatever my mother did to you, I can fix it! We can fix it!”

His words were cut short as a smaller hand dropped down from the ceiling, hanging upside down in a clenched fist. Slowly, it opened, revealing a single eye that blinked once, like it was adjusting to his presence, before locking onto him.

Steven raised his rose shield, forming a glowing barrier in front of him, bracing for whatever came next.

Tears welled as he whispered, “Please... I can’t handle any more right now.”

More hands emerged from the floor, smaller, faster, reaching for him with chilling intent. He expanded his shield into a full, shimmering bubble.

But the hands passed through as if it wasn’t there, their touch cold and invasive.

A shiver ran down Steven’s spine as they slid across his face and hands, a ghostly caress that sent icy waves through his skin.

“Ghhhh,” Peridot groaned, blinking as she stirred in a shallow puddle of water.

She tried to stand, but her legs felt like noodles, trembling uncontrollably beneath her heavy feet.

Her hand flew to the gem on her forehead- and froze.

She felt the crack.

“NOOOOO! My gem!”

More water poured from the sky, pooling on the ground and sliding beneath her.

“Wooooah…”

Another massive ball of water crashed down, striking a billboard above her. The sign for Pepe’s Burgers wobbled, then toppled toward Peridot.

Darkness swallowed her as the billboard crashed down.

“Meeep,” she whimpered, wide-eyed and terrified.

The view shifted away to the Crystal Gems- Garnet evacuating panicked townsfolk, her eyes calm but focused. Amethyst morphed into a massive Chinook helicopter, rotor blades slicing the air as she lifted residents to safety. Bismuth gathered materials to reinforce the shelters they were leading the residents to, breaking it off from buildings and grabbing it from debris on the ground.

Pearl moved swiftly through the crowded streets, guiding frightened residents toward safety. Her voice was calm but urgent as she directed families away from the rising floodwaters. Yet even as she worked, her eyes kept flicking upward, watching Lapis summon multiple towering water arms. Each surged forward, reaching for the pinwheel entity, only to be slapped away one after another. The crashing waves tumbled down, flooding Beach City and sending debris scattering. Pearl’s jaw tightened, worry deepening even as she continued helping the evacuation.

On the beach, the Diamonds stood firm, controlling the ship with steady hands. Blue and Yellow gripped a partly extended arm of the vessel, muscles taut as they held their ground.

Lapis swung her arms in fierce punches at the air, summoning wave after wave of watery limbs that flew out, crashing against the ship’s hull.

Behind them, Connie’s eyes welled with tears. She stood frozen, helplessness settling in as she realized there was nothing she could do.

“Give. Me. Back. My. Steven!” Lapis growled, each word sharp with fury.

Blue’s voice was steady encouragement. “Keep going, Lazuli!”

Yellow added with grim determination, “We get closer every time its focus is disrupted.”

White snapped, sharp and commanding, “Shut up and focus!”

Connie’s brow furrowed, a chill running through her. “Why isn’t it leaving with him? Why is it staying?”

She stared up at the monster as it fought water, hardlight muscle and gem metal, caught in the tension between the Diamonds and Lapis, the battle raging just out of her reach.

In the eerie chamber, the long fingers suddenly shifted, lightly tickling Steven’s sides and ribs.

“Stop it! I’m ticklish in those spots!” he laughed, squirming against the strange sensation.

Just as the moment turned almost silly, the hands moved with purpose. One slid beneath his shirt, peeling back the fabric that covered his gem on his belly.

“Wha- What are you doing?!” Steven’s skin flushed with a sudden pink glow.

A cold hand curled its fingers around the gem, pressing and pulling as if trying to wrench it free.

Nearby, another massive hand hovered, its palm facing Steven, an eye squinting down at him as if scrutinizing his every move.

Panic surged inside him, memories flashing- White Diamond’s massive black nails dragging his gem from his body.

“Stop it!” Steven shouted, heart hammering.

He unleashed pulses of bright pink hard light, sharp and blazing. The bursts slammed against the chamber walls, sparks scattering but doing no harm to the massive hand clutching his gem.

The gripping hand tightened its hold, while the watching hand’s eye narrowed, unblinking and cold.

Tears welled in Steven’s eyes. “No!”

Suddenly, the hand gripping his gem began to glow pink. Steven’s panic faltered, his gaze locking onto the strange light.

Across the chamber, another hand emerged from the ground, glowing pink as well. It formed a shape- clutching an invisible gem.

From the glowing light, a gem materialized within its palm: a delicate, radiant pink Diamond.

“What?” Steven whispered, looking down to find his gem still nestled safely in his belly. The hand around it loosened and released him.

The new pink Diamond floated upward from the smaller hand it had grown from, drawing the attention of the massive hand that had held Steven’s gem.

A gentle wash of white light expanded in the chamber, forming the recognizable outline of Pink Diamond. Her voluminous, puffed sleeves rose above her elbows, paired with long gloves extending to her forearms. Though stripped of color, the shape of her layered half-skirt and delicate ballet slippers- adorned with floating pom-poms- suggested the grace of a ballerina or a jester.

The light shifted gracefully, reshaping into Rose Quartz’s form. Her massive head of twirling hair bounced around as it appeared. Her strapless, floor-length gown seemed to flow in layered waves. Barefoot and serene.

Finally, the light shifted into Steven. He stood with his familiar posture, the star on his chest glowing softly as the white light faded into pink. His newly grown long hair billowed gently, and the mirrored Steven floated down with quiet grace, eyes closed.

The glowing Steven clone opened his eyes, expressionless- just like the last time Steven saw him. Suddenly, hands burst up from the ground, grabbing at the clone.

“Leave him alone!” Steven shouted.

The hands spread white light back over the mirror Steven. His form warped and twisted, becoming a featureless mess.

Then, slowly, familiar shapes emerged: long slender arms, a wild cascade of poofy hair, and a shirt and pants that hung too small.

Steven’s voice dropped in disbelief. “No way…”

The Crystal Gems rushed back onto the beach, sand flying under their boots. Above, the Diamonds and Lapis still strained against the writhing shape in the sky.

Connie scanned the chaos. “Is everyone safe?”

Garnet didn’t take her eyes off the fight. “Everyone’s in the shelters. Bismuth’s reinforcing them.”

Greg pointed upward, voice breaking. “Steven’s still in that… ship thing!”

Pearl cupped her hands and yelled toward the towering figures. “Have you gotten any closer to getting Steven out?!”

White’s gaze didn’t waver. “We’re trying!”

Yellow’s teeth clenched. “We’ve never faced anything like this- it’s resisting all of our powers combined!”

Blue’s voice rang with urgency. “We need more help!”

From the surf, Lapis’s water arms froze mid-strike. She exhaled, resolve tightening her features. “I need to go harder.”

Her wings burst from her back in a spray of droplets, carrying her out over the waves. She dove, vanishing beneath the surface.

The ocean shuddered. A massive body rose from the depths, crowned with Lapis’s own face. She gripped a spear of churning water in one hand, the other steadying her aim at the entity- until its form flared with blinding light.

The entity’s light intensified, its many hands suddenly releasing the Diamonds’ ship and the Cluster. Freed from its grip, both forces reeled back, but the entity wasted no time. It gathered its arms inward, compressing power into a single, blinding sphere. With a sudden, whip-like motion, it hurled the energy toward the Crystal Temple. The blast struck the beach in a deafening impact, carving a deep crater in the sand.

The entity slipped free, darting past the grasp of the Diamond ship and the Cluster. It soared into the night sky, fading among the stars.

Greg shouted, “Are they leaving with Steven?!”

Pearl stammered, “I-I don’t- ”

Garnet’s eyes narrowed. “They left something at the temple.”

Yellow glanced at White. “Should we chase after them?”

White shook her head. “It’s already gone. I can’t see it anymore.”

Connie urged, “To the temple, guys!”

Connie took the lead atop Lion, who galloped toward the crater, mane flowing. The Diamonds thundered behind her, their steps shaking the earth. Greg sped alongside in his van, Pearl riding shotgun, Amethyst clinging to the open door, and Garnet balanced atop the roof like a sentinel.

The crater smoldered as Connie was the first to arrive. She leapt off Lion and plunged into the haze, coughing.

“Steven!” she called, gasping.

“I’m here!” Steven’s voice echoed from within.

Connie sprinted forward and grabbed Steven, hauling him free from the choking smoke. The van screeched to a halt nearby as the others scrambled down the crater’s edge, pulling him to safety.

Greg’s voice was steady but urgent. “We’ve got you, Schtu-ball! Hang on!”

A familiar voice, muffled by smoke, called out, “I can help!”

Large hands emerged from beneath them, pushing Steven upward as they climbed.

Pearl’s eyes narrowed, spear shimmering from her gem. “Who are you? Did you come here with the monster?”

The voice trembled with a sharp, betrayed whine. “Peeeearl…”

Garnet’s breath hitched. “It can’t be…”

As they hauled Steven from the crater’s depths, the figure who’d helped them emerged into the dim light. It was Pink Diamond- her face unmistakable. The gem who had become Rose, who had become Steven’s mother, and now, in some way, him. Her skin glowed soft pink, eyes sparkling with diamond-shaped pupils. Her pale, poofy hair framed a face softened by darker pink lips that mirrored the color of her eyes. She wore Steven’s black T-shirt emblazoned with his star, stretched tight over her form, and a pair of his jeans, clearly too small to fit her. Barefoot, she seemed both familiar and otherworldly.

Shock rippled through the group- Pearl covered, Garnet’s jaw dropped, Amethyst blinked in disbelief, and even Yellow, Blue, and White Diamond stood frozen, stunned.

Then tears welled in Steven’s eyes, spilling down his cheeks. Greg’s throat tightened as tears followed. One by one, the others couldn’t hold back either, their faces dissolving into quiet sobs at the sight of her.

White broke the silence with a single word. “Pink.”

The figure stiffened. “I-it’s… It’s not. I’m not Pink.”

Awkwardness settled over them like a heavy fog.

Pearl’s voice wavered. “Rose?”

The figure hesitated. “Maybe… More like Steven, perhaps? No… I’m not sure but…” She gasped suddenly.

Her eyes widened as she took in the ruined town- crumbling buildings and flooded streets.

“What happened?” Maybe-Rose asked, “Did the alien destroy the town?”

Lapis answered quietly, “Only when I tried to stop it…”

Garnet added, “We… we evacuated it. But…”

“There might still be people! Lion!” Perhaps-Steven called, urgency flashing in her eyes.

Lion appeared beside her, and she leapt onto his back. “Come on! We can’t just sit around! They need us!”

With that, Lion sprang into motion, plunging through a shimmering portal. The group stood frozen, staring at the empty space she’d left behind.

White’s voice trembled, edged with rising panic. “Steven… Where did she come from?”

Steven frowned, recalling. “I think… it made a copy of my gem. Pulled her out of it somehow.”

Yellow’s face twisted in horror. “It made another Diamond?!”

Blue shook her head slowly. “No other force has the power to do such a thing. The resources alone take millennia to gather.”

White’s eyes darted anxiously to Greg, then fixed on Pearl, panic mounting in her expression. “But it did. An alien. Was that thing from Earth? Something Pink made?”

Pearl’s calm gaze met hers, steady. She shook her head quietly, offering silent reassurance.

White’s breath hitched, her panic becoming more apparent. “We- We have to go back to Homeworld.”

Yellow gasped sharply. “What?!”

Blue challenged, “What about Pink? She’s actually here!”

White’s shoulders trembled. “I’m not even sure if that is her. We were wrong before. But we must scour our records- find any report of a similar entity.”

The Diamonds summoned their ship. White gestured frantically, a shimmering white sphere enveloping them and pulling them inside. The ship rose, cutting through the sky past the Cluster. The exposed giant muscle lingered, its glowing form shifting as if checking on Steven.

“I’m alright,” Steven said softly. “Thank you. You can rest now.”

The Cluster hesitated, then pulsed with light, flowing slowly back into the earth beneath the mountains.

Exchanging awkward glances, everyone piled into the van, ready to aid Maybe-Rose however they could.

Not-Pink rode Lion through the ravaged town, eyes scanning the damage. Store windows lay shattered, glass shards glinting like broken stars scattered over the sidewalks. Shelves and counters had spilled their contents- cans dented, bags torn open, toys and trinkets strewn across cracked floors. Signs hung askew, their letters fractured or missing altogether. Not-Pink , she murmured, barely acknowledging the name.

Ahead, houses stood scarred and broken, doors ripped from hinges and tossed onto lawns, furniture overturned and spilling through open walls like remnants of forgotten lives. Cars, twisted and crushed, rested half-buried in walls, engines steaming as metal bit into brick and wood. Maybe-Rose , she whispered, her voice catching on the ruins.

Further on, she passed a collapsed arcade- Pixel Temple, she remembered, with its flickering neon sign torn apart, the wreckage thick with shattered cabinets and tangled wires. Perhaps-Steven , she breathed, the words slipping out despite herself. The name hung heavy, even as she fought to keep her mind clear.

Amid the rubble of the Pixel temple- its colorful neon sign flickering faintly and arcade cabinets shattered into useless bits- she spotted Ronaldo nursing a broken arm. “Gah! My aaaaaarm!” he groaned, clutching it tightly.

“It’s okay, Ronaldo, I got you,” Maybe-Rose said gently, jumping off Lion and rushing to him.

He caught sight of her. Then he started drooling with an unfocused look in his eye, “Hot magical anime girl…”

She readied a healing kiss for his arm, but annoyance flickering across her face as she saw him puckering up. Groaning and turning her head away, she licked her thumb, pressed it firmly against his injured limb, and felt the bones shift back into place. Ronaldo’s lips continued their silly smooching noises, the goofy grin never leaving his face.

Ronaldo sighed, dreamy as ever, eyes half-lidded. "Please be my wife. I’m sure my Jane would find room for you too."

Perhaps-Steven grabbed his shoulders, steadying him. "Ronaldo! Is there anyone else who might be hurt?"

A harsh voice cut through the question. "How 'bout you?"

The sound came with a thunder of movement. Bismuth charged out of the wreckage, one hand transformed into a blunt, iron hammer, the other balled in a fist. She slammed the hammer down toward Not-Pink.

"Bismuth?" Not-Pink said, backing up on Lion, confusion in her voice. "It’s me- "

"I know it’s you!" Bismuth shouted, grief and fury braided together. Her hammer hand rose again. "Pink Diamond or Rose or whatever! Give him back!"

The first strike clipped air as Not-Pink ducked, body twisting away. The next blows came harder. Not-Pink blurred, dodging backward until she floated, a pale rose emblem flaring beneath her as she raised a shield of white light shaped like a petal.

Bismuth did not stop. She poured everything into the assault, each swing ringing like a bell on the ruined street. Not-Pink’s shield took blow after blow, petals of light trembling but holding.

"You’re here," Bismuth cried, voice cracking now. Tears tracked through grit on her cheeks. "You were Steven. Which can only mean that Steven is gone!" She sobbed, a raw sound, then let out an ugly laugh that had nothing funny in it. She wiped her face with the back of her hammer hand and stared with a fierce, wet glare. "And… to tell you the truth…" Her voice dropped to a vicious whisper. "I prefer him much more than you."

Bismuth charged like a battering ram, her hammer hand a blur as she drove Not-Pink into the nearest storefront. Impact slammed through plaster and splintered wood. Glass detonated outward in a rain of glittering shards. Bricks sheared free and tumbled in a noisy cascade as Not-Pink’s shoulder met masonry, her petal-shaped shield flaring with each strike.

Bismuth did not relent. She pivoted, changed angle, and hammered again, each blow a percussion that rattled the wrecked street. Not-Pink skidded along cracking facades, shield absorbing slam after slam while dust choked the air and the metallic tang of ruin coated their tongues. Bismuth chased her down the block, smashing her into alleyways and shopfronts, into a porch that collapsed under the force. The shield buckled and quivered, petals of light trembling under repeated blows, but it held as Bismuth shifted stance and attacked from high and low, a relentless rhythm of impacts that left walls gaping and windows shivering for blocks.

Bismuth’s hammer came down with a force that sent Not-Pink spinning through the air. She slowed midflight, limbs working to arrest her momentum until she hovered a few feet off the cracked pavement, shield faintly pulsing beneath her like a fragile bloom.

“Stop, Bismuth! You’re going to get someone else hurt!” Not-Pink shouted, lungs burning from the effort to stay aloft.

Bismuth’s face was hard as iron. “Then let me poof you! Then we can figure out how to undo this!” she snapped, voice raw with grief and fury.

Not-Pink’s stare didn’t waver. “I have to heal the people here!” She dove, but Bismuth ripped a slab of sidewalk free with one brutal pull and hurled it. The concrete slammed into her flank. She slammed into a heap of rubble, the taste of dust in her mouth as shaken air rattled in her ears.

She crawled, palms scraping grit, every movement a small agony. Bismuth closed in, hammer raised. Lion materialized at her side, mane rippling; Not-Pink plunged a hand into that warm tangle. A soft glow formed between her fingers and then a blade, bright and humming, came free.

She pushed herself up on unsteady knees and leveled the sword at Bismuth. Her voice was low and fierce. “Don’t make me do this, Bismuth. You’re causing more harm than help.”

Bismuth stalked forward until the tip of the sword kissed her sternum, the blade trembling against the fabric. Her hammer hand hung ready at her side, a purple lock of her hair in her eye. She let out a hard, bitter laugh.

“Did you get tired of Steven being in the driver’s seat, Rose? Did you kick him to the curb too, just like me?” she snapped, eyes glittering with hurt and accusation.

“Stop!” Steven’s voice cut the noise. He hauled himself out of the passenger window of Greg’s van as it skidded to a halt, tires throwing sand. Greg and the crystal gems came flowing out and behind him. They had followed the trail of wreckage straight into the scene.

“What is going on?” Steven demanded, breathless and furious.

Bismuth’s face brightened into a smile at the sight of him, relief softening her features for a beat. “Steven! You’re okay.” The smile snapped. Suspicion flared into anger. “Wait. Why didn’t you just tell me he was okay- ”

The sword moved with a clean, terrible certainty. It carved through the air and the blade passed through Bismuth’s chest. There was no blood, only the blade sticking through. Everyone froze.

Bismuth stared down at the blade, shock stealing the color from her grey face. Then something cruel and wry curled at her mouth. “Class act, Rose,” she said, voice rough but almost laughing.

She exploded in a cloud of smoke. Where she had stood a gem thudded onto the sand: a conclave-patterned stone flashing faint rainbows across its surface.

Silence swallowed the street as the gem sat between them and the ruined town.

Pearl’s shoulders shook. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she whispered, “You did it again…”

Not-Pink stepped forward, hands open, voice urgent and pleading. “Come on, guys. She wasn’t going to stop.”

Garnet’s expression was taut with practicality. “So you poofed her? Are we going to bubble her now? We need her for reconstruction.” Her eyes flicked to the shattered streets, already cataloguing what had to be salvaged.

“No,” Not-Pink snapped, frustration snapping her jaw. “We are not bubbling her. We just need to keep her away from me.” Her knuckles whitened around the sword’s hilt, but she kept the blade lowered.

Rubble skittered as someone ran up. Ronaldo staggered into the clearing, shirt clinging with sweat, breath coming in sharp gasps. “That… is… too much running… in one week,” he panted.

“Ronaldo?” Steven stepped forward, relief widening his face.

Ronaldo’s grin bloomed despite the breathlessness. “Oh Steven! You’re okay! Bismuth thought that anime witch girl hurt you!”

Steven’s brow knit. He looked at Maybe-Rose, “Is that what Bismuth meant? Why didn’t you tell her I was okay?”

Not-Pink barked, anger cutting through exhaustion. “We were fighting. We really do not have time for this.”

Lapis lifted her chin, eyes searching the ruined avenue. “Wait. Where’s Peridot?” She snapped a look at Garnet, searching for confirmation.

Garnet shook her head slowly. “We did not see her.”

Steven stepped forward, jaw tight. "Ugh. Okay, we gotta find her."

Not-Pink squared her shoulders. "Okay, I will start with the west end of town- "

"Give me the sword." Steven's voice was quiet at first, then firmer. Heads snapped toward them.

Not-Pink blinked, confusion sharpening into hurt. "What?"

"I would be more comfortable if you did not have a weapon." Steven kept his hands open, palms visible. He tried for calm.

Not-Pink curled her fingers around the hilt, knuckles white. "Steven..."

"Just give me the sword."

"No." She darted between Garnet and Pearl, moving like someone trying to put distance between two truths. Her eyes fell on Greg, and for a moment she looked almost small.

Steven closed the gap. His voice rose. "Give me the sword!"

"I said no!" she snapped back, voice cracking.

The word echoed off the storefronts and fractured windows lining the street. Steven's answer came louder, rawer, carrying down the ruined avenue. "Mom, give me the sword!"

Everyone stared. Shock and dread flickered across faces. Garnet stepped back, not wanting to be apart of this fight. Pearl stepped, tears forming at a fight she hoped she could stopped. Amethyst had her back. Greg could only watch, with Connie at his side. A sight that made Not-Pink feel a hitch in her throat.

Not-Pink’s voice broke into a stammer, tears glinting at the corners of her eyes. “I-I just-  I thought…” Her gaze dropped to Steven, lingered on his angry, wet face, and the fight drained out of her. “…Okay.”

She uncurled her fingers and handed the sword to him. Steven caught it with a tight expression, then turned and passed the blade to Connie without a word.

Connie reached into Lion’s mane, drew out the scabbard with a practiced motion, and slid the sword home. She slung it over her shoulder, the leather strap settling across her chest, the weapon now secure and clearly out of Not-Pink’s hands.

Around them, the street held its breath. Faces softened a fraction as the immediate danger eased, though the ache and confusion in the air did not disappear.

They spent the long night sifting through rubble, calling out for Peridot. Along the way, Steven and Not-Pink paused to heal battered townsfolk, Steven with licks on his hands, Not-Pink with the tears she was gathering. The air was heavy with dust and quiet.

As dawn’s pale light stretched across the sky, they finally found Peridot curled beneath a shattered billboard, her body twisted unnaturally. Cracks spiderwebbed across her gem, faint and fragile.

Lapis’s voice broke as she cried out, “Peridot!”

Steven pressed a gentle kiss to Peridot’s forehead. The gem glowed warm, the fractures mending like glass reforged. Peridot’s limbs slowly straightened, her form easing back into place.

Not-Pink’s tears flowed freely as Lapis wrapped Peridot in a trembling embrace. Peridot’s eyes stared ahead, distant and numb, while the weight of the night’s damage hung between them all.

Pearl crouched, cradling Bismuth’s shattered gem in trembling hands, tears welling but refusing to fall. Her gaze flickered painfully toward Not-Pink, who quickly averted her eyes, unwilling to meet Pearl’s silent grief.

Greg approached cautiously, shifting nervously.

“So… uh…” he started.

“Rose,” Not-Pink said softly. “You can just call me Rose.”

Greg blinked. “Rose?”

“Yes.”

He hesitated, then asked, “Um… are you okay?”

Rose glanced briefly at Pearl before nodding. “...Yeah.”

Greg shifted uneasily. “Okay… so, uh… you don’t really have a place to stay, do you?”

Rose shook her head gently. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, uh… you can stay in my room. It used to be Steven’s, after it was renova- ”

“I remember,” Rose interrupted softly. “I have his memories.”

Greg blinked, then smiled awkwardly. “Oh… well, regardless, you can stay in his room. I’ll take up the van again.”

Rose met his eyes and smiled warmly. “Thanks, Dad.”

Greg’s face flushed, stunned, as he stared at her.

Nearby, Steven hugged Lapis and Peridot tightly, his eyes closed. When they opened, they turned to watch Rose.

Chapter Text

The sun hung high, spilling gold over the beach. Waves curled and crashed against the shore, the air alive with the squawk of gulls and the sharp scent of salt. Crabs skittered sideways along wet sand, vanishing into tiny holes before the next wave could reach them.

Farther up the coastline, people and gems worked shoulder to shoulder to mend the town. Massive fusions hoisted mangled cars and slabs of concrete. Cranes and excavators rumbled in from the mainland, their engines a low counterpoint to the cries of gulls. Above it all, a cluster of Lazulis glided on rippling wings of water, drawing the floodwaters back into the sea in long, shimmering streams.

Rose sat far apart from the bustle, tucked into herself on the sand. Her knees were drawn up, arms looped around them, the ill-fitting clothes stretching tight over her frame. She stared at the tide with a quiet, almost unblinking focus, watching each wave rise, curl, and dissolve.

Steven eased down beside her, leaving a careful span of sand between them.

“Rose…,” Steven said, voice soft.

She looked over, knees tucked to her chest. “Yes?”

“I mean- you picked Rose?”

“Yeah.” Her answer was quiet, small, like a pebble dropped into the surf.

Pearl descended from the temple house, steps light but deliberate, hands folded where she could hide the tremor in her fingers. “Bismuth’s okay,” she announced on arrival. “She reformed and took the warp pad back to Little Homeworld. She’s repurposing the party robonoids with Peridot to help with the rebuilding.”

Rose glanced at Pearl and offered a flat smile. “That’s great,” she said, the words empty enough to crease the air.

Steven and Pearl traded an awkward look; the kind that tried to say a dozen things and landed on none. Pearl pushed on, voice smoothing into practicality. “Greg broached the idea of giving you his room. I told him it wasn’t necessary - you already have a room-”

“I don’t want to stay there,” Rose cut in, quick and firm.

Pearl's brows shot up and her voice went tight and high. "In the Crystal Temple?!" she blurted, fingers twisting in the hem of her dress. "But Rose- where would you even move to?!"

Rose hugged her knees tighter, eyes on the rolling tide. “I mean Rose’s room, Pearl. I don’t like some of the things that happened there.”

Pearl’s mouth made a small, sympathetic “oh,” and an awkward silence pooled between them like low tide. Rose yawned then, the motion startlingly human and unbearably ordinary, and the moment frayed into nothing more than the sound of gulls and the slow, steady pull of the waves.

Pearl hovered a step away, voice small and careful. “Rose… are you tired?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Rose shot back, blunt and sharp. Her knees stayed hugged to her chest, but her jaw had gone hard.

Pearl flinched as if struck, confusion and hurt folding across her face. “I’m going to check on the others,” she murmured, and left, footsteps quick down the sand.

Steven watched her go, hands balling at his sides. “Why do you have to be so rude to her?”

Rose’s eyes went distant, memory softening the edges of her voice. “She’s been that and a lot more, hasn’t she? What did she say- ‘What do you know, you never even met her?’”

Steven’s throat worked. “You saw that?”

“I remember it,” Rose said, voice thin. “I remember how much it hurt.”

“She was just grieving,” Steven said, heat rising in his chest. “She lost you, and I think she was losing the connection she thought she had with you.”

Rose’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “You’re excusing her, just like the time she tricked Garnet. 

“Listen-” She continued, cutting Steven off at an open mouth- “we can talk about this later. I’m kind of hungry.”

“You’re hungry?” Steven echoed, bewildered.

“Extremely,” Rose said, looking down at her stomach.

Steven listened for the tiny proof of it- he didn't hear any rumble from her. A faint, embarrassed grumble answered instead from his own belly.

“Um… Okay. I’m kinda hungry too,” he admitted.

Garnet appeared as if summoned, tall and steady at the edge of the sand. “Let’s go out to eat,” she said, calm and decisive.

Steven flinched away, startled at Garnet’s ambush. Rose barely moved, folding her knees tighter and offering a small, composed nod.

“Hi Garnet,” she said, voice even.

They rounded up Amethyst and Pearl while Greg and Connie waved them off from the porch. They invited them to come, but they stayed to start the move back into his van, Greg’s hands shoved in his pockets as they surrounded the Dondai, Connie passing Steven along with a hug and kiss. Rose blushed at the sight, then looked away, sneaking glances. 

Steven asked his dad why he couldn't share a bed like he used to with her.

“I think it’s best we start with some space, Schtu-ball,” Greg answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

They had to clear a crumpled pile of garbage from the passenger footwell before they could go. Rose wriggled into the seat, knees nearly grazing the dashboard. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl stuffed themselves in the back.

Steven climbed into the driver's seat, next to Rose. He realized, as the engine rattled to life, that she was shorter than Pink had been- shorter even than Rose’s old self. She rode close but not touching, knees tucked, watching the road.

Rose shook her large head of hair against the ceiling and laughed. “You suck at keeping your car tidy.”

“Hey!” Steven protested, poking through a stack of takeout boxes. “I fixed that with a big cleanup every time I went through a car wash.”

Rose arched an eyebrow. “Which was how often?”

Pearl shot a glare at Rose, voice pinched with a forced smile on her lips. “Stop teasing him for his clutter. I always picked up after him, and he went on his trip without me.”

Rose’s tone was sharp, “Gee, I wonder why.” The awkward pause that followed lasted a millisecond before she filled it with her cheerful tone. “So where to first- big donut shop? Fish Stew Pizza? Beachcitywalk Fries?”

Amethyst snorted from the back, the sound brittle. “Those all got destroyed, dude. They’re gonna be outta commission for a while.”

Steven cracked his knuckles and turned the key. The Dondai coughed, then settled into a steady rumble as they rolled off the sand and onto the road.

“Gonna have to go outta town,” he said, steering past the last of the smashed storefronts. The water shimmered at their left, gulls circling like punctuation.

Rose leaned her head back against the passenger seat, eyes half closed. “I remember stopping at a couple places on the way here and back on my road trip.”

“Uuuuuh…” Steven drawled, confused by that statement.

“ Steven’s road trip,” Garnet, wedged between Amethyst and Pearl, Corrected Rose. 

“Right…” Rose stared out the window, trying to distract herself. “... I really wanted a donut.”

“Are you vegetarian?” Steven asked, eyebrows up as he spun the wheel.

“I feel like I’ve never even eaten meat in my life. So no.” Rose shrugged.

“Oookay.” Steven blinked.

“Don’t get all judgey on me. I’m just hungry.” Rose’s grin was stubborn and ridiculous, and it softened the road ahead.

Steven sighed. “Guess if it makes feeding you easier.”

Pearl’s eyes lit up. “I know a place!”

Garnet’s tone cut through like a closing door. “Don’t. It won’t work.”

Rose leaned forward from the passenger seat, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. “You mean how she was gonna make sure she’s the only one who knows the way, put herself in the driver’s seat, and keep her right up here with me?”

Garnet’s jaw shifted as she looked out the side window. “I mean you won’t like the place.”

“I can tell when you’re lying, Garnet,” Rose said, a spark of challenge in her grin. But there was a hint of contempt in her eyes. “Steven couldn’t, but I can.”

Pearl sank back into her seat, hands fidgeting in her lap. “I can use Boogle Maps, y’know…”

Rose slouched in the passenger seat, trying an offbeat tone again. “What’s the address?”

“It’s a diner in Empire City…” Pearl trailed off.

Rose banged the back of her head against her headrest, letting out a long, drawn-out whine. “That’s hours away! I want food now.”

Steven’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and his eyes went wide. “What did you say?”

“What?” Rose snapped back.

His eyes flicked sideways toward Rose, then back to the road, blinking hard as if holding back frustration. He swallowed, jaw clenched.

“Grab my headset from the glove compartment,” he said through gritted teeth. He fished through his pocket, “Take my phone. Put on Tuneify and just…” He exhaled sharply, voice strained. “I’ll find you some food.”

“Okay.” Rose reached into the glove box, pulling out the headset and took his phone. She slid the headset on- a tight fit that squished a deep line down her hair- and started fiddling with the phone as Steven kept his eyes locked ahead, tension stiff in his shoulders.

“...You handled that really well, Steven.” Pearl’s voice floated from the back seat, nervous but impressed. 

Amethyst, slouched beside Garnet, nodded. “Yeah, she was getting a bit much.”

Rose shot a glare over her shoulder. “Yeah, I can still hear you.”

Amethyst groaned loudly, rubbing her temples.

Steven glared at the road. “I’ll buy noise-cancelling ones.”

Pearl gave a nervous smile. Awkward silence filled the car for a moment

Then, Pearl caught sight of a train passing some farmland in the distance. “... Remember when we watched that first human film? The one in the theater- the train scene?”

“...Yeah, I remember.” Rose’s voice softened. 

Pearl played with her thumbs, a small smile tugging at her lips. “The audience freaked out, thinking the train was gonna come right at them.”

Rose giggled, brushing a headphone off one ear. “I remember freaking out with them. I knew what film was- I’ve seen many better screens, with color and sound, and I’ve used holograms. But their reactions… it felt like it filled me.”

Garnet smiled softly. “How about the time we saw those brothers fly for the first time in human history?”

Rose’s eyes gleamed. “They were shaking the moment I touched the ground and let them go.”

Steven blinked. “For a second, I thought you meant the Wright Brothers…”

Rose laughed. “It was! They never stopped chasing that feeling… Amethyst!”

Amethyst perked up. “Yo, RQ?”

Rose grinned through the rearview mirror. “Remember when you cracked your gem and started speaking backwards?”

Amethyst laughed. “Heck yeah! That was aweso- Wait, didn’t that happen with Steven?”

Rose’s smile faltered. “Yeah, but I remember it too. It was scary! I thought you were dying!”

Amethyst shifted awkwardly. “Yeah… heheh…”

Rose’s eyes sparkled. “Or the time I spat out those watermelon seeds with Dad? And they all came to life the next day after I sold them to people!”

Pearl let out nervous laughter. “Oh yes! Who could forget that?”

Rose’s laughter bubbled over. “Or the time- ” She doubled over, barely able to finish as Steven stared. “- you took me up in a ship, Pearl, trying to get to space, in a chair you thought was gross!”

The group exchanged awkward looks as Rose exploded with laughter.

Pearl blinked, a worried look in her eyes. “You really remember all of that?”

Rose gasped for breath between laughs,“Oh- oh yes… Everything!” 

She wiped tears from her eyes. “I remember everything!” She hit her seat, laughing hard.

Steven eased the Supremo to a stop at a gas station while Rose’s laughter still echoed softly beside him. As he unbuckled, she reached over, tapping his arm. “Oh wait! Snacks! Let’s go get some for the road.”

The light touch sent a flicker of warmth through him. “Sure thing. I’ve got a credit card-”

Rose grinned. “And cash! I know you’ve got some. I don’t like credit cards- and I’m better at counting change than you. Gimme!”

“…Alright.” Steven hesitated, then pulled out some bills and change from his wallet. Somewhere around 200 bucks. She took it all.

“Yay!” she cheered, already heading for the door.

Steven handed Pearl his credit card to handle the pumps while he stepped inside the gas station with Rose.

Inside, Rose darted down aisles stocked with rows of colorful chips, pretzels, candy bars, gum packs, and an entire wall of jerky flavors- teriyaki, spicy, original, even exotic venison. She grabbed a handful of beef sticks, a bag of sour gummies, cheesy puffs, chocolate bars, chips, and a giant bottle of soda.

At the front counter, an elderly man with a weathered smile scanned her armful of snacks.

“That’s a lot… I can’t even eat all those jerky flavors,” Steven remarked, watching Rose already unwrap a chocolate bar and swallow it whole.

“I’ll eat it then,” she said with a grin. Steven groaned.

By the time they returned to the car, Rose had devoured half the haul. A growing pink bubble of crumpled wrappers and empty chip bags trailed behind her, and she kept tossing more trash into it with a satisfied hum.

“Hey what about m-” Amethyst barely got a word out before a crinkling bag of Froritos sailed through the air and smacked her square in the face.

“Don’t mind if I doooo!” she grinned, ripping open the bag with a savage enthusiasm, tearing into the chips like a ravenous dog.

The Supremo quickly filled with a chaotic shower of snack wrappers and empty bags fluttering everywhere. Pearl’s wide eyes darted around in panic as she clutched handfuls of her hair.

“Why is this happening?!” she cried, her voice tight with exasperation.

Steven sighed, peeling open a chocolate bar with tired fingers. “Okay, so I know a breakfast place about twenty minutes out-”

“Steven!” Rose turned to Steven, clutching a mound of emptied bags and wrappers, a look of despair on her face as if she lost a loved one.

She played charades- lifted imaginary cards from an invisible wallet, fingers flicking gracefully as if plucking a shiny credit card- then swept her hand backward toward the gas station with a pointed thumb. Steven stared dumbfounded at her hungry face.

“… Fine.”

Steven motioned for Pearl to hand over his credit card. It slipped into Rose’s hands, and without hesitation, she swiped it before darting into the store.

Pearl frowned, watching her go. “She can’t really need to eat, can she? I checked her out- she’s a full-fledged gem, not organic.”

Steven rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s more psychological. Like she remembers me needing to eat. And you checked her out? when did you…”

Garnet’s calm voice cut in, steady but serious. “We’re in uncharted waters, even more so than last time. An alien being, one even the Diamonds haven’t seen before, came and brought her back by copying Steven’s gem- without any explanation.”

Amethyst folded her arms, uneasy. “She’s acting in ways I’ve never seen Rose act. It’s honestly kind of scary.”

Pearl’s eyes softened, her voice firm. “She’s struggling. We have to be there for her now.”

Rose burst out of the store, her glowing pink shield cradled in her arms and stuffed with snacks, some tumbling over the edges. The clerk sprinted after her, yelling, “You have to pay for that!”

She dove through the passenger window, snacks spilling everywhere as she landed inside.

Garnet’s jaw gaped, “What the nuts.”

“Drive! Drive!” Rose urged.

Pearl went eyes wide as she shouted, “Do it, Steven!”

Steven slammed the gearshift, flooring the gas. The Supremo roared to life, kicking up a cloud of dust as the clerk chased them. Suddenly, a pink wall of hard light shimmered into existence, blocking the clerk’s path. He crashed into it and collapsed to the ground.

Rose squealed with joy, “Eeeeeee hahahahaha!”

Steven blinked, “W-why did you do that?! I gave you my credit card!”

Sliding back into her seat, Rose stared down at her shield full of snacks. “I know, but I remembered I said I hate credit cards, and I had to commit to that! Plus, there was no more cash, so…”

Steven’s eyes widened even more than they already could. “There are cameras all over those stations!”

Rose grinned, gulping down a bag full of sour gummies. “Yeah, so I also hate security cameras. The minute I saw some when we rode in, I summoned bubbles around them and squished them!”

Back at the gas station, a broken camera wobbled and tumbled to the ground.

Steven’s face twisted from scared to amused. Then he burst out laughing- “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!”-before his laughter cracked and turned to quiet sobs.

Rose stared, her expression softening. Then, breaking into tearful laughter herself, she joined him.

Steven eased the Supremo onto the gravel shoulder, then locked Rose in a tight hug. One by one, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst crawled out from the back seat, gathering close.

Rose’s voice trembled as tears flowed. “Why is this happening…”

Garnet’s steady tone cut through the tension. “Because it’s you. It’s actually you, Rose.”

Pearl added softly, “You always did what you wanted.”

Amethyst sniffled, her voice breaking. “I can’t believe I forgot how random you could be!”

Rose faltered, struggling for words.

Steven squeezed her tighter. “You can’t do that again. Someone’s going to pay for what you did- probably me. But this time, I will be here when you make your mistakes.”

Steven pulled away, making a sharp U-turn back to the gas station, Rose giving him a confused stare. The clerk, nursing a bruised nose from crashing into the light wall, stood by the entrance. Steven healed the injury with a gentle glow, then offered to cover all the damages, especially the security cameras. Explaining it was a newly born gem unfamiliar with human customs, he convinced the clerk to call his bosses and settle things.

Through the car’s rear window, the Crystal Gems watched quietly. Rose peeked out from behind Garnet, half hidden, staring intently as Steven walked back out of the store.

Steven let out a weary sigh as he climbed back in. “I’m so glad Dad’s rich. I’m definitely going to need his help paying off my credit card.”

Rose shook her head. “You didn’t have to do that…”

Steven’s voice tightened. “Yes, I did. I thought you had my memories?”

Rose nodded. “I do.”

“So you should know the worst person this could affect is Connie. Imagine our school hearing her boyfriend- the one she vouched for- getting in trouble with the law over gas station snacks.”

Rose’s face fell. “Oh…”

Pearl’s brow furrowed. “Wait. What?”

An awkward silence stretched between them.

Pearl finally blurted, “…You’re going to college with Connie, Steven?”

Steven shrugged. “Actually, it’s a university.”

“But you never went to school…” Pearl said, surprised.

Steven shook his head. “I won’t get a certificate. I’m just going to classes, learning stuff.”

Amethyst snorted. “That’s crazy, Steven. And almost totally ruined just now…”

Rose waved a hand. “Well, I clearly didn’t think it through like that- ”

Steven snapped slightly, “Yeah, I kinda realize that’s a theme with you, especially before you came back. You don’t think things through.”

Rose curled into the corner of the passenger seat, slipping the headphones Steven had given her back over her ears. She unwrapped a chocolate bar, biting into it slowly.

Amethyst’s voice broke the silence. “Wait, are we seriously not gonna find a restaurant?”

Garnet’s eyes didn’t leave the road. “We’re too scared to see what she might do if we do.”

Rose cut in, “I can still- ”

Garnet held up a hand. “We know.”

Rose’s eyes flashed with a mix of sadness and anger as she settled back, the music washing over her.

They rode back in silence, the weight of the day hanging heavy between them. As they pulled into Beach City, the destruction sprawled before them- the shattered streets and battered buildings- made Rose look away. She knew the longest repairs were still tied to the fight with Bismuth.

Night had started to settle by the time they reached home. Greg had already set up his van for sleeping. Steven broke the news, voice tight.

“Six figures in damages?!? What the heck, Rose?!”

“I said I was sorry,” she replied quietly.

Steven cut in, “You didn’t come out to say it to the clerk whose nose you broke.”

Greg’s eyes widened. “You what?!”

Rose shrugged. “You didn’t ask me to.”

“You hit him?!”

“I made a wall in front of him when he started chasing after us.”

Steven’s jaw clenched. “I shouldn’t have to ask you.”

“Well, maybe you should- ”

“Stop it, Rose!” Greg snapped. The sharpness in his voice silenced her instantly. She looked down, ashamed. “Steven doesn’t deserve this. I can cover the damages, but you can’t do this again.”

Rose’s body shrank inward, shutting down, feeling unbearably small- the familiar ache returning.

Greg’s voice softened but firmed. “Rose. Tell me you understand.”

She muttered, barely audible, “...I do...”

“What?” Greg pressed.

“I said I do, Blue!” Her words snapped out sharp and unexpected.

Everyone froze. Tears spilled from Pearl’s eyes, then from Steven’s. The room thickened with shock.

Realizing what she’d just said, Rose spun away, desperate to escape, but collided with Connie.

“Mrs. Universe…” Connie whispered gently.

Rose’s face crumpled, sadness deepening as her face blushed. Without warning, she leapt upward, soaring away, tears raining down and landing on Connie’s forehead.

Greg’s tone was angry, mixed with tears. “First she calls me Dad, now this. Like usual, this is a problem way beyond me.”

Steven wrapped Greg in a comforting hug. Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst joined, forming a circle of support.

Pearl croaked, “It’s beyond all of us this time.”

Connie slipped into the embrace, whispering to Steven, “...Did I miss something?”

Chapter Text

Sadie stood beside Shep on the damp sand, her arm sliding around their big, solid frame. Shep’s fingers hooked into the dented body of their electric wind instrument, hauling it free from the grit. Water dripped from the mouthpiece, trickling down the kitty chain and darkening the sand below.

“Aw man,” Shep sighed, voice heavy. “It’s totally busted.”

Sadie rubbed the small of their back in slow circles. “We can get a new one.”

“I know, but… I got really comfortable with this one. I don’t know if it’ll be the same.”

“We can practice,” Sadie suggested, with a pinch to Shep’s shoulder. “We’ll just have to stay here a little longer than planned- at my mom’s place.”

Shep’s shoulders sagged. “I can’t believe how much that motel got messed up. All my spares…”

Buck, strolling up with Jenny and Sour Cream in tow, grinned faintly. “I’m totally down with practicing with you, Shep.”

Jenny bounced on her heels, giving Sadie a playful jab to the shoulder. “Yeah, it’ll be like old times!”

Sour Cream leaned in with a lopsided grin. “Garage practice? Classic Sadie Killer and the Suspects.”

Shep tilted their head. “Who’s that?”

From down the beach, Rose approached, her steps slow, eyes dim with some private sadness. The wind caught her hair, and for a heartbeat Buck’s shades dipped as he took her in- until Jenny’s sharp glare made him shove them right back on.

Rose’s voice wavered, tinged with both nerves and sorrow. “Um… hey, guys.”

Sadie blinked. “Are… are you Steven’s mother?”

“…Sure,” Rose murmured. “Are you staying for a bit, Sadie? I wanted to hang out with you, take my mind off some stuff.”

Sadie’s brows knit, thrown off by the easy warmth in Rose’s tone- like they’d been friends for years. As far as she knew, they’d never even met.

“Sure… Mrs… Universe… Diamond… Quartz…” she tried, stumbling over the titles.

Rose let out a weary sigh. “Rose is fine.”

Shep tilted their head, concern in their voice. “Are you doing okay, Rose?”

Rose didn’t sugarcoat it. “No. Not really.”

Sadie and Shep exchanged a glance, the kind that passed whole sentences without words.

“You want to go back to my place?” Sadie offered gently. “I can make some coffee. You can meet my mom.”

Rose’s smile carried a soft, far-off ache. “Maybe I can get her to make one of those crosscut sandwiches she’s really good at making?”

Sadie blinked. “Uh… I don’t think she does that for adults. But you can make one yourself, Mrs. Uni- I mean, Rose!”

Rose laughed. “Yeah, I’m just kidding around, Sadie!” She gave her a playful punch on the arm.

Sadie’s expression went blank as Rose’s laughter faltered.

“Sadie?” Rose asked, uneasy.

“…I think you broke my shoulder.”

Rose stared blankly before yelping and hurriedly pushed up Sadie’s short sleeve, bending down to kiss the spot. She saw the bone shift beneath the skin after pulling her lips away.

Rose tilted her head with a hopeful smile. “Better?”

Sadie, cheeks tinged pink, nodded. “Yeah. I’m gonna need a drink.”

“Get some of that coffee in you?” Rose forced a pained smile.

“Yeah… coffee…” Sadie muttered.

Shep turned to the others. “You guys coming?”

Sour Cream shook his head. “I gotta find my headset.”

Jenny chimed in, “Yeah, and we’ll stay and help since our main guitars are definitely kaput. We’ll rendezvous at your place later tonight with our spares.”

Buck adjusted his glasses. “Yeah, it’d be nice to see you two play some more.”

“Alright guys, see you tonight then!” Sadie called. She glanced at Rose. “We just gotta stop at what’s left of the Pixel Temple.”

The three- Sadie, Shep, and Rose- wandered off, their silhouettes fading into the distance as Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck combed the beach for the scattered remains of Sour’s headset.

Steven walked up slow, the sand crunching under his sandals. His face was quieter than usual, eyes boxed in with something heavy.

Jenny looked up, grin brightening. “Oh hey, Steven!”

“Hey, guys…” His voice came out small.

Sour Cream cocked his head, concern folding his brow. “What’s eating you, Steven? You look kinda bummed.”

Steven shrugged, shoulders tight. “Just dealing with some stuff. You guys staying around? I wanted to hang out- get my mind off things.”

“Whoa.” Buck stared at Steven, brows raised over his shades. “Deja vu.”

“Huh?” Steven blinked.

Sour Cream nodded toward where Rose had disappeared with Sadie and Shep. “We just saw your mom, dude. She seemed cool.”

“Yeah?” Steven let out a breath that sounded like somewhere between relief and exhaustion. “Oh, that’s great.”

Jenny pushed to her feet, eyes hopeful. “You wanna come to band practice? Shep and Sadie are holding it at her mom’s place tonight. We’re gonna have some fun before we all split again.”

Steven gave a small, tired smile. “Yeah, that sounds fun.”

Buck started, “Yeah, maybe your mom- ”

Jenny cut in, voice a little too bright. “Maybe your mom will… see us off in a couple of days.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Steven forced the word out and straightened. “I gotta go help Connie- she’s buying stationery and new gear for university. I’ll see you guys tonight!” He tried for enthusiasm on the last line, then turned and walked off with his hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders tight as heavier thoughts weighed them.

Buck watched him go, frowning. He looked at Jenny, “Bro, why did you stop me?”

Jenny crossed her arms. “Something is obviously going on between those two. If we tell him she might be there, it’ll freak him out. He needs to unwind away from the Gems.”

Sour Cream shrugged, uneasy. “Yeah, but… what if she is there?”

Jenny snorted, folding her arms with a grin. “Pfffff- she’s like a thousand years old. Literally. That old crone ain’t gonna be interested.”

Buck pushed his glasses up, brow tight. “…You sure you’re not just stirring things up to see what happens?”

Jenny shot him a mock-offended look. “I’d never do that to Steven!”

Sour Cream shrugged, palms flat on a patch of wet sand as he felt around. “Not unless you convince yourself he needs it.”

Jenny paused. Then shot a look, “Shut up and look for your headset.”

They stepped up to the Pixel Temple and stopped. The storefront door was left open to let out the moisture, floorboards warped where knee-high water had lain; the tide was gone, leaving a slick of sand and mud that glittered in the light.

Lower shelves lay toppled and saturated- cardboard softened into pulp, plastic blister packs caved, anime posters peeled and curled. Higher shelves had escaped the worst: neat stacks of game squares, rows of C-Boxes and U-Stations, and a line of battered figurines staring out over the ruin, dust and salt crusting their bases.

Sadie stood with her hands on her hips, shoulders heavy with the sight. Shep scanned the wreckage. Rose looked through the spared shelves.

A back door banged open with a kick and Ronaldo emerged, lugging boxes of game cartridges up into the light, cardboard thumping against his chest.

Sadie called, “Hey, Ronaldo!”

“Oh hey Sad-” Ronaldo looked up, answered, then froze when he spotted Rose. The box of cartridges slipped from his hands and thumped to the floor, cartridges skittering across wet tile.

Rose’s smile hitched- nervous, small. “Oh boy, here it comes…” she breathed.

Ronaldo’s face hardened. He jabbed a finger at her. “Get her the heck outta here!” he shouted.

Rose blinked, flustered. “Wait, what? I thought you were smitten with me?”

Ronaldo jabbed the air again. “That was before I got the lore dump on you from Bismuth. I reached out to her on social media, she told me everything!”

He leaned over the counter, thrusting his finger at her. “You’re an evil, manipulative, lying, Steven-eating witch!”

Rose’s shoulders dropped. “She said all those things…”

“Well… no,” Ronaldo admitted. He jabbed his finger again, “But it was inferred!”

Rose saw a flash of Ronaldo looking down at her, holding a potato with a manic expression on him. She clenched a hidden hand into a fist.

Sadie stepped between the two. “Ronaldo, we just wanna buy a new instrument for Shep. We know you deal in EWIs.”

Shep, rubbing the dented shaft of their busted EWI, added, “Yeah. Rose is cool. We’ll be in and out.”

Ronaldo folded his arms, jaw tight. “Alright, fine! But if she’s here, she must consent to me taking pictures of her for my blo- ”

Rose cut in, voice flat, “I’ll wait outside.”

Ronaldo sneered and shook a fist, “Good riddance! Evile she-witch!”

He caught Sadie and Shep watching him with deadpan faces and blinked, deflating. 

Then he forced a smile and managed an oddly professional posture. “Yeah, so- the Electronic Wind Instruments? We’ve got a wide selection that survived the flood.”

Rose stood on the curb outside the Pixel Temple and watched the town stitch itself back together. Volunteers hauled soaked shelving to the curb, crews pried warped boards from doorframes, and cranes lifted dented cars like toys. The scene hummed with the whirr of power tools, the distant growl of machinery, and human voices easing back into conversation.

A smile rose to her face as she breathed it in. It dissipated a bit when she saw Steven round a corner, walking with Connie, shoulders close and speech easy between them. Pride swelled in her chest for a second.

Then the feeling curdled. Her shoulders tightened, the smile pinched into a brittle line. Fingers curled until her knuckles showed white. She felt a hollowness in her chest that hurt. Her breath hitched; she tried to swallow it, but it only came down dry.

She spun away before he looked up. Ducking into the shadowed mouth of an alley, she pressed her back to the cold metal of a dumpster and clutched the lid like a lifeline, gasping for steady air while the town’s repair noises went on.

Rose held still in the alley’s dimness, listening to footsteps approach. She waited until they passed, then leaned just far enough to peek around the dumpster’s dented edge.

Connie rose on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to Steven’s cheek.

Heat rushed to Rose’s face. She ducked back, turning so fast her hair brushed the metal. The blush deepened as she slid down until she was sitting on the cold pavement, knees up, palms resting limply on them.

A faint rustle above made her glance up, spotting a small tuft of yellow hair. Onion crouched atop the dumpster, his pale face peering down without a word.

“Hey, Onion,” she tried a smile.

He fished something from out of sight, produced his hand and extended it down toward her. A crumpled tissue dangled between his fingers.

Rose took it, only then noticing the moisture streaking down her cheeks. “Thanks, Onion.” She lifted it halfway to her face, paused, and frowned. 

“Hey, wait… this was from the dumpster!” She clenched the gross tissue and tossed it.

Onion flew through her block of hair as he hopped down from the dumpster and bolted, feet slapping the wet pavement as he ran deeper into the alley.

Rose sprang to her feet. “Oooooniooooon!” Her voice echoed down the narrow alley.

“Hey, Rose!”

She turned to find Sadie and Shep stepping out from the street behind her, Shep’s hand gripping onto the handle of a small, instrument-shaped case.

“You coming with?” Sadie asked.

Rose stepped out from the side of the dumpster, brushing off her jeans. “Yeah, let’s blow this place.”

Sadie tilted her head. “What was Onion doing?”

Rose gave a half-smile. “Oh, you know- same trouble he’s always been up to.”

Sadie narrowed her eyes. “I’m getting the sense you have Steven’s memories. This isn’t just secondhand stuff you’re talking about.”

Rose forced a bright smile, taking their side as they walked down the sidewalk. “So you guys are doing band practice or something?”

Shep nodded. “Yeah. I need to get used to a new instrument. Plus Sadie gets to hang with her friends a little longer.”

“Where do you go after?” Rose asked.

Sadie grinned. “Greg set up a gig with a studio that records songs and publishes them to Tuneify.”

Rose’s eyes lit up. “You’re Tuneify stars now?!”

“About to be,” Sadie shrugged, “though I’m not sure we’ll exactly be popular.”

Rose chuckled. “Of course you are! Remember the crowd you pulled in Empire City? People will definitely be looking for your names.”

“That’s what Greg said too!” Shep added.

A quiet moment settled between them as Rose’s gaze drifted, thoughts lingering on her eyes.

Sadie hesitated, then asked, “Can I ask you something personal? About you and Greg?”

Rose nodded slowly.

“Are you guys back together?”

Rose’s face twisted- stunned, then grossed out. “What? No, ew- I mean…” Her eyes darted around as she searched for an explanation. “It’s complicated. I need some time.”

Shep studied her quietly.

“I… I get it.” Sadie gulped, and looked away. “I hope.”

Shep glanced sideways. “Are things okay between you and Steven? I saw him with Connie earlier.”

Rose sighed. “Yeah, we’re okay. He’s just annoyed me a little.”

“Is he okay?” Sadie pressed.

“Yeah. I didn’t do anything to him, if that’s what you mean.”

“No! He was abducted by, like, an alien! I barely got to talk to him since. Just wanted to know if he’s hurt.”

Rose gave a small smile. “Oh, I’m sorry, I was- ”

“No, you’re fine! It’s just… a lot to process.”

Rose shot a glance to the ground. “Tell me about it.”

Connie bounced the backpack on her shoulder. “New laptop, binder, pencils, erasers, pens- all set!”

Steven and Connie walked down the busy street, bags swinging from their hands.

“Next stop,” Steven said, “the bike shop.”

Connie frowned. “Isn’t a bike a bit much? What about a skateboard?”

Steven shook his head. “Connie, the campus is huge. A skateboard’s fine for quick trips, but a bike lets you explore more.”

Connie bit her lip. “I just think a bike would be too much to manage.”

Steven grinned. “You ride a lion around. All the time.”

Connie did that cute cheek puff when she was ready to rant. “But Lion takes care of himself! No rust, no maintenance, he finds perfect spots to wait on his own, and he can protect himself. No one can steal Lion!”

Steven laughed. “Who’d steal a bike anyway?”

Connie shot back, “The stolen bike industry is a thriving criminal underworld, Steven!”

They both bursted out laughing at their own silliness, Connie colliding her head in his arm. Steven smiled, but glanced back over his shoulder.

Connie cut her laughing down and gazed up at Steven. “Did she follow us?”

Steven shook his head. “No, I think she’s avoiding me right now.”

Connie had a worried look on her face as she also glanced back. “Running behind a dumpster to hide? That was a bit dramatic.”

Steven sighed. “It might’ve worked, if not for that huge hair of hers. She’s tangled up in her old problems, and now there’s new ones mixed in.”

Connie hardened her look. “She wanted to call herself you, Steven. And she talked about Greg like he was her dad. That scolding probably didn’t help.”

Steven glanced down at his belly, where his gem would be hidden beneath his shirt. “I always thought she was inside the gem, watching me. But maybe she was me - living through me. She remembers everything I remember, and she felt all of it too.”

Connie looked thoughtful. “Like needing to eat? That has to be weird for her gem physiology… Maybe that’s why she was so eager to steal food. She might’ve thought she was starving.”

Steven shook his head with a grin. “Yeah, I’m not so sure. Funny thing is, she actually did some of the stuff I only thought about.”

Connie’s eyes widened. “You were gonna steal, Steven?!”

“No! It’s just… on the road, I imagined how I’d get away with it. Like smashing cameras with hardlight barriers, carrying food in a bubble. It was just a fantasy- like being a highwayman.”

Connie blinked. “You were gonna hide along roads and rob pedestrians?!”

“Pff, no!” Steven burst out laughing.

Connie cracked a smile, her serious face breaking as she laughed too. “I just hope you guys are gonna be okay. You definitely need to talk with her.”

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I wonder if my therapist will work with both of us.”

“He did with us.” Suddenly, a solemn look overtook her as they approached his Supremo, parked in the lot of the still shuttered Big Donut. “Are you going to be okay tonight while I talk with my parents, Jam bud?”

“I’m going to band practice with the Suspects,” Steven said with a reassuring smile. “Are you sure you don’t want me there?”

Connie smiled softly. “It’s fine. I don’t want Mom thinking you’re putting thoughts in my head.”

“I still think you’re overthinking it,” Steven gave a small sigh, things piling in his mind. “I might even be doing that myself lately…”

Back at Sadie’s mom’s house, Barbara greeted Rose warmly, pulling her into a hug in the kitchen.

“Oh! I’m so glad Steven got his mom back!”

Rose chuckled awkwardly. “Thanks…”

Barb’s eyes wandered curiously. “I gotta say, you look shorter than your pictures. And did you do something new with your hair?”

Rose reached up, fluffing her voluminous head. “Oh this? It’s just… you know… well… you know!”

Barbara laughed warmly. “I get the feeling, girl. You might not know exactly what stylists do, but you know they do a dang good job!”

“Uh…” Rose nodded quickly, “Yes!”

Sadie stood by the counter with, coffee in hand, angling to leave, “You guys wanna chat? We need to get ready for band practice.”

Barb’s eyes sparkled. “Oh sure! I’d love to finally get to know Steven’s mom.”

Sadie and Shep slipped out of the kitchen, leaving Barb smiling at an awkward Rose. “So…” Barb started, then covered the side of her mouth with a hand as if whispering, “You here to vet your boy’s new partner?”

“Um…” Rose cleared her throat, “I think they need my help. Be right back!”

She left Barb with a confused look on her face.

Rose moved quietly through Sadie’s home, her steps soft on the worn wooden floors. Family photos lined the walls- smiling faces frozen in time. Her eyes caught on one in particular: Steven, mid-spin in the middle of a stadium, taking Sadie’s place during the talent show. He wore the delicate dress that Barb and Steven had carefully put together, the fabric flowing around him as he danced.

For a moment, Rose’s vision shifted. She saw herself in Steven’s place, the familiar yet foreign weight of that dress settling on her. Her own reflection blurred, the outlines of her body merging with Steven’s, before the image snapped back, the dress flowing on Steven once again. She exhaled hard.

Following the hall, Rose found the basement door that led to Sadie’s room. Laughter floated through the wood, light and warm. She hesitated, then knocked gently. Pressing her ear to the door, she caught whispered voices.

“Oh, that better not be Mom checking in on us again…”

“What if it’s Rose?” came Shep’s cautious reply as footsteps climbed stairs.

Sadie’s voice drifted through the door, soft but carrying a hint of unease. “I hope not…”

Rose’s hands clenched into fists against the door.

The door creaked open, and Sadie looked up, eyes wide but friendly. “Oh hey, Rose! You need anything?”

Rose’s face was blank, almost numb as she stepped backward into the hallway.

“No, I was just checking where you were,” she said quietly. “I best get back to Barb.”

Sadie gave a small nod. “Oh, okay.”

Rose paused at the doorway, about to step away, when Shep called out, “Hey, wait!”

She turned back to see them at the top of the stairs behind Sadie. “Yeah?”

“Can you sing like Steven?”

Rose smiled faintly. “I can sing like me.”

Shep exchanged a quick glance with Sadie, who shrank a little to the door frame.

“You wanna write a song with us? We were planning to play an old tune with the Suspects, but maybe something new would be good.”

Rose brightened. “Sure. What genre?”

Shep shrugged. “I’m not sure…”

Sadie squeezed Shep’s hand. “You want to pick, Rose?”

Rose paused, thinking deeply.

“…Can it be a song written by someone else? One you’ve never heard?”

Sadie hugged Shep tightly, smiling. “Sure.”

Steven dropped Connie off at her place as night settled. He headed toward Barb’s house, noticing shifting lights flickering in the basement window.

His phone buzzed. A text from Buck popped up: Bro, your mom is here to play a song with us. Don’t tell anyone I told you.

“Aw, come on!” Steven muttered, yelling at the phone- though no one could hear him.

Another message appeared: Especially Jenny.

Steven started tapping out a reply: Totally unrelated but I can’t come, something came up. His thumb hovered, hesitation pulling at him- then he hit send.

He shifted the car into reverse, easing back down the driveway, when a faint sound drifted from the basement window.

“…that we’re a lightspeed reaction…”

Steven froze.

He stared at the glass, mind digging through half-forgotten moments.

“…I know that song.”

“Still, this is the final frontier,” Rose belted, her voice swelling over the speakers. 

“Everything is so clear,” Sadie shot back, leaning into the mic. 

“To our destiny we steer!” they hit the line together, grinning like they’d just landed the last punch in a fight.

Sour Cream hammered the beat, shoulders bouncing to the rhythm. Jenny and Buck worked their spare guitars in sync, strings flashing under the stage lights. Off to the side, Shep- tall, wiry, and pink-faced- wrestled with their wind instrument, missing a note here and there but playing on without flinching. Rose and Sadie stood center of the band layout, swapping lines like it was second nature.

“This life in the stars is all we’ve ever known,” Rose sang, eyes glinting.

“Stars and stardust in infinite space is our only home,” Sadie sang, her voice warm, steady.

“But the moment that we hit the stage,” Rose cut in, the line sharp with energy.

“Thousands of voices are calling our name,” Sadie answered, smiling at Shep.

“And we know in our hearts it’s been worth it all of the while,” Rose sang, her tone softening.

“And as our albums fly off the shelves- ” Sadie grinned.

“- handing out autographed pics of ourselves,” Rose finished, the two of them leaning toward each other over the mics.

Then Rose broke formation. She stepped forward, a flash in her eyes, and tore into the next line with raw power that hit like an open chord. Sadie froze mid-breath. The band faltered for half a beat- Jenny’s pick scraping, Shep missing a note- before scrambling to follow her lead.

“This life we chose isn’t easy but sure is one heck of a ride!” Rose’s voice soared, shaking the rafters. 

“At the moment that we hit the stage, we hear the universe calling our name!” 

“And we know deep down in our hearts we have nothing to fear!”

 “And as the solar wind blows through our hair, knowing we have so much more left to share!”

 “A wandering spirit who’s tearing its way through the cold atmosphere!” 

“We’ll fly like a comet- ”

She caught herself, breathless, and glanced back at Sadie.

“…Soar like a comet,” Sadie said, still stunned but finding the note.

“Crash like a comet,” Rose grinned.

“We’re just a comet,” they finished together, voices closing a song that left the room vibrating.

“Duuude,” Buck breathed, still gripping his guitar neck.

“That was awesome!” Shep laughed, wind instrument dangling from their hands.

“Rose?” Steven’s voice floated in from the stairwell.

Heads turned. He was halfway hidden behind the basement’s banister, peering down at them like he’d been there longer than he wanted to admit.

“Steven?” Rose blinked, straightening herself.

“Oh, brother,” Jenny muttered, rolling her eyes as she slung her guitar strap off her shoulder.

Steven’s eyes narrowed as he stepped down a little, voice low but firm. “What are you doing here?”

Rose glanced around, a flicker of hesitation passing through her gaze. “I’m singing with my friends…”

“Woah, what?” Jenny raised an eyebrow, disbelief clear. “ Your friends?”

Rose’s shoulders sagged slightly, shrinking back. “Well, yeah… Isn’t that what we are?”

“You’re cool and all,” Sour Cream crossed his arms, skeptical but honest, “And a stunning singer, but, like, we hardly know you.”

Rose blinked, confusion and hurt mixing in her expression. “What? But why did you guys…”

Shep had a guilty look. “It seemed like you needed it.”

Sadie added softly, “We felt bad for you.”

Rose’s voice cracked, “But what about everything we’ve been through?”

Sadie traded looks with Jenny, “What are you- ”

Rose’s voice struggled to remain steady as she recalled, “All those times we talked at the big donut? That time we were on that island alone with Lars? When I caught you singing?”

Sadie snapped, uncomfortable at the situation, “You were never there for that!”

That triggered something in Rose. She felt something build in her chest, and before she knew what it was, it came out.

“I was there!” Rose screamed, her voice shrill and raw, filling the room with an unsettling tremor. The floor vibrated beneath them.

Steven’s tone was urgent, “Rose- ”

“I was! I was! I was !” she repeated, stomping the last word down with a fierce impact that tore the carpet and shattered the concrete beneath it.

Sadie stumbled back into Shep’s protective arms, while Buck moved quickly to get comfort from Jenny, who glared at Rose. Sour Cream pressed his back against the wall, eyes wide.

Rose’s fierce expression flickered as she snapped back to reality. “Sadie, I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Get out.” Sadie’s voice cut sharp. “Get out!”

Rose didn’t hesitate- she barreled past Steven who stood out of her way as she bolted up the basement stairs, her footsteps echoing past Barb waiting at the top.

“Rose?” Barb’s concern was immediate. “Sadie! Is everything okay?”

“I’m okay!” Sadie called back, eyes fierce as she locked on Steven. “Steven, your mother needs serious help. She’s obviously in pain.”

Steven nodded, voice steady but worried. “I was going to ask her to talk to my therapist.”

Then Steven looked at Buck. “Why the heck were you guys doing this with her?”

“Dude, I told you she was here,” Buck rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding Jenny’s glare.

“Did you tell her I might be here?”

“You texted that you weren’t!” Buck shrugged.

Shep squeezed Sadie’s shoulder, before looking at Steven. “I don’t really get it all, but it seems like she’s inherited the attachments you’ve formed too.”

Steven sighed, and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“Maybe that’ll help with finding a therapist,” Shep added. “Since that might count as an attachment?”

Steven’s jaw tightened. Then his phone rang a notification from Connie: Conversation went okay, though mom wants to visit the campus with me. Lion popped in for some reason. Is everything okay?

Rose hovered just above Barb’s quiet neighborhood, the cool night air brushing past her. The streetlights below cast soft streams of gold. She hesitated to go home, the weight of the day pressing in- part of her didn’t want to face the crystal gems again. Another part longed for someone to find her here.

The hum of the town settled into a gentle rhythm- the faint laughter of neighbors, the distant bark of a dog, the occasional rustle of leaves stirred by a breeze. Rose felt an odd sense of connection, the only reliable connection she could count on after all these centuries. It comforted her, even as uncertainty gnawed at the edges of her thoughts.

Below, the soft glow of a pink portal shimmered into existence, spilling warm light onto the pavement. From it emerged Lion, moving gracefully, with Connie perched confidently on his back. The sight startled Rose out of her reverie.

“Connie?” Rose whispered, her voice barely carrying on the night air.

Rose floated down smoothly, diving foot first toward Connie. She landed softly in front of her, bringing Lion to a gentle halt.

Connie blinked, concern flickering in her eyes. “Rose? Are you okay?”

Rose took a step closer, her gaze steady and searching. “Yes, I am.”

Connie shifted slightly atop Lion. “What are you doing here?”

Rose shrugged, the faintest edge of defensiveness in her voice. “I was in the area…”

Connie hesitated, then added quietly, “I texted Steven. I know that’s not true.”

Surprise flashed across Rose’s face, quickly replaced by a flush of shame. “I was just annoyed, okay?”

Connie’s voice softened, firm with care. “You need help, Rose.”

Rose glanced away, voice low but determined. “I’ll look for a therapist.”

Connie pressed gently, “You know Steven already has one. He can refer you.”

Rose shook her head, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes. “I don’t want to talk to that one.”

“Why not?!” Connie snapped the question before reeling herself in. “He specializes in gem issues. The field’s small, and since the gems from Little Homeworld followed Steven’s lead and started seeking help, the whole thing’s been overwhelmed.”

“Pearl will help me find one.” Rose bit her lip, doubt creeping in.

Connie nodded, hopeful. “You’ll talk to Pearl then?”

Rose met her gaze. “Yeah.”

Connie’s voice softened, urging, “And you can talk to Steven too. I know he wants that.”

Rose’s breath caught, words stuck in her throat. “But Connie, what if…”

Connie leaned closer, eyes searching. “What if what?” But Connie’s gaze flicked to the street.

Rose followed it to where Steven stood outside Barb’s house, his face tight with worry as he watched Rose and Connie together.

“Steven…” Connie whispered, relieved at the sight of him.

Seeing Connie’s reaction shattered something inside Rose. Tears welled up, blurring her vision. She leapt, trying to fly away, but her strength failed- she crashed hard to the ground, stumbling in clumsy, heavy jumps.

Her sobs echoed as she fled toward the crystal temple, too overwhelmed to hold herself aloft.

Chapter Text

Rose lay stiff on the mattress, the cheap springs sighing beneath her. Moonlight slanted through the blinds and painted pale bars across her face. She told herself to breathe slow, to count sheep or stars, to do any of the ordinary things that made humans fall asleep, but her fingers kept tangling in the sheet and her eyes refused to close.

Rose felt that she could never understand how she had made do without ever sleeping before being…

She spent the night tossing and turning- rolling onto her side, flopping onto her back, pulling the blanket up to her chin, flinging it off again. At intervals she would sit up, stare at the dark ceiling, waiting for it to disappear.

Rose dug a cold burrito out of the freezer and then dropped it into the microwave with a clumsy, impatient flick. Amethyst hovered right behind her sitting on the counter, arms folded like she was ready to spring.

“So I was thinking- go-karting,” Amethyst said, grin wide. “Steven showed me. You and I never did any of the human rides because we didn’t know how to work the machines or talk to the folks running funland. We should try it.”

Rose wiped her hands on her jeans, voice low. “Yeah, sure, Amethyst. Just not right now. I’m kinda tired.”

“Tired? You haven’t even done much,” Amethyst shot back, half teasing, half worried.

Rose opened her mouth, then closed it. She didn’t have an answer.

Steven came in through the front door, steps quiet on the floorboards. He stopped when he saw her, worry etching his face. He crossed the room in three strides. “You want to talk?” he asked, voice soft.

“No,” Rose said, too quick.

Rose prematurely yanked her food out- the burrito only lukewarm, barely steaming. She darted up the stairs, skin of her feet slapping the floorboards, and slammed her door behind her. In the quiet of her room, she clamped her teeth down to its cold center, each bite small and distracted. She let out a whine with a mouthful.

Rose thrashed under the covers. The mattress squeaked as she flung the sheet off her feet and groped at the dark, hunting for a cooler patch of mattress.

She rolled. Sweat beaded at her temple. For a long minute she sat on the edge of the bed, palms pressed flat to the wood, then eased back down and kicked the blanket away again, this time off the bed, and swiped her pillows off with it.

She stared up at the painting on her wall; Garnet in a graceful pose among the clouds, with Rose naked and with wings sleeping on the clouds above her.

Rose had to blink a couple times to realize it wasn’t her. It was Steven.

The microwave clicked. Rose watched the frozen tray spin, then yanked it out and hugged it to her chest.

Steven appeared behind her, “You want to talk?”

“No!” she snapped, and fled upstairs with the tray, no utensil to eat the contents.

An hour later she padded back down, rinsed the cold smear of food from her hand under the tap, and set the empty tray in the sink.

Rose thrashed once more under the covers, pillows skidding across the mattress as she turned and turned.

She peeled the blanket off, slid down to the cold floor and curled into herself on the lone thin rug, forehead pressed to the fibres.

Even there she could not settle- she rolled, twisted, pushed up, and curled again. It was to be another one of these nights.

Rose angled a small handheld mirror to peer around the hallway corner, pupils small in the reflected glass, then tiptoed to the kitchen on bare feet. She popped a frozen pizza pocket into the microwave, watched the numbers blink down, then crouched beneath the counter where the cabinet shadow swallowed her whole.

The microwave hummed. Steven came in and crossed the room without glancing her way, shoulders tight, hands holding a coffee cup. “You want to talk?” he asked, voice soft but not looking.

“No!” she snapped from her hiding spot.

She yanked the still-cold pizza pocket, crouch-ran and fled to her room again. The first bite got stuck as she reached the frozen center; she chewed as cold dough and unmelted filling fought her mouth.

This time she engineered a fortress from bed sheets and brooms, draped and tucked into a sagging citadel, a tiny flag perched proudly at its peak made from a pink pillow case.

She groaned through the night in irritation.

With a lazy twist of her body, she rolled straight out, the whole structure collapsing in a soft avalanche over her, where she lay without protest.

“You want to talk?” Steven leaned against the counter.

“No.” Rose’s hand darted from the fridge, clutching leftover pie. 

“You want to talk about it?” Steven called from the couch in the living room.

“No!” Rose ran with a tub of ice cream.

“You want to have a conversation?” Steven exhaled sharply. 

“NO!” she shouted, hopping up with the stairs with a plate of jiggling jello.

“You want some pizza?”

“NO-”

Rose realized it was Amethyst sitting on the counter, holding her phone and Steven’s credit card.

“Yes actually.”

Rose lay on the bedroom floor, surrounded by crumpled wrappers and empty microwave trays, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Her limbs sprawled lazily, the mess a fortress around her, silent except for the occasional crunch of cold food she’d been nibbling.

The bedroom door creaked open just a crack. Rose’s gaze flicked toward it, and there, peeking through the gap, was Pearl. The taller gem froze, eyes wide at the scene before her. Pearl blinked, then yelped softly and darted away, leaving the door open as her feet patted the floorboards. Rose let out a small, bemused sigh, ran a hand through her hair and went back to watching the ceiling again.

A human couple laughed as they tossed a frisbee back and forth along the shoreline, their golden retriever leaping after each throw with boundless energy. The sun glinted off the wet sand as waves lapped lazily at their feet.

Suddenly, the air shimmered, and the massive torso and head of White Diamond’s ship descended from the sky, casting a shadow that stretched across the beach. Her piercing gaze locked onto the humans below. Screams ripped through the air as the couple dropped the frisbee and sprinted away, the dog yapping frantically behind them.

Greg’s hands gripped the edge of his van’s hood as he stared at Steven. “She was singing my song?”

Steven slouched beside him on the sand, kicking at a driftwood stick. “Yeah. She was in Sadie’s basement with the Suspects during a jam session. Apparently they invited her along, and it just… sort of happened. She requested the song.”

Greg shook his head, slamming the hood shut and moving to sit out the van’s back. “Just make sure they don’t post it online. I really don’t want a cease-and-desist letter from Pepe’s Burgers.”

Steven kicked at the sand, staring at the waves. “She was acting like they were her friends. It made Sadie totally uncomfortable. She’s always had mixed feelings about the things she hears about my mom.”

Greg ran a hand through his hair, leaning back against the van. “I’m so surprised Rose cared so much. She barely hung out with other humans when we were together. Sure, she’d party with them, but they were… ‘just humans’ to her.”

Steven smirked, sitting next to his father. “Yeah, that’s totally not patronizing…”

Greg’s shoulders slumped, eyes fixed on the horizon. “I was the only one she’d really hang around with.”

Steven nudged him lightly. “I’m sure she’ll come back to you, Dad.”

Greg blinked, frowning. “Why do you gotta say it like that? We aren’t divorced! We never even married!”

“I mean…” Steven shrugged. “She kinda took the house from you.”

“Why I oughta!” Greg grabbed Steven, pulling him in as he rubbed his knuckles in his head. 

Steven laughed, trying to wriggle free, and the two of them doubled over, oblivious to the dark sphere that suddenly swallowed them whole.

The sphere shrank, leaving only the towering, spike-headed outline of a being. White Diamond’s voice cut through the laughter, meant to be a whisper but booming anyway. 

“Steven!”

Greg staggered back, eyes wide. “Woah, what!”

Steven blinked up at the towering figure. “White? What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk!” White Diamond’s gaze swept the beach. “Is she here?”

“Rose?” Steven asked cautiously.

“Is that what she calls herself? Ugh, never mind that. Do you have somewhere private we can speak?”

Steven gave her towering form a deadpan look. “That’s a tough ask.”

“Nevermind then.” White Diamond’s eyes narrowed, focusing on Greg. “Tell your companion to leave us!”

Steven stepped protectively in front of Greg. “He’s my dad. He’s family. Whatever you want to say, you can say to him too.”

Greg gulped, eyeing the door to the driver’s seat in his van.

A long pause, then White’s shoulders stiffened. “Oh, very well. We scoured our records, scout reports that stretch back eons, contact with other life forms and civilizations, and- and…”

Steven felt a sense of dread build up. “And what?”

“There’s nothing! We’ve never encountered anything remotely close to that-” White’s voice dropped, laced with revulsion. “That thing.”

“Nothing?” Steven released the breath he was just starting to hold, and crossed his arms, frowning. “Okay?”

White Diamond’s eyes flared. “Okay? This is not okay.”

“We can’t even really do anything unless it comes back,” Steven said, his voice tight.

White’s shoulders stiffened. “We can look for it! Hunt it down!”

Steven threw up his hands. “Look for it where? All of space?”

White Diamond’s gaze sharpened. “We have the resources; they just need to be… directed.”

“Directed,” Steven echoed. “As in commanded ?”

White huffed. “How else?”

“But you gave up the authority to do that.”

“Why, yes, but… Well…” White sighed, “Oh, where’s Spinel?”

“Right here!”

A tiny figure popped out from a fold in White’s clothes, barely the size of a fly compared to her. Spinel scrambled up to White’s head and wrapped her cartoonishly long arms around White’s lower chin in a hug. White’s stern expression softened as she gently petted Spinel with a finger, relief washing over her.

White’s eyes softened, but a flicker of panic lingered on her brows. “Oh my, Spinel…”

Spinel tilted her head, bouncing slightly. “What’s this about a Rose?”

Then she looked down and saw Steven. She called with an echo from up high White, “Oh Steven! They got you out of the alien!”

Steven’s eyebrows rose. “You weren’t there for that?”

White waved a hand dismissively. “Spinel was feeling a little down… she went into the ship before it even arrived. She was onboard while it struggled against that abomination.”

“So… you don’t know about Rose…” Steven asked carefully.

White froze, eyes darting to him, silently pleading not to mention her. She caught Spinel’s curious gaze and stilled, realizing she couldn’t gesture without giving herself away.

Spinel blinked. “Huh?”

White took a deep breath, shoulders stiff. “Listen, Steven, I… I know you’ve been teaching about… communication. About talking about what’s bothering a gem.”

Steven nodded slowly. “Okay…”

White’s hands twitched at her sides. “I have some things I- I need to get off my chest.”

“I think you should talk to- ” Steven started, but White cut him off.

“It’s about why I formed the Gem Empire. And I should also mention… some bad thoughts that may be returning…” Her voice wavered.

Spinel bounced up and down on White’s shoulder, undeterred. “Yeah! What bad thoughts!”

“I… Since I don’t… have…” White tried to talk, every word cut off by Spinel’s bounces. She closed her eyes in that majestic way she always managed, then when they opened they were tensed with anger. “Spinel, would you stop that!”

Steven flinched at her outburst.

Spinel slumped, the bounce leaving her, and perched quietly on White’s shoulder. The anger dissipated, leaving behind tiredness.

“Thank you, deary.” White exhaled deeply. “I’ve been thinking about reforming my armies with Yellow.”

Steven’s eyes went wide. “What?! You can’t do that! After all the work you’ve put into changing things- what about the new government?”

White’s tone sharpened. “Is that a question of capability? Because I absolutely have the ability to do so. Enough gems still respect our status. Parliament would just… step aside while we take care of things.”

Steven crossed his arms. “And what if they don’t step aside? What if they try to stop you from rebuilding your armies?”

Spinel puffed up her chest. “Then we bop them!”

White’s eyes narrowed. “Spinel!”

Spinel shrank instantly as White pinched the littler gem between two fingers and set her down on the ground.

“Why don’t you go play at the Crystal Temple while I talk with Steven,” White instructed.

Spinel hesitated. “But I kinda also wanted to tal- ”

“Yes, that’s very good, Spinel.” White interrupted, gesturing firmly. “Now run along.”

Steven exchanged a concerned glance with Spinel as she sulked away, walking off with a small frown.

Steven squared his shoulders and met White Diamond’s towering gaze.

“Dad, can you check on Spinel while I… handle this?” he asked, voice steady despite the tension curling in his chest.

Greg scratched the back of his neck while giving Steven his van keys, glancing up at White’s immense form. “Sure thing, Steven. I don’t exactly know how to talk to your aunts… or grandmother… or-uh-Mother? Whatever.”

Steven nodded, grateful, and watched his dad retreat across the sand toward the house in Spinel’s trail, leaving Steven and White with his van. Steven turned back to White, who loomed above him, her sharp angles softened by the dimming sun. Her gaze flickered between concern and impatience.

“I’m listening,” Steven said, keeping his tone calm but firm. His fists clenched loosely at his sides.

Rose stirred under the heavy blankets, hair tangled into a wild halo around her head. She dragged herself out of bed, shoulders slumping, and slouched toward the kitchen, peeking around corners as if Steven was in the walls. There was nothing quick enough in the fridge, so she filled a pot with water, setting it to boil for ramen, and placed another pot beside it. She took a carton full of eggs and dumped it into the other pot. 

She exhaled a long, tired sigh against the rising steam.

“Hey, Rose!” Pearl appeared beside her with a smile full of tension.

“Pearl.” Rose didn’t flinch. She didn’t even bother looking or turning towards her. “When I’m trying to sleep, I’d prefer that you don’t watch through a crack in my door.”

Pearl sounded small, “Oh… Okay”

She held out something black and partially shiny in her hands, hesitating.

“Is that my new noise-cancelling headphones?”

Pearl nodded, and Rose held out her hand. Pearl placed them there, then began, “If you need me I’ll just-”

Rose slipped the headset over her ears, squishing her tall bob down, turned it on with a chirp and tapped her phone to pair it. Music filled her ears, loud and immersive, drowning out everything else. A pop song, full of energy and strength. Pearl stepped back quietly, the rumble of her footsteps fading as the song carried Rose away.

Rose carefully dropped the eggs into a bowl of ice water, letting them cool before attempting to peel them. Her tiny thumbs struggled, creating too many cracks in the eggs.

“I miss my big fat thumbs,” she muttered with a frustrated sigh.

A faint vibration ran across her skin, like someone short was trying to speak to her. “I’m not in the mood, Amethyst,” she said without looking.

Suddenly, long, noodly arms curled around her lower waist. A wet, small face pressed against her side. Rose looked down and blinked- Spinel clung to her, chattering rapidly, her tiny voice muffled but insistent as she wrapped Rose in a tight hug.

Rose yanked off her headset, exposing herself to Spinel’s frantic chatter.

“-wouldn’t say! She just wouldn’t say!” Spinel babbled.

“Spinel- ” Rose started, but the smaller gem didn’t stop.

“I just really can’t believe it’s you! You were gone and now you’re here! Yellow and Blue were a mess when we got back too and I had no idea why but now I know wh- ”

“Get your hands off me!” Rose snapped, her anger cutting voice. Spinel froze, eyes wide, and peeled off.

Rose exhaled sharply, muttering to herself, “What part about time alone don’t you under- ” She let the thought trail off, fatigue overtaking her irritation.

Turning off the stove, she began carefully filling a large bowl with noodles and eggs. “Spinel, just leave me alone.”

Spinel stammered, “O-okay, Pink.”

Her face tightened at the name, a mix of frustration and hurt, but she didn’t say anything. Rose, headphones clamped over her ears, grabbed her food and retreated to the couch, burying herself in the music and finally able to shut out Steven while outside her room. Spinel stayed rooted, frozen, refusing to even glance at her.

Greg burst in, winded from running. “Spinel, wait!”

He stopped, catching his breath. “I totally forgot… That Rose was… And White wouldn’t- ”

Spinel didn’t react, staring blankly ahead.

“Is there something wrong with- ” Greg began, but cut himself off, realizing Rose was completely unresponsive, lost in her own world as she blew on a fork twirled with Ramen.

“Oh, come on!” he muttered, exasperation and worry rising together.

Greg crouched beside Spinel, trying to rouse her. “Spinel, are you okay? Spinel!”

Spinel didn’t move, her stillness gnawing at Rose. She gripped her bowl, pushed past the doorway, and stepped onto the deck. The ocean stretched before her, waves flickering under the morning light. She sat on the deck chair and downed an egg in one bite, eyes narrowing.

Then Rose saw the big form far away near the water- White, cross‑legged on the sand, deep in conversation with Steven.

Rose muttered under her breath, exasperated, “Are you kidding me…”

White’s eyes flicked to the horizon, tension tightening her shoulders. “I just can’t, I just can’t relax, and I can’t go out on my charity runs while that thing is still out there.”

Steven sat cross‑legged opposite her, careful to match her gaze without breaking the fragile calm. He’d offered to refer her to his therapist, but she’d bristled at the idea of talking to a stranger- or lower lifeform, as Steven suspected she meant.

“Why though?” he asked gently. “It didn’t even grab you. It grabbed me, and I for one don’t think it’s worth rebuilding your armies.”

White’s jaw tightened. “Think about it, Steven. It copied a Diamond- she is a Diamond, right?”

“She has all my powers,” Steven said, his tone cautious.

White’s eyes flashed with anxiety. “I can’t even do that, Steven. This is a being we don’t understand. Its first act was to kidnap one of us and conduct… what? Some kind of experiment? It’s a violation of our nature, Steven.”

“I won’t argue that.” Steven ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the sand beneath them. “But even if we get your army back up and actually find it, what if we end up… you know… kicking the hornet’s nest?”

White’s eyes narrowed, a flash of impatience in her brows. “Is this like that time you were talking about something called ‘pork chops’ and ‘hot dogs?’”

“I’m saying what happens if finding it makes it angry, and it turns out to be stronger than even your army?” Steven pressed, tone careful but firm.

White exhaled, shoulders sagging slightly. “Well, what else am I supposed to do? Live with this alien out there, hoping it doesn’t decide to come back and cause more damage?”

Steven crossed his arms, annoyed look on his face. “Why not? It’s what humans have to live with.”

White’s brow furrowed. “I don’t understand your meaning.”

“Humans live on a planet that was nearly destroyed multiple times by gems,” Steven explained, voice steady with restrained contempt. “They’re only safe because other gems didn’t want that to happen- and because you decided to break up your empire. Life goes on though; they don’t make plans to hunt you down because they know they’d never have the strength to beat you.”

“But I’m not-” White’s form curled slightly, a rare vulnerability showing. “Fine. I get it. They are strong lifeforms, and I should feel inspired. But it doesn’t feel right. I- I don’t feel safe without it. That’s why- ”

Her shoulders deflated, and she stared down at the sand, dwelling on some internal weight that made her expression sad.

Steven prompted gently, “That’s why what?”

White whispered, almost to herself, “Why I want it back.”

A pit started to form in Steven’s stomach, once he realized she was talking about the empire. “To feel safe?”

White’s gaze flicked to the horizon, the colors of sunset reflecting off her dress. “Yes.”

Dread started to build in Steven. “…Is that why you formed the gem empire in the first place?”

White shook her head slowly. “I… I think I’ve had enough talking for today. And it’s not… not fair that I subject you to this for so long.”

Steven gave a small nod, shoulders relaxed slightly, but thoughts weighed heavy. “…I appreciate that you understand.”

White’s sharp gaze softened. “Can I come back in a few more planetary rotations? Can we talk again?”

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, I… if I’m not busy, sure.”

White tilted her head. “And maybe… again, after that?”

“Okay.”

“And after that?”

“Yeah, I see where this is going.” Steven sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay, if we do this, you need to seriously start considering seeing a therapist- gem, human, or otherwise.”

White’s eyes narrowed. “Otherwise? Is there another type of life form you’re involved with?”

“Yes. My mother.”

White blinked. “Oh. You’re joking?”

“…No.”

Steven walked up the wooden steps on the deck leading to his home, waving goodbye to White, who waved back. Her sphere floated her up, and in a blink her ship shot off, stretching into faster-than-light speed.

He passed his dad, giving back the car keys. “Spinel stretched out a window a while ago.” He said with a worried look on his face. “She saw Rose and freaked out.”

“What?” Steven yelped, looking back in the direction White’s ship went. “I really hope she took off with her.”

Greg shrugged his shoulders, gave his son a hug and parted. Steven continued up the steps.

He then noticed Rose sitting on the chair out front, an empty bowl at her feet, her headset draped around her neck.

“Steven,” she said softly.

“Rose,” he replied, approaching cautiously. “Do you want to talk about it now?”

Rose shook her head, eyes fixed on the horizon behind him.

“No.”

Steven moved for the door back into the house, shoulders tense, trying his best to ignore her.

“Why were you talking to White?” Rose half-shouted, not looking back at him.

“Are you going to talk about it?” Steven countered, pausing in the doorway.

Rose crossed her arms, her jaw tight.

“No, and the next hundred times you ask, it’s gonna be no.” She stood from her chair, turning to look at him. “I don’t want you talking to her.”

“What?” Steven’s brow furrowed.

“I said I don’t want you talking to her.”

Steven’s fists clenched, anger flickering in his eyes, but he stopped himself. He let out a slow breath.

“Please don’t talk to me like that,” he said quietly. “Don’t tell me what you want- tell me why you want it.”

Rose’s glare started to build. “I don’t want her visiting any more than she should.”

“Why?” Steven met her glare.

“Why do you want her to? I know how you feel about her too.”

“Yeah, I make it pretty obvious to everyone,” he said, folding his arms. “She’s going through some stuff. I’d want nothing to do with it if she wasn’t talking about reforming the empire.”

Rose looked to the ground. “Let her.”

Steven blinked. “What?”

“It’s because of the Alien, isn’t it?” Rose sighed with a chuckle. “She’s always pushed for the biggest expansions whenever we found a major alien civilization.”

Steven’s voice sharpened. “What about Earth?”

“It’s your colony. She’d never hurt it now.”

“And the other planets she’s going to conquer?”

Rose hid her eyes as her bangs fell over them. “What about them?”

Tears welled in Steven’s eyes, spilling down his cheeks. Unable to believe the words he’s hearing.

“Why are you doing this? I know you’re not this cruel. You were me once- and I know I’d care about this long before that thing ever touched me.”

Rose’s voice was tight. “Well, I’m not you, Steven. As Sadie so badly tried to tell me.”

“You were in denial,” Steven blinked his tears.

“I know that.”

“And now you’re angry.”

She snapped. “Because you were talking to White! Because Spinel just came and hugged me after I told her not to!”

She took on a mocking laugh, “Except wait, I didn’t tell her not to, you did! And I’m not you, so of course Spinel thought it was fine to hug me. Which is why Sadie, Jenny, Sour Cream, and Buck were all weirded out when I called them my friends.” 

Her voice started to break. “Which is why Greg thought it was fine to talk to me like that. Which is why Bismuth went from hugging me when I- no, you came back to Beach City, to attacking me.”

Steven’s eyes went wide with tears. Rose backed away, looking like she was going to run and fly off again. But instead she turned and stumbled back into the chair, looking out at the ocean. The back of her head faced Steven, her fingers clamped around her headset without lifting it.

“…I’m sorry,” she said.

“No,” Steven replied, rubbing away tears as a smile started to build. “You talked to me.”

“You don’t deserve this,” Rose murmured. “You didn’t ask for this.” 

Her head slouched. “Didn’t ask for me.”

Steven’s voice was quiet but steady. “You stayed here and actually talked about your feelings.”

Rose’s shoulders tensed. “Can you please just go away.”

“Okay,” Steven said. A beat passed. “Hey, Rose? One more thing.”

Her head shifted just enough to glance back. “What?”

He formed a heart shape with his two hands together, “I love you.”

Steven walked through the door, closing it behind him. Rose let out a laugh, which then turned into sobs.

Rose stayed outside, watching the tides advance and retreat from her spot on the front deck, until it hit night. Sighing, she got up and brought her bowl inside with her.

She entered the living room finding Steven asleep on the couch. She put the dishes in the sink, running water over them to start soaking.

Then she went up to her room, grabbed her sheet and pillow.

She took them back down to the living room, dropped the pillow on the ground beside Steven’s sleeping form. She laid down on it, tucking her sheet around her.

It took her a few minutes, before she fell asleep with her son snoring above her.

Chapter Text

Steven paused at the foot of the couch. Rose lay curled on the living room floor again, headset discarded nearby, blanket slipped halfway off. He leaned down, draped it over her shoulders, and quietly settled onto the couch himself.

He woke early the next morning to find her half sprawled over the edge of the couch, using his legs as a pillow. Carefully, he slid her legs off and got up to get dressed. She barely stirred, still snoring lightly.

The next morning, she was upside down- back on the couch, legs propped up over the seat, her hair sweeping the floor like spilled cotton. Steven just blinked, grabbed clean clothes, and kept going.

The day after that, she’d somehow stretched herself across the top row of cushions like a dozing cat. He stepped into the hallway to change, then came back in just in time to see her blink herself awake, yawning as she stared at him groggily.

Steven lingered by the couch as Rose sat up, rubbing her eyes, hair sticking up in all directions.

“Are you having problems sleeping in your room?” he asked gently.

Rose shrugged. “A little.”

He smiled, looking up in thought. “Maybe it’s time for a renovation.”

“Oh no, it’s fine.”

“I’m sure Bismuth would be more than welcome to…” Steven stopped, the realization hitting him. “Oh.”

Rose’s face fell a little too, but she covered it by hugging her knees and looking away. “Yeah. Oh.”

Steven started to speak again. “...Maybe it’s- ”

“No,” Rose cut in, arms wrapped tight around herself. “I can’t talk to her yet. I don’t feel ready.”

The door creaked open and Pearl stepped in, balancing a basket of laundry from the line outside.

“Maybe you guys should ask Jasper to do the renovations?” she offered, almost too casually.

Steven and Rose exclaimed at the same time, “ Jasper’s renovating? ”

“Wait-” Steven turned with suspicion. “How did you know what we were talking about?”

Rose blew a raspberry. “Is that a real question?”

“Eeeee…” Pearl winced, embarrassed. “Nevermind that. Bismuth’s been teaching her. Jasper’s got the basics down, and if there’s anything complicated, I can help with the design.”

Rose took on a wry smile. “Or Peridot can help.”

Pearl forced a laugh as she set the laundry basket down. “Oh yes, if you want cannons attached to the bed, go right to Peridot! Never mind me trying to introduce a little elegance into your personal quarters.”

Rose chuckled. “I was just joking. You can help if you want, Pearl.”

Pearl’s shoulders relaxed, and she gave a small, pleased nod. “Thank you, Rose.”

Steven glanced between them. “So… where’s Jasper, anyway?”

“Where is your hard hat?!” Jasper roared. She wore a yellow construction hard hat with holes to fit their horns through.

A small Ruby stood frozen under her shadow- red skin, square-cut hair, gem embedded in her chin- trembling like a candle flame in a storm.

“I-I didn’t grab one, c-construction m-master…”

“Why not?!” Jasper barked, stepping closer.

“I-I-I thought it was a h-h-human r-rule…”

Jasper dragged a hand down her face in absolute frustration. “Oh not this again. The rules apply to everyone! If we bend the rule for even one gem, we have to bend it for every gem and human worker on this site!”

“Y-Yes, construction master!” Ruby squeaked.

“Grab a helmet from the spare gear truck- now! On the double!”

“Yes, construction master!” She bolted across the work site as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Jasper called after her, “And for the last time, it’s manager ! Construction manager !”

“Working them hard I see,” Pearl said, voice light and dry as they approached.

She stood beside Steven and Rose on the edge of the work zone. Around them, Little Homeworld buzzed with activity- steel frames rising, scaffolding creaking, and newly healed gems working shoulder to shoulder with humans. Rubies carried brick, Quartzes hauled beams, a few Nephrites and Amethysts were directing cranes, while groups of humans in hard hats passed out bottled water and tools. Engines rumbled, sparks flew off welders, and the entire site felt alive with a shared rhythm of rebuilding.

“Bismuth ain’t here, Pearl.” Jasper didn’t even glance up as she scanned the site. “Try her forge. She’s hammering out some stress.”

Rose folded her arms, sighing. “I wonder why.”

Jasper’s head snapped toward the sound of that voice. Her eyes widened as she saw Rose standing there- alive, real, unmistakable, barefooted in a construction site.

“Impossible…”

Steven stepped forward, hands in his jacket pockets. “Word doesn’t travel fast enough here, huh?”

Jasper’s shoulders straightened as the shock shifted into rigid formality. “I thought they were just rumors.” She stepped forward and performed the diamond salute, hands bent on the chest in the shape of the four pointed symbol, head bowed. “My Diamond.”

Rose crossed her arms. “I go by Rose.”

Jasper squinted. “What? You still call yourself a Quartz?”

“Universe,” Rose corrected, her voice calm but direct. That one word made Pearl and Steven both look at her with surprise. “I call myself Rose Universe . Now- what are you working on here, soldier?”

Jasper straightened, caught between pride and confusion. “A… a shared work project with the humans, meant to expand Little Homeworld’s living space for new gem migrants. Possibly some humans too.”

Rose nodded once, a slow blink. “Oh, that’s neat. I’m really glad you’ve found a purpose here.”

Her eyes didn’t warm. The look in them made Steven’s skin crawl- it reminded him of how White Diamond used to stare: composed, cold, powerful.

“Do you think you have time to help us with a little renovation at the Crystal Temple?”

Pearl and Steven exchanged a glance- until Jasper dropped to one knee and planted her fist to the ground in front of Rose, head bowed without hesitation.

Jasper kept her head low. “It would be my honor, my Di- ”

“ My Universe, ” Rose corrected, her voice like steel wrapped in silk. “Address me as that.”

Jasper paused, then nodded once more. “…My Universe. It would be an honor.”

“Thank you, My Jasper,” Rose replied.

Steven stepped back a little. “Whoa, what…”

Pearl clasped her hands to her chest with a quiet thrill. “Stars. I missed that commanding presence.”

Steven forced a laugh but felt the hairs on his arms rise. A few other Quartz gems nearby had stopped working. They stared openly, watching Jasper kneel before Rose with a mix of awe and confusion, murmuring among themselves as Rose stood proudly in the center of the construction site.

Jasper arrived at the beach house like a tank rolling through a quiet neighborhood. She stomped up the front steps and snapped open a tape measure, dragging it across the walkway, then all the way to the far end of the house. With surprising speed, she looped the tape around the entire structure in a wide circle, like a tailor measuring a waist- circling again and again until it looked like the whole house had been hogtied.

Next she climbed onto the roof, testing every edge and slope like she was inspecting a military fortification. She placed a level at the peak where the two sides met, squinting along the bubble with grave intensity.

Finally, she stood tall at the top of the roof and threw both thumbs in the air.

Rose clapped from below, expression oddly proud. Pearl smiled up at Jasper with her hands clasped. Steven gave a thumbs up in return, shaking his head in disbelief but smiling too.

“Okay, so another room,” Steven said.

They stood outside the Crystal Temple on the beach, gathered around a folding table strewn with a large sketch, levels, measuring tapes, and hard hats.

Jasper glanced at the plans. “I can make a master chamber, as big as the one she had on Homeworld.”

“The giant room? The one almost as tall as the Crystal Temple’s statue?” Steven asked.

“Steven’s right,” Rose said. “It would have to be below ground. I don’t want to have to remove any of Obsidian’s remaining arms.”

Jasper hunched over the sketch, pencil scraping as she drew the chamber’s outline.

“You really want something that big?” Steven asked, leaning in.

Rose flicked a finger at the plans. “Well- we can fit a TV in there with two beds.”

“Two beds?” Steven echoed, brow rising.

Pearl brightened. “That’s a nice start.”

Rose kept talking. “A TV with every game console on Earth.”

Steven tried to cut her off. “A little bit overkill- ”

“A makeup desk for styling my hair, with a clothing rack or two,” Rose tapped her lower lip in thought.

Pearl nodded, hanging on her every word. “Of course.”

Garnet folded her arms, gaze steady. “There should be some way to get physical recreation as well.”

Rose’s eyes brightened. “The space is tall- we can put a jungle gym above our heads!”

“I built one in Beach City last year.”Jasper glanced up from the sketch and half smiled. “It was nice to build.”

“And I’d really like some pets, now that I know what animals are pets,” Rose added, her excitement intensifying.

Steven squinted. “Dogs or cats?”

“Dogs, cats, and parrots. Maybe a flamingo,” Rose answered, counting her fingers and lingering on adding more.

Pearl’s thin fingers curled around the edge of the table. “This is getting a bit excessive.”

Steven exhaled and nodded, “I agree.”

"The master bed chamber should be expanded a little more.” Pearl leaned over the sketch, fingers tracing imagined walls. “At least triple the size, plus we may actually have to divide it up somehow, since we don't want the animals getting their… stuff, everywhere."

Jasper snapped the end of her pencil and said, "We divide it with walls!"

Steven rubbed his forehead, eyes on the sprawling plan. "First of all, that's not the huge innovation you made it sound like. Second, this is becoming more than one room, guys."

Garnet nodded once. "Steven's right."

Steven shot her a look, hopeful and a little frantic. "I really hope we're on the same page, Garnet."

"This is not a room any more.” Garnet's voice was calm and final. Then a smile formed, “This is a fortress!"

Steven dropped into a chair and let out a long, weary breath. "Oh brother."

The air crackled with manic excitement as Pearl, Jasper, and Rose leaned over the table, eyes bright.

“We’re gonna need some defenses.” Pearl tapped a pencil against the sketch. "Maybe two or four towers for light cannons?"

Jasper’s grin was wide. "Why not make it one big cannon tower?"

Pearl’s eyes lit up. "Oooo, I like that!"

Rose threw her hands up. "We’re gonna run out of room!"

Pearl waved a hand at the water. "We can build it over the water with some platforms."

Steven held up both hands, exasperated. "Guys! This is getting kind of lofty."

Garnet crossed her arms, her expression calm but firm. "This is a lot of work all of a sudden. It may be too much for just the five of us, if Amethyst even wants to pitch in."

Jasper nodded. "I understand."

Steven leaned forward, hopeful. "Please actually."

Jasper’s gaze was steady. "We’re gonna need backup."

Steven groaned. "Oh boy…"

Jasper marched back into Little Homeworld and immediately began recruiting. She found Gems on their breaks and ordered them to follow. Then she moved to Gems already working construction, pulling them off the job mid-task. One after another, Quartz soldiers fell in line behind her.

By midday, a full column of Gems- mostly Quartz types- was marching in formation out of Little Homeworld and headed straight toward the Crystal Temple.

At the forge entrance, Bismuth stepped out wiping her hands, with Lapis hovering just behind her. Both froze at the sight of the long marching column.

Bismuth stared, stunned. “What the stars…”

Steven watched from a distance on the beach, hands on his hips, shoulders tense. A huge crowd of gems had already formed around Jasper, Rose, Pearl, and Garnet, who stood at the center pointing at plans and shouting instructions.

“Oh boy,” Steven muttered.

Bismuth swooped in from above him, carried by Lapis on a pair of blue water wings.

“Steven!” Bismuth called as they landed.

She planted her feet in the sand, scanning the crowd. “What is going on? We saw all these gems marching this way, figured something went down.”

Lapis landed with crossed arms, retracting her wings and staring at the big orange Quartz in the crowd. “Is Jasper up to something again?”

“It’s alright,” Steven said, sighing. “Well… kind of. They’re building a fortress for my mom.”

Pearl, Jasper, and Rose leaned over the folding table, plans spread out. Pearl lifted her hand to her forehead gem and projected a full hologram of the fortress above the paper.

Pearl spoke quickly. “We need a lot of material to build this. A couple hundred tons of cement and steel.”

Jasper nodded. “We can source it locally. The humans will appreciate the business.”

“Good,” Pearl said. “As for defenses, we can source the weaponry from Rose’s armory- ”

Rose gave a strained smile. “What armory?”

Pearl stared at her. “…Your armory. The one hidden in a cave on a cliff?”

Rose looked confused, but her eyes darted around. “I don’t have such a thing…”

Pearl paused, blinked once. “Oookay. I can… find some, from somewhere.”

Rose clapped her hands together. “Good! Is that it?”

“That’s it.” Pearl straightened, hands on her hips. “Now…”

Pearl jabbed a finger in the air as if it were a sword. “Let’s! Get! Building!”

Steven heard Bismuth scoff beside him. Lapis kept her eyes fixed on Jasper, who was already leading a wedge of Quartz workers toward the town.

Bismuth muttered, “This is not gonna end well.”

Steven glanced over at Garnet. She stood a little apart from the others, arms folded, eyes locked on the plans Pearl and Rose were still hovering over. Her posture was still, but her expression had gone tight- focused, unreadable, and tense.

Quartz workers charged into the nearest Sanctuary Depot warehouse, rolling heavy metal carts through the aisles. They loaded them with rebar, plywood, bags of cement mix, PVC piping, buckets of nails, steel beams, pallets of bricks, fencing wire, generators, and entire sections of lumber- anything that looked fit for a fortress.

From across the plaza, Steven, Bismuth, and Lapis watched in shock as carts rattled past the storefront windows.

A little later, Quartz soldiers swarmed through a junkyard, yanking rusted car doors, steel girders, and engine blocks off the piles. Lapis hovered in midair, carrying Bismuth, both floating next to Steven above the scrapyard chaos. Their expressions only grew more alarmed as they watched the gems haul scrap like ants tearing apart a tree.

They reached a playground next. The Quartz gems ripped an entire jungle gym out of the sand, metal bars peeling up from the ground in one brutal motion. Another squad rushed out of a nearby pet shop, arms overflowing with dogs, cats, parrots, even hamsters in little wire cages- all squirming or yowling as they were marched away toward the beach.

“We’ve got to put a stop to this, Steven! They’re out of control!” Bismuth’s voice rang against the stone walls of the forge.

Steven, Bismuth, and Lapis had gathered inside in secret, the furnace flickering behind them.

“I know,” Steven said, rubbing his eyes. “But I don’t know what to do. They won’t listen to me.”

“They’re stacking their materials near the water,” Lapis said, arms crossed. “I can just wash it all away.”

“I don’t want to start a fight!” Steven shot back.

“Why not?” another voice chimed in.

Peridot walked in, hair disheveled, grime smeared across her visor and clothes. She rummaged through Bismuth’s supply like a raccoon, fishing out a handful of metal ingots.

Steven stepped forward. “Peridot, are you…”

Peridot brushed past him. “Yes, Steven. I am busy.”

She disappeared out the doorway with her arms full of metal. Steven, Lapis, and Bismuth watched her go in silence.

Lapis folded her arms. “She hasn’t been the same since the Alien…”

Bismuth crossed her arms too, jaw tight. “She’s been working nonstop on her robonoids. Building more and more, day and night.”

Steven didn’t answer right away. His thoughts drifted in heavy circles. White needing to vent her feelings on him, or else she reforms the empire. Rose dealing with problems and struggling to open up. Spinel possibly still in beach city, hiding somewhere. And now Peridot too. Another problem. Another person hurting.

He tried to focus, but everything in him felt stretched thin, like too many alarms ringing at once.

Steven rubbed his forehead and whispered mostly to himself, “I don’t even know where to start anymore.”

Steven exhaled slowly, pushing an invisible wall away with his hands, then spoke up. “I’ll have to talk to her once this is done. We have to break up the leaders.”

Bismuth raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said no fighting?”

“We aren’t,” Steven said. “We just have to pull them from the project somehow. We should try talking to them.”

“I’ll talk to Pearl,” Bismuth offered. “We haven’t spoken since I reformed.”

Steven gave her a grateful nod. “Thanks, Bismuth. Now all that leaves is Jasper…”

“The return of the secret team.” Amethyst suddenly appeared, giving Bismuth and Lapis a jump. She leaned in the doorway with a smirk. 

Steven groaned. “Ugh, not that again.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing? Hiding in here, plotting against Rose?”

“We’re not plotting against anyone,” Steven said, tired.

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “If Garnet were here, she’d be shaking her head.”

Bismuth crossed her arms. “Where is Garnet in all of this anyway? She’s got to know this doesn’t lead anywhere good.”

Amethyst thumbed over her shoulder. “Watching the construction. She’s been acting weird lately.” She cracked her knuckles, voice dropping. “I can deal with Jasper, by the way.”

“Not that way!” Steven exclaimed. He held up a hand.“Please. Just talk.”

Lapis hovered a foot off the forge floor, water wings folding like slow sails. “I’d like to come with you.”

Steven’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure? What about… your history?”

Lapis tilted her chin, eyes steady. “I heard she was getting better. Helping with construction around Little Homeworld. I’ve even worked with her a few times.”

Bismuth snorted. “You’ve been passing tools and materials to her when no gem around here could fly. I’m still trying to figure out why random hammers keep showing up on roofs…”

Amethyst shoved her hand out, palm down, grin wide. “Secret team…?”

Steven groaned again, “We’re not a secret team!”

Jasper stood at the waterline, arms folded, workers stacking a heap of planks behind her.

Amethyst came up squat, hair tumbling over one eye. “You sure you’re good to do this with me?” she asked.

Lapis trailed, fingers fidgeting at her sleeve. “Yeah… I think so.”

At first they thought they got the drop on Jasper. But without turning, Jasper spoke. “Finally ready to talk, Lapis Lazuli? Now you see the work I’m doing for my Diamond.”

Lapis flinched, then pressed her jaw shut. 

Amethyst went blunt. “Sis, you gotta stop this.”

Jasper turned and sneered. “The little overcooked runt too, huh?” She spat the words like shells.

Amethyst folded her arms, scuffed boot digging at the sand. “Have you even paid for half the stuff you’ve been taking?”

“Get out of here.” Jasper barked, “You don’t understand what we’re doing.”

Behind her, the gym was carried in, chunks of concrete still stuck to it.

Lapis’ fingers tightened. “So explain it to us.”

Jasper lifted her chin, eyes hard. “What we’re building… it’ll be the first monument to Pink Diamond in thousands of years. And I get to be part of it.”

Amethyst’s laugh was sharp. “She doesn’t even go by Pink Diamond anymore!”

Jasper’s lip curled. “And I’ll obey My Universe’s wishes, but this time will be different.”

Amethyst blinked. “This time?”

Lapis stepped closer, voice trembling but firm. “Jasper, how are you not mad at her? She played both sides of the rebellion.”

Jasper’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Like I said, you don’t understand.” She shifted her stance- a warning. “Now get out of here before I drive you into the dirt.”

Amethyst leaned forward, fists ready. “You really think you can take us on?”

A heavy-set Quartz with a green cheek gem stepped up behind them. “You think you can take all of us on?”

Amethyst and Lapis turned- a ring of Quartz workers had formed, broad-shouldered, built like war statues. Thick arms crossed. Cold stares. Sand shifted under their boots.

Amethyst barked a laugh, but her stance tensed. “Are you guys serious?”

A cruel smile spread on Jasper’s face. “We are.”

Amethyst’s smirk faltered. She shot Lapis a quick look- receiving a nod. Water sprout from Lapis’ back.

They shot into the sky in a burst of spray, wind knocking sand off Jasper’s boots. The Quartz soldiers glared but didn’t give chase.

Below, workers scattered back to their tasks. Jasper watched the shrinking figures overhead, a slow, satisfied smile carving across her face.

Pearl knelt in the sand-level garden outside the beach house, a rolled blueprint open across her lap. Flowers pressed against the page as she traced over measurements. “Hmmm… We’d need a lot of concrete if we wanted to build over the water…”

Heavy footsteps thumped up the wooden stairs toward the biodome. Bismuth rose from them, a determined look in her eyes.

“Pearl.”

Pearl startled, straightened. “Bismuth? I don’t know if Rose will be back soon- you shouldn’t stay for very long.”

Bismuth pleaded with her hands. “What are you doing, Pearl? All this building you’ve got planned- it's way too many resources for what the humans have.”

Pearl’s eyes stayed fixed on the blueprints. “Yes, but there are deposits in the earth we can gather with our gem tech- something they’d never accomplish in at least a hundred years.”

Bismuth stepped in, voice firm. “Pearl, I- ”

Pearl cut in, polite but distant. “Would you mind looking at these plans? I’ve worked out most of the kinks, but if you could just cover my blind spots- ”

“Pearl.”

She kept going, tapping a sketched structure. “I’m having trouble with the pillars holding up the fort. At this rate, we may need to start building over the town.”

Bismuth’s jaw dropped. “Th- the town?”

“Yes. We’d have to work out some kind of deal, but really, the defensive value alone- ”

“Pearl, would you stop!” Bismuth’s voice cracked through the space. “Are you hearing yourself? You can’t do all this. This is exactly what we fought against. This is colonization.”

Pearl bristled. “You seem to be fine with expanding Little Homeworld…”

Bismuth’s brow furrowed. “That’s for gems and humans. This- ” she waved at the plans, “-is all for one Gem!”

Pearl pressed a hand to her chest. “But it’s Rose. She’s… she’s…”

Bismuth’s voice dropped, softer but sharper. “When are you gonna stop being her Pearl?”

Pearl’s shoulders sagged. “I can’t…”

Bismuth froze. A slow realization spread across her face.

“She never released you from her service, did she?”

Pearl’s voice wavered. “She did release me! She gave me her last order as a Diamond- and I chose to follow Rose all these centuries.”

Bismuth stepped forward and took her hands, big fingers swallowing Pearl’s slender wrists. “Then leave her.” Her voice softened. “Come stay with me in Little Homeworld, like we talked about.”

Pearl went still. The two of them just stood there- Bismuth waiting with a bright, fragile hope- Pearl starting to crumble.

“S-she needs me,” Pearl said. “She’s more lost than ever.”

Bismuth’s face fell. “You always put Rose before yourself. You can’t imagine how many times I was scared- waiting for you to reform, holding onto your cracked gem, hoping Rose could heal you in time.” Her voice broke as she pulled her hands away. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

Pearl flinched. “Bismuth, you’re overreacting-”

“I can’t see you do this to yourself again. ” Bismuth turned away, tears shining but her jaw set. She moved back toward the stairs.

Pearl took a breath, hand raised. “Bismuth, wait!”

Bismuth didn’t stop. She receded down the steps without looking back.

Pearl stood alone in the garden. The blueprints lay open at her feet. A tear hit the page, spreading over the ink lines like a bloom.

Rose strolled along the beach, barefoot in the sand, towering beside a bright-eyed Cherry Quartz who walked with a slight forward tilt- an old habit from her corrupted days. Jasper marched at Rose’s other side like a bodyguard.

Jasper kept her chin up. “We’ve got a majority of the materials. Just waiting on Pearl to finalize the designs.”

Rose clasped her hands behind her back. “Did you gather all the organic life I wanted?”

Cherry Quartz puffed up with pride. “Carnations, roses, dandelions, dogs, cats, parrots.”

Rose squealed, practically bouncing. “This is gonna be amazing! It’ll be the biggest garden-slash-fortress I’ve ever built!”

Jasper and Cherry Quartz both stood taller, pride glowing off them like sunlight.

Ahead on the sand, Steven stepped into view- Lapis at his side, Bismuth and Amethyst close behind. Their expressions were tight.

Rose slowed. “Guys?” Her eyes flicked to Bismuth, who glared daggers. Rose’s smile faltered. “What’s going on?”

Steven called. “Mom, you gotta put a stop to this.”

“You again?” Jasper stepped forward, shoulders squared, eyes darting from Amethyst and Lapis to Steven. “What did they tell you- that we’re sneaking around, kidnapping humans in the night?”

“Your gems are stealing materials to build all this!” Steven waved a hand to show the pile of construction materials near the beach house. It was getting tall enough to form a 3 story building.

Rose gasped, looking to Jasper for answers.

Jasper’s jaw lifted, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. “We can mine some gold from an asteroid and pay them back. No problem.”

Bismuth stepped forward. “I talked to Pearl. She said the amount of material you need means you’re going to have to start harvesting resources. Gem-mining tech is advanced, but it’s destructive too. Beach City will look like a kindergarten after this.”

Rose’s gaze flicked back to Jasper. “Jasper…”

Jasper shrugged, chin high, confidence radiating. “That’s old, Pre-Era 3 tech. There are new advances now.”

Bismuth sneered. “That’s a big load of dirt.”

“Mom-” He froze, seeing the discomfort on Rose’s face. He corrected himself, “Rose… do you really need all of this?”

“It’s for you too, you know?” Rose waved a hand skyward; where Steven had been pulled up by the Alien. “I wanted us to share a bedroom. One where you can feel safe.”

Steven’s brow furrowed, fists tightening. “Why do you think I don’t feel safe already?”

She averted her gaze, tugging a thumb against the copy of his shirt she still wore. “I remember how you felt when it took you. After all this time, the universe is still terrorizing you.”

“It always will, though!” Steven exclaimed with a half-chuckle that died in his throat. He waved a hand to the temple, “Having a castle to hide in won’t solve my problems- it’ll just create new ones.”

Rose’s voice softened, almost pleading. “I would feel better if you lived there.”

Steven’s hands shot up, frustrated. “And I won’t feel better after seeing you go through all this. You know I don’t even want to live here. If you do this, I won’t even take one step inside.”

“I…” Rose exhaled, shoulders slumping. “Okay.” 

She turned to Jasper. “Call it off.”

Jasper stood like a stone statue, jaw tight, eyes fixed on the sand beneath her feet, her back to Rose. No movement, no answer.

“Jasper?” Rose’s voice sharpened. “I said call them off.”

Still nothing.

Amethyst stepped closer, voice low but firm. “Just listen to her, sis.”

Jasper’s gaze lifted slowly, cold and unwavering. “No.”

Rose blinked, stunned. “What?”

Jasper’s gaze bore into Rose from the corner of her eye. “Tell me why you don’t trust us.”

Rose shook her head. “It’s not about trust, Jasper.”

“Is it?!” Jasper shouted, but then averted her gaze. She lowered her voice, “You didn’t trust us when you started your rebellion in disguise.”

Amethyst stepped forward, hand raised. “Jasper- ”

“That’s why you wore a disguise, isn’t it?” Jasper turned to face Rose fully, her steps driving up clouds of sand. “Couldn’t stand before us and say, ‘I don’t agree with the other Diamonds, and I’m willing to fight,’ unless you were wearing the face of a Quartz.”

Rose’s voice caught. “Jasper, what are you- ”

“I shattered Crystal Gems!” Jasper stomped her foot into the sand, a shockwave rippling outward. Her eyes blazed. “Quartz soldiers born on the same planet I was!”

Amethyst stepped back, eyes wide with fear. “Jasper! Calm down!”

Jasper’s chest heaved. “I didn’t do it for Yellow Diamond! I didn’t do it for Blue Diamond! Or White Diamond!”

Then she froze, shoulders trembling slightly. A long, shuddering breath escaped, a subtle sob leaking through.

Her voice dropped. A raw whisper. “I did it for you… for Pink Diamond.”

Rose’s chest tightened, fists clenching at her sides, tears brimming in her eyes. Sadness and anger warred across her features, each breath shaky and uneven.

Jasper’s expression softened for a moment, then hardened again. Without warning, she launched into the air, spinning forward in a fiery ball. The group froze, hearts hammering, thinking she was about to strike. But with a powerful thrust, she shot off toward the ocean, flames trailing behind her like a comet.

Steven stepped up to Rose, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her eyes fixed on the trail Jasper left behind, but the contact offered a flicker of grounding.

“I think we need to scale down the renovation.” He rubbed her shoulder, “By a lot.”

Rose let a small, wobbly smile slip. “Yeah.”

In the distance at the base of the beach house, Pearl came running, arms pumping. “Rose!”

Bismuth’s brow arched in surprise, watching her sudden dash.

“I don’t think we should go through with this!” Pearl’s voice trembled. “It’ll just attract unwanted attention, and it may upset the locals.”

Rose held up a hand. “Pearl- ”

Pearl’s words faltered, voice shaking. “I-I know you were happy with what we were planning, but it’s untenable and impractical and not logistically sound- ”

Rose’s gaze stayed calm, but firm. “Pearl, I already called it off.”

“I know you feel that way, but this fortress is all around a bad ide- ” She slowed, eyes widening as she processed what was said. “You mean… you’re cancelling it?”

Rose’s chest lifted, relief blooming. “Yes!”

Pearl’s lips trembled, and her eyes darted briefly away. “I-I’m glad.” She hesitated, a flicker of something more in her gaze. “I also want to move out.”

Amethyst’s jaw dropped, and Steven’s hands shot up in unison. “What?!”

Rose blinked, startled. “W-where do you want to move to?”

Pearl’s mouth opened, then closed, searching for words.

Bismuth appeared beside her suddenly, hand resting lightly on Pearl’s shoulder. They exchanged a long, silent look, eyes soft and full of unspoken longing. A small, knowing smile passed between them.

Rose’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, then slowly relaxed. She pressed her lips into a tight smile, trying to steady herself. “I understand.”

Bismuth stepped away from Pearl, eyes sharp and unwavering. “No.” Her gaze snapped toward Rose. “I want you to officially release Pearl from your service.”

Rose’s lips parted, voice trembling. “I…”

Her eyes swept across her family: Steven’s brow furrowed, worry etched on his face; Pearl rubbed her wrists, hesitant; Amethyst tilted her head, confused; Garnet stood stoic, having appeared all of a sudden, expression hidden behind her visor, but had crossed her arms; Bismuth’s glare softened, pleading.

Rose drew a shaky breath, forcing a determined look. “Pearl. Step forward.”

Pearl obeyed, Bismuth stepping aside warily to let her pass.

She reached Rose, and Rose took her hands in both of hers, struggling to hold her gaze. Pearl’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“Pearl… I… I release you from my services,” Rose said, voice steadying despite the lump in her throat.

Pearl’s arms wrapped around Rose immediately, clutching her tightly. Rose returned the embrace, shoulders rising and falling with emotion.

Voice cracking, Pearl whispered, “Thank you…”

Rose hugged Pearl tighter, pressing her cheek to hers. Her eyes flicked toward Bismuth, who returned a soft, almost approving look. Across the sand, Garnet’s lips curved into a quiet, satisfied smile.

The gem workers moved methodically, carrying crates and baskets back to their original places. A group of Quartz balanced the ripped up jungle gym together. Carnations and roses spilled their petals along the sand, dandelions bouncing lightly in the breeze. Tiny dogs trotted in their cages, noses pressed against the bars, while cats stretched languidly, watching the gems with cautious curiosity. A couple parrots got loose though, and the rubies carrying them chased them across the beach, trying to grasp at their little clawed feet with jumps.

Rose had offered to compensate them for their time and labor, but they shook their heads. “It’s good to be under your command again,” one said. “Whether it’s as Rose Quartz or Pink Diamond.”

Amethyst’s brow furrowed, arms crossed. “I don’t get it. Shouldn’t they be mad she played them all in the rebellion?”

Garnet’s visor caught the sunlight as she shrugged. “Some probably are. But you have to give Rose credit. She was a good leader- out there on the frontlines, commanding her soldiers, risking her gem. Maybe being a Diamond made her feel invincible, but it was admirable. She had a mission to protect the Earth and committed her life to it.”

Steven glanced at Garnet, uncertainty in his eyes. “Did you know this would happen?”

She shook her head slowly. “I knew some details of what would happen. But she’s been getting harder to predict.”

Rose strode forward, balancing a large bundle of wood in her arms, a bucket of nails precariously hooked on her pinky finger.

“I got some of the material that we actually paid for,” she called out.

Steven tilted his head, curiosity and caution flickering across his face. “What are you going to do with it?”

Rose’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “You want to take your old room with me?”

Rose’s hammer rose and fell in steady rhythm, ringing against the nails with sharp, precise clinks. Boards shifted and groaned under her hands as she aligned edges, bracing each plank with elbows and knees. Steven lifted pieces into place, fingertips white from gripping the rough wood, carefully holding each board steady as Rose hammered.

Rose glanced at Steven, and he grinned, wiping a streak of dust from his cheek.

Off to the side, Bismuth knelt in the sand, arms crossed, watching with a small, approving smile. Pearl leaned her head gently against Bismuth’s shoulder, eyes bright as she observed the pair at work. Neither of them touched a tool- they were content to watch.

By the end, the chaos of timber and hardware coalesced into a sturdy structure: a bunk bed, perfectly scaled for two.

Then, Bismuth led out a laugh. She called towards them, “You do realize that’s bigger than all the doorways in your house, right?”

The groans of two people overlapped the sound of waves crashing on the beach.

Chapter Text

Steven stirred on the top bunk, sunlight warming his face. He blinked, realizing with relief that he wasn’t sprawled on the couch anymore- this felt like home again, like his old room. He rolled off and floated down lightly, bare feet touching the inner perimeter of the carpet as he glanced at the lower bunk. Rose lay curled beneath, her whitish pink cotton candy hair spread on the pillows, breathing deep and even. Smiling, Steven leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before padding away.

He showered, steam fogging the bathroom mirror, and scrubbed his teeth until they squeaked.

When he stepped into the hallway in nothing but towels around his chest, waist, and hair, Garnet was already there, shoulder propped against the wall, arms folded. Her visor caught a sliver of light as she turned her head toward him.

“Let’s go for a walk,” she said.

Steven tilted his head with a smile. “Any chance that could be phrased as a question?”

A pause, then Garnet’s lips curved into the barest of smiles. “…Please?”

Steven had changed into fresh clothes, and now the two of them walked side by side through the streets of Beach City. Storefronts were propped open again, some with chalkboard signs out front, others still half-boarded, but the smell of frying dough and sea salt drifted back into the air. A few locals swept their stoops, waving cautiously as the Gems passed.

Garnet stayed quiet, her long strides matching Steven’s. He glanced up at her, and for a moment imagined Ruby and Sapphire whispering to each other inside- Ruby impatient, Sapphire cool, both trying to shape the same sentence.

“Is there something you wanted to talk about?” Steven asked.

Garnet’s head tilted slightly, her lips playing with words that were about to form. “…I didn’t know if Rose would stop.”

“The fortress?” Steven frowned. “I think we were all feeling the same- ”

“No.” Garnet’s voice cut softly but firmly. “I mean stop fighting after Bismuth. The way it was going… she wasn’t the Rose I remember, and that made her futures so incredibly uncertain.”

Steven hesitated, his sandals scuffing against the sidewalk. “But… Bismuth was already poofed by then. There was no one else to fight except…” He trailed off, not wanting to finish.

“I know,” Garnet said, quiet but sure.

Steven mulled it over, breathing through his nostrils. Then he looked up at her. “Is this why you encouraged the thing with the fortress? To see what she would do?”

Her lips quirked in the faintest smile. “You caught me ruby-handed.”

Steven stopped walking. “What would’ve happened if I couldn’t have talked her down?”

The silence stretched, the only sound the gulls circling above the pier. Garnet didn’t answer right away. Her visor glinted, hiding her eyes, but her stillness made Steven’s chest tighten- like she’d already run that possibility through every future she could see, and hadn’t liked the results. Did she even know which situation he was talking about?

“...I honestly don’t know.”

Steven frowned. “Are you saying that because you know I don’t want to hear what you saw?”

Garnet didn’t reply. The silence between them stretched as they turned a corner.

They passed a human mother sitting on a bench, rocking her baby against her chest. The woman hummed softly, shielding her child from the breeze. Steven’s eyes lingered, his sigh catching in his throat.

“She’s not behaving how I thought she would either,” he said at last. “Or… like trying to act how I thought she would.”

Garnet nodded slowly. “You thought she would act more like a mother. Responsible. Guiding. Or at least stumble while trying.”

Steven’s voice dropped, raw with frustration. “She barely tries. She needs so much support- so much more care from me than I need from her.”

Garnet turned her head toward him, the gleam of her visor unreadable. “She’s lost, Steven. She gave birth to you and she wanted you to exist, but the cold, hard truth is that she was never planning to be a mother.”

“She would disappear, and then I would be there in her place, right?” Steven shoved his hands in his pockets. “No plans for where you’re gonna buy diapers and baby formula when you aren’t gonna be there.”

Garnet’s lips pressed thin. “She wants to do better by you. I can see the guilt eating at her.” Her voice dipped lower. “Or perhaps it was always there, and I never noticed.”

“Yeah…” Steven muttered. He caught her gaze shifting sharply, her head turning just enough to track something he couldn’t see. “What is it?”

“Something’s wrong.” Her visor gleamed. “At the Pixel Temple.”

“Huh?”

Before he could blink, Garnet was already running, her strides long and pounding as she cut around corners. Steven chased after her, breathless.

They burst into view of the Pixel Temple. Ronaldo sat crumpled on the ground in front of the shop, tears streaking his cheeks as his thumbs jabbed frantically at his phone.

“Dear blog,” he wailed, “the troubles keep mounting up- all at the hands of these polymorphic, sentient rock monsters!”

Steven skidded to a halt in front of him. “Ronaldo? What’s going on?”

“You tell me, Steven!” Ronaldo jabbed an accusing finger toward the shop. His eyes were red, nose running. “One of your friends locked herself in the bathroom- with the latest generation of U-Station gaming consoles that I bought for my store .”

Steven blinked. “Which friend?”

Garnet answered the question. “Peridot.”

They both ran into the shop. Steven started forward, Garnet close behind.

From the ground outside, Ronaldo shouted after them, voice breaking: “She’s got intentions, Steven! Intentions! ”

They reached the back of the store and knocked firmly on the bathroom door.

“Peridot?” Garnet called. “Are you in there?”

From the other side came a muffled, furious little voice, words tumbling over each other like static. “Stupid-tiny-screws-why won’t you-AAAAAAGH!”

A sharp crack followed, the unmistakable sound of plastic breaking. Steven winced.

“Peridot,” Garnet said evenly, arms crossed, “whatever you’re doing to that console, you know you’re going to have to pay for it.”

“Go away!” Peridot shrieked. “I’m busy!”

Ronaldo stormed into the hall, angry tears in his eyes. “Did she break it?!”

Steven threw up his hands. “I can pay for it, Ronaldo!”

“No!” Ronaldo snapped, jabbing a finger at the bathroom door. “I don’t care if it’s paid for! I wanted to sell it into capable, gamer hands. Preferably a blogger!”

Steven blinked. “But, Ronaldo- ”

“I would’ve sold it at a loss,” Ronaldo pressed on, pacing now, “but one glowing review, one mention of my sick prices, and the Pixel Temple would’ve been on the map!”

“Wait.” Steven looked around the geeky store, suddenly putting things together. “You… actually own this place?”

“His father loaned him the startup money,” Garnet answered, pressing an arm into the bathroom door.

Steven shot her a side-eye. “...And?”

“And I may have also helped with some business advice,” Garnet admitted without shame.

Garnet looked to Ronaldo, “We’ll replace the U-Station you lost. And we swear this will be the last time this happens.”

Peridot’s muffled shout burst through the door. “No it won’t!”

Garnet pinched the bridge of her nose. “Not helping.”

“Please, Ronaldo.” Steven joined his hands in a begging posture. “You owe me for that time you hit me with a potato.”

Ronaldo squared his shoulders. “And you owe me for that time I nearly lost my true love, Jane!”

“Ugh. Fine.” Steven groaned. “Peridot, come out!”

A pause. Then, flatly: “No.”

Steven pressed his forehead to the door. “What is the problem, Peridot?”

Another pause. “...I need parts.”

Steven softened. “We can buy you some. You don’t need to scavenge from game consoles.”

“Well that’s too bad,” Peridot shot back, voice sharp with triumph, “because I already got what I wanted!”

Plastic could be cracking. Then there was a loud shatter.

“Nooooooo!” Ronaldo clutched his head and fell to his knees.

Peridot’s manic cackle rose through the door, echoing with shrill joy. Steven and Garnet both winced, caught between secondhand embarrassment and dread.

Ronaldo jabbed a finger at the door. “First that blue evil witch floods the town, and now a green evil gremlin wrecks my wares?!”

The snapping of plastic paused suddenly.

“Blue evil what now?!”

Ronaldo’s voice climbed higher. “That scary blue girl with the wings of water! The Alien never did anything!”

“It kidnapped me!” Steven cut in.

“- Never did anything else !” Ronaldo plowed on. “It was that Lapidiot Ladummy and her stupid water tricks that caused all this mess!”

The bathroom door fell silent for a beat. Then Peridot’s voice dropped low, dangerous.

“...What did you just call her?”

Steven’s thumbs tapped furiously at his phone. “Agh, I’m texting her actually. She can help deal with this.”

Ronaldo’s face twisted. “No, don’t! That stupid, useless, evil little c- ”

The bathroom door burst open. Peridot shot out like a missile, her tiny hands smacking Ronaldo’s face in rapid-fire bursts.

“AAAAAAAA-SHE’S KILLING MEEEEEHE” Ronaldo let out a shrill scream of terror, even as Peridot’s fingers only left soft thumps with each hit.

“Peridot, stop!” Steven grabbed her around the waist, dragging her back as she flailed.

He turned on Garnet in exasperation. “Why didn’t you stop her? You didn’t see her coming?”

Garnet’s sunglasses glinted as she folded her arms. “I did. But he was about to say some very nasty things about Lapis Lazuli.”

With one smooth motion, Garnet plucked Peridot off the floor, holding her aloft while she windmilled at Ronaldo, still slapping at empty air.

“You take that back!” Peridot screeched. “She’s the reason you keep your lights on!”

Ronaldo fumbled for his phone, fingers trembling as he hit record and pointed it at the pawing Peridot.

“Witness the true face of Little Homeworld!” he barked at the screen, voice theatrical and high. “They are evil invaders who have no respect for the property of me and my fellow man.”

He jabbed the camera towards the open bathroom. Through the doorway, the U-Station lay half-dismantled: its plastic shell split like an eggshell, ribbon cables splayed out in a mess of glittering copper, a screwdriver stuck in the chassis like a dagger.

Steven’s stomach flipped. “Okay- I think we should go.”

Garnet effortlessly turned the grasping peridot in her hands, making her face Garnet. “You’re coming with us, Peridot.”

“Season six, episode two of Earl of Valleys.” Peridot said with full confidence, as if the statement made sense.

Garnet stared at the green in her hands. “What?”

“Slightly metallic-” Peridot’s eyes went wild- “POCKET SAND!”

She wrenched at the seam of her suit; a tiny pocket opened and she flung a grit-cloud into the air. The sand obeyed her, a whirling mote of metal-laced dust that slinked around Garnet’s visor. Garnet yanked the visor off, rubbing at her three eyes, as Peridot twisted free from her hands and bolted for the door.

“You have pockets?!” Steven exclaimed, about to give chase but turned to tend to his friend. “Garnet, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Garnet snapped, popping the visor back on. “Let’s go after her!”

They sprinted after Peridot, leaving Ronaldo on the floor, phone still recording. “This is sooo staged! Who’s gonna pay for this?!”

Peridot streaked down the street, eyes wide with panic. With her powers she whipped a trash can lid like a frisbee; bolts and bent signs leapt from a junk heap and arced towards Garnet and Steven.

Garnet punched at the debris while Steven blocked whatever he could with his shield, bouncing them off it.

“Leave me alone!” Peridot cried. She waved at a hand as she passed a vending machine. Soda cans shot out in an arc, and sugary drink exploded all over the place, staining Steven’s shirt. Garnet grabbed him and leapt over the mess.

“Peridot, we just want to help,” Steven called, hands open, voice flat with pleading.

“I don’t need it!” she said as her breath heaved with each stride in her sprint.

She turned a corner and found that she had boxed herself into a narrow alley- brick breathing up on either side. 

Her chasers skidded to a halt, and Garnet stepped forward slowly, hands with gem embedded palms out. “C’mon, Peridot. We can talk.”

A new voice piped up behind them. “Yeah- talk, Peridot!”

Kiki barreled in, the camera on her phone held high, breathless and grinning in her jogging outfit to the confused looks of Steven and Garnet. “I saw Ronaldo’s blog! That little alien trashed his shop and attacked Garnet. She’s one of your villains of the week, isn’t she?”

“Kiki, it isn’t like that!” Steven protested, eyes flicking to Peridot, who hunched her shoulders and balled her hands into fists.

Garnet folded her arms, voice soft but steady. “Peridot, come back to the Beach House with us.”

Peridot’s jaw snapped shut. “I’m not going anywhere with you!” she hissed.

Metal sang. Trash bins and dented lids tore free from the alley’s junk pile and raced to her like obedient birds, snapping together into a crude, hulking mech around her.

The suit made her taller, shoulders broad as a wall, and she let out a wild laugh that reminded Steven too much of the time in which she wasn’t on their side.

She wrenched a soggy bundle of black trash bags free and hurled it like a cannon. It slammed into Garnet and Steven’s line- Garnet and Steven dove, but Kiki, caught off-guard, went down under the spill, winded but phone still in her grasp.

Garnet’s features stilled; something hard and focused slid into place. Her palms shimmered into gauntlets, and she surged forward, gravity and intent fused.

With a single, controlled motion she pinned Peridot against the cold brick, arms locking the little mech suit in place.

“Garnet, no!” Steven barked.

Peridot thrashed, metal clanking. Kiki scrambled up, breathless, still recording through as she tried to slow her breathing.

Peridot’s face flushed with fury; with a concentrated shove of magnetic will she hurled Garnet away.

Garnet skidded across the alley, boots scraping pavement, caught her footing, and came back like a returning tide- fist driving into a suit arm with a metal crack.

She punched again, tearing one gauntlet free and sending pieces of dented metal spinning into the gutter, exposing Peridot’s tiny arms for a moment before she retracted them into the torso.

Peridot yelped. “HEY!”

She shoved the trash-torso at Garnet with a metallic shove; the dented belly of the mech slammed into Garnet’s chest and shoved her back a step.

Then, with a sharp twist and a delighted whoop, Peridot let go of the mech’s legs. The torso thrusted upwards like a smokeless rocket of scrap metal.

Peridot vaulted out from the flying cylinder, kicked the torso free, and snatched a dented lid like a makeshift hoverboard.

She crouched, grin splitting her face as she removed a banana peel that had clung to her visor. Her laugh was thin and wild. “Try catching me this time!”

Garnet stayed rooted, then looked to Steven.

Steven didn’t wait for her to say anything. He drew in a breath, feeling the familiar lift under his chest, and launched- legs folding, body coiling like a spring.

He rocketed after Peridot with a single, powerful arc, the wind tearing at his clothes as he barreled into the sky toward the retreating gem.

Suddenly, a flash of deep blue cut through the sky.

Lapis’s watery wings unfurled, glinting in the sunlight, and she swooped down, colliding with Peridot mid-manic-laugh. The little alien tumbled off her makeshift hoverboard, arms flailing, before Lapis scooped her up, wings folding to cradle her as they lifted above the rooftops.

Steven followed close behind, propelled by his own power.

“I got your text, Steven!” Lapis called over the wind.

“Put me down, Lazuli!” Peridot thrashed, voice shrill and panicked.

“Please, Peridot,” Steven pleaded, arms outstretched. “Let us take you to the Beach House so we can talk.”

“I know you’re going through something, Peri,” Lapis said with a tender tone. “But you need to open up. This isn’t healthy.”

“I’ve got nothing to say to any of you!” Peridot shot back, unable to look them in the eye.

A booming voice echoed from below. “There they are!”

A rowdy crowd had gathered on the street, mostly humans craning their necks upward. Ronaldo stood at the front, megaphone in hand, grinning angrily.

“The Crystal Gems aren’t saving us from that criminal- they’re saving the criminal!” he shouted. “Everyone, look at them trying to get away from justice!” 

He laughed, shaking the megaphone and accidentally still speaking into it. “Man, this thing was worth the sixty bucks…”

“Ronaldo, you aren’t helping!” Steven yelled, floating just behind Lapis.

“Are you supposed to be helping?” Ronaldo shot back, voice booming through the megaphone.

“ Yes! ” Steven and Lapis shouted in unison.

“Nice try,” Ronaldo snorted, “But we all know you can mess up when helping, Steven!”

That stung Steven a little.

“Yeah! Give us that gem so we can take her to jail!” Kiki added from the crowd, phone raised.

“Not you too, Kiki!” Steven groaned.

“Stupid, dirt-eating clods!” Peridot flailed in Lazuli’s grasp. “You should be grateful that I even think that your tech has value!”

“You do have to actually pay for the value, though.” Steven floated closer. “But Peridot… why did you do that?”

“It’s none of your business!” she snapped, twisting in Lapis’s grip.

“It should be!” Steven’s eyes softened, pleading. “I’m your friend- I’m here to help you!”

Lapis’s wings shimmered around them, water rippling with tension. “We’re both your friends, Peridot. You don’t have to face this alone.”

They soared over the rooftops, leaving the shouting townspeople behind, and finally touched down atop the lighthouse’s hill above the Crystal Temple. Peridot almost started running again when her feet were planted on the grass, but she stopped.

She crossed her arms, avoiding their eyes.

“Peridot, please,” Lapis said softly, wings retracting. “You haven’t talked to me since we pulled you out of that debris. I’m worried.”

“You don’t care. Steven doesn’t care.” Peridot muttered, voice tight, gaze fixed on the ground. “No one cares.”

For a long moment, the three of them stood in silence, listening to the wind rustle through the grass, the distant waves breaking softly against the shore.

“I was under that billboard for over an hour, barely able to move, and no one came for me.” Peridot’s shoulders huddled inward, small fists clenching. “Not the first time pain was inflicted on me, and everyone just kept moving on without me.”

Lapis tilted her head, eyes narrowing. “What are you talking about?”

“The Crystal Gems left me- Steven, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet. I thought they cared about me.” Peridot shot a glare at Steven. “Then Yellow Diamond poofed me.”

Steven swallowed, voice quiet. “You’re talking about… years ago. When the Diamonds took us to Homeworld.”

Peridot’s gaze flickered to the sky, voice tight. “I reformed, and you were gone. I wanted to know if you were okay, and I was so excited for you to see my star-patterned appearance modifiers…

Then Peridot squeezed her eyes shut, “ But you weren’t there! ”

“I was there!” Lapis stepped closer, reaching a finger to Peridot’s shoulder. “I reformed with you, and we were so happy to see each other!”

Peridot’s fists tightened at her sides. “After you left!”

The outburst stunned Lazuli, making her take a step back.

“I felt like I was being passed around- people taking turns looking after me like I was some annoying little clod that clung to their gravity connectors…”

Steven leaned in, whispering to Lapis, “She means feet.”

“I know what she means,” Lapis replied, voice lifting to normal. “Peridot, I had problems I had to figure out. The Crystal Gems took you in because they loved you and wanted to support you.”

Steven raised his hands. “And we needed to go with Blue and Yellow to get White and cure the corrupted gems on Earth!”

Peridot went quiet, jaw tight, shutting down. She sank to the ground, still not facing them.

Lapis and Steven lowered themselves to the ground beside her, legs tucked under, eyes fixed on the ocean stretching into the distance. A flock of seagulls flown across the beach, a smaller one struggling to stay close with the group.

“…You left me,” Peridot muttered, voice small and raw.

She turned her gaze to Steven, sharp and accusing. “You didn’t wait for me to reform.”

Then to Lapis, pain spread across Peridot’s face. “And you… didn’t want to stay with me and fight for our home in that Barn.”

Steven swallowed, voice soft. “Peridot…”

Lapis tilted her head, gaze steady. “How long have you been feeling this way?”

“I can forget when I throw myself into horticulture, machining, or TV…” Peridot’s shoulders hunched tighter, voice barely above a whisper. “But in that debris… gem cracked… body broken…”

“I couldn’t escape it.”

Steven’s eyes glistened, tears forming, while Lapis’s strong front started to shatter with streams running down her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Peridot,” Lapis said, voice shaking. She palmed one of her leaking eyes, “I’ve been such a stupid, freaking clod.”

Peridot looked defeated. A tear running down her eye and out of her visor. She shifted, facing Lapis on her knees. “Don’t say that.”

Lazuli’s hands reached to clear her face, and she nearly fell backward onto the grass. Lapis’s words came out raw through her covering hand. “You must hate me so much!”

“I DON’T HATE YOU!”

Peridot’s angry outburst of the words surprised even herself.

She covered her mouth as her voice wavered, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry I yelled. But I don’t hate you.”

She scooted towards Lapis, taking her wet hands into hers. “I always felt safe around you, and that’s not because you can control the ocean. You were the first to live with me on the Earth.”

She sniffled, voice small. “I… I miss that.”

“Oh, Peri,” Lapis murmured, a soft smile building as she tightened her hands in Peridot’s grasp, “I miss living with you too.”

Peridot let out a hiccupping laugh, mid-cry. “Why are we sounding like a Camp Pining Hearts script?”

Lapis shook her head, a teasing glint in her eye. “I’m not confessing, if that’s what you’re saying.”

“No, you’re not confessing, I’m not confessing,” Peridot replied, and they both burst into laughter, the tension between them easing.

“I don’t really ship us, to be honest,” Peridot added, wiping a tear from her cheek.

“Me neither,” Lapis said with a grin. “We’re more like Paulette and Sariah.”

“Like… sisters?” Peridot asked, raising an eyebrow.

Steven leaned back, arms crossed, smiling. “I can kinda see that.”

Lapis pulled Peridot in a hug. Peridot was tense at first, but slowly started to melt into the brace.

Lapis kept talking. “We were both together, trying to figure out Earth. We share so many experiences- from when we first started our meep morps, planting things on the farm, to seeing Paulette cheat on Percy with Pierre.”

“Getting poofed by Yellow Diamond and being left on Earth by Steven?” Peridot added as she chuckled into Lapis’ shoulder.

“Yup.” Lazuli shot a playful glare from Peridot’s shoulder. “I partially don’t forgive you, Steven.”

Steven scratched the back of his head. “Yeah… sorry, guys.”

“Yeah,” Peridot said, pulling away from Lapis, still holding her hands. “Us being sisters after that makes sense.”

“Yeah, right?” Lapis agreed, grinning.

“And now that we’ve established that’s what we are- ” Peridot said, puffing her chest out as she placed a thumb over it- “I am most definitely the older sister Paulette, which makes me your boss, Sariah!”

Lapis crossed her arms, frowning. “Where did you get that idea from?”

Peridot smirked. “It’s only logical. I was in that barn long before you were!”

Lapis threw up her hands. “But I was on Earth in the mirror for centuries before! I am literally thousands of years older!”

Peridot’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t count. Obviously your life didn’t start before you reached the barn, same as me.”

“Ugh! I hate you, big sister! You ruin my life!” Lapis yelled, though the corners of her mouth twitched.

They both collapsed into laughter, leaning on each other to steady themselves. Steven watched, a growing smile spreading across his face.

Suddenly, his expression shifted. An epiphany dawned in his eyes.

“I know that look.”

Garnet’s silhouette appeared against the golden sunset, having caught up to them.

Steven glanced up at her, relief in his eyes. “I’ve been having so much trouble trying to frame my relationship with Rose.”

Garnet nodded, folding her arms. “Tell me about it.”

He looked towards the ocean, gilded by the sunset. “My first thought was to think of her as my Mom, taking care of me and being behind my back.”

Garnet lowered herself onto the grass beside Steven, Peridot and Lapis still giggling quietly at each other nearby.

“But she’s not behaving like one,” Garnet said softly. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Steven. I know you badly wanted her to.”

Steven shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “No, that’s not it. She wasn’t behind my back- she was at my side.”

Garnet tilted her head, rubbing a thumb on his shoulder. “That’s what her experience seems like.”

Steven looked out at the horizon, voice quiet. “She wasn’t like you guys or Dad… grownups who knew what they were doing. She was experiencing being a little child, at the same time I was.”

“Oh…” Garnet’s eyes widened, realization flickering across her face. “Oh!”

“Yeah.” Steven nodded, a small, thoughtful smile on his lips as he looked at Lapis and Peridot playfully shoving each other. “She’s not my mom, she’s my sister.”

Chapter Text

Steven padded down the stairs, hair mussed, a long yawn folding his shoulders. The living room was cluttered with tall, opened but empty cardboard boxes. They looked like someone had ordered the house a delivery of surprises and then forgotten to fill them.

He poured himself a glass of orange juice, ice clinking against glass, and shut the fridge. A wrinkled piece of paper stuck to the outside of the door with a cookie cat magnet caught his eye, and he grabbed it to take a closer look: Steven, don’t make plans today -Pearl.

A small smile softened his face. “Aaaaw. I forgot it’s my birthday.”

The smile fell. “Oh god. I forgot it’s my birthday.”

A somber voice came from the couch. “I didn’t forget.”

Rose sat there with the laptop on her knees, bare feet tucked under her. She played Dig-Build, a blocky creative game. She didn’t even bother looking up as she spoke.

“Can you tell me what’s up with all the boxes?” she asked, eyes flicking to the stacked towers.

“Pearl’s moving out?” Steven said, expecting her to already know this.

Rose’s mouth twitched as her eyes stayed glued to the screen. “Well, I know that. She can just put things in her gem. She doesn’t need these.”

“She wanted to simulate the human tradition of moving out.” Steven shrugged. “She isn’t leaving for a few weeks.”

Rose took a bit to respond, filling the silence with the furious tapping of the mouse pad and the keys.

“Must be nice, having your birthday celebrated.” She tried to coax a smile and as she furiously clicked, fighting something in game, but it didn’t reach her eyes. 

Steven watched her, the worry plain on his face. Then he flipped over the note.

“Do you have any plans?” Steven asked.

“No. Why?”

“No reason,” Steven said with a barely contained smile. 

It said on the back of the note, PS - also tell Rose not to make any plans.

The front door slammed open. Garnet strode in, Pearl and Connie close behind, Amethyst bouncing at the end- all of them with crooked party hats perched on their heads.

“Happy birthday, Steven and Rose!” they cheered in one voice.

Rose froze, confusion flickering across her face, then a slow, bright smile broke through. Steven’s grin went wide at the sight of Rose’s.

Steven stood in a velvet king’s cape, an English-style crown perched crooked on his curls. Rose wore the same- cape draped over her knees, fingers hooked in the fabric- bouncing with a grin that reached her eyes this time.

Garnet cleared her throat and announced, “Alright, so we’ve got a double deluxe birthday for our good friends, Steven and Rose.”

Outside on the sand a long table had been set: Greg, Connie, Pearl, and Amethyst gathered around, paper plates and a scattering of party fare catching the late sun. The group cheered, the beach filled with laughter.

Peridot and Lapis crouched by a stack of extra balloons, grins conspiratorial. Lapis couldn’t resist: she raised a hand, drew a sliver of seawater up, and fed it into a balloon until it swelled heavy. With a mischievous squeal she lobbed it; the balloon burst across Peridot, soaking her bright green skin.

Peridot blinked, then lunged, splashing after Lapis with a growl that mixed fury and laughter. Lapis whooped and flew, water wings carrying her feet off the ground, Peridot hot on her heels- two streaks of blue and green color zigzagging across the sand while the party laughed.

Greg edged up to Rose, shuffling his feet, something small hidden behind his back. He cleared his throat, voice thin with nerves. “Hey, Rose… I was wondering if you wanted to see my gift early, before anyone else?”

Rose’s shoulders tightened. She swallowed, then nodded. “Sure.”

Rose tore the wrapping paper off, and her eyebrows lifted. “What is it?”

In her hand was a CD case with one disk inside.

Greg fidgeted. “It’s a rehash of ‘Comet’ I sang recently. Just don’t post it online or anywhere, because Marty actually-”

Rose cut him off with a grin. “I know. It’s a burger jingle.”

Greg brightened. “Yeah…”

Rose sang the first line, “For the moment the meat hit the flame- ”

“My stomach is growling without any shame!” Steven joined in, stepping a foot on his chair and striking a heroic pose with his gut sticking out.

Greg threw his head back, full-throated. “And I know in my gut it’s been wooorth the five ninety-five!”

They all burst into laughter; Rose clapped a hand over her mouth, Steven doubled over, and Greg beamed. From the table, Pearl’s cheeks flushed a soft blue blush.

“Ehem,” she called, clearing her throat, “if your stomachs are actually growling, we’ve got cheese pizza coming now that the stores are opening.”

“Nice!” Steven grinned, then his smile stalled as he watched Peridot giggling with Lapis and something clicked in his chest. “Wait- who’s deliverin-”

“Anyone order some pizza?” Buck called, barreling through the dune grass with a teetering stack of boxes. His tinted shades flashed in the sunset as he grinned, but he cringed when he saw Peridot.

“Oh, Buck! You're delivering?” Steven said, relieved.

Buck dropped the boxes on the table with a practiced thud and peeled back the top lid, steam curling up. He gave a sideways look toward the pair by the balloons. 

“Yeah. Figured I’d keep Kiki from coming down here…” He jabbed a thumb at Peridot- who, mid-laugh, tossed another soaked balloon at Lapis. “Bro, you gotta talk to her about that green gem. She’s getting on some kind of hate train there.”

“It’s Ronaldo,” Steven said, shoulders tight. “His blog’s been exploding since he started posting about Peridot doing… you know.”

Buck hefted the last pizza box, shrugged. “This gem stuff is just too much now. Anyway, I gotta go.”

He stepped forward, offered a quick fist bump. Steven bumped him back. “Later, bro- and happy birthday to you and your mom.”

Rose pretended not to listen, facing the shoreline, but her head turned too quickly, eagerness peeking through. “Later, Buck!” she said, a little too bright.

Buck gave a half-wave, grin fading into distracted steps as he jogged away down the beach. Rose’s smile wilted the moment he was gone; she stared after him, jaw working, sadness settling quiet and stubborn in her chest.

Mostly Amethyst, Steven, Rose, Connie and Greg dug into the pizza, elbows and laughter crowded the table. Pearl sat a little apart, trading stories with Peridot and Lapis; Peridot’s quick, sarcastic asides had Pearl laughing so hard she pressed a hand to her mouth.

Steven’s fork froze mid-reach when he noticed Garnet a short distance away, sitting alone on a dune, visor tilted down, shoulders hunched in a way that made her look smaller. Rose laughed with Amethyst beside the table, but her eyes kept flicking toward Garnet.

“I’m gonna go check on Garnet,” Steven said, placing his cape and crown on his seat.

“Oh! Yeah, I should be fine,” Rose answered, glancing at Connie and Greg as they shared a private joke further down the table. She smiled, but not all the way again.

Steven gave Rose a wary look, then stood and walked the length of the table. He sat down beside Garnet, close enough to catch her silence without breaking it. Garnet didn’t look up right away; she folded her hands, then slowly sat back to face Steven.

Steven folded his hands in his lap, voice small. “Everything alright?”

Garnet didn’t shift from her perch on the dune. Her fingers flexed once against her knee. “Yeah. Just a bad vision.”

“Is…”Steven swallowed, scared to ask. “Is something gonna happen?”

Her shoulders tightened just enough to show she’d been holding the question in. “My vision’s been repeating the same scene of her running away for the past few months. But it’s not always true.”

Steven’s brow knit. He glanced toward the party- Rose laughing with Amethyst, who devoured a whole box of pizza with the cardboard- and then back to Garnet.

“Whose idea was the double birthday?”

Garnet’s mouth curved the faintest bit. “Mine. After what you said about her being your sister.”

Steven cocked his head, a teasing lilt in his voice. “You know siblings don’t always share the same birthday, right?”

Garnet’s visor caught the sinking sun. “Twins do.”

“Then you agree with me?” Steven pressed, grin hopeful.

Garnet let the corner of her mouth soften into something almost like a smile. “About the sibling thing? Not really. It’s a useful thought, though.”

Rose edged over to where Connie and Greg sat, fingers worrying the hem of her cape. Her smile was too small.

“Hi, Connie. Greg.”

Greg looked up, concern softening his face. “Rose? Is everything all right?”

Rose hesitated, shoulders tight. “Um- ”

Greg held up a hand. “You don’t need to say sorry for what happened at that gas station. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

Rose cut him off, voice quick. “Please. Can we not do this now?”

Greg opened his mouth, then shut it, confusion and apology mingling. 

Rose turned to Connie instead. “Connie- want to come see something cool?”

Connie folded up from her chair, trading a worried look with Greg. “Uh yeah, sure.”

Rose dropped her crown and cape to the ground and turned towards the waves. Connie quietly bumped palms with Greg in a quick, nervous high five and whispered to each other, “ Human beings ”

Connie brushed her bangs back as she caught up with Rose, trying to steady her voice. “W-What is it you wanted to show me, Mrs. Universe?”

Rose smiled softly. “You can just call me Rose, Connie. I have this cool trick with the barriers.”

With a sweep of her hands, two diamond-shaped walls shimmered into being. She drove them into the sand with a low thrum, then spread them apart until they carved out a hollow big enough to stand inside.

Rose looked at Connie, eyes bright. “Wanna step in?”

“Uh…” Connie faltered, hugging her arms.

Before she could find an answer, Rose leapt down into the pit, her laughter trailing after.

Connie rubbed her palms against her pants. “Okay…”

She hopped down, landing neatly in Rose’s arms. Rose giggled as she steadied her. “Woop. That was a close one!”

Connie exhaled, half a laugh, half a groan. “Yeah, sure…”

Rose set her down and raised her hands, a shimmer of pink flashing as another barrier formed. This one slid out from the wall and lifted upward, shaping into a tunnel with a glowing hardlight ceiling that painted the sand walls in warm pink light.

“Step right into my office!” Rose said with a flourish, striding in.

Connie lingered at the entrance, eyes darting between the glowing walls and Rose’s back.

Connie shifted on her feet. “Uh… Rose…”

Rose glanced back with an easy smile. “Yes, Connie?”

“What are we doing down here?” Connie asked, her voice thin with suspicion.

“Hanging out.” Rose spread her arms toward the glowing tunnel. “You coming in or not?”

She extended a hand, palm open in invitation. Connie stepped in without touching it. Rose’s hand hung awkwardly in the air before she pulled it back, rubbing her knuckles as though to cover the gesture.

Connie squinted at the barrier walls. “Can you maintain these barriers?”

“Of course I can,” Rose said quickly, straightening. “Longer than Steven could. It’s pretty cool, right?”

Connie tilted her head, her brow furrowing. “Was there something you wanted to talk about?”

Rose shifted her weight, looking suddenly shy. “Yeah, well… I was wondering if you wanted to play some Dig-Build later.”

Dig-Build. The cube-based sandbox game where you could build anything you imagined. Connie remembered Steven sinking hours into it.

“You play Dig-Build?” she asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Rose said, brightening. “I got Steven’s old computer. I even set up a free server, and I wanted some people to play with. You interested?”

“Sure… I can play…” Connie said slowly.

Rose just kept looking at her. The stare wasn’t sharp, but it pressed at Connie, made her chest tighten with concern.

She finally broke the silence. “Rose, is there a reason I’m down here?”

Rose’s smile flickered. “I mean, we can just hang out, and talk.”

Connie crossed her arms. “We can do that outside.”

Rose shook her head with a small grin. “Yeah, but this is cool. I learned this trick years ago- it was very useful for the… Rebellion.”

Connie’s eyes widened. “You did this during the rebellion?”

“Yeah,” Rose said, her voice softening as memory touched it. “Especially in the early days. Yellow sent probes to scan the surface of Earth, looking for me, Pearl, Garnet, and the small group of gems following us. I made tunnels, and the Quartz gems would fill them with support structures. That way we had places to hide from the probes.”

Connie’s mouth curled into an awed smile. “That’s really clever!”

Rose beamed, almost childlike. “Thank you!”

Connie’s eyes lit up. “I bet you could also make tunnels right underneath your enemies- ambush them.”

Rose clapped her hands together, delighted. “I did!” 

She leaned forward, eyes sparkling, already preparing another barrier with a mischievous grin. “Wanna see how?”

Garnet sat with her knees tucked to the table, two buckets at her feet. One bristled with balloons; she plunged a plastic water bottle into the water and filled it, used it to fill a balloon until it bulged, tied it off with a practiced twist, and dropped it into the second bucket where the balloons bobbed like fruit.

“So I messaged Volleyball,” Pearl said, earning a quick, concerned look from Steven. “Told her about the birthday, asked if she wanted to come and say hello.”

Steven rubbed the back of his neck. “Did she even know Rose was back?”

“We’re in a group chat with Bismuth.” Pearl’s mouth twisted. “I may have sent her a photo I took while Rose was sleeping… Suffice to say, she declined coming- ”

“PEARL!” Rose snapped.

“STEVEN!” Connie yelped.

Pearl and Steven both jumped, hearts stuttering. They looked down- Rose and Connie’s heads were suddenly poking out of the sand behind them, mouths open in exaggerated, high-pitched terror. Garnet froze mid-twist with a balloon in hand.

“I DON’T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED!”

“THE SAND! THE SAND DID THIS TO US!”



Pearl flung her hands to her face, tiny, pained sounds spilling out. “Nooo! Rose! Connie!”

She dropped to her knees, eyes glistening, and reached to stroke Rose and Connie’s hair. “We can fix this- we just gotta have Steven kiss you, or maybe we can call Yellow Diamond- ”

Rose exploded into laughter, bright and relieved. Connie’s shriek dissolved into giggles beside her. Steven couldn’t help it; his shoulders shook until a laugh escaped him too. Pearl had a confused look that shifted into realization, then annoyance. Then she laughed a little too.

Rose dug herself free of the sand with a playful grunt and crouched to pull Connie up by the hand. Sand slid from their clothes in soft puffs.

Garnet smiled. “You got us good, Rose.”

“Pearl, I can’t believe you still fall for that - after all these years.” She reached down and brushed the sand off the lower half of her body, Connie following suit. Pearl pouted.

Steven peered down at the sand where Rose and Connie had been. “You guys went underground?”

“Yeah,” Rose said, grin quickening. “Speaking of- ”

Their spot in the beach shivered; the sand settled with a soft, almost guilty sigh. The table sunk a bit on one side.

Pearl’s face went white. “Please tell me those weren’t hardlight barrier tunnels you just collapsed…”

“They were, though.” Rose’s tone was breezy, as she shook sand out of her blob of hair.

Pearl’s hand flew to her mouth. “And you took Connie into them?”

Connie brushed sand from her knees, cheeks flushed with excitement. “It was fun, but I can kinda see the danger.”

Rose blew a playful raspberry with grains of sand spewing out. “No one was hurt.”

Steven grinned. “Did you guys have fun, at least?”

Connie’s face lit up. “I did- when I saw your freaked-out cute face!”

She launched at him, arms wrapping around his chest. Then he leaned in; their lips met, quick and soft. They broke apart, laughing breathlessly.

Rose’s smile thinned into an irritated twitch at the corner of her mouth.

Pearl leaned close to Rose, blushing a bit. “Well, since you had fun with Connie, you wanna play a game with me, Rose?”

“Sure,” Rose said, but her grin was a fraction too quick.

“How does volleyball sound?” Pearl asked, beaming. Rose’s smile faltered; a slow glare crawled over her features until the grin slipped away entirely.

Pearl's own smile flipped into a frown. “Okay, maybe not.”

Suddenly, water balloons burst against Rose and Pearl, soaking their clothes and hair.

“Who would- !” Pearl began, then cut off as laughter bubbled from across the table.

Lapis hovered a few feet away, smirking, a single water balloon suspended above her open palm like a polished orb. Peridot snickered beside her, bright green face split with mischief.

Behind Rose and Pearl, Garnet stepped up, one arm looping a bucket brimming with tied water balloons over her shoulder. “You’re gonna need these.”

Greg beamed from his spot with Amethyst, who was preoccupied eating some pizza. “I’m getting in on this action!” he declared, eyes gleaming.

Pearl and Rose exchanged a look- tiny calculation passing between them. They turned to glare with devious smiles at Lapis and Peridot.

Rose dropped from the sky, legs locked in a perfect drop-kick. “Incoming!” she shouted.

Her foot slammed a table that teetered on a volleyball fulcrum with a loud crack . The table flipped like a seesaw, launching a scatter of water balloons into a looping, gleaming arc.

Lapis and Peridot dove, twisting through the air; balloons splashed into the sand where they’d been standing, soaking a large dark spot. Peridot came up coughing, sputter-laughing, green skin beaded with droplets.

Pearl charged in with a running start, cradling a balloon in a lacrosse stick. “Take that!” she cried, and hurled- her throw struck Peridot square in the shoulder. The balloon burst in a cool explosion; Peridot yelped and wiped water from her visor.

“Greg, reload!”

Greg was already at Pearl’s elbow, slamming another balloon into the stick and grinning.

Lapis’s jaw set. She raised her hands, and a ring of balloons rose around her, spinning like planets. With a fierce grin she flicked her fingers- the balloons rocketed outward in a tight volley, a shimmering, airborne net aimed straight at Pearl and Rose.

The two of them scrambled- Rose pivoting, Pearl leaping- and the balloons exploded everywhere in a chorus of squeals and delighted shrieks.

From the table, Connie whooped, Steven whooped back, and Garnet allowed herself a small, satisfied smile as she readied another bucket. Amethyst barreled over laughing. 

Lion, sleeping underneath the beach house, peaked outside with a pawed step. Then scurried back underneath.

Steven braced his shield overhead, the pink dome catching three balloons in a splat-splat-splat cascade before they could drench him and Connie.

He glanced sideways. “So… you had a talk with Rose?”

Connie shifted, her arms crossed loosely as she gave a small, awkward nod. “Yeah.”

Steven lowered the shield a bit, frowning at her tone. “Is something wrong?”

“It was weird.” Connie pressed her lips together before answering. “She wanted to be alone with me, for some reason.”

Steven blinked. “Did she say anything to you?”

“Just… reminisced about the Rebellion.” Connie tugged her wet sleeve, then sighed. “And then we pulled that prank on Pearl and you… I don’t know. Something felt off when I was down there.”

Steven followed her gaze. Rose was across the beach, her own shield braced against a relentless storm of Lapis’s spinning water balloons. She laughed freely as the barrage hammered down, her hair weighed down by their own dampness, her grin wide.

Steven frowned, softer this time, trying to convince himself. “Maybe she’s just trying to reconnect with everyone…”

But his eyes lingered on Rose, watching the too-bright smile and the too-perfect laugh as if he weren’t quite convinced.

“Alright, that’s enough!”Garnet raised her voice just enough to carry over the splashes and laughter. “It’s almost cake time!”

The group gradually came down from the frenzy. Rose lowered her shield and wiped a soaked curl from her face. Pearl fetched towels from a basket and passed them around, helping Rose and Greg pat themselves dry. Peridot bundled hers up around her narrow shoulders with a grumble, while Lapis merely lifted her hand and drew the water straight from her clothes and hair in smooth ribbons that vanished into the sand.

Peridot’s eyes narrowed. “Hey, wait a second. Why didn’t you use your powers to dry us off, Lazuli?”

Lapis froze mid-motion. A faint blush crept across her cheeks. “Uuuh…” She shifted her eyes away, suddenly very interested in the ground.

Pearl arched a brow as she rubbed down her arm with her towel. “Why? It’s not like cleaning and drying these towels costs anything…”

The words trailed as a thought struck her. Her towel lowered slowly, her face shifting as realization dawned.

Pearl turned to Greg- who, by then, was already watching her with a growing, knowing smile. She pressed a hand to the gem on her forehead, summoned a guitar, and tossed to Greg, who produced a pick from his pocket.

Then they started to sing.

Pearl lifted her chin, still damp from the fight. “Birthday on the beach- ”

“Don’t cost nothing!” Greg exclaimed with a strum.

Rose sighed with a fond roll of her eyes. “Oh boy.”

Greg looked to Lapis. “Balloons to the face- ”

Lapis, caught off guard but smiling anyway, added flatly, “Don’t cost nothing!”

The others chuckled as Greg strummed harder, his voice carrying warmth. “I can do anything with all this time, but I’d rather spend it with all of you and mine.”

The circle around him tightened, laughter mixing with the melody. Even Pearl’s lips curved despite herself, while Rose clasped her hands at her heart, soaking in the moment.

Rose leaned toward Greg with a sparkle in her eyes. “You could be on the road- ”

“And the stage!” Amethyst chimed in.

Greg laughed, still strumming. “That’s what I used to do, but I’m over here with you.”

“What’s the problem with that?” Amethyst smirked. 

“Nothing at all!”

With a sudden grin, Amethyst shapeshifted into a ball and bounced. “Let’s open our presents and then play some ball!”

Greg chuckled, impressed. “Not bad!”

“Thank you!” Amethyst winked.

Garnet followed along as she placed a single candle in the pink birthday cake.

“Waxy candles on a cake- ”

In a shimmer of light, she split apart. “Don’t cost nothing!”

Ruby leaned forward eagerly, sparking a tiny flame at her fingertip. She lit the candle, and slid over to Rose and Steven. 

Sapphire hugged Ruby’s waist. “I’m glad I get to be here with you!”

“Me too!” Peridot suddenly piped up, arms crossed but smiling despite herself.

Rose and Steven sat side by side again, crowns crooked on their heads.

Ruby leaned forward, grinning. “Wish on a candle- ”

“Don’t cost nothing!” Rose and Steven answered in chorus.

They both blew out the single flame, smoke curling into the air, then both pressed their eyes shut, hands clasped tight in their laps.

Amethyst bounded in with a paper plate balanced on one hand. “Piece of a cake?”

Rose opened an eye and laughed, “Don’t cost nothing!”

“This knife is just the right kind of make!” Ruby chimed in, producing a knife from nowhere.

Rose reached for it- but the instant her fingers touched the handle, an image of the one-eyed Ruby burned across her vision. Her hand froze, her face shifting from shock into a tightening mask of panic, then anger.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY GEM!”

Rose’s yell tore through the air, a sharp shockwave vibrating the sand beneath them. The cake nearest her splintered into shards, frosting and crumbs scattering. Her hands shook at her sides, diamond shaped irises wide with sudden panic.

Ruby was sent flying into the ground.

“Ruby!” Sapphire’s voice cracked. She ran towards her partner.

Rose froze as the terror around her unfolded. Lapis swept Peridot behind her back, wings at the ready. Pearl’s fingers pressed against her mouth, eyes wide, and Greg stumbled backward, almost landing on the sand were it not for Amethyst catching him.

“I- I’m sorry, Ruby! ” Rose's voice trembled.

“I’m okay, Sapphire!” Ruby’s small hand lifted, brushing Sapphire’s cheek. “Really, I’m fine!”

They pressed foreheads together, merging seamlessly into Garnet, whose three eyes bore into Rose with a mixture of concern and caution.

Steven’s voice quivered from behind his shield. “R-Rose…”

Rose spun, seeing him peek out, Connie at his back clutching his shoulder, both tense and wide-eyed. A pit started to form in her chest.

“No, Connie.” Rose shook her head, forcing a tight smile. “I’m fine.”

Steven’s brows knitted. “Are you?”

“I am! Connie, please!” Rose reached a hand towards her, but Steven blocked her path with his shoulder.

Greg stood up with the help of Amethyst. “Why are you only talking to her?”

Rose turned, catching the stares of the others lingering between her and Connie. Her chest tightened, cheeks warming.

Connie stepped closer, voice gentle. “We were just bonding recently, so it makes sense. I know you’re a good person.”

Rose shifted on her feet, shoulders tense, eyes flicking toward the open beach, the way towards town, out of sight of everything. Her fingers twitched at her sides, a subtle restlessness coiling through her. She wanted to bolt.

Connie traced Rose’s gaze with wide eyes.

“It’s okay! It’s okay!” Connie stepped past Steven, her hands closing around Rose’s. Rose’s fingers twitched, almost pulling away from Connie’s, then stayed. Steven lowered his shield, watching.

“You don’t need to run,” Connie said, her voice steady. “Just stay with us and talk.”

“Talk?” Rose’s eyes darted around, panic tightening her chest. “About what?”

“Don’t look at them,” Connie said firmly, tilting Rose’s face toward hers. “Look at me.”

Rose obeyed, blinking rapidly.

“Just breathe. In… and out.”

“In… and out,” Rose echoed, her voice shaky.

“Good,” Connie said. “Now hold. Count to five. Inhale.”

Rose’s chest rose and fell, following Connie’s rhythm.

“Count to five… exhale,” Connie guided.

Rose tried to speak, but her words caught in her throat, breath freezing.

“It’s okay if you can’t speak.”Connie’s hand squeezed hers gently. “Just keep breathing. Then we’ll talk.”

Rose and Connie’s chests rose and fell together, a slow, shared rhythm. Greg hovered nearby, torn between stepping in to comfort Rose and giving her space. Garnet’s expression wavered, Ruby urging her forward, Sapphire holding her back. Pearl’s tears streaked down her cheeks.

“Come on, Peridot. Let’s go fishing,” Lapis called. Peridot nodded, letting Lapis lift her into the ocean.

Greg edged closer, with Steven on the other side besides Connie, and they drew Rose into a careful group hug. Pearl joined, resting her chin on Greg’s shoulder, Amethyst quietly squeezed in, and Garnet extended a hand, hovering just short of fully embracing her.

Rose didn’t notice how long they held her, but by nightfall it had stretched far beyond what she expected.

They lay on the sandy ground, the tablecloth draped over the sand. Quiet stretched between them until Rose’s voice broke the stillness.

“I’m so sorry, Garnet.”

Garnet stayed silent.

Steven brushed Rose’s hand with his fingers. “You saw something, didn’t you?”

Rose nodded slowly. She sat up from the ground and folded her arms around her knees. “Eyeball Ruby. Out in space, in the bubble, trying to tear out my gem.”

“That was one of my memories…” Steven murmured.

Pearl’s voice cracked despite her effort to stay quiet. “But you fought Rubies before, Rose… You even came up against a fusion of ten.”

Garnet took a long breath, not facing Rose. “And you were alone then.”

Rose’s shoulders slumped, fists trembling.

“But I was a Diamond… I knew how to fight, even before I was Rose Quartz… especially against something as low-” She froze, the weight of her words choking her.

“As low-ranking as a Ruby.” Garnet finished, a tightness in her tone.

Rose confirmed with silence.

“But Steven… ” Amethyst sighed; she glanced at Steven with a somber shake of her head. “He wasn’t a Diamond. He didn’t know what to do at that moment.”

Steven’s hand reached for Garnet’s. “I still get weird feelings around our Ruby… but I’m learning to handle it.”

Garnet’s eyes flicked to him, then she joined her hand with his. Connie rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Rose’s voice was small, trembling. “I don’t think I’m better. I don’t even remember how I… or you… dealt with it back then.”

Greg exhaled slowly. “Yeah… we’ve got a lot of work ahead, fixing that.”

“It’s okay…” At first it seemed like Garnet was talking to Greg, but she had retracted herself, shaking slightly. “She just needs time- no, it’s not okay! ”

Her hands flew to her head as she sat up, eyes wide. “ She’s getting too unpredictable… you could’ve been hurt! ”

Rose’s lower lip trembled as she tried to hide it with a hand. “Garnet?”

“I… I need some time to think.” Garnet rose slowly, the group watching as she turned her back to Rose. “It’s not your fault… but you have to be more careful from now on.”

Rose nodded quietly. “Alright.”

Garnet’s voice was firm as she stepped away. “Starting now, Rose.”

“…Starting now,” Rose whispered to herself, watching her leave. Then Steven came up and hugged her, and she hugged him back.

Atop Brooding Hill, Spinel stood alone, the town sprawling beneath her. Her smile was fixed, empty, and her hands clasped tightly in front of her as she stared down, unblinking.

Chapter Text

Moonlight spilled across the lower bunk where Rose slept, hair tangled against the pillow. Her headset was still around her head, but the music had cut off.

A pale finger jabbed at her cheek. She swatted without opening her eyes. The finger poked again. She groaned. Two hands pressed with soft, rapid taps until her lids fluttered open.

Pearl’s whisper cut through the dark. “Shhh. Steven’s still sleeping.”

Rose rubbed her eyes and pulled down her headset, glancing through the glass sliding door. “It’s nighttime, Pearl. What do you want?”

Pearl stood beside the bed, shoulders taut, voice trembling at the edges. “Want to go on a ride?”

Rose stretched, weary. “I repeat: it’s nighttime.”

Pearl’s mouth pulled tight. “I’m pretty sure you’re just imagining this need to sleep.”

“Uh-huh.” Rose gave a faint smile, turning back into her pillow. “And now I’m imagining you walking away.”

Pearl’s hands twitched, as if she might drag Rose right off the bunk and onto the floor. But she stilled them at her sides, and her voice dropped. 

“Don’t you care about me?”

Rose blinked up at her. “What?”

“Don’t you know I’m leaving tomorrow?” Pearl said, voice catching. “I’ll be moved in with Bismuth.”

Rose’s face softened. “Of course I care about you, Pearl.”

Pearl swallowed. “Then come on a drive with me…”

Rose let out a long sigh, pushing the blanket aside. Above her, in the top bunk, Steven laid wide awake. He heard every word but stayed quiet, staring into the dark.

“Okay,” Rose said at last, and swung her feet to the floor.

Rose stepped barefoot into the night, headphones taken and withdrawn into her gem and phone in her jean pocket. Pearl waited by the beach with Steven’s Dondai keys dangling from her fingers, tapping them against her palm.

Rose squinted. “Is Steven okay with you borrowing that?”

Pearl shrugged, slipping into a smirk. “It should be fine, since he can fly around- unemployed. Since when were you so considerate?”

Rose gasped. “Rude!”

They trudged across the cool sand until the car came into view, half-buried at the edge of the beach. Pearl dropped into the driver’s seat, pausing with her legs still out. She brushed each foot carefully, patting away every last grain.

She swung her clean feet inside, then froze, staring at the streaks of sand Rose had already pressed into the floor by the passenger side.

“Ugh.”

Rose tilted her head. “What?”

Pearl glanced away. “Nothing.”

The engine coughed to life, headlights sweeping across the shore. Pearl gripped the wheel, and with a sharp turn out of the sand, they sped into the dark.

Headlights swept the empty road as the town shrank behind them. The hum of the tires filled the silence until Rose leaned back against her seat, eyeing Pearl.

“You’re not taking me to that diner in Empire City, are you?”

“What?” Pearl peeled her eyes from the road, turning to look at Rose. “Oh, no! I’m just… driving. Random route. But there are definitely some restaurants along the way, if you’re hungry.”

Rose arched a brow. “You finally figured out how to use Boogle Maps?”

“I already knew!” Pearl huffed. “I just thought back then exploring would be more fun.”

The lights from the gas station slid across Rose’s face as they passed- the same one she had stumbled through weeks ago. She shifted in her seat, but Pearl kept her gaze forward.

“You know,” Pearl murmured, “I used to drive down here a lot. Especially before Steven left.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.” Rose blinked. “Which means Steven didn’t either. Wait, what car did you even drive?”

“This one.” Pearl tapped the wheel with her fingers. “Always around midnight. Steven wouldn’t even be awake to notice.”

Rose tilted her head. “Why not just buy your own car?”

“I can make my own car,” Pearl said simply. Her tone softened. “But it wouldn’t be the same as this one.”

Rose let out a chuckle. “Please tell me you don’t drive it because of the smell.”

“I drive it because of the smell, Rose.”

“Ah yes,” Rose teased. “Teenage body odors and stale junk food. Homely.”

Pearl’s jaw tightened, and she slid Rose a quick, sharp glare before returning her eyes to the road.

“Since when were you so cynical? You’re almost like Amethyst in a mood.”

Rose leaned against the window, voice quieter now. “Hearing myself, I actually feel more like Lars.”

Pearl glanced at her. “Really?”

“Yeah…” Rose let her words trail.

“Can you control it?” Pearl asked.

“I don’t know.” Rose shook her head faintly. Then she beamed, “Hey- there’s a restaurant!”

A large, crown shaped sign blinked into view: Patty King, squatting at the edge of the highway.

Pearl sighed, shoulders sinking, and pulled a bulging coin purse from her gem, the zipper barely holding against the weight of loose change.

They climbed back into the car with bags steaming between them. Rose dug through hers, fingers scrabbling until she found the breakfast box and peeled it open.

“Dang- breakfast menu. I could’ve really gone for a burger,” she muttered, eyes already on the food.

Pearl, humming under her breath, popped into song. “From the moment the meat hit the flames- ”

Rose blinked around a mouthful. “...Huh?”

Pearl sighed and fell quiet. Rose attacked the box: two egg muffins vanished in quick bites, four hashbrowns disappeared between chews, and she downed an orange juice in three greedy gulps. Pearl sat patient and upright, hands folded, watching every swallow.

When Rose finally set the empty carton aside, Pearl’s voice came slow and brittle. “Rose… do you care about me?”

Rose rolled her eyes, a smear of yolk at the corner of her mouth. “Ugh.”

Pearl didn’t smile. “What?”

“We just went over this, Pearl. Of course I do. What more do you want me to say?” Rose snapped, then softened when she saw the look on Pearl’s face.

Pearl’s fingers twisted around the wheel. “Then why didn’t you talk to me when you left?”

“Left? Wha- ” Rose started, confusion tightening her features.

Pearl swallowed. “When you were going to have Steven!”

Rose’s shoulders tightened. “Pearl, I did talk to you. You even got to touch the spot where he was growing.”

Pearl’s fingers curled around the steering wheel, jaw working. “Then you didn’t talk enough. You know how I felt about the situation, and all it was was, Hey Pearl, I’m having a baby and I’m gonna be gone, possibly forever- isn’t life such a beautiful and simple thing! ”

Rose’s voice went cold. “I’m not liking your attitude, Pearl.”

Pearl’s eyes flashed. “Well, that’s too bad, because you finally and officially freed me from your service, so- ”

Rose gave a short, humorless bark. “Heh, yeah, sure.”

Pearl blinked. “…What was that?”

Rose leaned back, shrugging. “What was what?”

Pearl’s hand rose from the wheel; with a quick gesture she flicked a tiny hologram of Rose into being, the likeness mouthing, ‘Heh, yeah, sure.’ The mock-Rose smirked before fizzing out. Pearl glanced at Rose’s gaze without shame.

Rose exhaled into the window. “You were already released from my service. I don’t know why Bismuth wanted me to do it again.”

Pearl’s voice became quieter, brittle. “Well… if I’m being honest… it was never exactly clear if you freed me.”

“I gave you my last order as a Diamond,” Rose was firm.

Pearl’s stare sharpened. “But not your last order as my mistress.”

Rose recoiled a fraction. “Ew.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, but seriously-” Rose let out a small, tired laugh and rubbed the heel of her hand against her brow. “I don’t think it mattered.”

Pearl’s shoulders tensed. “Why’s that?” she whispered.

“Well… ” Rose looked into the corner of Pearl’s eyes as Pearl focused on driving. “You never left my service because you were obsessed with me.”

Color drained from Pearl’s face. “…You knew?”

“Yeah.” Rose shook her head. “Why wouldn’t I have known?”

“W-we never talked about it.” Pearl swallowed, words tripping over one another. “I- I always assumed you were just oblivious to how I felt- that’s why you were okay with hanging around so many humans.”

Rose sighed. “Pearl, we weren’t really a thing. That’s why I was okay with it.”

“But I was with you longer than any human ever could be.” Pearl’s eyes brimmed. “Ever hope to be.”

“Yes.” Rose gave flatly.

“Why wasn’t that enough? Why wasn’t I enough?” Pearl’s question trembled out, her fingers tightening around the wheel.

Rose’s jaw tightened; she planted both palms on her thighs as if to hold herself steady. “Oh stars- ” Her tone sharpened on the edge of accusation. “Is this why you brought me out here? To confront me about whatever you think I did wrong?”

Pearl’s breath hitched. “The Rose I knew would care that she hurt her friends…” Her eyes shimmered.

“Yeah, I learned a thing or two from being Steven. You see your problem-” But the words died on her tongue. She stopped, hands falling, the anger folding back into something tighter and quieter.

Pearl’s voice came tight, brittle. “My problem is what? What were you going to say?”

Rose reached down towards her gem, producing with a flicker of light, the noise cancelling headphone. She flicked them on; a tiny blue light blinked.

“No, Rose!”  Pearl cut in. “You promised Garnet- ”

“I didn’t promise you.” Rose didn’t meet her eyes.

She slid the headset over her ears, thumb tapping the play icon on her phone. Music vibrated her headphones.

“Rose? Rooooose!” Pearl’s shout turned into a strangled, muffled scream inside the car. Rose offered one sideways glance- cool, untroubled- then looked away.

Pearl let the scream fold into silence. Tears tracked slow and hot down her cheeks. She pressed a palm to her face, clearing her sight as she tried to focus on the road.

After minutes of silence, Pearl’s tears had dried, leaving her hollow-eyed as she stared ahead. Her hands clenched the wheel, steady, while Rose sat beside her, music filling her headphones, gaze turned away like Pearl wasn’t even there.

They slowed at a red light. Pearl’s eyes flicked sideways, bitter and sharp. She cracked her window, inch by inch, the hum of the engine spilling in from outside. Her other hand slid across the gap between her and Rose, cautious, slow, like she was reaching into a cage.

The light turned green. Pearl floored the gas and, in one vicious motion, tore the headset from Rose’s head and flung it out the window.

“Pearl?” Rose jerked around, wide-eyed.

The engine roared as Pearl slammed them through the intersection.

“Pearl, what the heck!? Turn back!!” Rose’s voice cut sharp with panic.

Pearl gritted her teeth in a barely restrained smile, eyes wild, knuckles white on the wheel. “Nope.”

The car skidded around a bend, the rubber of the tires smoking. Rose clutched her seatbelt. “Pearl, this isn’t funny!”

Pearl’s laugh came sharp and unhinged, bubbling out until it rang over the engine. “I think it’s really funny!”

Rose’s voice snapped. “Pearl!”

She lifted slightly in her seat, shoulders squared, eyes blazing with authority that seemed to bend the air around her. “I am ordering you to stop the car!”

The tires screamed against the paved road, and the Dondai skidded to a sudden halt. Pearl froze, wide-eyed, as if caught in a trance.

“Yes… my Diamond,” she whispered, voice trembling with reverence.

Rose recoiled. “Pearl, don’t call me that!”

“Yes, my Diamond,” Pearl repeated, unwavering.

“Pearl, stop that!” Rose’s hands gripped Pearl’s shoulder.

“No, my Diamond,” Pearl shot back, tone defiant.

Without warning, Pearl stomped on the gas. The car lurched forward, spinning slightly, and her laugh once again ripped through the cabin- maniacal, unrestrained.

Rose’s eyes went wide with panic and outrage. “Oh my stars, you brought me out here to kill me!”

Pearl’s insane laugh rang as she veered the Dondai around a sharp bend. Rose lunged for the door, only to find it locked. Pearl’s grin stretched devilishly across her face, her finger on a button.

“Child safety lock!”

Rose groaned, spinning to climb over the passenger seat into the back.

“Rose, what are you-” Pearl started, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

Rose had already reached the back window.

“No, Rose, don’t you dare!” Pearl barked.

“Watch me!” Rose shot back, the window starting to retract.

Pearl slammed the driver-side window controls, trying to block her, but Rose’s hands glowed faintly. A shimmering bubble pressed between the glass and the frame, holding it open.

“Yes!” Rose cheered triumphantly, starting to crawl through the window.

Pearl’s voice cracked. “You’re not leaving me!”

She yanked the wheel hard, the Dondai spinning wildly within the road. Rose slammed against the back window, gripping the back headrests as the car teetered, Pearl pressed forward into her seat, arms straining on the wheel.

“Pearl! Hit! The brakes!” Rose yelled, the force of the spin distorting her face.

“I can’t! We’ll tip over!” Pearl shot back, white-knuckled and panicked.

The car gradually slowed, its momentum dying before it rolled to a shuddering stop. Pearl pressed her forehead into the steering wheel, the horn blaring a frantic note. Rose scrambled out the window, staggering as she stood on unsteady legs.

“Blegh… I think I’m about to lose the breakfast menu…” she groaned, clutching her stomach.

Pearl stepped out beside her, wobbling, barely keeping her balance, hair mussed and face pale.

Rose reared towards Pearl, almost tripping on the turn. “What is your problem?!?!”

Pearl’s hands curled into fists at her sides. “You tell me?! Since you were just about to!”

“Okay, all right.” Rose stepped closer, eyes blazing. “Your problem is that you never change.”

“Do you even change?!”

“You were always the same!” Rose shot back, voice trembling with anger and hurt, “trying to find some new way to woo me, trying to guilt me into hanging out with you more, picking fights with my flings, always getting uppity about having dirty humans near the temple.”

“Some of them were dirty!” Pearl snapped, her face flushed. “Some actually thought bathing too much was dangerous!”

Rose’s hands clenched at her sides. “And you never could just let me be!”

“I was your confidant! The only one you could trust- but oh wait, you didn’t, did you?” Pearl’s voice cracked. “Apparently, I had to find out about Lion after you were gone!”

Rose’s eyes ripped with anger. “You never would’ve approved of me hanging out with Earth animals that couldn’t even speak!”

“Is that why you hid it?” Pearl took a step forward. “You thought I wouldn’t approve of you?”

“Yes!” Rose clutched a bunch of her hair. “You reminded me so much of White Diamond!”

“White Diamond?!” Pearl froze, shock and confusion widening her eyes. “White Diamond used to lock you up for just dancing during your own balls!”

“And she would let me keep throwing them, no matter how many times I made her mad!” Rose glared at the ground. “Because it wasn’t my time to have fun, it was White’s time to be entertained, so long as she was okay with it.”

Pearl recoiled. Her hands shook as they nearly covered her mouth. “You think I just see you as entertainment?”

Rose scoffed, eyes glinting. “I think you only care about how I make you feel about yourself. That I make you feel better about yourself.”

Pearl’s lips quivered. “But you never made me feel that way.”

“Now you’re just lying- ”

Pearl pressed her palms to her face. “You used to make me think I could’ve been more, but I was never more to you, was I? I was just some thing in your life, that you could dump your secrets on, that enabled you in whatever you wanted to do- I would never have disapproved of anything you wanted to do, because I wanted you to approve of me !”

“I… ” Rose shook her head, exhaustion etched across her face. “I don’t have the energy anymore for this.”

She turned and walked away, shoulders heavy, leaving Pearl staring after her.

“Where are you going?”

Rose didn’t turn. “Back for my headset.”

A low, frustrated growl rumbled from Pearl’s throat.

Rose took barefoot steps onto the cool pavement, the night air thick with the rustle of grasshoppers and the distant sway of farmland. 

The headlights of the Supremo crept up slowly behind her, cutting through the dark then slowing beside Rose. Pearl leaned halfway out the driver’s side window, her face taut with impatience.

“You don’t need to walk,” Pearl called. “You can get in the car.”

Rose didn’t slow. Her bare feet barely made a sound on the pavement as she kept walking.

“Get in the car!” Pearl shouted, her voice sharp, but Rose only glanced off to the side, ignoring her.

“Oh for- ” Pearl muttered, exasperated. She slammed the Supremo into gear, veering to block the road ahead.

“Rose, please-”

Rose leapt high over the roof with ease, landing lightly on the other side, and continued walking without hesitation.

Pearl swerved the car alongside her again. “I know you told Connie you would talk to me about getting a therapist.”

Rose’s steps faltered and stopped, but her jaw stayed tight.

“You’re gonna threaten to tell Connie I never went to you to get me in the car with you?”

“If that’s how it’s got to be…” Pearl had a determined glare.

“Go ahead. She’s still mad about the whole do-it-for-her thing. How she is nothing without Steven.” Rose resumed walking. “She’ll see right through you.”

“You’re just saying that to convince me not to!” Pearl shot back from behind Rose.

Rose ignored her. Pearl growled, pressed the gas, and shot the Supremo alongside her.

“You’re not gonna get in the car? Fine! I’ll reach your headset first and smash what’s left!” Pearl hissed.

“Eh-wah- ” Rose blanched.

The Supremo roared past, kicking up a cloud of dust that hit Rose square in the face.

“You little- !” she shouted, wiping grit from her eyes.

Rose vaulted into the air, limbs coiling, and summoned a barrier behind her mid-jump. She planted her foot against it, thrusting herself forward with a burst of momentum.

Below, the Supremo swerved along the winding roads, but Rose arced high above, summoning barriers for each kick, propelling herself faster and faster, leaving the asphalt twisting beneath her, the Supremo now behind her.

Pearl leaned out the driver’s window, eyes tracking Rose’s path. “Oh no you don’t!” she yelled, voice slicing through the rush of wind.

The Supremo careened off the road, smashing through a wooden fence and tearing into fields of corn, stalks snapping under the wheels.

Rose kept flying, barrier after barrier boosting her, but Pearl’s relentless driving kept the car dangerously close, matching her thrust for thrust as the chase wove through farmland.

The headset sat on the gravel lip, half-buried in pale grit, the Supremo’s headlights sweeping over it as the car burst from the corn like some angry beetle.

Rose dropped from the sky, knees folding, bare feet touching gravel, and snatched the headset just as the Supremo roared up beside her.

Pearl slammed the brakes but the car didn’t stop; metal met flesh with a grinding, sickening crunch. The front end crumpled against Rose, a cloud of glass flying out. Rose staggered, protecting her headset in a quick bubble, and landed unhurt on her feet.

Pearl scrambled out, blinking, whole but stunned; she took in the ruined nose of the Supremo and whispered, “Oh…”

“Yeah.” Rose whispered, removing the headset from the bubble and holding it triumphantly. “Oh.”

She lifted it, ready to slip it on and fly home, and then a raw sound cut the air- a sob, sudden and ragged.

Pearl slid down the partially wrecked car door like a puppet whose strings had been cut, shoulders collapsing as the sobs tore out of her. She pressed her face to her knees and let herself break. Rose froze, the headset half-raised, watching the shape of Pearl shudder.

“ I just wanted you to talk to me. ” Pearl’s shoulders heaved, voice raw. “It’s not fair! You left me with so much, now you’re back and we can’t talk! Somehow, Connie gets more of that than me!”

Rose’s mouth flattened. “Pearl, it doesn’t matter if I don’t want to talk to you. I remember you were making friends long before I came back.”

Rose stepped close, close enough that Pearl could see the tired look in Rose’s eyes. “For Stars’ sake, you’re moving in with Bismuth! And she loves you more than I will ever be able to.”

Pearl’s breath hitched. “You really mean that?”

Pearl’s hand moved like a snap- sudden, precise. Her spear materialized in her grip, gleaming cold in the moonlight.

“Of course I- ” Rose blinked. “Wait, what are you-”

Before Rose could finish, Pearl lunged. The spear thrust forward; Rose’s face went slack with shock, then folded as her gaze dropped.

Between her hands, the spear embedded itself in the headset. Its casing cracked where the spear had struck. Plastic fissured, foam and wire split, the little device ruined.

Rose stared at the ruined headset, blinking in horror. “What?”

“HA! I GOT YOU!” Pearl crowed, triumphant and small, grin sharp in the moonlight.

Rose stepped away from Pearl. “You faked being sad just to- ”

“No.” Pearl’s voice still had a crack in it, and tears continued to stream down. “I am sad.”

Pearl steeled her eyes, “But now, you have to face it, just like me.”

Rose growled. She lifted and threw the broken device into the pavement. “I can just ask Steven to buy another one!”

“Sure, but you can’t wear it on the way back, which will still be awhile even if with your flight.” Pearl grinned harder. “Gives us more time to talk.”

“Then I’ll just leave you here.” Rose snapped, toes digging into the gravel.

“You do that, and you can never fall asleep with your headset again. I’ll come back every night, whenever you're asleep and if it’s not hidden, I will smash it, over and over.” Pearl returned her spear to her gem, smile growing even wider.

Rose let out a low groan. She gritted her teeth, and tightened a hand into a claw. Trying her best not to scream.

Rose kicked off a barrier and propelled them further, pink morning light cutting the clouds. Pearl clung around Rose’s shoulder as Rose held her up with her arms, the chilly wind billowing their hair.

Pearl began, voice small.“You know- ”

“Not one word,” Rose snapped, jaw set.

Pearl huffed, stubborn and raw. “This wouldn’t have happened if you’d just broken up with me properly.”

Pearl crossed her arms, “Like, Pearl, this isn’t working between us. I don’t love you- actually I hate you. Bye. ”

Rose’s laugh was a short, disbelieving bark as she kicked off another barrier. “You actually expect me to tell a friend that?”

“If you wanted that friend to ‘change,’ then yes,” Pearl said, a somber look returning to her eyes. “It would’ve made moving on easier.”

“Nope.” Rose had a tease in her voice. “You’re going to be in love with me forever.”

Pearl blinked and smirked. “Still in denial about me and Bismuth?”

“Bismuth can’t dance like I can,” Rose said with a proud look, not noticing that she had stopped summoning barriers to propel her faster.

Pearl rolled her eyes. “You’re right- she’s better.”

Rose glanced down, grin softening. “Okay. I’m dropping you now.”

“No!” Pearl tightened her grip and kicked a foot in the air, panic and laughter tangled.

They both tumbled into laughter- Pearl clutching Rose as if the world might tilt without her- while the sun pushed itself fully above the horizon and the beach below caught fire with gold.

Pearl’s fingers tightened around Rose’s waist, voice small and raw. “This is it, isn’t it? It’s finally happening.”

Rose glanced down, wind tugging at her hair. “What is?”

“You’re not my Rose anymore. And I’m not your Pearl.” Pearl’s words landed like a stone between them.

Rose’s laugh was a brittle thing that folded into something softer. “What was that song we sang when I was Steg? Independent together. ”

Pearl met her eyes. “Yeah.”

They rode the last wash of gold toward the horizon, silhouettes against the sun- two figures who had once fit so tightly now floating side by side, separate but stubbornly close.

“Independent together,” Pearl whispered, and the words vanished into the warm wind.

Steven stood on the porch steps, body trembling with a mix of terror, anger, and grief. His fingers curled into the railing until his knuckles blanched; his breath came in short, sharp pulls.

Beside him, Peridot squatted and poked at the wreck with a metal-tipped tool. She snorted, one brow arched. “Pffft. This’ll take us a week, tops.”

Pearl hovered a step back, trying to force a smile. “I’m very confident, Steven!”

The Dondai Supremo sat broken at the edge of the driveway, its nose crumpled in and glass glittering across the gravel. The tow truck’s taillights disappeared down the road, leaving silence in its wake.

Steven’s knees buckled. He dropped sideways onto the porch, curling into himself, hands pressed over his head. His body shook with jagged sobs, words clawing their way out between gasps.

“I- I tho- thought y-you- ” his voice cracked, snot running down his lip. “J-just g-gonna- talk!” 

Chapter Text

Steven pressed his forehead to the window, mug warm between his palms. Beyond the glass, Pearl and Peridot knelt in the sand, hunched over the battered frame of the Supremo. Tools gleamed in the sun, scattered on a tarp while Peridot fiddled with wires and Pearl leaned close, tightening bolts with practiced precision.

Behind him, the warp pad surged to life in a wash of pale light. The shimmer resolved into Bismuth, broad shoulders bent under a massive car part balanced with casual strength.

“Hey, Steven! This should be the last of the parts.”

He didn’t turn. His thumb traced the rim of his mug. “Pearl and Peridot are still out front. Just take it to them.”

“Sure thing.” Bismuth started for the door, then stopped short. She lowered the part with deliberate care, eyes fixed on his expression.

“Is everything okay with Rose?”

Steven’s gaze didn’t shift. “She’s on the couch playing Dig-Build with Connie.”

On the cushions, Rose sat cross-legged, noise-cancelling headphones snug around her head, the mic angled toward her mouth. Her eyes locked to the laptop screen, fingers flying- completely immersed.

Bismuth glanced around, puzzled. “I don’t really see Connie anywhere…”

“It’s an online game.” Steven sighed.

“Ooooh… right. I knew that.” Bismuth smiled faintly.

Steven glanced at a smiling Rose. “She doesn’t want me to play with her too for some reason.”

“She told you off or something?”

“No. She just gets in a mood when I try.”

“Huh.” Bismuth scratched her jaw, awkward. “I’d try to offer some advice, but she is a subject I don’t really understand any more.”

She bent, hefted the car part again, and set it against her shoulder. “Good luck, little friend.”

Steven managed a tired smile. “Thanks, appreciate it.”

Bismuth turned for the door, angling the heavy piece through the frame- only for the top corner to splinter wood with a sharp crack.

“I can fix that later!” she called over her shoulder, already trudging out into the sand toward Pearl and Peridot.

Steven sighed, his eyes drifting back to the couch.

Rose leaned closer to her mic, voice bright with focus. “Look out, I saw a Jeeper around here!”

Steven muttered under his breath, voice barely above a whisper. “I gotta find something I can do with you.”

The warp pad flickered alive, flooding the room with white-blue light. Steven turned, mug still in hand, as a familiar blue figure with eyes covered by hair stepped through the glow.

“Hello, Steven,” Blue Pearl said, with that calm yet almost shy tone.

“Blue Pearl?” Steven straightened. “What can I do for you?”

She folded her hands in front of her. “I came as a favor for Blue Diamond. She wanted you to know she needs to see you on Homeworld.”

“What?” Steven blinked. “Why doesn’t she just ring the communicator in the garden?”

“She says she has been. It hasn’t been coming through for some reason.”

“Really…” His eyes slid sideways toward the couch. Rose sat oblivious, headset on, voice carrying brightly into the living room.

“Want some iron? I got a lot that I don’t need,” She chirped into her mic.

Blue Pearl tilted her head, responding to the oblivious Rose. “I don’t think I really need some, I’m good.”

Steven lifted a hand, already weary. “No, she’s- nevermind. What does Blue Diamond want?”

“She says White has been hiding in her head, ever since you stopped responding to their communication requests.”

Steven pressed his palm to his forehead. “I was wondering why White wasn’t visiting. Let me pack some food first.”

“I’m just going back to Little Homeworld to draw. Yellow Pearl wanted to do some sessions later this evening.” Blue Pearl waved Steven goodbye.

The warp pad shimmered again as she disappeared, leaving Steven standing in the quiet with only Rose’s laughter spilling from the couch. He downed the whole mug in one gulp.

Steven hauled his backpack onto the counter, and started stuffing it with juice boxes and snack bags.

Amethyst drifted in, scratching her head as she glanced toward the couch where Rose was still laughing into her headset. Her eyes slid back to Steven’s pile of supplies.

“Headed out?” she asked.

“Yeah. Little Homeworld,” Steven said, tucking a sandwich bag into the side pocket.

He grabbed a pen, scribbled on a sticky note, and pressed it to the fridge door:

I’m visiting Little Homeworld. If I’m not back tomorrow morning, look for me - Steven. 

Amethyst frowned. “That’s grim. What’s the deal?”

“White’s been hiding in her head,” Steven muttered, zipping the bag shut.

“Ah, crud.” She leaned against the counter. “And what are you gonna do?”

“Talk her out of it.”

Steven slung the bag over his shoulder and started up the stairs.

“I’m coming with,” Amethyst said, pushing off the counter.

“Someone should stay here and watch Rose. And Garnet’s not exactly been around often…” Steven replied without slowing.

“She’s not a kid, Steven. She can look after herself.”

They climbed together, the greenhouse dome hot from the afternoon sunlight. The homeworld warp pad sat waiting.

“Look,” Steven said, adjusting the strap of his bag. “Just let me do most of the talking.”

“Sure thing, bud.” Amethyst’s mouth twisted, her gaze dipping. “Didn’t think you thought of me as some burden.”

Steven paused. “Yeah, but if there’s trouble, you can still kick butt…”

Amethyst grinned, though it didn’t quite mask the sting. “You’ll kick more butt, you jerk!”

“No way, you’ll kick so much butt, you’ll kick my butt!”

“You’ll be kicking my butt!”

“You’ll be kicking White’s butt!”

“Agh! You buttface!” Amethyst playfully punched his shoulder.

Their laughter echoed inside the dome as the warp pad surged to life beneath their feet, light wrapping around them until both were gone.

Blue sat on the steps of the throne room museum on Homeworld, her fingers pressed to her lips, her eyes shadowed with worry.

“Oh, White… what are we going to do with you…” she murmured, glancing back at the big statue of White's ship above the building.

The warp pad at the base of the staircase flared with light. Steven and Amethyst appeared in its glow, stepping forward.

Blue’s face lit up. “Oh, thank the Stars! Steven, you got my message!”

“Where’s Yellow Diamond?” Steven asked.

“She’s back in her workshop,” Blue said, rising to her feet. “Trying to stay busy in any way other than whatever White wants her to be.”

Steven blinked. “…What?”

“It’s best if I showed you. Come.”

Blue lowered herself, cupping her massive hands. Steven stepped carefully into them, Amethyst climbing in beside him, and Blue lifted them with gentle care. They soon found themselves carried down the vast corridors of the museum, which led to other areas in the capital.

There was worry in Blue’s tone. “Why haven’t you been responding to our calls?”

“Something’s wrong with our communication relay,” Steven said. “We just noticed something was off.”

“I see…” Blue’s voice trailed, heavy with thought.

Steven glanced up at her. “What is White doing?”

Blue’s eyes dimmed. “She’s been reaching out to old commanders from her armies. And she’s been pressuring us to do the same.”

“Why?” Steven asked, an edge of dread building. “Aren’t they all doing something else now anyway?”

“To look for the alien. And possibly protect against it,” Blue said. “Not all of them are content with their new lives. A number of them… miss the old regime.”

A weight pressed down on Steven’s chest, and it showed plain in his face. His shoulders sank, and his mouth tightened as Blue carried them through the long halls until they came to a wide chamber lined with tall windows.

The place smelled of wet clay. Where once Yellow Diamond’s workshop had been filled with her fusion experiments- first when she was making them, then when she was undoing them- now it was cluttered with enormous clay vessels in every stage of completion.

At the center, Yellow sat hunched on a too-small stool, her long legs folded awkwardly as she worked a spinning mountain of clay between her hands. Her sharp fingers coaxed it into the walls of a massive pot, shoulders taut with restless energy.

She spotted them as they entered. Her eyes flicked up, quick and bright.

“Steven! And his little Amethyst, too!” she said, before her focus snapped back to the clay wheel.

Steven glanced at Amethyst, uneasy. “What’s going on, Yellow?”

Without looking up, Yellow barked, “I need to get one hundred million pots made by the end of this cycle, that’s what’s going on.”

Steven opened his mouth, then closed it again. “I…”

“Uuuuuuh…” Amethyst scratched her head.

“It’s her trick to avoid answering White’s demands.” Blue almost crossed her arms, before the squirm of Steven and Amethyst in her palms stopped her.

“That’s not true at all!” Yellow’s hands pressed hard into the clay, warping the pot’s lip. “I spoke with an Agate from Little Homeworld who liked doing this. These things actually serve an important function!”

Steven managed half a grin. “It… carries water?”

“It can carry all kinds of liquids!” Yellow snapped, her tone wobbling between pride and strain. “It- agh!”

She crushed the top of the mound between her hands. She turned to the pair standing in Blue’s hands. “Steven, you have to talk to White! You’ve ignored us for far too long.”

Blue pulled Steven and Amethyst closer to her chest. “His communication relay is down.”

Yellow’s eyes cut to Steven. “Does this new Pink have anything to do with it?”

Steven swallowed. “We- ”

“She wouldn’t have done such a thing-” Blue’s voice trembled, almost a whisper “-Would she?”

“Who knows.” Yellow eyes fixed downward, a shadow falling across her face. “I realized a while ago that I never understood her.”

Her posture sagged, shoulders folding inward as her voice cracked. “…I never did.”

Blue stepped closer, careful with each stride, Steven and Amethyst still cupped safely in her hand. She reached out and drew Yellow into a gentle embrace, her own tears glinting. “We both didn’t.”

Yellow sniffed hard, her frame trembling. “I wish I could still blame this on your powers, Blue.”

She pulled herself upright, breath hitching, and turned her head toward Steven and Amethyst. Her stare landed on them like a weight. “I want to see her.”

Steven shrank beneath that demand, his voice faltering. “S-she’s not ready.”

“Why?!” Yellow’s eyes burned. “What is she doing that she can’t be capable of seeing us?! Even you are able to be here!”

Amethyst’s jaw tightened, her hands curling into fists. “That’s not your business!”

“Amethyst- ” Steven tried, but she cut him off.

“She’ll come to you if she wants to, not because you want her to! If she doesn’t want to ever see you again, then that’s no one’s problem but yours !”

Yellow glared even harder than before. “You little- ”

“You need to respect her wishes!” Amethyst shot back, fierce and unflinching.

Blue raised her hand, voice breaking but firm. “We do respect her wishes!”

“Then quit your whining,” Amethyst snapped, “and take us to White so you don’t have to deal with everything going back to the way it used to be.”

The room went still. Yellow and Blue both let out long, weary sighs. Then, almost in unison, they lifted their heads with a new steel in their eyes.

They crossed the vast expanse of Homeworld’s ecumenopolis, the skyline a forest of spires in various shapes and sizes, and now with a build up of planted vegetation, although it was unclear if it was organic or gem based. A broad bridge led them to the titanic shape of White’s ship.

“White! Steven is here to see you!” Yellow’s voice rang out, thin with practiced cheer.

The ship’s eyes opened, and stared down. White’s voice vibrated through the air, “Is that thing with him?”

Yellow’s mouth tightened. “What thing?”

Steven swallowed, pushing away the person sized thumb of blue- trying to pet and console him. “No, Rose is not with us!”

“Is Spinel with you?” A tinge of panic leaked through her normally composed voice, “I haven’t been able to find her!”

“Oh boy, she must still be on earth.” He trades a worried look with Amethyst. Then he cups his hands to yell up at the ship. “She’s not with us, but we’ll look for her!”

“Alright, you just come in by yourself, dear,” The ship said, trying its best to sound chipper and unbothered.

This didn’t fool Steven. “No!”

White’s booming voice was sharp in its reply. “What did you say?”

He lowered his hands, hoping White could still hear him without shouting. “I brought Amethyst with me, and I think Blue and Yellow have something they need to say to you.” 

The eyes of the ship glanced at the former planet conqueror. “Yellow? I thought you were busy making liquid containers?”

“I am,” Yellow answered, voice thin but steady. “But this seemed more important and short enough to attend to!”

The ship’s eyes narrowed; they shifted to the mother of the gem’s justice system. “Blue, why can’t I seem to reach you? And the same goes for you, Steven!”

Steven opened his mouth, then closed it as Blue stepped forward, unsteadying his balance in her palm. “Both our communications are down, unexpectedly! We just now noticed the problem!”

Steven and Amethyst stared up at a nervously smiling Blue who returned the glance down at her hands.

The ship’s gaze lingered on them. “…They are both down?”

“That’s right!” Blue answered.

“Yeah, she’s right!” Steven added.

“At the same time?”

“Yes!” Both Blue and Steven shouted in unison.

White considered them for a long, slow beat. “Then you must share the same malfunctioning Peridot, then.”

Amethyst cringed at White’s casual caste bigotry, “Ooookay…”

Steven steeled himself, “White, we all need to talk to you. Together.”

Steven traded looks with Yellow and Blue. Yellow gulped, Blue narrowed her eyes up at the ship.

“...Fine.”

They waited. Steven and Amethyst small in Blue’s cupped hands- while Yellow lingered, one boot tapping a slow, impatient rhythm against the ground, finger drumming her hip. The three of them stood awkward and exposed beneath the ship’s giant gaze.

“White, can you bring us in?” Steven asked.

“What?” White replied, distracted. “Oh, right.”

A pale sphere of white light swelled around them, clean and clinical, swallowing the three up. The sphere floated up and forward and vanished through the ship’s vast eye like a pearl dropped into a bowl.

Floating through the innards of the face, the Pearl touched ground and dissipated. Then the four found themselves set down in White’s grey bridge. White stood above them on her pedestal, limbs locked in a T-pose, the smile flat and uncanny on her face.

Steven stared up at the colossal figure, unease prickling his skin. “Uh… why are you doing that, White?”

White’s smile stayed glued to her face. “Doing what, my little star?”

Amethyst jabbed a thumb at White’s outstretched arms. “The thing where you stand with your hands out like that, like you’re trying to balance a pumpkin on your head.”

“Well…” White huffed, the laugh brittle. “It’s just soothing, okay?”

“Maybe you can sit down?” Steven suggested, voice small.

White’s gaze flicked over him in that slow, clinical way; the smile never left but the blankness in her eyes softened.

“White! Please!” Yellow pleaded.

“You’re scaring us!” Blue said sharply.

“Oh fine!” White rolled her shoulders and, with a faint sigh, folded down off her pedestal.

She slumped at first, then squared her shoulders and straightened, the pose trading comfort for composure, smiling again. Blue eased Steven and Amethyst down from her cupped hands so their feet touched the ground again.

Steven stepped forward. “White, tell me what’s going on.”

White’s expression shifted toward a shaky, stressed smile. Then it collapsed.

“There’s still nothing on this creature!” She blurted out. “It’s out there, doing who knows what! We need to defend ourselves! We need order along our territories!”

“We already have order!” Yellow’s words snapped out.“The Zircons are- ”

“No crosstalk!” Steven cut in, voice small but firm.

Yellow blinked. “What?”

Steven took a breath. “I learned it from support groups. Everyone waits their turn to talk. No crosstalk. We only talk about how we feel. And if we’re feeling a lot of negative stuff, we try to find at least one positive thing.”

He glanced up at White. “White, is there more?”

For a heartbeat, she looked almost small against the cavern of her ship. Then her shoulders trembled and a brittle edge crept into her voice. “I’m terrified.”

This confession startled Yellow and Blue.

“I can feel this thing everywhere- crawling on my gem.” Her eyes darted between everyone, “I thought, when all of you stopped answering me, that it had done something. That it had reached you all, somehow.”

She looked down in thought, remembering to look for the positive. “Steven, I’m glad you’re here now, so we can take care of this thing together.”

For a moment the chamber held its breath. They waited, quiet and careful, giving White space, making sure that was all she had to say.

“Okay, I’m gonna take my turn now.” Steven drew in a steadying breath and pushed himself upright. “White, I am afraid of what bringing back the Gem Empire would do to us. I don’t feel that I would be safer if it existed, I feel that it would make everything worse.”

White’s smile tightened into something smug. “But I suppose it’s just a coinc- ”

“I’m not done talking,” Steven snapped, but it failed to reach her.

“-cedence that the alien arrived shortly after the Gem Empire was fully dismantled, hmmm?” She gave him an expecting look, as if waiting for him to admit she was right.

Steven set his jaw. Amethyst padded his back in support. “This doesn’t work if you don’t respect our turns to talk,” He said.

White’s posture faltered; the rigid line of her shoulders slumped and her expression folded into a petulant pout.

“Okay.” Steven took a breath. “I’m hurt that you’re not talking to Blue and Yellow about your feelings in ways that don’t include orders and demands.”

This elicited blushed looks from the two giants at his side.

“But I’m happy that you are willing to have us here and give us our turns to talk.” At White’s blank stare, he clarified, “I’m done.”

White’s cracked a smile again as Steven finished. “Great, so it’s my turn- ”

“Someone else should go next.” Steven cut in, head swivelling between Blue and Yellow. White’s locked her jaw shut.

Yellow’s shoulders hunched; she glanced at Blue, looking for backing.

Blue inhaled, steady. “I will go next.”

Yellow blinked, surprised.

“White,” Blue said, voice low, “I feel the same as Steven- more so on that last part. In fact, I lied earlier. My communications aren’t down. I’ve been avoiding you.”

White’s jaw tightened. Fury simmered behind her cool mask, but she held her tongue.

Blue kept going. “I helped you with a small scouting expedition, but you’ve been making more demands ever since. Too much time was being taken away from my cloud production. A lot of Gems need it to feel better.”

Her tone went pleading, raw. “I need it to feel better.”

White grumbled, a sound of clear displeasure. Blue swallowed, then forced out one last confession: “…And I wish you would visit to feel better yourself. I’m always happier when you do.”

This drains the anger from White’s face, her eyes going wide.

Blue smiled, relieved to have spoken her piece. “I’m finished, Steven.”

Yellow straightened herself, shoulders squaring as if to hold the room upright. She brushed off a smidgen of clay dust that still clung to her fingers. 

“Then the floor is mine.”

She met White’s gaze with a stiff, deliberate posture. As if a soldier standing at attention. “White, I will commit myself to anything you ask of me, short of hurting other innocent Gems. I would even rebuild the entirety of the Gem Empire with you, if you asked. I would conquer worlds again, in our name.”

White’s smile sharpened- a slow, private bloom of pride that tugged at the edges of her features. Steven’s face went pale; Amethyst’s jaw dropped. For a breath moment the chamber held the taste of something old and dangerous, like a tide turning.

Then Yellow’s shoulders sagged. The pride in her posture crumpled into exhaustion.

“But… I will do all of this, not because I want to make you happy.” Yellow’s fingers tightened around the clay dust coating her palms. “But because I can’t say no to you.”

Amethyst drew back with wide eyes. “Whaaaaa- ”

“No crosstalk!” Yellow snapped, her glare cutting down at the smallest occupant in the room. Amethyst shrank further, folding into herself, muttering nothing.

Yellow turned back to White, her gaze softened, but her posture remained tense. “I… I don’t think you were happy about the way things were. And I wasn’t happy about that, and about other things. None of us were.”

White was transfixed, mouth slightly agape.

Yellow exhaled, letting a tremor slip through her chest. “What made me happy was how much we could talk . About various things that weren't conquest and consolidation. But we only got that when we abdicated our power. ”

A sadness overtook White’s eyes.

Yellow closed hers. “That’s all I have to say.”

Steven, the young boy with a soft round face and a mop of dark hair, shifted his weight, glancing at Amethyst. She shook her head, arms crossed tightly, jaw set, refusing to add anything.

“White, do you have anything you want to say to all this?” Steven asked, voice low but firm.

White’s towering form remained rigid, hands pressed lightly together, eyes flicking to each of them in turn.

“I… I know you all want the best for us. And I want the best for you. I want us all to be happy-” She eyed them all as she said this- “but I also want us to feel safe.”

Her expression tightened, lips pinched and shoulders rising briefly, then falling as she blinked rapidly, casting a careful glance at Steven and the Diamonds. A pink flush spread across her cheeks, changing the room itself, and she pressed a hand to her chest, a subtle shiver running through her frame. The tension coiled in her stance, shifting from control to vulnerability, but she held it.

“Do… Do you all remember when I used to go on expeditions myself?”

Yellow nodded once; Blue shimmered faintly with agreement. Steven blinked, confused, glancing at Amethyst, who shrugged with a furrowed brow.

White’s gaze drifted outward, distant. “It was when we only encompassed our star system. I would go out in my ship, exploring other systems, seeing what was out there.”

A smile played across her lips, “It was so fulfilling.”

A pale light pulsed from her gem, and a holographic screen sprang to life, casting flickering light across the room. White’s figure appeared in various stances, planets and alien landscapes shifting behind her: dense jungles, icy moons, jagged asteroids, swirling gas giants, and radiant nebulae.

“I encountered many lifeforms,” she continued, her tone steady, almost reverent. “Some could speak, many couldn’t. Many tried to pick a fight with me. Many failed.”

Images flashed: her ship encircled by alien tanks, sleek attack boats, and hovering jets; another frame showed her ignoring a hail of tiny arrows from medieval-like aliens, her expression unshaken.

“But… I never told you this…”

Her voice dropped, weighted. “One got really close.”

The holographic sequence shifted. White’s ship floated in the vast darkness of space. “I wasn’t even on a planet, or in a system. I was in the empty space between stars. At first I thought it crashed into my ship by chance, but now I think it was looking for me.”

A colossal, shadowy form surged through the void, slamming against the ship, landing with a splash. Slowly, almost deliberately, it slithered in streams inside through the ship’s massive eyes. Yellow stiffened, fingers gripping her arms. Blue covered her mouth. Steven’s eyes widened, trembling and Amethyst’s jaw dropped as they all gasped in horror.

“It got to me.” White’s shoulders shook as she clutched herself, voice trembling. “And it touched me.”

Her composure had crumbled, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I think it tried to do some kind of fusion, whether I wanted it or not. I felt like I was being consumed. I fought it, for as long as I could. It lasted like that for five decades. I was only able to repel it because…”

The holographic screen shifted. Another ship appeared, smaller three legged astronaut suits boarded White’s vessel. It showed the inside now, the little beings swarming the interior. They prodded at the dark mass with unfamiliar tools.

“I don’t think they knew what they were doing, but they weakened its hold. When I freed myself, I attacked everything around me.”

Blasts of radiant light erupted, disintegrating the tiny alien figures. The black, writhing mass recoiled, hurling itself into the void of space.

“It got away. I went back home and stayed here in my head. For a while, I couldn’t leave because I could feel it. Like it was just waiting for its next chance.”

“Stars…” Yellow gaped, hand to her forehead. “I remember that.”

Blue’s hand brushed lightly against her own cheek. “I thought that you had only grown tired of your trips.”

White’s gaze hardened. “I wasn’t able to leave until you conquered your first system, Yellow.”

Yellow’s eyes tightened, recalling the memory. “They contacted us. Wanted to trade with us. I asked you what we should’ve done, and you said they can’t be trusted, they aren’t perfect like we are, and we must go and make a more perfect world out of theirs.”

“I did believe that…” White nodded, eyes distant. “But their system was also along the path I returned from, after it attacked me. When there was suddenly a colony blocking that pathway, with its perfect sensors and perfect defenses, I felt safer on Homeworld.”

Amethyst shifted uneasily, arms crossing, foot tapping.

Blue’s calm voice broke through. “Then you told me and Yellow to start colonizing more systems. Pink had to stay on Homeworld to produce her healing tears for our armies. That’s when we started seeing less of her.”

Amethyst’s eyes went wide. “Whaaaat?!”

Blue raised a hand, hesitant. “Crosstalk?”

Steven held up a hand, trying to restore order. “We’ve kinda lost track of whose turn it is. White, do you still have more to say- ”

Amethyst cut in, voice firm. “I have something to say.”

Steven’s voice trembled as he reached for Amethyst’s arm. “Amethyst- ”

White held up a hand, voice quieter now. “It’s okay. I think I’ve said enough.”

Amethyst’s fists clenched. “Good. I’m sorry, but everything I just heard was a load of clod!”

Yellow reeled. “That’s uncalled for!”

Amethyst snapped back, “Crosstalk!”

Steven raised his hands helplessly. “You can’t just hurl insults!”

Amethyst’s glare swept the room. “Oh right, it’s supposed to be how I feel, right?”

Amethyst glare reared back up at White, “Well, I feel anger when I learn that when you were at your worst, you hurt the only beings willing to come and help you!”

White froze, shock spreading across her face.

Amethyst pressed on, voice rising. “And when I hear that you thought it was okay to conquer and destroy other worlds- worlds who only wanted to be friends with you- just to feel safe from that thing, I feel disgusted.”

Blue’s tone was calm but firm. “They would’ve made good allies…”

“Exactly!” Amethyst’s glare shifted toward Blue, then she jabbed a finger. “And crosstalk! Just because one alien thing wanted to hurt you, doesn’t mean they all do. It doesn’t mean you can just do what you want to other people.”

Steven’s shoulders shook, tears streaking down his face.

White’s voice cracked. “S-Steven?”

He sniffled, looking at Amethyst. “Is there more?”

Amethyst exhaled at the sight of Steven, her anger softening. “Um… I need a positive thought… I’m glad that you are willing to listen. And trying to change.”

She rubbed an arm, “That’s all.”

“Good.” Steven sniffed and wiped the tears from his face. “I’m sad that you were hurt, White. I’m sad that you felt the need to cause hurt afterwards. I’m sad that this hurt pulled all of you apart for millennia. I’m sad that things couldn’t have been different.”

Blue’s eyes softened, tears on her eyes now too. “Oh Steven, I’m so sorry.”

The sadness spread from Blue to Yellow, who whispered through her own tears. “Blue, crosstalk.”

Steven shook his head, trying to stay firm. “You guys are trying to do better. Geez, Yellow- you actually managed to heal all the fusion experiments on Earth.”

Yellow’s lips curved into a small, tear soaked proud smile.

Steven turned toward Blue, his gaze warm. “Blue, you’re working to spread happiness.”

Blue’s cheeks flushed, her hands fidgeting slightly.

Steven looked at White, eyes wide and earnest. “White, you’re- ”

“A monster.” White interrupted sharply, voice flat and heavy. I’m a monster, and a fraud.”

Amethyst’s jaw dropped, and Steven’s hand went to his chest, eyes locking on White in stunned silence.

White shifted forward from her spot on the pedestal, and her knees slammed against the floor with thunder. Her hands sent out a rumble as they landed, cracks spidering outward as she shook, body wracked with sobs.

“For thousands of years, no one had any idea how unstable I was. I could’ve been corrupted by that creature this whole time, and no one knew. Because I thought no matter how much I wrecked, I always fixed it afterward, by making everything perfect.”

Her voice broke, trembling as it spilled into the space. “All those innocent life forms… all those planets… Yellow… Blue…”

She gasped, voice catching on one name. “…Pink…”

Yellow stepped forward, her posture softened from the session, placing a steadying hand on White’s shoulder. “We are still together.”

Blue moved in from the other side, her palm pressing against White’s back. “Now’s our chance to do better.”

Steven and Amethyst watched, tense and quiet. Amethyst shifted, wrapping an arm around Steven, pulling him close as they observed the three giants of their world seeking a fragile moment of reconciliation.

Blue had raised her hand, and soft, glowing clouds of her joy-inducing mist drifted around the chamber, filling the air with a light, sparkling haze.

White threw her head back, laughing freely, a sound rare and unguarded.

“And that time you tried to brush her hair!” White cackled, shaking with mirth as she touched Blue’s shoulder.

Yellow’s laughter was loud, booming, echoing off the walls. “The look on her face as she tried to get away!”

“Pink was never the same around that comb.” Blue giggled, covering her mouth. “She screamed every time I had it in my hand.”

White jabbed a finger at Yellow, smirking. “Or the time she planted organic flowers all over your workshop!”

Yellow groaned, laughter bubbling through her. “I had to call Blue to help me restrain myself! She was-” Yellow was cut off by her own laughter “-she was so scared!”

Steven and Amethyst sat cross-legged on the floor a few paces away, shoulders brushing, watching the four of them laugh together. The tension of the past hours seemed to drift off with the sparkling clouds, leaving warmth in its wake.

Amethyst laid her back down on the floor, arms around the back of her head. “They’re really one screwed-up family, aren’t they?”

“Tell me about it.” Steven rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at her. “Did you mean what you said?”

“Yeah,” Amethyst said, frowning. “How White reacted is all messed up- ”

“I mean before,” Steven cut in gently. “Do you really think everything will be okay if Rose never visits?”

Amethyst shrugged, sitting up on her hands. “If they try anything, we’ll fight them.”

Steven hesitated, biting his lip. “But what if it just makes her feel worse?”

“You can’t be serious,” Amethyst said, narrowing her eyes. “Even you gave them a wide berth before all this White Diamond drama.”

Steven exhaled, nodding slowly. “You’re right. Maybe it is for the best.”

The two of them watched as the three Diamonds doubled over in laughter, the light from Blue’s clouds glinting off their polished forms.

Steven reached for Amethyst’s hand. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

The warp pad flared to life in the greenhouse, bathing the room in pale moonlight.

Steven stepped off first, juice box in hand, glancing around. “I’ll talk to Peridot about getting our console fixe- ”

Before he could finish, the pad erupted in a spray of crystal shards as something heavy slammed into it.

Steven and Amethyst spun. Steven covered Amethyst, blocking flying debris with his shield, as she pulled her whip out of her gem.

Their jaws dropped. From the wreckage of the warp pad, Rose emerged, hair tousled, eyes blazing with anger. In her hand, she held the sticky note Steven had left on the fridge. Her glare cut straight through them.

“I thought I said I didn’t want you seeing them?” The coldness in her tone sent shivers in Steven’s spine.

“Rose, calm down- ”

“No. Enough of this talking down to me.” She stepped closer, shadow falling over him, her posture rigid, towering. “I am your mother. I am older than you, older than anyone among the Crystal Gems! I have my experience with them , and yours . I know what’s best for you!”

Amethyst retracted her whip into her gem. “Rose, please- ”

“And you!” Rose spun toward Amethyst. “I thought you were supposed to be mature now? Why would you be okay with this? You know what they did to him!”

“They are seriously messed up over there, Rose. If Steven wasn’t there- ”

“He can’t keep going there forever! They are not his problem to fix!” Rose stomped a piece of the warp pad, as if doing so made the diamonds further away.

Steven swallowed, glare firm. “You broke the comms relay too, didn’t you?”

Rose’s jaw tightened. “Only because you refuse to actually listen to me.”

“Well, you may be older, but I am old enough to make my own decisions,” Steven shot back, stepping forward.

“Please.” Rose scoffed, eyes rolling. “They wouldn’t even let me leave Homeworld until I was two thousand years old.”

“Well, this isn’t that family.”

“Well, good luck trying to talk to them again.”

Rose walked to the communication console. She balled her hands into fists and raised them above her head in a motion to smash the interface.

“I don’t want you talking to Connie anymore.” Steven’s words halted Rose mid-swing. 

Her hand froze over the console, fists hovering like poised claws. “That’s not your decision- you’re not her keeper!”

“No,” Steven said, voice firm, but there was a shake in his legs. “But if I tell her I’m gonna stop talking and living with you, she’ll follow my lead.”

Rose’s shoulders stiffened, and she stepped back from the console, and turned with a glare hard enough to burn. Steven held her gaze, unflinching, his jaw tight, every line of him daring her to move.

“Rose.”

Garnet stepped forward from the corner of the greenhouse, out from behind a pot of plants. 

Rose was surprised. “Garnet- ”

“You promised me,” Garnet said, hurt in her voice. “You swore you’d be careful.”

“I was careful. I am being careful.” Rose replied, but exhaustion was starting to build in her words. “I’m protecting him…”

Garnet didn’t answer.

Instead, she produced a broom and dustpan from her gems and began sweeping the shards of the warp pad, her movements calm and precise, completely ignoring Rose.

Rose’s expression went numb. She turned and walked away, steps heavy as she climbed down the stairs and out of the greenhouse.

Steven shook his head, looking at the quiet scene. “We’re really one screwed-up family, aren’t we?”

Garnet’s lips twitched in a small, knowing sigh. “Tell me about it.”

Chapter Text

Connie’s voice shot through the phone speaker, sharp with disbelief. “She did what ?!”

Steven sat on the sand, phone pressed to his ear, waves rolling in under a pale blue sky. “Yeah, it was pretty bad. Garnet, Amethyst, and I cleaned up as much as we could. We’ve got Bismuth looking into replacing the pad, and Peridot’s checking the relay.”

“If she had done that before you got back, you would’ve been stuck!”

Steven puffed his cheeks and blew out a raspberry. “I probably could’ve gotten a ride from the Diamonds.”

“Steven, be serious,” Connie scolded, but there was a little laugh behind her words.

He shrugged, even though she couldn’t see it. “I think she waited, at least until I got back.”

“You got back at night, right? Steven- it was still afternoon when we both got off. She had to have been waiting for you for hours.”

Steven blinked, the weight of that sinking in. “Oh boy.” His stomach turned at the thought, and then another: how long was Garnet waiting in her spot, hiding?

There was a pause on the line, Connie’s voice quieter now. “Maybe I should take some space from Rose…”

“Maybe… but… please don’t be mad.” Steven twisted the hem of his shirt. “When she threatened to keep me from speaking to the Diamonds, I… I threatened to keep you from talking to her.”

Connie playfully huffed on the other end of the phone. “And how exactly were you planning on doing that?”

Steven forced a grin. “Keep you in a bubble at the bottom of the sea?”

That pulled a laugh from her, bright and shaky. “Well- how did she take it?”

Steven brushed at his eyes with the heel of his hand, staring out at the horizon. “I think it actually scared her.”

Connie’s laugh faded, the line going quiet.

He drew a shaky breath. “It stopped her from making more of a mess, but… I don’t understand how she can be so attached to you.”

Her reply came sharp but almost pitying. “Do you really not understand, or are you just afraid to say what you’re thinking?”

The tone prickled at him, left him feeling smaller, patronized. He swallowed. “…The last one.”

From the corner of his eye, movement stirred. Steven turned and saw Rose emerging from the surf, stepping out of the ocean as if the water never touched her. She caught his gaze, then drifted away along the edge of the tide, walking where the waves kissed the sand.

Connie’s voice softened, hesitant. “I have a feeling I know what you’re thinking.”

Steven’s chest tightened. The words left him slow, wary. “She was me…” He didn’t trust the thought, didn’t want to.

Connie matched his quiet with a tender tone. “I told my mom that your mom was back.”

Steven sat up a little, dismissive, almost defensive. “I still see her as a sibling.”

“Like the Rose Quartz gems from the zoo?” Connie pressed.

“Yeah… but different,” Steven muttered. “She may not have experienced being created by Rose- herself- whatever.”

“But she experienced what you did,” Connie said softly, “as an equal.”

Steven let out a breath, long and heavy. “I don’t know.”

He flopped back into the sand, staring up at the sky. From his upside-down angle, he caught movement: Pearl poking her head into the Supremo’s front hood. Rose drifted to her side, leaning in to see what she was doing.

“She tried to pull the ‘I’m your mother’ card on me that night,” Steven said, voice tight. “She has my experiences- and Rose Quartz’s and Pink Diamond’s, too. She’s waaaay older than me.”

A bright, muffled giggle came through the phone. “She… certainly doesn’t act like it,” Connie said.

“Connie!” Steven snapped, half-laughing.

“Sorry! That was mean,” Connie said, still snickering into the receiver.

Steven let out a short laugh. “But true.”

Pearl hauled herself up from the Supremo’s hood. Rose shook her hair, sending a spray of salt across Pearl’s face; her damp hair exploded back into shape. Pearl laughed.

“Maybe we should push her into it more,” Connie suggested from the phone. “Make her do things a mother should do?”

Steven went quiet, the idea hanging. “I’m… pretty sure it’s too late for a lot of those things.”

“Remember when my parents met the Gems and they merged into Alexandrite and pretended to be your mom?” Connie rattled on. “Well now your actual mom is here- ”

Steven cut in, incredulous. “You’re not seriously suggesting- ”

“Let’s have a dinner date with our parents!” Connie bursted with eagerness.

He couldn’t help it. He shouted, “You were literally just talking about not seeing her!”

Silence stretched. Steven covered his mouth, staring at Rose. She stood a few feet away still by the Supremo, rubbing her arm, eyes flitting away when she caught his gaze. Steven’s jaw tightened.

“I know.” Connie sounded deflated. “But I also want things to get better, and I think she wants that too.”

He watched Rose climb the steps toward the house, shoulders hunched. “She doesn’t care if the Diamonds get worse,” he said with a hint of resentment.

Connie sighed. “Yeah, but she has a point. You can’t keep fixing things forever, Steven. We’ve talked about this so many times with Dr. Mundy.”

“Yeah,” he conceded.

His voice turned sardonic. “But he also said it's unique this time because it’s, and I quote, a very delicate political situation in which three galactic overlords rely on me for emotional support in their reformation , end quote.”

“Still,” Connie pressed, “you can set boundaries.”

Steven watched Rose pause on the top step, then start up again. “And now my mom wants to control those boundaries…”

He exhaled. “Alright, I’ll talk to her and give the dinner a try.”

“Alright then!” Connie brightened. “I’ll talk to my mom, but tonight seems like the only window we can get the both of them off work.”

“Whoa-” Steven’s voice went thin with nerves. “Tonight?”

She sighed, “Is it too soon?”

“No!” he answered, scrambling for calm. “I mean- I don’t know yet. I’ll talk to Rose and Dad and then text you. I think he’s in Little Homeworld giving guitar lessons.”

“No problem.” Connie’s tone softened. Then she forced cheer, “See you tonight, Jambud!”

“Later, Jambud!” Steven echoed, trying on excitement.

They made a ridiculous, loud smooch into the phone- Connie’s through the speaker, Steven’s audible into his palm- and both laughed. He ended the call, held the phone with his neck for a beat, then stood and brushed sand from his pants.

Steven walked toward the beach house, phone pocketed away. Pearl slammed the Supremo’s hood down with a satisfied clang and spun, face bright with pride.

“Hey, Pearl,” Steven called, smiling. “How much longer on the repairs?”

“Actually it’s done now already.” Pearl’s chest puffed. She started listing items on her fingers, “The engine is all hooked, the suspension is replaced, the panels, the airbags, the seatbelts!”

“That’s awesome!” Steven said, then a small frown crossed his features. “What was wrong with the seatbelts?”

Pearl waved a hand. “Too much slack before they locked up!”

“Oookay.” He forced a shaky grin. “So, it’s not gonna lock up immediately when I buckle in, right?”

“Uuuuuh.” Pearl hesitated a beat. “No…”

“Thanks, Pearl!” Steven called cheerfully and continued up the steps.

As he reached the doorway, Pearl crouched, fingers producing a screwdriver from her gem. She darted back to the Supremo and slipped into the car, tools clinking.

Steven stepped into the house, and froze. Rose was effortlessly hauling her mattress down from the steps to their room.

“What are you doing?” he asked, nervously.

“That was Connie, right?” Rose said without looking at him. “You just told her to stop seeing me.”

“That’s not how that conversation went,” Steven protested.

Rose ignored him, nudging the coffee table out of the living room with a barefoot, then dropped the mattress onto the floor with a soft thump.

“Since you’re keeping Connie away from me, I think it’s best I stayed away from you too,” she added, an electricity in her tone.

“Rose, please- ” Steven stepped closer, reaching out.

“I’m taking the living room, a-a-and you can keep our old room,” Rose said, voice shaking slightly. “Since it’s another one of your things that aren’t mine.”

Steven tried again, shoulders tense, hands raised in a gentle plea. “You’re being dramatic.”

Rose’s fingers flicked upward, forming a hardlight barrier between them. Steven stepped away, startled.

“You’re not talking to me, remember?”

Steven drew a slow breath. “Mom… do you want to come to dinner with Connie and her parents?”

The barrier blinked out. Rose’s wide eyes met his, the first flicker of uncertainty breaking through her stubborn expression.

“What?”

“Connie and I were talking about a proper parent dinner,” Steven said, trying to keep his tone light. “You know, since we have you now.”

Rose’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, so I’m going as your mother, huh?”

“Yes or no, Rose,” Steven said, a hint of impatience creeping in.

She paused, glancing down at the mattress, silent for a long moment. “… Yes.”

Steven’s face brightened. “Good.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Connie and reach out to Dad- ”

“I don’t want him there,” Rose interrupted.

Steven’s brow furrowed. “It’s a parent dinner. You were fine with him at our birthday party!”

“He’s our dad, never my husband.” She snapped. “Priyanka and Doug know our family is weird. We don’t need to pretend to be a happy, monogamous married couple, and we know how well that ended last time-”

Steven sighed, raising his hands. “Fine. I won’t force you to pretend things are okay between you two. But you should talk to Dad at some point.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Okay, I promise I will. When’s the date?”

“Tonight.”

“Really?” She asked wide eyed.

“Yes.” Steven scanned her outfit. His eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

Rose frowned and looked down at herself. “Yeah? What’s wrong with it?”

It was an exact copy of his outfit.

“It’s a little… too close to me,” he said carefully.

Rose shrugged, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “Well, I like being close to you.”

“As in… size-wise?”

“Oh. Right,” she murmured, finally catching the implication.

Rose’s eyes roamed the bright, neatly organized clothing store, taking in the racks of outfits and the polished floors. She adjusted her posture, hands resting lightly on a nearby display, her expression a mix of curiosity and mild amusement at the sheer variety of choices around her.

A familiar noodle haired teen approached with a nametag.

“Steven? Wow!” Peedee's eyes widened as he took in Steven.

“Hey, Peedee,” Rose said casually, waving.

Peedee blinked, trying to place her.

Steven grinned. “You’re working here now?”

“Yeah,” Peedee said, shrugging. “No more dealing with the smell of fries here at Stonchers.”

Rose laughed softly, cupping her cheek. “Oh my stars. Remember Frybo?”

Peedee shuddered. “Ugh… don’t remind me.”

Steven turned toward him. “What happened to your food truck?”

Peedee’s expression softened, tinged with sadness. “I still run it occasionally, but I’m planning to move the business to Empire City. I need all the money I can get.”

Steven’s eyes widened. “What? That’s crazy! Why didn’t you reach out? I could’ve helped finance you.”

Peedee blinked. “Really?”

Steven nodded eagerly. “Yes! I’d have to talk to my Dad, but we’ve got plenty of money- we can help out.”

Peedee practically squealed with excitement. “Thanks, Steven!”

“No problem, Peedee,” Steven said with a smile. Then he turned to Rose. “Come on. Let’s find something that works for you.”

Rose emerged from the changing room in a flowing red dress, the fabric catching the store’s bright lights. She twirled once, letting the long skirt flare, and glanced at Steven with an expectant look.

His brow furrowed. “It’s… a bit much?”

Rose pouted, lips pressed together, and stormed back into the changing room. A few minutes later, she strutted out again, this time in a punk rock ensemble: ripped black jeans, a studded vest, and with a swift gesture, her hair morphed into a sharp mohawk.

Steven took a step back, eyes wide. “Yeah, no.”

Rose huffed, arms crossed, and disappeared behind the curtain once more. When she returned, her posture relaxed, she wore a white cardigan over a simple black t-shirt, snug blue jeans that actually reached her ankles, and crocs on her feet. Her mohawk was gone, replaced by her usually, poofy style. She tilted her head, smirking slightly.

Steven’s shoulders eased. “That actually looks normal.”

Peedee, leaning against a display rack with a hand on his hip, perked up. “We sell that t-shirt with a yellow star on it, by the way.”

Steven shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I don’t think- ”

Rose rolled her eyes, hands on her hips, and shot him a challenging glance.

The car hummed along the quiet streets, the light of dusk starting to settle. Rose settled into the passenger seat in her new outfit, having taken the black t-shirt with the yellow star. Steven’s hands gripped the wheel, eyes on the road but brow raised.

“You know, you don’t need to copy my style,” he said, voice sharp enough to cut through the soft engine whir. “It was weird enough when all the Crystal Gems reformed with star-patterned attire.”

Rose laughed. “It’s not your style. You know my outfit as Rose Quartz had a star on it back then too, right? It was the hole for my gem.”

Steven blinked, and smiled faintly. “Oh, yeah.”

A stretch of silence followed, broken only by the hum of tires on asphalt. Steven’s eyes flicked to Rose before asking, careful.

“So… you’re gonna talk to Dad later?”

Rose groaned, slumping a little against the seat. “I already said yes!”

Steven tightened his grip on the wheel. “Then why does it feel like pulling teeth?”

Rose crossed her arms, a sharp edge in her voice. “Please don’t start now. We’re about to have dinner with Connie’s parents.”

Steven exhaled through his nose, leaning back slightly. “I’d rather get this out of the way now, before dinner.”

Rose exhaled heavily, her hands gripping the edge of the car seat. “I- it’s not easy. I have so many memories of him as my lover.”

Steven recoiled, wrinkling his nose. “Ew,” he muttered, and she shot him a glare.

“Then memories of him as my dad- which totally meshes well with the first.” She rolled her eyes. “I remember him teaching me the guitar, living with him before Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Amethyst…”

Steven tensed. “What?”

“That time they were watching little Butler. I-” Rose’s words stumbled slightly. “ We barged in on her shapeshifting as me . Did he used to ask her to do that?”

“Ew, ew, ew!” Steven groaned, waving a hand in protest. “First of all, he clearly wasn’t happy with it.”

“But they used to hang out alone,” Rose pressed, “according to Pearl.”

Steven’s jaw tightened. “And then they had a falling out, which probably means her doing that was the reason.”

“Well, she clearly did it that last time to torment Greg. Did she do it the first time to do the same- or to… do the opposite?” Rose trailed off, eyes flicking to the road.

Steven threw his hands up. “No, I don’t know. And I really don’t want you to explain anymore.”

Rose sighed, slumping into her seat. “Fine.”

They drove in tense silence for a stretch until Steven’s face twisted in sudden anger. “Oh for- ” He slammed a hand to his forehead. “Did you really bring that up to sneak out of the conversation?”

“…No.”

“You hesitated.” Steven pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, let me summarize where we left off. You have memories of Dad being your lover and your dad, so that makes things extra complicated for you. That’s fair, and I completely understand.”

Rose’s nostrils flared. “Great. So why do I even need to talk to him?”

Then her tone gained a cruel edge. “Because you want your dream family to be a thing? You want mommy and daddy to make up, right?”

His voice carried more annoyance than hurt. “Please stop.”

“Why? You dug this up! After you ignored my wishes and threatened to have Connie cut me out!”

Steven exhaled, frustration rolling off him. “Well, you kinda broke a lot of things, Rose.”

That stung Rose. Rose’s eyes glinted with a mix of mockery and provocation. “I think you mean Mom.”

Steven opened his mouth, then snapped it shut, forcing himself to stop.

Rose leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp. “What?”

He remained silent, staring at the road ahead.

“Oh, now you get to hush up, huh?” Her voice dripped with playful taunt. “What are you thinking about? You want to talk about it? Noooo?”

She crossed her arms again, and stared out at passing buildings. “Now you know how I feel.”

After a moment, she summoned her headphones from her gem. She paused midair, giving Steven a suspicious glance, then made them disappear into her gem again.

Steven’s hands tightened on the wheel, his chest rising and falling as he tried to steady his breathing. He opened his mouth to ask, then clenched his jaw and went silent, keeping his eyes on the road.

Rose didn't turn to him as she spoke. “I saw that.” Steven didn’t respond. “This gonna be a repeat of the car ride with Pearl?”

“Nope,” he muttered. “I don’t want you to wreck my car again.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” she shot back, hurt flickering across her face.

“Sure,” Steven replied, dismissive as he hooked a left on the road.

Rose’s expression hardened. A tightness coiled in her jaw, her lips pressing into a thin line. Rage crept up her face, pupils shrinking, nostrils flaring.

Steven stole a nervous glance, then quickly returned his focus to the road. “Rose- ”

“Don’t talk to me.” she hissed through gritted teeth.

He responded in kind, shutting his mouth.

A loud banging rattled against the inside of the car, from Rose’s seat. Steven flinched, hands gripping the wheel tighter as his pulse spiked. He looked from the corner of his eye.

Steven’s eyes widened as he caught sight of Rose yanking the seatbelt up and down, each tug sharper than the last. A glassy haze covered her eyes, and she didn’t even register the car or the road around her.

A tight knot of fear coiled in Steven’s stomach, his jaw tense, hands gripping the wheel until his knuckles whitened. The tugging grew faster, harder, each metallic click echoing ominously through the car.

The sudden, loud snap of the seatbelt lock made Steven flinch violently, his pulse hammering in his ears.

“…We’re here,” he gulped, voice barely above a whisper.

Rose blinked, the haze clearing, and her posture softened. A wistful glimmer touched her eyes. “Connie…”

Rose’s eyes darted around, searching for Connie, who was nowhere to be seen. She shifted slightly in her seat across from Doug and Priyanka, hands gripping the table. Steven exchanged nervous glances with her.

“So… Uh…” Rose began, her voice uncertain.

Doug leaned forward with exaggerated cheer. “It’s so good to finally meet you!”

Rose forced a smile. “Thank you!” Her tone came out awkward, brittle.

Priyanka said nothing, her hands folded neatly on her lap. Steven squirmed beside Rose, glancing between the adults and his mother with a faint grimace.

“So…” Doug continued, his voice trying to stay upbeat. “I hear you’ve been playing video games with our daughter.”

Rose blinked, confusion and nerves mingling. “I… have been…”

“That’s great! It’s just… well…” Doug’s smile faltered slightly as he studied her. “You’re a bit… old?”

Rose’s eyes narrowed, sharp and alert. “Excuse me?”

She shifted back in her chair, glancing between Doug and Priyanka. The Doctor’s silence made the room feel heavier.

Doug rubbed the back of his neck, shifting uncomfortably.

“Well, it’s just that…” he began awkwardly, then shot a sharp glare at Rose, “You return out of nowhere, you look nothing like the pictures we’ve seen of you, and now you’re talking to our daughter online, without Steven it seems.”

Rose’s hands tightened on the table, a bead of sweat forming at her temple. Priyanka’s gaze sharpened, eyes narrowing. Steven leaned forward, speaking quickly to diffuse the tension.

“I do play with them sometimes,” he said, nodding nervously. “We play based on our availability.”

Priyanka exhaled loudly, and spoke loudly. “Have you got a job, Steven?”

He gave her a deadpan look. “I’m currently an emotional support Steven for Space Dictators.”

The room went quiet, blank looks bouncing between the adults. “It’s unpaid,” he added.

Priyanka’s eyes flicked between him and Rose. “When was the last time you all played together?”

“About two days ago,” Steven replied, voice tight, sounding rehearsed. As if he knew this question would be asked, for some reason.

Doug leaned back slightly, concern etched across his face. “Steven, you gotta understand why this relationship kinda worries us.” He glanced at Rose. “It’s not the first time one of your caregivers were inappropriate with our daughter- ”

“Have you talked to the Gems about setting up that meeting between us and Pearl? Like we talked about?” Priyanka interrupted.

Steven exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “Honestly? No.”

He raised his hands defensively as they stared. “Don’t get me wrong, I was going to when I first got back, but then I was like… immediately abducted by an alien.”

Rose’s hands clenched at her sides. “Who brought me out of him .”

Doug groaned, rubbing his face. “Oh boy.”

Priyanka’s tone slipped into doctor mode. “Steven, you really should come see me at the hospital when you can. Who knows what that thing did to you.”

A sudden voice cut through the tension. “Hey guys!” Connie appeared from the hallway entrance, excitement cracking her voice. She smoothed her clothes as she stepped inside.

Priyanka’s eyes narrowed, scanning her daughter. “We’ve been waiting for quite awhile, Connie.”

Connie waved it off, though a shadow passed over her expression. “Just… wardrobe malfunction. Everything’s fine.”

She squeezed into the seat between Rose and Steven, who shifted slightly to make room.

Priyanka’s gaze returned to Steven, sharp and unrelenting. “I’m serious about everything I said, Steven, and I’m not forgetting about Pearl.”

With a sigh and a pointed glare at her daughter, Priyanka asked, “Connie, what is your relationship with this woman?”

Connie laughed nervously. “Oh boy. I had a feeling you’d be asking questions like that.”

Priyanka scanned her daughter further, but with a softer expression. “Is this another Pearl situation? You can talk to us, Connie.”

Rose leaned forward. “I’m right here, you know-”

Priyanka snapped. “ You are not to speak! ”

Rose recoiled, shrinking back, clearly distressed. Connie gripped Steven’s hand, her other hand tightening slightly, but Steven kept a careful eye on Rose. For a split second, he saw her hand reaching for Connie’s tensed hand, before abruptly retracting it.

Connie’s voice grew steadier. “Do you remember what we talked about?” At first, Steven thought she was addressing him, but her gaze was fixed on her mother.

Priyanka exhaled, composed but firm. “I do. But I need to know something first, and I don’t want anyone else speaking. I want you to look into my eyes for every second of it, okay?”

Connie squared her shoulders, like preparing for a written test. “Okay, Mom.”

Priyanka leaned forward, eyes locked on hers. “Do you interact online with her alone at all?”

Connie shook her head slightly. “Sometimes. Not as much as Steven.”

“Do you talk about anything you shouldn’t be? And if you do, is it being started by her?” Priyanka pressed.

Connie’s voice was calm, resolute. “No, and no.”

Priyanka’s gaze sharpened. “When you played with her and Steven yesterday,” she emphasized each word, letting the pause stretch. “How often was she interacting with you compared to him?”

Steven froze, his mind snapping back to their earlier conversation. They hadn’t all played together in a couple of days. His eyes widened as he realized Priyanka had just set a trap for Connie.

Rose’s expression mirrored his shock, her jaw tightening, pupils narrowing.

Connie blinked, hesitating. “Yesterday? Well… let me think-”

Priyanka remained perfectly still, her posture unyielding. Doug’s glare intensified, and Steven felt sweat prickling his forehead.

“Wait a minute.” Connie’s brows furrowed, voice rising slightly. “Who told you we all played together yesterday?”

Priyanka’s eyes narrowed. “Steven.”

“Steven? Why?” Connie blinked, still not daring to look at her boyfriend. “I’m sorry. He must’ve lied to you.”

Steven’s shoulders slumped, hurt and confusion flickering across his face. Rose’s jaw tightened, indignation sharp in her posture.

“What game are you playing, Priyanka?” Rose’s voice was cool but biting.

“That’s Doctor Maheswaran to you,” Priyanka replied firmly. “Why would he lie to us, Connie?”

Connie turned to Steven, then back to her mother.

“Don’t look at him! Look at me, Connie. Why would he say those things?” Priyanka’s tone was unwavering.

“Because… he’s worried that Rose is getting a little attached to me,” Connie admitted. Rose flinched, and stared at Steven.

Priyanka’s brow furrowed. “Why? Why is she getting so attached to you?”

Dread filled the room as Connie held her mother’s gaze, pausing before speaking.

“Because I am her only friend on Earth.” She didn’t face Rose, who had tears welling in the corner of her eyes.

“Despite them being here, things are not great between her and Steven. The Gems have kinda grown apart from her, and she and Greg are really complicated. She is not doing well, Mom. That’s why I planned this meeting. That’s why I wanted you to talk to her.”

Priyanka’s expression softened. “Okay.”

Doug shifted in his seat, voice regretful. “Aw man. Steven, we are so sorry.”

Priyanka’s gaze softened slightly. “Steven didn’t lie. I did.”

Connie looked at Steven with a surprised look on her face. Except it didn’t sit right with Steven, for some reason.

“I needed to know for sure this woman isn’t getting our daughter to lie to us. God knows how much we paid for not being more thorough when you were with Pearl,” Priyanka explained, easing the tension.

Connie squeezed Steven’s hands. “I know, Mom. Thank you.”

“Rose,” Priyanka said, fixing her with a steady look. “My daughter tricked you- and probably Steven too, for that matter. She wants me to refer you to a therapist.”

Indignation flared across Rose’s face. “What?!”

Connie pressed her hands harder into Steven’s, shaking slightly. Steven looked down, helpless.

“I- I said I was going to look for one,” Rose stammered, eyes darting between Priyanka and Connie.

Priyanka nodded. “I can fast-track your search, better than Pearl could. I understand you’re dealing with intense emotional dysregulation? Mood swings?”

Rose’s eyes flicked to Connie, hurt. “Connie, what have you been telling her?”

Connie didn’t respond, looking straight ahead at her mother.

Priyanka’s tone softened, compassionate. “If you need help, please, I urge you to get it as soon as possible.”

Rose swallowed hard, hesitation heavy in her throat. “O-okay… I’ll do it.”

Connie let out a long breath, squeezing Steven’s hand.

Rose’s eyes darted to the empty dinner table, “Are we actually here for dinner, or… was this all there was?”

Doug shifted in his chair, cheeks warm. “We… didn’t actually plan for food. We’ve just been talking about this the whole day.”

Priyanka pulled out her phone, pointing it at Rose. “I can order some Chinese food. But please, Rose, you should come see me when you can after you leave. Normally, a primary care physician would handle referrals, but since you don’t have any, I can reach out for you.”

Rose shrank slightly, almost childlike. “Okay…”

The table sank into an awkward quiet as Priyanka scrolled on her phone to place the order.

Doug broke the silence, leaning forward. “So… what’s the video game you… kids- guys , playing?”

Connie’s face brightened. “I- I can show you the disk case! I’ll go get it from my room!”

She scooted out from between Rose and Steven, racing down the hallway.

Doug glanced at Steven. “Is it one of those shooty games?”

Steven hesitated, caught between a grin and nerves. “Weeeell…”

From the hallway, Connie called, “Hey Steven, can you help me look for my dig-build case?”

Steven exchanged a quick look with Doug. “Sure thing, Connie!” He stood, stepping after her.

Doug started to rise. “Maybe I can- ”

“Just Steven!” Connie’s voice echoed back, firm. Doug slumped back into his chair, chuckling awkwardly.

Priyanka shouted from her chair, “You better behave in our household, young lady!”

“You too, young man!” Rose called, mirroring Priyanka more than actually meaning it.

Steven darted off, leaving Rose alone with the two adults. Doug forced a smile, leaning back. “So… have you watched any good movies or TV lately?”

“Connie, I really wish you would’ve told m-”

Steven froze in the doorway, staring at Garnet perched on Connie’s bed, her visor catching the light from Connie’s desk lamp.

“She didn't tell you, so that Rose wouldn't have a reason to be mad at you. You wouldn't have been in on it.”

The door clicked shut behind him, cutting off the hallway. Steven’s voice shot up in a whisper-shout. “ What are you doing here?! ”

Connie glanced guilty, avoiding his eyes. “I needed her future vision for a sec.”

“ Why?! ” Steven hissed, pacing a step closer.

“Her mother was going to test Connie.” Garnet’s voice had that lecturing tone. “I told her how.”

Connie tugged at her sleeve nervously. “The reason it took me so long to get ready was because I was grabbing her with Lion.”

Steven exhaled sharply. “Yeah, I figured that out. But Connie, why did you need to do that? And Garnet, why would you go along with this?”

Garnet and Connie exchanged a tense, silent look. Garnet finally removed her visor for a moment, revealing worry etched across all three of her eyes.

“In the time that I’ve been thinking, I’ve also been talking to Connie. And watching Rose through her.” She glanced at the door to the hallway, “That conversation in the dining room could’ve gone down very badly.”

Steven’s stomach twisted. “You don’t think she would've…”

“If my mom forbid Rose from even talking to me, she would’ve gotten very angry. ” Connie had a scared look in her eyes.

“She would never hurt you,” Steven muttered, though doubt flickered in his eyes.

“She would never mean to hurt me,” Connie corrected softly.

Garnet stepped closer, her expression grave. “Steven, you have to understand the source of all this turmoil. You are a part of her, even more than she is a part of you. We have to deal with that.”

Steven’s gaze shifted between Garnet and Connie. Determination hardening his features. Then anger.

Garnet’s three eyes widened in alarm. “Don’t do it, Steven.”

Confused, Connie whispered, “What?”

Without another word, Steven turned and strode out of the room.

Garnet’s hand trembled for him. “Connie, stop him.”

“What’s he doing?”

“He’s confronting Rose.”

Connie’s eyes widened in sudden terror, and she bolted after him.

Priyanka, Doug, and Rose laughed around the dining table, the sound bouncing off the walls. Rose’s hand shot up, giggling as she playfully slammed her fist into her palm. “So I just- smashed the controls and grabbed the Ferris wheel with my bare hand- ”

Steven stormed in, eyes blazing.

Rose’s face lit up with excitement. “Oh, Steven, we were just talking- ”

“I don’t want you seeing Connie anymore,” Steven cut in, dragging a chair out of his path toward her, trying to look imposing. “For real, this time.”

Priyanka and Doug froze, gasping, while Rose’s grin faltered, her expression snapping to shock.

Doug blinked, voice shaky. “Woah… what?”

Connie stepped into the room, eyes locking on Rose, who was now breathing heavier, her chest rising and falling in rapid, tense motions.

Priyanka rose, reaching toward Steven. “Steven, it’s okay, really- ”

Steven didn’t flinch. “Garnet’s in her room, Rose.” He shifted his gaze to Connie. “She brought her here… to use her future vision to cheat your test, Doctor Maheswaran.”

Priyanka’s eyes widened, her voice sharp. “What?!”

Rose’s fists clenched on the table, knuckles whitening, breaths ragged.

Connie stammered, “I-I-I just- ”

“She did it because Garnet kept seeing visions of things going horribly wrong,” Steven explained, his tone tight.

Priyanka’s covered her mouth, fear building on her face. “How?”

Rose’s expression darkened, anger simmering behind her widened eyes, jaw tensing as her body coiled like a spring ready to snap.

Steven’s fists clenched, energy flickering pink around them. “Maybe it’s the fact that my Mom has major anger issues. Maybe it’s because of her emotionally charged powers.”

His face contorted, a faint pink glow beginning to spread across his skin as his body expanded slightly, tension radiating from him.

“ Maybe it’s because she’s in love with Connie! ”

Doug and Priyanka recoiled, eyes wide.

“Oooookay, what?!” Doug shouted

Connie yelped, stepping back, frightened at the sight of Rose- features increasingly warped by rage.

“Doctor and Mister Maheswaran!” Garnet’s voice cut sharply through the tension as she dashed down the hall from Connie’s room.

Rose mirrored Steven, glowing pink now, teeth clenched, rage painting her features in sharp wrinkles of tensed facial muscles.

Garnet raised her hands. “I think it’s time we leave, right now!”

Steven and Rose glared at each other, the air crackling, both bodies pulsing with energy as Steven grew taller to match Rose’s height, their rage mirrored in one another’s eyes.

“ Oh my god! ” Priyanka grabbed Doug and Connie’s hands, pulling them toward Garnet. 

Connie’s small frame resisted, tears streaking her face. “Please, don’t do this!” she cried, voice cracking with fear.

Garnet stepped for her, calm but firm. With a single motion, she scooped Connie into her arms, moving effortlessly through the hallway toward a window. The others followed behind, rushing outside as tension thickened the air between Steven and Rose.

“ You caused this. ” Rose fought to keep her voice steady. “ You’ve been telling her things about me that aren’t true. ”

Steven’s fists tightened, a tremor running through his body.

“Oh,” he spat, barely containing his own anger. “So I’m just imagining how much you’ve been talking to her? Imagining that you just want to talk to her yourself, without me or Dad around? Imagining that you, without warning, smashed the warp pad, nearly hurt Ruby, and frightened Sadie and the ex-suspects!”

“She makes me happy. I’m allowed to be happy,” Rose shot back, eyes blazing. She had no response to the other stuff.

Steven sneered, “And you make her scared . You make everyone scared.”

Rose clapped her hands over her ears. “Stop talking! Stop it!”

“ You’re destructive, ” Steven snapped. “And I don’t buy that this is just because of now, or because of the alien. It was always like this with you- Spinel, Volleyball, Bismuth, Pearl- all those Gems who were corrupted because you wanted to play with humans on Earth as Rose Quartz and not have to be Pink Diamond.”

Rose’s body shook violently, and Steven let out a bitter, cruel laugh. “And then, when you got tired of being Rose Quartz, you made me, never intending to even raise me, leaving me with all of your problems- ”

Everything blurred as Rose lunged forward. Her arms wrapped around Steven’s waist, shoving him backward. He skidded across the floor, bubbles forming around his fists as he braced to strike, caught between fury and disbelief.

Then he heard her breath hitch.

Steven froze, his fists stuck mid-air. The glowing pink aura around Rose faded into trembling sobs as Rose clung to him, shivering with raw emotion.

“ Fuse with me! ” Her voice broke, burying her face in his chest.

Steven’s eyes widened, heart hammering. His breaths became fast and shallow.

“I can’t handle it anymore,” Rose continued, her hug tightening. “You’re right… you’re so much better than me, so much stronger, so much nicer- so much happier.”

She shook, her tears soaking his shirt, desperate and fragile around him. Her grip tightened, arms constricting around Steven as if she could crush all her pain into him.

Her voice trembled. “You get our friends, you get the Gems, you get Dad…” 

She gasped at air between sobs. Then her voice went raw, “ You get Connie… ” 

Steven swallowed, his throat dry as sand. “Mom- ”

“You’re even able to finally take it all out on me!” Rose shouted, hyperventilating between sobs. “Don’t you know how much I hate myself? For creating and leaving all these problems we had to deal with! When we were so vulnerable, so small!”

Steven’s eyes widened, a blank, stunned expression washing over him. Then his chest tightened, and his own grief spilled through, his face contorting as the sadness hit him fully. Now he was sobbing.

All of sudden Rose’s breath steadied. They sounded shallow. Tired. She climbed up to Steven’s shoulders, head buried into him.

“Fuse with me,” she whispered, no longer crying.

“Mom, n-no- ” Steven stammered.

“Please, I want to go back. I want to go back.” Her voice was drained of color.

“It won’t be the same!” Steven choked out, sobbing between words. “I don’t want you to go!”

“Please…” Her voice cracked, and she started crying again.

Steven tightened his arms around Rose, both of them shuddering as tears soaked their clothes and faces. Their cries mingled, raw and unfiltered, a storm of guilt, fear, and longing.

In the hallway, Garnet stood still, her visor held loosely in her hands, tears running down all three eyes.

“Oh, Rose… I’m so sorry…”