So I think one of my biggest problems in the first version of this story was that Steven was MUCH too childish. I'm going to try and fix that here. The events of this story will be rather different when compared to the first one. If there are certain scenes you want added in or scenes from the old story that you want to be kept in this one, then please let me know! Thank you~

A week had passed since Pearl's announcement, and she was now entering her second month. The atmosphere of the house had defiantly changed in those two days alone. Steven seemed to want to be around Pearl more often than before, and whenever she seemed the least bit uncomfortable or troubled over anything, then Steven was usually the first person to notice and was at her side in an instant with anything that she might need. Pearl had to admit, this new and sudden attention could be rather touching. But at the same time, it was rather inconvenient. She couldn't really do much of anything without Steven wanting to tag along. She simply didn't have the heart to shoo him away at times. So she let him do as he pleased for now. Amethyst and Garnet had changed a bit as well. Amethyst was a bit more mindful of her messes and often looked rather guilty whenever she saw Pearl cleaning up a mess that she made. She had also stopped teasing and messing with Pearl as she had before. For the time being anyhow. And Garnet was much more attentive towards Pearl. She kept a close eye on her and voiced any concerns that arose. She didn't allow Pearl to accompany them on a mission that week, despite Pearl's protests that she was fine and that she could still fight like before.

Today, Pearl was planning to go out for a moment. She just wanted to take a walk along the shoreline. She found that the scent of the sea helped her quell any nausea and made her feel rather calm. As she approached the front door, she paused. She knew that Steven was likely up on his bed, playing video games. He'd most likely ask to come along. "Steven!" She called. "I'm about to go out to the beach. Would you like to come with me?" She asked.

"Yea! I'll be right there!" He called back. Pearl could hear the sound of his game system powering off, and then a shuffling sound. And a moment later, Steven came bounding down the stars, with his sandals securely on his feet. He opened the door for Pearl. "After you mi'lady." He said kindly. Pearl chuckled and stepped onto the porch.

"Why thank you, Steven. That was very polite of you." She praised as he stepped out after her. The two of them descended the stairs and went down the tall hill onto the beach. Then they went as close to the sea as they could without letting their feet get touched by the tide. Together, the two of them walked along the shore, staring forward, and not saying a thing. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of gulls soaring overhead.

'Ah, it's so nice outside today.' Pearl observed quietly. 'How I wish this warmth would last for a bit longer.' But it was not to be, unfortunately. They were in the month of September now, which meant that things would begin to cool down fairly soon. Pearl hated the colder seasons. Since they lived on a beach, the ocean was unbearably cold and the wet sand on the shore wasn't any better. So she wanted to enjoy the warmer month while she still could. She was snapped from her thoughts when Steven suddenly spoke up.

"Hey Pearl?" He said, looking up at her.

"Yes, Steven?" Pearl acknowledged. For a moment, Steven didn't say anything. She looked down at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you...nervous?" He asked. "I mean, I know it's a little early to ask but still. Are you nervous at all?" When Pearl looked a bit confused, he continued. "About the baby I mean. Do you know..how to raise a baby?" Hm. It seemed that the initial excitement about the new baby gem was starting to wear off and was being replaced with anxiety.

"Well.." Pearl began. "I am a little nervous I'll admit. I don't believe a gem has actually been born into this world before." When Steven looked surprised, she smiled and placed a hand onto his head. "Besides you of course. But you were half human. You weren't a full gem when you were born. So I don't know if a gem will be any different from a human during the infancy." She looked at Steven, her smile never wavering. "I remember when you were just a baby. Garnet, Amethyst, and I were so afraid that we would do something wrong. We didn't know anything about human infants at the time. Greg did most of the work when it came to raising you. But we all still did our best to help him when we could." It was quiet again for a moment, so Pearl continued. "But since then, I think we all have more experience now. So that we can raise the baby with confidence."

She suddenly felt Steven's smaller hand come up and hold onto her thin hand and then give it a small squeeze. She smiled softly but didn't say anything against it. His hand was so soft and pudgy. It was rather nice. "You know, when you were young, The other gems and I were a bit..afraid."

"Afraid?" Steven asked. "Of me?"

"No, we could never be afraid of you Steven." Pearl chuckled. "We were afraid because we weren't your mothers. We didn't want to replace Rose in your heart. Rose was and always will be your mother, not us." She felt Steven squeeze her hand a bit, but he didn't say anything. "But now I suppose I don't have to be afraid of that anymore. This child will be my own. I will be its mother. And I can be as attached as I like." Again, Steven didn't say a thing. But he suddenly stopped walking. He didn't let go of Pearl's hand, but he completely stopped walking with her.

"Steven?" Pearl turned to look at the shorter boy. Steven had his head bent down a bit and his eyes were a bit moist. "Steven, what's the matter?" Pearl asked, concern lining her voice as she got down on her knees with him and gently began to wipe at his eyes. "Was it something that I said? I'm sorry." She quickly apologized. Oh dear. She wasn't completely used to the complexity of human emotions yet, so perhaps she had said something unorthodox. Steven shook his head and lifted his head, looking into Pearl's eyes.

"Pearl..what if you don't get to be the baby's mother?" He asked. Pearl tilted her head, a little confused. He sniffled and lifted his shirt a bit, revealing his rose-colored gem. "My mom had to give me her gem, didn't she? And because of that, she died didn't she? So..doesn't that mean that you have to die too?" He asked her. Pearl's eyes widened. Oh dear. He figured it out didn't he? She knew that this day would come sooner or later. But she hadn't been prepared for when it did come. Something told her that he had known this all along. But he didn't want to bring it up. She didn't say anything. So instead, she embraced him. Steven wrapped his arms around Pearl and buried his face into her shoulder. "I don't want you to go.." He said softly, clinging tightly to her thin frame. Pearl rubbed his back gently as she held him. Tears were beginning to spring into her own eyes as she tried to figure out what to say.

"I know you don't Steven. I don't want to go either." She admitted. "But...but I won't go." Steven pulled away, looking into her eyes as she spoke. "I'm not going to leave your side, Steven. I promise I won't."

"B-But how?" Steven sniffed as he wiped his nose off with his sleeve.

"Well...I don't know." She admitted. "But I've learned that when one makes a promise, they cannot break it. I'll do whatever I need to do to survive. I promise." She told him, planting a soft kiss on his forehead. Steven stared at her for a moment before giving her a weak smile. It was concerning to know that she didn't know what she was going to do, but he knew that she wouldn't break her promise. She was set in her ways and was very strict when it came to honesty. So he knew she wouldn't lie to him.

She stood up straight and took his hand again. "Come on. Why don't we go back inside?" She suggested. Steven nodded and squeezed her hand. As Pearl led him back to the house, her mind began to spin. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't very well tell him that she was going to pass away after the gem was born. But this meant that she was going to have to figure something out. How long did a pregnancy last again? Nine months correct? So she had about eight months to figure out was she was going to do.

'I think I'll have to solve this problem on my own..' Pearl thought. She knew that Garnet would become upset if she learned that Pearl had lied about such an important thing. And Amethyst likely wouldn't be much help in the first place. She managed to stop herself from sighing as the two of them entered the house.

'What am I going to do?'