Pearl stood in the darkness by the edge of the low rock outcrop overlooking the beach, having wandered from the modest white house built over the Temple entrance and those within, suddenly weary of company. Her physical form stood just over five feet seven inches in height. Her hair was the same bright rose gold she had settled on during her last reformation seven years ago, and fell against her pale cheek in gentle waves. She had a clean-limbed figure and a sufficient amount of muscle, but she lacked almost any trace of fat; her muscles showed clearly beneath the milky projected skin, lending her an air of gauntness.
The same thinness, which had once imparted a delicate beauty to Pearl's features, now added an intensity to her expression, a grimness she had never before possessed. When she smiled, her mouth remained set in a firm line. When she spoke, her voice rose and fell in an unnatural rhythm that betrayed her closeness to tears.
I cannot help it.
Pearl fidgeted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other before finally reaching up to lightly touch the opaque gem on her forehead. The surface of her gem felt perfectly smooth, as though it had never suffered a single injury in all the thousands of years of her existence. Pearl had lost count of how many times her gem had been cracked, on Homeworld and on the earth. She squinted dejectedly into the shadow of a rose shrub sprawling over a collapsed wooden trellis.
The wild tangle, devoid of blooms this time of year but bending under the weight of its heavy reddish fruit, burst into pale light.
Pearl stiffened in surprise. Blushing blue, she gaped at the life-sized figure in the hologram which had spilled unexpectedly from her gem. Rose Quartz wavered like a phantom amid the wicked thorns.
''Pearl,'' the hologram said in a voice like the tolling of a bell.
Pearl's eyes flew open. ''Yes?'' Out of sheer habit, she took a step towards the hologram, which kept its distance, flickering against leaves and rocks.
Pearl sank to her knees. The hologram contracted several feet, rendering her dear friend more solid and three-dimensional. A cold wind blew in from the sea and ruffled Pearl's hair, but she hardly noticed. Rose Quartz's mouth seemed to be moving. Pearl strained to hear over the shuddering gusts.
''Pearl...''
''What is it, Rose? Why do you look so sad?''
Rose held out her hand. Pearl took it without hesitation, pressing the remembered palm against her face.
Rose of the hologram smiled weakly. She turned to gaze over the wide swath of boulder-studded sand perhaps twenty feet below them. Her eyes seemed to track movement on the shore, though Pearl herself could see nothing in the dark past the edge of the outcrop. Low clouds obscured the gibbous moon. A heavy drop of rain struck Pearl between the shoulder blades, distracting her... The hologram guttered and disappeared entirely, only to resume seconds later in a blaze of white light as Pearl concentrated with every fiber of her being.
The tall quartz lovingly cupped Pearl's face in her hand. Pearl kissed her fingers, dimly aware of the patter of the beginning rain, striking drop by cold drop on leaves and wood and ground around her. The scent of ozone was sharp in her nostrils.
''I won't... won't be here much longer,'' the hologram said in Pearl's own voice.
''Rose,'' Pearl cried.
''You must grant me something.''
''Anything.''
''When I am gone, you must not bear Greg ill feeling. Promise me.''
Pearl had begun to shiver uncontrollably.
''Please.''
''But...''
The corners of Rose's mouth twitched. She pressed a hand to her midsection, where the baby was, the child that belonged to her and Greg.
Steven Quartz Universe.
Pearl felt a tingling in her gem. The hologram was rapidly fading; it touched the uneven granite beneath her with a soft, nacreous glow for a moment before cutting off abruptly.
Pearl turned her attention to the house perched on the rain-damp rock in front of the Crystal Temple. All day Greg had labored to put the finishing touches on the small human dwelling while Garnet and Amethyst played with Steven on the beach. Pearl had lain on a quilt spread on the sand and watched the little boy through nervous eyes, taking care to smile each time he looked her way.
Eventually, she sat up and beckoned for him to come over.
''How old are you now, Steven?''
''I'll be seven in seven days!'' the boy rasped happily. He probed a new gap in his teeth with the tip of his tongue.
''Don't do that!'' Pearl snapped, horrified.
''It's alright,'' Garnet intoned sedately as she came to rest beside Pearl. ''Human children begin to shed their teeth when they get to be around Steven's age. New teeth come in later. Greg told me all about it. Steven lost his first tooth only yesterday.''
''It seems like only yesterday that he didn't have any teeth at all! You're growing up, Steven.'' Pearl brushed invisible particles of sand off the boy's suntanned arms and legs, peering furtively into his rather round face. The Gem trailed her long fingers across Steven's cheek, delighting in the close, fine texture of his skin. She thought of the first time she had ever dared to attempt physical contact with the child who was now nearly an adolescent. The bittersweet weight of Steven in her arms... His skin felt almost the same as it had when he was a newborn.
His skin felt like someone else's. Pearl impulsively drew the little boy closer and gently touched the end of her sharp nose to the tip of his small, soft one.
Steven closed his eyes, enjoying Pearl's attentions. She was not usually so demonstrative. But when he opened his eyes again, Pearl seemed to be looking right through him.
''Steven, why don't you show Pearl the thing your father gave you this morning,'' Garnet suggested.
''Oh! Good idea.'' Steven jumped up, scattering coarse sand in his wake, and headed for Greg's van.
Pearl blushed in embarrassment. ''Where in the world did Amethyst go?'' She got to her feet and pretended to search for the undersized quartz on the beach.
''She went to keep Greg company while he works on the house.'' Garnet took Pearl firmly by the wrist and forced her back down on the quilt.
Pearl refused to meet the other Gem's eyes. She hugged her knees to her chest and concentrated on a small flock of spotted sandpipers foraging just out of reach of the cold waves.
Garnet cleared her throat.
''I know what you're going to say,'' Pearl sighed. ''so I'll say it for you: Steven is not Rose Quartz.''
''I was going to say,'' Garnet replied in her customary tone, ''that Steven has inherited his mother's beautiful black eyes.''
Steven was bounding towards them with Amethyst in tow. Across his chest was slung what appeared to be a miniature guitar.
''What is that, Steven?''
He panted for breath. ''It's called a ukulele, Pearl. Dad gave it to me as an early birthday present. I'm going to play it at the party this evening.''
''Play it now, Steven!'' Amethyst commanded.
''Okay!'' The little boy sat down heavily in Pearl's lap. As Garnet and Amethyst scooched closer, Pearl fondly wrapped her pale arms around Steven and pressed her lips against the sable curls at his temple. His pink t-shirt rode up over his belly as he adjusted the ukulele strap. Pearl could feel the faceted gem that had belonged to Rose, surrounded by the child's soft flesh.
Then the sun began to dip below the horizon, a shimmering disc of fire. The wind picked up, smelling of salt, fish and something sharp and smoky like ashes after the fire is out; gulls screamed from the waterfront, and Greg came to collect Steven and the Gems for the human ritual he called a housewarming party.
It wasn't much of a party, by most human standards. There was only the five of them on the deck, making little attempt to converse, while Greg grilled pork steaks and corn. Steven stirred a bowl of potato salad with a wooden spoon, pausing every now and then to appropriate an olive from the mixture and place it in his mouth.
Through the acrid smoke which wreathed him, Greg regarded each of the Crystal Gems in turn. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl – whenever he thought of them, it was always in that order. And Steven. He was a Crystal Gem too, or going to be. Garnet and Amethyst had said so; even Pearl, who seldom deigned to speak to him, had held Steven upon her hip and proudly declared him theirs.
Don't you see? Steven has Rose's gem!
Steven Quartz.
Greg often wondered if he was doing the right thing, allowing Rose's comrades to play an increasingly active part in raising the boy. After all these years, he still did not know any of the Gems really well, even Amethyst, who was by far the most companionable of the three.
Rose had once referred to her fellow Gems as three long stories. He had been intrigued by that. But Rose, with her heavy curling hair and throaty laugh and sparkling glance, intrigued him more.
His eyes fell on Garnet. At seven and a half feet tall the Gem was an Amazonian giant. She towered over Steven, who sat at the deck table with a plate piled with steak and potato salad, strumming his ukulele between bites. As soon as the boy finished eating, he switched on the radio and plucked along to the tune of an old song by The Philosophy Majors.
To Steven's delight, Garnet began to dance. She moved slowly and gracefully. Her broad-boned, attractive face was so still and expressionless beneath her visor that it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Greg watched as she took Steven in her arms and put him on her shoulders without interrupting her steps.
Steven whooped with joy. The sound of his voice echoed in the night. The boy hugged the Gem to him, burying his face in her dense blue-black hair.
Amethyst was next to start dancing. She hopped up on the table, which rocked a little beneath her feet, and proceeded to twist and sway in a manner that was altogether otherwordly. Her heavy tresses, the color of which reminded Greg of the wisteria which had graced his childhood home, shook back and forth.
Meanwhile, Steven, still atop Garnet's shoulders, looked as though he were having a peak experience. His face was flushed with a new light as he gazed around him. Greg, wiping a nostalgic tear from his beard, realized that Steven was looking for Pearl. He called her name, and the tall, slender Gem withdrew from the shadows at the side of the house.
''Come dance, Pearl!''
She obliged.
Across the deck, Greg took a long gulp from an ice cold bottle of beer, then pressed the damp glass to his forehead. He pretended to dance for a few beats, which earned him an enormous grin from Amethyst and a fleeting look of disgust from Pearl. Greg didn't mind. He was soon captivated by her dance, by the three of them dancing differently but in sync with one another.
Pearl stood en pointe, stretching her beautiful arms skyward. Her muscles were tense, but she maintained her position effortlessly. As the song ended and another began, she dropped her arms and spun around halfway, coming face to face with Greg.
They made eye contact, which they rarely did. Greg gave a polite nod and was amazed when Pearl smiled at him.
Greg could not remember the last time he had seen Pearl smile. But she did so, shyly at first, her mouth like the mark of a correct answer on a pop quiz, then with increasing confidence until Greg could make out her teeth, even and very white.
Rose, Greg thought.
''That's more like it, Pearl!'' Garnet said, setting Steven on the table by Amethyst, where he tried unsuccessfully to follow her fluid movements.
Garnet waltzed up to Pearl. She took her by the shoulders and, bending down, kissed her on the lips.
''Look at Steven dance!'' Greg reached into the cooler for another beer.
''Go, Steven! Go! Go!'' Amethyst bellowed.
''I'm proud of you,'' Garnet whispered into Pearl's ear. ''Being friendly towards Greg.''
Pearl giggled, giddy with the winning combination of music and dance. She moved her hips and twirled.
Garnet extended a graceful hand. ''Dance with us, Gregory.''
''Are you sure?''
''Sure I'm sure.'' She slipped her hand into his.
''Yeah, Dad!'' Steven's eyes were shining with stars.
Greg reminisced about a day more than ten years ago, when he and Rose Quartz had gone on an impromptu trip to Keystone and visited a seedy nightclub full of smoke and neon lights. The music had been deafening, the dance floor packed. But Rose had blended in like cream stirred into coffee, giving Greg a charge more potent than ten cups of caffeine. Simply watching her gave him a totally new kind of high. Together they jumped and gyrated for hours, until the first rays of dawn drove them to rest in the back of the van. Cuddling him on the air mattress, Rose slipped him a piece of information concerning gemkind that he would never forget.
We enjoy music and we enjoy to dance. Both are art in motion. A good beat is like a drug to Gems. It rushes through us, takes over our minds, and makes our physical forms move.
''That's one thing we have in common,'' Greg said quietly.
Fusion.
''Steven!'' Amethyst shouted. ''Your gem! Look at your gem!''
The dancing stopped at once.
''Guys... what's happening?'' Steven was afraid. He pulled up his shirt to expose the rosy gem on his midriff. It was pulsing with an intangible glow you could only see if you weren't looking at it.
The Gems blinked in disbelief.
''This can't be real.'' Greg turned off the radio.
''Why can't it?'' Amethyst demanded, shaking back her wisteria mane. ''Steven's one of us! If his gem glows, it can only be a good sign.''
''It doesn't seem to be glowing anymore,'' Pearl quavered. She twisted her hands in agitation, eyes flicking from Garnet to Amethyst to Greg.
''What do we do now?'' Greg asked stupidly. He swallowed hard, feeling the saliva throb at the back of his throat.
''We do what we were going to do,'' Garnet replied matter-of-factly. ''We begin to teach the son of Rose Quartz the ways of Gems.'' She tapped the side of her visor, which blinked out of existence, and studied Steven with large, almond-shaped eyes of different hues. A furrow above her brow opened to reveal a third eye of a startling shade of violet.
Steven caught his breath as a surge of unidentifiable emotion spread through his body. Something prickled within his gem. He climbed down from the table and began to make his way to the stairs leading down to the beach where his father's van was parked.
''Where are you going, Steven?'' Greg asked. ''Are you feeling okay?''
''I'm fine, Dad.'' Steven managed a neutral expression. ''Why don't you help me bring my stuff up from the van?''
''Amethyst,'' Pearl shrilled. ''This house-heating party is over! Stop eating and go...'' She gestured vaguely in the direction of Greg's van. ''Help carry Steven's things inside the house.''
''It's housewarming, P,'' Amethyst said around a mouthful of leftover food. ''And in my opinion, the party's only started.''
''What do you mean?'' Pearl went around the deck, collecting used plates and cutlery. She moaned in revulsion as Amethyst jerked a grease-smeared plate back from her and took a large bite, her strong projected teeth grinding the vintage ceramic into powder fine enough for her to swallow.
''Amethyst is right.'' Garnet peered over the deck railing at Greg, who was struggling with an overstuffed duffel bag. Steven took it from him and lugged it up the stairs with little difficulty. The seven-year-old was already physically stronger than a fully human child of the same age. He may someday have the strength of a quartz soldier. ''The party has only started. Steven is going to be living with us now. Training him to be a Crystal Gem is going to be a busy and demanding job.'' Raising a fist, she summoned a massive gauntlet for emphasis.
''But also a fun job,'' Amethyst quipped. ''Hey, Steven! Let's see you summon your weapon!''
''My what?'' Steven said as he crossed the threshold into the house, followed by Greg.
''Amethyst!''
''Don't worry, Pearl.'' Garnet chucked her friend under the chin. ''Let's go make up that little boy's bed. He's had quite a long day. We all have.''
''My room looks great.'' Steven unzipped his bag. He lay a pair of folded pyjamas on the bed. ''Thanks, Pearl.''
''Oh, don't thank me. Your father is the one who built the house.''
''But you're the one who made it look so nice and tidy on the inside.'' Steven dropped onto the rug beside her. ''Mom looks beautiful.''
Pearl sighed, turning to face the large framed oil portrait over the front door. ''She was beautiful.''
''Do you and the Crystal Gems miss her?''
''Each and every day.''
''What do you miss the most about her?''
Pearl felt her grief rise up so violently that she started away from Steven.
''Pearl? Did I say something wrong? Please don't be mad at me.''
''I'm not mad at you, Steven.'' The Gem got up and ruffled his hair. Poor little boy, she thought.
Poor me.
Why did you do it, Rose?
The wind hissed through the tall grass that grew in profusion over the outcrop. Kneeling on the wet earth, Pearl dug her fingers into the rich, black humus at the base of the rose shrub. Closing her eyes, she sniffed the tealike tang of rotting leaves and moist dirt. To be alone was to reappraise. To be alone and know that she could go back, could return at any moment to Garnet and Amethyst, was a luxury she hardly deserved. Pearl had so much to be grateful for. And yet...
Looking up, peering between the black silhouettes of passing rainclouds, Pearl could see a thick spill of stars. They appeared large and close. She could just make out Homeworld's galaxy, scattered lights on deep blue velvet. Homeworld. Home.
Not home anymore, Rose had spat after their final battle for Earth's independence. In her hand was a sharp fragment of a gem she had cracked. Stop looking like that, Pearl. Stop crying! I didn't force you into this rebellion. I said, stop crying!
''I cannot help it,'' Pearl whimpered. She remembered the sting of the shard, which Rose had hurled against her as punishment for her tears.
Never again, never again.
Slowly, deliberately, Pearl sat back and summoned her spear, for no other reason than that it felt good to have something solid to hold onto. She laid the iridescent shaft across her knees and resolved not to cry again. Not tonight.
A soft voice carried over the rocks. Pearl glanced over her shoulder and was both ashamed and relieved to see Garnet lazing on the deck. She wondered how long she had been there. Pearl allowed her spear to vanish and waited patiently to hear the fusion's footsteps behind her.
''Feeling bad?''
Pearl nodded.
''You've been out here all night. You didn't even say good-bye to Greg when he left.''
''Where did he go?''
''To sleep in that van of his. He had a few more beers after Steven fell asleep and talked our ears off about his band. He also talked about Rose.''
Pearl leaned her head against Garnet as her physical form shook with little sobs.
''He misses her, too, Pearl. He loved her.''
''He didn't love her as much as I did.''
''There are as many kinds of love as there are stars in the heavens. Love is love. We all loved Rose Quartz deeply. I also love you deeply, and I don't want to see you sad anymore.''
''Every time I look at Greg... or Steven, for that matter...''
''Hush. Rose gave us Steven because she loved us so much. He is a gift.''
''Literally or metaphorically?''
''Both.''
Pearl drew back, confused.
''I'll explain – sometime.'' She felt Pearl relax into her embrace. ''You seemed to like the dancing earlier.''
''I did.''
''What about Steven's gem.'' It was more of a statement than a question. ''That oh-so-familiar glow.''
''Do you think... he could fuse with one of us?''
''Only time will tell.''