*insert usual comment about disclaimers* Hello, everyone! I regret to say Silent Intent will end on chapter 40. Good news is there will be a sequel. :)

Over the past decade since they first left on vacation, they'd formed Sardonyx twice. Both times were hesitant, and both times Garnet initiated it. There were plenty of times they'd danced together where fusion was possible. Each time Pearl withdrew, either from anxiety or a desire to keep dancing as their selves. Garnet didn't mind. Fusion was a choice—one she understood well. It didn't stop the sting of rejection, though. Still the magenta Gem respected that choice. Pearl tried often to speak with Amethyst's enthusiastic encouragement, only to recluse in her room in a silent tantrum. It was Rose who would bring her back later. There had even been a fight between Pearl and Garnet about fusion and her attempts to push herself too far. There were no raised voices; everything they had to say was said with angry hand signs and fierce expressions. It lasted well over a day, ending with them parting ways. Pearl went to her room while Garnet went to the beach.

Worse yet, Pearl hadn't made a single sound. She hardly signed either. The way she acted reminded the older gems of her renegade attitude. Only Rose knew how she acted before anyone else had joined their cause and why. She assured her fellow quartzes Pearl just needed space to sort through her thoughts. Too often the pink-haired leader would find her dearest friend pacing the fountains of her room, hands gesticulating wildly as she ranted about anything and everything Garnet.

"Pearl?" Rose asked softly announcing her presence. Her Pearl ignored the intrusion, turning on her heel to continue pacing. "Pearl." She tried again with more authority making the smaller gem glance briefly at her. "Would you like to talk about it?"

No, I would not! Doesn't she understand yet? I'm trying and she acts like I don't know how much it hurts her when I back away from fusing at the last second! I thought she understood, I thought she could sympathize about this! No! She says it's all fine, but each time her gems say otherwise! Each time gets harder to forget why it's a bad idea.

"Is it? Pearl, you love fusing. Ah, don't lie to me." Rose said.

I would never! Rose, you know I'd never lie to you.

"That's good. So why don't you tell me what happened?"

Pearl sighed. It's not only about forming Sardonyx. What if I do it again? We barely made it through last time…and that's because you made us talk.

"Garnet would have fused that time." Which time didn't need to be said, "She forgave you a long time ago. You should, too." After that, they sat quietly until the next mission came up. Rose had given Pearl a lot to think about. The white gem took to avoiding her love while she thought. This worsened the mood between them. Garnet ground her teeth. This wasn't the future she'd wanted! Amethyst looked back and forth between the two whenever they were in the same area. The air still felt tense, but she had to admit it didn't feel as bad. She knew they'd started talking more. The purple gem had never seen Pearl fuse with anybody in the entire time she knew her. When asked, Rose simply said they hadn't fused in a long time, and that Pearl would want to do that with Garnet first.

So it came as a surprise when Pearl held her hand out to Amethyst. She struggled with the sounds, her face showing determined focus and frustration, eventually barely whispering, "May I?" Only Amethyst heard, the rest of the Crystal Gems being too far away. Nodding so fast Pearl feared for moment her head might fall off, she took Pearl's hand. Amethyst moved in a more rhythmic way to Pearl graceful movements. Pearl let herself relax, feeling Amethyst support her pose just right. Her gem glowed and she felt panic creep in at the edges. Not this time, she swore. I want to do this. Amethyst grinned, dipping the taller dancer. Their combined light twisted into a new form stretching four arms to the sky.

Opal paused to look at herself, soaking in the feeling of existing. She wasn't sure who she was yet, only that she could feel pride and amazement at her appearance. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her gaze to the others gathered nearby. She recognized them all from Pearl and Amethyst's memories, and smiled at them. Rose was the first to recover from her shock walking forward to greet the new fusion. Opal blinked softly saying, "Hello."

"Hello! How do you feel?" The pink quartz asked with a grin.

"Excited…and a bit scared, but mostly excited." She examined her hands. It felt weird to have more than two, a feeling that was balanced out with the experience of knowing what it felt like previously. "I feel…happy." She added.

"What should we call you?" The question came from Celestite, who had moved closer.

She knew the answer, smiling as she replied. "Opal." The only one who hadn't said anything yet was Garnet. She stood back with her hands on her hips. They stared at each other until eventually the magenta gem nodded. The corner of her mouth twitched. She's hiding a smile, it means she likes you. A comforting assurance coming from Pearl, followed by another wave of excitement. Opal relaxed glad that she wasn't in threat of defusing from instability. It turned out Rose had a lot of questions for her as well as Celestite. Garnet didn't say much but she stayed close, listening.

Unfortunately, Opal found out it took just the tiniest disagreement between her counterparts to make her separate. Amethyst had wanted to find out what eating was like as a fusion, and Pearl naturally rebelled against the idea. In the end, both fell on the sand violently. Irritated at each other, the two started arguing until Rose pointed out they had successfully fused. Her comment stopped their argument and made them grin widely.

Later that night Garnet found Pearl sitting on the beach stargazing. When the pale dancer noticed, she patted the spot next to her. You looked happy, Pearl mouthed.

"So did you." A brief silence filled the space. "I was a little jealous."

Pearl trailed her fingers along the back of her hand. She didn't answer for lack of knowing what to say. They both knew she and Amethyst were close friends. Still, she didn't want to leave the confession unacknowledged. She leaned against her, resting her head on her mate's shoulder. Of Opal? There, that seemed a good place to start. An affirmative grunt came from Garnet. We could form Sardonyx again. If you want?

"Pearl?"

Yes, Garnet?

"What did the girl ask you? The one you saved?" She heard Pearl huff, felt her head turn to look at her. Challenging her to disagree Pearl mentioned Garnet's part in that rescue. "I didn't want to lose you to that salamander. You saved her, Pearl. What did she ask you before we left?" A bright blue tinted her cheeks.

She asked if we were married. Garnet blinked behind her visor. Why do you ask? You were with us.

"I was distracted." She answered, lowering her shades to wink at her flustered partner. "Would you want to get married?" The grip on her hand tightened. She met Pearl's stare, waiting for her to decide how to respond. If she were honest with herself, she was surprised she said that. Looking away, Pearl tried to sort through her thoughts. No matter which way she approached it, she kept coming back to the conclusion that she wanted to know what Ruby and Sapphire thought. She'd known Garnet for over four millennia now and she knew when she made a joke. Grateful for her mate's patience, the white Gem sighed.

Not unless I knew that Ruby and Sapphire were alright with it too. They have a say in this just as much as we do.