A/N: I wrote this chapter originally before We Need To Talk was aired, and at the time I never expected we would see a rosepearl fusion, so Morganite is based off of the design here because I love it so much: post/115733788429/rose-quartz-and-pearl-fusion-prompt-morganite

Thank you for the reviews! This fic is still ongoing on ao3, and the number of chapters are undetermined right now because I'm still working out some kinks for later on in the fic. It will be at least 7 chapters though, I know that for sure.

Prolusion
Chapter 1 – Morganite

"A long time ago, Rose and I... reproduced."

Steven stared at Pearl, mouth hanging open. She watched him in silence, wringing her hands nervously, waiting for the impending reaction.

Several moments passed.

"Um... Steven?" she ventured as he continued to stare in utter amazement. His eyes were like saucers.

"Y-You and my mom...?"

"Er, yes."

"You reproduced?" His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, his expression growing uncomfortable. "Like... the way humans do?"

Oh, dear. Pearl's cheeks flamed.

"Wh-What?! Of course not, Steven, gem reproduction is nothing like-!" She collected herself and took a deep breath. "No, Steven. Gem reproduction doesn't work that way. It involves, um... two or more gems coming into intimate contact."

An illusion formed in her gem and projected outwards, showing two faceless gems bowing before spinning towards each other, as though readying to fuse. As they met in the middle the gems, both located on the chests to make for a more simple explanation, began to glow.

"Sometimes, although not always, a geode is formed." From the two gems meeting, a small globe representing a geode sprouted between them. "That's how it happens. It's a complex process, all down to compatibility of gems and how strong the emotions are. So no, it is nothing like human reproduction."

"Oh." Steven looked a little relieved, and Pearl exhaled, thanking the stars that Steven was willing to accept the answer without any further questions on the matter of sexual relations. "So you and Mom made... geodes...?"

"That's right."

He stared down at his hands, absorbing this information. When he glanced up again, his eyes were brimming with curiosity.

"So how did it happen?" he asked. "How did you and Mom... make geodes? How did that happen?"

…

It was time to head out again.

The mission was simple – the Locket of Wrath was allegedly located on a small, inconspicuous island in the north pacific ocean, one of Blue Diamond's secondary bases designed to blend in with the surrounding environment. Garnet had predicted it causing trouble for the surrounding seas if they didn't retrieve it soon, and the last thing they wanted was for the sailors to further provoke an already malevolent gem artefact. It had already caused two shipwrecks, but it wasn't until now that they'd been able to define the location of the offender. Fortunately after the rebellion a warp pad had been built, so it wasn't a stretch to reach the location of the artefact.

"I'm just amazed we didn't see it the last time we cleaned out the island," Rose Quartz commented as they gathered on the warp pad. "I know it was over a thousand years ago, but I didn't expect it to be dormant for so long. Maybe there was a timing charm on it?"

"It's possible that it wasn't there originally," Garnet pointed out, stoic as ever. "It could have travelled a distance, carried by the ocean."

"Whatever the reason," Pearl said impatiently, "lets go there now and retrieve it before it causes even more trouble. The last thing we need is more humans getting themselves hurt as a result."

"Fine," groaned Amethyst, emerging from her room at last. "But ships get wrecked all the time. Destroying the locket won't change that."

"Maybe not, but it will lessen the number of deaths caused in that ocean," Garnet deadpanned. "And that's what matters."

On that note of finality they warped, landing on a quaint island crawling with crystals that the natives had taken to calling Mask Island. The white sand, clear waters and impressive crystals made for a picturesque sight to behold, but the lack of disturbance was a little unnerving.

Pearl turned to Garnet. "You said it was active again?"

"I predicted it would be causing trouble soon. It's uncertain whether or not the locket has already activated."

"Well, there's no use standing around and talking about it," Rose voiced, blowing her fringe out of her eyes. "Garnet, Amethyst, you survey the waters. Pearl and I will track the island."

"Got it!"

Amethyst shapeshifted easily into a shark, burying herself deep in the waves, and Garnet followed suit, nodding at Rose slightly before disappearing under the water. Rose turned to Pearl, hands planted on her hips.

"Let's go."

"Of course."

The objective was simple – find the locket, bubble it, leave. How hard would it be to track down a locket, anyway?

Apparently, very hard. Rose was on her knees, sifting through dirt and ferns warily while Pearl checked the shores of the island, turning over rocks and driftwood.

"Found anything yet?" Rose called.

"Nothing," Pearl replied, deflated. The locket could be anywhere. Garnet had pinpointed the location to a small perimeter surrounding the island, so it should have been found by now.

"Maybe Garnet and Amethyst have it already," Rose offered cheerfully, continuing to search anyway. Pearl nodded, making no effort to reply. The sun was shining but her mood couldn't be more sour.

As she peered around the side of a large red rock face, Pearl scanned the area, pausing as Rose made a triumphant sound.

"Aha! There it – wait a minute-"

She froze as a deep roar ripped through the trees. Pearl craned her neck in the direction of the sound, and saw a flash of pink light from behind the trees, met with the sound of a blunt object hitting an impenetrable force.

"Augh – Pearl! The locket, it-it held a corrupted gem!"

Dropping the search, Pearl raced down the beach, pulling a spear from her gem as she ran. Rose's shield was out, holding out against a large, enraged creature, scaly yet feathered, a sort of corrosive plasm dripping from its beak. A broken chain lay abandoned at her feet. As Rose turned to Pearl in relief, she missed the drop of plasm that was beginning to corrode her shield, a small but definite hole now present.

"Rose, your shield!" Pearl cried, before leaping up to plunge her spear into its chest. The creature appeared mildly unaffected, although the stab bought Rose enough time to abandon her current shield and summon a new one. The two exchanged looks as the creature extended its neck, reaching for Pearl's spear and snapping it in its beak.

"My spear," Pearl grumbled, reaching into her gem to pull out a new one. As she did so, the creature flicked its tail, sending her sailing through the air, only to smack against a tree. Rose quickly summoned her sword, leaping high into the air and plummeting downwards, sword raised. It howled in pain as Rose took out its eyes, shaking the corrosive substance from her sword before it had time to set. Pearl climbed onto the branch she had slammed into, reaching for another spear and throwing it in the general direction. Neither of them had encountered a creature of this formation before, so it made sense to experiment to see what attacks affected the stability of the corrupted gem.

"My sword does seem to do the trick," Rose commented as Pearl jumped down to land gracefully beside her, "but I don't know about how long it will take us to subdue it." She paused. "Maybe... maybe Morganite would be able to take care of things."

Pearl's jaw dropped. "Morganite?! But Rose... this is a serious mission, a-and I don't know if I'll be able to hold together long enough-"

"Pearl." Rose's voice was firm. "I trust you. I know fusion isn't one of your strengths but Morganite might be able to accomplish what we can't do separately."

"I suppose her weapon would be useful in order to take it out quickly," Pearl said uncertainly. The creature snapped Pearl's second spear into pieces, crunching it in its beak. She reached for another one effortlessly, throwing it and successfully lodging it in the throat of the beast. It whined in dismay and desperately attempted to dislodge the spear, but its failed attempts bought them enough time to stand apart, allowing their gems to glow as they prepared the fusion dance.

"Are you sure of this, Rose?" Pearl asked, twirling gracefully towards her dance partner. Rose glided closer, taking her hand.

"I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise, Pearl," she said warmly, spinning her. They took a few graceful steps, ignoring the furious screeches of their opposer, before Rose dipped Pearl, their gems illuminated. As they touched, Pearl's gem flooded with warmth, surprising her. Had fusion always felt this way? Maybe she was just imagining it. After all, it wasn't often that she fused with Rose, so perhaps her excitement was making her feel things that weren't there.

In a brilliant flash, their bodies fused, the two of them becoming one, their new form growing taller, leaner. A thin lace spilled from her shoulders, flowing down her body and rolling at her feet like waves. Her hair coiled down in a ponytail held high on her head, while her four arms stretched out, her fingers poised ready to summon her weapon. Both gems glinted as she opened her eyes, shaking a hand cautiously.

"I feel good," she exclaimed, her voice an octave between Rose and Pearl's, warm and bubbly. "This is... good!"

Oh dear, why had Morganite inherited her habit of talking her own ear off? Pearl cringed from somewhere inside, although if Rose was bothered by it she didn't say anything.

"Okay then!" she announced, a spring in her step as she surveyed the corrupted gem before her, thrashing around and crunching Pearl's spear in victory, finally having dislodged it from its throat. "I should, er, I should take care of this!"

Pearl always felt safer when she was Morganite. Fusion was more than simply joining, it was mixing, attributes flowing into one another, combining, melding into one mind, one form. Morganite was skittish but brave, evening out Rose's natural confidence and Pearl's unshakable insecurities. She was daring where Pearl was hesitant, but meek where Rose was certain. There was part of Pearl that regretted hindering Rose in this way when they were fused, but possessing Rose's strong sense of self was comforting, even if only for a little while. It was strange, but when they were fused, Morganite felt that she could do anything.

Rose always felt like she was falling when she was Morganite. Fusion enabled every secret to be exposed, every trait to mix or clash. Every fibre of her being was Pearl's, as every inch of Pearl was now hers too. When she was Morganite, she felt Pearl's anxieties hitting her at full speed, her mind ticking where it was normally calm, the worst-case scenario startling her before she had time to even process a plan. Rose wasn't used to feeling so lost, so unsure of herself, so when she was Morganite it felt hard to hang onto herself, the fear of being lost in Morganite forever keeping her from slipping away. Normally she was good at fusing, but Pearl struggled with it, and that usually led to Morganite being unstable, something to be feared. Pearl knew how Rose felt, of course, it was impossible to hide things during the process of fusion, but for once both found that they weren't afraid of the consequences of becoming Morganite anymore. For the first time, she felt stable. Whole. Like she could do anything.

"Sure about this?" she wondered aloud, fingers flexing in anticipation. "I don't have the best aim." A hand reached for her stomach, extracting a pink blade which glinted in her grip. "I'm sure. I feel great. I can do this!" Another hand reached for her forehead, pulling out a pale spear. "But this is so risky..."

Two hands met, two weapons touched, and in a flash of light they were gone, replaced by a pale pink lance with thorns engraved down the shaft, the vamplate shaped like a budding rose. Morganite always found herself drawn to her weapon, always found her gaze wandering to it in the midst of attacks, a small, pearl-shaped part of her yearning for them to stay together forever, so the lance would always be there to hold in her hands. It fit so perfectly she could hardly stand it, sometimes. Every time it broke apart inside an enemy she found herself mourning its loss.

"Focus!" The word, so often used by Pearl, sounded of Rose when spilling from Morganite's lips. "We get one chance at this, but if we do it right it'll be perfect."

Morganite took a few steps back as the corrupted gem spread its wings, screeching. It was a signal of war, and Morganite was ready for it.

Her legs were strong, and she charged with her lance poised, ready to strike. There was a gruesome cry as she thrust the lance forward, striking the beast through the middle. It howled as the lance began to break apart inside it, and with a blinding flash the creature vanished, a deep red stone in its place.

"Fascinating," Morganite marvelled, dusting herself off before reaching down to bubble the gem. "I wonder where its gem was hidden on its body? I didn't spot it during the fight."

She hugged herself, legs rubbing together, Pearl peeking out for just a moment. "I've never held on for so long before. Maybe-"

-we fit better together than we thought.

She couldn't say that. Rose already knew what she was about to say though – they were fused, how could she not? - and a warm bubble of laughter escaped her throat. Morganite was laughing now, holding onto her stomach with one pair of arms, hiding her face with the other two. It was so intimate. Whose hands were touching which gem? Neither of them knew. They were one. She was herself.

"Maybe so." There were unspoken feelings, fleeting bursts of warmth, affection, fondness, that neither could voice aloud. So Morganite took a step forward, skipping a little, landed on the beach and stretched. She dared a glance at her form, and it was magnificent.

"Should I call it a day?" she asked. The answer seemed obvious, but there was hesitance. Finally, she nodded. "I think so. Maybe... another time."

She hugged her torso, soft laughter in her throat.

"Of course."

When they unfused, Rose spun round to grin at Pearl, smile radiant.

"We held together so well, Pearl! Can you believe that?"

Pearl took a step back, swaying slightly. Her vision had doubled, and she blinked furiously to try and steady herself. It was rare for her to feel so weak – maybe she was just overwhelmed from staying fused for so long, since she didn't have the best track record for holding together stable fusions. Rose peered at her in concern.

"Pearl, are you all right?"

"Y-Yes, of course," she stammered, taking a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, her vision was clear, and she reached for Rose's hand. "That was marvellous. We really did make a stable fusion, didn't we?"

"We sure did." Rose leaned down and planted a kiss on Pearl's gem, which was still feeling tingly. She pulled back quickly. "Wow, your gem is warm. Are you okay? Maybe Morganite overworked us a bit too much."

"I'm fine," Pearl insisted, blushing at the kiss. "At least we solved the problem of the amulet." She stared down at the broken chain. "Do you think a human removed the gem from the chain?"

"It's possible," Rose agreed, picking it up and taking it into her gem. "I'll analyse it when we return to the temple, try and figure out exactly what happened. Lets just be thankful that nobody was injured."

The two headed back to the warp pad, hands loosely entwined.

"Did you find it?" Amethyst asked, switching back to her signature form before running out of the water and tackling Rose in a hug, nearly knocking both her and Pearl over in the process. Rose began to laugh, holding her soaking wet body at arm's length.

"That's right. We took care of it, though. It was a corrupted gem. We're still trying to figure out how it broke free of the seal – whether it was a human's doing or otherwise."

"We can examine it back at the temple," Garnet stated, approaching the group. "But for now, lets go back to the temple. Maybe you can try to heal it."

Rose's shoulders sagged a little at that. "You know my efforts have been fruitless so far, Garnet."

Garnet placed a hand on her shoulder. "So far doesn't mean forever. We'll work things out together."

As Amethyst tapped her face with her hand good-naturedly and Pearl squeezed her arm, Rose's face broke out into a smile.

"Sounds like a plan."

…

"...Do gems always make geodes by fusing?" Steven asked. Pearl shook her head.

"Not always, Steven. That's usually the case, but sometimes it can happen through other means. And it's a rare occurrence, even if it happens most commonly through fusion. It's not something you'll have to think about, I promise."

Steven paused. "...So, since you fused and that made the geodes, did both of you have them, or just one of you?"

"It was, um, just me." Pearl glanced around, as though expecting one of the others to be listening in. She conjured an illusion from her gem once more, displaying the same faceless gems as before, standing side by side with their hands entwined. "You see, often, the gems play different roles. There is usually a donor gem-" The figure with a small green gem raised a hand, "and there is a carrier gem." The other figure, with a blue gem to differentiate the two, raised its free hand. "The donor gem will simply – how to put this – they'll... transfer the necessary data and energy to produce the geodes, while the carrier gem will manifest the geodes in the inner sanctum of their gem until the time comes for them to be extracted."

"I see." Steven frowned, absorbing the information. "Does this mean Mom was like... the dad?"

"Gems don't use terms like mother and father when referring to geode formation," Pearl said hastily, quick to steer Steven away from introducing gender roles into her and Rose's relationship. "So no, absolutely not. Although in human terms, I suppose the donor gem would typically play a similar role to that of a human father in the gestation process, at least."

Not that they had ever discussed this. The closest thing that could be compared was a conversation they had once had during Rose's pregnancy, sitting on the beach at twilight.

…

"Do you remember our gemlings, my dear Pearl?" Rose asked. Pearl flinched at the mention and turned to her quickly.

"Ah – yes, of course. But why are you...?"

They had agreed to move on. They'd promised not to speak of it again.

"It's funny," Rose sighed, moving her hand to rest upon her stomach. She had only just started to show, but to Pearl is stuck out as plainly as an expiration date – as if the impending knowledge that their time was running short was torture enough, now there was a physical reminder. Pearl tried to avoid looking when she could, but somehow she felt that right now it was what Rose wanted her to focus on. "I remember it so clearly. You had so much to adjust to, and I had to sit by idly and watch with no way of helping you along the way. Looking at how things are now, it almost feels like a role-reversal."

There was a smile on her face that made Pearl's eyes prick, threatening tears. She looked away, staring out at the ocean instead.

"What I had to endure – that's nothing compared to this. You know that."

"That's not true," Rose said quickly, moving her hand to rest atop of Pearl's. "While it's true that our circumstances are different, we've both been in this situation. Carrying our children, carrying our hopes and dreams for them too, and not knowing what the future holds – we have both been here. Now, we know what it's like to be on both sides of that feeling."

"My life was never at stake, Rose," Pearl said, and her voice came out so harshly that she could hardly believe it herself. She clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears, and Rose instinctively pulled her in closer. Feeling the curve of Rose's stomach dig into her side only made her cry harder.

"And yet we still panicked and cried and tiptoed around the subject as though it was," Rose sighed, her voice filled with adoration. "We are so alike in our experiences, you and I."

…

Of course, Pearl definitely couldn't recall that conversation to Steven.