Alright, so I've got quite a bit of drama planned for this chapter! I'm gonna bring Connie in now, and we see a new side to Garnet~ I hope you enjoy it!

One week. Two weeks. Three weeks passed. Pearl finished up her second month and quickly entered the third. Pearl still hadn't told Garnet what she promised Steven. She knew she had to do it, but..she couldn't bring herself to do it. Not just yet. Still no visible changes about her, so one couldn't tell she was pregnant just by looking at her. So the only people who really knew about the pregnancy were the gems. They had yet to tell Greg or anyone else. But today was the day Steven was finally going to get to tell Connie~ He had gotten permission from Pearl to tell his friend about what was happening, and he was more than excited.

He had his father take him to Connie's house on that chilly October morning and was practically bouncing in his seat as they drove back to the temple. He hadn't told Connie what was happening just yet, as he and the gems had agreed to tell her together. Connie, who was sitting in the back seat, poked her head forward so she could look at Steven, who sat in the front seat. "Steven, can't you give me a little hint?" She asked. "The suspense is killing me!"

"Well..." Steven debated. He was a bit afraid of giving the secret away by accident if he gave her a hint. He was dying to tell her already, but he couldn't give it away yet!

"I'm a little curious too Stu-ball." Greg hummed. "Could you give us both a hint?" Greg had been told that he would get to know the secret too once they got back to the house. And he was a bit wary. What if it was some gen stuff that he wouldn't understand? He just hoped he could be of assistance if anything was wrong.

"Okay! But only a little one." Steven finally relented. "It has to do with Pearl."

"Pearl?" Connie said. "Does it have anything to do with the fact that she canceled sword training lessons?" She asked. Usually, the two of them would meet three times a week for lessons. But in the middle of September, Pearl had suddenly canceled the lessons until further notice. And she hadn't given Connie an explanation as to why. Connie had worried that it was something she had done, but Pearl insisted that it wasn't.

"Maybe." Steven teased, earning a groan of frustration from Connie. "You'll both get to find out when we get back to the temple okay? I promise it's going to be worth the wait!" Connie continued trying to guess what may be the secret until Greg pulled the van up onto the beach. As soon as he had, Steven hopped out of the van and pulled Connie along with him. Greg hurried to catch up after them. Once they got to the stairs, Connie hurried up to the house with Steven not far behind. Steven had expected her to burst into the house, but instead, when she reached the door, he saw her pause. Connie stood there, staring into the house through the screen door.

"Something wrong?" Steven asked as he came to stand next to her. She looked a bit concerned.

"I think Pearl and Garnet are fighting." She said hesitantly as she stepped out of the way for Steven to see. When he looked in, his eyes widened a little. Garnet and Pearl were standing a few feet away from each other, as Amethyst looked on with concern etched in her features. Garnet was saying something, but Steven couldn't hear her properly through the screen door. She seemed rather upset, and Pearl looked just as upset, with her arm folded tightly and protectively around her stomach. "Should we go inside?"

But in an instant, Steven had already pushed open the door and stepped in. The gems took no notice of his entrance and continued to argue with one another.

"This is not your decision to make!" Pearl cried. "You don't get to decide what I do with my child!"

"Child?" Connie whispered, wide-eyed.

"We can't afford to lose another gem, Pearl. We've already lost Rose, which brings us down to just us. We need you here."

"We have Steven. And with this child, we will have another gem on our side."

"But at what cost?"

"I'm going to be fine Garnet. Nothing is going to happen. I'm going to make it through this."

"And just what makes you so sure?"

Pearl hesitated for a moment when she was asked. But she finally said, "Because I promised Steven I would be fine. I promised Steven that nothing would happen and that I would survive." And after that, it was only silence for an uncomfortably long amount of time.

"Why did you promise him that when there wasn't a guarantee?" Garnet asked calmly.

"What was I supposed to tell him?" Pearl responded, just as calmly.

Garnet took a step forward as Pearl stepped back. "We don't have a choice anymore. We have to get rid of the baby. For everyone's sake."

"I said no!" Pearl cried out. "You won't make me do this!" She tried to turn away, but Garnet came forward and grabbed Pearl's wrist in fury, trying to pull her closer. She wasn't thinking. Ruby's fury was pushing forth at Pearl's stubbornness and was making her act in such a way. "Stop it, let me go!" Pearl demanded as she twisted in Garnet's grasp and attempted to free herself.

Greg, who had been standing in the doorway, knew it was his time to intervene. He hurried into the room and got in between the two of them, pushing them away from each other. "That's enough you two!" He cried out as he stayed firmly in between them. But even after he had separated them, they continued to fight.

"Why are you so adamant about keeping the child? You know it will only cause grief. You know that you won't be able to survive this. And what about Steven? What is going to happen to him? You remember how broke the crystal gems were after Rose died. So what do you think will happen after you pass?"

"Because I want the same thing that Rose wanted. I want to at least have the chance to raise this baby with the person I love most." Pearl insisted, her blue eyes welling with tears. "I know I haven't met him or her yet but I already love this child. Because it is mine. And because it's depending on me. I need to take care of it."

"The person you love most?" Garnet asked. "Who do you mean by that?"

"I mean you!" Pearl blurted out. The feeling she had been holding inside were bursting from her chest. Garnet was the one she loved most. Just like how Rose had loved Greg. She hadn't understood the true meaning of love until she fell in love with Garnet. She couldn't imagine being without her. Because she loved her so much. "You're the person I love most. I want to raise this baby with you. Because I love you." Garnet was shocked silent by this sudden confession of love. "I can't think of anyone I would rather raise this child with other than you. It's just like how Rose loved Greg. I didn't fully understand what it felt like. But now I do. And...I want to stand by your side and be with you. Is that..too much to ask?"

Garnet didn't respond to her. She didn't know how. So instead of saying anything, she turned around and walked to the warp pad. "Garnet!" Pearl called.

"I need to be alone for a while. Don't follow me." Garnet said simply before stepping into the warp pad and being whisked away. As soon as she was gone, Greg turned to Pearl.

"Pearl what did she mean by a baby?" He asked. "You're not pregnant are you?" Pearl didn't answer, focusing instead on scrubbing the tears from her eyes. She made Garnet mad. Did Garnet not love her back? Did Garnet just think she was a big nuisance? "Pearl!" Greg demanded, snapping her from her thoughts as he grasped her upper arms.

"I'm sorry," Pearl said softly as she turned her head away. "Yes, that's right. I'm having a baby. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner." It was only then that she noticed Steven and Connie in the doorway. "Oh. Hello, you two. I'm very sorry you had to see that." She said. Pearl pulled herself out of Greg's grasp and wiped at her eyes gently. Connie came closer, her eyes wide.

"Ma'am. You're really having a baby?" She asked.

"Yes, Connie. That was why I had to cancel sword training. I'm sorry that it had to be on such short notice." Pearl apologized as she pats the top of Connie's head.

"That's okay! I understand." Connie assured her. "But..this is amazing! You're having a baby!" She crowed. Connie had always really liked children, so for her sword instructor to be having one was absolutely thrilling to her.

"Pearl, are you going to be okay?" Steven asked nervously. He saw how upset she had been and he hated when she cried.

"Yes, I'm fine Steven. I think Garnet might be a little cross with me. But that's okay. It will pass with time." She assured him. She pats the top of Steven's head with a little smile. "Don't you worry about me. Everything is going to be just fine."

But although she was able to say it to him, she wasn't too sure if it was true. Her heart was breaking on the inside, but she didn't let him see. She didn't want him to see. Because she had to be brave for him.

No matter what happened.