STEVEN UNIVERSE – Conceivin' Steven

Steven Universe is a special boy. He is the first ever hybrid of a human and a Gem. Gems are an alien race of transmorphological, sentient gemstones taking human form while on Earth. Steven's dad, Greg, is a human and his mom, Rose Quartz, was a Gem. But Rose was no ordinary Gem. She was the leader of the Crystal Gems, a group of rebels who fought off the others from her home world when it was revealed that their mission on Earth was to transform the planet into a Gem-generating station, depleting its resources and killing all of its aboriginal life in the process. But in spite of their political differences, Rose loved the Gems. And she loved her son very much and wanted him to know the full potential of both his human and Gem heritage and so, when Steven was born, she gave up her physical form so that she could pass her gem, and therefore her very essence, onto him.

Today is Steven's 14th birthday and he is celebrating it with his father, the other Crystal Gems and his best friend, Connie, at his father's uncle's farm just outside of Beach City where they lived. Connie is twelve and three quarters and was surprised to learn that Steven is older than her. She thought, because they were the same height, that the two of them were the same age. The explanation is a bit complex. Gems are made, not born. They start as the perfectly shaped, highly concentrated forms of energy that is their gem. In the case of Steven's friends, these gems are a garnet, an amethyst and a pearl, which are the names they go by, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. The gems provide the energy to create their physical form and sustains them throughout their lives, which can last many millennia. As such, to a human, the Crystal Gems do not seem to grow or age. And Steven, being half Gem, grows and ages at a very different rate than Connie. However, the gems also allow the beings to alter their physical form briefly if needed and, in an attempt to make Connie more comfortable with her perception of Steven at 14, Steven forced his physical form to stretch to the size a 14 year old should be. But he would soon learn that this kind of manipulation does not come without consequences. The prolonged shape shifting weakened his gem's ability to maintain his original physical form, and after nearly a full morning and afternoon of being stretched, Steven's gem snapped his body all the way back to baby form while it recuperated. This upset him and he had no other recourse in his new state but to let out his frustration and embarrassment with a long wailing cry.

Greg, who had raised Steven alone from birth knew the best method for soothing baby Steven - a long drive in the van. That had always worked before. But Greg had long ago removed Steven's car seat from the van so Amethyst, Steven's Crystal Gem friend, volunteered to take the shape of Steven's seat for the time it would take to calm him down. Connie, not wanting to miss any part of Steven's birthday, came along for the ride to keep her friend company. In his infant form, Steven was unable to use his words so Greg thought it best to pick up some diapers before heading out so as to avoid any accidents. Amethyst, as Steven's car seat, wholly approved of this idea.

It took a couple of hours on the road but in the end it was Connie's friendship, comforting and reassurances that the two would always be friends, no matter what, that finally got Steven to calm down. It was just at that moment that Amethyst cleared her throat in an effort to gain Greg's attention.

"What, Amethyst," Greg said, a little perturbed that she might get Steven's crying started again. But Amethyst was trying to be helpful.

"Baby Steven needs changin'," she reported. Connie and Greg smiled at one another, amused by the situation Amethyst was in, as Greg pulled the van over. By the time Greg got out and slid the side door open, Amethyst had already reverted back to her natural physical form and was holding the baby in her arms. Greg was impressed how maternal Amethyst looked with what he suspected was no previous experience.

"Wow, Amethyst, that's a good look for you," he teased, "you're a natural." Amethyst was enjoying holding the baby but she wasn't getting any warm and fuzzy family feelings quite yet. She scowled at Greg for even making the suggestion and with outstretched arms, quickly handed the child over to him.

"Yeah, well don't get any funny ideas, bub," she snorted. "I ain't ready to give this up any time soon," she said as she tossed her hair back and lightly ran the backs of her fingers down the length of her body in a motion that suggested just how elegant she thought her look was. This made Connie laugh a little to herself. But it made Amethyst think for a bit. Amethyst loved her physical form and all the things she could do with it. Though the Gems did not need to eat (they got all of their energy requirements from the gemstones that were part of their bodies), Amethyst loved to do it. She loved the way matter passing through her body felt. She enjoyed all unnecessary forms of activity: playing, wrestling, sleeping. She got a kick out of the all the stuff that came with taking on a human form: dreaming, sneezing, loving. And she can only imagine that Rose Quartz must have too. So it begged the question, "Hey, how did you ever convince Rose to have one of these poop piles anyway?" Of course, she was referring to Steven and what turned out to be the contents of his diaper.

"Actually," Greg began, expecting his answer to come as a bit of a surprise, "she had to convince me." And based on the "What?!" that Amethyst let out, he was right. "But it's not a very appropriate story for right now…" He let his words trail off as he thought back to the days he spent with Rose when they were courting. Connie took his response to mean that he was embarrassed talking about making a baby in front of her.

"Oh, don't worry Mr. Universe. I know all about where babies come from," she said, matter-of-factly. Greg raised his eyebrows a bit. Connie explained why a twelve year old would be so well versed in childbirth. "My mom's a doctor," she explained. "She taught me all about the reproductive system when I was eight." Greg was taken aback a bit. Obviously, Connie had misunderstood his apprehension.

"No, I'm not referring to all the mushy stuff," Greg began, a bit embarrassed that Connie thought he was afraid to talk about the mechanics involved in making Steven, which he was. "It's just that … it's a bit of a ... personal story, and I would rather tell it when Steven can fully, you know, understand what it's all about." Now Amethyst, who had been only mildly interested in hearing the tale, was much more interested, spurred on by Greg's reluctance to share it.

"Ooooooooo, personal huh?" she chided. "Now you have to tell us."

"Yeah, Mr. Universe," Connie added, pleading, "please tell us." And then, as if trying to convince him, revealed, "And besides, Steven can understand what you're saying. Look at him." Greg looked down at his son, in his fresh, clean diaper, silently looking up at his father with an intent gaze and wide eyes that twinkled in the waning light of the late afternoon. It was obvious to Greg that Steven could understand what he was saying even if the boy could not respond in kind. Greg relented.

"Okay," he said, cradling his son in his arms and sitting in the open side door of the van as Connie and Amethyst took up positions sitting cross-legged on the ground outside the door. "As you know, I once tried fusing with Rose but it didn't work out."

"PFFT! Yeah, we were watchin'. What a total fail!" Amethyst told Connie. "Got Pearl all bent outta shape though," she admitted.

Greg glared at Amethyst for interrupting, then continued. "Instead, we just talked, which, ended up being pretty good. Rose had told me that though there had been humans she loved before, she had never been in love with one. Which was basically all I was really looking for. I just wanted to know that we had a future; that we would try to find a way of working out our relationship; that we even had a relationship. Over the next few months I saw more and more of Rose, when she wasn't off fighting some crystal monster. There were a lot of missions back in those early days. But the more she was away, the more I missed her. Rose felt the same way about me. She said she had never felt that way about a human before. I think having feelings really excited her. She told me that she loved having new human experiences and that she wanted to know everything about what it was like to be human. I promised her that I would help in every way possible." Greg paused for a moment. He realized, just then, that it was that promise that made Rose make the biggest decision of her life. "I guess," he began again, slowly, "that's why she trusted me enough to show me her room."

Amethyst brought her hands to her head quickly, as if she was trying to keep it from popping off. "Rose let a human into her room?!" she gasped.

"Yeah, once," Greg said, suddenly realizing just how big a deal this was. "I mean, I had been to the temple lots of times to see Rose. But I had never actually been in her room before."

"I've never been in her room before!" Amethyst yelled, a bit jealous. Then, her jealousy was replaced with curiosity. "What was it like?"

"It was all pink," Greg began.

"Figures," Amethyst snorted, interrupting. Then, she was curious about something else. "Wait a minute. Where was I during all of this?"

"Rose sent you and Garnet and Pearl on some sort of mission, I guess," Greg explained. That night, as I was coming up to the temple, I could see Rose talking to Garnet, real close, like they were having a private conversation. I remember Garnet had her hand up to her visor. I thought she had a headache or something and Rose was, like, trying to heal her. Whatever she did must have worked, 'cause after Garnet took her hand down, she had a big smile on her face. That's when Rose must have given you guys the mission. She said something else to Garnet, and that made her smile disappear. I remember Garnet looking over at Pearl who was practising swordsmanship with HoloPearl."

"Typical Pearl," Amethyst interjected.

"It must have been a pretty dangerous mission," Greg concluded. "Garnet looked pretty concerned. It almost looked like she was worried about Pearl," he said, and then added, "But it's hard to tell what's goin' on under that visor."

"Hmmm," Amethyst thought out loud, "I don't remember Rose sending us on any dangerous missions. Usually she tagged along for the good stuff. I wonder what she and Garnet were talking about."

"I dunno for sure," Greg explained. "I didn't really hear anything until I got to the door. All I heard was Garnet ask Rose, "Are you sure?" and Rose telling her, "You saw what it'll be like." The weird thing was, Rose looked pretty happy and Garnet looked concerned. All she had a chance to say back was "Yeah, but…" Then they saw me and stopped talking."

"Weird," Amethyst said.

"Yeah, that's what I thought at first too," Greg continued, "but after you guys left, things got a little clearer. "Greg," she said, "I invited you over tonight because I want to show you something." Then she took my hand and brought me over to the door of her room. Her gem glowed and the door opened up. As we walked in, Rose explained, "This is my room; my most private sanctuary. It's where I spend time thinking about the world and how wonderful it is. This is also where I keep my most precious possessions." "You must like clouds a lot," I said. The room was filled with all these big, pink clouds. Rose laughed. "Those aren't clouds," she told me. "Those are my thoughts. And anything I can think of becomes reality here. And while you are here, the same is true for you." "I usually like to sit while I think," I told her, "but I don't even see a chair." "That doesn't mean that there isn't one," she said. Then, she began to sit down. And before she even got into a complete sitting position, bam, there was a chair to catch her."

"Cooooool!" Connie gasped, marvelling at the magic of it all. Connie always marvelled at the Gems' magic but this time she played her amazement up, not wanting to reveal that she too had also been in Rose's room once when she and Steven acted out a new ending to one of her favorite books, Destiny's End. Steven, meanwhile, was still silently staring at his dad telling the story, his eyes impossibly wide and sparkly. Steven, because he now was in possession of Rose's crystal, had been to Rose's room, and had materialized his father in the room, but he never suspected that Greg had actually been there before him.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Greg agreed with Connie's sentiment, and then went on with his tale. ""So, you can have whatever you want?" I asked. Rose nodded. "And so can you," she told me. "But all I really want … is you," I told her." Connie looked like she was going to melt. "Then the chair stretched into a bed and she patted the space next to her. "Then come and get it, Mr. Universe," she teased."

Amethyst joined in the teasing. "Rose and Greg, getting' biz-zay!" she called. "Boom Chick-a-boom pow," she sang, trying to make it sound like sexy music. Connie giggled. Steven blushed. Greg blushed too and he uncomfortably ran his hand over the back of his head, not sure how much more of this story he even felt like telling anymore.

But he did continue, and, being a gentleman, decided to skip over the mushy stuff. "Well, anyway, the next day Rose woke to the smell of a very special breakfast being made."

"Was it a together breakfast?" Amethyst asked, still teasing. Steven looked over at Amethyst and smiled at her for remembering the name of his special breakfast.

"No," Greg said at first, then reconsidered with a, "Well...," before simply clearing his throat and moving on. ""I'm having bacon and eggs," I told Rose. "I'll make you whatever you want. What are you gonna have?" I asked. "I'm going to have … a baby," she told me. "A boy baby." My knees buckled. It's a good thing that a chair appeared under me or I would have landed right on the floor." Greg thought a moment. "Which wouldn't have been so bad considering it was made of clouds," he concluded.

"But..but..but…the Gems are aliens! Aren't their parts … different?" Connie asked, with flabbergasted wonder.

"Just Bing Bang Boom that's it, you're havin' a baby?" Amethyst added. It was a bit crude, but Amethyst was right.

"That's just how I felt," Greg concurred. "So I asked Rose, "Aren't we rushing things a bit? Shouldn't we be married first?" But Rose was just a ball of excitement. "If that's what got to happen, then yes! I want everything, Greg," she told me, "the whole human experience! I want to be married! I want a baby! I want it all!" She was so happy. She spun around, twirling that big white dress. How could I say no? But, like Connie, I had a lotta questions. "But does all the plumbing work in your physical form? Can you even have a baby?" So Rose explained all the details to me. She told me that even though her physical form doesn't naturally come with all the parts to make a baby, she could shape shift the necessary equipment for the time it would take for Steven to grow inside of her. She also told me that shape shifting that long was going to tire her out and that by the time Steven was born, Rose was going to have to revert back to her crystal form to recover." Greg paused for a bit and let his head drop down. He looked at Steven for a moment and he could tell that the baby in his arms who was his 14 year old son could understand this best of all. He handed Steven to Connie and stood up. His face changed. A sad expression fell over it and his voice cracked a bit when he continued. "That's when she dropped the bomb on me. She told me that if she was going back to her crystal form, she wanted Steven to have it so he could experience all the life that being a human and a Gem could give him." Greg paused again. He looked at his audience. They were completely silent and all of them, Steven, Connie and even Amethyst, had tears welling up in their eyes. The late afternoon had become early evening and the stars were coming out and when Greg began speaking again, he didn't speak to the three on the ground but to the stars in the sky. "But I don't want you to go, Rose. I'm not ready to give you up. I'm just starting to get to know you. We had such a wonderful night. I wanted to spend my whole life with you! And now you're telling me we only have a few months left? It's not fair! It's not enough!" Greg caught himself, and he looked back at the group before him. There were all wide-eyed with worry. He apologized for the outburst. "Sorry about that. It's okay everybody. Really it is. It's Rose's sacrifice that helps make Steven the great little guy that he is today. And I couldn't be happier to have him in my life." Greg took Steven from Connie and held him high over his head. "I haven't been able to do this in years!" he yelled, as he turned round and round. Baby Steven chuckled in a way that only babies can, and it warmed Greg's heart. Now it was Greg's turn to have a sparkle in his eye.

"What happened next, Mr. Universe?" Connie asked, interrupting the moment. How did Rose convince you that everything was going to be okay?

Greg settled down and sat in the opening of the van's side door again. "Well, as Rose put it, making Steven was the proof that we were able to fuse after all, in a way. And she explained that, in her crystal form, she would always be a part of Steven, as long as he lived. And in that way, she would always be with me too." Greg paused as he thought about that and he took a moment to run a finger over the gem in Steven's belly button that was Rose Quartz, his wife. "She agreed to be married to me," he began again, "partly because that is something I always wanted and partly because I convinced her it would give her more of the human experience. Garnet performed the ceremony."

"I remember that!" Amethyst interjected. "I was the maid of honor AND the best man!" she told Connie, and then added, "Pearl just went off to pout."

"Yeah, I think it kinda broke her heart that Rose and I got married," Greg admitted.

"She got over it," Amethyst explained. "Rose told her that, while she was pregnant, she was gonna need Pearl even more to protect her and fight for her. And that after she was gone, she was gonna rely on Pearl to help raise Steven. That kinda made it okay for Pearl."

"Yeah, but it didn't make it okay for me," Greg confessed, and he became agitated as he spilled out the rest of the details of the ceremony. "I was gonna lose Rose AND have a newborn son to raise BY MYSELF! My rock star lifestyle was going to have to come to an end. I was gonna have to settle down. I didn't know what to do! I didn't know what choices to make next! I was having a panic attack while I was saying my vows. I don't even remember if I said "I do" at the right time!" Greg took a moment to calm himself down. "One thing I do remember," he said, more quietly, "was Garnet coming over to congratulate us. I'll never forget what she said to me. "Everything is gonna be cool, man," she said, and then she kissed me on the head. And wow, what a kiss! I saw visions!"

"Future visions," Connie whispered. Amethyst raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"Yeah, it was like I suddenly could see the rest of my life unfold," Greg told them. "I saw me getting the car wash. I saw me feeding Steven, and changing his poopy diapers, and takin' him for rides in the van when he got cranky. I saw the house go up at the temple and I saw him move in with the Crystal Gems and somehow I knew that I would never have to worry about him; that he would have these powers that I would never really understand; and that he would do great things and he would always be okay; always be safe." Greg looked down at the baby in his arms and smiled. Baby Steven was still awake and still listening intently, and he smiled back. Greg thought back to those days when Steven was a baby (the first time), and all the doubt he had. "But I still didn't if I was gonna be okay," he said, softly. "I had never been a parent before. How was I supposed to know if I was doing the right thing or not?" Greg looked up at Amethyst. "What was I allowed to tell him about his mother, and the other Gems, and his special powers? Or did it all have to wait until he moved in with you guys?" Amethyst's heart melted a little. She had never had any children of course, but she could understand what Greg must have been going through to have had so little direction. Then Greg turned to Connie. "And what do I tell him about girls? Heck, I hardly knew anything myself." Connie blushed a bit. She wished she had her glasses to hide behind just then.

"You did all right," she said in barely a whisper. "Steven turned out pretty good," she said, a little more loudly, trying to reassure him. It worked. Greg smiled.

He looked back down at Steven. "Yeah, he did, didn't he. But it's all because of Rose," he admitted. "She took everything she had learned about humans over the past five or six thousand years and tried to pass it on to me. Every day while he grew inside her, she gave me a different piece of advice so that I could be the best, coolest dad I could be for him. The best piece of advice she ever gave me was, "Teach him something that only you can teach him, so that he'll always bring that part of you with him wherever he goes."" Greg looked up again to talk to the others. "One day I was playing guitar on the beach and Rose brought me something, a gift for Steven actually. "It's a little guitar," she said, "for Steven, for when he's old enough to play. I think it would be nice for you to teach him." "It's not a guitar," I explained. "It's a ukulele." Rose was so embarrassed at her mistake. "Can you play it?" she asked." Greg chuckled remembering how Rose had feared that she had failed at providing him with the thing that he could pass on to Steven. "Well, the chords are a little different," I told her, "but I think I remember how it goes."

With that, Greg handed Steven to Amethyst this time, who was shocked to have to hold the baby, but she didn't mind and quickly settled into it. Greg leaned into the van and took out Steven's ukulele. He plucked the four strings to make sure it was in tune, and then started playing, crudely at first. "Ooh, I'm a little rusty," he said with a bit of an embarrassed blush. He played a little more and the rust came off pretty quickly. When he was ready, he told them, "I wrote this for Rose and Steven. It's called Sometimes Magic." And he played them a little song.

We tried to fuse

But you were just amused

So instead we simply stood to talk.

How was I to know

That was the way to go

And together, we would start to rock?

Yeah, together we would start to rock.

Before you know

It began to show;

Our love was like a rocket goin' zoom!

And you thought it best,

Because I passed the test,

To invite me up to your room;

To invite me up to your room.

But sometimes magic

Just saves the day.

Sometimes magic

Just finds a way.

By the time it was through,

You made my dreams come true.

That night, it was just so much fun.

But when the morning came

I was the one to blame

For the fact that you were with our son;

For the fact that you were with our son.

Oh yeah, you dropped the bomb;

You were gonna be a mom

But you broke my heart and said you were leavin',

Because, when he arrived,

You'd no longer be alive

Except the part of you that was in Steven;

Except the part of you that was in Steven.

'Cause sometimes magic

Can't save the day.

Sometimes magic

Can't find a way.

Even though I miss you

And I still wanna kiss you,

I see you almost every day

In how our boy

Relives your joy

In each and ev'ry magical way;

In each and ev'ry magical way.

Yeah sometimes magic

Still saves the day.

Sometimes magic

Still finds a way.

Greg let the last notes of the song fade away as he continued to look down at the instrument. Finally, he said, "Steven does it better," dismissing his performance. But he smiled, knowing that Steven was an accomplished musician, as good, if not better, than him, and it was all because he was able to pass on to his son his love of music and his ability to create and play it. Then he spoke again, almost inaudibly this time. "Thanks Rose. Good advice." He looked up to get the audience reaction. Connie was doe-eyed and awestruck at the intimate concert she had just been treated to. She hated to admit it, but Mr. Universe had always been something of a bumbling buffoon of a character to her. This was the first time she had seen him for the artist and talent that he was and now she understood what Steven's mother found so fascinating in him. Connie adored him, and the attention made him a little uncomfortable. He glanced over at Amethyst to gage her reaction, hoping he hadn't made too many fans. He didn't want to have to change his lifestyle or anything. But there was no need to start slinking around Beach City in sunglasses and a trench coat with the collar turned up in an attempt to avoid a throng of adoring autograph hounds just yet. Amethyst was awestruck too, but not by Greg's performance. She'd heard him play before and was not as easily won over. Instead, she was more impressed with her own performance for she was the proud new owner of the ability to get a baby to fall asleep in her arms. Steven had finally nodded off and was snugly nestled in the crook of Amethyst's elbow, or antecubital fossa, as Pearl would have called it. It was the most maternal thing Greg had ever seen Amethyst do and he took a moment to appreciate it. But, it was getting late and they had been away from the party for quite some time and he didn't want the others to start worrying.

"Well, we better head back," he started to say.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Connie pleaded. "We didn't hear the end of the story."

Greg was confused. The story was about how Rose convinced him to have a baby and he covered that, so he had to ask, "The end?"

"Yeah," Connie explained. "You didn't tell us what you got Steven's mother to pass on to him. Sure, she gave him her gem, but that's what she got her to do. I want to know what you got her to do."

"Oh," Greg uttered. At first he was stumped. He wasn't sure there was something he got Rose to do. He had to think about it a moment. Then it dawned on him. "Oh, okay, well, there was this one thing," he said finally. Just before Steven was born, I got Rose a video camera so she could record all of her favorite things about Earth, or give him some of her sweet advice, or whatever she wanted. But she was about as good at using human technology as I was at using Gem technology so I had to make it as simple for her as possible." Greg began miming her using the camera as he told the story. ""So this end with the round glass," I said, "that's the lens and you point the lens at the things you want to take pictures of. Now, to start recording, you press the button with the red circle on it and you press the button with the black square when you want to stop." She tried it a couple of times but she kept getting the buttons mixed up I think, 'cause when I checked what she had on video, all there was was a couple of shots of the ocean. So I went over the instructions again and she tried it for a few days. I don't know what all she put on that tape but there was this one part where she recorded me trying to be a cool rock 'n' roll dad. I don't think that turned out very well though. She did eventually get the hang of it and when the tape was all done, she put a little label on it that said, "For Steven". I told her, "Just put the tape in a safe place. If you put it in my storage unit, I'm afraid that, by the time he's old enough to understand it, it'll be so lost in there that he'll never find it." "That's okay Greg," she told me, "I have a pretty neat storage unit of my own, and when Steven is old enough, it'll find him." I'm not sure I know what she meant by that but I trusted that she put it somewhere safe." Then Greg leaned down to where Steven was sleeping and he whispered to him, "I hope you find your mommy's message someday little man, and carry it with you for the rest of your life." Then he kissed his son on the head. Greg looked up at Connie. "Is that the ending you were looking for?" he asked. She just nodded, grinning. She figured out that Steven's loyal, magical companion, Lion, was really Rose's storage locker and that, if the tape was in there, Steven has probably already seen in. Of course, Greg had no way of knowing that what Connie thought was true. He didn't know that Steven had already seen the tape. And he didn't know that, in fact, it was Lion and everything inside him that were what he had actually inspired Rose to pass on to Steven. He thought his story ended with the tape. "Then I guess it really is time to go," he concluded. "Amethyst, if you wouldn't mind?" Amethyst carried the boy to the back seat of the van and obligingly shape shifted back into the car seat. Connie and Greg got in front and they headed back to the barn where they had set up camp. They rode in silence for a moment, just enjoying the starry night sky. Then Connie looked back at Steven, still sleeping, and then turned to Greg.

"Mr. Universe?" she asked.

"Yes Connie?" he responded.

"Can Steven sleep in my tent tonight?" Before he even had time to react, she continued, with a more frantic pace. "I'll watch him, and I'll make sure nothing happens to him. I'll stay up all night if I have to. I don't mind." When she finally stopped making her case, Greg smiled. He guessed he was worried about Connie becoming his crazed stalker for nothing. It was obvious she was still Steven's biggest fan.

"I guess it'll be all right, I suppose," he granted, but he wanted her to understand that what she was requesting demanded a lot of responsibility. "But make sure you call for me if you need ANY help," he said sternly. "I'll just be in the next tent." Then he considered what she said for a moment and added, in a softer tone, "Look, I'm sure everything will be fine, so, don't feel you have to stay up all night. Try to get some sleep, okay?" Connie agreed, and she spent the rest of the trip home mentally preparing for her first babysitting job, and her first night of camping, and her first sleepover away from her parents. Her head was spinning. Greg spent the rest of the trip home contemplating what wonders and wisdoms Rose put in her video message to Steven, and whether he would ever find it, and what kind of storage locker would come to find him, and how it would know when he was ready. His head was spinning. Amethyst spent the rest of the trip home listening to baby Steven, and his breathing, and his gurgling, and the beating of his heart. And her heart was floating.

THE END