Future Perfect

Chapter: Zero

Casting Call

Lars Universe was floating away in a bubble, while his older sister watched in sheer terror. The gems were off on a mission, and why did he have to get powers anyway?

Chloe was enjoying a day in the summer sun of Beach City and reading a charming book about a warrior princess fighting a dragon. Meanwhile reality kept doing what reality seemed to always be doing, annoying her. Lars, who was only two had discovered that he could make bubbles yesterday. The gems had been amazed. Mother on the other hand, had taken it as an opportunity to teach her "responsibility".

He looked just like mother too, with black straight black hair. She hated that. Taking more after her father's physique she always felt like the ugly duckling in any room. Now she had to be responsible for him, being fourteen was the worst. Of course, somehow, she thought that letting her brother float away would be solving one problem only to create another.

The bubble holding her brother was now hovering over the temple. She ran into the house as fast as she could and used the warp. She saw the bubble just as it reached the tip of the lighthouse above the statue. Then she did something exceptionally stupid. She jumped.

Her brother was too far out, it shouldn't have been possible, but she reached the bubble. Then she started to fall. Naturally she let out a blood curdling scream. She kept screaming expecting a splat while her brother maintained a goofy looking grin.

"Oh… I'm floating like dad." So she had powers after all. That thought thrilled her until an even more horrifying realization struck her. She was falling very slowly, to slowly.

POP!

Her brother fell into her arms, "Chlo floats!" He proclaimed. It was great, it would also be hours until anyone could come to her rescue. Salvation came when her phone rang. She looked at the distance below and prayed that she didn't drop the little brat. She pulled the phone out of her pocket.

"Hello? Oh Mom, yes I practiced my violin… listen… yes, yes, the dishes are all clean I need… Yes of course we're ready for Grandma's visit." She couldn't believe her mom was doing this to her now. Saying no to her was a lost cause and always had been, but this was urgent.

Finally, she shouted, "Mom I'm floating a hundred feet above the house with Lars in my arms, help!" She hung up before clumsily dropping her phone. Her brother was confused. "Well I'm not paying for it."

It took forever for anyone to show up. Unfortunately, it was Amethyst. She stared up at Chloe and chuckled, "Hey Chloe, how's the weather up there?"

"You Clod! I can't hold on to Lars forever."

In a flash the short purple gem turned into a trampoline. "Toss him down."

"Are you crazy?" Chloe shouted down.

"Dude, I'm a gem remember. It'll be fine."

That made her cringe but she complied and dropped her little brother.

Connie Universe rode Lion through the portal just in time to see her daughter drop her son to the ground. She had to pause to make sure her heart hadn't, in fact, leaped out of her chest. Her son hit Amethyst and bounced. She transformed back into her normal form and catching little Lars. He responded by bubbling them both. "Hey what's the big idea?" Amethyst asked.

"Amey, Amey!" He shouted back excited.

She sat and crossed her arms, "Great, guess I'll be here for a while."

Connie finally caught up to her, "Thank goodness he's safe." She looked up at her daughter who was still floating in mid-air. "Chloe, are you okay?"

"No!" She shouted, now in full panic.

Steven Universe warped in. At the sight of his daughter floating in mid-air he smiled wide. He jumped into the air to meet her face-to-face. "Heya kiddo! Dropped what I was doing the moment Connie called to say you were floating."

"Dad how can you be so calm, I've been floating up here for nearly an hour? I just want down." She looked like she was about to cry.

"Hmm," he thought to himself, "I don't suppose it'd help to tell you that when I discovered this power, I was stuck up here all day. Would you believe the secret is the easiest thing in the world? Just take a deep breath with me."

"Okay," she breathed in and out. "What next."

"Like all my powers, its attached to my emotions. Try to think of an image that makes you happy, something that relaxes you."

She tried to picture being totally alone, relaxing with a book, and not having to babysit her demon brother. It only seemed to make her lose more control. Her father was acutely aware of just how difficult new powers could be. Where she found that her mother was always eager to push her to improve, her father was always ready to listen.

When it seemed that whenever everything was falling apart, she had her family. Chloe was always failing, failing at her schoolwork, breaking violin strings, but there was mom, dad, Garnet, and Pearl. She smiled, now confident that everything would be okay. No sooner did she think this than her feet were once more on solid ground.

Her father spoke up as he rustled her short, perpetually messy black hair. "Keep practicing, it's a lot of fun once you get the hang of it." He turned and winked, flashing a thumbs up, "Remember, 'if every pork chop with were perfect.'"

She groaned, "We wouldn't have hot dogs."

He smiled, "You've got this." He turned to his wife giving her a peck on the lips.

"Gross." Chloe said flatly.

"Now where has Lars run off to."

Connie gestured off to the beach, at the large pink bubble that was moving down the coastline, "Lars."

He just smiled, "It's great to be back home." Steven put his arm around her.

"It was nice of your dad to let us move in." She said. Secretly she had been thrilled when he suggested that they move back to Delmarva. After two, four-year terms as governor of Jayhawk, she was eager to move on, and now had her eyes set on bigger prizes. Moreover, as governor, she had missed out on much of her daughter's early life. Steven had handled it as best he could, but it sometimes pained her that she had missed her daughter's first words and steps.

It had been a long time since Connie had said goodbye to Steven before he went on his long, cross country road trip, she had been so nervous when he kissed her goodbye. She'd had nothing to worry about, and she was even more hopelessly in love with him now than she was then.

Amethyst wandered back around sunset, holding Lars, now sound asleep. "The little guys bubble popped when he fell asleep." She handed the boy to her mother. "If ya need me, I'll be eating your garbage." Connie sighed, "Let's go put him in bed." The family went inside and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

The night was everything a summer evening should be. The sky was clear, and the stars dazzled in all their splendor. Out on the beach two small gems stood with a telescope gazing out at stars impossibly far away.

"Why don't we go in and introduce ourselves now!" Ruby said. She was so excited the sand beneath her feet was super-heated into glass footprints. They had yet to see Steven's children since their birth, owing to adventures that seemed to ever increase in absurdity. Always a need for a fortune teller out there.

Sapphire remained fixed and calm as always, gazing at one of the many bright nebulae in the night sky. "Patience my love, her adventure is just beginning. Though I will say I was a little disappointed this wasn't the possible future where she's still floating."

"Huh," Ruby started to fume, "She discovered her powers, and we missed it."

"Not to worry," I think you'll be amazed what she's capable of. "Now you must see this, the Orion Nebula looks stunning tonight."

"Nothing's as pretty as you." She looked into the telescope, and wasn't disappointed.