A Good Day
Pearl didn't know how it happened but Shadow had fallen asleep with her in his arms. As embarrassing as this would have been if someone saw this Pearl didn't have a care in the universe. Shadows soft breathing on the back of her neck, the way his arms wrapped her stomach and neck as if making sure she wouldn't be able to sneak off. It kind of made her sad that he felt like he didn't have anymore love to give but she had to understand how he felt. After ten minutes Pearl finally managed to wiggle her way out from his death grip and headed off to clean herself. She smelled like him, a mixture of sweat and cocoa butter that he often used. Shadow woke up just as Pearl headed into her room leaving Shadow on the couch half asleep. He had tried to force himself back to sleep but the events of what happened last time would not go away so easily.
An hour had went by and he was ready to get started with the day. Shadow dressed in a black button up and shorts before fixing up some breakfast for everyone. It only took half an hour before the gems headed out from the temple and the bed. Amethyst was the first to head over to the counter top.
"Yo Shackster I'm surprised you're up this early. Normally your on the couch passed out with drool hanging out your mouth."
Shadow waved the spatula at her with his eyes squinched. "I do not drool."
"Yes you do we've all seen it." Garnet said as she approached them.
Now Shadow felt the urge to fight the two gems. "What is it with you gems and watching me sleep?"
Steven was up now and joined in the fray. "Morning everybody. Mmm that smells good."
Shadow plopped down a plate in front of Amethyst and Steven then flipped the blueberry pancakes with two sunnyside up eggs. Shadow settled for some Chai tea he had made for himself and some toast with honey.
Pearl headed out from her room seeming to be in deep thought to notice anyone. When she looked up she saw Shadow looking at her, that put a slight blush on her face. "Umm good morning Shadow. I trust that you slept well?"
He smiled at her. "I did Pearl thank you for asking. Would you like some Chai?"
"Yes I would like that very much." Regardless of her hate for eating and drinking she wouldn't turn down a chance to accept something from him.
Garnet watched everyone eating and talking, enjoying each others company without some threat looming over their heads to ruin anything. It was nice being able to be here with her family. Even Shadow who was doing his best not to just give up all together and letting them help him. Garnet was so deep in thought that she didn't notice someone was knocking on the door.
Everyone was so preoccupied that they didn't notice except for Shadow who made his way around the counter. "I got it just relax Garnet it's probably that little weird kid Onion. You know he really does freak me out." Shadow made it to the door and opened it up wide.
Shadow looked the woman he knew with so much confusion you would think his head was about to pop off his shoulders.
The woman walked at him slowly and he walked backwards afraid of her. "It's been six years Isaac. Six years and I find you in a small town after traveling all these months trying to find you." The woman grabbed him by his shaking hands stopping him in his tracks. "You don't call me or send mail but just disappear like a ghost."
Everyone else jumped to their feet ready for a fight if need be.
Shadow didn't fight back he only bowed his head hoping to hide his face. This was the last person he needed to see right now. "I uhh I don't know-"
The woman pulled him into a hug so tight he thought his last good eye was going to pop out his skull. "You think just because Erica died that you can just abandon your family the way you did?"
Pearl stepped up to defend him she was sick of this woman grabbing him. "Who are you suppose to be huh?"
The woman looked past him to see who the skinny pale girl was that was talking to her.
"I'm his mother."
Boom a bomb was dropped and everyone was falling over like flies.
"Mom I'm not the son you use to know." Shadow looked at his mom. In the six years that it's been since he had last seen her she didn't look a day over thirty. She only had a few strands of gray hair in the long black ponytail she kept up. Even the little wrinkles didn't threaten to degrade her beauty. Though Shadow got his looks from his mom she was a lighter shade of black than he was.
She gasped when she saw that her son was missing an eye. "Oh my goodness my baby. What happened to you?" She ran her hands through his hair and face holding his cheek.
His heart began to grow heavy with every word his mother spoke. He hadn't spoken to her for so long and here she was concerned for an ungrateful son. "Mom I'm fine I was just in a accident a little bit ago trust me I'm doing just fine." A lie he would tell his mother a hundred times over if need be.
"Are you sure?" She asked with the most amount of concern a caring mother could put into her tone."
Shadow sighed, he knew he shouldn't be lying to her but how would she believe that her son was beaten down by a rock. "Yes mom I'm fine."
His mother snickered and grabbed at his cheek as hard as she could making him groan in pain. "Good cause now I want to know why you couldn't call me and who the hell is this woman you ran off with ooh boy you got some explaining to do."
Everyone watched from the sidelines as their friend was being punished by his mother. No one really knew what to do it was both sad and entertaining.
His mother turned her attention to Pearl. "So you must be the one whom my son ran away with huh." Mom looked her up and down with the same frightening look Shadow had when he was angry. "I wasn't expecting a girl with a gem on her forehead but I never doubted my son when it came to picking the girls he liked. It must be the eyes."
Amethyst was laughing in the background this was too priceless. "Yo Pearl say something to your future mother." The smaller gem busted out in laughter this was comical.
Shadow himself didn't really know what to say he wasn't expecting his mom to just skip to assumptions. "Mom please Pearl is-"
Pearl jumped between them before he could finish. "Yes mam I am his girlfriend. I'm sorry miss?"
"You can call me miss Shadow. I'm sure my son still prefers to be called Shadow over the name I've given him. He's always been defiant like that. Isaac told me it was not a phase, I guess he was right." His mother walked up to Pearl and took her hands. "Well Pearl since you've been with my son and stole him away from me you can tell me a little something about yourself."
Pearl couldn't even argue before she was dragged outside with his mother.
Steven, Garnet, and Amethyst stood next to a slack jawed at these new events. Shadow was more surprised than anyone he was not expecting his mom to show up out of anyone today.
"Shadow I didn't know you had a mother." Steven exclaimed in excitement.
Amethyst chimed in too she was just as excited. "Wow Shadow you must really be shocked that she showed up and now look. Pearl is the supposed girlfriend you ran away with." It didn't take her but two seconds before she broke down in another fit of uncontrollable laughter. Even Garnet joined in and the gem barely even says anything. You know when Garnet chuckles at your suspense something has got to be wrong with your life.
Shadow let out a sigh then started to head to the bathroom. "Well if anybody needs me I'll be trying to flush myself down the toilet."
Amethyst and Garnet grabbed his wrists before he could even attempt to try.
"Relax Shadow take a deep breath. Your mother has been looking for you for six years. I don't know about humans but that isn't long for gems."
"I honestly don't see why you thought that would cheer me up." Shadow glared at her.
Garnet poked his forehead hard enough for him to rub at it. "Well smarty pants I think you have some explaining to do. Maybe not about Jasper or almost dying on multiple occasions but she's your mother."
Shadow was already walking by the time he finished. "Yes mam. Jeez are you my mother or something."
Garnet crossed her arms over her chest and replied with a simple no.
The man headed outside to see Pearl sweating bullets and his mother talking the poor gems ear off. As he approached them his mother turned to him with a angry look on her face.
"Isaac Tobias Shadow I can't believe you have been hiding such a gem from me."
Shadow knew then when his mother used his first name that he should probably get a funeral casket ready.
Shadow looked at Pearl. "Yeah I don't know why either mom." Shadow sat down next to Pearle and was surprised when the gem took him by the hand holding it.
Before he could even protest she leaned into his ear. "Relax Shadow your mother is very fond of me. Will just keep up this charade till she leaves." Pearl whispered.
A tick grew in his jaw and he wanted to say something but they were too deep in to disappoint his mother now.
Shadow could feel his mother's piercing eyes from across the table. As expected from a New York city cop that's busted down more crooks than half the cops in her precinct. His mother's hard expression slowly softened when she really started to examine her son's face.
He flinched when his mother gripped him by his other hand. "Shadow, my son, please tell me the truth. What happened? Why did you disappear without saying a single word to your mother."
Shadow couldn't bear to look into his mother's eyes so he bowed his head. His other hand shook in Pearls which he didn't realize he was still holding. A part of him was glad that she was here for support.
"It was Erica mom. What I did… what I'd done. I was in a dark place for four years living hour by hour, day by day." The tone in his voice made him sound weak. A dark gloom fell over him from the past memories that started to arise. "I gotten over Erica mom with the help of some amazing people. It just took me a little longer than I expected."
His mother's sad brown eyes couldn't take her son suffering. "And your eye?"
Shadows hand slipped from Pearls to touch the eye patch. "You know me mom I always know how to pick em." He gave her a fake smile.
"Well I'm here now baby so don't worry about anything. I just wish that you would have contacted me sooner." His mom stood up and wrapped her arms around his head to bring him close to her chest. The warmth of his mother's touch was enough to bring tears to his eyes.
Garnet, Amethyst, and Steven came out from the house to see that everything was okay. His mother let him go she must of forgot her manners, she didn't mean to just barge into their home without saying anything.
"I apologize for my rudeness. It's been so long that i've seen my son I must've lost my senses. Please tell me who you are."
Garnet put a hand out for her to shake. "It's Garnet."
His mom shook her hand then brought the more taller gem into a hug that was unexpected. "Please you don't have to be formal. Anyone who is friends with my boy is a friend of mine. I don't get to meet a lot of his friends, especially not ones who are so beautiful."
Everyones faces dropped to the floor but Garnet didn't seem to mind. She seemed to return the hug with a faint smile on her face. Garnet knew that she would really like this human.
Amethyst stifled a laugh and that was when his mom finally noticed the much smaller gem. "Look at the pretty hair on this short one. I'm glad I've seen someone else who is shorter than me I was starting to grow a complex." Now it was Amethyst turn to be awe struck by the kindness of his mom and she was lost for words. A first time from what Shadow could tell. The purple blush on her face was evidence of that.
Steven was next and the little boy was excited to see that Shadows mom was so nice. "It's nice to meet you miss Shadow my name is-" Steven couldn't even say his name before his mom squashed the little boys chubby cheeks.
"Ooh look at this little cutie pie. My goodness your cheeks are so big." His mom kept messing with the little boy making Steven laugh. "You remind me of Shadow when he was young. You should have seen him he was so big I thought I was raising a pig."
Everyone started to laugh at Shadows expense. The man leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed. "No I wasn't mom. I was just plump." Shadow pouted in his chair at his mother's jibes. He was happy that she was here it had been so long since he had seen the one woman who would never betray him. "Mom did you uhhh have a place to stay? If it's fine with the girls it would be nice if you would stay."
"No Shadow I'm not here to stay I only came to see if my source was right."
"Your source?"
His mother sat down across from his at the table. "A friend of mine who lives a couple cities over told me that he had seen you. He's an amatuer so I didn't know how well his information was. Glad I decided to check it out."
Shadow chuckled at her. Glad to see that his mother still had a lot of resources outside of New York.
A couple of hours later and Shadow was really regretting life. His mom was bringing up every embarrassing thing that a mother could bring up to his supposed girlfriend.
Pearl laughed at something that his mother had said about him bringing down Shadow coolness points even more.
"So Shadow you use to have a blanky huh?" Pearl chuckled behind her hand.
Shadows face grew a dark red his mother really had no bounds when it came to ruining his reputation. "Mom! Don't tell her about mister blanket!"
"You called it mister blanket!?" Pearl finally lost her composure she couldn't hold back the laughter.
Shadow was enjoying this night. Shadow couldn't even recall him ever bringing a woman to his mom besides Erica. His mother loved Erica so much that she had gave them her blessings when he thought to marry her. Now here she was giving Pearl his entire bibliography thinking that she was going to be the next one. When he took a moment to imagine that maybe this lie could become something more it seemed nice. Then he started to think of her. To think of Jasper when she loved him, the look she had when he would kiss her to the toothy smile she gave him in the mornings.
Shadow rested a hand atop of Pearls. "Pearl lets give it a rest okay. My mom is the last person I want to disappoint so you don't have to pretend anymore."
The pearl understood what he was saying. As disappointed as she was she wouldn't let it show. She enjoyed being able to know more about Shadows life even if it was under false pretense.
His mother leaned back in the chair with her arms crossed. "What do you mean Shadow? You trying to tell me that this lovely young lady isn't your girlfriend?" Her eyes narrowed on him like an eagle eying its prey.
"Mom I'm sorry for lying. Pearl isn't my girlfriend she was just looking out for me. She really is the friend I don't deserve." Shadow gave Pearl a smile which she returned happily. "I was with someone. Another woman named Jasper. She was the one that helped me get over Erica. She gave me the strength to overcome her death and find some closure after four years. When I told you that I really know how to pick them I was really talking about her. You brought me into this world and she almost took me out of it." He started to sweat bullets when she didn't say anything. Then she erupted into laughter.
His mother slapped the table scaring Pearl. "Boy you really think that you could lie to your own mother. I swear you think me being a cop for years that you think you're somehow impervious to lying." Her eagle eyes turned to Pearl, the gem started to fear for her life. "Pearl you don't have to cover for my boy. I'm kind of disappointed though you seemed like just the kind of woman he needs in his life."
His mother started to laugh again she loved the oh my gosh I didn't expect you to know face. "Why would you lie to me Isaac?"
"You were expecting some life changing woman to have taken over my life. I just didn't want to disappoint you more than I already have"
"You can never disappoint me Isaac I'm your mother. It's when you think you're too cool to give your momma hugs that I'll really have to kill you." His mom stood up and hugged her child again. "I love you Shadow."
Shadow returned his mother's love with every fiber of his being. "Thank you mom. I love you too."
Shadow waved goodbye to his mom as she drove away. He had wanted her to stay but she told him that crime never sleeps, put on her aviators even though it was ten o'clock then drove off. Shadow was cool but not driving with shades at night cool.
Today had been a good day Shadow thought. He was heading up the stairs of the house when he saw Garnet and Steven star gazing.
Steven pointed up at the sky. "Ooh there's one! Garnet you got to make a wish."
Shadow stood next to Garnet smiling at his friends activity.
"You've got to close your eye. All of them" Steven ordered.
Garnet and Shadow laughed when. "Looks like those shades can't hide everything." Shadow teased. Garnet actually laughed at that one and punched his arm.
"Oh I hide them better than your secret about mister blanky."
Shadow put a finger up to argue then put it right back down. Shadow really thought about moving out and changing his identity. No one was to know about mister blankey, nobody damn it!
"Garnet, What did you wish for?" Steven whispered as if asking quietly would somehow negate the wish from not coming true.
"I wished for another star so that you can a wish."
Steven blushed at his godmothers thoughtfulness. Even Shadow grinned at her love for Steven.
"Oh my gosh." Steven chuckled. He turned his attention to the sky again like the two others who were hearing the same thing.
Everyone saw the red object plummeting towards the beach.
"Is that star screaming?"
Author notes:
Evening everybody whats going on? First, shoutout to CrimsonAmbur and Linusatari for the reviews. I always get a good laugh when I read them so thank you for the reviews and reading my story. I hope you liked this chapter and please stay tuned next week I'll be posting another one to sort of catch up.
Shadow out...