Steven Universe Fanfiction
My Pearl
Chapter 7: Carry On
"Hey Garnet!" Steven excitedly waves.
Garnet's lips twitch into a subtle smile as she walks up to the table and sits down across from Steven and left of Edward. While he remains stoic on the outside, internally he is screaming bloody murder.
'We aren't ready for this! We were never ready for this! What the hell should we do!? Ok, calm down. Right now, she's just seen you; she hasn't seen Patricia yet so there's still plausible deniability. The only thing that could make this worse would be,' Edward frantically thinks but then he hears the kitchen door open, 'Oh hell.'
"I heard someone wanted Strawberry-Banana bubble tea and…Oh my!" Patricia gasps, tray with said bubble tea swaying dangerously.
Garnet's tilt of the head is all that signifies that her eyes have landed on Patricia, whom subtly moves the tray and its contents a bit higher to hide her gem. Garnet's chuckle makes the effort worthless.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Feng, I hope you are doing well?"
"Oh, uh, yes! Thank you for asking Garnet, it's so good to see you since the last time we saw you! Oh my, it must've been quite some time since I'm having trouble recollecting but we're doing fine. What about yourself? Oh, what am I saying; you and Steven are here hale and hearty so things must be going well," Patricia replies quickly as she darts forward and places the plastic-cup contained tea in front of Steven and Garnet, taking a seat across from Edward. He shoots her a look. The reply is her repeated tilting of her head towards Steven, whom remains oblivious as he enjoys his newfound drink a star-covered straw. Ah, he remembers now.
"Yes, quite. Uh, Steven, you were saying something about a secret team meeting?"
"Oh right," Steven says as he puts down the tea. There is a solemn look on his face as he takes a deep breath and exhales slowly.
"Garnet, I have something I want to tell you," he begins. He then places a card in front of her: one part of a set for Fish Stew Pizza's V. coupon.
"Pizza," says Garnet.
"Oh, I do believe we have a couple of those coupons if you want. Edward orders from there from time to time even though I do find issue with the resulting fish breath."
"No! I…need to come clean," he says as he braces himself with a deep breath, "Pearl and Amethyst popped a bubble. We made a Secret Team to cover it up 'cause they didn't want you to know."
"And now you're trying to do the right thing," Garnet concludes.
"Not really…I just want Secret Team again."
Edward can't help snorting at this, drawing everyone's attention.
"Sorry, I'm sure you meant more than that after what you told me, Steven," Edward explains.
"I see," Garnet says as she adjusts her shades, "I know how to handle things with them. We'll have to form our own Secret Team to do it."
"You mean like…a Super Secret Team?" Steven gasps as boundless energy shines in his eyes at the prospect.
Garnet nods with her subtle smile, causing Steven to cheer as he declares "Super Secret Team Go!" and rushes out the door. While the three chuckle at the boy's antics, Edward's and Patricia's mirthful respite dies quickly as they realize that they're alone with Garnet. Steven rushes back in with a questioning look.
"Garnet, aren't you coming?"
"You go on ahead, Steve. I'll meet you at the temple."
"Okay!" And off he goes again, leaving the three alone once more.
As the silence goes on, Patricia wrings the front of her skirt as Edward's hands twitch and jerk under the table. Garnet is the only one that remains stoic throughout as she stares at the bubble tea before her before her gaze moves towards Patricia.
"…Howdy," she says with a two fingered salute.
"H-hey," is Patricia's reply before they fall into silence again.
As much as he'd like to avoid a fight in the shop, he wonders if maybe that would've been more merciful than this.
"So…it's been more than five thousand years I think. You look…good," Garnet continues.
"Thank you…the same could be said of you. If I remember correctly that day, you used to look more…pink and blue."
"Heh, yeah, I was getting there with fusion but not quite," Garnet pauses, "'Patricia,' was it?"
"Oh yes, Patricia Feng," she replies as she stands briefly to take the seat next to Edward, "My husband is the man whose itching for that gem battle axe above the cash register, Edward Feng."
"Your weapon?" Garnet asks, her eyes focused on it.
"Oh no, just something we acquired when we found ourselves wandering through one of the old battlegrounds; it's overrun with strawberries now but that's probably a good thing. When Edward learned of my situation, he thought it best to take a weapon with him in case we needed to defend ourselves."
"He can actually wield it?" Her gaze has moved on to Edward. He can see himself reflected in those shades.
"Oh yes, quite well actually; well, a lot better than I certainly. Back in Charm City, we used to attend classes where they would gather and practice the usage of ancient weaponry and axes like that appeared to be part of the course. What was it called again? Duel Club? Anyways, ever since then we've sparred with each other and…improved together."
Garnet nodded. She almost seemed…impressed? Edward seethes at the possibilities.
"You can relax. I didn't come here to fight," Garnet says to Edward, whom flinches at the sudden address.
"You'll have to excuse me if I don't believe you. Even if I did, why are you here then?" he grinds out, his body tensing even further. A pensive frown comes over Garnet's face, thinking about how to word this.
"There's something I would like to ask of the two of you but in order to ask that, I want to know: why are you in Beach City?"
Edward can feel the rage burning as she deflected the question with a question of her own. Considering Gem anatomy, is it possible to tear them apart? A small voice in the back of his head says no but monsters can dream. There is a light touch on his shoulder. Flinching, he stares at the dainty creamy hand that rests there and follows it towards Patricia. Concern, worry, and fear stare back at him. He heaves a sigh, long and heavy, as he rubs wearily at his eyes.
"For Peace of Mind and Heart," he begins, "we thought Beach City was a small, out-of-the-way town that we could avoid running into our pasts in. Unfortunately, that has proven to be a complete failure. Much as I'd want to, we can't afford to move again; at least not for a long while."
He pauses, taking Patricia's hand off his shoulder to hold it gently between his hands. Both of their wedding rings, simple bands of white gold, shine back at him.
"I just want my wife to be happy, to never have to worry or feel sad again," he continues even as a voice screams reminders of what's been going for the past few days since that night, "I love her."
Garnet smiles at this declaration.
"That's beautiful," she says, drawing the couple's attention back to her, "We, the Crystal Gems, have dedicated ourselves to protecting everything that calls the Earth home. That protection extends to the two of you."
They stare wide-eyed at her.
"What I wanted to ask of the two of you would be something of an alliance. We won't ask you to go on missions with us but we wouldn't say no to any help you could offer. Plus, I think Steven would appreciate having more of what he would consider family and I definitely believe he could learn from the two of you," Garnet chuckles.
This seemed too good to be true. He wants to believe that Garnet is being truthful about everything but something holds him back. Gods above though, he can feel the joy and relief radiating from Patricia. He doesn't know what to say or do.
"Garnet, that is a lovely offer but if you don't mind, I think Edward and I need some time to think it over," Patricia says. Edward turns shocked eyes towards his wife while Garnet looks on.
"We didn't get by without some form of caution, after all. We'll have an answer in a few days' time at the most."
"I understand," Garnet replies as she stands.
Edward and Patricia stand with her as they see her off silently at the entrance. They do not wait long though as she jumps off into the night sky. Turning back into the store, Patricia flips the sign to "Closed" as she surveys the main room with Edward behind her. Her eyes land on the untouched bubble tea.
"Oh, she forgot her bubble tea. Well, 'waste not want not', I suppose," she says, taking a sip of the drink, "You know, I think this will be quite the hit here. What could be better than a cold fruity drink for a hot summer day?"
"Why, Patricia?" he asks, staring at her back. She twitches a bit, but refuses to look back.
"Well, it would be sad to see it go to waste and it does have two of the things I like ingesting so I thought, why not? Although, I think I'll forgo the condensed milk if I make any for myself. Also, I know how partial you are to jasmine tea but I really think Darjeeling would be…oh, what's the word, I think it was 'smashing'…"
"Patricia."
She heaves a rattling sigh, still refusing to look at him.
"You're not the only one that thinks that this is too good to be true. Our entire life together, we've spent it running from something or other. So we found this little town and actually made a small, peaceful life for ourselves; we found happiness.
He can see her hands clenching into fists, her body trembling.
"But now once again, something from the past has found us and its put us on edge. Fight or flight, some would put it," she chuckles mirthlessly, "I'm tired, Edward. I just…don't want to run anymore. I want to stay here in this small town with its beautiful beaches, its kind citizens with all of their little quirks, and…"
Before she can finish though, strong yet gentle arms hug her tightly. She sighs into Edward's trembling warmth as he tries to keep himself together. He fails miserably as a heaving sob escapes him.
"I'm sorry. I just…wanted to protect you. I don't want to lose you, not after everything…" he stops himself, wiping at his eyes "…everything that's happened. But if you want to stay here, then we'll stay here. I will protect you and this small happiness we have, I'll…"
"Edward, please stop," she says as she clasps her hands over his, "You've done enough. I don't need you to protect me, just please…be with me."
"Y-yes, I can do that."
"Thank you," she says, as tears silently fall.
As the days go by, they slowly but surely return to that equilibrium they enjoyed before those series of unfortunate events. Their movements are confident and sure, their smiles reach the entirety of their faces, and whatever fears they had for the future assuaged as they know what to do to face it and the promise to deal with what may come together.
The bubble tea being a rousing success didn't hurt either. It was such that for the first couple of days, one or the other had to make a fruit run to the local store before they could work out what might be an appropriate amount to buy in bulk from a supplier. Edward would grumble that no one is buying actual tea anymore but Patricia would console him in that the older generation would still appreciate it. Things were very much looking up.
Garnet's offer was still on their minds. It was only after many discussions of reasonable doubts laid out and somewhat assuaged did they come to a decision. It is during a sunny day that the couple takes another rare day off from the shop and walk around Beach City once more, in an effort to calm themselves. As they make the final leg of their circuit, they see a familiar face at the entrance of the town's amusement park.
"Hello, Steven! Oh, aren't you just an adorable little farmer."
"Well, thank you right kindly, ma'am," Steven replies in what is decidedly not a Southern drawl, causing Patricia to giggle.
"I suppose there are Italian farmers, aren't there…" Edward ponders for a moment, "Anyways, what's that you got there, farmer Steven?"
"Watermelon Stevens!", Steven declares proudly as he pulls one out from underneath the table and presents it to the couple.
"Wow, how did you grow these into such a shape? I've heard of square watermelons but this is something entirely different," Patricia comments as she holds it, looking at it this way and that.
"I don't know. I was just having a coolest watermelon seed spitting contest with my dad and when we woke up, all of these watermelons were there. And now I'm selling them! Except that one, that one's for you on the house! Er, stall? I am selling it from a table so maybe on the table?" Steven rambles, missing the look of concern from the couple.
"So, these melons grew overnight?" Patricia asks.
"Eeyup!"
"And you're sure there isn't anything…magical about them? Other than they're shaped like you," Edward continues.
"Nope!" Steven chirps.
"Wait, no as in there isn't anything magical about them or no as in you're not sure?"
"Uhhh, oh geez, uh, no to both?" As Steven struggles with the double negative conundrum. As he tries to come up with a right answer though, he sees someone has joined them.
"Oh hey, Onion."
Edward jumps at the sudden appearance of the small child next to him.
"What the…!? Where…!?"
"Oh, he never talks. Or, at least he never talks while I'm around. He's quiet like that." Steven supplies as Onion merely stares at Edward with unblinking eyes, drawing him into an impromptu staring contest, "So what's up, Onion?"
Turning away, Onion merely make a gesture with his hand, palm up as he opens and closes it repeatedly.
"Umm, you want…my money?"
Onion rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and repeats the hand gesture. Edward and Patricia watch the exchange awkwardly.
"Could be mute. Or perhaps a speech impediment?" Edward whispers. She pinches his thigh.
"Rude, dear."
Their whispered conversation is interrupted though by the sudden yell of "Ooniiiooon!" Whipping their heads around, they catch Onion running away with a Watermelon Steven in his arms as Steven chases after him.
"Oh, that little brat did not just steal from a fellow child!" Edward grinds out as he tears off after the two, "I knew that child was evil! EEEEVVVVIIIILLLL!"
"While it wasn't nice of him to steal from Steven, I think you might be exaggerating on Onion being evil," Patricia says as she keeps pace with Edward, cradling Watermelon Steven close to her.
"Give me back my Baby Melon!" Steven growls out.
To the couple's surprise and horror, the melon in question seemed to respond as it jumped out of Onion's grasp and into Steven's open arms. The three skid to a halt, Onion forgotten and long gone by now.
"My Baby Melon! Aah, my precious…I…thought I'd never see you again…"
"Steven, I really think you should let go of that melon. Right now," Edward warns.
"Huh? But…" Steven pauses, staring at Baby Melon whom winks back at him, "You're…ALIVE!? I really shouldn't be surprised about this…Oh man, the other ones must be alive too, right?"
And true to form, the Watermelon Steven in Patricia's arms jumps out as well causing her to shriek in surprise as it walks away to stand next to Steven. Edward is quick to place firm hands on Steven's shoulders, causing the recently alive one to hiss and attack Edward. He dispatches it nonchalantly with a quick backhand, smashing it into surprisingly neatly sliced chunks. Edward stares at it in wonder for just a moment before returning his attention towards Steven. Baby Melon grips onto Steven as it buries its face in his shirt.
"Steven, how many and to whom did you sell these melons to?"
"Uh, the entire town?" Steven shrugs nervously.
"Oh sweet zombie Jesus…" Edward curses, accidentally wiping his face with the juice-ridden hand. He mutters another curse at his absent-mindedness as Patricia produces a handkerchief from her gem, which Edward gratefully takes as he cleans himself best he can.
"Lead the way, Steven."
It takes a long while going about town gathering up the sentient Watermelon Stevens and returning the owner's money but eventually they finish. The reactions are varied with some showing the expected horror at the idea of a living watermelon while some take it in stride, citing usual magic Gem stuff.
Getting the Watermelon Steven from Ronaldo had proved interested as he had been poised for whatever it was he was about to do with a spatula and a mixer…up until he drew their ire when reprimanded Steven by slapping his hand with the spatula. The Watermelon Stevens' response was a sound beating. Surprisingly (or not) despite his suffering, Ronaldo cried if this was being recorded properly. When the Watermelon Stevens were through and Patricia patched Ronaldo up, they all left with the Watermelon Stevens gathered up. At this point, they had formed a veritable army.
"Normally, I'd be impressed but I do believe one hundred temperamental violence-prone watermelons could be disastrous for everyone," Patricia worried, wringing the front of her skirt.
"Steven dear boy, how would you like a watermelon bubble tea when this is all over?"
"Edward!"
"Kidding, dear heart, I'm kidding."
"We have to tell the Gems," Steven said seriously.
The couple are taken aback at the sudden change in demeanor but they acknowledge the truth in his words. After all, how did one deal with an army of sentient watermelons that attacked at the slightest provocation against their progenitor? Patricia softly places a gentle hand on Steven's shoulder, smiling.
"That is a wise decision, Steven. Your actions today prove that one day, you'll be a great leader just like your mother."
"You…knew my mom too? Were you with the Crystal Gems too?" Steven asks, stricken in awe.
"Not exactly but that is a story for another time, dear child," she promises with a kiss on his forehead, "For now, let's go tell the other Gems about this development and work our way from there, hm?"
Looking over the vast number of Watermelon Stevens, a chill runs up Edward's spine.
"Do you mind if we take a small detour? I just want to stop by the shop for a bit."
Patricia and Steven are confused but none the less comply with the request, making their way to the tea shop. A minor detour indeed but…
"Really, dear, I don't think the axe is necessary."
"Maybe…but I'd feel much more comfortable with it in hand than without. Spirits know when these things might get violent again."
"You're scaring Steven, ergo, giving reason for the Watermelon Stevens to become violent."
To Steven, Edward always came off as a nice adult with kind tired eyes who dressed fancy and served the best tea drinks and made good-humored jokes; a kinder older Lars if any comparison could be made (but firmly not Lars, he's irreplaceable). Steven was ecstatic at the idea that Patricia and Edward were married because it meant he knew about the Gems and they would have a lot to talk about. Not to mention it was just like with his dad and mom.
True to Patricia's word though, Steven was scared at the sight of Edward with the battle axe, the weapon's onyx shaft alone being as tall as Edward was and the axe blade shining a menacing silver. To top it all off, the emerald-green Cat's Eye gem glowed eerily at Steven; as if it were watching him. The kindness was also gone from Edward's eyes. Brows knit in ferocity and eyes hardened by something, these new harsh eyes overlooked the quietly hissing army. The Watermelon Stevens were ready to attack but the sheer animosity that met them kept them in check.
A small whimper catches Edward's attention, looking down at the frightened boy. Perhaps the axe was too much and regret pooled up within. They were just watermelons and his fist did deal with that first one rather well. Still though, he thought with a sigh, better safe than sorry. He slowly puts his free hand out towards Steven, leaving it hanging in the air palm up. The hissing becomes louder and menacing at the open gesture.
"Steven, you can trust me," Edward starts slowly but firmly, "I will protect you."
Steven looks up to Edward. The face is serious but he sees the brow has relaxed somewhat and the harshness has softened. Determined, Steven nods and takes Edward's hand. The hissing from the Watermelon Stevens becomes silent but they're unmoving eyes still watch Edward carefully. Their eyes don't move at all even when Patricia comes up beside Steven and takes up his other hand. Slowly and without a word, they make their way towards the temple, the watermelon bringing up the rear.
In the back of his mind, Steven wonders if this is what it would've been like if his mom were still around. Walks around town or along the beach, hand in hand with mom and dad. Sure, the menacing watermelon army behind them was out of place and the thought of his own dad carrying around a battle axe was ridiculous but still, the thought was…heart-warming. Steven's gem glows slightly but it is enough to get Edward and Patricia's attention.
"Are you alright, Steven?" Patricia asks, startling the boy.
"I'm alright. It's just…I remember going on walks along the beach with my dad when I was little. I'd wonder what it would be like if mom were still around. Doing this with you guys gives me an idea what it would feel like. It's…nice," Steven laughs a little with a grin.
Patricia looks away, not wanting the boy to see her watery eyes. She fails miserably when he looks up at her with concern when she sniffles.
"I'm sorry. Do you want us to stop?" she asks.
Steven shakes his head softly, smiling up at her consolingly. Edward doesn't say anything, merely tightens his grip just a bit. He's not holding a gem-embedded battle axe but a ratty umbrella as rain plips and plops against it. He's not holding Steven's chubbily warm hand but an exuberant small one that tugs at him as it swings his arm back and forth merrily. It's not Steven in a farmer's outfit walking slowly beside him but a freckled girl in a canary-yellow sundress, her copper-red hair in pigtails bobbing up and down as she skips along humming a jaunty tune. It's not Patricia on the other side of the girl but a blonde-haired blue-eyed woman in a nun's habit looking at him with all the love in the world one could possibly muster.
"Is something wrong, Eddy? You're unusually quiet."
"Big Brother Eddy aaallllll spaced out again!" the little girl chirps.
"It's nothing. Just thinking is all."
"Yup, spaced out alright," the nun says as she leans conspiratorially near the little girl and stage whispers, "That's what you get when your head is constantly in the clouds."
"Just because you're medically defined a dwarf doesn't mean I'm that absent-minded."
"Dwarf? Edward, is everything alright?"
"Aaawww, did we hurt the giant's feelings? Well, we know just what to do to cheer him up, don't we?" The nun says mischievously.
"Yeah!" The little girl cheers. Edward lets out a sigh of exasperation at their antics but it is half-hearted at best.
"For a nun, you just might be the death of me, Sarah."
"Sarah? Wha…Edward…it's me, Patricia."
"What?"
He gasps, eyes looking around wildly. He's not there anymore. He's in front of a hill that leads up to a house cradled in one of the temple woman's stone hands. The ocean wind carries the tang of saltwater and the cries of seagulls. The warmth of hot sand seeps through his shoes. He's holding a gem-embedded axe in case the Watermelon Stevens become violent. His other hand is preoccupied with holding Steven Universe's hand. Beyond that, Patricia…his wife…stares at him.
"Patricia…I…"
"It's fine," she cuts him off, "Come on, we have a situation to deal with, remember?"
She slightly winces at that last bit but she is too hurt to care. It's times like these she curses that she's a Gem whose very core betrays her by revealing her memories through dreams. She wishes she had more control. But that is neither here or there for now. Making their way up the hill, they notice that the Watermelon Stevens have remained at the foot of it; their seedy eyes watching silently.
Once on the wooden patio, Steven lets go of their hands and rushes inside. He doesn't go too far it seems since he's still within sight of the doorway.
"Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst!"
"What?" Three different voices say. One Edward recognizes as Garnet, but the other two…
"My watermelons came to life, and they're attacking people! And the super nice couple came to help! They're Gems too! Or at least one of them is and the other is human but the point is they're here to help!" Steven manages to say in one breath.
"What!?" Three voices cry out as three figures come into view of the door only to freeze at the sight of Edward and Patricia standing just outside.
Edward takes a deep breath, lets it out, and then smiles.
"Good afternoon, Crystal Gems."
Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter is deemed "late." This chapter went through several drafts for a variety of reasons. Again, I'm hoping I'm keeping Steven and this time Garnet in character as they interacted with Edward and Patricia. This will only get more and more difficult when the others are brought in but them's the breaks, I suppose. One of the drafts had an epic blowout courtesy of Edward when Garnet proposed an alliance but I feel like I'll save that for later. Ronaldo's scene was also a point of contention because it figured prominently in the show but in the end, it was decided to leave it up to exposition because I personally didn't think it was THAT important. The number of Watermelon Stevens isn't in keeping with the show because really, how many were there? Had to re-watch the episode several times and even then, couldn't come up with an appropriate number but a hundred seems reasonable enough, given how many were destroyed and eventually left.
I'm also curious about one thing of great concern to me as a writer. I don't know if any of you notice but for some chapters, I've been plugging in lines directly said by characters from the show into this fanfic. To me, it's more or less an easter egg for readers and a form of challenge to recreate a scene and make the lines they originally said still make sense and seem natural for them. To some though, it could be considered plagiarism considering I'm typing it up word for word and this is the Crewniverse's work (by the way, transcripts courtesy of the Steven Universe wiki). So I'm curious as to what people think of all this because if this really is a problem, I'll go back and edit those scenes.
And as always, thank you to those who have favorite'd and are following this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and how this story develops. See you next chapter.
