A familiar face and an unfamiliar face grace my vision upon reaching the top of the wooden platform, "Garnet? Is that you?"

Her surprise makes me happy, even she didn't foresee me coming back, "Emerald? We thought you had di... we thought you were gone forever.

I crack a grin, "I'm harder to get rid of than that old friend."

"Still the same Emerald, I see." she points out

I catch the new face, an overcooked Amethyst, staring cautiously at me. I rub the back of my head, feeling rather sheepish; I never did like being studied, "Didn't realize I was that appealing..."

She cracks a smile, "Nah, you aren't. I was just trying to find out what you were."

"And?"

"You're obviously a greenbean. Pfft." I crack up too, it was rather funny. I guess my form color could be likened to that of the earth plant. She stared at me confusion, "What is so funny?"

I stared back in equal confusion, "I thought you had made a joke..."

She slowly broke into a smile, "Hey, I like this guy!"

My betrothed clears her throat, "Well, Amethyst, if you would let me introduce him. This is Emerald Quartz Sage-Son, the only other Gem than Rose Quartz and Garnet whom I trusted during the Rebellion."

I watch as the child named Steven raises a hand, "Wait, so you knew him during the Rebellion?"

I chuckle, humans were so adorable in the way they were so inquisitive, "That she did. In fact, I am the one who had asked her to spend the rest of our lives together."

His eyes light up with delight, "Really?"

"Yes Steven, in fact it was your mother who had introduced him to me in the first place. Though the way he had been uncovered was rather embarrassing for the both of us." Pearl recounted.

As I listened to what Pearl was said I had my attention stolen by one word, "Mother? Rose adopted a human?" Nobody met my gaze, that sent some pretty bad signals into my system, "Ok, so why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this particular part of the story?"

Pearl, the person whom I loved the most, refused to answer. Garnet stepped closer to me, "Emerald, wear these."

She restricts my hands with a pair of energy nullifying cuffs, "Why do I need these?"

"Because, out of all of us you are the one most likely to cause damage."

I shook my head, I couldn't figure out why I would damage anything, "I don't understand."

Garnet sat me down on what I presumed to be a type of chair, "Please, just listen." I close my mouth, this was Garnet, she wouldn't ask me to be quiet if it wasn't serious, "We won the war, but at a great cost: many of us are either shattered or corrupted. As far as I know we four are the last Crystal Gems, but nevermind that. Rose had protected us against the Final Melody and we had lived for thousands upon thousands of years."

I shook my head once again, "This still doesn't explain what happened to Rose."

"I am about to tell you, quiet. Throughout the years, Rose had found suitors amongst the humans. The final one she had was a human named Greg Universe, they had spent many years together. One day... Rose came to us and told us she was expecting a child. We were all confused, why wouldn't we be?"

I couldn't answer her, I didn't even register the question. If Rose had made a child, that means she would have given up her physical form... she was gone, "She's gone..."

I felt Pearl reach for me, I then heard her yelp in pain as energy arced across my body. Garnet stood up, but there weren't many things she could do, I was furious. Who dared to take Rose from the planet she tried so desperately to defend, that so many had died for, that she has shattered a Diamond for? I felt the bindings quiver, they were not made to contain a Sage's energy and because of this they broke in mere seconds.

I stand up, "Where is the cretin who has stolen her from us?" Garnet didn't speak so I repeated myself, "Where... are... they?"

"He's not here." Garnet finally replied.

I squint my eyes, "He? So it was a man."

"Emerald, no."

Garnet is too slow to react, I leap up to the temple's face and disappear from their sights.

Beach City:

Once at the top of the cliff I had made my way to the city adjacent to it, by now the moon had risen to it's void-like pedestal so I did not have to worry too much about anyone noticing me. Not that it would have mattered. From what Garnet had said, Rose's suitor was male and I inferred that he would have to still be in this small town. After all, the Temple was Rose's Home, one of her favored spots on this planet.

After hours of walking the streets I grew calmed, my rationality came back to me. I inhale and exhale deeply; I had overreacted, 'How in Star Quartz did I expect to find one male out of a possible hundred? Garnet was right.'

"Emerald!" Speak of the devil.

I stare at Garnet and plop on the cold alley stone, "I'm sorry, dreadfully so. You were right old friend, I did overreact..."

Pearl appears from behind her and I remember when she yelped in pain. I, like any good lover, rushed to her and made sure I didn't cause any permanent damage, "Oh my Moonstone, Pearl, I forgot! Did I hurt you, are you alright?"

Her forgiving smile only made me feel even more like crud, "Emerald, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you though, are you feeling better now?"

I pause for a moment, leaving her hand in mine. I didn't know how to answer that, Rose, a person whom was all but a sister to me, was gone forever. She was the only reason I still had purpose after being exiled to Earth, she had taken in my entire clan into her army without a second thought, and, most importantly, she was the Gem who had introduced me to the only other Gem in existence that I had felt a romantic feeling for, "She's truly gone... isn't she?"

Much to my surprise, Pearl shakes her head and points to the child from earlier who was now arriving to our position, "She lives on, but in a way that is different to what you know."

I stare at the child, his hair looks nothing like hers... but his face, his eyes, his smile, they are Rose's. He walks closer to me, not even a hint of fear in his expression, "Emerald sir... I am sorry if I did anything to make you angry. I'm sorry I'm not my Mom, but if she had such an impact on you, and if Pearl loves you, then I see no reason why we shouldn't become friends."

He even sounded like her for Meteor's Sake! I close my eyes in an attempt to halt the tears, when they no longer are in danger of falling I kneel next to Rose's child, "Little Rose-"

"It's actually Steven, remember?"

Steven; not the first name on my list, but to each their own, "Steven, do not apologize for my misdeeds. I truly should not have acted the way that I did, in doing so I endangered everyone here. I apologize for making you think you should have to be sorry, my sister is gone, I should have accepted that."

He frowns, "Wait... my mom was your sister?"

"Technically yes, I thought of her as such in my heart and, on occasion, even called her sister." I answer.

His bright smile forces me to make my own, "I have an Uncle! Sweet!"

A delicate, pale form, flits into my vision, "Well, now that we have all of this settled, Steven it is exactly one hour after your bedtime."

He jumped up, "Oh no! I've gotta get to sleep quick, I promised Dad I'd help him at the car wash!"

I laughed as Steven ran all the way back to the Temple, he had her energy for sure. I wrap an arm around Pearl's waist, "I missed you."

Pearl surprised me by exploding into a fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, it's... I just forgot how," she waves her hand in a circular motion at me, "extra you could be."

I throw her a look, "Extra?"

I look at Garnet for support but she smiles, "I have never met someone with your level of energy Emerald, and that is including both Rose and Steven."

I watched as the three others begin walking back to the Temple, Amethyst's voice floated behind her, "Do you think there is a record for craziest first day?"

I sigh deeply, I guess this day could have ended worse than it had, "Wait for me guys!"