AN: Couple of notes: Greg is 40 when Steven is 14, so Greg is currently 39 in my story as Steven is 13. He met Rose when he was 22, so that would be 17-18 years ago as it is almost Steven's 14th birthday. Bismuth was bubbled 5,300 years ago (In her canon debut), meaning that she would've been bubbled before cars existed. The closest thing would've been a wagon. 3000BC would've been 5021 years ago, so Bismuth would've been bubbled in 3300BC. The first wheeled transport is thought to have been created in 3500BC, so Bismuth would be highly out of date on human culture and technology.

Okay! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Bismuth wasn't sure what to make of her current situation. The events leading up to were already a complete mess. The last thing she remembered was fighting Rose at the forge, and then she was suddenly here at this farm next to a… wooden base? Who's bright idea was that? At first glance, the blacksmith had been sure that the pink figure in front of her was Rose. Then she got a better look at them And realized that their colors were inverted. Rose had peach skin and pink hair, while this gem had lighter pink hair and dark pink skin. She shivered at the close resemblance to Pink Diamond. However, there was no way this being in front of her was Pink. A diamond would never 'lower' herself to looking like a native from the planet they were conquering. And Rose did have healing powers. It was possible this really was a human who died, and Rose healed them with her tears.

Then, Rose herself appeared, except she was completely different. She had trapped Bismuth in that weird fractal dome, a power Bismuth had never seen Rose use. Rose also looked exactly like the human, except with her correct color scheme. Why would she take on the form of the human she healed? Was it a ploy? Were they working together to trick the Homeworld gems or something? There was something weird going on, and Bismuth didn't like being messed with.

Now settled into a little circle with the others, she kept her guard up. Twoie promised to explain everything. She'd listen, but she wouldn't trust. Not until he proved he could be trusted. Her eyes glanced over at the human kid. He looked like a younger version of Twoie and Rose. Maybe he was the little brother of Twoie? Rose had gotten close to this human family. Maybe that's why she revived the human. The blacksmith was snapped out of her thoughts by Twoie's voice. "Okay. There's a lot to talk about, but I think the best thing to start with is the war." Bismuth's eyes widened. Okay, she was down for that! She wanted to know what happened to the rest of her friends. They must be at a different base. Bismuth couldn't wait to see them again. She leaned in slightly, ready to find out what she'd missed. "This is going to be hard for you, Bismuth. Let me know if you need a moment to think."Twoie paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. "First off, the war is over, and the Crystal Gems won."

Bismuth grinned, cutting him off. "Hard for me? How's that hard for me?! That's great! I may have been gone for a bit, but we won!" She smacked the ground happily in her excitement. "Man, we really showed those 'Upper Crusts' who's boss! I wish I was there to see it!" Bismuth laughed, but when no one else joined in, Bismuth awkwardly stopped. Why was everyone so nervous and upset? She saw Twoie winced and realized that maybe she'd been too hasty in her celebration. "There's more to it, isn't there…"

Twoie nodded sadly. "Yeah. There is." He took a deep breath. "Sometime after you were bubbled, Rose Quartz shattered Pink Diamond."

Bismuth's breath hitched. She what? But that was the whole point of their fight! Rose was adamant about not shattering any Homeworld gem! She felt betrayed. "So, when I bring it up, I get bubbled. But it's okay when she does it." The hypocrisy left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"I know. There's a lot more to this, but I'll explain that later. This whole situation is a mess, and I don't want to make it more confusing. I promise you, I won't leave anything out." Twoie brushed his hands through his hair, stressing over the hurt and anger he heard in Bismuth's voice. "The war wasn't stopping, and I guess Rose decided that maybe you were right after all. Maybe the other Diamonds would leave earth alone if the Diamond in charge of the colonization was gone. I don't know for sure; I'm just guessing. I also don't know if Rose ever planned on letting you out, but being bubbled is actually what saved you in the end."

'Saved me?' Bismuth raised a brow at him.

Ven gently nudged his twin with his hand. Bismuth watched as they silently communicated something between themselves. Turning back to the group, Ven took over the story. "The Diamonds were angry about the loss of their youngest member. The remaining three diamonds gathered together, several thousand miles from the edge of the earth's atmosphere, and launched a deadly attack. All gems that were hit by this attack became corrupted. Corruption ripped apart a gem's mind, affecting their thoughts and memory to the point that their light constructs took on monstrous forms. None are fully capable of speech, and the corruption can't be cured without the essence of the four diamonds."

Corrupted? What? Bismuth felt horror wash over her. All her friends were corrupted? "N-no! That can't be true!" Bismuth jumped to her feet. She didn't notice the other tense up at her actions, too consumed in the rising panic and horror. Her hands were shaking. "What about her? She's a gem, and she's not corrupted! Or her?" The blacksmith pointed at Ven. "They're both fine! There's no way everyone is just-!" Bismuth broke off with a strangled noise of pain as Twoie looked at her, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Please! What about Biggs? Snowflake? Pearl? Garnet?"

"Pearl and Garnet are okay, but the others…." Bismuth whipped around to face the kid in the red shirt. He was looking at her sadly. "Rose managed to save the first two during the attack, but all of the other Crystal Gems from the war are gone."

Twoie sucked in a shaky breath. "The war ended a long time ago. I don't remember the exact number, but Pearl mentioned how long you've been gone once. If I remember correctly, you've been bubbled for over five thousand years."

Okay! Okay. Bismuth sat back down, head in her hands. She was not okay. She had been bubbled by Rose. Something that was the only thing that prevented her from being corrupted in the attack. An attack that marked the end of the Crystal Gems and the end of the war. Which happened over five thousand years ago. Five thousand years, gone. Just like that. Bismuth wasn't sure if she had ever felt so broken before. This was so much to take in. "I wanna see them. Please, Rose. Where can I find Garnet and Pearl?"

Twoie flinched, and Ven quickly stood, drawing all attention to himself. "My name is Ven, not Rose. If you want to see Garnet and Pearl, we need you to promise not to tell them where we are."

The blacksmith blinked in surprise. "What? Why don't you want them to know where you guys are?" She'd come back to the Rose/Ven thing in a moment. Why wouldn't you want your friends to know where you are? What happened between them?

Ven's eyes narrowed slightly, forming a light glare. "Rose is gone. If you want to hear that story after your visit, then come back here. But Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst are the reason that Twoie had to be revived."

Bismuth's eyes widened in shock. She opened her mouth to protest, but then she saw Steven glare at the ground. Peridot looked shamefully away, while Greg looked sadly at Twoie. Twoie's reaction, though, was the most telling. He had curled in on himself, shaking slightly. There was a faraway look in his eyes. One look at Twoie, and Bismuth knew they weren't lying. For some reason, Garnet and Pearl, along with some other gem, were responsible for the death of the human in front of her. She felt like someone had cracked her gem. Why? Why did they do that? Crystal Gems were supposed to protect all those who called earth their home. "Okay. I promise not to tell Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst that you all are here." Her thoughts were beginning to swirl from everything that Bismuth had learned. "I think I've heard enough for now. I need to just think about everything you've told me. I'm gonna go see Garnet and Pearl, and when I come back, I wanna hear about Rose." Her eyes narrowed at Ven. "And I will come back. If you are gone when I'm back, then I am going to hunt you down. I still don't fully believe that you aren't Rose. I just need to go check on my friends."

Ven blankly nodded at her. He turned and pointed off into the distance. "Go in that direction. You'll find a town called 'Beach City.' Once you make it to town, head towards the lighthouse on the cliff. It's a tall, white, tower-like structure. The gems live in a house there, between the lighthouse and the ocean."

"Wait. Someone should show her where. If she gets lost, then she'll have a harder time getting back here." Greg stood up, fishing his keys out of his pocket. "I'll drive her to Beach City and drop her off at the beach. She'll be able to find the beach house for sure that way." The others nodded in agreement, so Greg gestured for Bismuth to follow him as he led the way to his van.

Bismuth followed the older human. Obviously, this was the best way for her to find her friends, and she didn't have anything against the humans. "Thanks, human. I appreciate your offer. I just wanna see my friends again."

He blinked at her as he opened the passenger door. "No problem! I'm Greg, by the way. I wish we could've met under better circumstances."

The technological contraption Bismuth sat in was weird. She grabbed the small handle on the door and pulled it shut. Greg got in at the other side and started the ship up. "How does this ship work? I've never seen anything like it."

Greg laughed as he pulled out of the barn and drove onto the dirt road. "This isn't a ship. It's called a van. Humans use vans, trucks, and cars to get around." He patted his steering wheel. "These things can only drive on surfaces like roads. Around here, ships are a method of transport that float on water, and spaceships are the things that gems use to go from planet to planet. Planes are another type of transport, but they only fly through the air and can only go up to a certain height, which is definitely much lower than the atmosphere."

Bismuth was surprised at how different things were from her time. "Wow. Humans have really advanced from what I remember. Before I was bubbled, you guys had just figured out how wheels worked!" She laughed. "I would've gotten lost for sure." She looked over at Greg. Although he was smiling, she could see that it was strained. "Look, Greg. I appreciate you driving me here, but I can tell that you didn't want to come here either." Bismuth had a feeling she knew why as well. "Does it have something to do with Twoie?"

Greg sighed, dropping the fake smile. "So, you noticed that." The older man looked tired, and Bismuth was beginning to regret even asking. "I know the boys promised to tell you about Rose when you got back, but it's kinda important to why none of us want to be near the gems." Bismuth nodded. She would take any information she could get. "I met Rose almost 18 years ago." Greg smiled sadly at the memory. Bismuth looked away, uncomfortable with the fondness in Greg's voice for someone who had betrayed her. She absently noted the odd, round tower they passed. "She never told me much about the war, and I never pushed for more info. Everyone has secrets they want to keep. We fell in love, and Rose really wanted to have a child."

Bismuth jumped in shock. "But we're gems. We can't have offspring like humans can!"

Greg just hummed in agreement. "You're right to an extent. Since your bodies are made of light, you can create whatever forms you want. Rose made herself as close to a human as she could, which was the only way she could become pregnant. However, gems were never made to have kids. For Rose to actually give birth to our child, she had to give up her form. Wipe all trace of her memories and personality from her gem so that a new being could use it. That's how Steven was born."

It was quiet in the van as Greg navigated the busy town. Bismuth watched all of the smiling humans walking around, happily going about their days. "Steven is the kid, right?" At Greg's nod, she hummed in thought. "So, Ven isn't Rose. Rose really is gone." So much for getting answers from Rose. The only thing she knew now was that Rose likely had no intention of releasing her. She had several thousand years to do so, but she didn't. With a sigh, Bismuth shoved her bitterness away. She turned back to Greg, only now noticing how sad he looked. "I'm sorry. It's probably not easy hearing us talk about the way she betrayed me."

The older human just shrugged his shoulder. "Thousands of years is a long time. Maybe she changed from who she was when she bubbled you, or maybe she didn't. I fell in love with the Rose that I knew. You were betrayed by the Rose that you knew." Greg slowed down as he pulled up to a small parking lot at the edge of the beach. "My experience with her doesn't change the fact that she hurt you. It just means there was more to her than either of us knew." The older man pointed at the cliff off to the side. "That's the cliff with the lighthouse on it. If you follow the sand around the cliff, you'll find the beach house. It should have stairs leading up to the front door, and it's underneath the statue of a lady. You can't miss it. To get out of the van, pull on the handle and then push the door open."

Bismuth followed his instructions and stepped out of the van. Before closing the door, she turned back to him. "Thanks, Greg. For your explanation and for bringing me out here."

Greg smiled and waved at her. "Thanks for listening. I work at the car wash on the opposite side of the cliff. If you ever get lost or want to talk some more, you can usually find me there during the day. If you ask anyone, they'll be able to give you directions as well. Going back to why we don't want the gems to find us, part of it is that Twoie is family. There's more to the story than that, but to keep it short, he's basically Steven's older brother, and Steven was distraught when the gems…" Greg couldn't bring himself to say it.

Bismuth just nodded. She understood what he meant. "Right. I promise not to tell them where you guys are staying. Once I see how they're doing and spend some time with them, I'll come back to hear the rest of the story." She shut the door, then headed in the direction that Greg had told her to go. She wanted to see her friends again. And she wanted to know their side of the story.