Chapter 22

…

A/N: ya boy got covid, but them's the breaks, huh? ;)

…

"Do you think you'll be okay here for a little while?" Connie asked over their breakfast.

Steven paused midway between bites to nod his head, even though he wasn't really sure. As if she could sense his trepidation, she reached across the counter to squeeze his fingers in hers.

"I'll be back before tonight, don't worry. My parents just miss me, and it's been a long time since I've been home. Plus, Amethyst said she'll stay with you all day if you want her to." She finished with a smile, and at his return, they both resumed munching on the scrambled eggs and toast she had made.

Steven didn't quite know how he felt about her leaving. She had been by his side nearly every moment since he'd come back, and the few times that she wasn't near him he felt strangely uneasy, almost exposed. He couldn't form words for how immensely grateful he was for her support; she always seemed to know exactly when to step in and help him, and just having her close by gave him a sense of security that he'd come to depend on. He didn't want her to go, but he knew that she'd have to go back to her human life at some point anyway. Guilt swept over him; although she hid it well, he could see the emotional strain that caring for him was causing her. She deserved a break.

So, he smiled at her and tried his hardest to look casual as she carried her duffel bag to the screen door later that morning. They stood around in awkward silence for a few minutes while Connie fiddled with her phone.

"I just let Amethyst know that I'm headed out, she should be here–" The warp pad interrupted her, and the aforementioned gem smiled and waved at them, "-now, I guess." Amethyst walked across the room and threw herself across the couch cushions, giving them space until Connie left.

Not more than two minutes later, Connie's phone buzzed, signaling the arrival of her parents. "My mom says she's coming in to check on you."

Steven flushed a deep red. "I'm fine, really. You can tell her she doesn't have to do that…"

Amethyst perked up on the couch as he spoke, but she didn't comment. From the window, they could see Dr. Maheswaran treading through the sand towards them. Suddenly, Steven found himself wrapped in a tight embrace with Connie's hair against his cheek. She held him just long enough for him to return the hug, and then pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He was reminded of their night together as his head pounded and a strange pressure built behind his eyes, accompanied by an uncomfortable, hollow feeling in his gut. When her mom finally knocked on the door, he fought to stay grounded and seem alright. The last thing he wanted was more concern over his health.

"Steven! It's good to see you up and walking around. How do you feel?" Dr. Maheswaran wasted no time in directing him to sit on the couch and strapping a blood pressure cuff around his arm. He sat silently as she stared down at her watch, and then tried his best to explain that he was perfectly fine.

She meticulously peeled back every bandage on him to find that he had completely healed; only the worst of his injuries had left scars. She discarded the now unnecessary dressings and looked over him, humming. "So, it looks like your gem took care of almost everything for you; such a quick and complete recovery is really remarkable. You know, I'd love to run some tests on you down at the hospital whenever you get a chance-"

"Mom!" Connie scolded from behind her, shaking her head incredulously.

"Fine, fine! But, seriously, if you ever get the inclination, my door's always open. Anyways," she continued at Connie's glare, "your healing powers don't seem to be helping this at all."

Steven shifted uncomfortably as she pointed to his left eye, which still cast a murky lens over his vision. He'd successfully avoided looking at his reflection each time he'd used the restroom, but he knew that it probably didn't look good.

Before he could think of a response, the doctor carried on, "I've seen hyphema before, but never like this. Can you still see from that eye at all?" She pulled a penlight from the breast pocket of her shirt and without any warning, shined it into Steven's face. He hissed in pain and automatically jerked away, to which she responded, "Hmm, light sensitive, too. Can you tell me what happened?"

Steven caught Connie's terrified gaze over her mom's shoulder as his heart skipped a beat.

His mouth went dry. He felt a chill of panic run down his arms as he stared at the expectant doctor, who seemed completely unaware. Connie faltered behind her, almost ready to step in, before Steven's sense came back to him. Although he'd rather swallow hot coals than talk in detail about what had happened to him, the idea of losing control in front of everyone scared him even more.

"I got hit. By a rock." Each word scraped painfully on its way out, but still he felt relieved. Dr. Maheswaran nodded solemnly and didn't press any further, and soon enough his examination was over.

"You have my phone number. I want you to call me if your vision gets worse, or if you notice anything else isn't healing properly. Though, to be quite honest, there's almost nothing left to heal. Remarkable." The last words were spoken under her breath, more to herself than anything.

He gave her a weak smile and waved to them as they stepped outside, assuring him that they'd be back before nightfall.

Left alone with Amethyst, he spent most of the passing morning sitting on his bed playing video games. Lucky for him, Amethyst seemed content to sit in silence, or otherwise take the lead of the conversation, and all in all it turned out to be a pleasant time.

Things were always easy with her, he remembered. Even before, it seemed like she endeavored to make him as relaxed and easygoing as she was whenever they spent time together. Every joke, every gesture, and every move she made was carefully formulated to make him feel at ease, and suddenly he felt like a jerk for taking her for granted.

"Hey, Amethyst? I just wanna say thanks… for hanging out with me today. It means a lot." He smiled at her, noting the retort she was ready to hurl back at him. "Nope, take the thanks. There's nothing you can do about it. You're appreciated, deal with it."

She punched his shoulder playfully when he stuck his tongue out at her, and for a moment, Steven fell into the familiar bantering joy of his childhood. The feeling flickered and died at Amethyst's next statement.

"It's really good to have you back, dude. We've missed you."

Although he knew she meant well, her words only served as a reminder to him that, not a week ago, he wasn't here with his family. He felt numb, separated from the version of himself that existed a week ago; and yet still he was plagued day and night with feelings and memories he couldn't quite understand. He was missing something, but despite his best efforts he couldn't figure out what.

Amethyst noticed him retreating into his own mind and, placing a hand on his shoulder, asked if he was alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he was quick to assure her, "I just need a sec."

With that, he slipped off of the bed and carefully made his way downstairs to the restroom, ignoring the concerned stare that followed him. Behind the closed and locked door, he leaned with his palms on either side of the sink. His hair hung across his forehead as he stared down at the drain, trying to steady his breathing. His head felt ready to split open as he tried to force himself to remember what had happened in the garden and how it led to him being brought home.

He couldn't. He couldn't conjure even a hazy image, a faint recollection that might hint at an answer, and the frustration hurt almost as much as the headache did.

Suddenly, he had a realization, shortly followed by a wash of determination. He had the clues, he was covered in them. Until then, he'd avoided looking at his scars, and especially his face, but his desire for answers quelled his anxiety somewhat.

He fought to keep from shaking as he slowly removed his shirt, making sure to fold it nicely and set it on the counter just so. He was stalling. He closed his eyes and backed up until his elbows touched the wall across from the mirror, and after a moment of hesitation, he looked.

Like a bucket of ice water, the shock that hit him was jarring to say the least. He'd known about most of the scarring implicitly, but now that he was looking, there were plenty of marks he couldn't explain. His healing powers had taken care of most of what he'd known about, and what remained left him with more questions than answers.

He stepped closer to the mirror, running his fingers along the thin lines that stretched diagonally across his chest. There were only a few notable ones, though something told him that there were more, many more, that had disappeared entirely.

Naturally, like an arrow directing towards its mark, the scratches on his chest led him to the skin above his collarbone. There he found the clear markings of teeth, a marred circle of skin surrounded by a faint yellowish bruise. The gnawing, hollow feeling in his gut returned as he craned his neck and ghosted his fingers over the scar, tracing its brutal outline in a daze. A feeling nagged at the back of his mind, the sort of anxious excitement of having an idea dance just out of reach, still intangible to him.

Swallowing thickly, he looked up into his mirrored gaze. What exactly he felt in that moment, he couldn't pin down; he wasn't shocked, nor was he upset by the scarred, darkened iris that stared blankly back at him. He'd known about the wound and its inability to heal. He took in the sight with the calm resolve of a person taking inventory, as if the deformation were just another tally on a list.

Yet, as he continued to survey the stubborn injury, the gnawing in his gut overtook him, traveling through his chest and into his head. His mind swam and his vision blurred, overtaken by another.

In that moment, an image flashed through his mind, incomprehensible in its briefness. Most of it had escaped him by the time he opened his eyes again, shocked to find his forehead pressed to the cool glass of the mirror, his breaths coming in sharp pants against it.

Glowing, diamond-split eyes as mismatched as his, presiding over a smaller pair, heartbroken and tear-streaked. Tears of inky black pooled at the edges, running down over their pink-tinted face, a stark contrast that served to burn the singular image into his mind.

He was just standing straight again, pondering the strange familiarity of his eyes and those of the vision he'd had when he heard a tentative knock on the bathroom door.

"Steven? Are you okay in there?"

In record time, he had his shirt pulled over his head. All traces of distress were wiped from his face as he greeted Amethyst, stepping out to rejoin her.

"I'm fine, don't even worry." He paused for a stretch as his guardian shrugged and moved to rummage through the fridge. "I am, however," he continued, "getting kind of bored of playing that game. Why don't we find something else to do?"

Amethyst kicked the fridge door closed behind her, balancing a cartoonish pile of oddball ingredients on a plate. "Sure, man. Have any ideas?"

"Hmm…" He feigned considering, even though he already had a plan in mind. He only hoped that Amethyst wouldn't sniff out his ulterior motives. "Say, why don't we go down to the beach? It's such a nice day, and the sun's about to set. Come on, it's gonna be so pretty, we can't miss it!"

"Hmm. I don't know, man. I mean, it's so hot out there…"

He cut in, interrupting her sorry attempt at an excuse. "Amethyst, gems don't care about temperature and you know that."

Seeing that it was a lost cause, Amethyst scarfed down half of the peanut butter and apple core burrito she'd made, and the pair stepped out into the warm sunset.

…

"But…Connie said you guys fused?"

"We did." The deep voice that answered sounded cold and hard, unyielding.

"But, why? Also, how did you end up getting poofed?" The smooth tones of the Lapis entreated, pleading with the stubborn Bismuth.

She was met with silence. Or, the nearest thing to silence that could exist inside of the forge. Ruby leaned in closer to the doorframe, just out of sight, straining to hear over the relentless pounding of the hammer against the anvil.

"Bismuth, please, we can see how this is hurting you! Just tell us what happened. Is there a reason Pearl hasn't come back?"

The hammering paused. Ruby could almost feel the pained grimace that crossed the grey gem's features. "I… I don't know if or when she's coming back. Please, just leave it be."

Ruby stepped away when she saw the Lapis come forward to wrap a comforting arm around the larger gem's waist. She padded along the side of the building and around the corner, where Sapphire was waiting for her on a wooden bench.

Wordlessly, she hopped up to join her. Serene as always, Sapphire sent her a gentle smile and took her hand. Ruby grumbled, rubbing her temple with her free hand.

"Do you have any idea what's going on? I'm lost here."

Sapphire only hummed in response, as cryptic as ever. Ruby gasped.

"You do! Please, I'm so confused! Everyone here is all keyed-up like they're afraid of something, the Pearl disappeared, I guess, and I just overheard that Pearl and Bismuth fused, and that has something to do with it. A pearl and a Bismuth, is that even possible?!" Before she realized it, she'd worked herself up into an exasperated shout, drawing attention from the passerby on the street. She couldn't help it; not too long ago, Lapis had outright refused to fuse with Peridot, crying out that she couldn't. That had made perfect sense to Ruby, who had never imagined that two different types of gems could fuse at all.

She turned to find Sapphire's mouth pulled into a disapproving frown. "Be calm," she intoned, leaning closer. "I can't see everything, not with all that keeps changing. But from what I can see," she paused for a breath, throwing a glance over Ruby's shoulder, "the gem that stole the human, who almost killed him, she's still missing. That's what everyone is upset about, they think she's going to come back." She paused again, her nose scrunching in concentration.

"The odds of that are very, very slim. I can't see exactly when, but the Pearl is coming back, often sooner than later. From there everything just splits off into thousands of streams of possibility, that is to say, anything can happen. Something big is going to happen, though, but there's too many decisions that haven't been made yet."

That was a lot of information for Ruby to take in. Sapphire's gift astounded her at times, and she often wondered how her companion could even keep track of it all. Just the thought of sorting through thousands of possible futures, doing the math on the probability of the different outcomes down to a specific percentage gave her a pounding headache. Her fingers still rested against her temple as she stared in awe at Sapphire.

She started as the fingers entwined with hers suddenly tightened. Sapphire spoke in a low voice, almost nervously, "Oh, and as for the Bismuth and the Pearl…they did fuse. All gems can."

Ruby gawked, blown away by that last bit of information. Then, she felt her cheeks flush hotly as an idea dawned in her. If all gems could fuse, did that mean…?

"Yes." Sapphire smiled sheepishly across the bench.

Ruby squinted, debating whether or not to ask if Sapphire's gift included reading minds, but she was interrupted.

"Would you like to try it?"

Again, the breath was stolen from her lungs. Of course, she knew that Sapphire wouldn't have asked if it would end badly, but still, the idea of fusing with her companion sent shocks of anxiety down her arms. The idea of fusion was foreign to her; she had no idea how to do it, and part of her was nervous about messing it up.

Sapphire shifted awkwardly as Ruby stared at her. It took her a moment to realize that she hadn't blinked or taken a breath in quite a while. She quickly remedied that, forcing in a stuttering breath and turning her face back to the road, collecting her thoughts.

Although the idea gave her immense anxiety, she wanted to fuse with Sapphire. She'd felt a connection to the blue gem for quite a while now, and she knew that Sapphire felt the same way, but she'd had no idea how to advance their relationship, until now. She took in a deep breath, gathering her courage before turning to her companion. She nodded, fighting to keep the unease from showing on her face.

The smile that stretched across Sapphire's face melted away her worry; all at once she felt completely safe and secure, and she knew with total certainty that, for whatever reason, she and Sapphire had been made for this. It didn't make sense to her, but it didn't have to.

They hopped down from the bench and trotted over to their office. The Nephrite it had belonged to had long since found somewhere else to do her work, and so the room was dim and empty as they entered it.

The whole way over, they never lost their hold on each other's hands, and Ruby could feel Sapphire's icy grip warming against her blazing palm. The room darkened further as the door closed behind them, but neither of them moved to turn on the light.

Ruby swallowed thickly, her anxiety building up once again in the silence. She didn't want to let that happen.

"So…um, how do we fuse?" Her voice betrayed her by wavering, and she inwardly cursed.

Sapphire only took it in stride, humming before she responded. "Hmm… I don't know."

Ruby balked, "You don't know? Can't you just…look?"

"I could."

She blushed again, embarrassed by her own confusion. "Well then, what do you see?"

Sapphire chewed her lip before she continued, "I could, but I don't want to." Ruby really didn't know what to make of that, and thankfully the blue gem clarified, "I'd rather just try it. It's just that, this is embarrassing to admit, but when I see things beforehand, I experience them less."

Understanding dawned on Ruby, and she nodded. She squeezed the slender fingers against her own, bringing their joined hands to rest against her sternum. The heat radiating from her was almost ridiculous, combating incessantly with the frost emanating from her partner.

They took a deep breath together, and Ruby was happy to note the slight trembling she heard in their shared breath; at least she wasn't the only nervous one. Neither one of them had any idea what to do, they just knew that the outcome was possible.

If it were possible, Ruby felt her heart warm further. Sapphire had purposely flung herself into this unsure future with her, as blind to the outcome as she herself was, all so that she could be fully present in this moment. In a fluid movement, Ruby brushed the pillowy bangs away from Sapphire's stunning blue eye, and she let herself get lost in its depth.

In a moment of pure instinct, their faces moved at the same time to meet in the middle. There was a slight hiss as their lips brushed, sparking a swell of emotion from some forgotten recess of her mind. The sense of familiarity overwhelmed her again, and she was surprisingly pleased to find tears welling in Sapphire's eye as they pulled apart, as she herself felt tears sizzling into steam on her cheeks.

Sapphire frowned suddenly, then her eye widened and she threw herself into Ruby's chest with a gasp. Her arms wound around her waist, and Ruby was forced to fling her arms over her slender shoulders to stay upright.

Ruby opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but her brain stopped functioning completely with the cooler gem pressed so closely to her; so close that her skirt flared in a semicircle around the front of her legs, enveloping her as much as the hands that twisted themselves into her shirt, and her face became obscured by minty-smelling clouds of hair. She melted into the embrace, nuzzling against the face buried in her neck.

The arms around her squeezed tighter in response, her gem pressed into the small of Ruby's back. Mirroring her, Ruby set her gem against the nape of Sapphire's neck, blanketing her entire forearm in the pale hair.

They stood there, wholly consumed in that moment of just holding each other, for what felt like eternity. Ruby's pounding heart had calmed to a comfortable thump against Sapphire's chest as the blinds over the window lit up in a brilliant orange, the rays of the sunset finally achieving the right angle to fill the room with warm light.

"Does fusion normally take this long?" Ruby mumbled against Sapphire's hair. Not that she was complaining; their extended hug was the best thing she'd ever experienced in her short life. For a gem as mission-minded as Ruby, though, it was difficult to focus on anything other than the goal she'd set out to accomplish.

Sapphire chuckled into Ruby's neck, making her shiver. "Why, are you in a rush?"

"No, of course not! I just don't know how this works, and uhm… I…" She trailed off as Sapphire trailed her nose up the length of her neck, then traced her jawline. Her breath caught, and whatever words she had formed in her mind melted away.

"You what?"

Ruby gulped, forgetting how to speak. Amusement shone in that blue eye, almost like Sapphire was taunting her. All she could do was blink at the sudden surge of confidence from her partner.

Then they both broke off into laughter, though it was somewhat strained on Ruby's part; she was still trying to recover her voice. Just when she thought she had it, Sapph snatched it away again.

Cool lips pressed against hers unexpectedly, much more confidently than before. Ruby thought that she must've looked into the future, because gone were the unsure, tentative touches of a few moments ago. Again, she was not complaining.

For whatever reason, Sapphire knew what she was doing, and Ruby was more than happy to follow along.

…

Steven hated to admit it, but Amethyst was right. It was terribly hot outside, and he found himself sweating within moments of exiting the air conditioned house. If he were being honest, he wasn't only sweating from the heat, but that was something Amethyst didn't need to know.

The walkway yawned in front of them, leading down to the beach. Steven squirmed uncomfortably at the wave of déjà vu that crashed over him as he observed the fiery rays of the sunset glancing off of the sand, exactly like it had the day he was taken. He shook the shiver away in frustration, reminding himself that that's what he wanted to happen. It was the only reason he wasn't curled up in bed, comfortably playing video games.

He wanted to remember. Lucky for him, he knew just what to do.

Amethyst walked on his left, as if her short stature could somehow block the glass monolith from view. They stopped walking at the same moment, and she cringed up at him as he surveyed the immovable monument ahead.

Steven whistled, eyeing the violent splash that was forever frozen in time, a probably permanent fixture on the otherwise serene beach. Ignoring the quietly desperate plea from Amethyst, he approached the spiked towers, peering between their columns and into the basin below. So much sand had blown in over the weeks that the ground inside was almost leveled out, but he didn't trust it to be stable enough to walk across. He didn't want to disrespect his shiny new sandals by losing them in a giant sandbox.

He stepped back, his eyes facing upward to the top of the spikes. He could pick out the exact one Spinel had dragged him onto as he called out hoarsely for Amethyst, even though he knew she was too far away to help him in time. From there, he retraced his steps to the best of his knowledge, going backwards through all of the events until he was led back to the place where he'd fallen asleep flanked by Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl so long ago.

With a sigh, he flopped himself down into that same position, throwing an arm over his eyes in frustration. It wasn't working, and he knew why. He already knew everything that happened here on the beach, and going over it wasn't going to help him understand what happened in the garden any faster.

A shadow came over him, and he looked up to see Amethyst standing by his feet, blocking the sun. She looked concerned.

"Whatcha doin', bud?" She forced her voice to sound nonchalant, but he could hear the edge underneath.

He decided to be honest. What did he have to lose?

"I…I can't remember how I got home. I want to remember, so badly, but I just can't. There's something I'm missing, something important."

Amethyst settled down next to him, looking up to the cloudless sky. She hummed deep in her chest, weighing her words carefully. "Maybe it's better if you don't. Maybe there's a really good reason your brain doesn't want to remember."

He couldn't accept that, as much as he heard the ring of truth in it. Before he could come up with a retort, Amethyst cut him off, rolling onto her elbows and facing him.

"Listen, Steven. When Pearl brought you home, you looked…really rough." She emphasized the words, leaning in closer. "We all thought you were dead in her arms. I don't know what happened when Pearl showed up to get you, but whatever it was, I think it'll be better for you if you don't know."

Steven's hand moved absentmindedly over the scar on his stomach, frowning at the sky. Pearl came to get him…That sounded about right. He had known that, even before Connie told him. When he first woke up, he could recall the image of Pearl standing against the weedy backdrop of their garden.

Their garden?

Amethyst took his silence for acquiescence and rolled onto her back again.

The gnawing in his gut was back with a vengeance, but he didn't have long to dwell on it. Upside down from his position in the sand, he watched a thread of glowing blue light rocket across the sky, trailing directly into the house. Amethyst sighed disinterestedly, noting his rapt attention.

"It's probably just one of the Little Homeworld gang, don't worry." She stretched herself across the sand like a cat, soaking up the sunset.

He couldn't help but worry. He knew it wasn't anyone from Little Homeworld. He wasn't sure how, but he knew. He pulled himself up from the ground, lifting himself into an awkward half-crouch, confused at his own body's reaction. Every cell in his body screamed 'danger, danger!" Even as he watched Pearl step out of the front door, he felt his muscles tense.

"Woah, dude, it's just Pearl, calm down!" Her palm against his chest was completely useless, but she held it there anyway.

Pearl approached them as meekly as a newborn deer, as if she were waiting to see how Steven would react to her. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt like reacting. Part of him wanted to run up and hug her, thank her for saving him, and rejoice in her return. The other, stronger part of him wanted to gouge the gem straight out of her head.

He balked at his own violence; since when did he think like that?

Amethyst broke the tense silence first. "Where the heck have you been, Pearl?! Everyone's been looking for you!"

Her pale eyes never left Steven's chalk-white face as she responded, "I was busy."

Steven rushed towards her and blurted out the question that had been simmering beneath his thoughts constantly, his need for an answer suddenly outweighing every other feeling. He needed to know, as much as he needed the air passing through his lungs in sharp pants.

"Where is she?"

"She's gone, Steven." She didn't hesitate.

He faltered in his steps, gasping out, "What do you mean, gone? Where is she?"

Pearl's lips trembled as she took a step back, "She can't ever hurt you again, is what I mean. She's gone, and she's not coming back."

Steven stared through her, desperately trying to recall what had happened in the garden. The look in her eyes, so fearful, looked familiar. His voice was hollow as he finally grounded out, "You… poofed her. I saw you go after her. When I fell, you…why did you do that?" He clutched at his temple as the memory slowly came back to him. "We were trying to talk to you, to explain, but you wouldn't listen! You said you wouldn't fight, but you did!"

"It was the right thing to do, Steven. Look what she did to you!"

Amethyst looked on the verge of stepping between them, but Steven wouldn't allow it.

"-she? What she did to me? Look what you did to me!" He lifted his shirt above his gem, showcasing the marred pit of scar tissue left by Pearl's spear. He had blocked the unpleasantness from his mind up until then, but with Pearl there, so directly confronting him, he couldn't stop the memories from flooding. He remembered the fight, and his pitiful attempts to stop it. He remembered Pearl's rage as Spinel pushed him back to safety. He remembered her pale eyes glancing over Spinel's shoulder, calculating. But what came before that?

Amethyst gasped, dragging him back to the present. She looked bewildered, her eyes flashing back and forth between Steven's scar and Pearl's stony face. "Steven, what do you mean? Didn't Spinel do that to you?"

He ignored her and rounded on Pearl, his eyes flashing. "You almost killed me to get back at her! You never liked her, ever since she first showed up, because I loved her more than you!" He was hardly even speaking to her anymore as the memories welled up and spilled from his lips. The words didn't pass through his mind before they came out, but he recognized them as truth just as he heard them.

A frown creased Pearl's face as she watched him step closer, his skin blazing. "What are you talking about? You don't know anything about her, you can't possibly-"

"I DO! You tried to make me forget her, but I remember EVERYTHING!" The ground rumbled under his sandals, though he didn't notice it. He couldn't feel anything except for the fury flooding his veins, igniting him in warm, familiar strength. He shouted across the space between them, his voice booming louder than was humanly possible. "WE KNOW EVERYTHING YOU DID TO US, PEARL! YOU WERE SO JEALOUS OF HER, SO FUCKING SPITEFUL THAT YOU LEFT HER TO ROT AWAY THERE, THINKING THAT I ABANDONED HER!"

He felt every muscle in his body tense, begging to lash out and fight. Pearl's eyes were wide with terror as she looked up at him. His vision was washed in pink as he snarled, finally understanding. "SHE LOVED ME MORE THAN YOU EVER COULD, AND INSTEAD OF MAKING A CHANGE, YOU TRIED TO DESTROY HER. YOU DESTROYED ME! YOUR DIAMOND!"

Both Pearl and Amethyst looked stunned at that point, looking up into his flaming, diamond-split eyes. He was vaguely aware that he had gotten taller, but he was far too overwhelmed to care. Rage seared through his entire form, melting away any lingering effects of the rejuvenation and restoring him to his true form. Every inch of his body trembled with overwhelming power, more potent than anything he'd ever experienced, even in fusion.

Fusion. Pink Tourmaline.

He brought himself up to his full height, channeling every last ounce of malice into his voice. "I never loved you, Pearl. You cheated. You thought that, since you lost, you could just restart, dispose of the competition, and I'd be yours. You were wrong."

In the dimming light of the sunset, his skin cast a pink glow against the sand and the petrified faces of his family. Could he even call Pearl his family anymore?

"Steven…" Her voice was faint through the rushing in his ears. "You're talking about Pink, not you. Whatever Spinel told you-"

"She didn't tell me anything, I AM PINK DIAMOND!" His scream sent loose rocks tumbling down the cliffside. "All that Spinel did was help me reverse what YOU did to me, and now she knows what happened, too! She wanted to shatter you for what you did, and I was stupid enough to stop her!"

Pearl flinched back at that, her hands flying to clap over her mouth. Amethyst was a blot at the edge of his vision, as silent and still as a stone. Obviously she was out of her depth, and the safest bet was for her to distance herself from the impending fight.

Pearl was frozen in place as he stepped up, forcing her to crane her neck to see his face. "For the last time, Pearl, where is Spinel? Is she in there?" He asked, pointing to the house.

Her hands dropped from her jaw to her throat, clutching at it anxiously while her mouth pulled back in fear. She shook her head, her eyes welling with tears.

Steven growled, "Then where…?"

There was not an ounce of remorse in her eyes, no apology for him or Spinel, just fear.

In the face of her misdeeds being laid out before her, Pearl had the audacity to look afraid.

The last puzzle piece clicked in place, and the torrent in his mind went quiet.

He felt the memory more than he saw it. His own heart shattered right alongside Spinel's, then.

Cold washed through him, numbing him to his bones. He didn't feel his mouth move as he spoke.

"You…shattered her." His voice was cool and steady, a statement rather than a question.

Pearl must've known that it was over for her, then. With the last ounce of bravery she could muster, she choked out, "She deserved it."

His knees hit the sand.

For a moment, he thought he would die. His breath refused to flow, and his mind swam so violently that he was thrown forward onto his hands, staring down at Pearl's feet. Time stopped, the scene in front of his eyes burning itself into his memory forever.

Then, an explosion.

His loss and rage erupted from him, rushing in a deafening cry that reverberated off of the cliffside, urging the waves of the ocean to crash backwards, away from the epicenter that was his grief. The very ground beneath him rumbled and broke, sending sand flying in a wide arc.

His voice was unrecognizable as it tore his home apart. Chunks of the cliff cracked and broke away, crashing against the beach and demolishing the place where he'd grown up.

It meant nothing to him.

Every fiber of his being was numb with the vibrato of his scream, rumbling in his chest so violently that he knew he shouldn't have survived. He didn't want to. He sank into the ground, further down into the crater he was creating.

He couldn't piece together a coherent thought in the vast sea of feeling he was drowning in. A loss so great, a guilt so agonizing, and above all a fury so palpable, consumed him so completely that, in that moment, he no longer existed. He burned alive, succumbing entirely to his pain.

He burned, and the earth burned beneath him.

…

A few miles away, Ruby and Sapphire crashed into the floor, thrown apart by the shock of a sonic boom. Seconds later, the ground under Little Homeworld shook violently and gems flooded the streets, dodging falling debris from the sudden earthquake.

Outside, where smoke filled the sky, a voice presided over the tumult. Ruby felt her heart break in sympathy for the owner of the voice, who cried out in such immense agony that the entirety of the town was moved to silence.

Lapis, Bismuth, and Peridot crashed through the front door of the observatory, sprinting towards the warp. Ruby's hand was snatched up in a satin gloved one, and she was dragged along as Sapphire flew after them.

"Stop! It's not safe!" Sapphire cried as the trio stepped up to warp, the desperation evident in her tone.

Luckily, they listened. They didn't ask any further questions, taking off towards the beach in another breath. Lapis carried Bismuth by her hands while Peridot soared through the sky on her trash can lid, and soon the group was a small blot flying over Beach City, headed directly for Steven's house.

Ruby shouted over the din, hoping that Sapphire could somehow hear her, "WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Sapphire pulled her against her side, dodging a falling bit of plaster. Her voice spoke against Ruby's ear, smooth and sharp. "Something big."

…

The car bucked beneath them, struggling to keep its tread on the trembling road. Connie shouted something to her mom in the driver's seat, but her voice was completely drowned out by his.

She'd know that voice anywhere.

She'd know his voice in a crowd of a million, and she'd never heard him in such pain. Tears were streaming freely down her cheeks by the time her mom parked the car, safely on the opposite side of the cliff. As she clicked her door open, the scream abruptly ceased, leaving a hollow ringing in her ears.

She was off in a blast, nearly tripping over herself as she ran through the sand. Her shoes cut through the stirred-up sediment, slowing her down immensely. His house finally came within view, and she had to stop herself from falling flat on her face in shock. Grief threatened to overtake her, but she continued on, unwilling to give up.

Despite the sinking feeling in her gut, she staggered over to the smoking, burned pit in the middle of the beach, and looked down.

It was empty.

Her knees hit the sand.

She knew, without a doubt, that he was gone. She had left him, and now he was gone.

Again.

…

Author's Note: This was a monster of a chapter to write, I hope it makes up for how long it took to upload :P

I'm changing the title of this story (maybe now, maybe when it's finished). 'The End of Your Story' is just a working title that I feel doesn't really fit anymore. I'm probably going to pick some angsty song lyrics or something, but we'll see. As always, thank you for reading (and putting up with my antics). :)