That's all she wrote folks!, er well this is. Thank you to everyone who's been reading this fic despite it's massive amount of OC's. I've really treasured every like and comment I've gotten. I'm going to be doing some work on both this fic and Domina Alba, making sure the stories align with each other better, and keep on the look out for a one shot that will be coming out to set the scene for the sequel (which should start posting sometime around the beginning on the year.
Once again thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy this last chapter.
The Person that placed a piece of gold into Vitus's mouth before the cremation was not the leader of gem kind.
The person that clung to Pearls hand like a vise was not the oldest and wisest gem in existence.
The person that held back sobs and put on a brave face as her father's remains were incinerated was not White Diamond.
The room was packed with nearly everyone on base though the silence was deafening enough that it might as well be empty. No knew what to do. This didn't happen for gems, there was no protocol, no programming to prepare them, they just felt like they should be there. Domina stared at the furnace, though there was nothing to look at. The process was almost complete. Afterwards Vitus had requested that his ashes be shot towards the earth, so he could 'make his own way home'.
The silence was broken by a song. Pearl glanced around because if she wasn't singing then who would be? Her eyes landed on Domina. She was singing a song Pearl hadn't heard in years. It was about Orpheus, one of the hero's from Vitus's stories, the man who travelled to the Underworld to bargain with the God of Death for his wife. The silence from the rest of the room was more out of shock than anything else. The song rose higher and higher until Domina struggled to reach the notes, it then sunk as Orpheus's wife was sucked back into the Underworld. When the song ended the sensor indicated the process was complete. Domina moved to retrieve the urn but was stopped by Mossy Agate.
The gem took the plain urn from the furnace and winced as she held it while the heat dissipated then handed it to Domina. Pearl felt Domina's form shift slightly in her grasp as she accepted the urn from Mossy. Pearl looked at the girl and saw that her face had aged ever so slightly, her appearance was slightly more haggard, there were faint wrinkles around her eyes.
Domina turned and walked slowly out of the room, a procession of gems followed her as she made her way to the control room. Anti spacecraft cannons weren't used very often but the fleet prepared for any kind of emergency. One of the rubies opened the ammo hatch for Domina and she wordlessly slid it in and took a step back. There was a moment of calibration as the cannon turned towards the crystal system. Domina stared up at the Sky, at the cannon and as the weapon charged itself to fire she let go of Pearls hand for the first time in several hours.
After a moment she managed to coordinate her arms into a clumsy salute. Pearl copied, then Mossy Agate, then the quartzes and peridots and all the gems saluted as cannon fired and the silver urn shot towards the sky, out of the atmosphere and eventually out of sight.
Domina didn't cry. She didn't laugh either, or even talk much. Pearl had been used to White Diamonds lack of emotion but Domina always felt something. The girl she had watched grow though was now almost a shadow of herself. She didn't return to the quarters more than maybe twice a day to use the restroom. She didn't read through her mother's journals, instead she worked mechanically on the ship she had been building that night Vitus died. She slept restlessly in the hanger. And she was aging.
Thats what scared Pearl the most out of anything. Domina would sleep fitfully with her back against the side of the ship, leaning on Pearls shoulder. Every so often there would be a flash of light and an older version of Domina would replace the one that had been there previously. Her long hair faded to a shiny iridescent grey, her face became more gaunt than it had ever been, she slowed and her hands fumbled to work with the tools. Pearl was rendered almost immobile with panic but still she tried.
She made sure Domina ate, pulled her away from her work to sleep, made sure that anything that would normally require her diamonds attention was taken care of. One night the woman had fallen asleep and the glow came and left someone that was more skeleton than human or gem. Then Pearls proverbial heart stopped as she felt Domina stop breathing.
"No!" She cried turning to the diamond and shaking her. "No Domina you can't!" the breathing started again and Domina jolted awake, her bloodshot eyes looking around wildly before they settled on Pearl.
"What, Pearl no let me sleep..." She said hoarsely, eyes drifting closed again.
"No Domina!" Pearl ordered despair rising in her voice. "No you can't. You can't go back to
sleep, something's wrong you..you"
"I've aged, I know." Domina muttered. "Who cares? I'm done, there's no point, I'll go to sleep, the empire will move one."
"I care domina! I need you!"
"No you don't. Your ten times more competent than me, you'll probably be better off without me, everyone would."
"That's not true Domina you're my diamond!"
"I'm not a gem."
"And your not human either, you cannot die on me!"
"But it hurts." She said. And for the first time in weeks Pearl saw true emotion on Domina's wizened face. Pain, so much pain filled her eyes and shoulders, She didn't cry but her voice shook. "Pearl I don't want to do this anymore. I can't do this anymore. I miss him so much."
"I-I know." Pearl said, her eyes tear filled. She pulled the girl close and reassured herself with the rhythm of her heart, as long as that was there Domina was still with her. "Your father protected me more than once, he treated me like any other gem he was..." Pearl paused and grasped for the word. "He was my first true friend in your mother's court. And you know what?" She asked. There was a pause, Domina was still breathing, there was a flash and instead of older now she was younger, as she had been earlier that night.
"What?" Domina asked, a question, a real question.
"He gave me you, your the best thing that's ever happened to me Domina. And he told you you had to look out for me. Remember that?" She said softly, pleading with all her form that this would work, that this would save her.
"You don't need me to look out for you." Domina said.
"I do!" Pearl said, crying now. Crying for the first time since Vitus's Death, for the first time since Domina had been born, for the first time since Pink diamond had been shattered. She cried, inelegantly, sobs racking her body, tears streaming down her face. "I need you now more than ever," Through her tears Pearl could see Domina's face grow concerned, there was another flash and her face looked less gaunt, a steady hand wiped the tears from her face.
"Don't cry Pearl." Domina said. "I'm sorry," She pulled her close "Please don't cry, I'm sorry I'm so sorry."
They ended up sleeping like that, the fact that Pearl slept in the first place was nearly unheard of, what's more she managed to sleep through Domina waking and gently moving her to the side.
When Pearl did wake up it was to Domina gathering tools. She was back to normal, all wrinkles and signs of age gone. She smelled fresh, like she had just gotten out of the shower, and she was eating one of the purple rations sent from the Human zoo. Her hair was short now, and stuck out at odd angles. When she heard Pearl stirring Domina stopped her work and gave Pearl an uneasy smile.
"Hey, sorry if I woke you but I figured you deserve the rest." She said. Pearl Shook her head and stood.
"Thank you, you look,"She mulled over how to phrase it "better." Domina barked out a short burst of laughter.
"Thanks,"
"And what did you do to your hair?"
"I cut it... with my sword, it was all I had handy at the time." Domina said sheepishly fiddling with the uneven ends. Pearl sighed and went over to inspect it.
"Why?"
"Felt like the right thing to do, besides" Domina said, "It was getting in the way."
"I'll get some cutters and fix it," Pearl said. There was an awkward pause.
"Uh could you get a Peridot to look this over and mount the new engine, it's almost done," Domina said rubbing her arm. "I thought.. Maybe after it was done we could take a trip."
"Where do you have in mind my diamond?" PEarl asked.
"Anywhere that doesn't remind me of Pater." Domina said quickly. Pearl nodded.
"Oh course Domina."
"And Pearl?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you, so much. I don't know what I'd do without you." Pearl smiled and hugged Domina.
"You won't ever have to find out."