California, 2205ad:
As they closed the door on the two already sleeping kids, Future Pearl sighed. "Okay." she whispered. "How about we split up and talk to ourselves a little while. Just remember: If you break reality, I'll never talk to you again." she tapped Amethyst on the nose with a smile. "And stay in sight of the room, just in case. I don't trust this place too much..." she added as she glanced around the street with a glare.
Future Pearl settled herself down on the edge of the roof, looking down towards the motel. With a satisfied nod, she smiled. "Okay, we can see them from here."
Pearl sighed and sat down, keeping some distance between them.
Future Pearl summoned a piece of paper. "Here's the information, by the way. Times and locations of each ripple we used, along with how long we spent between each one just... waiting around, or barely missing them. You can avoid all of that frustration." she placed the paper between them, holding the corner with a fingertip.
Pearl placed a finger on the other edge, and waited until the other had moved her hand before picking it up. "Thank you. That was getting incredibly annoying..."
"Believe me, I know..."
They fell silent as Pearl read through the list, committing it to memory before storing it away. After a brief moment, she spoke. "I can't even imagine what could possibly have convinced me to start eating?"
The other Pearl shrugged. "Amethyst."
"Amethyst?"
Future Pearl glance at her with a knowing smile. "Yeah. We're actually a couple now."
Pearl stared wildly. "What?!" she squeaked, her voice high pitched with shock.
"Yeah. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been happier." she sighed. "Amethyst is... sweet, and caring. Sure, she can be rough around the edges at times, an irritating little brat for sure, but... She knows full well how much Rose hurt me with her behaviour. She's actually sworn, point-blank, that she'll never treat me like that." she nodded.
Pearl stammered. "But..."
"Listen. Rose treated you like dirt. We both know it. And you can't lie to yourself. Literally, in this case." she added with a wink. "Giving Amethyst a chance was the best damned decision of my extremely long life, and these have been the best two hundred years I've ever had. And the sex is pretty incredible too." she added with a smirk.
"Oh my stars, please never say that again..." Pearl groaned as she blushed deeply.
Future Pearl laughed. "Pfft, we both know you were curious." she grinned briefly before she sighed. "Honestly..." she shrugged. "I haven't actually thought of Rose, or Pink for that matter, in decades. She's now merely... my ex, and Steven's weirdo mother." she reached up and summoned a small object, revealing it to be a purple tinted ring, which she slipped onto a finger with a smile. "Also, Steven really is a hell of a wedding planner."
Pearl gaped. "We're married?!" she flushed bright blue.
"Eh, Steven was going crazy, dropping hints and leaving that scrapbook of his around... He at least had the decency to calm down a little, and give us some time to figure out what we wanted. It was only after his wedding- to Connie of course," she added with a grin. "-that we finally decided to go through with it. Bismuth made the rings, obviously. She somehow managed to make mine purple, and Amethyst's pale blue." she rubbed the ring with a fond smile.
Looking up, she shook her head at Pearl's confused and slightly panicked face. "Just... Think about it, while you're waiting between ripples. Think about... What she actually means to you. What life would be like without her. How she's always been there for you. And well... think about her feelings. Because I know you don't realise it yet, but she's actually had a crush on you for a while now."
Pearl stared, her jaw working soundlessly in shock.
"Yeah. She was pretty good at hiding it. That, and I am hopeless at taking a hint, apparently." she chuckled briefly then sighed. "But... she was afraid of saying anything. She knew I was still crazy for Rose, was scared of rejection, and worried that I'd think she was only taking advantage of me in my heartbroken state... We wasted so much time being afraid. I could have been this happy a long time ago..." she shook her head.
"But, she's surprisingly patient. She'll give you time to think this over, and figure out what you really want. She knows this is a big decision, and won't pressure you for an answer. So please, think it over."
Pearl looked back towards the motel. Distantly, she could see the two Amethysts sitting on the curb, one leaning forwards with her head in her hands. "I-" she sighed. "I'll think about it. About...her. Or us..."
Future Pearl nodded. "I know you will." she smiled. "By the way, there's one more thing I should tell you. Don't worry, it's not as shocking. It's actually a very pleasant surprise."
Pearl eyed her warily. "Okay?"
"Steven will get controls of his powers, and he'll even learn to control his aging and outward appearance, much like we do." she smiled. "He's still alive."
Pearl gasped, her hand rising to her mouth. "Oh my stars... That's wonderful!"
"Yeah, it really is. He makes himself younger every few decades. Via Stevonnie, so Connie's still around, thankfully. Never younger than twenty, though. To be fair, I doubt anyone would want to relieve puberty." she rolled her eyes. "Of course, you will need to talk to your ones about the consequences of immortality. He is very sensitive, and losing his father almost caused him to both age himself to death, and de-age himself to oblivion... We were barely able to keep him grounded enough to return to his proper age." she shuddered at the memory of how close she came to losing him. "Once he gains control of this ability, and realises that they can basically live forever, you need to warn them to leave the Beach City area for at least a few decades... So they can avoid being there when they outlive their own grandchildren. If he's not there, then he won't know when they go." she added sadly.
Pearl nodded. "Of course. I understand."
"Finally, there's one more thing. About the next location... There's something very special that you need to do there, for Steven..."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
As the two Pearls walked towards a building on the other side of the street, the two Amethysts walked a short distance away, finally sitting down on the curb with a bit of space between them. They sat quietly for a while, each munching on a burger they'd gotten to go. Finally, they finished up, Amethyst eating the styrofoam box with a sigh. She was surprised when the other got up and took her box to a bin, dropping it in before returning.
"Uh... You don't eat styrofoam anymore?"
Future Amethyst chuckled. "Nah, Pearl doesn't like it when I do that."
Amethyst shrugged. "Since when did that stop me? Or you? Or... what?" she paused in confusion.
"Okay, first... Yeah, that's majorly confusing. But whatevs. Dude, I'm making out with Pearl, like every night. It's awesome!" she sat back down with a manic grin.
Amethyst's eyes widened. "Wait, what?! Seriously? How did that happen?!"
"We just... talked. During this time trip thing, when Steven and Connie weren't around for a while. Pearl had to stick them in her gem for safety." she explained. "Anyway, by the time we got home, we had talked about the whole thing... We got together not long after that."
Amethyst glanced over at the two Pearls, who were now sitting on the building's roof, their legs dangling over the edge. "Man, that'd be great... 'cause.. Well.. You know..." she blushed.
Future Amethyst chuckled. "Yeah, I know. We're crazy about her. Just... tell her how you feel, man. I mean, mah Pearl's probably telling her right now, but..." she shrugged.
"Oh no." Amethyst groaned, dropping her head to her hands. "Nononoooo..."
"Hey, chill dude. Relax. It's Pearl. She's gonna be so nervous and confused that she won't even say a word about it, especially around the kids. Not until you guys are alone, and she's got everything sorted out in her head. Hell, she probably won't actually believe it until she hears it from you." she shook her head. "It's gonna be great though. We don't fight anymore, except some light flirty teasing. She's started trying food, of course, and she's even stopped nagging about my room. Although, I did let her clean it a while back..."
Amethyst lifted her head in shock. "Huh?!"
"Yeah, well... Let's face it: We live in a dump, dude. And she did a really good job of it too. She didn't throw out anything important, only the stuff that was totally garbage, like old food. She fixed a bunch of broken stuff, and made some pretty awesome stacks. Organised, perfectly symmetrical ones, of course." she rolled her eyes. "And now I have heaps of room for more stuff."
Amethyst watched as she reached into a hidden pocket and pulled out a blue tinted ring.
"We're in love." Future Amethyst grinned back at her as she slipped it on.
"Oh, by the way... Steven's still around."
"He is?!"
"Yep. He figured out how to control that aging thing. He also figured out how to do it as Stevonnie, so yeah. Connie's at home with him. They're still mad about each other. Every day's a honeymoon for those two. They're almost as bad as Ruby and Sapphire..." she smirked.
Amethyst grinned. "That's awesome! I really didn't wanna have to watch him grow old, and die and junk... Cause I love that little booger."
"I know, brah."
They sat in silence for a little while.
"Plus, the fact that Rose can't come back and try to take Pearl is also a bonus."
"Eh, Pearl would slap her if she tried. She's finally realised how toxic their relationship was. She doesn't want her back anymore."
"Good."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Around 16000 years ago:
As Amethyst trudged across the tundra-like landscape it began to lightly snow.
Pearl, sitting on her shoulders, sighed. "I- I suppose now is a good time to... talk. About our... situation..."
Amethyst glanced up briefly, a lightly blush across her cheek. "Uhh... Yeah. Sure. Now's a good time."
They continued in silence for a moment.
"Pearl?"
"Hmm? Yes, Amethyst?"
"... When people say they should talk, there's usually actual...you know, talking, involved..."
Pearl blushed. "I'm... still trying to think about what to say..."
After a moment, Pearl sighed deeply. "It's just... this whole thing took me by complete surprise. I-I had no idea that you..." she trailed off.
Amethyst sighed heavily. "Yeah... You really don't know how to take a hint, huh?"
"I didn't even know there were hints!" Pearl groaned.
Amethyst shook her head. "Seriously?! I've been flirting with ya for like, lifetimes. There were humans who picked up on it."
Pearl flushed. "Stars, I didn't... How were you flirting? Because quartzes flirt like... well, quartzes. I- I'm not a quartz, you do understand that?"
Amethyst shrugged gently, as not to dislodge Pearl or her injured leg. "I dunno... challenging you to wrestle, play-fights, and- Ah, geez. That's quartz-style flirting, isn't it?"
"... Yes, yes it is." Pearl nodded.
Amethyst groaned. "No wonder ya didn't... I'm dumb..." she stopped walking to cover her face with her hands. "I shoulda just gotcha flowers or something..." she muttered.
Pearl sighed. "I... probably wouldn't have realised that was flirting either..." she blushed. "Back during the rebellion, other Crystal Gems would come up randomly to talk to me. It was only after Bismuth pointed out why that I realised they were flirting..." she groaned lightly. "I am really terrible at picking up on these things..."
Amethyst started trudging again, kicking small amounts of snow away in front of her.
Pearl glanced down at her. "Amethyst?"
"Yo?"
Pearl blushed deeply. "Do you really... feel that way... about me...?"
Amethyst nodded. "Yeah... I'm crazy 'boutcha. But apparently, I suck at flirting, and you can't take a hint..." she suddenly started laughing. "Oh stars, we are terrible at this!"
Pearl started chuckling. "I know!"
They paused for a moment to recover, Pearl slipping down slightly as Amethyst's shoulders heaved.
With an amused sigh, Amethyst hitched Pearl up and continued walking. After a few minutes, she glanced up. "Hey, Pearl?"
"Yes, Amethyst?" she leaned forwards slightly, her arms resting lightly on top of the smaller Gems head.
"It's just..." Amethyst sighed. "I've waited so long for you to know how I felt... and now ya do... but... I know ya still love Rose..." she muttered sadly. "I know fourteen years is barely anything for us, it's like she only left yesterday... I just... I want... a chance. To prove that... I could treat ya better than she ever did..." she groaned. "I swear, Pearl. I swear that I'd never fool around on ya like that. I don't want anybody else! Just... just you..."
Pearl stared down at Amethyst, stunned, her mind whirling.
Amethyst trudged forward, resolutely refusing to glance up, to risk seeing even a hint of rejection in Pearl's eyes.
After a few minutes, Pearl shook her head slowly. "Ame?"
"Yeah, P?"
Pearl reach down and gently stroked Amethyst's cheek. "Okay."
"Huh?"
Pearl leaned forward and kissed Amethyst's forehead. "Okay. I-I'll give you a chance."
Amethyst stopped walking. "Really?! You're serious?!" she looked up into Pearl's face.
Pearl wiped a few tears from her eyes. "Yeah... But once we get home, okay? I do have two teenagers in my head right now, so getting too... wrapped up, in each other..." she blushed. "Would be more than a little awkward for everyone involved."
Amethyst cracked a massive grin. "YES!"
She hiked Pearl up higher and started jogging lightly.
Pearl chuckled. "Dork..." she muttered fondly.
"Nerd." came that quick retort.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The next day...
Pearl stood carefully, as she tested putting weight on her newly repaired leg. Amethyst stood close by, ready to catch her if the leg gave out.
Pearl flexed the knee. "Hmm... Yes. I think it's ready..." she gave a quick pirouette, spinning on her right leg. "Yes, I'm okay now."
Amethyst wrapped her in a hug. "Thank the stars..." came her muffled voice in Pearl's chest.
Pearl blushed, and hesitantly returned the hug. "Thanks for carrying me..." she mumbled, face burning.
After a moment, Pearl glanced up. "OH! Uh, Amethyst?"
"Yeah, P?"
"Exactly. The kids need to..." Looking around, Pearl spotted a few small bushes a few metres off to the left.
Amethyst stepped back and watched as Pearl summoned the two teens, catching them expertly before sending them off into the bushes one at a time.
After a moment, the two swapped, Pearl providing hand sanitiser which was rubbed in enthusiastically.
Once both were taken care of, Pearl sighed. "Okay, back in. I estimate that it'll take us at least another week or so to make it there."
Connie shivered slightly. "Yeah, I'm fine with going back in. I'd almost forgotten how cold it was out here..."
Steven nodded, rubbing his hands together. "Yeah. Inner Pearl promised us cheese toasties when we got back."
Pearl chuckled. "I know."
Amethyst came up. "Hey... I want a cheese toastie..." she smiled hopefully.
Pearl glanced up. "Um... Yeah, I can manage that. However, you will have to wait a few minutes while I make it."
Amethyst nodded. "Fine by me."
Pearl stored Steven and Connie away again. After a few minutes, she paused and reached up, a steaming toasted sandwich on a paper plate appearing in front of her.
"Here you go." she passed it down to Amethyst, who grinned happily.
"Thanks, Pierogi." Grabbing half of the toastie, she licked her lips. "Hmm, head cheese..."
"Amethyst, that's gross." Pearl shook her head, amused despite herself.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
One Week Later...
"Hey... there's the ocean."
Pearl nodded. "By my calculations... This is the hill where the barn will eventually be built. And that..." she pointed towards the sparsely grassed peninsular. "... is the future site of Beach City."
Amethyst grinned. "Hey, Pearl? Race ya!" she laughed and started running.
Pearl looked confused for a moment. "Oh! Wait for me!"
As Amethyst neared the beach, a blur rushed past her. Screeching to a halt, she was amazed to find Pearl sitting on a boulder ahead, a smug look on her face.
"I win the race." Pearl smirked.
Amethyst gaped. "How di- Hey! No fair! You have longer legs than me!" she huffed, blushing slightly as she looked at those legs.
Pearl rolled her eyes as she hopped down from the boulder. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you challenged me to a foot race, Shorty." she said, poking Amethyst's nose gently. "Now, come on. We need to find ourselves some sort of shelter nearby."
As the two rounded the narrow cliff, Amethyst whistled. "Wow, that's really unsettling. Not having the carving, I mean."
Pearl nodded. "Yes. This is actually close to what this cliff looked like before it became the Temple. There should be a crevice here. It's what eventually became the Temple rooms."
As they came further around the cliff, they spotted the large crack running vertically through the cliffside, stopping just short of the top.
"Ah, there it is. I was worried that it hadn't formed yet." Pearl admitted with a blush. "But this should provide adequate shelter for our remaining time here." she sighed. "Now, there's a couple of things we need to build, for Steven and Connie's comfort."
Amethyst nodded. "A'ight. What kinda stuff?"
Pearl check off on her fingers. "Well, for starters, a latrine. There's not much in the way of plant life here at the moment. So, we'll need to dig a deep hole, preferably somewhere a little away from the cliff... and then build some sort of shack over it for privacy."
Amethyst cracked her knuckles. "I can dig the hole. How deep ya want it?"
"Hmm... Maybe around two or three metres? It probably doesn't need to be exact..."
After a few minutes, Amethyst shook the dirt off herself. "There. That'll do it, ya reckon?"
Pearl stepped back from the makeshift seat and looked down into the hole. "Yes, that will do nicely. Now, help me assemble this."
With a bit of effort, they managed to attach the corrugated metal sheets to each other, placing one on top for a roof.
Pearl carefully finished riveting the hinge in, swinging the wall - now turned into a door - back and forwards. "Okay, I just need to add a latch of some sort... Perhaps..." she summoned a small hook and a metal loop, checking the measurements and riveting it to a spot halfway down the makeshift door. Pausing to added a plastic roll holder on the back of the door, she nodded. "There." she stood back, satisfied. "That should do it. I mean, they'll have to squat, yes... but that's actually healthier for their bodies anyway..." she waved a hand dismissively.
Amethyst chuckled. "Ya learn that dissecting 'em back in the day?"
Pearl blushed. "Amongst other things, yes..." she cleared her throat. "Now, we should get ourselves settled into that crevice. This cold is enough to make a ruby shiver..."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Six Days Later...
Amethyst walked up the back of the cliffside, eyes on the thin Gem standing at the top. "Hey, Pierogi. Whatcha doing up here?"
Pearl glanced over at her. "I don't like the looks of those clouds... We may be in for a storm."
Amethyst looked out to see thick dark clouds filling the horizon. Even at this distance, she could see the small flashes of lightning within the cloud. "Yeah, looks pretty nasty... What do we do?"
Pearl thought for a moment. "Hmm... Well, for starters, I'll have to warn the kids that they may be unable to come out for a while. They'll definitely need to use the shack before the storm hits. Once they're done, we'll have to wrestle the walls of the shack into the crevice, so it doesn't blow away. Although, I suppose I could just store the entire thing intact in one go..." she looked uncomfortable at the thought. "Then we'll need to bunker ourselves down in the crevice, and just... wait it out. I just hope it doesn't hang around so long that we miss the ripple home..."
Amethyst placed a hand on Pearl's back. "Hey, relax. If that was likely, then ya would have warned yourself when ya had the chance. Wait..." she looked confused for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, that kinda makes sense."
Pearl sighed. "You're right. I'm being silly and paranoid again. I'm just worried, that's all."
"Nothing unusual there." Amethyst smirked, rubbing circles on Pearl's back.
Pearl rolled her eyes. "Yes, well. It's just... we're so close to getting home. I don't want to get us this far, only to screw it all up at the last moment..."
Amethyst wrapped her in a hug. "Hey, we'll be okay. You got us this far without too many problems. You'll get us home. Then, we can make out like teenagers."
Pearl chuckled as she felt Amethyst grin into her chest, returning the hug with a blush. "That is also a very good reason not to miss that ripple."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The Next Day...
As the water rushed into the crevice, the two Gems climbed up as high as they could go. Pearl braced her feet and back against the two walls of the crevice, wedging herself in as she clung protectively to Amethyst, who had ended up sitting in her lap, her arms wrapped around her tightly.
The cliff shuddered from the impact of a particularly large wave, the water swirling around beneath them, only a scant few metres below their precarious spot.
Amethyst whimpered slightly, as Pearl eyed the water nervously.
Large pieces of ice floated in and out of the crevice, some breaking up as they slammed into the inner wall, others getting wedged tightly until another wave crushed them.
Sharp biting snow blew in above it all, through the narrow gap between the ocean's fury and the top of the cliff, sending shivers through the two stationary Gems.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
The Next Day...
As the wind died down, a small amount of sunlight started to show through the crevice.
Pearl sighed with relief. "Hey, Ame? It's over..."
Amethyst looked out towards the ocean as Pearl stroked the back of her head. "Thank the stars..."
As the two looked at each other, they started grinning.
Pearl leaned forwards and mashed her lips against Amethyst's, her eyes closing.
Amethyst tensed slightly, then shuffled closer on Pearl's legs, her hand moving behind Pearl's head to pull her closer.
As Amethyst gave a small moan, Pearl sighed, and pulled away.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Amethyst panted.
Pearl rubbed her eyes. "Dammit! The kids need to... it's been almost two days..."
Amethyst groaned and rested her head on Pearl's shoulder. "Man... that sucks..."
"To be continued?" Pearl blushed.
Amethyst nodded. "Yeah. Probably should wait 'til we're home anyway..."
Pearl summoned Steven and Connie, catching them with ease. "Sorry, the hole got filled in by the storm. This is the only thing we could find on short notice. Amethyst will dig a new hole for you soon, but for now..." She quickly summoned the large metal shack, placing down over the sand in the far corner of the beach.
"Pretend that you're cats." Amethyst suggested as the two kids looked at the flat sand through the open door.
Connie dashed into the shack, almost slamming the door shut in her rush.
Steven jiggled, looking very uncomfortable. "Pearl, I don't think I can wait any longer..." he moaned.
Pearl summoned a roll of paper. "Behind that boulder over there." she pointed.
Steven grabbed the roll and ran as fast as he could, his other hand already undoing his jeans.
As Amethyst finished digging the new hole, Steven helped Pearl placed the shack over the top.
"So... How much longer? Until the ripple?" Connie asked, jiggling on the spot to stay warm.
Pearl glanced back. "Uhh... Another twelve, maybe thirteen days..." she sighed.
Steven groaned. "Why is this one taking so long?!"
Pearl shrugged as she reached in and replaced the roll. "Well, it's likely just the first ripple that our other selves encountered once reaching this time period. After all, the lack of warp pads in the pre-colonisation era makes it difficult to reach any ripple in time. They most likely decided to just... head to the Temple site and wait until a ripple came to them. That became the only ripple they knew about, and so, it's the only one we can safely take. It's just a coincidence that it turned out to be the exact one needed to return home."
Amethyst nodded. "I can't believe how close we are... Man, I miss my room!"
Steven nodded. "I miss dad..."
Connie smiled. "My parents, my room... I... never thought I'd ever say this, but... I even miss school!"
As they looked at Pearl expectantly, she sighed. "I miss Garnet, Bismuth, cleaning, doing laundry, even picking pink fur off of everything that Lion touches!" she laughed. "It'll be good to be home."