The night life in Beach City, Delmarva was never particularly exciting. In fact, it was probably one of the most relaxing times of the day (given that there were no giant space hands ready to lay siege to the city). The lights on the Boardwalk flickered out, leaving the twinkling of the stars and the streetlights to dot the shore as the ocean's waves crashed rhythmically on the shore. This would be enough to make any normal person, and even some half-humans, drift to sleep with ease, but not Greg Universe.
In the ever-so-well-known Mr. Universe Car Wash van, the aged rock star tossed and turned, unable to drift off the sleep like the townspeople around him. Maybe it was because of the hard metal floor of his van? Nah, he was used to it by now, and besides, it wasn't so hard when there were blankets and a pillow separating him from it. No, his discomfort was from something else, something a bit more...internal.
That afternoon, he'd witnessed his son Steven fuse with a young girl named Connie Maheswaran, someone who he was pretty sure it was a parenting rule not to like being around his son, but she made him happy, so Greg wasn't concerned, really. Besides, since she'd become friends with him and encountered all this magic stuff all at once, she needed SOME human to talk to about it, even if he didn't quite understand it himself.
It was actally a really pleasant conversation, with Steven and Connie learning about the time that he'd tried to fuse with a Ms. Rose Quartz.
Rose...
This thought caused Greg to restlessly change position once again. Every time he told a story to Steven about them, from how they met (plus that no-good jerk Marty), to their first hot dog, to today, with the fusion story. Unwelcome memories all surged to the forefront of his mind, interrupting the slumber that should have started hours ago. The worst part was, they weren't unwelcome because they were bad.
In fact, it was just the opposite.
The images and scenes that appeared in Greg's mind were beautiful.
Rose and all of her beauty, standing on the beach, lightly illuminated by the stage lights after his first Beach City concert. Rose, watching him play the song he wrote for her, enchanted, however slightly, by this human in front of her. Rose, performing with him while little Amethyst played the drums in exchange for candy. Rose, bittersweetly revealing that she was pregnant. Rose, making a video for their soon-to-be Baby Steven, knowing full-well it would probably be one of the only times he actually saw her fully alive. Rose, waiting for the inevitable with him...
Rose!
As Greg turned suddenly, grabbing his pillow tightly both to hug it and to keep it from sliding out from underneath his head, he felt the familiar sting of tears welling up in his eyes. Man, did he hate it when this happened. While it wasn't often that these images made him watery-eyed, the onslaught of the occurrence still filled him with dread.
Immersed in memories, a large, wet drop sliding down one cheek, Mr. Universe used his blanket to wipe his eyes and finally laid still. He recalled in vivid detail taking hold of Rose's hand, insisting to her that everything was going to be alright, even though he was the only one really panicking. She had been smiling up at him, eyes twinkling like they always did.
She squeezed his hand. He squeezed hers back.
"I bet you can't wait to meet him." She stated serenely.
He shook his head, laughing nervously. "Nope. If he turns out anything like his mom, he'll be amazing."
She laughed- a happy, gentle laugh. Nothing like when she laughed at him when they first tried to have an actual conversation with each other. Despite his fear, he kept the smile on his face- but all too soon, it faded.
"Rose...I don't know how I'm going to do this without you. I can't do this on my own! I don't want you to go! I-"
"Oh, Greg." Rose cut him off, using a soft, comforting tone of voice and putting another hand on top of their already-interlaced ones.
"Rose...?" Greg answered, blushing.
"I would take your word if I were you." She looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "Everything's going to be okay..."
"I..." He wanted to say something, anything, to disprove her, but she sounded so sure, and he knew that she believed it. In that moment, he believed it, too; so he gave a small grin to her and nodded. "Okay."
She returned the nod, and started humming. He recognized the tune instantly. It was a song that she'd started to write as a present to him that- due to her constant responsibility of protecting the world taking up most of her time- she never managed to finish. It only had two verses, but it was still one of the most wonderful pieces of music he'd ever heard.
As the melody continued, Greg heard the chords behind him, the very same chords he'd play to accompany her: Eb Major, F Minor, G Minor, Ab Minor, back to Eb, C Major...
Something, some sort of impossibly strong curiosity as to where these tones were coming from, prompted Greg to look away for just a moment, but all he saw was...the beach? He could just barely comprehend what he was seeing when there was a scream and a burst of light from behind him. He turned to face his beloved again, not believing he'd missed this momentous occasion just because of a few sounds, but he was only met with more beach.
Confused, Greg was about to call out Rose's name when he was cut off by a cry. Looking down, he saw in his arms an infant boy with a little bit of wispy black hair on his head.
"Steven..." Mr. Universe uttered in amazement, rocking the baby and holding him close. "Aw, jeez, Steven. Everything's okay. I'm here, your daddy's here..." He sighed. This was probably the hardest part about Rose being gone. She was always so loving and calming and charming, and now...
The chords started to play in the background once again, giving him an idea. "Hey, c'mon, Steven. Everything's alright." He coaxed in that serene tone that the baby's mother often employed, and then started to sing to him. "If I could...begin to be...half of what you think of me...I could do about anything. I could even learn how to love..."
At the sound of this song, Baby Steven started to quiet down, staring up at his father in wonder. He stuck up his hand, and Greg put his finger in his palm. Little Steven closed his own tiny fingers around his father's, lightly shaking it around.
Greg beamed at this little miracle in front of him, suddenly at peace. "There we go Little Buddy...that's it...Daddy loves you...and...and so does Mommy..." And before he could do anything more, he felt two arms wrap around his shoulders, holding him tight.
"When I see...the way you act...wond'ring when...I'm coming back..." A somewhat-sultry voice sang from behind him.
Shocked, Greg found himself spun around, face-to-face with the love of his life, her face framed by voluminous pink curls just as he'd remembered it. Suddenly, everything was illuminated from below, as the dance floor he'd set up for her right on this beach lit up. He didn't know how it got there or who turned it on, but he didn't quite care at this point, either.
Rose took his hands gently, and Greg faintly wondered if he'd dropped the baby but, to his surprise, no such baby could be found.
"Rose...?" He questioned, looking up at her.
She chuckled softly in response, starting to lead him in a waltz. "I could do about anything. I could even learn how to love..."
"Like you!" There was a three-part harmony, which confused Greg until he looked over and saw Steven, now his current age, sitting atop the hand-shaped stone a little ways away from the two. His father waved, and, ecstatic and starry-eyed, he waved back.
Rose spun him again, leading him up the speakers as he'd danced with her more than once before, then lifting him into the air, twirling and clearly having the time of her life. Greg was no different, laughing loudly with happiness. As they danced, the chords evolved into instruments, making a melody not too different from the one from that song.
Somehow, he found himself able to reach her and kiss her, and at that moment, a warm light enclosed them. They each felt the sensation of spinning as they'd been doing earlier, and it still felt as if they were holding each other but it was almost as if they were...closer, somehow.
One spin almost randomly went in slow motion, allowing them to see their reflection from a particularly tall wave illuminated by the floor. The image staring back at them was a large, barefoot, feminine figure with waves of pink-tinted brown hair cascading to the back of its knees and spiral curls framing its face. Its skin was rosy, as if it had been sitting in the sun just enough to be burned, but not so long that they turned a bright, painful red. It wore what appeared to be a tank top, but it seemed to have several layers of fabric overlapping each other, going lower in the back to form a sort of train. This shirt was strangely paired with a pair of knee-length jean shorts, and where the navel would be, a pink gemstone was there instead, surrounded on the clothing by a bright yellow star. Its facial features were soft, its eyes filled with joy and, as it passed, it grinned widely and blushed lightly.
"Wow...!" A youthful voice from behind them cried in disbelief.
The spin then went into normal motion again, ending as the two released and kiss and laughed. The wave they'd been staring into crashed over them, parting them, but neither seemed to mind. Despite the fact that he was being carried by water, Greg felt as if he were flying. It was cool, refreshing, and his gravitation toward the ground wasn't frightening, but rather soothing, and-
Greg's eyes shot open as he hit the cold ground, and he rapidly glanced around, trying to get his bearings.
From this inspection, he concluded that he was back on the floor of his van, the first rays of sunlight hitting his face and nearly blinding him. As he adjusted, he sat up, in absolute awe of what just happened. He couldn't fathom that all of that had just been a dream, not when it all felt so real...
He shook his head, grounding himself in reality. Of course it had been a dream. It was impossible for he and Rose to fuse any other way, although, his mind had a surprising way of figuring out what they'd look like.
The song they'd sung suddenly came to mind.
He couldn't believe he'd forgotten it, really. It was such an important part of his memory of her. It was the first song someone had ever wanted to write for him, the first song that wasn't just about space, his lullaby for Steven...
And yet... Greg thought, picking up his acoustic guitar. There's still something missing...
Eb Major, F Minor, G Minor, Ab Minor, back to Eb, C Major...
As those chords rang through his mind, he, with his knack for knowing exactly what sounds good, played a kickin' guitar solo. It sounded a bit weird on the acoustic, but even then, it suited the song perfectly. He was inspired. He'd compose the song anew! It would almost be like she was still there!
Rose...
"Hey Dad!" A voice called from just outside the door of the van.
Greg stopped playing with a start, looking over at his son, who was standing excitedly at the back doors.
"Hey, Kiddo!" He greeted, grinning as Steven hopped excitedly onto the floor of the van next to his father. "What's up?"
"What were you playing? Can I hear it?"
The man hesitated. He felt that familiar tinge of sadness and anxiety from the night before. He knew that if he were to play the song, he'd have to tell the story, and endure whatever consequences came of it that night. He covered this thought process with a placeholder answer: "Uhhhh..."
Did he want to do this...?
Yes. A warm voice from inside replied. Of course he did, and he felt pretty selfish for even thinking otherwise. This kid needed to know his mom while she wasn't around, and gosh darnit, part of being a good dad was to make that happen...he thinks.
"Uhhh...sure, Steven. Get ready, cuz this one's really special..."
/*|*\
From a strange, indeterminable location, Rose Quartz smiled as her husband told the story of her song. She was a bit surprised by his far-reaching memory, quite impressed that a silly little song like the one she had written had left such a mark on Greg. She listened to the story he told and almost mourned about how incomplete it now was, for she had written so much more about how she felt about herself, how it felt to see him struggle with her "death", even what it would be like if she were to return.
But, Rose reasoned, That will be for another dream.
For now, she listened contentedly as another story sprung to life before her beautiful son's eyes, and smiled as he helped add a guitar solo to the song, giving it a familiar Universe touch that she had always adored. The gem eagerly looked forward to the day that she could be with her family, even if that was a nigh-impossible dream.
Because, of course, she had always been a firm believer in the power of love, especially as powerful as that of the two men playing music while the sun rose on another beautiful day in Beach City.
Author's Note: I'm not dead! Or at the very least, I haven't forgotten about this place. Forgive me? :) I was really inspired by "Love Like You" and wrote most of this story waiting for a job interview last summer, and I just now decided to finish it off. I know people have a lot of different interpretations of the song, and this one is mine. Please respect it and don't flame me for it!
I hope to get to Operation: Rock a Bye and On the Border of Reality soon, after almost a year, so if you're so inclined, check those stories out, and please review! ^w^