Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

If there was one thing Emerald liked about mornings it was the quiet, that feeling when the daytime world was only just waking up and the sounds of the crickets outside were replaced with silence and ocean waves.

Her breath was her only companion in the quiet as she looked out the window, slowly stretching out her arms and back. 

She had always had a habit of tensing more than most gems, and even if she wasn’t organic, it certainly didn’t feel good long-term, and stretching helped at times.

After a few moments she took a deep breath, before hearing a small pattering of paws on wood.

Emerald couldn’t help but smile as she glanced back, seeing that both of the cats had decided to join her this morning. 

Over the years they had grown, Ella becoming larger and fluffier than Cat Steven as the two of them reached full size.

“ Good morning. ” She murmured, giving Ella head scratches when she came over.

After setting out some food for them Emerald checked the fridge, and sure enough, just like Garnet had said last night, Steven had forgotten to make himself something for lunch.

She had to stand on her toes to reach the bread, checking to make sure it was still edible before turning back to the counter.

. . .

It wasn’t long before the temple door opened, Pearl coming out from whatever mysterious section of the temple she had been tending to that night.

She seemed to walk with intent and purpose, drifting closer to Emerald to look over her shoulder for a brief moment.

“… Can I? ” She asked, gesturing her intent. Emerald glanced back, flush on her cheeks as she smiled softly.

“As long as you don't distract me.”

Pearl was gentle as she wrapped her arms around Emerald’s waist, careful not to hold her too tight. She leaned over to press a gentle kiss to her cheek, and Emerald smiled softly.

“ Did you end up sleeping? ” Pearl murmured close to her ear, and while Emerald didn’t look back, she frowned down the sandwich she was making. 

“ …No .”

“ Emerald… ” Pearl started, and Emerald sighed.

“-I know, I’m pushing it a bit. I just… don't feel like I want to.” She said, and Pearl could feel her tense slightly.

Pearl opened her mouth to protest, but found herself interrupted when Steven came running down the stairs.

The two gems looked up, watching him rush over and grab a slice of bread. He stuffed it into his mouth before grabbing his planner off the table and making a mad dash for the door.

“I’m going to be late for the meeting!” He called back in explanation, and Emerald felt as Pearl slowly let go. “Take the warp!” She called, and Steven skidded to a stop right before opening the door.

“Good plan!” he said, muffled by the bread, turning on his heel before running to the warp.

“Steven!” Emerald called, before throwing a plastic bag with the sandwich in it across the room. He opened his bag, catching it inside. He then took the slice of bread out of his mouth, taking a bite.

“ Thanks, Emerald! See you guys later !” He called with a wave, before warping away.

Emerald washed her hands, hearing someone come out of the temple as she dried them off. Garnet had arrived, leaning against the side wall.

“Morning.” She commented, and Garnet was quick to respond.

“-Granite would be welcome.”

“What?” Pearl asked as Emerald looked back, but Garnet merely walked over to the warp and warped away.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, before Emerald shrugged lightly.

. . .

The two of them warped to Little Homeworld together like always, a pleasant walk with little company.

The streets were bustling with gems going about their morning, humans sprinkled throughout.

As they came upon Bismuth’s forge Pearl gave Emerald’s had a quick squeeze, before slowly letting go. “I’ll come by after Human Technology.”

Emerald nodded, leaning in for a quick kiss before Pearl pulled away. Pearl flushed, a bright smile on her face. “… I’ll see you later, then. ”

. . .

Emerald understood why Bismuth liked the forge, a calm warmth in the air as she went into the brick building. There was something about it that made heat-withstanding gems like them feel alive , rather than suffocated.

“Nothin’ like a hot forge in the morning, ey?” Bismuth commented, nudging Emerald's arm with a smile. Emerald chuckled, a smile growing on her own face as she echoed the statement.

“-Nothing like it!”

Bismuth gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, before turning to the rest of the room. “Alright class, today we’re continuing work on the wedding armor! You guys know what to do by now! Ask me for help if ‘ya need it.”

The class dispersed to grab their pieces, Emerald herself picking up the pauldron. It was smaller compared to what some others were working with, but she liked it that way. It made it easier when she didn’t come to class as consistently as the others, and it gave her a chance to work with the finer details.

. . .

After a while of working Emerald looked up, spotting Bismuth across the room observing everyone.

“ Bismuth .” She called gently, and the gem smiled.

“-Let me take a look.”

Emerald handed over the pauldron when she came over, letting Bismuth inspect her metalwork. After a moment Bismuth nodded to herself, handing it back. “-Looks like you’re ready!”

“Do you have a sketch?” She asked, and Emerald pulled the small piece of paper out of her pocket. Bismuth gave it a once over, smiling as she read the simple phrase.

“ Cute .” She commented, handing back the paper. “Everything you should need is over there.”

Emerald nodded, heading across the room to decide how she wanted to engrave her piece. Bismuth taught them to sign their metalwork, and since this armor set wasn’t going to anyone in particular, they could engrave small messages of their own within.

. . .

Emerald leaned on her elbow as she watched the baseball game from a distance, seeing Centi blow the whistle against one of the other nephrites when she threw the ball too hard and hit the wrong gem.

Part of her wanted to join, but the rest of her knew better. Sure, she’d picked up quite a few interests and hobbies that involved running, she didn’t want to throw herself into something she wasn’t ready for.

She glanced up when she heard a small thump a couple feet away, seeing a human sit down next to their bag. The human’s hair was orange and frizzy, tied back in a braid.

“ Are you sitting out too? ” They asked in a small voice, holding their bag close. Emerald nodded, looking back out to the baseball game for a few moments. 

“ …they play a bit too rough for me. ”

The human sighed, looking out as well. “ …me too. ”

Despite herself Emerald felt a slight smile on her face, looking back toward the human. “ …Emerald .” She said softly, nodding to them.

“Jane.” The human said in turn, adjusting her glasses in a way that reminded Emerald of Peridot. 

. . .

Emerald let her mind wander as she walked towards the center of Little Homeworld, wondering what Amethyst had planned. When she spotted the group of gems gathering, she noticed Biggs had already arrived.

“How was your morning?” She asked, and the Quartz sighed.

“ Busy .”

Emerald couldn’t help but smile at that, about to tell her she was feeling similarly when Amethyst spoke.

“Hello, I’m professor Amethyst.”

Before she could say anything else another gem sat down, and Emerald caught a glimpse of Steven waving goodbye before heading off to his next task.

“Go on, take a seat wherever.”

When she looked back Emerald noticed Amethyst had shapeshifted some glasses, most likely in an attempt to look more professional.

“I’ll be teaching-“ she started, flipping up to her hand drawn sign and pointing at it with a stick. “-How to decide stuff for yourself 101.”

“Today’s lesson is, there is no lesson. Just do whatever you want for an hour!” She said, setting her hands on her hips.

“Welp, I’m gonna take a lunch break! You wanna come?” She asked, watching as the gems began to stand up.

“Well, I was going to open up the library.” Emerald responded, finishing dusting herself off and grabbing her bag.

“Alright! If anyone asks, I’ll let ‘em know.” Amethyst said, before heading off to the boardwalk.

“Biggs? You wanna come?” Emerald asked behind her.

“I wasn’t expecting to be open ‘till later!” Biggs said, and Emerald shrugged. “-Yeah, I’ll join up!”

. . .

Biggs got to work on reshelving the books returned in the last day or so, and Emerald took her spot at the desk. A few gems came by at a time, most excited to see they were open during the school day.

At one point a green pearl came in, looking around hesitantly. Eventually she noticed Emerald, speaking in a shy voice as she held her bag close.

“ Do you… have any books on meep-morps? ” She asked, and Emerald nodded.

“English or Gem Glyph?”

“ …gem glyph. ”

Emerald nodded once more, before getting out of her chair. “-Right this way!”

. . .

When Pearl came in the library was relatively quiet, a Citrine looking through a book to her left being the only gem besides Biggs in view.

Biggs herself sat behind the desk, leaning back as she seemed to be soaking in the quiet. She glanced over, but didn’t pay much attention to her.

“Has it been busy today?” Pearl asked, and Biggs shrugged.

“Not really.”

“I think I’ll take this one home to read.” Citrine said, holding up her choice. “I’ll let you go home.”

“Let me write that down for you.” Biggs said, moving to sit properly in her chair as she grabbed a logbook from under the desk.

. . .

“I’m heading out!” Biggs called to the back as she headed towards the door, and Emerald leaned out from behind a shelf to wave her goodbye.

“See you tomorrow!” She said cheerily, although she sounded a bit rushed. Then she disappeared again, and Pearl wished Biggs a good night before heading back to check on her.

Emerald seemed to be going a thousand miles a minute, going back and forth putting books away and checking and grabbing things she wanted to take with her.

“ Hmm… closing early?” Pearl asked, and Emerald didn’t stop to answer as she continued to buzz about.

“ Mhm !”

“Do you perhaps have any classes planned for this evening?”

That seemed to be the thing to make Emerald pause, as she finished setting a book away before turning to face Pearl directly. “No.” She said simply, and Pearl smiled.

“Me neither!” She said cheerily, before her smile turned a bit mischevious.  “-Should we drop in to Garnet’s fusion class?”

“Shouldn’t we ask her first?” Emerald asked, leaning against the bookshelf. Pearl’s smile didn’t waver though, as casual as ever.

“Considering what she said earlier, I think she already knows.”

Emerald chuckled under her breath, realizing that for once, something Garnet had done made perfect sense.

“ Sure .” She said, smiling brightly.

Pearl came in closer and wrapped her arms around Emerald's waist, but just before she could kiss her Emerald held a finger to her lips. She pushed Pearl back gently, a mischievous smile on her face. 

“- once I finish cleaning up.”

. . .

Garnet looked out at the view of Little Homeworld from the tower, feeling the wind press against her hair.

She waited patiently, knowing the futures were coming to a crossroads. It was a small one, sure, but one nonetheless. It was then she heard the soft footsteps behind her, and she knew what direction the paths had gone.

“I had a feeling you’d show up.” She said, chuckling under her breath.

Granite scoffed behind her, and when Garnet looked back, Granite was rolling her eyes from where she leaned against the doorway.

“A feeling .” Her fellow fusion teased, and Garnet only smiled more.

“Fine, It was future vision.” She said, turning to lean back on the wall as her hands lifted in surrender.

. . .

Granite took a spot beside Topaz in the front row, giving a polite nod before looking towards Garnet. Once everyone who was coming had arrived, Garnet drew their attention to explain the day’s lesson.

“Today we’re going to try some meditation.”

Granite gained tight feeling in her chest seemingly out of nowhere upon Garnet’s words, and before she could question it a part of her whispered from within.

This was a bad day to come.  

It’s okay. another part murmured, and Granite forced herself to take a deep breath.

When she turned her wrist over to put her hands in the right spot, there was a fluttering white butterfly resting over the scar on the inside of her wrist. She jumped slightly, but in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

“ Why didn’t you tell me? ” She murmured under her breath, but it wasn’t her words. “… I didn’t want you to worry. ”

. . .

“Close your eyes.”

Garnet left one eye open as everyone did just that, eyes fluttering closed all around.

All but for one.

Everyone’s eyes shut, but not Granite’s. The other fusion was looking down and away from Garnet, her hands nervously clenching in her lap.

She glanced up at her with a strained look, and Garnet nodded slowly as if to tell Emerald and Pearl within Granite that she wouldn’t let anything hurt them.

Emerald had been far more stressed about Pearl’s safety as well as her own since the Spinel incident, and Pearl was a natural worrier, so Garnet wasn’t surprised to see their vigilance showing through their fusion.

“ Breathe .” She murmured, quiet as to not disturb the others. After a moment she offered her hand, knowing it would make her feel better. After a few quiet moments, Granite reached out slowly.

“ In… out. ”

Sapphire’s gem was cold and real in her palm, and Granite turned their hands so she could lace their fingers together. She managed to shut her eyes, breathing in rhythm with the others while holding onto Garnet like a lifeline to reality.

Being prone in open spaces always made her nervous, something she knew came from her components. She didn’t know how it worked, only that Emerald and Pearl’s anxiety tended to mix together and show through.

“ You are all safe here. ” Garnet murmured. “ You are all loved . ”

“ Everything negative… all just thoughts at this moment. ”

She squeezed Granite's hand lightly, as gentle as one could be. “ We can watch them go by together. ”

Granite let out a long exhale, and she could almost feel the fluttering of butterflies flying away with the end of an inner conversation.

. . .

The two of them stayed behind while others left to go to night classes or go home, looking out to where the moon was visible through the clouds as the sun set behind them.

“… Thank you. ” Granite murmured, and Garnet smiled.

“I think it’s about time we head home.” She said in return, always one to be punctual. Granite stretched out her arms, letting out a long sigh.

“I think I’m gonna head out early.” She said, raising an eyebrow at Garnet as she whispered her next words like a secret. “… She’s Tired. ”

. . .

Emerald melted into Garnet’s embrace as soon as they unfused, enjoying the feeling of Ruby’s warm gem against her back. She made a small humming noise, holding onto the fusion just a bit tighter.

“…Emerald?” Garnet asked after a moment, and Emerald opened one eye.

“ Hm ?” She asked simply, suddenly feeling too tired for proper words.

“When was the last time you slept?”

“ Like… a month ago? ” Emerald mumbled back, leaning her forehead against Garnet’s chest. “- Why ?”

“You’re tired.”

Emerald found she couldn’t deny it, as it was most likely as obvious to them as it was to her that her lack of rest was getting to her.

“ …yeah .”

. . .

When they got home Emerald took the opportunity to sit down, Garnet going into the temple since Pearl had the situation under control. She rested her elbow against the counter, watching as Pearl double checked that the house was tidy after the day.

Both of them glanced over when the door opened, seeing Steven trudge in. He moved towards the stairs like a robot, looking as though he’d fallen in a bush as twigs and leaves were visible in his hair.

“Steven?” Pearl called, and he paused. “Where have you been all day?”

Steven shrugged, sounding tired. “ Nowhere .”

Pearl wanted to ask further, but Steven walked himself up to bed. She turned her attention back to Emerald, who looked like she was trying very hard not to fall asleep at the counter.

. . .

Emerald flopped onto their bed, mumbling something Pearl didn’t catch as she smushed her face into a pillow.

“What was that?” Pearl asked, unable to help the smile on her face. Emerald tilted her head, still looking profoundly exhausted. Her eyes remained closed as she spoke, the bags underneath visible.

“ I hate sleeping. ” She muttered, and Pearl reached forward to gently touch Emerald’s arm.

“ I know. ”

Pearl slipped the jacket off her shoulders, draping it over Emerald’s back. Emerald smiled, before there was a small flash of light. When the light faded, Pearl could see her sweater was gone.

Emerald moved onto her side so she could put her arm through the sleeve, before repeating the action on the other side. Once it was on she tucked her arms into her chest, inhaling the scent of strawberries.

Her eyes opened slowly, the light casting small shadows around her nose as the lights dimmed. She turned her hand over, reaching out gently.

When Pearl took her hand Emerald pulled her closer, wrapping her arm behind Pearl’s neck to press a kiss to her lips.

Pearl chuckled under her breath as they pulled away, feeling her cheeks flush as she moved to tuck a bit of Emerald’s hair behind her ear. “ …You need to rest. ”

“ Kissing is better. ”

Pearl leaned down to press a kiss to Emerald’s cheek, the soft smile not leaving her face. She adjusted herself to lay down next to her, once more combing her fingers lightly through green hair.

“ We can kiss all you want tomorrow. ” She promised, seeing as Emerald’s cheeks flushed. Emerald smiled slightly, her eyes drifting shut as she leaned into Pearl’s touch.

“ …Alright .”

Chapter Text

Steven nodded to himself as he walked, making sure he had done everything on his mental checklist for the morning.

He was so lost in thought he almost missed Amethyst calling his name.

“ Steven !” She shouted from across the street, running toward him when he looked up. “Hey, Steven! Wanna grab some lunch?”

Steven smiled, his checklist forgotten for the moment.

“Sure.”

. . .

“This school thing is such a cool idea. I love being a teacher.” Amethyst said, looking down at her soda. “No one’s ever looked up to me before, y'know?"

Then she smiled, mussing up Steven’s hair. “-Except for widdle baby Steven !”

Steven laughed, trying to shoo her hand away. Eventually Amethyst stopped, sighing as she leaned back against the bench. “Seriously dude, it’s been going great. Everyone wants to come and learn how to be an earthling.”

At that Steven looked away, his smile becoming a tight frown. “Yeah… not everyone .”

Realizing who he meant, Amethyst scoffed. “ Man , forget her.”

“I just… I don’t understand any of it, sometimes.” He said, looking back up. “All of this was to try to heal some of the bad things the diamonds did. Knowing that there’s gems out there still hurting, because of the diamonds… and my mom… ”

Jasper was an anomaly, the only gem he’d ever met to seem to actually enjoy the pain from others. He wanted to understand why she was like that, even if no one else seemed to.

“I-I know it’s not my fault, but… if I can make it better… shouldn’t I try?”

“ Listen Steven.” Amethyst said seriously, pointing at him while keeping her hold on her soda. “She hurt Lapis and Emerald. That’s all there is to it!”

“Didn’t you call her ‘sis’ once?” He countered, and Amethyst scoffed once more.

“-Consider her disowned after that stunt she pulled in the woods last year.” She said, and Steven felt a bit of guilt weigh in his chest. “ Look . You said there are still gems hurting because of the diamonds. But what about Emerald ? That wasn’t the diamonds , dude, that was Jasper. ”

Steven sighed, his shoulders sinking. “I just… I don’t know how to feel .”

Amethyst seemed to soften at that, her tone becoming a bit gentler. “You’re just confused. I get it. But you need to stop thinking that she’s changed, or can change at all .”

“- You should stop trying to fix everyone .” She added, crossing one leg over the other and taking a long sip of her soda.

“ Yeah… ” Steven said weakly, looking down and away. “ …you’re right. ”

. . .

Everyone can change.

White and the other Diamonds had done some terrible things before, but they were trying to change. So why wouldn’t Jasper try ?

He knew that Lapis and Emerald - justifiably - never wanted to talk to her again, but wouldn’t an apology be at least the smallest compensation for what she did?

The forest path was clear and green, just the same as the last time he saw it. That had been years ago by now, when he had gone with Amethyst to find Jasper. She had wanted to go by herself, but Steven knew she wouldn’t make any brash decisions if he went with her.

He saw as he reached a man-made clearing, the trees and grass torn up and broken as there were various rocks jutting up from the ground. A kind of cave or shelter seemed to have been made out of various rock slabs, or possibly just moved in to.

“ Hold it. ” A voice snarled just as he crossed the threshold from grass to stone and dirt, and Steven stopped in his tracks.

His gaze directed to the gem sitting on top of the structure, canvas draped around her like a cowl. After a moment she stood, throwing it off, and Steven fekt a small pit grow in his stomach.

Jasper .

“What do you want now ?” Jasper snarled.

Steven found his words after a few moments of staring, managing to say what he had come here to. “-I just want to talk!”

Jasper jumped down from the stone, sneering as she stared daggers at him.

Steven didn’t quite know how to start this conversation, defaulting to whatever he could think of.

“So, uh… hey .” He said awkwardly, trying to resist the urge to shuffle his feet. “I know it’s been a while since we last, uh… talked.”

Unable to resist looking away he glanced down at the ground, seeing a small beetle crawling across the stone.

“Aw, look, it’s a little-“

Before he could get any farther, Jasper stepped on it.

“Why would you do that!?” He protested, and Jasper shrugged firmly. “Any Earthling that steps into my space gets crushed.”

“-Took forever to yank those stupid green earthlings out of the ground.” She added, and Steven looked around at the dirt surrounding them. Jasper scoffed, grumbling under her breath. “- What a stupid color. ”

“You mean… grass ?” He asked in reference to the ‘Earthlings’ and Jasper frowned.

“I don’t know their names .” She protested, walking back toward the cave.

“So… what’s with the rocks?” Steven asked, following suit as they passed a large pile of stacked boulders.

“Training.” Jasper replied simply.

Training for what ?

Steven scratched the back of his neck, trying not to feel so awkward . “-I just… thought you might be getting into art. I mean… It looks nice. Compliments the decor.”

At that comment Jasper kicked over the pile, the frown not leaving her face.

“ Okay… ” Steven mumbled awkwardly, before trying to redirect. “-What are you even training for? There’s no one left to fight.

Jasper whipped around, a sneer on her face. “-There’s always someone left to fight.”  She growled, grumbling under her breath. “ There’s just… ”

She paused for only a moment, just enough to be noticeable while not enough for Steven to comment “ -no one left worth fighting. ”

“In that case… maybe you could-“ Steven started, but he was prompt cut off.

“ No .”

“ What ?” Steven asked, and Jasper rolled her eyes.

She crossed her arms, a level look on her face. “I told you last time. I’m not apologizing.”

“But-“

“Lazuli would shatter me on sight anyways.” She said with a shrug, before turning back toward the cave. Steven grumbled, starting to feel impatient with her attitude.

“-You could at least try .” He said, gesturing out in the general direction of the fields. “Most of the gems in Little Homeworld fought in the war before they were corrupted. Some have done bad things too, but they're working on it! ”

“ So? ” Jasper asked, shrugging again. “Who cares ?”

“ I do !” Steven protested. “And if I didn’t care, you’d still be a monster too!”

“Then what ? Now I owe you!?” Jasper shot back, growling as her fingers twitched at her sides. “You think because you did something I never asked for, I’m going to obey you? Like all the other gems you’ve used .”

“uggghh! I only came here because I felt bad for you!”

“-but all of this is your own fault!”

“All the other gems were corrupted by the diamonds, but you corrupted yourself just to win a fight! Against me !”

Jasper scoffed, though there was a smirk on the edge of her lips. “ All the other gems, huh?” She asked, her demeanor shifting.

“ Huh ?” Steven asked, watching as Jasper came closer. She crossed her arms once more, towering over him now as she looked down with an expression halfway between a grin and disgust .

“Is that what happened to your little pet ?” 

“Wh-?“ Steven started to ask, before realizing exactly what she meant. “- no .”

“…Emerald’s not a pet .” He said after a moment, and one of Jasper’s eyebrows lifted.

“ Who ?” She asked, and Steven gained a tight feeling in his chest. “ Emerald . That's… her name.”

Jasper broke into a smile, then a chuckle, then a full on laugh, stepping back as though he’d told the funniest joke in all of recorded history.

“You mean to tell me that thing… is an EMERALD !?” She said, seemingly joyful as she continued to cackle.

Steven held onto his arms, glancing away as he began to feel uncomfortable.

It wasn’t his first time hearing Emerald or one of the other gems be talked about like an object or animal, from both Jasper and others from Homeworld, but it didn’t make it familiar in any sense of the word.

“No one’s making you stay here , all alone , in the middle of nowhere , ready to fight in a war that’s been over for years !” Steven protested, circling back to his original point to try to change the subject.

Jasper stopped laughing, growling under her breath. “Listen, weakling .”

She came closer, pointing at him. “You may have Pink Diamond’s gem, but you are not my Diamond. And I’m not going to take orders from some weak- sappy- useless piece of dirt!”

She stepped back, towering over him with a sneer, “-if you think you’re tough enough to tell me what to do… then fight me and prove it.”

She turned to walk away, seemingly satisfied with the least word. Steven clenched his hands at his sides, realizing that there wasn’t going to be another way to make her listen and talk.

“Fine!”

“ Really ?” Jasper smiled, looking back. Steven nodded, grimacing as he readied his fists. “Well then. How about you throw the first punch?”

. . .

“I don’t need your help !” Jasper growled as she pushed her foot down, Steven catching it before she crushed him. “ You’re the one that needs help !”

Steven struggled to push her foot back, but Jasper didn’t stop. “You think you can beat me -“ she leaned in close, mere inches away from his face. “But you’ve never beaten me on your own! You’ve always been a fusion .”

She said the word with genuine disgust, the anger present in her eyes. “You’ve always had your friends , because you’re nothing without them! You think everyone needs help!”

Steven’s eyes went wide, his hands still pushing back against her foot. There were tears stinging the corners of his eyes, and he started to regret the fight. “ I- I just- ”

“-but it’s only you .” Jasper growled, for once smiling at him. “There’s almost no one as pitiful as you .”

For once Steven felt anger bubbling in his chest, his skin growing warmer as he slowly began to push her back. Eventually he shoved her away, Jasper managing to land as Steven himself came to rest on his feet.

“ Woah… ” He said under his breath, looking at where his skin had turned a soft shade of pink that glowed softly. “…what?”

He balled his hands into fists, forming a small bubble over his left as he looked back toward Jasper.

Suddenly and without warning he rushed forward, seeing the glint in Jasper’s eyes as she prepared for the blow.” IM…NOT… PITIFUL !” He shouted, shoving her as hard as he could.

Jasper shot back and through multiple trees, carving a line through the forest as easily as one would slice butter. She chuckled as she wiped off her cheek.

 “ Not bad. ” She commented, before turning on the offensive as she rushed forward to throw punches at him. Steven dodged every one, kicking her back.

Jasper slid across the dirt, her footing firm. As they raced toward each other Steven caught her punch in his bare hand, the sight making Jasper smile.

“ Nice catch. ” She commented, and Steven grabbed her wrist in both hands.

“ You should see my throw! ”

He threw her into the air, throwing punch after punch as he summoned his shield to use as a platform. Jasper continued laughing , a sound that only served to make him feel more angry .

“ STOP LAUGHING! ” He shouted, pushing her down toward the ground so hard she made a dent. Rocks and debris flew everywhere, snapping Steven out of his anger.

He gasped under his breath, floating back down toward the ground as he watched through the resulting cloud of dirt for any signs of Jasper.

Eventually she pushed herself up and out, shaking her head lightly to remove the rocks within. “ I didn't think you had it in you. ” She commented, her back still to him.

“I don’t-I don’t know what that was.” Steven said quickly, the stress clear in his voice. “I’m sorry.”

Jasper sighed and grumbled under her breath, turning to face him. “Don’t apologize .”

“Maybe… I was wrong. ” Steven said after a few moments, looking down at the ground. “Maybe there’s nothing you can learn from me.” He hesitated for just a moment, taking a deep breath. “Maybe… there’s something I can learn from you.”

Jasper looked at him, genuine curiosity in her eyes joining her ferocity.

“-You brought something out of me I didn’t know I had.” He continued, looking down at his hands. Then he looked up, the seriousness returning to his eyes. “…But we still need to talk.”

“Consider this conversation over .” Jasper growled, before turning around. Just before she started walking though, she paused.

“Oh, and… ”

Then she looked back, a smug grin on her face. “-Tell Emerald I say ‘Hi’.”

. . .

Steven held his hands at his side as he walked, ignoring the leaves and sticks in his hair as he remained lost in thought.

He knew Jasper saw the way he changed upon her final words, his eyes a bit darker; as he tensed a bit upon hearing her use Emerald’s name like it was a joke .

They both knew it was a taunt, a tease of a message he had no plans to deliver. He saw once more how evil Jasper could be to say and do the things she did, but at the same time he believed to have seen a glimpse into someone with the possibility to change. If only she would accept it.

Still, part of him wondered if the reason Jasper acted the way she did was because of the diamonds.

He could easily recall his fight against the robonoids and his time in the kindergartens with Lars and the Off-Colors, and it didn’t take much to realize those robonoids must've been built to hunt off-colors.

Or any gems that found themselves down there.

. . .

When he came inside he had the intention of going to bed unnoticed, a plan that failed when he opened the door and saw Pearl standing in the kitchen. Emerald was seated at the counter, leaning her head on her hands as she watched Pearl clean.

“You mean to tell me that thing… is an Emerald !?”

Steven looked away from them, looking down at the floor in an attempt to settle the unease in his chest as he moved toward the stairs. However, as soon as he set foot on the steps, he heard a voice behind him.

“ Steven ?” Pearl called, and he stopped in his tracks. “Where have you been all day?”

He sighed, not looking back. He really didn’t want to explain where he’d gone and have Pearl fuss over him, let alone the fact that he knew that just hearing Jasper’s name made Emerald uneasy.

He figured there was no reason to bother them with it, considering Jasper didn’t seem to be planning anything besides brooding by herself anyway.

“ …nowhere .”

Chapter Text

It wasn’t often the library had slow days, when only a few gems would come in and Emerald and Biggs got a chance to relax. When they did the two of them would talk, or read, or make sure the library was well upkept.

It was calming for them both, to have days where the stress was almost nonexistent.

So far today there had only been a few gems that left quickly after, leaving the two of them alone. Biggs took to double checking the returned books while Emerald read at the desk, existing in their own space while enjoying the other’s company.

. . .

When she heard footsteps and the door opening Emerald smiled, setting her book down so she could give the new customer her attention.

“Hello- oh !”

Upon seeing their visitor she nearly jumped , her hand slipping as her book fell off the desk with a loud thump .

“I- sorry -“

She scrambled to pick it back up, mumbling more apologies under her breath as she failed to hide her own nervousness. “- What are you doing here? ” She asked quickly as she held it tight, unable to look her counterpart in the eye.

Biggs peeked out from where she was reshelving to look, not knowing how to respond but ready to act if need be. 

“Captain Lars said I should bring a negotiative offering.” Emerald Facet Three said, summoning a few holo-pads from the gem over her eye. She set them firmly on the desk, before setting her hand down next to them.

Emerald glanced briefly at them, before meeting her eye.

“These are some of my logs from missions for our old Diamond in the star systems around Homeworld.” Facet three said, her eye contact firm and serious as it felt like a kind of challenge . “He told me you were starting an archive, and I hoped these would suffice.”

“ …What is it you want from me? ” Emerald asked carefully, recognizing that she wasn’t here to bring gifts, but to trade.

Facet Three seemed to hesitate for a moment, before seemingly deciding on her words. “I’d like to… talk… to you… if you’re willing.”

Emerald sighed under her breath, glancing once more at the knowledge she’d been offered. She found that there was a profound ache in her chest, the part of her that did want to know the life the logs contained.

“ …Alright .” She murmured, holding her book to her chest. “Biggs?” She called, not breaking eye contact with the gem standing over her.

“ Yea ?” Biggs called, and Emerald forced herself to take deep breaths through her nerves at being in the situation.

“-Can you watch the desk for me?”

“ On it! ” Biggs called back, and Emerald managed to get up and set her book down. She broke eye contact to walk past Facet three, beckoning her to follow with a small hand wave.

The two of them walked into the small back room, a place Emerald had set up that served a few different purposes. They used it for talking, taking a break, and as a place where Emerald herself could go if she felt to be panicking and didn’t want to be out in the open.

It was small without feeling too suffocating, a few cabinets against one wall as the dim lighting showed a set of stools near a small counter.

Emerald pulled one out, sitting down and watching as Facet Three did the same. “What is it you wanted to talk about?” She asked, trying and failing to resist the urge to twiddle her thumbs in her lap to stem her nerves.

“What exactly is it that you do ?” Facet three asked, a question that caught Emerald off guard.

Of all the things to ask about Earth and its inhabitants, why ask about herself ?

“ What ?” She asked, and Facet Three shrugged,

“You’ve never had to command, I take it.” She commented, and Emerald shook her head. Sure , she had watched over the other off-colors during their time in the kindergartens, but that was far from what she would consider commanding . 

“Then what have you been doing all this time?” Three asked, and Emerald felt her chest grow tight. “The thousands of years that everyone thought you were..?”

“ Why ?” She asked seriously, before Facet Three could ask anything else. She’d been working with Amethyst to be more assertive, and she wanted to know why before sharing anything about her life.

“ What ?” Facet Three asked, seemingly surprised by her answer as she frowned. 

Emerald doubled down, clenching her hands tight in her lap with the hope Facet Three wouldn’t see them shaking, “ Why do you deserve to know that?”

“I know what you think of me… What everyone in Yellow Diamond’s old court thinks when they meet me.” She said seriously, taking a tight breath as the words seem to come on their own. “-It’s the same every time. I get asked if or told that I’m supposed to be dead , and when most realize it really is me, I’m met with disdain whenever they have the inconvenience of talking to me again.”

“I am not telling you my reasons for-” Facet Three started, but Emerald cut her off.

“ Then this isn’t worth my time. ”

She forced herself to stand up, feeling smaller than before. She pictured how Garnet would walk away without looking back, attempting to do the same.

Without warning a hand grabbed her wrist from behind, and she was unable to stop the sharp inhale that came as a response where she stood frozen.

“- Because I don’t know what to do with myself. ” Facet Three said behind her, lowering her voice.

Emerald knew if she had a human heart it would be pounding within her chest, the stress combined with her previous anxiety not helping in the slightest.

“ Let go, please. ” She said in a quiet voice, and Facet three did just that before continuing.

“Without piloting and commanding, I feel… forgotten. Cast away.” She said, and Emerald could hear her crossing her arms behind her. “I want to know how you made a life for yourself when Homeworld did the same to you.”

Emerald took a long and deep breath, setting an absentminded hand on her chest as she acknowledged the heavy weight beneath her skin. The words felt strained and broken even as her voice was eerily calm, 

“ I didn’t make this life .” She said, the truthness of it filling her chest with shame. “ I was pulled into it. That’s a good thing, but… I can’t take credit. ”

“These gems gave me a chance to live .” She said, looking up and past the bookshelves as Biggs talked to someone at the desk. She count help but smile a bit, though it didn’t reach her saddened eyes.

The smile turned to a frown as she looked down at the floor again, that same shame refusing to leave her be. “ …something Homeworld didn’t.  

“ I’ve spent a long time being lost… sometimes I still am. ” She looked back, finally meeting facet three’s eye again. “But… I guess the only advice I can give you is that you need to do what makes you feel happy. I can’t decide that for you.”

Facet Three raised her brow, unable to realize at that moment the gravity of the painful truths Emerald had just told her. “What have you been doing?”

Emerald remained quiet and distant for a few long moments, before turning back towards her slowly. There was a bit of hesitance to the movement, as though she’d much rather hide away than be so honest.

“ …surviving .” She said, breaking eye contact to look distantly at the floor again. “Trying to stay alive when everyone else has wanted us shattered.”

“ And… ” She hesitated, looking down at her hands. There she could see a glimpse of the scars on her wrists, knowing how many more there’d be if she looked into a reflective surface.

I even failed at that in the end.  

She wanted to say that last part out loud, but couldn’t bring herself to tell her counterpart about her past shattering. It felt too personal , even when she was already saying so much. 

“ …I’ve come a long way .” She said instead, though that answer felt far more hollow and hopeful than the truth did.

“Does that make you happy?” Facet Three asked.

No.

“What about you? What’s your life been like?” Emerald asked, hoping that Three wouldn’t dig deeper and ask more questions when Emerald was far from willing to talk about the kindergartens with anyone , let alone her .

“Why would you want to know about me ? Everything I’ve earned in my existence means nothing now.” Facet Three protested, and Emerald managed a weak shrug.

“I want to know what Homeworld was like for you .”

What it would’ve been like for me .

“Call it… a trade.” She said, and Facet Three sighed quickly.

“ Fine .” She said, sounding almost bored . The two of them sat back down, and for once Emerald found herself laying even more attention than she had before.

“When I emerged, they showed me to our Diamond.” Facet Three started, and Emerald couldn’t resist interjecting.

“- Your Diamond.”

“ Excuse me?” Facet Three asked with genuine disdain , and Emerald tried to make her words serious again.

“Yellow Diamond decided a long time ago that I wasn’t going to be considered part of her court, so I won’t consider myself such.” She said simply, and Facet Three found she had no comment on that.

“-I was put into command of a few small ships, some of which I ended up repairing myself.” She continued, explaining how just because it could be passed onto the peridots under her command didn’t mean she wanted it to be.

She explained how she traveled the universe, only returning when needed or for officer’s balls held every decade or so. Emerald smiled again, leaning her elbow on the table and her head in her hand as she tried to picture what something like that must look like.

Facet Three continued by saying she found those parties uneventful, until ‘Captain Lars’ and the off-colors stole one of her best ships from under the noses of the less than a hundred Citrines watching it.

At that Emerald couldn’t help but smile even more, picturing her family’s daring escape with the ship that carried them to a new life in a way that led to adventure rather than hurt.

. . .

When they were done the two of them sat for a few more moments, and Emerald couldn’t help but ask “Where are you going to go?”

Three paused for a moment, shrugging lightly. “I think I’m going to return back to the stars. It feels… freeing , almost.”

“I understand what you mean.” Emerald said with a smile, and she really did. “That’s how I feel about earth.”

“ Emerald ?” A voice called suddenly from the front, the two of looking up in unison as Emerald smiled while Facet Three just looked confused.

“I’m back here!” She called, before she began to get up and push her stool under the counter again. Facet Three followed suit, before saying something Emerald could’ve never predicted.

“ …thank you. ”

“-For talking with me.” Facet Three added quickly, and Emerald smiled.

“Thank you too.”

. . .

Pearl had just about reached the back room when the two gems emerged from it, and upon seeing them she froze in her tracks.

The gem that stood before her was a lot paler than Emerald was, standing taller than them both as she looked just a bit taller than Garnet. Still, from the decoration of her form to the facets of the gem over her eye, the gem that stood before her was unmistakable.

“It was nice talking to you…” Emerald started as she appeared as well, but trailing off as she realized she had no idea what to call her taller counterpart.

“ Three .” The gem said simply.

“-And tell Lars of the Stars and his crew to stop calling me by your facet.” She added quickly, a bit of bite to her words.

She walked past Pearl without another glance, Pearl herself unable to resist turning to watch her go.

“ Was that..? ” She asked under her breath, and Emerald was quick to respond.

“ Yeah .” She said simply, although there seemed to be tears on the edge of her voice. “ We’ve only talked once before but… ”

She chuckled breathlessly, and when Pearl looked over, Emerald was wiping a few tears out of her eyes as she smiled.

When she spoke her voice was full of hope and happiness, and Pear couldn’t help but smile as well.

“… I don’t think she hates me anymore. ”

Chapter Text

“Hey, ‘Em?”

Emerald looked up from her book, a nice collection of fairytales Lars had given her during a yard sale not long ago. She planned on sitting and reading for the day, while Steven and Amethyst went to visit the humans they'd met at Pink Diamond's zoo.

“Yeah?” She asked, setting it down on the table. Amethyst leaned against the banister of the stairs, casual as ever.

“Some of the humans in the zoo mentioned wanting to learn to read last time I was there, and I thought you might be able to help.”

“Why not Pearl?” Emerald asked, smiling gently. “She knows more than I do.”

“She’s always busy.” Amethyst commented, shrugging. “Besides, I want you to come meet the fam! There’s even a few off-colors.”

At that, Emerald paused. She hadn’t met many off-colors before outside of the others, only a few that had been living in Little Homeworld since their return.

She thought for a moment about what she might need to teach the humans, before standing up with a nod.

“Okay.”

. . .

Emerald was quiet on the walk to the zoo, mainly listening as Amethyst and Steven talked about Rose’s painting. Steven had been thinking of a new place to put it, citing he didn’t want her hanging over all of them anymore.

The hallways around them were bright and warm, welcoming in a way that she’d hardly seen on ships before.

Eventually they came to a metal door, easily opened with the press of a hand.

The Zoo was like an oasis, everything a human would need to survive seemingly provided. There was an odd sense of artificiality to the place, but it seemed the humans were already working on changing that.

Colorful lights hung all around, humans and gems alike drinking from cups with little umbrellas.

Amethyst ran off to find someone, while Emerald looked around to see if there was a spot she could set up camp to teach. It would be easier than trying to follow around the humans who wanted to learn, while making sure she didn’t get lost.

Steven went over to briefly talk to a gem, before one of the humans pulled him aside.

. . .

“Hey ‘Em!” Amethyst called after a few minutes, and Emerald turned to look. “These were the gems I wanted you to meet!”

Following her were two gems One was red, looking similar to Amethyst herself, built stout and strong.

The other one made Emerald pause, tensing slightly.

She’d met a few other gems from Biggs’ kindergarten by now, but none bore quite so close a rebalance to Jasper than this one did, but for one key difference.

She was clearly off-color, a bit taller than Emerald but built similarly small.

As they came closer the Jasper nodded a greeting, and Emerald quickly nodded back.

“Hey. I’m Skinny.” She said casually, before tilting her head in the direction of her companion.“-And that's Carnelian.”

Emerald did her best to smile without looking anxious, grateful that they didn’t ask for a handshake or something of the sort,

“…Emerald.”

“MORE OFF-COLORS!” Carnealian shouted. She leapt at Emerald, who flinched back. 

Amethyst caught the red gem’s foot with a hand, and she smacked into the ground. When she sat up she looked disoriented, but recovered quickly. She gave Amethyst a look, and Amethyst rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Not her.” Amethyst said, shrugging.

“ Fiiiine ..” Carnelian said, rolling her eyes. She stood up and brushed herself off, flashing a big smile.

“Sorry!”

Emerald exhaled, forcing herself to relax after the sudden rush of energy as she smiled back. “It’s alright.”

. . .

“Oh, yea! Conga line!”

Amethyst ran off, joining her sisters as Emerald continued looking for a quiet spot. She managed to find one in the small forest, close enough for easy travel while being a bit quieter than the celebratory areas.

When Amethyst came back inside she was by herself, a distant look in her eyes where she held her arm. She only stopped by for a moment, seemingly just wanting to figure out where Emerald had set up camp.

“Are you alright?” Emerald asked, and Amethyst’s response sounded distant.

“ Yeah… it’s nothing. ”

. . .

“This is called a book . Humans on Earth use them to read.” Emerald explained, showing the group of humans that had gathered around how to turn the page. 

She’d already been able to teach them a few small things, hopefully enough that she wouldn’t have to watch over them every second as they used what they knew to attempt reading something small.

She handed out a few of the picture books she’d gotten from Steven and Pearl, making sure she had enough.

There was a sharp tearing of paper where one of the humans handled their book a bit too roughly, but besides a bit of surprise Emerald wasn’t fazed.

“Oh no!” The human said, looking down at it as though they might start crying,

“Don’t worry!” Emerald said quickly, rummaging through her bag. “I had a feeling this would happen.”

She found the small vial, holding it up to see the pink liquid within. She had started carrying around some fountain water for situations just like this, as it was handy to fix all kinds of broken things.

She uncorked it, putting the page in its place before letting a drop of liquid fall on the page. She dabbed it around with the tip of her little finger, hearing the humans excitedly gasp around her as it repaired itself.

“Wow!” One of them exclaimed as she set the vial away. “You can fix hurt like Ste-van!”

“Actually, this is from Steven.” She said, making sure it wouldn’t break where she’d put it. “-Well, his mother at least.”

“What’s a mother? Is that like a little voice?” Another human asked, and Emerald tilted her head.

“A conscience?” She asked, not quite understanding what they meant by a ‘little voice’.

She thought for a moment about what she knew about human mothers, and their place in most human’s lives. “…Well… I don’t have a mother.” She said after a few minutes, trying to answer the best she could.

 “-But my Gunga gives me good advice.”

. . .

As time went by, Holly Blue Agate began to notice that some of the humans had seemingly disappeared. Originally there was to be a whole flock of them sitting on a hill, but now they were just… gone.

“Where are you going?” She asked, having managed to catch one as they flocked toward the small forest.

“We’re learning to…” 

The human paused, as though they didn’t actually know the word they were looking for.

“We’re learning!” Another one butt in as they walked by, and holy frowned.

. . .

It wasn’t long before Amethyst came to check in again, her excitement having returned.

“Come take a break!” She insisted, wanting to show Emerald all the cool things in the Zoo since she hadn’t been there before. “They have a sick pool here!”

“Come on!” She said for what was probably the fourth time and Emerald sighed. She couldn’t help but smile, giving in.

“ Alright .”

. . .

Emerald sat down on the edge of the pool, having rolled up her pant legs so she could dip her feet in the water. She didn’t feel like swimming at the moment, but it was a nice break from teaching.

She couldn’t help but wonder how the others were able to do something so complicated every day, even when she knew they were more than capable of it.

“Look out!” Amethyst called, before cannon balling into the water.

“ Amethyst !” Emerald called, laughing as she was splashed by the resulting wave.

Amethyst playfully stuck her tongue out where she resurfaced, and Emerald put a hand to her chest as she smiled in mock-offence.

“Oh, You’re in for it now.” She said playfully, a devious smile on her face.

“Wh-? OH SH- !”

Amethyst was promptly covered by a wave where Emerald dove into the water, swallowed momentarily by the blue. When she surfaced again Emerald laughed, watching as Amethyst shook her hair out.

“You were right, that was fun.” She said, enjoying the feel of the bright blue water around her.

“ I think I got water up my nose, dude- “ Amethyst said, holding her nose, and the two of them laughed.

. . .

Holly walked around, aimless where she routinely missed the order the reign of the diamonds has brought.

The humans had seemingly returned for the moment, leaping off the rocks and splashing around the pool with the amethysts.

She watched for a few moments, before deciding to move on.

It was then that she spotted them.

That same defective Amethyst was back, but alongside her there was someone new. From her viewpoint Holly could see that the gem was green, but saw hints of other colors where she lifted her hands to squeeze the water out of her long hair.

Where she turned to talk to the Amethyst , Holly could see the gem’s eyes. They were as dark as space itself, pupils glowing green like distant stars.

Holly found herself following her back into the forest as some of the humans followed along, standing and watching from behind a tree as the gem gave them a lesson.

She’d never quite seen a gem like her before.

The only gem she’d heard of with large patches of another color was a Citrine that had emerged with Agate intrusions in her gem. They were an Off-Color, shattered soon after once the Diamond’s got word.

But something felt different about this gem.

She didn’t feel wrong , for whatever reason.

In fact, even if Holly didn’t even know what gem she could possibly be…

…she seemed like she was always meant to be that way.

“Come on holl-lay!” 

Holly nearly jumped as a human spoke cheerily at her, caught off guard by someone who must've noticed her. They were right up in her face in an instant, and Holly quickly tried to regain her composure.

“-Join us!”

“Im quite alright -“ Holly started, feeling crowded as more humans began to come closer as they came through the brush.

“Get your hands off of me!” She called back as they pushed her through the brush, grumbling angrily as she waved them away. The humans shrugged it off, going around her to go sit down in the grass or back away into the small forest.

When Holly looked back again the strange gem was looking right back at her, those eerie eyes feeling to stare right through her. The humans had looked up as well, rectangular objects in most of their hands.

“ Fine .” She grumbled, shrugging off the final human’s hand on her arm. She was careful as she approached the gem, not quite understanding her own sense of unease at the situation.

She was an agate , someone who used to drive fear and obedience…

…so why was she so nervous ?

“ Hello .”

The gem had a gentler voice than she’d been expecting, although Holly Blue didn’t really know what she was expecting in the first place. She sounded polite yet confused, as though the situation was just as awkward for her .

Holly scratched the back of her neck below her gem, feeling silly standing there with flowers on her head. Some of the humans were looking up at her as well, and she felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment as she began to feel rather stared at and awkward for seemingly no reason.

“ ...I want to join. ” She mumbled, looking to the side as she suddenly found it hard to look the strange gem in the eye.

“ Alright !”

When Holly looked back the gem was smiling, seemingly brightening at the idea of her joining in the human’s lesson.

. . .

It felt weird to be sitting on the floor, and Holly tried to listen as the gem explained the basics of something she called ‘reading’. After she’d explained she’d given Holly one of these ‘books’, to practice while she checked in on some of the humans.

She glanced up, seeing as the odd gem pointed out something she called ‘syllables’ to a human, who nodded along. She was gentle where she tapped the page, quiet so she didn’t disrupt anyone else.

After a moment she looked up, once more meeting Holly’s eyes. She said a few words to the human, who nodded, before getting up and coming over.

“ Do you need any help? ” She asked quietly, tilting her head slightly, and even if she wasn’t that close Holly felt tense and crowded for no reason.

“ No .” She grumbled, hunching her shoulders. She was a perfectly competent gem, and rarely in her life had she ever needed help .

The gem shrugged lightly, before moving on to another Human who seemed to be struggling.

Holly tried to focus back on the strange words, annoyed that they weren’t making any sense. She’d never had to learn before outside of her old superior teaching her how to strike fear and order, and never had she had to learn how to ‘read’ .

It was frivolous and unneeded, since gems were built with the ability to understand their language. She supposed the humans were far less readily built, but it was ridiculous to do this as a gem.

It was a while before the gem came back to her again, seemingly checking in. Holly hadn't gotten anywhere in that time, frustrated as ever.

“ Are you sure you don’t need any-? ” The gem started, but Holly was fed up.

“I DON'T NEED YOU BADGERING ME!” She snapped, looking back up. 

It was then she noticed the gem had pulled back, looking at her as her arm was pulled against her chest.

There was a very real fear in her eyes.

Coming from one of the quartzes Holly would shrug off such a look as proper fear of one’s superior, but miraculously, found herself softening this time.

“ Sorry .” She grumbled under her breath as she looked away. The gem slowly relaxed after that, green hands clenching in her lap. 

The humans watched for a few more moments where their attention had been drawn, before most began to slowly return to their books.

“… It’s okay. ”

. . .

“Teach us more!” J-2 said excitedly, and Emerald put a hand to her chest bashfully. It was time for her to pack up, most of the humans and Holly Blue having walked away by now.

“I have to go home!” She protested with a smile, happy to see the humans so excited to learn. “But, I’ll be back again sometime!”

. . .

“Bye, everyone!” The gem called as she and 8XG walked toward the door, waving. The humans excitedly copied the gesture, bubbly after their fun day.

“Come again soon!” One of the Amethysts called, and the gem smiled.

“I’ll try!”

Holly watched as they left, the door shutting behind them. Everyone else began to disperse again, but she continued to stand where she was and stare at it.

She suddenly felt very silly again, as though she’d lost her edge since the diamonds abdicated.

“ …bye .” She murmured, even if it was far too late.

Her moment of peaceful speculation was interrupted by the off-color Jasper, speaking behind her with an air of teasing.

“Pfff, geez Holly. I’ve never seen you apologize to an Off-Color before.” She said, cutting through Holly’s thoughts easily.

It didn’t quite register at first, Holly still looking at the door.

“Hm… An off col- WHAT! ?”

Holly cut herself off as the words fully sink in, her head snapping back to look at them.

“Em’s one of us!” Carnelian said excitedly, and Holly thought about that for a moment

“Em… you can’t possibly mean Emerald .” She said, knowing quite well that that was impossible . “There’s only one of those, and she's hardly that…”

She glanced toward the door again, remembering the odd gem.

“ …interesting .” She added quietly, and behind her Skinny and Carnelian shared a look.

Holly thought back to the one or two interactions she’d had with the captain, rolling her eyes. “-She’s downright obnoxious , in fact.”

. . .

The two of them walked side by side as they headed back to the warp, 

Amethyst peeked over her shapeshifted sunglasses in a way that reminded Emerald of Garnet, careful not to spill the party drinks she had grabbed for herself and Steven.

“You alright?” She asked, noticing that Emerald had become quieter since they left the main room.

Emerald continued to look forward as she spoke, an edge of sadness on her words.

“ …What’s it like, having so many others of your gem type? ”

Amethyst thought back to the first time she’d met the others, welcomed into the fold despite her size as she finally got to meet her kindergardenmates.

“-We’re family, Y'know?" She said eventually, and Emerald glanced down.

“ No .”

“ Huh ?” Amethyst asked, and Emerald continued to look at the floor as she spoke.

“Have I ever told you that I’m the second Emerald ever made?”

“ What !?” Amethyst exclaimed, and Emerald nodded.

“There’s… only ever been three of us.” She said simply. “-At least, that I know of. I presume One is gone, and Three…”

She sighed, remembering the few interactions she’d had with her. “…We don’t always get along that well.”

“It’s okay, Dude.” Amethyst said with a shrug, smiling in a way she hoped was reassuring. “You’re welcome here with us anytime. I’m sure the others would agree!”

Emerald smiled back, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “ …Thanks .”

. . .

When they warped in Steven was standing by the warp, a tired look in his eyes. Amethyst stopped to give him his drink, Emerald pausing to nod a hello out of courtesy.

“How’d it go with..?” Amethyst started, and Emerald swore she glanced briefly at her before looking back at Steven. “… Yknow .”

“ Alright .” He said with a halfhearted shrug, looking down at the drink in his hands as he held it close.

Emerald glanced between them for a moment, before deciding that it wasn’t her moment to intrude upon regardless of what happened.

She continued past them, walking down into the house to give them a chance to talk.

Garnet was sitting on the couch, and before Emerald could ask Garnet pointed toward the temple door.

Emerald nodded her thanks, lightly holding up her hand as she went up to it. She watched as the small earth-gem in the center glowed lightly, the corresponding one on the door doing so as well before it magically slid open.

Emerald was greeted with the soft rush of water as the door closed, walking her way up to their bed as she looked at the dancing lights above.

She spotted Pearl standing on a small pool a mere step away from the edge of the platform, a few items floating in the air as she looked at them.

“ Welcome back. ” She said softly, the sound carrying enough for Emerald to hear the edge of numbness it carried.

Emerald watched her footing as she stepped over the gap, the water rippling slightly under her feet without giving way. 

As she came closer Pearl turned slightly, and Emerald reached to set her hand on the side of Pearl’s face.

“ You look tired. ” She commented, seeing that same exhaustion in Pearl’s eyes as she rubbed her thumb gently across her cheek. “ …Did something happen while we were gone? ”

Pearl looked down and away from her, though she lightly leaned into her touch.

“… Steven brought three Rose Quartzes home for dinner. ” She said softly after a few moments of silence, and Emerald lowered her hand slowly.

“…. Oh .” She said simply, not knowing what else to say in that kind of situation. She’d been told about the bubbled Rose Quartzes the zoo once held, and it was natural to think they’d be back now, but she could understand why it would catch the others off-guard.

“I… I thought I would be more ready for this.” Pearl said, smiling in a way that couldn’t reach her eyes and died soon after. “-but one of them looked like her , and now I’ve spent hours in here thinking about it while trying not to think about it.”

She sighed, a deep and prolonged sound that made Emerald’s heart ache.

“ …I’m sorry I wasn’t here. ” She murmured, setting a gentle hand on Pearl’s arm.

“-How were the zoo’s humans?” Pearl asked quickly before she could say anything else, and Emerald got the sense that she wanted to move on from the subject.

“…Very sweet.” 

She let her hand drift away, stepping back onto the platform to set her bag on a small hook they'd attached to one of the pillars for that purpose. “-I also met one Holly Blue Agate. ”

“Oh really .” Pearl said as she followed behind her, the joy seemingly returning to her voice. Emerald turned briefly, leaning back against the pillar.

“What a confusing gem.” She said, gesturing as she talked. “She stared at me for a while, then came to join the lesson.”

She shrugged at Pearl’s confused look, having no clue why she would do that. “She actually apologized after getting frustrated and snapping at me, and I was thinking this can’t be the same gem that treated Pearl like that .”

Emerald turned back to her bag, making sure everything was in its proper place so she could find them again tomorrow.

“So she’s finally learned her lesson then?” Pearl asked behind her, before quickly explaining herself. “-Amethyst was telling me a while back about how she was still condescending during her last visit.”

“Maybe she just didn’t know who I am.” Emerald said with a shrug.

Pearl chuckled behind her, before Emerald felt slow and gentle arms wrap around her waist from behind. Pearl hugged her close, although there was still a smile in her voice.  

“…You know if she’d treated you anything like she did me she and I would’ve had some problems .”

“I know.” Emerald said with a smile, before letting go of her bag. She turned around in Pearl’s arms, setting her arms around Pearl’s neck for balance.

She carefully threaded her fingers into Pearl’s hair, and Pearl tilted her head a bit to lean into it.

“ Come here, you. ” Emerald said softly, before pulling Pearl in for a kiss.

“ Mmm… Thank you. ” Pearl murmured against her lips, and Emerald smiled. She pressed another kiss to Pearl’s cheek, holding her closer.

“ Always .”

Chapter Text

Ocean Jasper dove for the volleyball before it could touch to the ground, sending it back up into the air in a cloud of dust.

Emerald watched from the sidelines, cheering as Red Quartz ran to counter. The human on the other side of the net cheered, watching as well as Blue Quartz managed to send it back over.

“Get ‘em, Biggs!” Emerald called as her friend rushed towards the ball, hearing Pearl climb down from her watch her post to stand next to her for a moment.

Pearl opened her mouth to say something to her as Emerald looked over, before they were cut off as a crack rang out across the beach.

Emerald’s gaze whipped back, seeing where Biggs clutched the now-cracked gem over her chest, She inhaled sharply, before Pearl’s hand suddenly went back on her shoulder. Pearl squeezed gently, keeping her eyes on the quartzes.

“It’s okay, this happens.” She said gently, and Emerald forced herself to take some deep breaths.

“I’m okay!” Biggs called. It was clear she’d lost control of her form, her neck stretching until her head fell onto the ground.

Emerald glanced down as she felt Pearl’s hand move, drifting down from her shoulder as she gently held her knuckles against Emerald’s chest. She wasn’t pushing, seemingly waiting for something.

The moment Emerald’s breaths were stable she moved away again, fully paying attention to the various cracked quartzes that had seemingly been hiding their injuries for most of the game.

“Go to Steven!” She called, setting her hands on her hips so they know she meant business. “-All of you.”

Emerald took one more deep breath, before watching her way over. “I’ve got you.” She said firmly, before picking Biggbs’ head up off the ground.

“Thanks, Em.” Biggs mumbled.

“Emerald?” Pearl called, and Emerald looked up.

“Yeah?”

“Make sure they all see him. No excuses.”

Emerald shifted to hold Biggs’ head with one hand, giving Pearl a quick salute. “Yes ma’am!”

 “-Cmon, guys.” She added as Pearl smiled, rolling her eyes lightly at the gesture.

Biggs’ snickered, and Emerald looked down at her head with mock offense. 

“I can still drop you, you know.” She said, and Biggs laughed.

“Alright! Alright!” She protested as some of the Other quartzes chuckled as well.

. . .

The walk wasn’t hard, Emerald making sure than none of the quartzes fell down the stairs as their forms shifted.

When they came in Steven was wishing a couple rubies farewell, before focusing on the newly arrived group. He seemed to survey them for a moment, before suddenly looking toward her.

“Emerald?” He asked, a sudden spike of stress slipping into his voice and body language.

“Oh, I’m not cracked!” Emerald said quickly. “I just wanted to make sure everyone got up here alright.”

. . .

“Have fun guys, and remember! Volleyball isn’t a contact sport!”

Biggs scoffed under her breath, and Emerald elbowed her lightly in the arm. 

“Doctor’s… orders…” She started, not registering Biggs’ chuckle as she trailed off. Her attention was caught by the gem they passed on the stairs, and Emerald stopped completely in her tracks as she looked back quickly.

She only caught a glimpse of the gem and cracks covering her eye, before they were out of view. Almost immediately she felt short of breath, the moment so quick she questioned if she’d seen the gem at all, or simply imagined her.

“Em?” Biggs asked suddenly, cutting through her thoughts. Emerald realized she’d been holding the bottom of her sweater tightly without even realizing it, staring aimlessly at the deck. “-You alright?”

Emerald let out a long exhale, forcing herself to physically relax even as her mind was racing.

“Yeah…”

. . .

Emerald covered her ears when Pearl blew her whistle, calling for the next set. It took her a moment to notice Steven approaching, and she smiled as she thought about telling him about the game so far.

Then, she saw the gem behind him.

Emerald tensed slightly, face to face with the gem she’d seen before. It was hard not to react when she saw the cracks covering her left eye, a stark reminder of her own hidden just underneath her sweater.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite medical professional.” Pearl said sweetly, looking down from her perch as Steven stopped next to it.

“Pearl, do you have a minute for me and my friend?” He asked, and Pearl paused.

“Sure. Did… you come to compete?”

“Pardon?” The gem asked.

“Oh!” Pearl said, adjusting quickly. “I mean in the volleyball tournament.”

“Oh well actually…” Steven started, before glancing over at the gem. “….We came because we need your help.”

“Oh!” Pearl hopped down, a small cloud of sand accompanying her. “-What can I do for you?”

“So, this is Pearl.” Steven said to the gem, awkwardly gesturing. “She was moms- uh- Pink Diamond’s pearl too- also. A long time ago.”

“I don’t think you’ve met Emerald.” He added, and at the mention of her name Emerald quickly lifted her hand in greeting in an attempt to look as though she wasn’t staring.

“And pearl, you remember… Pearl.” He said, gesturing to the gems. “She was also pink Diamond’s pearl-“

Emerald paused at that. She’d never heard that Pearl wasn’t Rose’s only one before, and when she glanced over at Pearl for some kind of answers, she found that Pearl didn’t look surprised.

“Agh! That’s too many Pearls!” Steven said, scratching the back of his head. “We should probably give you a nickname.”

“A nickname..?” The gem asked, and Steven shrugged.

“Yeah, a nickname! Y’know-“

“Oh, I know what a nickname is-“ The gem said, looking off into the distance with a smile. “It’s just that it reminds me so much of pink… she used to give silly little names to everything.”

Her cheeks flushed a bit, seemingly reminiscing. “…She was so funny like that.”

Pearl leaned in close to Emerald, murmuring quietly. “Looks like someone’s still got it bad.”

Emerald only raised her brow at Pearl, unable to help smiling.

“What about…” Steven started, before out of nowhere the Volleyball bounced off of his head. He didn’t move an inch, more surprised than anything. “-Volleyball.”

“Volleyball?” The gem exclaimed as Pearl snickered under her breath. “-That’s so funny!nYou’re just like her.”

“No no no!” Steven protested quickly. “I’m not like-“

He cut himself off, clearing his throat. “-Anyway, we’re here because of the crack of her face.”

Emerald couldn’t help the small noise she made at that, her breath catching in her throat as it sounded more like a hiccup or squeak. Everyone looked at her, and she was quick to clear her throat and ignore the burning on her cheeks.

“Oh, sorry!” She said quickly, looking down. “Just a- a tickle in my throat… is all.”

She focused intently on the sand below, her mouth a tight line as she tried desperately to look normal.

She felt as Pearl’s hand took her own, skin smooth and comforting as she quietly held on behind their backs.

“…Poor gem.”

She leaned in closer so that only Emerald and Steven could hear, gently squeezing Emerald's hand as she continued. “It’s such a shame what white did to her…”

Steven’s skin began lightening to a shade of pink as she spoke, something no one missed this time.

“Steven?” Pearl asked, cut off from an answer when a ball went flying past them.

“-doesn’t matter how it happened!” Steven said quickly, doing his best to brush it off before anyone could ask more questions. “What matters is finding a way to fix it!”

Emerald tensed at his words, herself and Pearl sharing a quick Look.

“…fix it?” She asked, trying not to sound awkward.

“Yup!” Steven said surely. “My healing powers didn't work on her… we thought maybe you would know what to do.”

Pearl thought for a moment, making a small humming sound. “-Well, when a Pearl was damaged, they were usually brought to the reef.”

“Yes!” Volleyball exclaimed brightly. “That’s exactly what Pink would do.”

“Well,” Pearl said awkwardly, letting go of Emerald’s hand. “I was her pearl!”

“Me too!” Volleyball said, smiling brightly. “We were very close.”

Pearl halfheartedly chucked, continuing to smile as she leaned her head against her hand. “I love your energy. Reminds me of when I was younger.”

“I’m older than you.” Volleyball said surely. Pearl awkwardly stood there for a moment, not knowing what else to say.

“What’s the reef?” Steven asked before Emerald could, and as Pearl responded Emerald recognized her confident teaching voice.

“Well, it’s the place that-”

Pearl suddenly glanced over at Emerald again, as if fully registering her presence. Her voice cracked slightly, and she quickly looked away as she became more hesitant and awkward at the situation. “…makes… pearls.”

“-And repairs them!” She added quickly, suddenly unable to meet Emerald’s eyes.

There was a beat of silence where the four of them stood for a moment, before Emerald hesitantly broke it.

“…Would you mind if I came with?” She asked, looking down at the ground as she rubbed her arm self-consciously. “I’m just… interested in where you came from.”

“Of course you can!” Pearl said, awkwardly chuckling to herself. The two of them were smiling now, but as Steven looked between them he noticed that neither really looked happy.

He shrugged to himself, figuring it was something they had to work out together. “Okay…”

. . .

“Here we are…” Pearl said, the four of them taking in the large room.

It was dark, smooth surfaces all around as everything had elegance in its design. In the room there was a small panel shaped like a hand, one most gem structures had used before.

“This is the reef?” Steven asked, and Pearl nodded. “-So, pearls are made here?”

“Were, but yes. It-“ Pearl started, before Volleyball jumped in.

“-It also serves as a luxury boutique and a center for refurbishment and repair.” She said, leaving Pearl standing there.

“Repair! Just what we need.”

Emerald followed Steven to the panel, watching as he set his hand on it.

Slowly the lights began to turn on, whatever machines ran this place coming to life as they recognized their guest.

“Welcome, Pink Diamond.” A voice droned, and Steven tensed a bit.

“Uh- no, I’m Steven Universe?”

“Welcome, Steven Universe.” The voice corrected. “I am shell. Your guide to the reef.”

Emerald looked over at Pearl and Volleyball,  wondering what they thought about this place. The two of them looked very casual, as though they were used to the oddities it contained.

Pearl had a tired look in her eyes, focusing distantly at the wall. As Emerald watched Pearl glanced at her, and upon realizing Emerald was looking right back, she tensed slightly and quickly looked away.

“My friend volleyball has a crack on her face,” Steven continued. “-and we were hoping you could fix it.”

“Understood.” Shell said simply. “Please follow the illuminated path to the care center.”

“You really didn’t have to come all the way out here for such a trivial thing.” Volleyball said as they began to travel the path, and Steven frowned.

“It’s not trivial!” He protested, before looking forward again. “Soon, we’ll all be able to put the past behind us.”

“Don’t worry, Volleyball. I’ll be right here, holding your hand.”

Emerald smiled at that, before hurrying to following Steven.

The boutique was long, filled with various holographic displays of accessories one could give to a Pearl. Emerald found it odd to say the least, having never seen anything like it before.

“Please feel free to take your time looking through the latest offerings and accessories and appearance modifiers as we make our way to the care center.”

“Oh, Look at these darling fans!” Volleyball exclaimed, running over to look at one of the displays.

“What about you, Pearl?” Steven asked, and Emerald looked over. “Any rush of nostalgia?”

“Please.” Pearl said, scoffing. She crossed her arms, frowning as she looked around. “Nothing like looking at glitzy tchotchkes to get you nostalgic for a simpler time.”

“I mean really.” She said, going over to one of the displays. It held a bright blue ribbon wand, arranged the same way one would put in a storefront. “Who even needs junk like this? Right Volleyball?”

Volleyball turned, excitedly gasping when she saw the object Pearl was referring to.

“Oh! What a sweet ribbon wand!” She exclaimed. “It’s just like mine!”

Out of her gem Volleyball summoned a similar wand, adorned with small decorations and in a shade of pink. She walked over to show Pearl, smiling.

“It was a gift from pink. Isn’t it exquisite?”

She tilted her head as Pearl looked at the wand, still smiling brightly. “-What did pink get you?”

Pearl chuckled awkwardly, her smile faltering for only a moment. “It’s sweet that you have these keepsakes!” She said, wrapping a hand around the wand as she lightly tugged on it. “But well, no need to be overly attached.”

Emerald looked at a display of fans, noticing how everything was arranged in a way that screamed of false perfection. It felt like everything was almost too organized, lifeless rather than beautiful.

She reached out gently to touch the edge of one, before pausing when Steven spoke.

“Guys.” He said seriously, and she pulled her hand back. “Can we keep moving?”

“Yes, Let’s.” Pearl said, equally as serious as she let go of the ribbon wand. The four of them moved on, towards the end of the boutique. “I’ve certainly had enough of this circus of objectification.”

She crossed her arms, closing herself off in a way Emerald recognized. She sped up a bit to catch up with her, seeing the way Pearl held her arms tightly when she came closer.

“…Are you okay?” She asked, quiet so that Steven and Volleyball couldn’t hear.

Pearl stared firmly at the floor, her eyes tired.

“…yes.” She said under her breath, holding herself just a bit tighter. “-Of course.”

“I left all this behind me a long time ago.” She added, and Emerald frowned.

“Okay.”

The room they arrived at was decorated similarly to the hall, darker as soft light came through the diamond-shaped light fixtures adorning the walls. This particular room felt odd, however, as though it was trying to be welcoming but instead felt more cold.

“Welcome to the care center.” Shell greeted. “We have everything here to update or repair any Pearl.”

Volleyball stepped onto the orb in the center of the room, smiling as a small circle of light scanned her.

“So, how do I look?” She asked when it was done, smiling before Shell responded.

“I’m sorry.” The voice said, her tone imitating remorse. “There is nothing I can do.”

“But you just told us you could repair any Pearl!” Steven protested, and Shell continued,

“Her physical form shows damage, but her Pearl is perfectly fine.”

“This injury must've been so impactful that it continues to manifest despite the fact that her Pearl has been repaired.”

Emerald’s breath hitched, something the others missed in the moment. She tensed, her breaths shallow.

“So you’re saying it’s… psychological?” 

Psychological.

Emerald remembered when Jasper had cracked her gem, laughing as Emerald began to think that she would never see the ones she loved again.

Something about that moment had made everything more real.

Something about that moment had broken her.

“That’s absurd.” Volleyball said, before turning around with a blank smile. “I’m fine.”

The cracks over her eyes spread subtly at the words, and Emerald froze completely. Her breaths remained shallow, genuine horror seeping into every fiber of her being. As if it were contagious she felt her own cracks spread in turn, the slightest change that made her breathless.

For just a moment, she glanced over at Pearl and found her looking right back. They stared at one another for a moment, before Pearl angrily frowned.

She turned back to Velley, not bothering to hide her emotions anymore. “How could White be so careless!?” She asked, genuine hurt and even anger in her voice as her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

“Oh, no, Pearl!” Volleyball said quickly, still cheery. “You’ve got it all wrong! Pink did this!”

Emerald looked over at Pearl again at that, seeing Pearl’s eyes strain.

“What did you say?” Pearl asked seriously, walking firmly toward volley.

“Pearl, no!” Steven called, before pulling back. 

He looked over at Emerald for help, but she was frozen. She looked scared for reasons he didn’t understand, staring at volleyball like she was seeing a ghost.

Suddenly she moved, following Pearl for only a few steps before stopping.

“It’s a funny story really.” Volleyball said, smiling. “Once pink got tired of asking Yellow and Blue for her own colony, so she went straight to white.”

“-Of course, white told her she wasn't fit to run one, and well, That set her off.” She added.

“Set her off?” Pearl insisted. “What are you talking about?”

Volleyball smiled, even when her words were anything but happy. “You remember how she was, with her destructive powers! Throwing tantrums left and right… she had a scream that could crack the walls.”

She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, seemingly happily reminiscing as she smiled.

It was chilling.

“She didn’t mean to hurt me, I just happened to be standing too close to her that time, and-“

“It doesn’t matter! I’m gonna fix it!” Steven interrupted, putting his hands over his ears.

“Steven?” Emerald asked, but he wasn’t listening.

“Destructive powers!?” Pearl protested. “Pink didn’t have destructive powers! She was a healer!”

As she continued she spoke with her hands, looking frantic. “She didn’t throw tantrums, she kept her feelings secret.”

“The pink I knew couldn’t keep a secret to save her gem.” Volleyball said with a smile, only seeming to unravel Pearl more. Emerald didn’t know if she should step in, finding herself stuck watching.

“Are you kidding!?” Pearl said, her face a mix of emotions. “If anything she was too good at keeping secrets! Even from me!”

“-STOP IT!” Steven snapped before she could say anything else, everyone’s gaze snapping to him.

His skin was pink again, the look on his face having turned to anger as there were tears in his eyes.

“I CAN'T DEAL WITH ONE MORE HORRIBLE THING SHE DID, OKAY!?” He shouted. “I DON'T WANNA HEAR ABOUT IT, I DON'T EVEN WANNA THINK ABOUT IT!”

“Steven-“ Pearl started, but he didn’t care.

“I JUST WANT TO FIX THIS!” He shouted, a shockwave pushing out as the floor below him cracked. The whole room shook, Emerald barely managing to keep her footing.

Volleyball curled in on herself, hunching down as Pearl put her arm out in front of her. As the walls cracked some of the lights blew, and as the room continued to rumble Emerald was reminded of the cluster’s emergence. She covered her head when small bits of rubble fell from the ceiling, before looking up as the room finally settled.

Steven was standing in the middle of the massive web of cracks, his hands clenched at his sides. Volleyball was curled in on herself, shaking.

Emerald knew the feeling well.

Steven gasped as he seemed to register what happened, putting his hands over his mouth.

Before anyone could say anything the whole room went red, the lights darkening to accommodate. A ringing alarm sounded out, unclear in source as it surrounded them.

“I’m terribly sorry for the trouble these defective Pearls have caused you.” Shell said in that same voice, somehow showing a bit of disdain in her words despite being a machine. “For pearls exhibiting problems this severe, rejuvenation is required.”

“WHAT!?” Emerald and Steven called, 

“When the process is complete, they will obey you without fail.”

“NO!” Steven and Emerald called in unison, Emerald sprinting toward the shell.

“What have I done!?” Steven asked, following suit. The two of them frantically searched for an opening, anything to make Shell stop. “SHELL, STOP IT!”

“Do not worry, Steven universe.” Shell said, back to being pleasant. “Your pearls are about to be better than new.”

“PEARL!” Emerald cried desperately, and Steven starkly remembered what happened the last time Pearl was rejuvenated.

“Emerald-“ He started, before realizing that finding a solution was far more productive than trying to ask her to calm down. “-Help me get it open!”

The two of them grabbed at the edges of the clamshell, trying desperately to pull it open. On the screen Steven could see Pearl pushing her shoulder against the same spot, but no matter how hard the three of them tried it wouldn’t budge.

. . .

Tears stung Emerald’s eyes as she continued to pull, willing herself to be strong enough just this once.

She remembered the painful hours where Pearl had been rejuvenated last time, lifeless and automatic. Every year she spent free was torn away in an instant, and they almost hadn't been able to get her back.

“Feel free to watch their progress on the view screen.” Shell added after a few moments, but Emerald wasn’t listening.

Her attention was only caught when she heard Pearl cry out, her head whipping toward the screen.

On it she could see the inside of the clamshell had turned a vibrant pink, waves of electricity visible as both Pearl and Volleyball were struck by it.

Part of Emerald swore she could feel it through the clamshell, even when it didn’t make any sense. She went back to pulling anyway as Steven looked at the screen with horror, trying not to remember what it felt like.

“I’m sorry for not believing you.” She heard Pearl say, her voice stilted from pain as she cried out again. Emerald looked up, seeing the fragmented lines of pink across their skin. “-It looks like I’m still making excuses for her.”

“Is that what I’ve been doing?” Volleyball asked suddenly, fear and hurt lacing her voice. “-But she didn’t mean to!”

“But you were hurt!” Pearl protested, holding Volleyball by the shoulders. “Badly hurt!”

Volleyball looked away for a moment, the look on her face resonating something within Emerald's chest. “I was badly hurt.” She admitted as she looked back, tears in her eyes.

“-How did you stop hurting?” Volleyball asked, and Emerald watched as Pearl wrapped her arms around her. And well before Pearl responded, Emerald knew exactly what she was going to say.

“…I didn’t.”

Suddenly light surrounded the two of them, the display screen cutting off. Emerald felt hope sinking into her chest, before a pink light peeked through the edges of the clamshell.

“Woah-“ Steven said as the two of them stepped back, watching and waiting to see what would happen.

All at once the clamshell burst, pieces flying as a large gem pushed through them. As her form solidified she opened her eye, the Pearls at her forehead and navel coming into full focus. The fusion that remained was large and regal, her height not far from Sardonyx. 

“You fused!” Steven said excitedly, before he was cut off.

“Warning.” Shells voice sounded, far more monotone than before. “Unauthorized entities found in the facility.”

As she spoke they heard a series of clicking noises, before some of the remaining Diamond light fixtures began disconnecting from the wall. “Defense protocol activated.”

All at once the light fixtures opened into claw-like entities, cords supporting them as they struck the way a snake might attack a mouse,

“Entities!?” Steven called, confused as to why it was suddenly registering multiple if it still considered him welcome and the Pearls had fused. 

Then, he realized. “-Wait.”

All at once his gaze snapped over to Emerald, and the claw heading straight for her.

“LOOK OUT!” He called, tackling her out of the way. One of the tendrils shot by above them, before curling back around to attack the fusion.

“Why are they attacking you!?” He asked frantically, the two of them pushing themselves up off the ground.

“Why would I know that!?” Emerald protested, the two of them looking toward where the fusion was using the blade on the end of her ribbon wand to slice through the cords of the remaining ones.

“Quick! Let’s go back to the entrance to shut down the reef!” Steven called, before Shell adjusted. The doors slammed shut, trapping them inside.

Emerald’s breath tightened as the large room suddenly felt far smaller, closing in on them even when the ceiling remained high above.

Before she could delve any farther into that Panic a large hand wrapped around her, and she was hurriedly set on a large shoulder.

“Hold on!” The fusion called, and Emerald was quick to do just that. She held onto their decorated shoulder pad with her life, as the fusion sliced through the doors.

The fusion leaped around and through the beams of light that cut through the halls, the once welcoming boutique having become full of danger and hostility.

“Yeah!” Steven called from the fusion’s free hand, pointing out the doorway to the main room. “Almost there!”

Without warning various shells came out from the walls, effective,y blocking their path once more. Vine-like cords suddenly wrapped around the fusion’s waist, halting her movement.

“It’s up to you now, Steven.” She said, before throwing her ribbon wand through the shells. After a moment she threw Steven through the hole, leaving the two of them alone as the alarm continued to sound all around them.

Suddenly Emerald felt something wrap around her chest, tight and constricting where she was suddenly being violently pulled back. She couldn’t hold on, crying out as it only became tighter and her grip failed.

The fusion quickly turned as much as she was able, a large hand wrapping around Emerald and holding on before the machines could pull her away. For an intense moment she held on, before everything shut down.

The fusion fell to her knees, pulling Emerald into her chest as she too was let go. “I’ve got you.” She said smoothly, exhaling as she held Emerald close.

. . .

Coming back to the quiet beach was strange after their exciting day, the waves calm in a way that felt unreal.

Emerald stood next to the fusion, Steven poking at the sand with a stick as he sat down on her other side.

“I’m so sorry.” He said eventually, drawing random shapes in the sand before wiping them away just as quickly. “The whole trip was for nothing.”

“No.” Mega Pearl said simply, looking out at the horizon. “…It wasn’t for nothing.”

She closed her eye for a brief moment, before seeming to find the right words to explain.

“…Your mother’s Pearls never had the whole picture.” She said, crossing her arms gently. “One knew your mother was trying to change, but she couldn’t understand why… The other never expected her to change at all.”

She smiled, taking a deep breath. “-Now I get to understand everything. Now, they finally get to have each other.”

After that the light returned, the fusion parting as Pearl and Volleyball unfused. Steven and Emerald smiled despite their tiredness, watching as Volleyball looked out to sea holding Pearl’s hand. 

The cracks seemed to have retreated a bit, even though her eye was still fully covered. Still, it was something.

. . .

Volleyball leaned her head against Pearl’s shoulder, the two of them quiet as they processed the new information. Pearl allowed herself to drift away mentally for a moment, before pulling herself back.

Emerald was quiet enough that Pearl could hear her shallow breaths, even when it seemed that Emerald was trying to let them have their moment.

On instinct she held out her free hand, feeling as Emerald slowly took it. She laced their fingers together, feeling emerald Cling to her hand with the knowledge that her truth was far less relieving.

She tugged Emerald closer, before letting go of her hand to wrap her arm around Emerald’s waist as Emerald leaned against her other shoulder.

And for that moment, Pearl simply held on and let the moment speak for her.

. . .

They all had to go home eventually, Volleyball returning to her home in Little Homeworld and Steven heading up to bed.

Emerald and Pearl laid together in their bed, both knowing that they needed to talk. Pearl had set her arm around her love, Emerald leaning against her side as the two of them listened to the fountains.

“-Are you sure your gem’s okay?” Emerald asked for what was probably the fourth time, running her thumbs nervously across Pearl’s palm. Pearl didn’t understand why she kept asking, but Emerald wouldn’t give her a straight answer when she did ask.

“Mhm.” Pearl repeated, but that didn’t seem to settle Emerald’s nerves.

“I mean, is your gem weapon working- or your storage- it- well-“ She continued to stumble over her words, seemingly struggling to pin down the right ones to tell Pearl what she meant. “That thing was trying to- I mean-“

Pearl reached over her free hand to touch the side of Emerald’s face, turning her gaze toward her. She saw the genuine worry in Emerald’s eyes, a fear of something Pearl didn’t understand. She heard as Emerald took a tight and shuddering breath, looking as though she might cry.

Once she knew she had Emerald’s attention she let go, moving her hand up to her gem. With a soft glow she pulled her spear out in its shorter wand version, as easy as she would have any other time.

“I’m okay, see?” She said softly, holding it up so that Emerald could properly see before letting it dissipate again.

All at once Emerald exhaled and melted against Pearl’s chest, whatever stress she’d been holding onto when it came to Pearl’s gem having seemingly dissipated. She wrapped her arms around her, burying her face in Pearl’s collar as she held on.

She closed her eyes, as if reassuring herself this was real.

Pearl wrapped her arms over Emerald in turn, glad she could relieve whatever odd worry had claimed her for those moments.

“…I thought I was going to lose you again.” Emerald murmured after a few long moments, holding onto Pearl just a bit tighter. Pearl’s eyes were tired as she gently stroked Emerald's hair, quiet in her response.

“…I promised.”

She had promised, months ago, that she wouldn’t lose her memories again. It was a promise they knew they couldn’t keep if something bad happened again, but it had been enough in that moment to soothe them.

As she continued touching Emerald’s hair Emerald tilted her head, Pearl’s movements causing the hair to fall back as her neck remained exposed. Pearl caught a glimpse of the cracks peeking out near the bottom where her sweater was pulled back from her awkward side hug, just a hint of what she’d seen before.

A sudden weight pulled in her chest, remembering the first time she’d seen them, Emerald writhing in her arms as the others fended off Jasper. It hurt to know that somewhere inside Emerald was still hurting, and not in a way that could be fixed by hugs or words or kisses.

She knew better than to bring it up when Emerald had barely had time to process it herself, knowing that Emerald deserved the chance to think about it on her own first. She deserved time, and Pearl knew that Emerald would come to her when she was ready to talk about it.

“For a moment there…” She murmured, remembering when she had reached through Mega Pearl to hold on, not able to bear letting go. “…I thought I might lose you too.”

Emerald’s eyes opened slowly, and she tilted her head to look up at Pearl as she moved from her hug into leaning against Pearl’s side for better comfort.

“Why do you think Shell went after me too?” She asked, and Pearl gave it some thought.

“It’s possible she didn’t even sense you until Volley and I fused, though I’ve never heard of that before.” She said, trying to work it out in her mind. “-You didn’t touch anything, so it’s possible she somehow just… didn’t see you.”

“…I did touch something.” Emerald said after a moment, and Pearl looked down at her.

“What?”

“…Steven and I tried to pry it open.”

“Hmmm.”

Pearl didn’t know why Shell couldn’t see Emerald before she interacted with something, when it knew who she and Volley were even without needing to touch anything.

“Then again, we did make her go into defense mode.” She added, realizing that there was a point to that.

“They weren’t attacking Steven.” Emerald countered gently, and Pearl thought more about it.

“No… It’s certainly odd.”

Emerald was quiet for a moment, burying herself deeper into Pearl’s side. “…do you think she knew?”

Pearl paused at that, knowing well what she was referencing.

“…I don’t know.”

. . .

Emerald wanted to ask ‘why didn’t you tell me?’ even when she already knew.

The Reef was Pearl’s kindergartens, a place that made her yet was a symbol of everything she’d come to escape and attempt to put behind her.

A place that naturally, she wouldn’t want to talk about.

. . .

Despite her newfound understanding Pearl still felt overwhelmed, so much new information about Pink and Homeworld that she’d never known before. 

“…Are you alright?” Emerald asked, and Pearl sighed.

“It’s a lot.” She said truthfully, choosing to speak her mind. “…I just keep learning more about things she did.”

She hesitated for a moment, her voice softer.

“…gems she hurt.”

Emerald tilted her arm so she could hold Pearl’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “…I know.”

Pearl sighed, looking up past the pillars to the glimpse of light above them. “I can’t help but remember before, when all I saw was her. I feel like… the more I learn… the more I start to hate those memories.”

“-Because I knew Rose.”

Her voice cracked slightly, and Emerald fully looked up at her. Pearl tried to stay strong, even when she knew that facets of her world were crumbling and there was nothing she could do about it.

“…But I didn’t know Pink.”

Chapter Text

When Emerald warped home from the library that day she was greeted by what seemed to be a party, gems mingling about as music played through a few small speakers. She stood on the warp for a few moments, not quite knowing where to go or what to do.

“Oh!” Someone called from across the room, and Emerald looked to see Pearl quickly hurrying toward her. “-Emerald!”

“We have another new gem!” She said quickly by way of explanation, taking Emerald’s hand in both of her own.

“Really?” Emerald asked as she tilted her head slightly, and Pearl smiled.

“Yup!” She said, the two of them moving closer to the temple door where they could talk without worrying about the music. “I meant to warn you, but I’ve been busy with making sure everything’s going well.”

“It’s alright!” Emerald said with a smile, looking at the small party. It was quieter than usual, still a party but hardly as overwhelming as they tended to be. “…I think I'll stay for this one, -if it’s okay.”

“Are you sure?” Pearl asked with gentle eyes, and Emerald smiled at her.

“I’ll be okay.”

Pearl smiled gently back, lacing their fingers together with one hand and pressing a kiss to the back of Emerald’s. “…you can leave anytime.” She murmured against her skin as her little finger touched gently to the ring on Emerald's hand, and Emerald knew she meant it. The two of them looked at each other for a sweet moment, before Pearl led her back to the party.

Emerald was greeted by a few gems, ones she’d gotten to know better as the years went by. 

“There you are!” A gem called at one point, her stilted accent catching their attention.the gem hurried over to them, watery wings fluttering as she smiled. Light glinted off of the gems on her face, one Emerald briefly recognized and one she didn’t.

“This is our new gem!” Pearl commented, gesturing lightly to her. “-Bluebird Azurite. Bluebird, this is Emerald.”

Bluebird seemed to have a small realization at the name, still smiling as she spoke almost innocently. “Ohhh, so you’d be the dead one then?” She asked happily.

Emerald noticed Pearl visibly tense at the question, but she was hardly surprised at it. She’d been asked that similar question a lot lately, often enough that she’d added it to her repertoire of things to say when new gems came to the library.

It wasn’t surprising that gems who knew of her existence were weirded out by the concept of her living, but that didn’t make it any less weird or uncomfortable to have to correct them.

“Yup, that’s me…” She said awkwardly, glancing away as she hoped the slight tension she’d had as well wasn’t visible. The last thing she wanted to come across as was rude, after all.

“Oh!” Pearl said suddenly, seeing as a few more gems arrived. “-I better go refill the snacks. I’ll be right back!” She said quickly, before letting go of Emerald's hand.

Emerald watched as Pearl went about doing that, admiring the way her love methodically did just about everything, from choosing the right snacks for every party despite not eating herself, to making sure every gem felt welcome in their home for these occasions.

She smiled gently, feeling her cheeks warm a bit as she admired her.

“What’s that?” Bluebird asked, breaking through her thoughts. Emerald glanced down, seeing where the fusion was pointing at the small box that hung from the lanyard around her neck.

It was something new she’d decided to try out recently, designed for elderly humans to be able to receive help quickly. Peridot had modified it to only send signal to the others, not wanting accidental human interference.

She’d had to use it a few times already, but it was much easier to press a button and call for help when attacks did happen, rather than trying to call or waiting for someone to notice that something was wrong.

“Well if I’m in a stressful situation, it lets me easily contact the others for help.” She said by way of explanation, knowing that such technology was probably too complicated for a new gem in earth.

“Interesting…” Bluebird murmured, inspecting the small box where she stepped closer. “…can I take a ‘looksie?”

“I’d… prefer not.” Emerald said, closing her hand over it self-consciously as she automatically took a small step back to protect her personal space. “-I like to keep it with me.”

“Alrighty, then!” Bluebird said, back to happy pleasantries as Pearl came back. Emerald held onto Pearl’s arm for a while after that, not knowing why such a simple question made her so uneasy.

Pearl seemed to sense her uneasiness, checking in to be sure Emerald still wanted to be there after Bluebird had gone off to greet someone else. Emerald explained that she still wanted to stay, but still clung to Pearl’s arm as the party continued.

. . .

“Hey dude! Come over here and introduce yourself!” Amethyst called, coming into the house with Steven in tow. Bluebird fluttered over to meet them, a bright smile on her face. 

“Welcome to Earth! My name is-“

Steven cut off as he stared at Bluebird for a moment, who smiled.

“Well well well, if it ain’t the old gem savior ‘imself, Steven Universe!” She said, fluttering her wings excitedly as she shook his hand. “Bluebird Azurite, at your service.”

“-Alright, give us a hug then!” She added, before rushing forward to hug him. When she pulled away she seemed to realize something, clapping her hands together. “Oh! You like food, yea?”

“…Yeah?” Steven asked awkwardly, and Bluebird smiled. “Well sit tight then! I’ll be right back.” She flew off into the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab the snacks she’d insisted to Pearl she would prepare alongside their classic party snacks.

“What!?” Steven asked Pearl under his breath, and Pearl smiled.

“Mhm, she just got here and is already exploring earth cuisine!"

“-sort of.” Emerald added as Bluebird came back, crossing her arms casually as the fusion held up the plate of ‘food’ she had prepared. Steven dipped some of the grass in the peanut butter and clams on the plate, seemingly forcing himself to eat it.

“Good…” He said through grit teeth, forcing a smile. He looked back up at them as Garnet came over, and Bluebird headed off across the room. “Can… I see you guys in the bathroom?”

. . .

Greg sat down on the closed toilet lid as they came into the room, Steven turning on the shower to let steam enter the space and cover their noise. Emerald leaned against the wall next to garnet, while Pearl sat on the edge of the tub and Amethyst stood next to her.

“Don’t panic, but I think Bluebird is a fusion of Aquamarine and Eyeball!” Steven said quickly, drawing a small diagram of the two gems and a plus sign to show how their gems could combine.

“Well, duh.” Amethyst said bluntly.

“It’s pretty obvious.” Garnet added.

Emerald blinked a few times.“…Who’s aquamarine again?” She asked quietly, and Amethyst didn't hesitate in her response.

“The little blue bitc-“ She started, before Pearl promptly cut her off.

“Amethyst.” She scolded, and Amethyst rolled her eyes.

“She kidnapped Steven while you were gone.” Garnet said, looking towards Emerald.

Emerald surprisingly didn't look all that fazed at the information, as though it was just a normal Tuesday for him to be kidnapped by the gem empire. “…Which kidnapping?” She asked, raising her brow a bit. “Steven’s been kidnapped a lot since I’ve been gone, apparently.”

Steven paused at that, not quite knowing what to say. She had a good point.

“It’s when Lars got taken to space.” Amethyst added, and that seemed to be the thing to make Emerald remember.

“Ohhhhhh.” She said, nodding to herself. “So that was her.”

“What!?” Steven exclaimed, finally finding his voice. “How come you’re all so calm about this? Aquamarine did kidnap me, and eyeball tried to stab me, and ratted me out while I was on trial! They must've fused because they both hate me!”

“He has a point.” Emerald said, the others looking toward her. “Hate is a strong emotion. I wouldn’t be surprised that it’s strong enough to fuse over.”

“-Bluebird doesn’t seem to hate you, though.” She added, looking back towards Steven.

“As Emerald says. That was them. This is Bluebird.” Garnet said surely.

“But she pranked me earlier today!” Steven protested, remembering his annoying morning. “She put a sign on my back that said I… smelled good. Switched my juice with tomato soup. Neatly stacked toilet paper… on top of my car?”

“None of that stuff sounds particularly malicious.” Pearl said, and Amethyst nodded.

“Yeah. Besides, don’t you like tomato soup?” She asked, and Steven frowned.

“Well yeah, but isn’t it convenient that Bluebird showed up here… at my house?”

“Steven, you’ve literally invited all problematic gems across the universe to come here and learn a better way of living.” Pearl said, and Steven paused.

“Well, yeah…”

“And, quite a few have taken you up on the offer.” Emerald said, shifting to lean against the wall next to Garnet.

“How do you know?” Steven asked. 

The last person he expected to approach strangers was Emerald of all people.

“I’ve had the… pleasure to meet a few.” Emerald added with a slight grimace, meeting eyes with Pearl’s confused glance in a way that told him she wasn’t going to talk about it right now, or at least not to him.

“Listen schtu-ball.” His father butt in, drawing attention. “If you don’t want this gem around, that’s totally fair.”

Steven sighed, hanging his arms at his sides. “…No, you guys are right.”

He glanced back at the slowly fading drawing on the mirror, watching as his former foe’s faces began to fade away. “…Everyone deserves a chance to change.”

“Don’t worry.” Garnet said, moving to set a reassuring hand on Steven’s shoulder. “If she tries anything, we’ll be there to squash her.”

Steven forced himself to take another deep breath, a genuine smile growing on his face.

“Thanks, Garnet.”

. . .

“Pearl, bluebirds got a knife!” Steven called, but Pearl was unfazed.

“Of course she does!” Pearl said enthusiastically, before pulling something out of the fridge and turning to show him. “How else are you going to enjoy this cake she made you?”

. . .

“Let garnet go right now!” He shouted as he watched Bluebird pull her back, but Garnet quickly corrected him.

“Bluebird’s been helping me with my stretching.” She said simply. And Steven frowned at the way Bluebird smiled at him.

. . .

“There you go!” Steven said with a smile, handing Blue Quartz her adjusted schedule. Little Homeworld bustled around him, most gems heading home for the evening as afternoon classes ended.

After a moment his eyes caught onto familiar shades of green and orange in the cloud, seeing where Emerald stood next to a brick wall. There was a strained look on her face as she fiddled with her hands, her eyes darting bacj and forth as she stayed close to the solid surface.

Steven had lived long enough with Emerald to know the signs of her being close to having an attack by now.

Steven began to move across the square, hoping to reach her quickly. Before he could a couple of gems got in the way, and once they moved Steven saw the blue and red figure next to Emerald.

Bluebird said something he didn't catch, Emerald saying something back as she crossed her arms tightly.

He saw as they walked around the corner into an alley together, his chest tightening as they disappeared from wider view.

The perfect location for an attack.

“EMERALD!” He shouted as he turned the corner, before pausing.

Emerald was sitting against the wall, bluebird talking to her. “In… and out.”

“…Steven?” Emerald asked, looking up at him as she quickly tried to wipe away the small tears on her face.

“I was just reminding ‘er to breathe!” Bluebird said pleasantly to him, a forced kind of joy in her eyes. Steven frowned at her, grumbling under his breath before turning back to Emerald.

“…Are you okay?” He asked as she finished wiping her eyes. After a moment Emerald slowly stood up, still taking deep breaths. Her eyes opened slowly, a gentle frown settling on her face as she began to calm down.

She looked tired, as though even the stress of the moment had been enough to tire her out. “…I’m alright.” She said quietly, before looking down at the fusion. “-Thanks, Bluebird.”

. . .

Steven flopped down on the couch, tired after his long day. He still had to work on that week’s schedule with the addition of Pearl’s specialized weapons class, but he needed a break.

Bluebird seemed to be constantly getting in his business, present no matter where he went, and helping people he was supposed to help.

“Hey, Dude.” Amethyst commented, looking up from the small bit of paper in her hands.

“Bluebird’s really getting to me.” He mumbled, moving so she could hear him while still squishing his cheek into the cushion.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she’s all up in my business… helping everyone… plus she left all these terrible drawings all over my stuff.”

Amethyst was about to ask why helping people was a bad thing before he handed her the drawings, scraggly ones he’d found of himself and the other crystal gems.

“Steven those are my drawings!” She protested, and Steven sat up quickly. He quickly tried to recover the situation, but Amethyst was already running toward the door.

“I’m never doing art again!”

“Amethyst-!“

Amethyst almost ran right into Bluebird when the door opened, the fusion’s wings fluttering slightly in surprise. “…what’s wrong?” She asked after a moment, and Amethyst handed her the drawings.

“These are really good!” She complimented, and Amethyst smiled gently as she wiped her eyes.

“…really?”

“Sure, love!” Bluebird said sweetly. “All you need is practice.”

Amethyst smiled a bit further, looking down at the half-finished one in her hand.

“Ok.” She said seriously. “I’m going to practice right now!”

“That’s the spirit!” Bluebird said with a smile, and Amethyst took her drawings back.

“Wanna come!?” She asked, and Bluebird smiled even brighter.

“Let’s go!”

The two of them ran off, leaving Steven by himself.

He flopped back onto the couch, setting his arm over his face with a sigh as he began to think that maybe he was the real problem here.

He heard as the warp pad activated not long after, figuring it would be about time for Garnet’s last class to be done. He moved his arm enough to look over, catching onto the fusions that had come in.

“I keep telling you, Garnet! I can’t raise the beach!” Granite protested, lightly pushing Garnet away from her as she chuckled.

Garnet lifted a brow, smiling right back at her. “I’ve seen you do it.”

“Sugilite has.” Granite corrected with a pointed finger that reminded him a lot of Pearl. “-and that was only a few square feet!” She insisted, gesturing to the large windows. “In case you haven’t noticed, the beach is far bigger than that!”

“-Hey.” Steven finally managed to muster before Garnet could respond, figuring it would at the very least be polite to say hi. The two of them seemed to realize he was there, and how he was still laying against a pillow.

“Are you alright, Steven?” Granite asked, and he shrugged.

He was so tired, wanting a break from all the stress that had been piling up that day. Steven slowly pushed himself to sit up, running a hand through his hair as he sighed. “…I’m going to bed.”

He could finish scheduling in the morning.

. . .

Steven woke abruptly as a screeching sound rang through the house, tearing him out of whatever dream he’d been inhabiting. He sat up quickly, startled by the sound.

He went downstairs rubbing his eyes, nearly running into the van at the bottom.

…huh?

He looked toward the warp pad, black skid marks trailing from the blue surface to where the van rested.

“…Dad and Bluebird must be having a good time…” He muttered, before hearing someone screaming outside. He only startled for a moment, shaking it off as he remembered earlier. “And enjoying more movies.”

He’d run into them as well earlier, thinking there’d been danger when really there were only horror movies. He turned to go back to bed, before hearing more voices as someone shrieked.

“GREG!” He heard someone shout from the balcony, and that was the thing that made Steven run outside as he realized something was seriously wrong.

As soon as he came outside he saw Emerald on the balcony, looking up. He followed her gaze to see Bluebird, holding his father by the hair as she danced him over the house.

“HA!” Bluebird said dramatically. “You were really silly enough to be fooled! It was WE,-“

As she spoke her light shifted, separating into two forms.

“Aquamarine…” the blue one said with a smug look.

“…and ruby.” Eyeball finished.

“You had no idea!” Aquamarine said with a cackle and Steven frowned tiredly.

“I always knew. Everyone knew.” Steven protested lightly, and Emerald seemed to realize what was going on.

“-So that’s aquamarine.” She said surely, and Aquamarine frowned down at her.

“Yes!” The blue gem protested, as if it was crime to forget her. “I am!”

“Obey our demands, or he dies.” Eyeball said firmly, drawing a chisel knife out of her gem and holding it against Greg’s throat.

“No!” Steven cried, and Aquamarine smiled.

“You don’t get a choice.” She said smugly, and Steven felt his heart sink. There was a cold silence that took over after that, as Steven began to realize that they truly did mean their threats.

After a few moments of his indecision Emerald spoke, quiet yet firm.

“Steven.” She murmured, and he glanced toward her. She glanced over as well, an eerily calm look on her face. “-Keep them talking.”

There was something uncanny about the way she said it, from her tone that spoke only of cold seriousness, to the way she stood firm and planted in the ground without a hint of shaking. 

Steven felt caught off-guard, as though he was talking to a different gem than the one he’d come to know over the past few years. Not once had Emerald ever acted like this before.

Upon realizing she must have a plan Steven slowly nodded, before looking back up to Aquamarine and Eyeball. “Look guys, maybe we can just talk it out.” He said, crossing his arms. 

Emerald moved so quickly and quietly he almost missed it, a slight blur in his vision before she pressed her back against the wall of the house. She moved out of Aquamarine and Eyeballs’ line of vision, staying close to the house as she came closer to the side with his balcony.

Steven didn’t think he’d ever seen her so intently focused on something, gears turning in her mind in a way he couldn’t understand comparing it to her fear moments prior.

“There is no talking it out!” Eyeball said, and he frowned as he refocused back on the situation.

He sighed, crossing his arms to hide the tightness of his grip as he forced himself not to look in Emerald’s direction again in case they noticed her. “Ok, but maybe there’s some things you guys are dealing with that we need to talk about together.”

. . .

Emerald rolled up her sleeves, focusing on being quiet while listening to hopefully be able to tell if Aquamarine had moved. Eyeball could easily be knocked off the roof, but Aquamarine’s flight would make getting Greg to safety a lot harder.

It was almost strange how quickly she fell into old habits, her mind eerily still with a cold kind of focus that she hadn’t been able to access in a long time. 

To a certain degree she lost herself, focusing only on the task at hand and not the stone creeping in from the edges of her vision. Her breaths were as quiet as she could make them without stopping entirely, one of the few things keeping her fully tethered to the present.

It was strange, to have to keep reminding herself that danger wasn’t within red light, this time.

“Of course there’s things we need to talk about!” Aquamarine called above her. Emerald was pulled back to the task at hand, noting that Aquamarine was starting to sound irritated. “Our demands!”

She noticed Steven tense when she jumped, before his sigh as she grabbed onto the bottom of the balcony without much sound. She hoisted herself up onto it easily, years of climbing near-vertical surfaces built into her mind and body.

. . .

“That’s enough!” Greg said out of nowhere, snatching the knife from Eyeball’s hand. He quickly grabbed the top of his hair, slicing it off in one jagged motion.

“DAD!” Steven called as he fell, but Emerald was faster.

She moved fast as lightning, catching the back of Greg’s shirt from where she stood on the balcony. For a split moment she held on tight, a hand on the railing and her ankle around a balister being the only thing keeping her from falling as well.

After a moment she wasn’t strong enough to hold on anymore, but Greg’s fall from there was only a few feet rather than a few stories.

Aquamarine tossed Greg’s cut hair aside, the mop of it falling onto the deck next to him. “No!” Greg cried as he saw it, grabbing his old hair and holding it close to his chest.

. . .

“I won’t let you get away with this!” Steven shouted, anger seeping into his voice. Aquamarine and Eyeball quickly fused again as Steven leapt up at them, shield at the ready.

“Steven!” Emerald called, quickly using the rim of the sliding door and the edge of the tiles to climb her way onto the roof.

She could see that they desperately needed backup, Bluebird far too persistent for them to outlast in a fight. Her chest tightened, and she grumbled to herself as she realized that not only had the others gone back to Little Homeworld for the evening, but they wouldn’t be home for hours. 

Backup wasn’t coming.

Of course it wasn't.

It never had.

It took far too long for Emerald to remember where she was, her emotional mask slipping just enough to remember that the others weren't contactless, and that she already had the easiest way to let them know there was trouble.

. . .

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Bluebird said, looking down at Steven as he fought to catch his breath, a cutlass of ice in her hand.

“Steven!”Emerald called, her experiences driving her mind as she ran forward before leaping off the roof.

It was a far distance for a gem that couldn’t float, but Emerald didn’t hesitate.

The sand was almost as reliable as the stone, her landing firm as a small cloud of particles kicked up around her. She landed with a level of grace and muscle memory built in by a long time, something Steven didn’t have the time or brainpower to question in the moment.

“…What?” Bluebird asked under her breath, seemingly as surprised as Steven was.

“Are you kidding me?” She asked as Emerald came over, annoyed at having to fight them both. Eventually she turned back to Steven, diving forward with her cutlass at the ready,

“Emerald!” Steven called as she rushed forward, tackling Bluebird away before she could reach him. As the two of them hit the ground Emerald jumped away, narrowly evading Bluebird’s cutlass as she swung it around. 

As her feet dug into the sand Emerald steadied herself with a hand, watching Bluebird as she pushed herself up off the ground. Her free hand hovered over her ankle, knowing that there was a dagger hidden under the flair of her pants.

“You.” Bluebird snarled, and Emerald froze.

Something about the way bluebird said it screamed recognition, and while Emerald didn’t know how, she could tell bluebird knew exactly who she was, and quite possibly always had.

And in that moment, her careful quiet snapped.

Emerald felt her chest grow tight, her mind scattered as she tried to keep focusing on Bluebird. She tried to shove her feelings back again, only feeling a familiar pinch of sorrow and fear as Bluebird’s gaze continued to bore into her.

“…Me.” She murmured eventually, quiet as it emerged more like an admission than a challenge.

She could hear the guilt in her own voice, strained as though she was confessing to a crime.

In a way, she was.

The moment became a stalemate, the three of them frozen as no one was willing to break the stillness and risk provoking the others.

Bluebird lunged all at once, Steven reacting just as quick. A loud clang rang out as his thrown shield knocked Bluebird’s cutlass off path before it could hit Emerald.

Emerald flinched only briefly before refocusing, darting quickly to the side as she thought about summoning her glaive. Almost immediately she abandoned the thought, realizing that Bluebird was far too quick for her to swing it fully without leaving herself open.

She drew her dagger out of its sheath as Steven dodged another cutlass, wanting to throw it but knowing better than to leave herself unarmed.

The two of them continued to dodge as Steven threw as many shields as he could, but Bluebird didn’t even pause. Emerald had to catch the back of Steven’s collar to pull him back just as a cutlass woodshed in front of his nose.

“Are you alright!?” She asked quickly and with much concern, and Steven was just as quick to respond despite his heaving breaths.

“Could be better!” He managed to say eventually, exhaustion in his eyes.

. . .

Bluebird was relentless in her pursuit, Emerald and Steven cowering behind his shield as he desperately tried to resist against the onslaught of cuts from her cutlass.

“Emerald!?” They suddenly heard someone call from inside the house, and Emerald let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Pearl suddenly burst out the door onto the balcony, Garnet and Amethyst not far behind. “-STEVEN!”

“DIE DIE DIE DIE DI-“

Bluebird stopped when she heard them, suddenly hiding her cutlass behind her back.

“Hey, guys…!” She said in her earlier friendly tone, but The Crystal Gems were having none of it.

Within moments their forms became light, fusing together as alexandrite replaced them. Steven and Emerald managed to catch their breath as she smushed Bluebird into the ground, unfusing her almost instantly.

Having managed to recover a bit Emerald and Steven walked over to them, both grateful. Amethyst and Pearl were sat on Garnet’s hand, looking down at bluebird before realizing their companion’s arrival.

“You called.” Garnet said casually, and as Emerald exhaled she touched a hand to the button around her neck, thankful it had worked again.

“Are you two okay?” Pearl asked, jumping off of her perch to check Steven’s face for injury. Then she moved onto where Emerald was holding onto arm through a rip in her sweater, making sure she was okay.

“We are now.” Steven commented, before going over to Emerald. “Here. Let me.”

Emerald let him heal her arm and fix her sweater, shrugging her shoulder gently to make sure there was no pain before letting Steven move on. “Thank you.”

“…I guess there really are gems out there that hate you.” Amethyst commented while he finished up.

“Yuuup.” Steven responded, licking his hand to heal a scrape he’d gotten on his forearm during the fight.

“Welcome to the club.” Emerald mumbled, almost absentmindedly.

“Dude!” Amethyst scolded, everyone laughing in some form.

There was an uneasiness to the way Emerald chuckled after that, as though she wanted to focus on humor rather than whatever she was thinking about.

The next day Steven would ask her about it; and about how strange she’d been acting before, but she would brush it off and insist that she was only trying to help Greg.

She would deny and deflect like always, and while Steven wasn’t reassured, he wouldn’t ask her again. The both of them would worry for hours, and one would eventually move on while the other would try to forget.

Neither would end up telling the others about it.

But for now, they were all laughing.

“What!? We’ve all got at least one!” Emerald protested, the following laugh a bit more genuine.

“Mmm, she’s right.” Pearl said, her tone one of teasing as she looked up at Garnet.

“Well, maybe so…” Steven started, pausing as he sighed deeply. “…but I’m not the one she hurt.”

At that he went over to where Greg was sitting next to the water, looking longingly at the hair in his hands. They watched as he saluted the hair, sending it off to sea as he was clearly attempting to keep himself together through tears.

“What..?” Pearl began to ask, and Emerald shrugged.

“I was going to climb up and get him, but he cut his hair first.” She explained, well aware of how ridiculous it sounded.

“Wow.” Amethyst said simply, clicking her tongue as they looked back at the scene.

“Yuuup.”

~ ~ ~

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~ ~ ~

“…Wait here for me.”

Her voice was quiet, knowing better than to risk drawing the machines back toward them after such a close call. She knew the others were close enough to hear, hidden in the shadows just behind her.

One of them called her name in response -probably to tell her that it might still be dangerous-, but she couldn’t care less about the danger after what they'd survived mere moments prior.

She was careful not to go too far ahead, merely looking to be sure that no signs of the robonoids remained. Hopefully they wouldn’t come back to that area anytime soon.

She set her hand against the wall, the stone simultaneously  rough and smooth beneath her calloused fingers. She had changed her form only once so far since her arrival, but it was far more about ease of survival than anything else.

After a few more moments of silence she returned to the others, leading them to the quiet spot she’d found. They would rest underneath this pillar for as long as they could, buried in shadow as breaks often were.

Her memory took over as she hoisted herself up, reaching outward to catch onto the next kindergarten hole. The others followed her lead, scaling up the wall with relative ease.

Eventually she settled into one, a few sitting down in another next to it as their larger friend remained on the ground.

“Thanks, Emerald.” One of the others said, and Emerald looked over. 

Rhodonite was smiling softly, Padparadscha nestled in her arms. Emerald couldn’t see more than the twins’ right shoulder from where their backs were against the stone wall across from Rhodonite, just one kindergarten hole over.

Fluorite kept watch down below, although it was clear she was relaxing as well. The encounter with the robonoids had shaken them all, but as always, they would make it through.

A spike of relief at their safety broke through the numbness in Emerald’s mind, the smallest of nods coming from her as she returned to keeping watch.

She rarely ever rested; the few times she did being flukes where she lost control and her body claimed that death was imminent even when there were no robonoids nearby. Those times she would rest in Rhodonite’s arms, a hug they had no term for.

Rhodonite nor the others ever really tried telling her that they were safe, when all of them knew they would never be.

Emerald had never felt much anger at their situation before, knowing it was a fact of life that the diamonds had sent them there, and she would never understand why.

Most of the time, she simply allowed herself to exist in a state of numbness.

Emerald really didn’t know how long it had been since she’d felt something other than the need to keep everyone else alive. 

Had it been hours, or weeks?

Perhaps it had been after the last time they almost died, when the world around her felt like it was going to collapse and crush her into pieces; When she feared her own sound killing them so much, she lost control and the mask shattered.

Maybe it was the moment just before Rhodonite realized what was going on and wrapped her arms around her, when all she wanted to do was to let it.

She tried not to think much about how loud those thoughts became every time she let it slip, hurting her only companions just through her volume even as she tried and failed to hold it all together.

 She tried not to acknowledge that the numbness she’d come to rely on only made those thoughts seem more sensible.

She tried not to think about the surface, her only memories of it messy with the feelings of fear and pain and sense of profound hurt and loss and abandonment she never wanted to feel ever again.

She shook her head at even the thought of it, burying every ugly and terrible emotion down again as far as she could as she pressed her back against the stone wall. 

She tried not to let it slip again, she tried to keep them alive, and she tried not to close her eyes and remember every face that let her die that day.

She would listen carefully for a hint of danger, knowing she could never run unless everyone was with her. She would run strong when they were, ignoring when the whispers grew louder with the humming of the robonoids.

She would resign herself to the stone as many others had before her, a choice she knew was fast approaching. It was a choice that every off-color faced every day or never, that was slowly becoming harder and harder for her to push away.

She knew that one day, the whispers would stop when she finally did, and she would truly know what it felt like to have peace without all the hurt she hid.

But she wouldn’t think about any of that in the moment.

She would wait, time itself an illusion halted by the stone around them.

She would sit mostly still in the kindergarten hole, watching and waiting until it was time to move again and pretend they had a life to live.

She would simply look at her hand while she did, absentmindedly wondering what color her skin would turn when tinted with red.

Chapter Text

Emerald sighed, leaning back in the grass to see more of the sky.

She often wondered what drew gems to the stars, whether it was something coded for colonization or a simple wonder they carried. She liked to believe it was the second option.

“So three years on Earth, huh?” Kiki asked beside her, drawing Emerald’s attention. She too looked up at the stars, unable to comprehend thousands of years but trying her best. “What do you think?”

Emerald smiled, once more focusing on the feel of the grass beneath her hands as she felt utterly surrounded by life. “…Couldn’t be better.”

“I’ll never get tired of seeing the moon and stars come out every night.” She added, lifting a hand to reach out as if she could touch the faraway planets. She hoped whatever magic she felt never faded.

When she reached back Emerald tucked a bit of hair behind her ear, a habit she’d picked up somewhere along the line.

“-I keep forgetting you have ears.” Kiki said suddenly, and Emerald looked over.

“Huh?”

“Not many gems have them.” Kiki said with a shrug, and Emerald understood what she meant.

“Oh.” She said with a smile. “Well, we can have them if we want to, it’s just not a part of base forms. I like earrings.”

She touched an earring gently, a small dangling star. 

It felt like forever ago she’d tried to mimic human ears, wanting to try listening to Greg’s old tapes while everyone was out. She’d never been able to shapeshift anything further than that, presumably just  another thing her missing code prevented. 

And even then, before she added them upon reforming she could only do it for a few hours at a time.

She tried not to think about it.

It wasn’t exactly going to change.

“I got these earrings from our Gunga, actually.” She said, decidedly changing the subject back to something happier. This was a happy occasion, after all. “I suppose she considers today my ‘birthday’, although I tried telling her that I don’t even know how old I am, let alone  the day I emerged.”

“She does love an opportunity to give gifts.” Kiki said, shrugging lightly. 

“She does.”

Then Kiki smiled, reaching into her pocket. “Runs in the family, I guess. Here.”

When Emerald looked back at her Kiki had a small box in her hand, wrapped in bright paper.

“Et tu, Kiki?” She asked when she took it, humor in her tone. Kiki chuckled, shrugging lightly.

Emerald turned the box over, seeing where the wrapping paper had been taped in place. Not wanting to make a mess she pulled from there, before opening the box.

She pulled out the small keychain, a smiling turtle hanging from it. “Thank you!” She said excitedly, giving Kiki a hug.

Kiki smiled as well, the two of them laughing as they let go.

As they talked Emerald caught on to a sound besides the wind, clear footsteps in the grass. It was clear Kiki noticed it as well, the two of them slowly becoming dead quiet as they watched the shadows. 

For a moment the both of them were on-edge, remembering what happened the year prior.

“There you two are!” A voice called out after a few moments of intense quiet, the two of them exhaling simultaneously as Jenny became visible, a flashlight in hand.

“How was work?” Kiki asked, and Jenny shrugged.

“Good, but daddy’s making dinner.”

“Alright.” Kiki stood up, brushing bits of grass off her jeans. Jenny leaned over her sister’s shoulder, smiling pleasantly at Emerald.

“We’re having dinner at home, you wanna join us?” She asked, and Emerald politely waved her off.

“I’m alright. Not a huge fan of eating.” 

She neglected to add that without proper shapeshifting she couldn’t actually eat, figuring it was too complicated for the moment anyway.

“Right. Well, see you tomorrow!”

“And Happy Birthday!” Jenny added quickly, moving forward to hand Emerald another small gift excitedly. “See you later!”

“Stars…” Emerald murmured to herself, shaking her head lightly even as she smiled. She watched the girls hurry off, most likely having to get home before their father gave them more work for being late.

She examined the new gift, a small bag with tissue paper in it. The paper was a bright blue, the bag plain but nice. 

Once more she looked at the keychain, charming in it’s simplicity and thoughtful in its choosing.

“Happy birthday to me.” She murmured, feeling warmth grow in her chest as she began to fully understand the concept.

In a life where so many anniversaries and milestones in her existence were terrible, it meant so much to have those around her celebrate what she considered to be the best thing to ever happen.

There was something so wonderful about being acknowledged in such a simple way, profound yet welcoming.

It all felt very human.

. . .

“Emerald?” A soft voice called after a few minutes, and Emerald smiled. She looked up, seeing Pearl coming up the hill. A soft light emitted from her gem, enough for the gem to see. “Are you still here?”

“Right here.” Emerald said, turning enough that Pearl could see her better. She could see the smile Pearl gained, coming closer.

“Mind if I join you?”

“No.” Emerald said simply, turning back to Jenny’s present as Pearl settled in the grass next to her. 

Pearl picked up the small card Emerald had taken from the gift bag, looking at the short message. “Birthday?” She asked after a moment, clearly amused but a bit confused.

Emerald chuckled, still looking at her small gifts. “Nanefua and the Pizzas apparently dubbed today to give me gifts every year.” She said by way of explanation.

Pearl smiled, giving back the card before moving to wrap her arm around Emerald’s waist. “That sounds like them.”

“Mhm.”

Emerald pulled out the tissue paper, eventually finding the present within. “Oh… look!” She held it up for Pearl to see, excited at her new present.

Jenny appeared to have knitted her a small sweater for her phone, a cute decoration that seemed very much like her. Funnily enough she seemed to have modeled it after Emerald’s own sweater, navy blue with little white stars added on.

“That's sweet of her.” Pearl said, looking at the small details. After a moment she handed it back, watching as Emerald fiddled with it.

“These are cute.” She commented, reaching to brush the tips of her fingers against the edge of one of Emerald’s earrings.

“I think so too.” Emerald said with a smile, setting her presents in the small bag to easier take home.

“Have I ever told you about the time Steven tried to celebrate birthdays for us?” Pearl asked, a smile on her face as she remembered the shenanigans that day had caused for them all.

“Hmmm… no, I think that’s a new one.” Emerald said, leaning against Pearl’s shoulder.

“…Tell me about it.”