Steven opens the front door to the house as he, Connie and Carnelian enter, continuing their conversations. "… yeah, Garnet is still searching for Lapis. And we…" Steven stops mid-sentence upon the three of them seeing a newly reformed Blue sitting on the couch with a different appearance. "Blue!" Steven runs over to the Pearl with tears in his eye, almost tackling the slim Gem to the ground with his hug. Carnelian spin dashes towards her and nearly does the same. "We were all worried about you, it's been so long… and… and we thought..."
"It's okay Steven. I'm here." Blue rubs the boys head, with slight tears in her own eyes, trying her best to calm him. "I'm sorry I worried you, I shouldn't have tried to fight Jasper like..."
"It's okay, I'm just glad you're back."
The three Gems continue their group hug for a few more seconds, before breaking from it.
"Nice clothes." Carnelian pitches in, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "They look good on you."
"Oh… thank you." Blue accepts the compliment with a small smile.
"I'm glad you are all right, Miss Blue," Connie says to the Pearl, walking over to her. Connie looked a lot different now compared to when she and Blue first met. She had her hair cut from long, puffy hair to a cute bob cut, and had her glasses replaced with some contact lenses.
"I appreciate the concern," Blue responds returning her own smile at the young girl. "And you... look well yourself. Your new look suits you."
"Oh, thank you," Connie says with a soft smile. "I wanted to change up my look but didn't have the time or money to go to a barber. So, I had it cut myself. When my parents saw, my Mom bombarded me with questions about it, and my Dad thought I was just trying to get a boy's attention." She adds lastly, blushing slightly with some embarrassment.
Carnelian leans over to Blue, with a mischievous grin on her face. "And you should've seen Steven's reaction, it caught him completely off guard and he almost died on his feet for a moment."
"Oh, come on, she looked pretty," Steven responds defensively with a deep scarlet blush.
Blue giggles to herself a bit, aware of Stevens feelings towards the young human girl. She looked around the area and now noticed Garnet was not with them. "Where's Garnet?"
"Oh, Boss is out on a mission," Carnelian answered. "She's been going on a bunch of missions on her own lately, ever since you were poofed?"
"What happened with Jasper and Peridot?" Blue asks the two Crystal Gems.
"They got away with Lapis. And we… almost lost you for good." Carnelian states trying to hide her worry. "We were able to escape thanks to Lion."
"Apparently, he can teleport," Steven adds in.
"And how long was I out for?" Blue asks.
Steven and Carnelian look at each other for a moment, then turned back to her with Steven answering. "About two weeks."
"What!" The Pearl shouts with disbelief. "I've been out for that long!"
Carnelian gives her a confirming nod. "Steven wanted to wait for you to reform, be there to greet you when you wake up you know. He had been worrying about you non-stop; but around day four, me, Connie and Greg decided to get him out of the house."
"I understand," Blue states, knowing it was unhealthy for Steven to put her well-being over his own.
"And are you doing okay?" Carnelian asks her.
"What… what do you mean?"
"I mean Gems usually don't take that long to reform. Well from my experience at least." The red Quartz admits, with a slight blush of embarrassment. Though she is not as reckless anymore, Carnelian would usually be the one to poof the most during her first missions when Rose was still with them. "But anyway, you've been poofed before and its never taken you this long to reform, which is why I have to ask… was it the things Jasper said? And what did she mean by them?"
Blue turned her head away from the small Quartz, hearing Jaspers words in her head, she wanted to tell the both them the truth; but after what she was forced to relive, she was afraid to give them the answers they seek. "I'd… I'd rather not talk about that right now."
"Oh okay, Garnet said you should be the tell us anyway, but when you're ready," Steven says with a supporting tone.
Blue smiles at the boy gratefully as she slowly stands up of the couch; with Steven, Carnelian, and Connie giving her room to move freely. She stretched her arms and legs to get used to her new similar yet different body. "Right, now if you'll excuse me, there is something I need to take care of." The Pearl says walking over to the warp pad.
"Don't you think you should take things slowly?" Carnelian asks. "You did just get back."
"If you're worried about me, you don't have to. It's just… just something I have to attend to." The Pearl says reassuringly, standing on the warp pad as the cyan energy teleports her elsewhere.
"Is it me or does something seem off about her?" Carnelian asks, turning to the two kids.
"I think she's just trying to adjust to her current situation," Connie suggests.
"Maybe… it's… I just feel like she's hiding something from us."
"Whatever is bothering Blue, she'll tell us when she's ready." Steven tries assuring but was also feeling like something was off as well.
The next day, Steven and Carnelian were sitting on the couch, finishing up some breakfast Blue had made for them. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and waffles all made from scratch. Blue was good at many things, but cooking was not one of them. Since she does not eat like Steven or Carnelian, she did not know if she added too many, or too little spices. Or if she overcooked or undercooked something. Or ended up putting the wrong ingredients by accident. But the two of them did not mind really; in fact, they were kind of missing her cooking for a while.
Garnet was peaceful meditating on the floor next to them, remaining as still as a statue. After she had returned from her mission, Steven and Carnelian updated her on Blue's status. Garnet asked the two of them where Blue was, and they told her what happened. Later that night, before Steven went to bed, Blue returned where she and Garnet had a private talk. As for the Pearl, she left a note for them:
"Dear Steven, Carnelian, and Garnet. – Sorry for the inconvenience, but I still have something to take care of, so I'll be gone for the day today. However, I'll be home before Steven goes to bed tonight. – Sincerely, Blue."
This made Carnelian even more suspicious of Blue, and Steven a bit concerned about his guardian; especially since Blue would be someone who would tell him she was leaving for the day in person.
"She should be here right… now." Garnet informs Steven with her future vision, as he and Carnelian hear a knock on the door a second after the tall Gem said 'now.'
"Thanks, Garnet," Steven says to his guardian as he hops off the couch, and walks over to the entrance.
Steven and Carnelian were going to hang out with Connie some more today and treat her to the Big Donut. After learning Connie's parents do not let her have food like doughnuts, Carnelian declared that must be remedied as soon as possible. She is even bringing a camera Greg owned to capture her reaction.
"Hey, Connie," Steven says to his friend, opening the door politely.
"Hey, Steven." Connie greets him with a nod. She looks in the house and greets the scarlet Gem on the couch with a nod as well. "Hey, Carnelian."
"Sup kid." Carnelian greets her back, as she stuffs the rest of her eggs into her mouth and gulps them down with ease. "So, are you ready to taste the greatest food in all of human history?"
"Kind of," Connie says a bit nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm just not sure. If my parents find out…"
"Don't worry. Steven and I will cover for you," Carnelian assures her, hopping off the couch and hurries out the door. "Now come on, they are the freshest this early in the morning."
"You three have fun." Garnet wishes to the group as the door closes.
"After you." Steven politely says to Connie, holding the door to the Big Donut open for her.
"Oh, thank you," Connie responds appreciatively at Stevens kindness, walking into the establishment, with Carnelian following behind her.
The blonde haired young woman behind the shops counter looks up and notices Steven and his Gem sister. "Steven. Carnelian. Haven't seen you two here in a while."
"Hi, Sadie." Steven greets the cashier woman, with Carnelian just saying "Sup."
Sadie looks over and notices Connie with the two of them. "Who's your friend? I've never seen her here before."
"I'm Connie Maheswaran. It's nice to meet you." The young girl introduces herself. To which Sadie gives her a friendly smile and nods back.
"Hey, where's Lars at?" Steven asks.
"He's called in sick today, really nasty sounding cold." Sadie answers. "So, what can I get for you guys?"
"A dozen of your fresh baked doughnuts, please." Steven requests.
Sadie reaches into the doughnut case and takes out twelve random doughnuts, carefully placing them in a light, cardboard box. "That will be eight, ninety-nine."
Steven takes out a ten-dollar bill from his back pocket and gives it to the young woman.
"Thank you, I hope the three of you enjoy."
"Thanks Sadie, and bye." Steven gratefully says taking the box with both hands, as he, Carnelian and Connie exit the establishment.
The three of them find a bench near the beach to sit on, with Steven opening the box, offering the assortment of pastries to Connie. "Take anyone you'd like."
Connie looked inside the box and decides to take one with chocolate frosting. She opens her mouth to take a bite when Carnelian stops her.
"Hold on," Carnelian says getting the camera ready.
"Is this really necessary?" Connie asked the scarlet Gem.
"You've never had a doughnut before, your reaction is going to be priceless."
Connie just shrugs as she resumes taking her first bite, she chomps down on the pastry, and her eyes lighted up as bright as stars. "Oh my gosh, this is delicious."
Carnelian took a snapshot as soon as she said those three words. "I told you it was the greatest food in all of human history."
Connie swallows down the food, before speaking. "Well, I wouldn't go as far as calling it that. But it was good, better than I expected honestly."
Steven takes two donuts with pink frosting on them from the box. "I'm glad you liked them. If you want another one, I recommend taking it now, or Carnelian will eat the whole box."
"I'm good, thanks."
"Well, more for me then," Carnelian says with a grin; taking a random donut and scarfing it down like it was a breath mint.
"So, how has Miss Blue been since I last saw her?" Connie asks Steven.
"I think she's doing okay," Steven answers, with some uncertainty in his tone.
Carnelian gulps down her third donut. "Blue hasn't been at the house since yesterday, and she's been doing some stuff out of the ordinary for her. Boss said she should be the one to tell us what's bothering her, but she doesn't want to talk to us about it."
"But I don't think we should push her into telling us something she doesn't want to," Steven says to his Quartz sister.
"Sometimes pushing is the best way, even if it doesn't feel right at first." Connie intervenes. "Whenever there is something bothering me, my parents get me to open up to them by asking what is wrong and just listen to what I need to say; even if I think they won't understand what I'm talking about. They push because they care about me, and don't judge, they just sit and listen to what I need to say. Maybe you can try the same with Miss Blue?"
"We could try giving her a push a shot," Carnelian speaks up. She had a feeling whatever Blue is trying to keep from them, she needs to tell them for her own well-being.
"Thanks for the suggestion Connie," Steven says to the young girl. "We'll try it tonight."
"No problem let me know how it goes."
After the day has gone by, Connie headed home for the night. With Steven and Carnelian doing the same. They returned to the beach house where they found Garnet in the same place they last saw her, still meditating. The tall Gem asked them how their day went, which they told her was nice.
Steven took care of everything he had to and got changed into his pajamas; he begged Garnet to let him stay up later so that he and Carnelian can ask Blue what is truly bothering her. She allowed it, and Steven and Carnelian waited in the living room for the Pearl, while Garnet continued her meditation.
A few hours past Stevens bedtime has gone by as he continued to stare at the warp pad, with still no sign of Blue. This started pushing the boy's concerns to their limit.
"She should've been back by now," Steven said aloud hopping off the couch and begins walking towards the cyan pad but stops. "I just wish I knew where she was."
Garnet lets out a sigh and stands herself up. All three of her eyes looking saddened towards the young half-gem. "She's in Korea."
"Korea," Steven says aloud with some surprise.
"What is she doing there? And Why?" Carnelian asked the tall Gem.
"It's a place important to Blue, and one she wanted to keep secret," Garnet answers with her eyes continuing to look down. "It's part of the matter Blue wanted to attend to alone."
"What matter?" Steven asks with concern. "Does this have to do with what Jasper said in the kindergarten?"
"I know Blue said she would tell us when she's ready, but I feel like we need to know what's going on," Carnelian says.
"I did tell you it was something only Blue should answer for you. I can take you to her, but don't disturb her until she is done."
"Done with what?" Carnelian asks but doesn't get an answer. Instead, Garnet just turns her back to the two Quartzes and signals for them to follow her. They both give each other unsure looks but follow the tall Gem onto the warp pad.
"You're going to find out." Garnet tells her, as the teleporter engulfs the group in cyan energy.
The group arrives in Korea, where it is currently daytime on this side of the world. They were in a vast green field with dozens of other warp pads surrounding the area, in the center of it was a dilapidated pink castle-like structure. On the front of the castle was a large symbol of four multi-colored diamonds making a larger one. A white on top, a blue and yellow to the left and right sides and a pink on the bottom. Far off to the left from it was a large, fully grown cherry blossom tree like Blue's, but a lot older.
"I've been to plenty of strange Gem places, but never seen this before," Carnelian tells the other two Gems and herself.
"What is this place?" Steven asks the tall Gem curiously. Garnet does not answer his question and just leads the two of them to a bush a tenth of a mile away from where the warp pads where.
Steven and Carnelian look over the bush and see Blue on her knees before a large structure; it looked like a smaller version of the castle but was sky-blue in color. Her head was down in sadness before it. "I don't understand." They heard Blue say in a low voice. "After so long of being with the Crystal Gems, I still find myself coming here… to confide my feelings to a dilapidated structure. Why is it easier to talk to ghosts about this than my own family? I wonder if things would've been different if I refused your order from the start, instead of waiting? Would you still be alive, my Diamond?" Blue looks up at the structure, her eyes from her hair, and with tears. "Steven, Carnelian… I want to tell them the truth about you so badly, but I'm afraid of what they will think of me. I lost you overzealous obedience, and I lost Rose because I chose to hide my real feelings… I can't lose them because of a truth they're not ready for."
Steven and Carnelian continued watching from a distance, they now know that whoever this "Diamond" is, she was someone very important to Blue. As Steven looks on, he accidentally pushes a couple of branches aside; rustling the bush, which caught Blue's attention and revealed him and Carnelian.
"Steven? Carnelian?" Blue shouted.
"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt." Steven apologizes.
"How did you two find me?"
"I brought them here," Garnet reveals.
Blue's face tightened in frustration. "Why would you do that? No one was supposed to know about this, except me, you and Rose!"
"We asked Garnet to take us." Carnelian steps in. "We're worried about you Blue, please tell us what's going on."
"You two wouldn't understand."
"We won't understand if you don't help us," Steven says to her. "Blue, you have to tell us what's going on. Please, we only want to help."
"Steven, there are things I want to tell, but I'm scared you won't understand. That I'll lose you because of it. That you'll hate me."
"Blue. My Mom, Rose, trusted you along with Garnet and Carney to raise me. Nothing you say will ever make any of us hate you."
Blue looks at Carnelian, who stand by her brother's words, then to Garnet who nods in agreement. Blue closes her eyes and lets out sigh, she kneels to the two of them and prepares herself to tell them the truth they want to hear.
Blue had finished her story, the one she was forced to relive while reforming inside of her gemstone.
Multiple emotions where seen across Steven and Carnelians faces, everything Blue said was a lot to process, and she did not blame them for feeling that way.
"Did my Mom… kill Blue Diamond?" Steven asks, looking up at the Pearl with some sadness of his own.
"I do not know." Blue answers. "No one really knows how she was shattered and who had done it. I was angry with Rose for a long time; I blamed her for all my sorrow and I refused to be a part of anything that she was involved in. But despite my resistance, she never gave up on me; if she did, then I don't think I would have ever got the chance to be a part of the Crystal Gems, and know the both of you."
"When we heard you talking to that... palanquin thing. What did you mean by that Blue Diamond would probably still be alive if you disobeyed her order?" Carnelian asks.
"When Rose thought I needed it the most, she gave me this." Blue materializes a small, diamond-shaped object from her gemstone. "It had the answer to a question I so desperately wanted to know."
Blue presses the top of the device, which glows a bright blue before levitating a few inches off the Pearls palm, slowly rotating. "Pearl, if you are listening to this, then I am gone." Steven and Carnelian recognized that the voice sounded like Blue's favorite singer, Lisa Hannigan. "But then that also means Pink is alive, and I was right. When I went to see the Sapphires about the success of our plan… in all the outcomes they've shown me… Pink Diamond dies in the end. The only future they didn't see Pink die was a future where I took her place. I know you must be feeling confused, saddened, angry or even betrayed. And I do not blame you. I lied to you, one of the Gems I trusted my life with to save another. But the Sapphires also saw that in my death, your despair would not last forever; someone would find you, keep you safe, and bring you happiness. With that, I could confront the fate I have chosen. My Pearl, I have always loved you and nothing will ever change that, no matter what the future holds. Thank you, my friend… and goodbye." With those final words, the diamond-shaped recording device deactivates.
Small tears leaked from Blue's eyes, but she wipes them away. "She was right. I'm still here, and I did find happiness. But that does not mean I don't miss her every day. In fact, I wonder what she would think of me now?"
Steven and Carnelian look at Blue in silence for a moment, before wrapping their arms around her in a loving embrace. "Well, we think you're pretty great," Steven says aloud.
Blue hugs the brother and sister back, as Garnet walks over to comfort her as well. The four Crystal Gems just sat there for a while in each other's embrace.
Author Note: This chapter was getting way to long, so I had to cut out some content that didn't fit in. I'll take what I cut out and make it into a new future chapter, and I'll try to upload more often. But until then, I hope you all enjoyed.
I want to thank everyone for sticking with the story for this long, I really appreciate it.
