New Generation

Steven, now fully grown, is faced with an interesting challenge-raising the seven new hybrids in Beach City. The Crystal Gems (post redemption Homeworld Gems included), after throwing the Diamond Authority off of Earth, had decided to follow Rose's footsteps and bind themselves to Earth forever by giving up their forms for the next generation of Earth's defenders.

This was a random idea I had that I thought I'd write up, see what people thought.

It all started fifteen years ago. Steven had recently turned twenty, and Connie was home from university on Spring Break. The entirety of the Crystal Gems were there, including the former Homeworld Gems. Even Greg was there to spend time with everyone, despite having some heart troubles recently. Everyone was sitting in the house and chatting. Amethyst, Jasper, and Steven were enjoying some food, and everyone was having fun. Then, Garnet dropped a bomb.

"I'm having a kid. Technically two." The entire house went dead silent, but before anyone could ask any questions Garnet raised her hand to quiet them. "Seven years ago, we defeated Homeworld's forces. Five years ago we collected the last of the corrupted gems. We haven't had to fight anything, even a terrestrial foe, for over three months. And over those three months, I made a decision: My time is over. I have fought for thousands of years, I have experienced so much, as Garnet, as Ruby and Sapphire, and now it's time for my story to end happily."

"Who-?" Greg starts to ask.

"Jamie volunteered very readily," Garnet responds, and everything goes quiet.

"Are you sure about this?" Steven asks. Garnet nods, and in the silence Steven walks up to where she stands. "Well then, I'll do my best to take care of and teach your kid...s?" Garnet nods, and Steven smiles.

"I know you will, Steven. And...thank you." Behind her sunglasses, Steven can tell she's on the verge of crying. Within the next few moments, everyone gathers together in a massive group hug.

Over the next seven years, all of the Gems found willing donors and followed the same path. Greg died shortly before Steven's thirtieth birthday; the doctors said it was his heart, it just gave out. But, he died with a smile on his face, playing one last song with his son. Steven went on, and when not being famed by the humans as a war hero, he was a musician. People would come from the world over to hear "Mr. Universe" play. Connie was accepted into a prestigious university and pursued a medical degree like her mother.

And Beach City, despite everything, hasn't changed very much. Lars and Sadie still work at the Big Donut, though nowadays the pair own it, often seen with their three year old daughter, Anna. The Frymans are still in town, well, except for Ronaldo. After the battle with Homeworld, the government came and recruited him. He stops in from time to time, and he's the same old Ronaldo. Peedee ended up redoing the family restaurant, reopening it to be more friendly (Frybo was burned in a "cleansing fire" shortly before the reopening). Jenny and Kiki still run the pizza shop, but they made a few changes over the years. They had to refurbish, especially since Jenny was married to Mayor Buck Dewey. Sour Cream started up his own dance club in the old warehouse, named it the "Salty Sailor" in honor of his step-father. Onion... No one is sure what Onion does. He left town a few years back, and the last any heard of him he was a guest professor at a university.

But these days, it's not just one happy-go-lucky gem hybrid they have to deal with.

"Tim! Get back here!" Steven shouts down the boardwalk, sighing. The boy in question is a tanned young lad with short, wavy black hair and deep blue eyes wearing swim trunks. A dark blue stone can be seen glinting on his back. "You, too, Rod." His companion is a taller boy with shaggy white hair, and a bright orange gem for a nose wearing a white tee and karate pants.

"I'll get em," a shorter boy on Steven's left says, running forward. His darker skin glints with sweat under the midday sun and his short black hair is held back with a headband. Other than that, he wears basketball shorts and a black tee. As he reaches out to grab the other boys, a red stone can be seen set into his left palm.

"Thanks, Adam," Steven says, looking into the boy's different eyes. The lad's right eye is brown, while is left is a brilliant blue. "Nice work, don't you think, Eve?" he asks of the lad's twin, a similarly sized and toned girl with longer hair wearing a wide blue dress. She looks up and smiles, revealing her eyes. The left is brown, with her right having a redder shade, and a blue stone can be see in her right palm.

"Really, why must those two always be causing trouble?" a soft, feminine voice from behind comments.

"Chillax, Mary, they're just having fun," another, rougher, voice responds.

Steven looks back to look at the pair. The soft voice came from Mary, a slender, pale girl with soft blond hair and a long white dress, a pale white stone set into her forehead. The other voice came from a shorter, dirtier looking boy with long, dirty (in both senses) blond hair and dark brown eyes. He's wearing an old hoodie and a pair of ripped jeans, and through the unzipped hoodie a purple gem can be seen in his chest.

"Honestly, Eric, I'm surprised you haven't joined them," says a voice from Steven's back.

He looks back up and smiles to see the youngest of the group, a young girl with blond hair in two large pigtails and wearing a pair of overalls. "Same here, Beth," Steven replies. "But, they can hold it in for just five more minutes. We're almost at the park."

The boys sigh and slog along in silence, and Steven smiles, thinking about his family. [I still miss the gems, but I know they're not gone, not really. Besides, I still have my family.] His smile grows wider when he looks up from his thoughts to see his oldest friend and wife of eight years, Connie Maheshwaran-Universe, waving from down the boardwalk.

The entire group bursts into a run, and as a group the whole family heads into the amusement park.

All is well in Beach City for the Universe family. But for how long?

We... Are the Crystal Gems...

We will fight til day's end.

No one's gone forever,

They just begin again and again.

We love this world, one and all.

We will rise, we'll never fall.

That's why the people, of this world,

Believe in...the Universe Family,

Two worlds made whole.

In a world torn by war,

Guardians from another land...

Fought and died by their word,

And stood side by side, hand in hand.

When chaos falls from the stars,

We look for strength inside our hearts.

We stand together and we fight back.

One thing we have, courage we won't lack!

And we'll stand on the front line,

We'll never stop, we won't be denied.

And we'll come home to family and friends,

And we'll always remember...

Nothing truly ends.