He went to bed that night, like every night, thinking of her. His beautiful Rose. He spent all of his available waking time thinking of her, really. And, seeing as how he didn't have any other obligations in his life, all he did was think of her. All day. Every day.
God, he'd give anything to have her back. Well, almost anything.
When he looked at Steven, into those big innocent eyes, he could understand why Rose had to go. Steven gave him hope for the future. He saw Rose in Steven and knew that everything would be ok.
But with Steven away with the Crystal Gems, he tended to descend into wallowing.
He tossed restlessly in his bed and sighed. It's never the same sleeping alone. You'd think you would enjoy having more room to stretch out into weird sleeping positions, but you really don't. Not when you're used to having her.
He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed in, imagining he could still smell her scent. She had the loveliest perfume about her. She smelled pure and good, like sunshine and a slight cool breeze.
Her skin was warm to the touch. Never hot, but always a comforting warm temperature. He loved to feel her arms around his middle and her head against his. Her warmth always spread through him from the middle out, enveloping him in the most comforting feeling he'd ever known.
He stretched out an arm over her side of the bed. He liked to think she was still there beside him, waiting to grab on and snuggle into his side. The cool air his arm usually met with wasn't quite so cool tonight, though.
In fact, he was feeling more than just air. He was feeling -
"Rose!?"
He gasped and recoiled, before tentatively stretching his hand back to her.
"What are you - how - Rose?"
He slowly let a few fingers graze her arm, checking to see if she was really real. She was solid, all right.
Greg dreamed of her often, of course. He dreamed she was here in this bed with him. He dreamed about memories they'd shared years ago. He dreamed about the way things would be if she were still here with him and Steven, like a complete family.
But never had a dream felt quite like this.
"Is this real?" He whispered, letting his hand travel up to her face. He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb against her bottom lip.
She smiled sadly and shook her head slightly. A curl fell down into her eyes. In the darkness, her coloring seemed less rosy and more grayscale. But of course, this was just a dream.
He reached up to tuck the fallen curl back.
"I missed you." He mumbled, just containing the tremble in his voice.
She put a finger to his lips and he gulped.
She scooted closer and rested her head on one bent arm, looking down at him on his back. Her other hand slowly left his lips, leaving him gaping. Her hand trailed down to rest on his bare chest.
He stopped its progress by grabbing it. He laced their fingers together for a minute, relishing the feel of her so close, before pulling her to him and burying his face in her neck. Her curls left him breathless in a way that he had always loved.
He breathed in deeply, remembering the lightness of her scent. Tonight, in this dream, her scent was a little off. Not bad, just different. Earthier and solid.
'Dreams aren't perfect, I guess. But they're better than not having her at all.'
He wanted to ask her a million things, and tell her even more. But he couldn't bring himself to break this moment with words.
She relaxed and settled on to her back, pulling his head into the crook of her arm. He put an arm around her waist and their legs tangled together.
She lifted his chin up and kissed his forehead.
He smiled and kissed her cheek.
Their heads rested together while they breathed the same air.
The love shining in her eyes was all he needed tonight.
He closed his eyes, lulled into contentment by her presence and the feel of her against him.
He didn't see her face twitch in the dark beside him, nor feel her silent tears.
Amethyst watched him fall asleep in her arms. She and Greg had never been particularly close, but losing Rose had brought them all together in unexpected ways.
The Gems had been taking turns checking up on Greg, making sure he was getting back on a schedule and living a good life.
Amethyst tended to do her checking in at night, when he was more likely to be asleep. She couldn't stand to see people mourning. Grief is a real bummer, you know.
She almost always found him already sleeping, curled up into a ball in the middle of the bed. She'd wait a few minutes to make sure he was alright, then walk back to the temple with her thoughts.
Tonight, she must have hit a breaking point. You can only watch someone suffer for so long before doing something about it, right?
Unlike most nights, he was stretched out in the bed with one arm flung out to the side. It was almost like he was still holding her, even in his sleep, even without her there.
She just couldn't stand to see him struggle anymore.
Knowing it would probably be something she'd get in trouble for later, she snuck in while he dozed, shifted into Rose's likeness, and decided to attempt some good.
Greg awoke the next morning more refreshed than he had felt in weeks.
Last night's dream was unlike any other. He felt a new kind of confidence inside himself, like her presence had recharged him and made him stronger.
'I can do this' he thought to himself. 'As long as I always remember her, I can do anything.'