"Ruby! Dad!" Steven yelled, him and Freshwater hopping outside of the helicopter right after Amethyst landed.
The pair in question turned when they heard Steven's voice, Ruby's eyes widening when she saw Amethyst, Steven, and Freshwater jogging over.
"How did you guys find me?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"We heard you ordered pizza." Steven explained, Freshwater and Amethyst nodding in agreement. "She was just telling me about your mom." Greg said, placing a comforting hand on the gem's shoulder. "Are…you okay?" Steven asked. Greg pursed his head, thoughtfully turning his gaze back to the setting sun before nodding with a small, wistful smile. "Well, I fell in love with Rose Quartz and she fell in love with Mister Universe. She never told me she used to be Pink Diamond, but I never told her I used to be Gregory Demayo." he explained.
Steven nodded, relieved as he turned to Ruby. "Are…you okay?"
Ruby nodded, holding up a piece of pizza. "Yeah, I'm okay. Do ya want a slice?"
Steven looked taken aback at the gem's nonchalance. "Uh, no thanks." he said, handing the slice to Amethyst, who downed it in a single bite. "Wait, are you sure? You seemed so upset before." Ruby hesitated, looking away from Steven before looking back. "Yeah, but me and Greg talked it out. I'm fine now." she explained. "See, Sapphire was kinda right about everything. "We really did stay Garnet because Rose told us to be her... Uh...'answer'. It's my first time thinking about it... It's my first time really thinking about... me!"
Freshwater felt her heart skip a beat, going slack-jawed as Steven voiced her thoughts. "What do you mean?"
"Back when I emerged, the first thing I did was get crammed together with a bunch of other Rubies! Then... I was with Sapphire all the time. I was always checking in on someone. But now... I can go wherever the wind takes me! I'm up here, eating pizza, reading comics! I don't know if Sapphire wants to read comics. I don't have to know!" she explained, excitedly climbing to her feet. "The rest of my life could be like this! I don't have to be Garnet... I can be on my own gem!" she explained, Greg and Amethyst exchanging a look before nodding in agreement.
"Wait, wait, wait what?" Steven exclaimed, mortified. "B-But you guys love each other! You're my favorite couple! You're- You're like sugar and flour, I- I love eating them separately, but I still want cake! I'm sure Sapphire would want-"
Ruby held out a hand to stop Steven, grinning broadly. "I'm not fussed about what Sapphire wants! I've seen my own future now. And it's nothin' but Ruby!"
Steven started to protest but halted and looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Steven. This might be good for her. Garnet's been - well, Garnet for a while now. I'm sure it'll be nice for Ruby to actually enjoy some time to herself to be her own gem for a while instead of being a fusion for forever. As much as I love being Tahitian with Pearl, it's still nice to have time apart every now and then."
Steven still looked dumbstruck. "B-but what if they never form Garnet again?! We gotta get them back together!"
Freshwater flinched, running a hand through her hair with a grimace. "As much as I hate that thought…That's not our call to make! Ruby's gotta want that for herself! If that's not what Ruby wants, then it's not what Garnet wants, right?" Steven sighed, turning when he heard Ruby jumping up and down on the van. "Ugh, I guess so…" he murmured, his voice trailing off.
"So... Where you going after this, dude? You just gonna stay out here?" Amethyst asked, the gems making their way to the van. Ruby paused, hopping off the van and picking a comic called "Dolphin Tail. "I wanna live free! One with the wilderness! Facing danger in every turn! Not leaving nothin' or nobody to get me by! Just like this guy!" She explained, holding up the book for everyone to see.
"I…don't think living life as a dolphin is optimal." Freshwater said with a chuckle. "What about this?" Steven suggested, holding up a comic called "Lonesome Lasso".
Ruby's eyes widened excitedly. "Ooh! That's even better! The open plains, that's where I wanna go!"
Greg nodded with a smile. "I think I know just the place. I'll get ya there." he said, turning to the others as Ruby excitedly cartwheeled away, hopping into the van. "You guys coming?" Freshwater shrugged. "I don't see why not." she said, Amethyst nodding in agreement and Steven nodded. "Alright, alright, if this is how it's gotta be. I'll support Ruby in her quest for emotional growth." he said, joining Ruby in the van, Amethyst and Steven at his heels.
"It's going to be a bit of a drive, so feel free to get comfy." Greg explained as Amethyst slid the door shut. "Eh, a little drivin' never bothered me none." Ruby said, adopting a western accent as Freshwater leaned against the back of the van and Greg started the car and revved the engine, closing her eyes with a yawn.
Thankfully, the ride to the place Greg had in mind was uneventful and calm, allowing all of the gems to get a good amount of sleep until the van rolled to a stop and Greg stood, throwing the doors open and caking the inside in light, everyone groggily stumbling out.
"Y'all ready to wild west it up?" Greg said with a grin as everyone stretched, Ruby excitedly rushing out clad in a cowboy's outfit and pulling out the Lonesome Lasso comic Steven had showed her.
"Oh, Ruby, you need a steed!" Steven said, grinning at the gem. Amethyst grinned. "Eh, I can do it. After all, I'm always down for a little... horsin around." she said, neighing and shapeshifting into a horse, Ruby letting out a loud exclamation and jumping up on Amethyst's back, Stevne, Greg, and Freshwater at her heels.
For a while, the gems walked around aimlessly, Ruby excitedly looking back and forth between her comic and the open range before Steven spoke up. "Sorry I gotta be a yellow-belly about this, but we don't even have a map. I think we're just gonna get ourselves lost."
Ruby scowled with a dramatic sigh. "I already am lost. That's why I came out here; to find myself." she explained as the group came to a dead end. "See?" Ruby said, dismounting Amethyst. "This is what I mean. What's behind this brush... I dunno! Sapphire ain't here to predict for me. It's my chance to find out for myself!" she explained, pushing through the brambles of the hedge and letting out a loud scream that sent shivers up the gems' spines as they rushed to see what was wrong.
Getting there first, Steven peeked through the hedge, yelping when he found Ruby standing on a cliff ledge, breathing quickly and looking down at a deep ravine. "Whoa! I had no idea this ravine was here." she said, casually looking down at the ravine before jumping to the other side of the cliff. "I almost fell down there. And, it was all my choice! Yee-haw! Independence!"
"Oh yeah. Us coming with her was a good idea, because she's gonna get herself shattered." Freshwater muttered, the others nodding in agreement. For the rest of the day, Ruby lead the way through the open range atop Amethyst while Greg drove the van with Steven in the passenger's seat, Freshwater sitting atop the van's roof as they re-created the comic Lonesome Lasso. Lassoing bulls, standing up to rattle-snakes, making fires, and telling campfire stories underneath the stars before laying out sleeping bags for the night, Freshwater and Ruby staring at the last embers of the fire as Steven and Ruby talked quietly beside her, Amethyst and Greg fast asleep.
"Hey…Ruby?" Steven said from his sleeping bag, looking over at the gem and pushing himself to a sitting position.
"Hm?" Ruby asked, patting the log next to her, Steven climbing to his feet and joining Freshwater and Ruby in staring at the fire dancing along the logs.
"Y'know... I got really scared when you said you didn't want to fuse with Sapphire any more. I felt like I was losing someone I cared about. But I saw how much fun you were having today. All this buckaroo-ing really suits you. I'm sorry I tried to push you back into being Garnet." he said, offering the gem a smile that immediately faltered when Ruby grimaced and sighed. "It's... not true…"
Steven and Freshwater looked dumbstruck. "Wait…what." Freshwater said, shocked.
"That stuff I sang about... It's not true!" she said, putting her face in her hands. "I mean, I did have a lot of fun today; I loved it! But... the whole time, I... I kept thinkin' about how much more fun I'd have if I were with her. Sapphire was always there with me. I feel her smile just like it was mine. It's so lonely now." the gem groaned and went to kick out the remaining flames, groaning when she only managed to re-ignite the fire in her annoyance. "That's lame, right?! I came here to be my own gem, but, I'm still thinkin' about what she'd like! What'd she want! All, the time! Turns out, I'm no good at not needin' nobody."
Freshwater and Steven exchanged a look before Freshwater shook her head. "No way, that's not lame. I need Pearl, and I don't think that's lame."
"Yeah!" Steven agreed, holding up the comic. "You led us on a frontier adventure! You're still the same Ruby who did all that stuff, even if you're thinking of someone. Look at our friend Lonesome Lasso. They call him that 'cause he's lonesome! He's still a rootin'-tootin' cowboy, blazin' his own trails. But, he loves someone too. Freshwater loves someone. You love someone."
Ruby paused for a moment, staring into the flames with a blush and a smile. "Well, if I'm making my own decisions... Then, I'll decide I wanna be with Sapphire. I mean, I've gotta ask her first. I just don't want it to feel like we're going back to how things used to be; back when someone else told us to be together. I want it to feel different."
Steven's eyes widened. "Wait a sec! What do you think of this?" he said, flipping through the book and holding it up to Ruby and Freshwater, who gasped and grinned widely, the gems immediately launching into a plan.
….
Sapphire looked up when she heard the door open, her heart sinking when she realized it wasn't Ruby. "Freshwater, Steven! Did you find Ruby?" She asked, desperately trying to read either gem's face and feeling her heart sink when she couldn't.
"She's outside. She's got something she wants to say to you." Steven said in an equally unreadable voice as Sapphire made her way outside, Steven at her heels. "Is she okay?" Pearl asked, worriedly, making her way towards the door. Freshwater remained silent, instead choosing to take her girlfriend's hand and lead the way outside, staring out and over the railing alongside Steven as Sapphire made her way to Ruby and Amethyst.
"Someone else told us we were the answer. But... I don't believe that anymore. At least, not 'til I hear it from you." she said, holding out her hand to Sapphire.
Immediately picking up on what was about to happen, Pearl's hand flew to her mouth in shock and anticipation. "Did you guys plan this?" she whispered. Freshwater grinned. "We helped." she whispered back, turning her attention back to the happy couple as Sapphire took Ruby's hand and Ruby knelt before her as a gust of wind blew away her cowboy hat.)
"Sapphire... Will you marry me?"
Sapphire looked shocked. "What? Marry you?"
Ruby nodded excitedly. "Yeah! This way we can be together, even when we're apart! This time, being Garnet will be our decision. What do you say?" Sapphire smiled. "Of…Of course!" she said, the words barely leaving her mouth as Ruby let out a "Yee-haw!" and hugged her fiance tightly, Sapphire kissing the gem all over her face.
…
"So, what exactly even happens at an Earth wedding?" Freshwater asked from her spot on the couch between Ruby and Steven, Sapphire sitting at her partner's feet so they could all look at Steven's potential wedding planners, Ruby, Pearl, and Amethyst in the kitchen making the cake.
"Well, all weddings are different." Steven explained. "I've been keeping them all in this binder with tabs for them, see?" he said, pointing. "One tab for Garnet, one for you and Pearl, and one for me and -"
"Woah, woah, woah me and Pearl?" Freshwater asked, her face immediately heating up in embarrassment as Steven snickered. "Relax, relax! You don't have to use it yet." he said with a laugh as Ruby curiously flipped the tab and Freshwater's face darkened even more at the tens of pages in the section. "How long have you been planning this?" Sapphire asked with a laugh.
"Nearly as long as I've been planning yours and Ruby's." Steven said, laughing as well, looking up when he heard the door fly open and Jet enter, her and Peridot carrying decorations. "Jet! How's it going? Are you okay with the new…developments?" Steven asked, hopping up to carry the decorations.
"Yeah, I'm good." Jet said, stretching and grinning as she reached into her gem, pulling out an easel. "Peridot showed me how to make meep-morps so I've been using it to deal with my feelings about it." she explained, holding up the painting. Steven went over, curiously peeking over her shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw a painting consisting of a juxtaposed half shot, one side being Rose Quartz and the other Pink Diamond.
"Wow! This is really cool, Jet!" Steven said, grinning up at the gem. "We should hang it somewhere later." he offered, the gem smiling bashfully. "Thank you, Steven. Now, let's start getting these decorations ready." she said, Steven nodding in agreement and accompanying Peridot and Jet over to a corner on the floor, leaving Ruby, Sapphire, and Freshwater sitting together.
"What are they doing in this picture?" Freshwater asked, curiously pointing to a photo of a man throwing a bouquet into the crowd below.
"Oh, that's the bouquet toss!" Ruby said excitedly. "It's basically where someone throws a bouquet into a crowd and the guests try to catch it. If you catch it, it's said you're getting married next."
Freshwater laughed. "That's a little silly." she said before pausing. "But cute."
Sapphire nodded. "It is!" she said, looking down at her partner, who nodded and stood. "Hey. Freshwater. There's something me and Sapphire have been meaning to ask you." she said as Sapphire stood as well, Freshwater looking slightly panicked but nodding as she followed Ruby and Sapphire outside and to the shoreline of the beach, both gems staring at her seriously before Ruby spoke.
"So. You and Pearl are serious about this whole…together forever thing, huh?" Ruby said, looking at the gem with a more serious nature that Freshwater wasn't used to. Freshwater nodded, shifting uncomfortably. She should have known the gems were going to press her about this. "Yeah. We are. I…I really like her." she said, feeling her ears heat up. "She's so perfect, and I'm so…not. But she loves me anyway." she said, her eyes flickering behind the gems and into the waves. "I know I really messed up when I betrayed you - all of you. And I'm sorry." she said, looking each gem in the eye. "But…I'm not the gem I used to be. Before the Zoo, I was cold. Yeah I felt something…different for Pearl. It was a little crush, but definitely not love. I didn't love anyone back then. At most I felt some comradery and like we were a crew, but it was far from love. At most it was respect."
"When we were in the Zoo together, though…everything changed. There, everything was so bleak. Meaningless. But she kept me sane, grounded, and made me feel…safe. For so long I felt so alone and scared. I didn't even know someone could make me feel so at home until I looked into her eyes as I made the tough decision of poofing her and sending her back home. At that moment, I knew I was probably going to die, but it was like it was all okay. It was all going to be okay because I could die with the knowledge that she was okay. And now that I'm back home with her," she said, feeling her smile return. "It's like everything I ever went through - every lick of the whip from Holly Blue Agate, my betrayal, begging taken to the Zoo, being reset, having those horrible experiments on me, being discarded…it's like it was all worth it since at the end of every day I get to sleep next to her. It's like I'm finally happy. And while I can say my betrayal is something I regret every day of my life…I don't know where I'd be without it. Making the biggest mistake of my life somehow led me to the best thing in my life." she said, returning her attention to Ruby and Sapphire, surprised to see Ruby, clasping her hands together with happy tears streaming down her face and Sapphire standing with a hand over her mouth.
"Freshwater…that was absolutely beautiful." Sapphire said, putting a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder with a giggle as Freshwater's face heat up again. "Oh, don't be embarrassed! You're just like me. Not good at not needin' nobody." Ruby teased, wiping her eyes with a laugh. Freshwater laughed as well, finally letting her guard down.
"So…is there anything else you wanted to ask me about?" Freshwater asked, sensing that wasn't the main reason she had been called outside. Ruby and Sapphire exchanged a look before turning serious again. "Yes, actually." Sapphire said, taking Ruby's hand. "We wanted to give you the option of proposing at our wedding. We know it is…unconventional, but long ago, I foresaw a potential path where you and Pearl got married. That future, of course, is up to the two of you to fulfill. But, Ruby and I were talking, and we decided we want this day to be about the love in our family unit. Mainly Ruby and I, of course, but we would absolutely love it if you made the day more magical with a proposal."
Freshwater did her best to pick her jaw up off the floor. "W-wait are you serious? I…I don't even know if she wants to marry me."
Ruby chuckled. "You can broach the subject of marriage before a proposal. That's what Sapphire and I did. We've talked about getting married before, but never set a wedding date. And if you want you guys can have a long engagement."
Freshwater's head was still spinning as she grinned. "O….Okay! I'll have to broach the topic in a subtle way, but if she seems interested, then I'm sure…I'm sure we can work something out!" she said, feeling her heart rate quicken as Ruby and Sapphire squealed with excitement before heading inside. "That's amazing!" Sapphire said, grinning and taking Ruby's hand. "We better head back inside. Don't want to raise suspicion." Ruby said with a grin as Freshwater waved before turning back to the ocean to stare over the shoreline.
For the rest of the night, Freshwater caught herself glancing back between wedding preparations and her girlfriend, her heart skipping a beat every time the gem smiled at her or blew her a kiss.
Damn. She had never even seriously thought about marriage with Pearl. Sure she had thought about the concept of marriage with the gem - spending the rest of their days together, making coffee every morning, cuddling up next to her with a good book, maybe learning an instrument so they could play music together - but actually following through and doing it? Now that the seed had been planted, that's all she could think about. What would her bride to be wear? A dress or a tux? Who would walk who down the isle? Even small things like the colors of the tablecloths came to mind every time those baby blue eyes met hers and she saw how much love was reflected right back at her.
"Hey, are you okay? You've been blushing a lot more than usual today." Pearl asked as the door slid shut behind her, Freshwater taking a seat on the bed. "Yeah, I'm okay." Freshwater assured the gem as she sat next to her. "I just…I dunno." she said, looking away, her voice trailing off.
Pearl gave her girlfriend a moment to reflect on her thoughts, gingerly placing her hand on top of Freshwater's to reassure her. "I guess all this wedding talk just has me…thinking. About love. I guess." she started, forcing herself to turn back to look at her girlfriend.
Pearl felt her heart skip a beat. "Are you….second guessing how you feel about us?" she asked, hurt flashing across her face.
Freshwater's eyes widened, immediately squeezing her girlfriend's hand. "What? No! No. Just….quite the opposite actually." she said, looking deep into her girlfriend's eyes. "I was just…I." the gem groaned. Why was this so difficult? "I wanted to know your thoughts about marriage. Do you want to get married? To me. Like. Not now of course. And we don't have to if you don't want to. I like just being together. With you. Like this. But it's just -"
"I would love to marry you."
"I know you hate having things sprung on you, so I wanted to just asked before I officially proposed. I guess this is like a pre-proposal - wait." Freshwater said, finally registering the gem's words. "What…what did you say?" she asked, dumbstruck.
Pearl laughed, gently squeezing her girlfriend's hand. "While I love and appreciate the fact that you were so stressed about me and how I would react to you 'pre-proposing' as you put it, that worry and stress was un-warranted." she said, leaning in and kissing the gem on the cheek, Freshwater's head spinning. "I want to marry you. When you're ready, of course."
Freshwater nodded, feeling her heart pounding aggressively in her chest. "Are you ready?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as Pearl giggled. "I've been ready since that night in Empire City."
"Oh." Freshwater said, the word lingering lamely in the air as Pearl traced circles with her thumb over her girlfriend's hand.
"Oh."