"What's going on?"

"Where's Jonathon?"

"Why did those weird ladies try to take everyone?"

"Everyone, everyone, please! I promise I'll explain everything." Steven said through the megaphone he was holding, giving a sigh of relief when the loud demands of the public died down to dull whispers Scanning the crowd, he felt his heart thundering in his chest as he looked from Sadie, to Lars's parents, to Jet.

"Okay…there's no easy way to say it, so I'm just going to rip the bandaid off." Steven said, before launching into his story about what had happened on Homeworld. Every now and then, his eyes flickered over the crowd, his heart sinking both at the reactions of the crowd and the fact that Connie still hadn't showed up.

"Then, Freshwater and I came through Lion's mane!" Steven said with a forced grin.

"So…let me get this straight." Nanefua said, walking onstage and grabbing a stunned Steven's megaphone from his hand. "Yesterday, we had our people taken from us, and the only people who tried to do anything about it were the Crystal Gems and some children?" she said, glaring at Mayor Dewey, who looked stunned.

"Well, yes, but there really wasn't anything he could-"

Nanefua turned back to the crowd, fire in her eyes. "These Crystal Gems have been living in our city for a long time. We know about the weird things that have been happening due to the fact that they are trying to protect us. Why, after years of our knowledge of the weirdness going on in this town, was there no plan to protect ourselves? Why has our leader not arranged for what we might be able to defend ourselves in the case of an emergency?!" she demanded, the crowd going up in arms as Mayor Dewey slinked off.

Steven sighed as he stepped off the podium, intending to make his way to Mayor Dewey. He paused, however, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. As he turned, he expected to see Connie, his face falling slightly when he saw Jet's unreadable expression.

"Jet…I'm sor-"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Steven." Jet interrupted. "You're a child." she said, gritting her teeth as she continued. "Jonathon is a child. Which is why, as long as I am alive, he will not be involved in any of this. Now," she said, her gaze softening.

"Where is Lion?"

…

"Rough day?" Freshwater asked, looking up from her spot on the couch as Steven came in, grabbing a box of macaroni and cheese. The boy grimaced, his mind still focused on his epiphany that Connie may be feeling the same way he felt when Mayor Dewey threw away the election without a fight. "Compared to a few days ago? No. Compared to usual Beach City shenanigans? Yeah." he said as he poured the noodles into a bowl and tossed the cheese pack aside for Amethyst to eat later.

"Do you….want to talk about it?" Freshwater asked, cocking her head to the side as the boy started to prepare his Macaroni and Nothing - a dish specifically for days like this. Steven hesitated. "It's nothing. Just politics."

Freshwater looked surprised, but nodded, deciding to drop it. One of the reasons she had even bothered telling Pearl about what happened at the Zoo was because she had respected her boundaries and known when to push and when it was time to drop it. This, was a time to drop it.

"Hey Steven! Can you help us with these groceries?"

Freshwater looked up when he heard his dad's voice, the boy quickly putting his phone away as he made his way to the living room, surprised to see his dad and the gems had returned with wide smiles, each holding a grocery bag.

"Thanks guys, but the fridge is full." Steven said as Freshwater stood from her spot on the couch, smiling as well. "Not the fridge where you're going, kiddo." she said, ruffling his hair.

"I bought a vacation house! I figured things have been really…intense, lately. So, why not buy a place to get away for a bit! It'll be a nice change of pace for you and your old man to rent for a few days since we rarely get to spend time together, just the two of us!" Greg said with a grin.

"Wait…are you sure?" Steven asked, looking to Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Freshwater. "Are you guys going to be relaxing too? Things haven't exactly been…easygoing for any of us."

Freshwater waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Steven. We'll be-"

"That's just it!" Greg said, excitedly reaching into his pocket and tossing two key-cards to Pearl, who looked as shocked as Freshwater. "I rented out two rooms in Empire City for a few days! I figured Steven and I had such a blast there, it was time for you guys to enjoy it for yourselves. Pearl went with us last time, so she can probably show you guys around just fine!"

Steven's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea, dad! Empire City was fun once, but honestly this weekend I'd rather just hang with my old man." he said, laughing as Greg picked him up and hugged him.

"Greg, are you sure about this?" Garnet asked, stunned, as Amethyst let out a whoop of excitement. Greg nodded. "I've still got, like, 9 million dollars left! I'd say spending some of it on a trip with my son along with a trip for the gems that are helping take care of him is a good investment."

"Thank you, Greg. This is very thoughtful of you." Pearl said, smiling at Greg as Garnet gave a thumbs up. "We literally never get to unwind." Amethyst said, pumping a fist in the air as Freshwater nodded. "Yeah, I'd say a celebration is in order." Amethyst said as Steven made his way out to the car, groceries in hand. "So. See you guys in a few days?" Greg said, offering the gems a smile, who exchanged a look before nodding. "Yes. I doubt he will be willing to open up about what happened on Homeworld with all of us breathing down his neck." Freshwater said as the others nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, you're right, Greg. You and Steven haven't had a ton of time to spend together where it's just the two of you." Garnet said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "I don't know when the next attack is coming, or how it will all play out, so he deserves to have as much time with his dad as he can before things really heat up."

Greg nodde, offering the gems a smile. "Thanks, guys. And, hey! You guys deserve a break too."

…

Freshwater did her best not to gawk as she, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl walked through the double doors of Le Hotel and up to the counter, the man behind the corner perking up considerably when he saw Pearl. "Aah, Mademoiselle Pearl! It is nice to see you in our establishment again!" he said, grinning at the gem as Amethyst let out a whoop of joy and jumped into the fountain.

"It's nice to be back." Pearl said with a smile, holding up the keycards Greg had given her and handing them over. "Greg said he reserved some rooms for us?" Pearl said, rolling her eyes when she could practically see the dollar signs in his eyes. "Aah, yes! The two best rooms for our favorite customers!" he said as he checked the gems in. "Yes, I have it right here. Two rooms. One large two bedroom suite with two beds, one bath, and a fully stocked fridge. One couples suite with a jacuzzi, the finest statues in all of beach city, and of course the comfiest of Queen sized beds in all of Empire City. And of course all access to the lobby area with slides and a pool, as your friends have realized." he said, chuckling as he watched Amethyst do a cannonball into the pool, immediately drenching Freshwater head to toe.

"I-I'm sorry, did you say a couples suite?" Pearl asked, her face immediately heating up. The man looked up with a small smile. "As a matter of fact, I did. It also came with a note attached." he said, turning the screen so she could read the short message -

"To help you move on."

Pearl glanced back at Freshwater, who was loudly protesting as Garnet picked the gem up and tossed her into the pool, the Pearl barely managing to grab onto the fusion's hand and drag her down with her, all three gems laughing loudly as they came back to the surface.

"Yes. Yes, I think a couple's suite will do just nicely." Pearl said, turning back to the man at the front desk who smiled and checked the gem in. "Good choice." he said simply, waving at the gem as she approached the pool.

…

"Woah! Greg really went all out, huh?" Amethyst said, shaking herself off aggressively as she stared at her and Garnet's room, the other gems nodding in agreement as the purple gem made her way to the fridge..

"Amethyst, this hotel is filled with so much to do. Why is your first instance to raid the fridge?" Pearl said with a sigh.

"Gotta do two raids, Pearl!" Amethyst said with a grin. "One before I explore the hotel, and one after!" Garnet nodded. "I'll keep Amethyst out of trouble for the time being. You two have fun." she said, patting Pearl on the back as she motioned the gem out, winking at Pearl, who blushed and looked away.

"So, what now?" Freshwater asked, cocking her head to the side and following Pearl to the elevator. "Now, we head to our room so you can get out of those wet clothes." Pearl said, rolling her eyes. "And after…I was thinking I could show you around the hotel. There's a ballroom here that I really liked when I was here last, and I figured now was as good a time as any to ask you…" the gem's voice faltered as she and Freshwater stopped outside of the couple's suite, Freshwater looking up at the gem in confusion. "If you wanted to dance." Pearl finished, pulling back.

Freshwater grinned. "Pearl, we don't have to go all the way to Empire City to dance." she teased. "We could have done that back home." she paused. "But, hey. That ballroom idea does sound fun. Just give me some time to get changed."

…

"Ballroom dancing?! Pearl wants to take me ballroom dancing?!" Freshwater said, pacing back and forth in front of Garnet and Amethyst. "I've never even seen a ballroom in person! I've never even danced before!" the gem said, putting her head in her hands.

"Freshwater." the fusion said, standing and putting a hand on the gem's shoulder, "Pearl didn't invite you to dance because she wanted to see your moves on the dance floor. She wants talk to you."

Freshwater stared blankly at the fusion. "She can do that in our hotel room? Why is she jumping through all these theatrics? It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe she wanted to set the mood?" Amethyst suggested, arching an eyebrow.

Freshwater groaned. "Set the mood for what?"

Garnet and Amethyst exchanged a look before Amethyst answered as if it were obvious. "Look…forget it. The bottom line is, Pearl wants to spend time with you, and she wants to dance with you. Don't overthink it." Garnet said with a smile before taking her visor off to wink at the gem.

Freshwater took a deep breath as she turned to the mirror, looking herself up and down. Her usual camo and black tank top were replaced with a pair of slick black pants, black jacket, black dress shirt, and a whie tie, her clashing yellow visor discarded so that her gem was fully visible. "You're right, Garnet." she said, running a hand through her pink hair. "Even if I can't dance to save my life…it'll be nice to spend some time with Pearl." she said, blushing slightly.

"Hey, that's the spirit!" Amethyst said, punching the gem in the arm playfully as she gently pushed the gem out the door. "Have fun!" she yelled before closing the door and putting her head in her hands with a sigh. "Man. Freshwater is smart, but-"

"Oblivious." Garnet said with a chuckle. "They're cute, though. And she makes Pearl happy."

Amethyst nodded. "I'm just glad she's finally moving on."

….

"Sorry I'm a little late. I stopped to talk to Garnet and Ame-" Freshwater's apology was cut short as she opened the door to the ballroom, the music just loud enough to drown out the conversation of the couples around them as both gems getting a good look at each other. Rather than being clad in her usual yellow shorts and baby blue shirt with a star in the center, Pearl was wearing a black tux with a white dress shirt and bowtie, along with a top hat.

For a moment, both gems stared at each other, each gem taking in the other's appearance. "You look nice." Pearl said before looking away, her face turning a bright baby blue as she offered the gem her hand. "May I have this dance?"

Freshwater nodded, feeling her heart thundering in her chest. "O-Of course." she said with a small laugh. "I've…never danced before though. So you might want to lead." Pearl smiled. "I think I can do that." she said as she led the gem to the dance floor, Freshwater's heart fluttering in her chest as the gem squeezed her hand and a slow song started to play, the lights darkening around them.

Pearl placed one of her hands on her dance partner's lower back, the other continuing to hold the shorter gem's hand and pulling the gem closer so they were looking into each other's eyes for what felt like the first time, Freshwater's arms almost instinctively finding themselves around the gem's neck.

Pearl chuckled. "I thought you said you've never done this before." she teased as she took a step forward, Freshwater following by taking a step back as the two gem's moved along the dancefloor. Freshwater laughed as well. "I haven't." she said, resting her head on the taller gem's shoulder. "Dancing with you just feels natural."

Pearl felt her heart skip a beat as the gems lapsed into comfortable silence as they continued to dance around the room as if they had done this millions of times before, Freshwater finding her mind returning to the last words the Pearls had said to her.

"Live a happy life on Earth."

"And of course, tell your girlfriend we say hello."

Her…girlfriend. Freshwater had heard of the term before, but she had never even considered the fact that she might one day have one. Pearls didn't get girlfriends - let alone defective Pearls. After all, why would a gem who should have been shattered the second they popped out ever come to know what it was like to have a gem who made them feel safe, secure, supported, and…loved?

Aah yes. There that was again. Love. Truthfully, Freshwater didn't have an exact definition of the word, but she had a genuine understanding that Homeworld didn't see it as a good thing when it stood in the way of the Authority. What had White Diamond's words been again?

"Accidental fusion is the worst kind of fusion. Unlike battle, many accidental fusions are done on a whim. Out of care, love and empathy for their fellow gems." The idea a defective Pearl could one day find love was laughably unrealistic. And yet…here she was. Slow dancing with the literal gem from her dreams and feeling the things she heard other, better made gems had one day felt.

"I'm so glad you decided to stay here. With me." Pearl said, her voice pulling Freshwater from her thoughts as she lifted her head, surprised to see pain in the taller gem's eyes. "When you made the decision to let the Diamonds do whatever they wanted with you…something in me broke. I thought we were fighting them together, but you just wanted to save me and give up on saving yourself."

Freshwater grimaced. She should have known this conversation was coming. "Pearl…I'm used to-"

"You shouldn't be used to anything like what Homeworld put you through." Pearl interrupted, her voice soft, yet firm.

"Well…I am." Freshwater said with a small sigh. "Look…I'm sorry I didn't fight harder sooner. I guess I just didn't understand the concept that the way other people treats me affects you." the gem paused. "Honestly…I still don't quite understand it." she admitted.

Pearl hesitated, considering her words carefully before finally speaking again. "It hurts me because…Because I care about you." she said, her eyes filling with tears. "I wanted you to fight for us to get home together, but you just kept talking about how concerned you were about my well-being. It…it was like you didn't even care if you lived or died out there!"

"Of course I didn't care." Freshwater said gently, raising her hands to wipe the gem's tears and finding her own eyes becoming misty as well. "I…I only cared about getting you home safe. My safety doesn't matter. I was so ashamed that the gem I fell in love with would never forgive me, that I thought it would just be easier if I was shattered. It…it was cowardly. But I just couldn't handle the idea of the gem I love only seeing me for the betrayal I made instead of how damn hard I struggled to fix it. I know Steven technically ordered me to, but this….this feels different. It's like…It's like I had to. I had to do it for you."

Freshwater felt her heart drop when she realized what she had said, the gem immediately trying to backtrack as Pearl stared at her, surprised as well. "I…I'm sorry. I made things we-" she started, ceasing when Pearl took the gem's face in one hand, caressing it gently as she looked the gem deep in her eyes. "I love you too. And that's why I wanted us to return to Earth together. I didn't want you to be alone. I want you to be safe, because it's what you deserve. The Diamonds are coming someday, and someday soon. That means we may face another life or death situation. And if it comes to that, I want you to fight with me." she said, leaning in and gently kissing the gem. "Not for me. Do you understand?"

Freshwater felt herself feel a little lightheaded as she stared up at the gem, her arms still wrapped around the gem as she nodded, returning her head to rest on the gem's shoulder as her heart continued to thunder in her chest as the slow song ended and the lights returned to their brighter nature. .

"Pearl?" Freshwater asked, her heart pounding in her chest as she and her dance partner pulled away.

"Hm?"

"I…know we've been tap-dancing around this for a while and I…I just. I've wanted to ask you something for a while, especially after you kissed me on the cheek in the Kindergarten." she said, both gems rubbing their necks sheepishly at the memory as Freshwater continued. "I wanted to ask as soon as we got back, too, but that didn't feel like the right time either." she continued, Pearl continued to stare at her with baited breath as Freshwater continued to fumble, struggling for the right words. "And honestly…at this point, I don't think there really is a right time. See…when I saw how passionate you were about changing the mindset of gems like me who have really warped views of life, I thought, 'Pearl's way too cool for someone like me.' "

Pearl scoffed, blushing and looking away. "I'm…not as cool as you think I am." she said, looking away shyly.

"Okay…everything is so crazy right now. Everything has always been crazy when it comes to the Diamonds. But…I feel so much safer, so much more secure, way more supported, and…I feel loved. You make me feel things no gem has ever made me feel so I…I was just wondering if…" the gem said, her voice trailing off as she fidgeted with her hands awkwardly, unsure how to continue.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Freshwater and Pearl's eyes widened as the gems spoke in unison, both gems letting out a shocked laugh.

"Okay, okay I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You can say it." Pearl said, her face a teal blush.

"No, no, be my guest." Freshwater said, laughing as well.

"Well, how about this - whoever fell in love with who first asks. It's poetic in a way." Pearl said, her eyes shining.

"Oh, man. That's not fair. I've kinda had a thing for you since…like ever?" Freshwater said with a laugh. "Like, I had a crush on you at first, then the more time I was around you…" the gem shrugged.

"The feeling is mutual." Pearl said, laughing.

"Oh, would you two get a room already?!" The Pearls looked up in unison, both blushing when they saw Garnet and Amethyst at the balcony, the purple gem holding a bag of popcorn while the fusion grinned happily down at them.

"Okay, okay. Let's ask each other, then. Pearl. Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Freshwater asked, doing her best to ignore the gem.

Pearl's heart skipped a beat as if this was the first time she was hearing the question. "I would be honored. Freshwater? Do….you want to be my girlfriend?"

Freshwater smiled, putting her hand in Pearl's and blushing at the perfect fit. "Of course."