Raising Steven Chapter 11

Misfortunate Child

Night in the small city of Beach City was always the most calmest part of the long days there. Wide open shores with no one on them except some passing crabs and seagulls. Even some opened, damaged shells washed up onto the shore. It was purely peaceful as if the beach was asleep.

To enjoy the beauty of this, was a tall older teenager; Garnet. She lightly stepped onto the shore with a small child in her hands, which was Steven. The baby's head rested on her shoulder and his hands clenched together, holding onto a piece of Garnet's hair. Steven was slowly closing his eyes as Garnet sung him a soft lullaby.

For a strong, seemingly emotionless person, Garnet did have a soft spot in her heart. During battles, she wouldn't even flinch when she would get injured or scratched. However, if the smallest thing happened to the small baby that was in her hands, she would lose herself. From endless tears to curses, she would do anything for Steven. The baby was family to her.

"Sleep my little Steven. Have your sweet little dreams..." Garnet cooed into Steven's ears. She lightly kissed his face and smiled.

Observing him for the last time of the day, before he would be bathed with attention from Amethyst and Pearl, Garnet decided to step onto the giant stones. She would climb the rocks and go to dangerous heights, then sit down on them. Below her, the ocean splashed against the stone she sat on to the point it may be nauseous to look at. In the distance, she swore she can see a small whale as it blew water from its air hole. The little whale raised its head and cried out into the night, wanting company. Seeing this, Garnet lightly waved her hand, greeting the sea mammal.

On the other side, she could see the docks crowded with many older men. Some rushed onto land with buckets filled of fresh fish as others were loading cargo onto the small boats. Garnet could even hear their conversations, which wasn't interesting. But one thing that stood out from them was that one of the fishermen had a baby with them. Next to them was a child with cream colored hair much older than the baby; it was the baby's older brother. Garnet could pick up the words coming from their mouths which seemed to be in a strange language, but she could understand it.

"Take good care of your mother and your brother Onion for me. I count on you, Sour Cream." The man, Yellowtail, kindly said to his older son in the unknown language, handing him the chubby baby.

"Yes father. See you in two weeks."

The three said their goodbyes and then went their own separate ways. The father stepped onto one of the boats and left as their children looked back to them with worried eyes. The job of a fisherman was dangerous depending on the region; no one could know if they will return dead or alive. Especially, the ones they leave behind will be affected such as baby Onion.

"Poor children. Some are less fortunate than others; yet again you have no mother." Garnet directed her last sentence to Steven. "Poor child..."

Hugging him tightly, she stood up from her spot. At first she struggled with her balance, but she maintained it and jumped onto each rock below her. When she got off the final rock, Garnet then took off to the Crystal Temple. She felt the cold water against her feet which made her shiver and made her have a slight dark thought of a future sickness she or Steven can hold. Garnet wanted to quickly get to the temple.

Waiting outside the door was Pearl. Her blue eyes watched as Garnet came her way with the baby in her hands. She smiled to herself as soon as she saw that Steven was asleep.

"You managed to make him fall asleep?" Pearl asked as she rubbed her shoulders from the cold ocean breeze.

"Yes. I'm afraid that this cold is going to make him sick." replied the teenager's older friend, stepping inside the beach home.

Pearl's smile faded away at the mention of Rose's beloved baby getting sick. Yet another horrible experience she feared awaited her. Staying up past midnight, feeding Steven a medicine that he is sure of throwing up. Hearing him cry with all his might from the pain he was suffering could break anyone's heart. She shook her head, wanting not to worry about something that wasn't present at the moment.

"Well, at least the baby is sleeping. I was afraid that he was going to cry the whole night."

Sitting on the side of the room with an electronic game device in her hands was Amethyst. She aggressively spat insults at each round she lost while munching on chips. Below her eyes were bags of tiredness and that time was the only time she had free. But that didn't stop her as she wanted to finish the game that she bought for herself. Nearly all that day, she was occupied with Steven and barely had any fun.

However, as soon as she felt cold air run into the home she lifted her head to see Garnet and Steven back from their trip. Amethyst gave a quick little cheer from seeing the baby sleep.

"Finally, he's asleep. That little poop sack was getting my nerves this day. He cries nearly all the time." Amethyst said in relief.

"He's a baby, Amethyst. It's normal for a baby to cry a lot. It's a sign of them wanting attention or help." Pearl explained with slight annoyance.

"Didn't you said that you wanted to be a good big sister to Steven? Because a good sister will care and be patient with their siblings."

"Shut up, Pearl..." The nine year quietly hissed, clutching her hands onto her device.

Garnet chuckled to herself as Amethyst spoke with foul words, plopping her back against the couch. The child continued to glare at Pearl, but shortly returned her attention to her video game ignoring Steven as she was assigned to put him to bed that night.

"Well, I will tuck him in his crib, again." Pearl mumbled under breath with disbelief. "That gem...ugh. So disobedient."

At first she staggered as she reached for Steven. Pearl could see the poor baby shivering and would slightly cough, but turn his head. She sweetly rocked him in her arms and caressed his chubby cheeks with two boney fingers of hers.

"Aw. I love you, Steven." She reached down to his cheek and kissed him. "We will always be with you Steven. We will take care of you and protect you. We will show you how to use your weapon. We will be with you every step of the way because we are all family." Pearl nuzzled him and carefully poured him onto his bed.

"Cover him up. It's cold." Garnet advised.

"Yes. I will." Pearl shook as she reached for Steven's blue blanket that hung on the crib's side. Part of her trembled due to the cold, but another was due to fear. The teenager had motherly instincts and most of the time her mind was occupied with thinking about Steven. Thinking about his future, his destiny, and if something terrible will happen to the young gem which she knew that she can never handle.

"Sleep tight Steven. We all love you." The slender gentle gem choked out, laying the baby's blanket on top of him. She folded its side around him and covered his neck that was exposed to the bitter air.

"Yes. Sleep tight young one." The leader followed and rested her hands on the crib. "If he wakes up through the night, I will care for him. Just sleep calmly tonight Pearl."

A moment of silence occurred and the only noise was Amethyst's grunt and the beeping of her game. The two older gems just decided to stare at the child that was sleeping in his crib. Not much could be said until a small reminder came into Pearl's mind.

"Garnet?"

"Yes Pearl."

The younger gem breathed deeply and closed her eyes, trying to find the exact words to explain what she wanted to say.

"I uh…had a dream with Rose. She came to me and held my hands. What was strange was that she couldn't speak at all as if she was mute, but she wanted to guide me somewhere." Pearl's eyes were brought down.

"It could be another sign or warning. Rose wanted to possibly show you a dangerous event and that we should be alert at all times." Garnet said with no emotion at all. She sniffed and cracked her knuckles.

"But, she seemed happy. Rose had a smile on her face. She couldn't possibly be warning me about something if she seemed gleeful."

"Where exactly did this dream take place?" The leader asked still continuing to crack her hand's bones.

Pearl looked up and back down, sighing as a particular detail of her dream stood out to her. "We were in her beautiful room, but there was this laughter that could be heard. It was a child's laugh...and it sounded deep and carefree. I don't know if I should affirm this, but I think that was Steven's laughter. Why would Steven be with her?"

Surprisingly, Pearl heard no response at all. She decided to continue to explain her dream, thinking Garnet was clustered with words.

"I understand that she misses her son, but...but…" Pearl then was lost with her words.

"She wants her son. It could be that she wants to take her son back with her." Garnet gravely said. Chills were brought up to Pearl's spine at the thought of the worst thing; Steven meeting his death just so he can be up there with his mother.

"But-she was happy. I know Rose too well. She wouldn't want to leave us with a broken heart and betray us. How can this be?" The boney teenager could feel her shoulders tense as she clawed the wooden structure of the crib. "No!"

"It's just a dumb dream, Pearl! Don't act up for something that doesn't even make sense!" Amethyst loudly said, shaking her head. She paused her game and settled it aside for the moment.

"But, funny joke there Garnet...haha. You almost had me there for a second. But it was funny making Pearl get all scared." She laughed while holding her stomach. Amethyst continued to go with her childish ways and stumbled to where the two older gems stood. The girl wiped a tear from her tear ducts then patted the slender gem's back. Pearl had her arms crossed with an ice piercing glare aimed to the carefree gem.

"Amethyst!" She spat with disgust and shook the purple girl's hand off her back.

"No." Garnet began, gaining the two girls attention and making them raise their heads. "I wasn't kidding. Rose probably wants him."

"I'm afraid to correct you here fellow gem, but no. You're wrong, Garnet. She just wants to show us that there's nothing to worry about. The kid laughing could be someone else other than Steven." Amethyst spoke with confidence, but with a little fear by her going against Garnet's saying.

"And who could it be?" The leader questioned with a darker tone. Somewhere beneath those shaded eyes, Amethyst could tell that she had her eyebrows raised. A little more fear came to her.

The younger girl gulped then spoke, "Maybe it's a family member of hers. Or...uhh..."

Her eyes wandered around the room until she met the gems' stone door. An idea came to her since an old memory came to her; the day she was welcomed into Rose's room. She remembered the calmness of the place and it seemed like she was in infinite heaven. Amethyst could even hear Rose talking in her mind.

'Come here, Amethyst. This is my room. Here any dream can come true. Anything can become a reality. Just name it and it will magically appear!' Rose spoke from one of Amethyst's memories.

"She magically made Steven appear since it's her room!" Amethyst spoke loudly without even thinking of explaining her theory.

"Um...well." Pearl said with muffled words. "Uh...Garnet."

Garnet kneeled down to the nine year old's height. Her lips curved up showing a smile. "I like your idea better, Amethyst."

"She told me that anything you wish for in her room, poof! It will appear out of thin air. It was before she left us and before she met Greg." Amethyst looked through the bars of Steven's crib and sweetly smiled. "Maybe she wished for Steven to play with her even if it's not the real Steven."

Everyone just stood in their place with mixed feelings scrambling in them. Pearl thought deeply about it until she remembered Rose's smile. Such peace and beauty came from her smile. Rose seemed like a goddess in her dream who she could completely trust. Garnet tried to fight off her thought until she recalled accidentally walking into the former leader's room. She saw Rose lying on a cloudy bed reading a book on how to properly maintain herself while pregnant. It was when she was only a few weeks since she discovered that she will be gifted with a baby. Anything Rose wanted; it would just form with just a few clouds.

"Why is it hard for me to forget her? It feels like she just left me earlier than what I expected. She promised me that she would be there when I discover my weapon and see me fight in my first battle. Well, she lied..." Amethyst leaned against the bars as she could feel herself suffer from a breakdown. "It hurts me just thinking about her and promising me so many things. I don't care if I have a little brother that is gonna spend time with me. I want Rose to be here! I miss her. I miss my mom!"

The girl cried. For the first time in six months, everything came crashing down to her mind as she expressed her long stored pain. Rose raised her since she was a baby gem, abandoned by her father. The woman was considered as a mother to her as she raised her and taught her the strange ways of the Crystal Gems. To help her feel more comforted, Garnet embraced her. She pressed her tightly against her chest and brushed Amethyst's hair through her fingers.

"Don't cry. Rose is in a better place awaiting our company. I know it is tough for you since you're only a child. She only wants the best for you. Besides, you are a Crystal Gem. Fight through the pain and show no mercy to your memories. The past is the past; not present." Garnet tried to sweetly comfort the crying gem with her stoic tone. She tilted her head down to Amethyst and cleared her throat, indicating for Pearl to come along. At first she refused and rolled her eyes until she heard the sad child sob.

"Amethyst. We know how hard it is for you. To see Rose die in front of your eyes, but Garnet is right. Don't reflect on history. Events happen for a reason, dear." Pearl joined along with the comforting, rubbing the purple gem's scalp.

In the crib, pair of brown eyes were beginning to flutter open. Steven licked his lips and smacked them, yawning from his lack of sleep. He looked beside him to only see his family being bonded together. Steven smiled and clapped his hands as he saw the love. He even kicked in the air as he wiggled under his tucked blankets.

"Ahh...Pe...Aam...Gaa..." He whimpered gaining everyone's attention. Pearl looked over her shoulder and instantly smiled as she held her hands passionately to her chest. Amethyst even lifted her heavy head to see Steven's mouth wide open with his tongue stuck out. He sneezed however then gained his attention to his 'older sister.'

"Steven..." Amethyst whispered as she saw the young gem reach out for her with his bare hands.

"Look at this Amethyst. This child doesn't even have his mother and his father barely spends time with him due to his troublesome job-" Pearl began as she picked the baby up, but was met with a faint growl from the purple gem.

"It seems like you forgot that I have no mom and my dad never wanted me. Rose was the only one who I felt really close to all my life, yet...yet..." Tears poured down her round cheeks and her heart froze in its place. "Steven came in and ruined everything!"

Amethyst's saddened eyes turned into burning eyes of rage. Ice cold ran through her blood veins as she glared at the small baby that was from Rose. Steven smiled at her and lifted his arms so that he can be held by the young kid. He didn't even understood the emotion that Amethyst felt as he was just a clueless baby. More coldness was brought into the room with just a face she made.

"Calm down, Amethyst!" Pearl lightly yelled, pulling the infant closer to her. This earned her a small hard shove from the younger gem. She was taken back a bit until she regained her balance. At this point, Steven sniffed as he was too sensitive from Pearl holding on to him to tightly.

"Amethyst!" Garnet angrily stated, "Don't take your anger out on us! Apologize this instant!"

"I don't wanna!" Was the girl's cold loud response. She gave them all a cold shoulder as she made her way to the couch. On the way there, she kicked the edge of a table, but quickly twitched at the pain of having her toe stubbed. Amethyst jumped on one foot as she brought her leg closer to her chest, sucking air through her teeth to relieve pain.

"Amethyst. Come here. Now." Amethyst heard behind her back, knowing it was Garnet.

"Ahh..." Steven began to cry which made the youngest female gem furious. Amethyst could already hear Pearl nagging about how she made the baby cry.

"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!" She screamed.

With just four words being said, everything was turned upside down. Steven was crying very loudly as he kicked and tried to push his way out of Pearl's arms. Garnet was the one who had an unpleasant frown on her face. On the wooden floors, one could feel the rocky hard stomps of her feet making its way to nine year old. The red gem grabbed Amethyst by the arms and dragged her to where the baby was crying.

"Apologize or you'll be the one crying now...from pain." Garnet affirmed as she squeezed Amethyst's arm to assure her that she wasn't joking.

Steven continued to struggle under Pearl's grasp with tears pooling his eyes' bottom. Slowly walking towards them, Amethyst bit her lip as she continued to have salty tears drip down her face. Garnet stood above her as she crossed her arms.

"Well..." Garnet waited to hear the stubborn girl's apology.

Amethyst rolled her eyes and tasted the sourness of her tears as they fell onto her lips. She wiped her face with her thick arm. Pearl slowly kneeled down to where Amethyst could get a better view of Steven. The delicate gem knew that it wasn't Amethyst's fault for reacting this way. Since Steven came along, everything seemed as if it changed which is very hard to adjust to even for Pearl and Garnet. Although Pearl isn't very fond of the young nine year old's attitude, she knew she had to see past that troubled child. Amethyst suffered a lot since being an infant.

"I..." Amethyst started until it turned into a quiet groan.

"Say it." The leader ordered with a stern tone.

"I'm...sorry."

"Say it with no hesitation and address their names."

"I'm sorry Pearl and Steven...and I even think Garnet. Sorry." She quickly said with sealed eyes. Underneath her eyelids, she felt the cold atmosphere turn into the same one it was before; filled with love and protection. However, that didn't stop Steven from crying. He twisted and turned in Pearl's arms until he saw the purple gem staring at him. Steven instantly extended his arms.

"Take him...he's your little brother." Pearl spoke while handling the baby over to Amethyst.

Steven fell into Amethyst's embrace as he hugged her hair strands and cried. The child just could be found frozen, continuing to look at Steven with an unpleasant face. The baby nuzzled his head deeper into her chest and did his best at trying to find a warm spot into her heart, but she remained frozen.

"Shut up you dumb baby...please."

She wrapped her arms around his torso and sweetly tapped his runny nose. The room then brightened as she smiled. Amethyst tightly hugged the baby which made him calm down. He sniffed and winced under her grasp.

"Sorry Steven. Don't cry, I'm here. I'll protect you from any scary monster that'll take you. I'll be the good big sister that you need. After all, we only have each other and you'll understand me when you're older."

Garnet and Pearl smiled at the scene presented to them. They felt like their younger companion has learned a lesson; have compassion for others and understand their past. Always be there for them when needed.

As much as they all wanted to stay there for hours and observe the precious moment, they could knew the two children needed to sleep.

Pearl snapped out of her dazed mood. "He's calming down now. That's a good sign. Now if we can put him back to sleep then...Amethyst?"

All eyes directed to Amethyst as she walked up stairs with Steven's face laid on her shoulder. He looked back at the other gems with a faint grin as he pulled onto Amethyst's hair. She giggled as she sat on Greg's bed, ignoring the fact that he will come later in the night. The girl made a mental note to leave a little space on the bed for Greg for when he returns from his job.

"Easy there, Steven." Amethyst joked, setting Steven in the middle on the mattress.

"Are you going to put him to sleep?" Garnet questioned, receiving a nod from the child.

"Yeah. I'll put him to sleep and he's gonna sleep with me tonight. You two don't worry about us."

Amethyst laid down next to Steven, facing him. She brought the baby close to her and hugged him, warming him with her hair and body heat. He could even hear her heart, beating like the rhythm of a song.

"Pearl? Garnet?"

"Yes?" The two asked together.

"Can uhh...one of you turn off my GameBox? Just press the off button. Um, thanks."

Garnet shook her head as she did what was told to her. She placed the game device on the kitchen counter and left. She opened up her door and was taken into her room. Pearl was the only one who stood. Her feet swayed her back and forth as she had her arms bended behind her back. A goofy smile was seen from her until Pearl just noticed that Garnet left.

"Good night Amethyst and my little sweet baby Steven. Have your sweet dreams my two gems."

After a few minutes and assuring that the two were asleep, Pearl went to the door and opened it with her gem. She stepped inside and faced back, at the sound of something that sounded like a melody. Pearl could hear a small melody being hummed by Amethyst while kissing the baby's front. Well only one was asleep now and that was Steven.

"Poor misfortunate children."

Yes, here I am with the long awaited chapter. This will just be a sweet little one-shot that centered around Amethyst's feelings and trying to accept Steven.

As always, SHARE/REVIEW/FOLLOW/FAV! :D

-Gem Goddess (GG)