A/N: Did you guys enjoy the Steven Bomb? I'm sad to see it go, but excited for weekly episodes again.
"OH MY GOOOSH!" Amethyst groaned as she threw her head back, her long hair a momentary pale cloud in the dark room before it settled messily on her back. If she hadn't been clinging to the crib, she might've thrown her hands in the air too, having finally reaching the limit to her patience.
"Amethyst, hush!" Pearl scolded, wincing as she rubbed her temples. Steven hadn't appreciated Amethyst's loud voice and began crying somehow, even harder and louder. "You're not helping."
"What difference is it gonna make, he's been screaming his head off all night!" Amethyst snapped. "It's not like he's suddenly going to start getting sleepy!"
Pearl's entire body seemed to bristle and she looked ready to snap – the lithe gem's wealth of patience finally depleted. Amethyst seemed ready for it, maybe even eager to have an interruption, her plump lip already curled into a snarl.
"Our yelling certainly isn't going to help." Garnet's stern tone ended the coming argument right there. Amethyst plopped down under the crib with a long, tired sigh. Garnet slung her arm over Pearl's bowed shoulders. "I know we're all frustrated, but that doesn't mean we can lose control like that. We all know better."
"But why is he still crying?" Pearl huffed, gently nudging Steven's favorite bear against his wet cheek. It jingled softly, barely audible over Steven's wails. It usually distracted him – he loved shaking it because of all the noise it made (much to Pearl's usual distaste). "We're doing everything right."
"No clue." Garnet shrugged, not even seeming mildly disturbed at her ignorance of the situation.
"Can't you just use future vision or something?" Amethyst's muffled voice rose from under the crib.
"Not how this works." Garnet mumbled. "I can see a few things, here and there, that might work, but with Steven there's often no real guarantee that he'll comply."
"Are you saying that a baby is defying the future?" Pearl spoke slowly, her disbelief potent in every word.
"Anyone can defy the future." Garnet answered, unintentionally mysterious. "It just so happens that Steven alludes my abilities to see the moments which he intentionally or unintentionally chooses to defy and make his own path."
"Great!" Amethyst's head poked out from under the crib. "Now I'm tired and CONFUSED! Thanks Garnet!"
"You're welcome." Garnet bent down to smooth the wrinkles of Amethyst's crumpled brow.
"Greg says babies just…sometimes cry?" Pearl stuttered, nervously adjusting Steven's blanket. He had been kicking it off all night. "But he hasn't cried this hard in months."
"We've tried everything!" Amethyst grumbled, swinging back on top of the crib again and letting her legs dangle. "He doesn't want milk or a new diaper or to be held or burped or any of that junk."
"We haven't tried everything." Garnet said.
"I have to agree with Amethyst, we have truly tried everything." Pearl grumbled, once again pulling Steven's blanket over his flailing legs.
"Nope." Garnet grinned. "We haven't tried a lullaby."
"Is that really going to work?" Pearl sighed.
"It could," Garnet shrugged. "Or it might not. Out of all the current outcomes of the future, this is the only one we haven't tried yet."
"I mean it really might work though. Kid does like music." Amethyst said as she leaned against Garnet's shoulder. "And didn't you say Pearl, that babies' brains get all calm or something when they listen to music. We could at least give it a shot."
"It does currently seem like our best option." Pearl hummed, peering down at their little charge with a frown. "But does it have to be that terrible one Greg insists on singing all the time?" Pearl huddled against Garnet's side and copied the fusion's posture on the crib with just a tad more poise.
"The Steven-a-bye?" Amethyst snorted. "I think it's funny."
"It doesn't make any sense!" Pearl growled. "I'm confident that Steven does not have an uncle named Ned – Greg told Rose he didn't have any siblings! Greg shouldn't lie to him."
"I like that one line about the…well wait, what's a quadruped anyway?" Amethyst giggled, the frown that had been on her face for the past few hours had easily melted away with the gentle banter. "I never understood that line."
"I'm pretty sure he just made it up." Garnet shrugged.
"It's an actual word. I looked it up in the dictionary I got for Steven, it's referring to an ungulate mammal that walks on four feet." Pearl hissed. "Steven looks nothing like a hooved animal. His feet are completely normal."
"He sounds like an animal sometimes." Amethyst shrugged. "Like a bird though, like when he gets all screechy."
"He's not going to like any other song." Garnet hummed, nudging Pearl gently. "That I know. It's not that bad of a lullaby. Surely you can do it for Steven."
Pearl looked down at Steven, once again he'd kicked his blanket off. One of his tiny pink fists was gripping the bar of his crib, Pearl could swear she could see it splintering under such an unusually strong grip. She knew he was frustrated – he wasn't being like this on purpose, he was just tired and upset. She couldn't leave him like this.
"Ugh." Pearl groaned, hands pressed against her temples. "Fine, how exactly does it go again?"
"Um…Baby please, rest your head…?" Amethyst began nervously. Steven's wails quieting to whimpers, his eyes snapping open as soon as he recognized the familiar melody.
"Now it is time for bed." Garnet added, her voice smooth and sure. Pearl grimaced as all eyes turned to her – Greg's infamous and terrible (in Pearl's mind) line about the fictitious Uncle Ned echoed through her head.
"I-I'll protect you till the end?" Pearl offered, a dark blush starting to creep up her neck. Amethyst gave a wide grin and Garnet offered a quiet: "Nice,"
"You're okay for a …little gem!" Amethyst sang, poking Steven's nose. Steven gave a half-hearted smile, but the tears in eyes were evidence that he wasn't far from bursting back into tears again. "Twinkle, twinkle, how time flies."
"S-slowy in the starry sky." Pearl hummed, slowly rocking. Garnet gently placed her palm over Steven's tummy and began to rock him. Steven's eyes drifted close momentarily, before he stubbornly forced them back open.
Garnet smirked. "Baby please, close your eyes."
"Uhhh, oh! You're as sweet as…um?" Pearl paused. Amethyst burst out with a loud "APPLE PIES."
"As you grow and love and play." Garnet sung.
"In our hearts, you'll always stay." Pearl gently cupped Steven's flushed cheek. Wiping away a few of the last of his tears.
"So sleep and dream the night away!" Amethyst finished, making sure to keep her voice low. They all paused – there were no more of Greg's lyrics after that. If that didn't work – they would've have truly used everything in their baby arsenal and it was going to be a very, very long night.
Steven snuffled quietly, he traded his vice grip on the crib for Garnet's thumb and finally allowed his eyes to flutter shut, a firm pout still prominent on his lips. Garnet kept a faithful hand rocking, Amethyst hummed quietly with Pearl joining in whenever Steven's little face crumpled back into a sob. It took another twenty minutes, but Steven eventually fell asleep.
"Man, what does this kid have against sleep." Amethyst whispered, slinking down the stairs with Pearl and Garnet right behind her. "I swear it's like he forgets how to sometimes."
"Gems don't sleep." Pearl supposed, rolling her eyes at Amethyst, who had pointed at herself with a long, purple tongue stuck out. "It's a learned skill for us, is what I meant to say. He is half-gem, maybe… it's harder for him sometimes."
"Then we'll be there, until he learns." Garnet promised.
"Can we make up our own lullabies then?" Pearl begged. "None of Greg's ever make sense! He's sleep deprived when he makes them up."
"Man, if we make our own lullabies can I curse in mine?" Amethyst giggled gleefully, eyes sparking with inappropriate excitement.
"No!" Garnet and Pearl snapped.
"Man, you guys are no fun," Amethyst rolled into the kitchen barstools. "It's not like he understands what we're saying."
"He will one day. But we can make up our own." Garnet sighed, peeking back up at the tiny boy sleeping peacefully. "Mine will be the best though."
"Wha-haaaat?" Pearl huffed, her hands clapping over her mouth. Her whipped back upstairs, eyes wide and momentarily terrified. But Steven remained sound asleep, his soft snores steady and calm.
"Oh, you're so on!" Amethyst whispered. "My lullaby is going to put him to sleep so fast, I won't even be able to finish it – he'll be knocked out at the first verse!"
"Well, I'll create a lullaby that will be so peaceful and appropriate that Steven will have no choice but to sleep and stay asleep!" Pearl hissed, a spark lit in her cerulean eyes.
"Gonna be hard to do, since you haven't made it yet." Amethyst stuck her tongue out. "But I'm gonna start right now!" With a flash of light, she was skittering into her room at breakneck speed on four legs with Pearl not too far behind her, Pearl furiously whispering: "Stop running!"
Garnet gave a low chuckle. She watched the temple door close with a quiet hum before climbing the stairs once again. Peeking over the edge of the crib, she leaned down and pressed one last kiss to Steven's brow.
"Night Steven."
A/N: All credit for the lullaby go to Rugrats Movie and the "Dil-A-Bye". If you don't know what I'm talking about or you've forgotten how it sounds, just put "Dil-A-Bye" into Youtube or Google, you should find it.
I've had this prompt for a while, I watched the Rugrat's Movie last year and I really wanted to do something with the song, but wasn't really sure how exactly to write it. This took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I think I'm satisfied with the product.
Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows - I realize that the hiatus for my hard drive problems was heinously long, but I am back now - hopeful to post twice a week if college lets me. See y'all next week.