(REALLY sorry about taking so long with this my dear readers. Long story short my computer broke when chapter 3 was 3/4 done and it is still off getting repaired. Fortunately I was able to save my progress on a flash drive just before it pooped out on me and I borrowed a laptop.)
"-But Blue said the crystal gems were all destroyed in the corruption attack. Are you SURE it was her?" Steven and Connie listened to Greg and Pearl behind the office door. "Yes, I'm sure. I will never forget that face or that voice. Thank the stars she didn't catch sight of me or the children. If Rose Quartz had seen us… they might have shattered Steven and I, and who knows if they would have hurt Connie just for being with us."
"Oh boy." Greg ran a hand through his long hair. "If only Blue was here. She'd know what to do." "My Diamond would have shattered them immediately, but I do not have that kind of power to protect Steven. I'm sorry, Greg."
They heard the soft sound of Greg patting Pearl on the back. "No, Pearl, you did the right thing. Bringing Steven home was the sensible thing to do. I wouldn't expect you to stand up to warriors like that…Why did you bring Connie though? People might have thought you were kidnapping her."
Pearl hesitated. "I panicked I suppose. They didn't seem aggressive towards the humans, but I didn't wish to risk my Steven's new friend coming to harm, even if the chance was slim."
Greg released a heavy sigh. "Okay, here's what I'm thinking… We may not necessarily have to move again. You said there are warp pads all over the planet, right? Maybe they were only in this area for a short time? And you only saw two of them right?" There was a silence, likely meaning Pearl nodded. "So two isn't so bad." "If there are two, there must be more. I don't know how they survived without being corrupted, but somehow they did. Greg, they despise homeworld, and the Diamonds most of all. If they find out what Steven is, they will want to kill him."
At this point Connie was shooting confused looks at Steven. Deciding they'd heard enough, Steven took Connie by the hand and brought her back to his room. No sooner did the door shut than Connie started asking questions. "Steven, what are they talking about? Diamonds? Crystal Gems? What you are?"
Steven bit his lip. He was afraid the truth would scare off his new friend, but his dad had taught him that lies were not the way to build a friendship with someone. Steven took a deep breath. He went to his dresser and picked up a framed picture of Blue Diamond and Greg. In this picture, Blue Diamond had shrunken her body down to a reduced form. However even in that reduced form she was a head taller than Greg. He handed it to Connie.
"That's my Mom, Blue Diamond. She was a gem, a kind of alien race that look a lot like humans, but they don't…do a lot of things the same way." Steven said, not wanting to go off on a tangent trying to explain the whole race to her. "Mom was… Well the closest thing we have on earth would be a Queen, but Diamonds have a much bigger domain. She ruled over a third of the population. Why she came to earth and why she stayed is a pretty long story, but the part you need to know is that she abandoned her throne and decided to stay here on earth. Pearl was the only gem she brought with her. The Crystal gems were dangerous rebels who…murdered Pink Diamond, someone Mom loved very much. And as for what I am…"
Steven tugged his shirt collar down to show Connie his diamond, his mother's diamond. "Mom's body couldn't make a gem just for me when she was pregnant, so she had to give me hers for me to live." Connie's eyes went wide as she stared at the diamond on his chest. She raised her hand as if to touch it, but kept it close by her chest. "Is it… okay if I touch it?" Steven nodded.
Connie reached out slowly and touched the blue diamond, as lightly as though it were a tiny glass figure. Steven smiled at her care. He gently took her hand and pressed her palm to the gem. Connie was surprised by how warm it was. "It's diamond, not glass. You don't have to be scared of touching it."
The girl ran her hand over the diamond, marveling at the rich blue color. Maybe it was her imagination, but it seemed to have the slightest glow as the light struck it. She ran a finger around the edges. Steven found himself enjoying the awe and wonder in Connie's eyes, but was still concerned it would be too much for her. When Connie took her hand away, he let his shirt collar cover the gem again. "Connie, if this is all too much for you, it's okay. If my life is too weird and crazy for you to want to be friends with me, I understand."
"Are you ikidding/i me? Connie asked with stars in her eyes. "You're the hybrid son of an alien queen and part of a rebel army your mother fought against is still here on earth?! Just hearing about it is more excitement than I've had in my entire life! Not to mention you're really nice, and honest even when the truth sounds insane. Of course I want to be your friend!"
Steven gasped in surprise when Connie pulled him close and hugged him. His surprise quickly melted into joy. Steven hugged her back, firmly but gently. A moment later, Connie released him. She pulled out her phone. "Here, program your number into my phone and let me see yours. Then I need to call my mom."
Meanwhile, Greg Universe was alone in his office. The plan he had formulated was to find the Crystal Gems himself and if possible befriend them to gain information. He could gain their trust and find out what their level of hostility was, and their weaknesses if possible However the question was where to start? How could he get in contact with the Crystal Gems?
Greg's cell phone rang and Greg picked up. "Hello? Yes, this is Greg Universe. Yeah, I guess I could play at the festival. It's a real shame your final act had to cancel, but it's been a while since my last live performance. Okay. I'll be there." Greg ended the call and left the office.
About a week later, almost all of Beach City was at the beach for a big party. Mayor Dewey had made a much bigger deal out of a minor celebrity moving to town than Greg had wanted. Greg was just grateful he hadn't told Mayor Dewey about Steven.
Greg Universe himself was backstage, preparing his finale performance. It had been a long time since he'd played for a live audience, but Greg was not nervous. He loved playing music, and it would be nice to hear cheers again.
He looked over to his son. Steven and Pearl kept near the side of the stage. Steven had convinced them he would be fine as long as the Crystal Gems never saw his gem. He was wearing a shirt and it was dark. Surely they'd never notice him.
Pearl herself was dressed in a tee shirt and jeans as well, in order to blend in and to hide her gem. Of course, that wouldn't make a difference if the Crystal Gems recognized her face, but again it was dark, the crowd would obscure her from view, and the Crystal Gems seemed unlikely to show up to a human music show.
Greg began playing and Steven watched, wide eyed with enjoyment. He watched the crowd dance during his dad's song and some tried to sing along. Steven was so thrilled to finally see Greg give a real performance that he started dancing too, forgetting about keeping a lookout for potential danger.
Luckily for him, Pearl was anything but relaxed. She was stiff under the rave lighting and constantly looking out for a potential threat. She almost grabbed Steven and fled when she saw the rebel pearl standing on the other side of the crowd holding her spear.
She appeared to be looking for something. Not in the fashion of an urgent search, but in the way a sentry keeps a general lookout for danger. Pearl wondered if the rebel pearl was protecting these humans from some suspected danger, or if this was just habit for them.
At the back of the crowd, she could see Rose Quartz again. The tall gem was dancing and clearly enjoying the music. It would have roused anger in Pearl to see the war criminal frolicking as she did, if she were not so frightened about being discovered.
In the middle of the crowd, she could see the diminutive amethyst she'd seen the other day. That gem was dancing with wild abandon in the crowd. She sometimes grabbed one of the nearby humans, especially if they were still, to cajole them into dancing with her.
Pearl relaxed just slightly when she realized none of the gems there had noticed their presence. Indeed, they were seemingly there for the celebration. Though between the three of them, she wasn't sure if it was to protect the humans or just to enjoy the party.
"Pearl! Come dance with me!" Rose Quartz called out over the music. Pearl watched as the other Pearl's eyes lit up. Her serious stance quickly dropped. The other pearl allowed her spear to dematerialize and she hurried to Rose.
The two of them danced, and Pearl couldn't help but watch. She sighed, it being inaudible over the music. She glanced down to make sure Steven was still near her, which he was, dancing with joyful abandon.
Rose Quartz and the other Pearl seemed to dance for longer than it normally took. Only then did it occur to Pearl that they were just dancing for the fun of it. She supposed it made sense that they would pick up such human pastimes being here for so long.
Sure enough, it happened and their forms began to glow. This glow caught Steven's attention and he stopped dancing to watch. Their bodies converted to light and combined. Steven's eyes were wide and starry as a giant woman appeared at the back of the crowd. Said crowd hardly reacted, as though they'd seen her before.
Steven gazed in awe at the woman who continued to dance at the rear of the crowd. Her towering height, her wild mane of hair, with streaks of pastel color, her FOUR eyes, the two gems, it all entranced the young hybrid. He started to step away from Pearl, so dazzled that he momentarily forgot the gems that made up this giant woman were his mother's enemies.
No sooner did he take two steps towards massive gem than Pearl grasped his arm, pulling him back towards her. Steven looked at Pearl, snapping out of his trance and took her hand. He did not dance anymore, but instead stared at the giant woman as she danced, more entranced by the concept of her existence than her admittedly impressive dance moves.
Steven's eyes were glued to the fusion for the rest of the song. As Greg finished playing, a roar of applause went up. Steven politely joined the clapping and finally looked over towards Greg, beaming with pride. Pearl clapped as well, keeping focused on the other gems around her.
No sooner did the dancing stop than the giant woman split apart, the two laughing and hugging. The amethyst jumped on the other pearl playfully. Rose Quartz watched them fondly for a moment, love clearly visible in her eyes. Then, her eyes turned to the stage again.
Most of the crowd began to disperse, but a few people gathered at the stage for a chance to talk to Greg Universe. Rose decided to join them and awaited her turn to talk to the talented musician. She waited patiently at the back of the group while Greg signed things and chatted with his fans.
Pearl grew nervous as she saw Rose Quartz approach Greg. She no longer though the humans were in any danger from the Crystal gems, but now the cover of the crowd was rapidly thinning. She and Steven would become more and more likely to be noticed the longer they lingered now.
She took Steven's hand and gently tugged him away from the stage. "Come, My Steven, we must leave with others to avoid attention. Greg will meet us at home." Steven shot a concerned look at his father, but allowed Pearl to take him home.