Missing Peace: Epilogue
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER:
The White House, United States of America:
Connie Maheswaran sat behind her desk, finishing off the last of her work for the evening. Soft orange light poured in through the three tall windows behind her, casting the room in a comfortable glow. The documents themselves made for rather dry reading, but Connie got enough satisfaction out of the other parts of her job that she was willing to wade through them. Looking up from her work for a moment, her eyes fell on one of the portraits which adorned the walls of the auspicious room. It was a picture she herself had had installed upon taking office, depicting one of her predecessors. The painting was a very good likeness, capturing the subject's salt and pepper hair, determined eyes, and warm, almost cheeky smile. Though James Dalton's presidency had ended long ago, it had been the most instrumental in shaping Connie's desire to get into politics, so she kept the painting in her office to remind herself of the standard she sought to hold herself to.
As she sat reflecting on those old memories, she was startled back to alertness when her office door swung open, and a particularly flustered-looking aide stumbled in, carrying a stack of files. The young woman looked to be in her early twenties; a new hire under Connie's policy of employing more young people in her administration. Catching Connie's eye, the aide's face flicked rapidly into an awkward smile. "Ah, Madame President! Sorry to bother you when you're right about to head out, but I have those files you wanted, and also-gah!" The woman's sentence was cut short as she tripped over her own feet and fell to the floor, scattering the files around her.
Connie immediately rose from her seat and went over to help her up. As she bent down to the young woman though, she noticed something that momentarily caught her off guard. When the woman had slipped, her left sleeve had been pulled up slightly, revealing a marbled cyan and pink gemstone embedded in the back of her hand. Connie had been blanking on the aide's name until that point, but seeing the gemstone brought it back to the front of her mind. "Let me help you out" said Connie, gathering the files together. "It's Launa Watkins, isn't it?"
"Y-yes ma'am" Watkins replied sheepishly. Connie gave her a reassuring smile. "You're half Gem, right?" Connie continued. She knew it was true of course; it was the first thing she had noticed on Watkins' CV when it had crossed her desk, but it felt like a natural thing to make conversation about. "Yes ma'am" Watkins replied, seeming slightly flustered. "I'm an Ocean Jasper on my mother's side; well, of course on my mother's side; that's how Gems wo- sorry, I'm talking too much again." The young woman subconsciously rubbed the back of her head and smiled embarrassedly at Connie.
"Don't worry about it" Connie said with a chuckle. "It's good that you're so comfortable talking about it. Too many people these days try to hide it." That much was unfortunately the truth. In the years since the Gems had revealed themselves to humanity, relations between Earth and Homeworld had improved greatly, and after a few years there had been an influx of Gems immigrating to Earth. Inevitably, some of those Gems had fallen for humans and, as a result, Steven was no longer the only hybrid in existence. While this state of affairs was pretty much what the two worlds had hoped for, it wasn't without its issues. Hybrids, by the very nature of how Gems and humans reproduced, were always raised by single fathers, and often found themselves somewhat disadvantaged as a result. There was also, of course, a race element. While attitudes towards Gems had improved dramatically since Connie was a child, there were still those who held on to old prejudices, and didn't look too kindly on Gems or hybrids, which led to hybrids often trying to hide their gemstones when in public. It had caused a stir among certain groups when Connie had made the broadening of rights for hybrids one of her key campaign pledges. Still, it was something she was determined to do, and she wasn't about to let a few scaremongers stand in her way. "Thank you ma'am" Watkins said appreciatively. "It means a lot to know that there are people who think like you do."
"Heh, don't mention it" replied Connie. As she finished gathering the files, she left them in a stack on her desk. Their contents could wait until tomorrow. As Watkins turned to leave, Connie suddenly remembered what the aide had said when she first entered. "Oh, Watkins?" she called after her. Watkins turned around before reaching the doorway. "You weren't done speaking when you tripped. Is there something else you needed to tell me?" Watkins thought for a moment, and then her eyes shot wide open as she remembered the rest of what she had been supposed to say. "Oh! Yes! There is one more thing. Your husband told me that he'll be waiting outside your office for you when you're done working. He was holding what appeared to be a violin and a…jar of jam?" Watkins was clearly confused, but Connie knew exactly what Steven had planned. She enjoyed the fact that they'd kept up their old tradition even into adulthood. Trying to hide the grin on her face, she simply said "OK, that's great. Thank you Watkins." The aide nodded and slipped out of the office, leaving Connie to her thoughts once again.
She sat back down at her desk to finish trawling through her last piece of paperwork. As she did, she reflected on the battles she and Steven had fought to make their current world possible; a world where humans and Gems lived side by side, less than three decades after their world had been at war. She felt honoured to have been a part of that fight, and privileged to be a part of that world. As she finished the last of her reading, she slipped her documents into a drawer, and headed out to meet Steven. It was going to be a very good night.
Author's Notes: And with that, we come to the end. Thanks so much for all your kind words and feedback over the course of this story. It's made my first fanfic writing
experience an absolute joy. I don't know yet when I'll be writing another, but as long as you're following me, you'll see it when it comes. Thanks again.