Pearl ran like she had never run before. She tore down streets, shoved past strangers and took sharp turns down narrow alleyways. By the time she came to a stop behind somebody else's dumpster, she was in a completely different part of the city. She hoped that would be enough to lose Rose.
Pearl sank to her knees. Now what?
Rose knew she existed. No doubt she and her Crystal Gems were searching the park right now- and it was five minutes from her home, so she couldn't go there. And the school, too.
Well, that was the end of her teaching career, then. And probably her life in England. That was fine; there were plenty of other places in the world without warp pads. Australia, probably. She'd visited a few times, it wasn't so bad. Or she could pack up and move to one of the Brazilian Islands-
No, wait. Her desk was still at her apartment.
Pearl paused, and then slammed her fist into the nearby wall. Her desk was still at her apartment! Ohhh, things couldn't ever be easy for her, could they? What was she going to do about that? She couldn't leave without her desk – there were some very important things inside of it.
Maybe she could sneak in. Shapeshift into something small, something Rose wouldn't be on the lookout for. A bird, perhaps. She was a little rusty, but if she concentrated maybe she could pull it off.
Pearl closed her eyes and visualised a bird. Her form began to glow- and a stab of pain tore itself from her broken gemstone. She cried out and collapsed on her side, clutching at the source of the agony until it slowly subsided back into a familiar dull throb.
She laid there still, a hand resting on her gemstone. That hurt. She'd forgotten how much that hurt.
But she had to try again. This was still her best option; if she could just push through long enough…
Pearl squeezed her eyes tight, and visualised a bird. The pain came again, a ripping, tearing sensation that only intensified as she pressed onwards like a knife twisting in her shoulder. A bird, she thought. Wings. Tail. Beak.
The knife twisted further, and she could hardly think through the pain. Every inch of her form was burning and tortured, and she… she… she couldn't. Stop! Stop! Stop!
Pearl couldn't see, couldn't move. All she could do was exist, and suffer.
It was a long time before she could open her eyes again. Slowly, she crawled up to a sitting position and wrapped her shaking arms around her legs.
Shapeshifting… was not on the table.
She had to think of something else. Pearl rummaged in her purse, and drew out her phone. She turned it on; it was still showing that email from Daniel she had meant to answer.
Hmm. This gave her an idea.
From the instant that stranger said, 'Rose Quartz', Greg knew their vacation was about to be derailed by some magical Gem business. Which was a problem, because magical Gem business was exactly the thing Steven needed a vacation from.
Days ago, they'd been sitting together in the van parked outside of the car wash, watching cartoons until late at night. Greg remembered the harsh light from the screen glaring into his face until his eyes were sore. He'd look down, and see Steven slumped against him, so still anyone would think he was sleeping. But his eyes were always open, his mind always stewing.
Greg would sigh, and settle in closer. Steven might wrap his arms a little tighter around him, and they'd both think about how to go about fixing this mess.
Rose was Pink Diamond.
It didn't mean a whole lot to Greg on its own, but he could see how it weighed on Steven, heard about how the revelation had taken Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet. He'd gone over to the beach house one day, and found Rose's portrait, once hung so proudly above the door, taken down and thrown in the trash. The house was empty.
Greg took her portrait to his storage shed before he went back to Steven.
He didn't know how to fix this mess; as with most Gem things, he was totally out of his depth. He could only support his son, listen to him when he wanted to talk, and watch cartoons when he didn't.
It was during one of these nights when Greg got a phone call. He and Steven both jumped as it started to buzz.
"Dad?" Steven said as he rubbed his eyes. "Who's calling you at two in the morning?"
"Dunno, Schtu-ball. I'll be one second, okay?"
He walked to the end of the street and answered it. The sound of a propeller in the background tipped him off instantly to the caller's identity. "Andy?"
"Greg!"
"Hi, Andy," Greg raised an eyebrow. "It's great to hear from you, but… why are you calling so late?"
"It's late over there? How late?"
"Uhh… two o'clock?"
"Oh jeez, I'm sorry. Timezones. Should I call back later?"
"No, no. What is it?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Greg glanced back at the van. "It's been a slow day. I don't mind."
"Alright, well, I just wondered if you and your kid'd be interested in a little trip I planned, since you said you liked Korea so much. Steven said you got taken in by some tall lady with diamonds while you were over there."
"Taken, yeah. So where are you flying to?"
"I was gonna cross the Atlantic, and stay over in London for a couple days before going back. Figured you and Steven would like looking around the city. So, uh, how's that sound?"
Greg thought about it. A trip away from the Gems at this time… he wasn't sure if that would be a good idea. On the other hand, it didn't look like everything was going to be wrapped up in the next couple of days. This was a big deal, and clearly the Gems just wanted some time alone to deal with it. Maybe Steven needed that time too.
"Greg? How does that sound?"
"Oh! Sorry, Andy. That sounds really great, actually, but I'll have to ask Steven."
"Yeah, of course. How's about I ring you back tomorrow, when I land?"
"That sounds like a good idea. I'll talk to you soon."
"Talk to you soon."
"Oh, and, Andy?" Greg smiled. "Thanks for calling. It really means a lot."
"Huh? Oh, it's no problem, you big goofball. You better give me an answer tomorrow!"
"I will, I will. Bye."
He hung up, and Greg stood there for a moment, looking out at the sea, the stars, and the moonlight as it stretched out to the horizon. Then he turned, and headed back to the van.
Steven was waiting for him. "Was that Andy?"
"Yeah, that was Andy. Hey," Greg reached for the remote, and muted the TV. "He was telling me about this trip he wanted to go on, and he was wondering if you and I would like to tag along."
"Where?"
"He was going to fly all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, to England."
Steven's eyes widened. "Whoa. Are we going to stay in a castle?"
"Maybe! Andy says we're going to London, and there's plenty of castles there. I think."
"That sounds super cool! Just…"
"The Gems."
"Yeah. What if they need me, and I'm not here? If there's an emergency, or, or, another Homeworld attack?" Steven gripped the blankets. "I can't leave. I have to stay. I have to be there for them."
Greg ruffled his son's hair. "I know, kiddo. But, you know, since you found out all that stuff about Pink Diamond, you've been really, really stressed out. It's getting to you. I know you want to help them, but… sometimes you need a break, you know? And that's okay."
He watched Steven rub his eyes. "That's true… and I guess, even if something does happen, they can warp right over and get me, can't they?"
"Yeah! You guys go all around the world anyway! England's nothing."
Steven smiled. "Yeah… yeah! Let's do it!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah! It'll be fun, like a human trip! Human trip!"
Steven was excited, Greg was excited for him. The first few days of the 'human trip' went great, and they arrived in England just as the sun was rising. After briefly visiting the hotel, dropping off their bags, and taking a moment to stare longingly at the fluffy beds, they went out to see the city.
Greg watched Steven stare up at old buildings, his eyes filled with that familiar wonder that had been absent as of late. He smiled at Steven's laugh. They came across an old candy shop, and he followed Steven in.
"This is so cool!" Steven said, walking down the brightly coloured aisles. He picked one out. "What's a 'Flake'?"
Andy blinked. "Wait, wait, have you never had British chocolate?"
"What's the difference?"
"What's the- no, I'm gonna show you." He nabbed the bar out of Steven's hand and placed it on the counter. "Listen, Steven, there's things you experience when you fly around the world like I do. Beautiful sights. Crazy adventures. British chocolate."
"You're funny, Uncle Andy."
Greg smiled. Steven was having fun.
The skies had been grey all day, but a light drizzle started up as they walked down… well, they weren't exactly sure where they were. They were near the big river – he was blanking on the name – so it couldn't be too hard to get their footing. They followed the river, and came to a small, quiet park.
"Whoa, this is so pretty!" Steven wandered up to the river bank, looking out to the other side. "Hey, it has a pretty nice view! We should take a picture here – we should take a picture of all three of us! We haven't done one of those yet."
Andy was busy looking down at his map. "Hold on a second, Steven…"
"That sounds like a good idea, Schtu-ball!" Greg looked around the park, and his eyes settled on a woman sitting on a park bench, looking down at her phone. "Hey, why don't you ask that lady? I'm sure she won't mind if you ask nicely."
"I will!" Steven walked up to her. "Excuse me?"
And that was the moment. That was the moment it went so wrong.
Rose Quartz.
And the next thing Greg knew, he was helping Steven out of a river.
"Steven!" Andy rushed over, wrapping his coat around Steven's soaked shoulders. "I'm so glad you're alright! What happened? Who was that?"
"She was another Gem."
"A Gem? What, like your aunts?"
"Sorta. It's complicated." He wrapped Andy's coat tighter around himself. "We have to find her. We have to find her right now!"
Greg made a face. "Whoa, slow down. Don't you want a change of clothes first? You're shivering."
"No! What if she's here to kidnap more humans from the Human Zoo? We have to find her! And we have to tell Amethyst and Pearl and-! The Crystal Gems! Come on!"
He rushed past Greg and Andy, trailing water as he went. And that was the end of their little vacation.
Knock, knock.
"Mom! Someone's at the door."
"I heard. I'll get it."
Emily got up from her desk and hurried to the front door. She looked through the peephole and instantly recognized the person on the other side; it was Pearl.
What was Pearl doing here? Didn't she say she was busy?
Emily didn't know, but she was never one to leave a friend standing out in the rain. She undid the latch and swung her door wide open.
"Pearl! You…" Emily's smile died on her face. "Came?"
There was something strange about her colleague. Pearl normally dressed immaculately – sometimes Emily was a little jealous of how neat she looked all the time – but today was different. Her pale dress was smudged with dirt and torn in places. Her head was down, and her short hair obscured her face.
"Uh…"
"Pearl?" Danny's voice shook her out of her shock. "Ms Laelia Pearl?"
"One second Danny! Keep studying!" Emily stepped out and closed the door behind her. "Hey, Pearl? Are you okay? Pearl?"
She reached out and tapped Pearl on the shoulder. Finally, she seemed to look up and around, before focusing on her. Her expression was completely blank. "Oh. Emily. I came… for the study session?"
"Oh, um, thanks? So… you graded those tests pretty quick, huh?"
"Yes, I did."
Emily waited for her to say something else, but nothing was forthcoming. Pearl kept staring at her, unblinking, and it was beginning to creep her out. She took a deep breath.
"Hey, Pearl, um… are you okay? You look a little – how do I put this-"
"Dishevelled."
"Right. Yeah. Good word. Exactly what I was going for. So, um," She gestured to Pearl's entire body. "What happened?"
Pearl finally shut her eyes. She looked down. "It's… well, you see, I got into a car accident."
"What?! What happened?"
"I got into a car accident, and my mother, my poor, sweet mother, the next thing I see is them carting her off, and… and…" Pearl put her face in her hands. "She didn't make it. She died."
Emily gasped. "Oh my god! I'm-I'm so sorry!" She wrapped Pearl in a hug. "You don't have to come over and tutor my son – go home, rest up, please! I'll take you if you-"
"No!" Pearl pushed away. "I can't go back. I-I lived alone with her – my mother – and I… don't think I could bear to go back. I don't know what to do. I just don't know what to do."
"Do you have any family you could call up?"
She shook her head.
"Any friends?"
"Not really. I'm all alone."
Emily was reeling from shock at the news – poor, poor Pearl! And no friends or family to take care of her? There was only one thing to do.
Pearl started to walk away. "It's okay. I guess… I guess I'll have to go back to the apartment some time."
"No. No, wait." Emily put a hand on her shoulder – she felt that weird lump again, but she tried to ignore it. "If you don't want to go back… why don't you stay with me for a little bit?"
Pearl's eyes widened. "Really? You'd do that?"
"Of course! I can't imagine how you're feeling after something like that – you don't want to be alone right now!"
"I mean, I don't want to be a bother-"
"Nonsense. You're no bother, seriously."
"Well… if you insist. Thank you so much, Emily."
"Don't mention it. It's what friends do for friends." She opened the door and beckoned Pearl inside. "Come on, let's get you out of those dirty old clothes. Put some dinner in you. That'll make you feel better, I promise."
As Emily led Pearl into her house, her mind was filled with so many things – what to say, what to do to help her poor, grieving friend. What she failed to notice in all that clutter, was the small, satisfied smile that had formed on Pearl's face.
"Thank you so much."