Mr. Universe...
"...Don't leave me," whispered Greg as he sat awake in his van as the salty draft screamed from the open windows. He turned wearily to the son he'd been left with, trying to find the small pieces of his best friend in the peaceful sleeping face of the babe.
"Why?" he whispered as he slipped his hand into one of the bags at his feet to pull out a bottle of whiskey.
He walked out of the van and stared out into the vast ocean.
He was once the ocean and its tides. He was ignorantly lonely. He didn't need anyone. He could rage and fight and scream whenever it pleased him. He could be angry with the world whether it was his fault or not.
He opened the bottle of potent liquid and took a small sip of the silent addiction of a man slipping away.
Tears fell as ocean tides struck the beach with force on the pitch black night, ruled by clouds.
Greg began to shake and looked back at his van, vaguely worrying of the stranger of his seed.
A stranger...a..a...
Parasite...
He killed her! He took Rose away!
And there was no getting her back.
Greg screamed in rage at the sea, mocking him with its freedom, mocking his rage!
I'll always be here, Mr. Universe...
"Stop lying to me!" He yelled to the hypnotic of the liar who ruined his life...
"What are you screaming for?"
Greg turned around to see Pearl staring at his with a smirk.
"What the hell do you want from me?!"
Her eyes widened. There was only sadness, pain, and desperateness in his agonized tone.
Pearl turned to stone.
"Is it everything you wanted, Greg?"
"...She never told me she would die."
"Of course not. Rose would never deny her human anything."
"What do I do now?"
"With what?"
"...Him..."
"I don't want the parasite."
Suddenly, a helpless cry came from the van's direction.
And the two beings stood still.
"Get your offspring."
"Why?"
"Isn't it in distress...?"
Greg shrugged. "What should I care?"
"...Didn't Rose say she was in there somewhere?"
"I haven't found her yet in anything but the gem."
"But...she...she wouldn't lie."
The more the child cried, the harder it was for Pearl to keep her composure.
"He is hurting," she whispered.
Greg froze froze as he took in the words.
...His son was in pain...
Tears fell faster as the crying became screaming from the innocent child.
Innocent...
He had done nothing wrong and know he lay in pain.
And no one was rescuing him.
Just like Greg. He was dying. Left alone to die and no was saving him.
He'll be wonderful for you, Greg!
You think so?
Mm-hm...
Will I be good for him?
...A father...
Greg was under the hypnotic comatose of nostalgia as his legs moved without his consent toward his faithful vehicle and snatched his terrified son and held him close.
"It's okay, it's all okay," he cried to his son.
"What will you call him?"
Pearl was right behind him, staring at this child.
"He's Steven. Rose chose it a few months ago."
Suddenly, Steven laughed and a sudden gravity to his emotion caused the two people around to follow suit.
"There she is," whispered the two less lonely and less bitter adults.