Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

It's a peaceful morning in Beach City. Nora and Steven are sitting down on the beach just chatting while they wait for Steven's bag he ordered a few days ago.

"Oh man, I can't wait to have my own bag too!" Steven swings his feet in excitement.

"Yeah, but your bag is cooler than mine." Nora replies, drawing some random doodles on the sand with a random branch she found nearby.

"No way! You embroidered yours! That makes it cooler!" Steven insists.

"Oh Steven, but it's nothing. I just did some sewing to make it more colorful and put my name on it like auntie Vidalia taught me."

Vidalia did teach Nora a little of embroidery and sewing when the younger sibling, who was five and being babysat by her at the time, showed interest by looking at her fixing her son's clothes.

"Can you embroider my bag when it arrives?" He pleads, giving his best cute expression.

Nora laughs. "I don't think it's gonna look good."

"But-" Steven stops when Jamie, the mailman, appears. "Do you have a package for me today?!"

"Hold on, let me see what I've got here," Jamie opens his mailbag. "You're Steven, right?" The boy nods. "Okay…" Between other bags and envelopes he pulls out a parcel. "Here it is, Steven Universe."

"This thing is gonna help me save the world." Steven says ecstatically while Nora shakes her head.

"Really? It says it's from Wacky Sacks Supply Company."

"Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl think I shouldn't go on magic adventures because I don't know how to use my gem powers."

"That seems reasonable."

"But there are other ways I can help."

"With a Wacky Sack?"

"Exactly!"

"Do you know how you can save my world?" Jamie takes out a signature pad. "Sign here, please." Steven writes his name and draws stars over it. "Barb yells at me if I don't get signatures."

The Beach House starts glowing from the inside, a clear signal the gems returned. In a hurry, Steven grabs the parcel and runs with his sister up the stairs towards his house, leaving a confused Jamie behind.

Both enter the house, greeted by Garnet's hello and Pearl's argument against Amethyst's idea to put a giant egg in the fridge. "Look, it fits! Ha!" She slams the fridge door, and a crack is heard from the inside. "Oh man, We can make a big omelet, or a quiche, or big sunny side ups!"

Pearl, obviously unamused, turns to the twins. "We fought a giant bird. We're only here for a second, we've got to go back out."

"What? Why?" Steven questions.

She shows them a statue she's holding. "We have to place this Moon Goddess Statue on the top of the Lunar Sea Spire before midnight. Without it, the whole place will fall apart! Oh Steven, you should have seen the spire in its heyday," Pearl projects a hologram of the place. "It was an oasis for gems on Earth. It's abandoned now, but we can still save it with this statue!"

Nora's expression of curiosity is quickly wiped away as Pearl focuses her explanation to Steven. She understands it's because Steven should know about the gem culture since he is half one, but Pearl didn't need to act as if she is not there.

She is not surprised though. Over the years, Nora did manage to notice Pearl's preference over Steven, she never really did a good job trying to hide it. That's actually the reason why she never really feels comfortable to usually ask or talk to her about anything.

"What? I'm a Gem!" Nora snaps from her thoughts, noticing she missed half of the conversation.

"But you've still got a lot to learn."

"So, let him come! It'll be educational." Pearl seems to think of approving Amethyst's request.

"Steven will go with us," Garnet decides. Great, probably I'm not coming, Nora thinks. "And Nora, you can come too, it'll be good for you to learn more about the gems."

And that's a reason why Nora is closer to Garnet. She is the only one who never belittles or treats her differently, never forgetting about her and showing how much she is important too.

"Thank you, Garnet!"

"Alright. You can carry it in your hamburger." Pearl hands the statue to Steven.

He grabs it and opens his backpack. "Check this out! Everything's a pocket! Even the cheese is a pocket! I could fit a lot more stuff in here. Give me a minute! I'll pack extra supplies."

While Steven begins rummaging through his house for supplies, such as a bag of bagels, two sweaters, a kite, an inflatable raft, and more clothes; Nora grabs her bag and searches for what she thinks is extremely necessary for a short mission like this, like small food, a bottle of water and a first aid kit.

"Steven! Nora! Let's go!" They hear Pearl calling them, with slightly impatience.

"Coming!" Steven puts on his backpack and walks down the steps and onto the warp pad.

"I'm going in a minute!" Nora scams the room, checking to see if she forgot anything important.

"Woah! Steven, did you bring your whole room?" Pearl comments, seeing how heavy the backpack looks. Nora finally arrives and joins everyone in the warp pad. "Let's go."

A blue light beams from the warp pad and everyone begins to ascend. Inside of it, Nora looks around her, amazed at how it looks inside, also a little hesitant at how freely she and Steven floats.

"Don't worry Nora, the warp pad is safe. Just make sure to stay inside." Garnet explains.

Nora nods. She looks at her brother who is laughing and somersaulting in the beam, sticking his head out of the warp stream, making her quickly pull him back in out of fear.

The Crystal Gems arrive on another warp pad. Steven, still floating, falls on his back, while Nora stumbles a little, but lands on her feet. They all turn to look at Sea Spire, the Gems sighing as a piece of the Spire breaks off from the structure.

"It wasn't like this a hundred years ago." Pearl states, sadness noticeable.

"I'm sensing structural instability." Garnet warns.

"That's never good." Steven says, oblivious to the cracks forming on the ground around him.

"Gah! Steven!" Pearl rushes towards him. Nora notices what's going on and pulls her brother back, saving him just in time, before the ground collapses into the water.

Glancing at the tall gem, she looks as if she's about to have a heart attack. Taking a deep breath, Pearl grabs Steven's and Nora's hands. "Alright, hold on. We're taking Steven and Nora back!"

"What!?" Both take their hands away.

"Listen, I want you to stay and help, but you two really got to take this seriously! Especially you Steven, since this place is your heritage. Can you both do that?"

"Yes, Pearl."

"You got it, dude!"

Besides not being totally convinced, Pearl chooses to accept their answers.

Nora definitely didn't like the way Pearl spoke to her, especially because she threatened to send her back home even if she hadn't done anything. It's not her fault that Steven isn't taking this seriously.

They run up to the edge of a cliff, before Garnet signals them to stop. "What's the hold-up? We can clear this easily." Amethyst frowns.

"No," Garnet disagrees. "The magic that sustains the whirlpool creates a vortex that will pull us below." She picks up a rock nearby and hurls it over, everyone seeing it quickly getting halted in its trajectory and pulled by the vortex.

"So we can't jump?"

"Oh, wait!" Steven opens his backpack and pulls out two sweaters. "They were for keeping warm," Steven ties the sweaters together. "But check it out!" He whips one end through a hole in the Spire and catches it. He takes a deep breath before continuing.

"C'mon Nora!" Steven hoists Nora onto his side and runs.

"Wait Steven! We should list-" She is unable to complete as Steven jumps off the cliff, taking her with him, making both of them start being pulled down by the vortex. 

Scared, Nora clings onto the sweaters, like Steven, which prevent both from being sucked in. She finds her footing on the side of the Spire and begins to pull herself upwards, with Steven copying her movements.

Fortunately, both manage to land into the Spire unscathed, but panting.

Nora feels as if her heart would skip a beat, her hands slightly shaking due to being one of the first times she actually do something dangerous.

"Way to go! C'mon, guys!" Amethyst summons her whip from her gem, whips it around the same hole of the sweaters. Holding Garnet and Pearl over her shoulder, she swings over the vortex and ascends into the Spire the same way the siblings did.

"Don't ever do that again!" Pearl scolds.

"Sorry!" Steven and Nora apologies.

Already calmed down, Pearl admits. "But, it was pretty great."

As they walk inside and explore around the Sea Spire, Nora examines every inch of the place, curious about the full history behind it. 

"This is even worse than the outside. This didn't used to be so... Oh, and the water damage. This pillar and this had a head…" Pearl comments about the structure's damages, not a single detail going unnoticed by her perfectionism. "Once the statue's in place, it'll restore all of this to its former glory-"

To the twins' surprise, the Gem summons her spear and slices the statue in half after seeing some creatures crawling around the statue's shoulders.

"What was that?" Steven questions.

"A Crystal Shrimp."

"You guys, we got a problem!"

The trio run up the stairs to Garnet and Amethyst to inspect the problem; A tons of Crystal Shrimps. "It's an infestation, and we have to pass through there to get to the top."

Steven leans towards one of the Crystal Shrimps, nearly touching it. "Can't you just squish 'em?"

Pearl desperately pulls him away. "Don't touch that, their shards are deadly! We need to clear a path," She thinks of a plan. "Amethyst, if you go around to the side and disturb them with a spin attack," She projects a few holograms of each gem to reinforce. "And Garnet, if you move to the ceiling and strike this exact spot, then I can advance with my-"

"BAGEL SANDWICH!" Steven interrupts by throwing two bagel sandwiches onto either side of the room. The Crystal Shrimps proceed to swarm towards the food, clearing a path for the Crystal Gems.

"Brilliant." Garnet says.

Pearl dispels her hologram. "How did you know that would work?"

"Well, if I were a shrimp, that's what I would do." Nora chuckles at her brother's response.

Everyone proceeds to cross the cleared path and climb the stairs. They reach the top of the stairs when Garnet suddenly halts the group. "Watch out!" Seconds later, the wall to their left cracks and bursts open, forming a gushing stream of water, blocking their way.

"What are we gonna do?"

Nora tries to think of something, but once she notices the Gems looking at Steven, expecting him to be the one to bring a solution, she decides to push her proactivity aside. They clearly wouldn't be interested in any of her ideas.

"What? Me?"

"Tell us what you got."

"Cheeseburger Backpack! Cheeseburger Backpack!" Amethyst starts chanting while Steven nervously searches for something. "Pearl, c'mon."

"Oh alright," She decides to join. "Cheeseburger Backpack! Cheeseburger Backpack! Cheeseburger Backpack!" Pearl and Amethyst start chanting together.

Steven manages to pull out an inflatable raft. "A raft!" 

"Here, let me hold it." Nora takes his backpack to help him and takes some steps backwards. 

He throws the raft onto the water. It quickly floats away and gets washed out off the side of the Spire. Steven, Pearl and Amethyst groan, however Garnet already sees a solution, proceeding to kick over a pillar to use it to form a bridge over the water. "Good idea anyway, Steven." She reassures.

The Crystal Gems cross the bridge to the other side and begin to walk up another staircase. "Yeah, they can't all be winners."

Weirdly, Nora feels relief in her chest at Amethyst's phrase. Steven not being able to come up with a solution makes her feel… Better? No! No way. It can't be. She shouldn't be happy at her brother's failure.

The group slowly climb up the winding stairs around the Spire and finally reach the top. The siblings stare in awe at such a beautiful view while the Gems approach a pedestal.

"This is it. The Moon Goddess pedestal," Pearl looks up at the sky. "And the moon is almost overhead! It's not too late to save this piece of history!"

"Steven, the statue." Garnet asks.

Steven nods, taking the backpack from his back and searching for the object. "Right… here!" He finds the statue and gives it to Garnet.

The fusion walks towards the pedestal and carefully places it in while Pearl and Amethyst quietly observe.

A ray of light begins to beam from the pedestal towards the moon. The statue levitates off the pedestal by the beam, floating towards the moon until it starts shining and disappears in the light itself.

Suddenly, the glowing retreats into the pedestal, before releasing a powerful magic wave, engulfing the whole structure and everything on its way. When the blast of energy fades, they look at the surrounding now completely restored, as if brand new. 

"Steven, you did it!" Pearl congratulates him with a smile.

Amethyst quickly pulls him into a hug, spinning him around. "Good job, little man!"

"Congratulations, Steven." Garnet pats him on the head.

"Nora! Nora! I did it!" Steven goes to his sister, giving her a tight hug. 

"Yeah… Good job, Steven. I knew you could do it." Nora hugs him back, knowing it would be unfair to ruin his happiness, only finding a little weird how the gems are treating it as if he passed in some sort of test or something.

Now that their mission is over they can finally go home. They walk down the stairs, looking at the reformed version of the place; It definitely seems more colorful, still having its bluish tones; All statues being complete and free of cracks; Each missing piece of the ceiling, broken walls and holes on the ground is fixed; No sign of Crystal Shrimps, leaving the hall completely free for everyone walk in.

"Oh, now it's exactly how I remember back then!" Pearl glances at the ceiling, examining the drawings and architecture.

While Steven listens to Pearl's endless rant about it, Nora follows them with her best attempt to look happy. She can't truly feel joy about her brother's achievement, simply because there is no achievement.

It wasn't him who remembered to bring the statue.

It was her.

"Steven! Nora! Let's go!" They heard Pearl calling them, with slightly impatience.

"Coming!" Steven put on his backpack and walked down the steps and onto the warp pad.

"I'm going in a minute!" Nora scams the room, checking to see if she forgot anything important until she saw the statue in the bed! Steven forgot the frickin statue!

She quickly put it in her bag, but chose to not make a single comment about this. 

"Woah! Steven, did you bring your whole room?" Pearl commented, seeing how heavy the backpack looked. Nora finally arrived and joined everyone in the warp pad. "Let's go."

Nora's shoulders tense up and slowly her happy facade starts to crumble. Did she do the right thing? Was it better to tell it was her after all? She is starting to deeply regret her choice, but it confuses her since if it was the right thing she shouldn't be feeling this way, right?

"Cheeseburger Backpack! Cheeseburger Backpack! Cheeseburger Backpack!" Pearl and Amethyst started chanting together.

Steven managed to pull out an inflatable raft. "A raft!" 

"Here, let me hold it." Nora took his backpack to help him and took some steps backwards, being out of the gem's vision.

She took advantage that everyone was focusing on Steven and carefully opened his backpack, placing the statue inside, under everything else to cover it, then silently closed it.

He threw the raft onto the water. It quickly floated away and got washed out off the side of the Spire. Steven, Pearl and Amethyst groaned, however Garnet already saw a solution, proceeding to kick over a pillar to use it to form a bridge over the water. "Good idea anyway, Steven." She reassured.

All the praises Steven received kept reverberating in her head, making her even angrier. She blushes, hating that she was clearly jealous of her brother. Urgh, she just wants to go home already.

─ ·★· ─

Back at the Temple, after Steven falls asleep and the Gems return to their room, Nora sees herself wide awake, remembering what she did over and over again.

The younger sibling is currently in the kitchen, just finishing her glass of warm milk to help her sleep. "Stupid thoughts." She murmurs, trying to handle the wave of emotions she is facing right now.

It feels like no matter how hard she tries she is never good enough. If she tries to help her brother, her assistance is never acknowledged and if she lets him do what he plans he still turns out amazingly without her. 

She wants to cry. It's so unfair. Her vision blurs a little, but she already blinks away the unreleased tears. Nora goes back to the bed she shares with Steven, who sleeps peacefully, and lays down facing the wall, something she rarely does since both of them like to sleep facing each other.

Before doing so, she glances at her brother.

I wish for once I could be good enough as you

Chapter Text

The next morning after the Lunar Sea Spire mission, Nora wakes up worse than she expected. Tired and sleepiness surprised her by being stronger than she thought it would.

She rolls over and sees the empty side of the bed, signaling Steven is already awake. It must be late. The young girl checks her alarm and confirms her thought.

Nora sits on the bed and grabs her phone, placed aside the alarm, seeing if she received any message. She did, from Peedee.

PD: Hey, can you come over here now in the morning? I really need to talk to you…

Oh my gosh, it has been a few hours since he sent the message. Was it something serious? Did he need her for something?

Before even getting out of the bed, Nora already starts typing an answer.

Sorry I didn't answer you earlier, didn't sleep well and I just woke up

I'll be there in a few minutes!

Groaning for sleeping so late, she goes to the kitchen where she finds Steven. "Good morning, sis!" He greets her with a wave.

"Good morning, Steven." She replies, letting out a yawn. 

"Aw, you didn't sleep well?" Steven asks as she sits down next to him, rubbing her sleepy eyes. "You look tired."

"Not really, but it's okay," She assures. "I'm quite hungry."

"Oh, I made breakfast for you!" He excitedly grabs the plate containing waffles with syrup, eggs, bacon and a cup filled with orange juice.

"Thanks Steven." Nora smiles in gratitude and starts eating her breakfast. It was so good, her brother definitely had some cooking skills.

─ ·★· ─

Nora is currently sitting on the couch, checking her phone to see if there's any message of her friend. He still didn't answer her, which she finds weirds, but assumes he's probably busy.

"Where are you?" She sees Steven peering through a pile of laundry. "Tsk tsk tsk. You’re a mess, Steven."

Nora snorts. "Yeah, definitely."

Pearl appears in the room, going towards the kitchen, holding a bubble full of shards. "I know I had eight…" She whispers to herself while searching. "You two, have you seen a Gem shard anywhere? It’s very important."

"No."

"No, have you seen my pants? They’re also very important."

"I’m serious, Steven. These Shards have a powerful partial consciousness that has been harnessed by Gems throughout history in order to create semi-sentient drone soldiers with the capacity to follow basic orders…"

Nora leaves her phone aside and goes to Pearl to pay attention to what she's saying, keeping it mind that if it's too detailed she needs to grasp as much information she can. "...Gems once created an army of these drones, but found their obedience waned as the shards overdeveloped inside their uniforms and turned on their commanders. You see, any shard imprinted by any sort of container could become a monster. That’s why it’s very, very important it’s kept away from any kind of garment."

"If any of you see it, bring it to me, right away. I’m going to check in town." Pearl finishes her explanation, leaving the house through the front door.

"For my pants?" Steven shouts at her.

"No Steven, the shard!" Nora answers. "You didn't listen to a word she said, did you?"

"Uhh… No?" He smiles nervously.

She rolls her eyes. "Pearl basically said that if it finds a garment it can become a monster, that's why we have to find and bring it to her."

"Oh okay." Steven looks around. "I guess I’ll have to-" He sees Nora pointing at something behind him, which happens to be his pants. "That’s unusual!" 

Nora crosses her arms watching Steven chasing after it. After finally catching it and putting them on he feels the pants still wriggling. "What’s gotten into you? Hmm?" When he searches on his pockets he finds the Gem shard, causing his pants to cease.

"It’s the shard!" It glows and tugs on Steven's shirt, which he quickly pulls away. 

"Careful Steven!" Nora grabs it from him. "We really should go find Pearl already."

He then grabs a sock nearby and puts the shard inside. "Ha! Now who’s smart?" The sock animates and repeatedly smacks him in the face. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, stop!" The sock compels to his command, surprising both of them. "Oh... Thanks! Okay, we gotta get going." 

He places the sock in his backpack and zips it up.

"Now let's go. Also, I need to go see Peedee, he wants to talk to me."

"Did something happen?"

"I don't know, but it seemed important."

Since it rained the whole morning and now Beach City faced a coldish weather, Steven puts on a salmon hoodie, leaving the same pants and chooses rubber yellow boots with duck drawings on it.

While Nora wears a pink raincoat with yellow heart-shaped buttons, blue pants and boots in the same color as the buttons. And of course, her bag. "Do I look good?" 

"You look beautiful, sis! As always!" Steven gives a thumb up, along with a reassuring smile. "Do I look good?" 

Nora smiles fondly. "Of course you do, Steven."

They leave the house and goes after Pearl, yelling for her since they have no idea where she must be. "Hey, Pearl! Pearl! Where is she?"

They keep walking along the boardwalk until a peculiar fries-looking character rushes in and bumps into Steven, knocking him to the ground, which happens to be Peedee in the costume. "Please help me! No, get them away! Please!"

A flock of seagulls flies in and assaults Peedee who, in a last attempt to get those away, takes off the head of the costume and swings it at the seagulls. "I'm not FRIES!"

Right at the moment, Mr. Fryman comes out of the Beach Citywalk Fries to see the what was going on. "Where’s your face, Frybo? Being part of the Fryman family means you gotta sell fries... and be my son, which you are,"

Peedee sighs, frustration bubbling inside his chest.

"So, you’re already halfway there. Keep at it, Frybo!" He enters back into the building, before his son can even protest.

"Peedee?" Nora asks, stepping closer to him.

The older one blushes in embarrassment for his friend to presence him in such a embarrassing moment. "N-Nora? I didn't knew you would be here."

"Well, I sent you a message but you probably didn't see it."

Peedee sighs. "No, I was too busy doing…" He gestures to himself. "...This."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Steven gets up, helping him out of the costume. 

"When I told my dad I wanted to be part of the Fryman family business, I didn’t think it meant being stuck in a sweaty old costume. Things used to be different, nothing to worry about back then except making myself dizzy on the old seahorse ride at Funland," Peedee glances at the costume, melancholy spilling from his gaze. "I wish there was a way for this costume to do its job without me in it.

"Maybe it can, Peedee…" Steven tells him, starry-eyed. "Maybe it can!"

Steven dons on the Frybo costume, ready to do his job. He starts singing and happily walks around until he is suddenly attacked by the same seagulls

The older Universe takes off the Frybo costume, leaving it in a decrepit state on the boardwalk, while seagulls flock all over at it. While they look at the costume he has an idea.

When he takes out the shard in his backpack, Nora immediately tries to stop him. "No Steven! That's too dangerous!"

"But we can help Peedee with this!"

"Pearl said it can become a monster!"

"But it obeyed me when I told it to stop earlier." 

Nora opens her mouth to retort, however no arguments come to her mind. Her brother places a hand on her shoulder to assure her. "Maybe if we don't use it too much it'll be okay. We'll just use it to help Peedee, he really needs it."

The younger sibling can't say no to helping her friend and yeah, maybe if they don't overuse it won't trigger the shard to its evil side.

Steven shoos the seagulls away and drops the shard inside the costume. It begins to shake, then it repairs itself and rolls away.

"Woah." Peedee watches it amazed.

"Stop!" Steven orders, Frybo compels.

"Unbelievable! Get up!" Peedee tries, and Frybo positions itself upright.

"Do a little dance!"

Frybo creates legs out of fries, while the trio react in disgust, and start dancing weirdly. Mr. Fryman comes out of the building again to observe and Peedee quickly hides behind Nora to not get caught.

"Woah-ho, all right! Good job, buddy! That’s what I’m talking about, Frybo. Keep it up!" He enters back inside and the moment he closes the door Frybo stops dancing.

"Free, I’m free!" Peedee celebrates. "You’ve got the job, Frybo," He tells it. "Now just go make people eat fries," Frybo runs off, and Peedee rejoices. "Let’s go be kids!" He grabs his friends' hand and runs off towards the Funland Arcade.

Peedee chooses the Seahorse ride and Steven offers his turn on the Jellyfish to Nora, who refuses, letting him have the first round. At first, Peedee is full of joy, but quickly becomes disappointed as the ride comes to a stop.

"You okay, Peedee?" Nora notices his unhappiness. "You look sad."

"It's just… This seahorse used to make me so happy. Now it’s just giving me whiplash. I feel like there’s just no point to it, you know what I mean?"

"Does that have to do with your job? You don't really look happy when you work."

Peedee chuckles in a bittersweet tone. "I don't need to be happy when I work. No one is happy when working, you’ll understand when you have a job."

"But we do have a job," Steven butts in. "We protect humanity from magic and monsters and stuff!"

"I mean a real job, that you get paid for."

"We're paid with the smiles across the town’s faces."

"I guess he meant with cash, Steven, like we see in the movies."

"Yeah, cash. Cash that can’t buy back what the job takes... not if you rode every seahorse in the world."

Nora's heart breaks seeing Peedee so upset. She really wants to help him, but she doesn't really comprehend what he's talking about. Is it really because of the job? Why it makes him so sad? And why doesn't he just ask his dad to stop working and Ronald takes his place? Why is this situation so difficult for him?

Interrupting any further discussion, a distant scream is heard. "That came from the fry shop!" Peedee gets off the ride and runs off, Steven and Nora just after him.

Arriving right in front of the building they see people running in terror out of the door. Yellow tendrils whip out and start dragging people back inside.

"We didn’t tell him to do that, did we tell him to do that?!" Peedee frantically asks Steven.

Nora tries to see the inside of the building and catches Frybo ready to attack them. "Watch out!" She pushes them to the ground before they get hit by a table that smashes through the counter windows.

They look inside the building and see Frybo standing there with several people captured with its fry hair tendrils.

"Frybo, stop!" Steven orders.

Frybo stops and slowly turns around, revealing veins protruding all over his face, causing them to flinch. Frybo then hurls Lars at them through the windows, whom they duck out of the way, and he hits the table, spitting out fries and runs away.

"Why isn’t he listening?!" Peedee starts to panic.

"I don’t know!"

"Peedee!" The older Fryman emerges from the back of the shop. "Where’s all this coming from?!" Frybo ensnares him with a tendril, while Peedee peeps over the counter. "Ah, I get it, I pushed you too hard! I thought you wanted to be as good a Fryman as you could be! you’re a tough kid for putting up with it as long as you did! The truth is, you’re a valued member of Fryman Brothers Incorporated and all its affiliates!"

Peedee is touched by his dad's statement. This is what he has been waiting to hear his whole life, the acknowledgement of his efforts and that he was indeed important to his dad. He really means a lot to him.

He can't help the tears from rolling down his cheeks, an immense urge creeping into his chest to save his dad, the person he most loves. "Daaad!" 

Peedee tries to lunge through the window, but Steven prevents him by tackling him down. "No! He’ll mash your potatoes!"

"What are you going to do!?"

"My job!"

"Watch out you two!" Nora yells when Frybo gets ready to throw Mr. Fryman towards Steven and Peedee, which fortunately they managed to get away in time. Peedee goes after his dad, who's knocked unconscious, and tries to wake him up while Frybo starts approaching them out the counter windows.

"Steven!" Pearl reveals herself in front of them, still holding the bubble of shards. "Did you put my missing shard in that fry costume?"

"Yes!"

"Didn’t you hear what I said about the living armor and infantries and many, many deaths?!"

"No!"

"Oh Steven…" Pearl summons her spear, irritated with the answer she got.

Pearl jumps on top of the table and throws her spear at Frybo, hitting its eye. Ketchup then sprays from the eye at Pearl, knocking her off the table, causing her to drop and pop the bubble of shards.

"Pearl!" Nora rushes towards her.

"Ugh, the ketchup! It’s everywhere, I can’t see!" Nora opens her bag in search of a cloth to wash the ketchup from Pearl's face.

Steven notices the dropped shards and an idea pops up. "Shards... Need!" He runs off, leaving both behind.

"Steven, wait for Pearl!" Nora hurries to get Pearl clean, so she can finally defeat that thing.

"Wah? Steven? Where did he go?" She asks, highly uncomfortable, desperate to see and defeat that thing.

"I don't know!" Nora replies, worried that her brother would do something stupid.

While that happens, Peedee still holds his unconscious dads and starts tearing up, completely scared. "Dad! Please wake up!"

Frybo emerges from the building, Pearl's spear still in his eye, and approaches the Frymans. Peedee's dad finally regains consciousness, while his son grabs a broken plank and confronts the thing.

"Go away!" The young boy swings at Frybo, using his last piece of courage, mixing it with his creeping anger.

"Peedee?"

"You are awful! I hate you! I’ve always hated you!!" He yells at Frybo.

"Wait? You’ve always hated Frybo?" Mr. Fryman asks, surprised.

"Duh, yes!" Nora answers, catching his attention. "If you had paid attention to your son you would've known that! Would've known that he hates that thing! Would've known he hates being obligated to do that! Would've known that he hates that miserable job!

"Peedee," He looks at his son. "Is this true?"

"I-" Before he can even say anything Frybo disarms him, causing the boy to fall backwards, but Mr. Fryman catches him. As Frybo approaches the Frymans, a pair of pants suddenly flies in with a Gem shard in its pocket and kicks Frybo in its face.

Steven appears in just his underwear after placing a shard in each of his garments. His socks, shirt, pants, shoes, and jacket stand beside him. "Attack!"

Steven’s garments collectively attack Frybo. Cheese starts flowing out of Frybo's mouth, as it smacks Steven onto the ground.

"Steven!" Clean, Pearl appears and summons two spears, throwing each of them on Frybo's arms that were held by Steven's clothes.

The thing attacks her with its tendril, but the gem is quicker, summoning another spear and smoothly cuts each one while balancing herself on her toes with each backwards acrobatics.

Right when Frybo free itself from her weapons, Pearl uses her spear, with calculated force, and throws it exactly in Frybo's middle, where the shard is placed, penetrating the costume and pushing the gem shard out of it.

Pearl walks towards it, making sure it was free from the shard. "Is everyone alright?"

When the Frymans nod, reassuring they weren't hurt, she immediately goes after the twins. "Steven, Nora, are you two okay?" She checks them, inspecting their face, arms and legs for any injuries.

"I'm okay."

"Yeah, we're fine!"

"Thank goodness," Pearl takes a full breath. "Don't ever do that again, okay? As you two saw, gem artifacts are extremely dangerous, so please listen to me when I say you two shouldn't handle it."

Both nods. "We're sorry."

"It's alright, no one got hurt and that's what really matters." 

─ ·★· ─

Mr. Fryman carried the Frybo costume and prepared to send it out to sea on a makeshift raft. He took out a lighter and set Frybo on fire and Pearl, using the end of her spear, pushed it out to sea.

After they watched it move along the waves, going somewhere the sea wanted, everyone started to go back to their homes.

As the Frymans were about to leave, Peedee hears his friend calling for him. "I think your friend wants to say something." Mr. Fryman says before leaving him some privacy.

"Hey!" Nora goes after her friend. "Um, we… We didn't get to actually talk about what you wanted."

"Oh," Peedee looks away. "Yeah, but it's not that important."

"No, of course it is!" Nora holds his hands and looks at his eyes. "I'm your friend P, you can always count on me."

Peedee smiles.

"I guess you're gonna spend some time with your dad tonight, right?" She notices his dad waiting for him. "It's okay, we can talk about that tomorrow if you want."

He nods. "It would be nice."

"Also, sorry about telling your dad how you felt. I didn't have the right to tell him, you were the one who should have done that." Nora apologies, fiddling with her fingers.

"Nah, it's fine. I guess I wouldn't be able to do that on my own anyway," He chuckles shyly. "Thanks."

Nora gives him a soft hug, which caught her friend by surprise, however he returns the gesture. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

Chapter Text

"Steven, I'm going to see Peedee, okay? I'll be back by noon."

"Okay, have fun!" 

It's still morning when Nora leaves the house to find her friend and spend some time together. They agreed to meet at the forest they used to go a few years ago since it would give them some privacy.

They meet in front of the Fry Shop and go towards their destination sharing random thoughts and talking about anything new. When they finally arrive there, both take a break. "Finally having a day off, huh?" 

Peedee chuckles. "Yeah, for once. I didn't even see that coming."

"Me neither," Nora puts her bag and basket aside, pulling a picnic carpet and placing it on the ground with his help.

"I didn't even remember the last time we came here," He gazes at the trees, leaves calmly moving with the refreshing breeze. "We were like… Four?"

"I think so," Nora takes out some sandwiches in plastic bags. "Me, you and Steven used to have so much fun here."

"We used to play tag for hours and climb these trees."

"Until I broke my arm," She adds, with a pitiful laugh. "It hurt so much. I fell from… that one," She points at one besides them. "You remember?"

"Of course I do! How could I forget me and Steven in panic trying to get Sour Cream to help us?" He opens two juice boxes and hands her one.

"Oh yeah Sour Cream, he used to babysit us, right?" Nora takes a sip.

"Uhum, he used to bring us here when Vidalia couldn't," He does the same, making himself comfortable. "Good times."

"Good times."

Silence takes place in moment, helping both appreciate the free time to enjoy each other's company. Until Nora decides to touch the unconcluded topic. "So, what did you want to talk about?" 

"Oh, um… It's not really that important, so- I just wanted to, I guess, huh… Really silly, you know? Um-"

"Peedee, you're stalling."

"Gah!" He runs his fingers through his hair, inhaling deeply before exhaling quite loudly. "I wanted to talk about the work and how I was feeling."

He closes his eyes, hesitant at his friends' response, fearing she would be mad because he wanted the conversation to be focused on him instead of just chatting like always.

But instead, Nora just looks at him with a soft expression and a reassuring smile. "Okay, go on."

Peedee bit his lips, still unsure. His heart is beating fast due to his nervousness, however hearing her positive answer he feels himself slowly calm down. 

"It's just… I'm so tired of doing all the hard work, you know? I always had to help dad with everything because my stupid brother wouldn't and that's not fair! I'm not even saying this because he's older, I'm saying this because he just won't do anything for us."

"The Frybo thing just made me even upset because it was just one of the things I had to do against my will. This isn't something that started now, it's been years! It's been since- I don't know, ever!? I even left school because I had to stay and help with the shop-"

"Wait, you had to leave school?"

"Yes! Because of him!" Peedee barely notices the raise in tone of his voice. "Why do I always have to abdicate everything in my life while Ronaldo can do anything? He doesn't need to drop his stupid blog, nor stop going out in search of weird stuff, but I have to stay back and do all the hard work on that miserable job!"

Nora stays silent.

Peedee's chest raises up and down and rapid succession, only noticing the tears when they leave his eyes, and that makes him cry even more. "It's just… Not fair." He sniffles, eyes fixed on the ground, unable to look at the younger Universe.

"I didn't know that," Nora puts her juice aside and gets closer to him. "You have every right to feel this way and I'm so sorry you have to go through that."

He clumsily tries to dry the tears, but Nora stops him. "I'm going to help you! You won't need to be this sad anymore!"

"And how are you going to do that?"

"I don't know, but I will find a solution!" Determination is drawn on her face, eyes shining in excitement. "I'm your friend and I'll do anything to help you."

Peedee gives a half smile. "You're already helping me by being here."

"But I'll do more, Universe Promise!" She raises her hand, the other placed on her heart.

He doesn't say anything, only silently appreciating her help, thinking how lucky he is for having her as a friend.

─ ·★· ─

Nora is close to coming home by noon, just like she said, but before doing so she decides to stop by the Car Wash to talk to her dad and ask for some advice. There, she sees her dad and brother cleaning Mayor Dewey's car.

"Hey sis!" Steven is the first one to notice her presence and go after her.

"Hey Steven! Hey dad" She waves at them.

Steven goes to greet her with a hug, but Nora raises her hands, stopping him. "No Steven, you're all wet!"

Bad move. A mischievous smile appears on his lips, his body tenses as he gets ready to attack. "Don't even think about- don't you dare! NO!"

Nora squeaks, running away from her brother who's chasing after her with his bubbly laughter. Greg shakes his head, chuckling to himself watching his kids having fun.

The younger keeps running in circles until she slips on a small pool of water, causing her to fall and Steven finally trapping her in a hug.

"Noooo" Nora whines playfully, laughing along with her brother. "Big brother always wins!" She hears him say it in her ear.

"Alright you two," Greg walks towards them. "Steven, you're going to help me finish with the car?"

"Yeah!" He exclaims.

"And what about you, strawberry?" Nora smiles at the silly nickname. "Came here to hang out with your old man?"

"Actually I need some advice, dad."

"Oh, and what is it?" Greg leads her towards the inside of the Car Wash, where he gives her a towel to dry herself. "It's about your friend Peedee?"

"Yeah," She replies. "He seems so sad with his work, and I remembered you said once that only adults should work, so is that why he is so sad? Because it's not for his age?"

"Well Nora, when you have a job you have a lot of responsibility which you have to prepare to face," He explains. "When I say you have to be an adult to have a job, it's because you need maturity to handle a lot of things; Money, information, how each person acts towards you, a lot of things you kids shouldn't have to worry about."

Nora nods. 

"And when you work on something you don't like it can be really tiring, since it's a routine and you would have to be there everyday doing something it's not making you happy."

"He said he even liked working, for a while, but it started getting tiring because sometimes he wanted to do something else and he had to abdicate things he really wanted to do."

"You know what I think it would do well for him?" Nora waits for his response. "Going back to school." She frowns in confusion. "I think it would be good for him to go back to school, meet kids at the same age, do all kinds of things, even find something he likes to do there, a hobby, you know?"

Soon, his daughter's face lightens in realization, agreeing. "Oh my gosh dad, you're right! That's it! We need to get Peedee to go back to school!" She beams, stars shining in her eyes.

Greg scratches the back of his head. "I'm not sure if that's the solution for all his problems, but I can talk to his dad about it, maybe convince him to put him back at school."

"Thank you, thank you thank you, dad!" Nora throws the towel away and hugs him tightly. "You're the best!"

─ ·★· ─

"Well done Nora, now let's wait for tomorrow!"

The youngest sibling is walking with a big smile on her face due to her own intervention on the Fryman's family. After she talked to her dad she flew towards the Fry Shop and told Peedee about everything Greg said.

The boy was hesitant, not really excited about going back to school or even leaving the shop, despite wanting this. Although Nora tried reassuring him it could be great, that a "new" experience could bring him some sort of excitement and even new friends.

She spent some great time there with Peedee, not only discussing this idea, but also letting him rant about anything they could talk about. It felt nice to just be there with her friend. 

Warmth fills Nora's chest remembering it, and she finally arrives home when-

"Steven!?"

"Nora, help!" Steven pleas, his eyes watery.

Nora sees the older sibling with his body covered in cats. One on his face, belly, thigh, heck, even his right arm and foot turned into cats! "W-what happened!?" She kneels next to him, watching closely the situation. 

"I tried to shapeshift like Amethyst a-and I turned my fingers into little cats, b-but it got out of hand. Please h-help me!" Fear strikes the young boy, causing him to cry in anguish.

"Okay! Okay! Uh… Is there anything we can do? Anything these things don't like or… I don't know! Any idea!?" 

Steven tries to think between his mind wandering in fear and constructing every bad scenario that could or would happen to any solution, any memory that could help.

"Water!" He remembers. "They don't like water!"

"Okay! C'mon, I'll help you!" Nora helps him, first trying to make him sit, then get him up by grabbing his middle while Steven forces himself using his only functional foot. He puts his arm over her shoulder, dividing his weight.

Nora walks carefully, keeping a steady hold on her brother despite the cats on his body moving nonstop. "Nora, I'm scared!" Steven cries, holding her tightly against him.

"It's okay Steven, we'll fix it! We'll get those things away!" 

They reach the bathroom and Nora puts Steven inside the bathtub. After he readjust himself in there, Nora turns on the shower, cold water hitting his skin, agitating even more the cats to the point that it starts moving on its own.

Nora pushes him down and Steven tries to force his body to stay while every cat fights to get away from the water. The cat from Steven's arm bites Nora, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Nora! I'm sorry!" Steven apologies.

"It's fine!" His sister says between gritted teeth.

The cats start to shrink and eventually every single one gradually disappears, leaving Steven's body to go back to its normal state. Nora turns the shower off, allowing her brother to breathe properly now.

"You okay?"

Breathing in and out, he nods. "Yeah, m' okay."

Nora let out the sigh she didn't notice she was holding. Everything happened so fast, but enough to put her on an alert state. "I'll bring you some clothes." She handles him a towel and leaves. In their bedroom, she grabs another t-shirt, underwear and pants.

When she is about to leave the room she sees her hands still shaking. Why is so hard to calm down? The stress is over, there's no danger anymore, her brother is fine, there's no reason to be this tense, but she still can't shake this fear of something bad happening.

She goes back to the bathroom to give Steven his clothes and waits for him in the living room. After changing his clothes, he sits down with Nora on the couch.

"So, how are you?" She asks.

"I'm fine, the cats didn't hurt-"

"No, no, I mean how are you feeling?" 

"Oh, uh, I'm fine I guess. Just a little… sad," He shrugs, leaning against the couch. "I'm trying so hard to make my powers work, but it's so hard. It feels like I'm never going to make it."

"Steven, don't be so hard on yourself. Your powers are starting to work now, you summoned your shield a few days ago and now you managed to shapeshift!"

Steven looks at her.

"You shouldn't focus on what you can't do, but on what you did! You're doing great and even if you can't control it well now, you will someday, it's just a matter of time." She offers him an emphatic gaze.

Steven smiles and hugs her. "Thanks sis, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right, I'm always right!" She jokes, which makes him giggle.

When they apart from the hug, Nora accidentally brushes her injured arm, making her hiss in pain. "Oh no, you got hurt," Steven notices the cat bite on her arm. "I'm so sorry for this sis, I didn't mean to."

"I know Steven, it's fine."

"Don't worry, I'll get some band-aid!" Steven hurries to the bathroom and brings the first aid kit. He cleans the little blood out of it, then places a band-aid on it.

Nora gently caresses the Crying Breakfast Friends band-aid. "It's your favorite character." He points at the little apple drawing, which makes her smile.

"Thanks."

Chapter Text

Today the sun is as bright as it could be on a relaxing day like sunday. Instead of doing nothing all day, both siblings have other plans that include being outside.

Steven brought his bike to go on a ride on the beach while Nora had her bag to visit Peedee and help him with the school issue. 

"You sure you can ride this on the sand?" Nora asks her brother. 

"Yup!"

"Okay then, have fun!" Nora waves at him before turning around. As she walks towards the boardwalk she hears faint voices of the gems in the background, but she has to stop midway when Pearl's calls reach her ears.

"Nora, are you going somewhere?"

"Uh yes, I'm going to see Peedee again. I need to help him discuss some things with his dad." 

"And Steven is not coming with you?" 

"Not actually… but I have my phone!" She replies, but quickly adds, predicting Pearl's concern. "No need to worry Pearl, I promise."

If you think Pearl is protective of Steven, it's because you haven't seen her constant bird mom mode with Nora. Despite appreciating Pearl's motherly worries, sometimes she can't help but be annoyed with it.

She may be human, but she's not made of glass.

"Okay, but if anything happens please call Greg or Steven and we'll be-."

"Sure thing!" She waves, trying to just end the conversation.

After a few minutes of walk, she finally arrives at her friend's house, where he is already waiting for her in the front. "Am I late?"

"Nah, just in time." He opens the door and lets her in first.

Peedee's house is quite small, but really cozy with its bluish tones. The living room has a round red rug, a tv, a two seater couch on the left and a slightly worn out puff in the right. A few portraits of the family are placed in the walls, barely visible by the poor illumination.

They go to the kitchen where the older Fryman is sitting down with phone in hands, just waiting for the young Universe.

"Hello, Mr. Fryman!" Nora greets him.

"Oh, hello Nora, how you doing?"

"I'm doing great, and you?"

"Like always," He shoves the phone inside his pocket and gets up, stretching himself. "Let's go to my office."

The office is a small darkish room with a few boxes half open, equipment they used for work and a computer right in front of a narrow window covered in white blinds. 

"So let's get over this," He opens the searcher and starts typing. "I'll try to find a school near home, okay? Then you tell me what you think." 

Peedee hums.

A few seconds of research, ignoring a bunch of expensive schools located far away, leads them to a specific one, quite familiar in Fryman's opinion.

"The nearest school is in Wilmingmore, the neighboring city." Nora reads, pointing at the screen.

"Which would probably take between 30-25 minutes to be there," He observes. "What do you think, son? Think you can do it?"

"I think so," Peedee avoids his gaze. "I would only have to take a bus, so it's not a big deal."

"Alright," Another click is heard. "Let me check out some photos."

When he opens the gallery it's full of photos that definitely were taken by a professional. The school seems a very decent one; All the rooms clean and in a vibrant palette, wide smiles present in every student's face and impressive reviews left by proud parents.

"It looks really cool, can we go there today?"

"Sorry son, but today's sunday. It's probably closed." Mr. Fryman says, earning disappointment from the kids.

"Can we at least go there to see what it looks like? Pleeease!" Nora gives her best puppy dog eyes along Peedee.

Mr. Fryman is ready to ignore their request, but the moment he makes the mistake of glancing at his son's pleading expression, the 'no' that was ready to leave his lips is engulfed by a defeated sigh. "Fine, let's go."

Nora and Peedee give a high five, running towards the outside more than ready for their trip. Fryman warns a very unhappy Ronaldo he would need to stay out longer than he intended, which brings a pretty loud groan from the middle son and a devilishly smile on Peedee's face, relieved that revenge finally landed on his plate.

The road trip is peaceful, the only sound present being the kid's talking about how nice the school must be, his youngest's apprehensions and Nora's reassurance. Arriving there, they look through the window and see the same yellow building from the photos.

"They definitely weren't lying," He comments, comparing the photo and real life version. "Okay listen, you two can go out and take a look at it, but don't go too far and don't take too long."

They nod, rushing to take their seatbelt off and leaving the car. "Let's go over here." Peedee takes Nora's hands and walks towards where it should be the schoolyard. It is surrounded by a wire fence, keeping them from exploring the place further. "It's so nice, they must have a lot of fun here."

"Yeah, imagine us playing tag here."

Their talk is interrupted when they see a woman leaving the building by the backdoors. She had a thin body, light skin, short straight brown hair and black glasses. She is also wearing a cyan shirt, dark blue coat and a lilac skirt.

"Um, excuse me!" Nora yells, accidentally startling the lady, nearly making her drop whatever she is holding. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" She apologies. "Do you work here?"

"Yes, why?" The brunette walks over them with a few papers in hands. "Are you two students? Your faces doesn't look familiar." 

"Actually no, we were just looking around, you know?" Peedee nervously tries to explain. Why he always have to be so nervous talking to people?

"We came here to get him back to school, but today's sunday, so we imagined it would be closed," Nora clarifies. "We just wanted to see what it looked like."

"Yes, the school closes for the weekend, although on saturdays only the employees stay until noon to deal with paperwork and parents that need assistance," The woman unlocks the gate, stepping outside the yard. "I just came to check some missing papers- But you said he left school?"

"Yeah, I mean I had to stop going to school because I had to help my dad with work," Peedee starts explaining, fidgeting with his shirt. "Then they called to ask why I wasn't going, and my dad explained, but they- I mean I- in the end I got homeschooled."

"Is your father here?"

He nods. 

"Can I have a word with him?"

"Yes, h-he's in his car right there in front." Both kids lead the lady towards Mr. Fryman's car, giving her a little more context about the situation.

They lead her to the car parked in front of the building, where Mr. Fryman is checking on his phone to make sure Ronaldo is handling the shop well. "Mr. Fryman?"

He looks up. "Uh, yes? Can I help you?"

"I'm Mrs. Lezner, one of the teachers of the school," She puts the papers under her arm, offering her hand to properly greet him.

"I'm Atticus Fryman." They shake hands.

"Your children told me why you came here and as I explained to them the school doesn't work for today," She begins. "Tomorrow you should be able to talk with the principal, but my concern as a teacher is when your son said he doesn't go to school."

The father clear his throat, taking off his red visor. "Well, you see, we work in a Fry Shop, a family business, so my two sons and I have to be there everyday to handle the amount of customers we have, especially during summer when tourists come over."

Mrs. Lezner crosses her arm, unimpressed. "But do you realize giving your son a proper education is equally important as keeping your shop, right?"

"Yes! Yes, o-of course!" Crap, he already made a bad impression. "Actually he left school he used to frequent before we moved to Beach City, but they questioned his absence and when I explained the situation to them we got into an agreement of keeping him homeschooled."

"So he does have an education, he still studies."

"He does, but I intended to transfer him to this school, so he could have normal classes like the other kids," He glances at his son. "Also, they wanted to see what the school would look like and that's why I brought them here today."

Mrs. Lezner places her hand under her chin, no longer glancing at any of them. Peedee and Nora look at each other, wondering what conclusion the teacher would decide. "Okay, I'm not supposed to do this, but I can give you a quick tour inside it."

"Really?"

"Yes. Follow me," She guides them towards the back door where she came from. Unlocking it again, Lezner allows them to enter it. "We have to start from here, because I... Forgot the front door keys."

Stepping inside, they face a big hallway, lockers decorating each side of the pinkish walls. A few murals can be seen with posters encouraging extracurricular activities. Lezner shows them the 7th grade room as an example of what the classrooms look like.

It seems like a regular room straight out of common movies. A common blackboard behind the teacher's table, a bunch of desks, filled bookshelves, nothing to be excited about.

Noticing the kids' boredom, Lezner takes them to a more exciting room. "That's the Art Room, where we exercise the students' creativity and encourage them to learn about the history behind art."

"Look at that," Peedee points at the shelf filled with ink bottles of the most diverse colors. "It's gonna be my favorite class!"

"Agree!" The paintings hanging on the wall made by the students caught Nora's attention, along the rules written beside it. The girl's happiness at seeing her friend so excited about something new is radiating the entire room. Finally they found something that could change his depressing behavior.

They leave and go back to the hallway, now exploring the right side of the building. "What do you think, Nora?" Her friend asks.

"It's so cool!" Her eyes glued in every single detail of the building. "I didn't know school looked just like in the movies!"

"What do you mean?" She hears the teacher slightly confused. "Your daughter never attended school?"

"Oh no, I'm not his daughter, I'm just Peedee's friend." Nora quickly clarifies.

"And where's your father? Why haven't you ever attended school?"

Nora opens her mouth to answer, but realizes that… She doesn't know. She literally doesn't know. Thinking about that, she never questioned why she or Steven never went to school.

Was it because of her lifestyle? The gems? But how could she explain that? 'I never went to school because I'm the daughter of a magical woman who used to fight magical creatures and now I'm going on magical missions to fight other magical things?'

She can't say that!

However, Mrs. Lezner is waiting for a response and she can't think of anything that may convince her. C'mon Nora, think! Think! Think of something!

"Because my dad is homeschooled! And he decided to homeschool me and my brother too!" She tries, waiting for the lady's reaction.

"Hm, I understand," It seems she believed it. "Some parents do believe homeschooling is the best option for their kids, although they may not know it can be very harmful for children."

"How?" It instigates Fryman's curiosity.

"Well, one of the biggest problems is that their children will lack social development, it will be harder for them to form friendships and handle different opinions from different people. Also, their education may not be the highest quality since their parents won't have the same knowledge as a qualified teacher with a degree."

Mr. Fryman listen carefully to Lezner's detailed explanation as she keeps with the tour, letting Nora and Peedee take a good look on each room. Slight guilt starts to take form on his chest, recapping his decisions upon his youngest's life.

First the Frybo thing, remembering how he basically didn't notice how unhappy Peedee was having to wear that costume; Now seeing how he failed to get his son a good education, keeping him from such important stages in his development.

Did he really fail as a father? Could've he done better? Oh yes, for sure, life was just proving him that.

What would Hellen think of him now? Would she still love him knowing the kind of father he turned into? Would she still see him in the same caring way?

He definitely fears the answer.

"Please do not touch anything!" Lezner's voice brings him back to their current place where she warns the kids to keep the instruments from the Music Room intact.

In an instant, both of them retract their hands, forcing a nervous apology smile. Carefully, they observe the sunlight reflecting on the instruments like saxophone and violin. "They even had a flute," Peedee comments. "I always wanted to play something."

"You can if you go to classes~" Nora sings. "You, me and Steven can play together! Oh my gosh, just think of us having a band! Me with my incredible voice," She purposely uses her playful tone to amuse him. "Steven with his ukulele and you with the flute."

"I would pay to see that."

Later, the teacher introduces the cafeteria; Quite spacious with its purplish color pallet and metal long tables and numerous chairs. The self service is empty and there's no drawing in the small blackboard placed on the left wall where it should tell the special food of the day.

The gym ends being the last place they visit, with a very short speech of the importance of exercise and the social benefits Peedee could gain from physical activities and working on a team.

Unfortunately, they can't stay for too long. They only caught a glimpse of the gray and black uniform and the equipment they would use like jump rope, a volleyball and some small obstacles.

When they reach the outside again, Lezner locks the door again. "Sorry for not being able to give you a proper tour, but I really need to get going and get ready for tomorrow's classes."

"No, no, it's fine! Thank you so much for your time." Fryman shakes her hand in thankfulness.

"I hope I can see you tomorrow here and have your son as my new student," She gives a soft smile to Peedee. "You will enjoy being in school, I'm sure of it."

The young boy nods shyly.

"And Nora," She bends down to look at her eye level. "Please, talk to your father about what I said. It's really important for you to have a proper education and socialize with other children at your age. It'll be really good for you too."

Nora tries to smile at her visible caring, but ends up being a grimace. Of course she won't talk to her dad about that. It's impossible for her to attend normal classes and pretend to be a normal kid with the crazy lifestyle she has.

"I will." She lies.

"See you all tomorrow then, goodbye." They wave at her, watching her leave, still carrying the papers she needed.

Now being outside, they realize the sun is setting, ready to let night take over. For a 'quick tour' they surely spent a good amount of time there. "Let's go kids." Mr Fryman opens the car's door, Peedee and Nora going after him.

Turning the radio on and choosing a faint song in the background, Atticus checks if the kids put on their seatbelt. "Did you two enjoy the little trip?" He asks, watching them from the view mirror. 

"Yes!" Stars are visible in Nora's eyes.

"Peedee?"

"Yeah," Even not being visible, he can tell his dad's smiling by looking at his eyes. "I'm really excited about tomorrow." He looks at Nora with a bright smile.

Both stays silent, paying attention to the stunning view in front of them. A very beautiful sunset can be seen through the window, a gradient forming from yellow between orange and red being drawn in the sky along the clouds.

Nora just wishes Steven was here too. He would probably be ranting endlessly about every single activity he would love to attend. It makes her giggle.

It was quite a nice day after all.

Chapter Text

It was cold, the sky wasn't in its best day, darkening the beach with its heavy and black clouds. The sea seemed angry and the water followed the same pattern of the clouds.

Nora took careful steps when arrived near home. Colored balloons flew around the sand, some other ornaments stayed intact, thrown somewhere else.

"Steven?" She spotted her brother in front of their house.

He looked so old. His hair fell a good amount to the floor, his happy-go-lucky smile that reached his eyes was nowhere to be seen along with the softness of his skin.

"You let me die" His voice was so weak, missing teeth visible whenever he opened his mouth.

"No…"

"You left me."

"No!"

"What kind of sister are you?"

"I-I didn't mean to!" She tried taking a step forwards, but found herself stuck. "I just went to help Peedee and-"

"And didn't help me," A ugly cough erupted from his fragile chest. "Your own brother."

"No! Steven, please! I'm sorry! Forgive me!" Fear strikes her, an immense urge to cry at being so helpless towards her brother.

"Why would I forgive such a useless sister like you," His eyes slowly began to close as he took longer breaths before reaching his limit.

"No…" 

"I hate you." 

"No Steven… Don't leave me!" She reaches for him in vain, forced to watch him close his eyes for the last time.

"Steven!" 

"Steven!"

"Steven!"

"STEVEN!" Nora wakes up, brought to consciousness by Steven's incessant shaking on her body.

Her widened eyes search around the room looking for any proof that she's not in that awful nightmare again. Steven grabs her face and forces his twin to keep her eyes on him. "It's okay sis, I'm right here, Steven is right here."

Nora's heart still beats so fast it hurts, her chest raising up and down in an alarming rhythm. She closes her eyes and tries to focus on every single sensation in the room.

It's not cold and her ears can grasp the muffled sound of the sea. She is sitting on a soft mattress and still feels her brother's chubby hands, now on her shoulders. 

"Feeling better?" 

"I… think so." Nora still seems a bit disoriented. Waking up so suddenly, especially from a bad dream, can be very stressful and confusing, however she doesn't feel as nervous as a few seconds ago, which is a good thing.

"You were calling for me and you looked scared," Steven's warm touch brings some kind of comfort. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am, don't worry," She leans against his touch. "It was just a silly nightmare about…" Seeing my brother die right in front of me. "...gem stuff, you know? These things the gems fight."

"I know, they can be scary sometimes."

"Yeah," Nora licks her lips, getting rid of the dryness. "But don't worry, I'm fine. I'm just gonna try to sleep again."

The younger lays down again pulling the sheets over herself, hoping she could sleep peacefully. Steven does the same, but pulls her closer to him and instead of claiming for personal space, Nora just lets him embrace her, snuggling towards him.

"Don't worry sis, it was just a bad dream, these things can't hurt us here," It's funny how it sounds relieving to hear it from Steven. "It wasn't real."

It wasn't real

She mentally repeats to herself, taking a deep breath.

The last few days have been quite… agitated, to say the least, for the Universe twins. First, they went on a mission in the desert to capture a corrupted gem that kept creating confusing sand buildings, leading them to finding a pink lion who followed them home and Steven asked to keep.

Then, they had another mission to find a beetle somewhere in a spire where a giant bird appeared to attack and for the first time, Nora witnessed a fusion being made: Opal. 

And to complete, Steven discovered a new power that consists on manipulating his age, which almost got him dead for aging too fast and out of control. 

What all of these situations had in common? Steven being in danger; Between the sand buildings he tried to catch the gem and if it wasn't for that pink lion he would have fallen from a high height; When Pearl and Amethyst were arguing with each other that giant bird managed to take him; Then, he almost died for aging so quickly into a extremely old man.

Nora would never forget the moment he was right in front of her, struggling to breath, eyes wide full of fear and- Oh god, she doesn't even want to think about it.

Tears want to form in her eyes, but she quickly buries that memory and instead focuses on the younger and normal version of her brother right there. Before falling asleep, Steven places a goodnight kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight sis."

"Goodnight Steven."

─ ·★· ─

Nora can be very good at hiding her feelings when she wants to, but there's one person who she can't hide from: her own brother. They know each other since... Birth? So, it was pretty much impossible for her sadness to go unnoticed.

Steven noticed his little sister had been quite sad through the day and tried to think of any solution to lighten up her mood.

Since it was raining outside and he couldn't take her for a walk or visit Peedee, he thought about getting her to watch one of her favorite franchises: Lonely Blade IV. They were planning to watch the newest someday and now it seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

Steven was so glad they shared the same liking for movies/series.

Now, the twins and the Crystal Gems are sitting inside their bedroom and eating popcorn, watching Lonely Blade IV in japanese with english subtitles. While Steven is laying on top of Garnet's hair, Nora is just on his side belly-down on the bed.

"It was you! You were the one who killed my brother. Cursing me to fight alone forever!"

"You think you can defeat me? The President of the Shadow Samurai Government?!" 

"What?! The janitor is the evil samurai president?! That's bananas!"

"Oh come on, it was so obvious. He's been moping in the background of every fight scene," Pearl shows Steven the movie cover box. "Look, here he is on the cover of the box."

"Oh yeah."

"For my honor and for my brother! I will strike you down! Boomerang Blade!"

"Piercing Shadow of a Thousand... Screams!"

"Go, Lonely, go!" 

"Do the Boomerang Blade again!" Relief is brought to Steven seeing Nora actually distracted by the movie.

"Oh come on, this is ridiculous. Just look at their form, this is nothing like real sword fighting." Garnet and Amethyst shushes Pearl.

"It's just a movie, Pearl." Nora chuckles, grabbing a handful of popcorn from the bowl Garnet is holding on her lap. "It's not supposed to be all realistic, it's just for fun."

"Well, if you ever want to see a demonstration of proper sword techniques, I'd be happy to show you." Pearl attempts to keep watching until a hand is put on her shoulder, noticing she is being stared at by twins starry-eyed. "Now?"

─ ·★· ─

All of them goes to a large open area with tiled ground and marble obelisks lining both sides of the area. The place is surrounded by low hanging clouds, bringing a unique beauty to its viewers.

"Alright, in order to give a proper demonstration I'm going to need a sparring partner, Pearl ignores Steven trying to raise his hand. "Luckily, I have the perfect candidate right here."

She summons a Hologram version of herself with her gem. Except for the noticeable transparency, it looks exactly like the original. "Do you wish to engage in combat?" It asks with a robotic voice.

"Let this be the perfect battle." Pearl throws one of her swords at Holo-Pearl.

"You've already made a mistake by challenging me!"

"We shall let our swords decide."

Both prepares themselves, waiting for the first attack. Holo-Pearl's eyes redden, signaling a switch into battle mode. "Commencing duel!"

The battle was short, but it was enough to show how agile and skilled Pearl was, managing to balance it with quick thinking and majestic movements. In the end, as expected, she wins the holographic version of herself.

"Match set. Challenger wins!" It determines, lying on the floor, defeated.

The twins run towards Pearl, completely amazed at her talent, excitement pouring from their eyes. "That was amazing!"

"You were so cool, Pearl!"

Pearl blushes at their praises and chuckles. "Oh well, one does try their best."

"Will you teach us to sword fight like you?" Steven asks, pretending to swing a sword at his sister who playfully mimics him.

"Alright, but we should start with the basics." She turns to Holo-Pearl. "Initiate training mode."

The hologram gets up and takes a stance. "Training mode initiated. Level 1 begin!"

"I want you two to stand back and watch me carefully, okay?" Pearl positions herself and Holo-Pearl begins sparring with her. "Do you see what I'm doing with my feet? Notice where I keep my center of gravity."

While Nora does pay attention to her, Steven quickly loses interest. "Aww, can you show me something cool? Like the Boomerang Blade!"

"Steven, you know that's not a real sword technique."

"Boomerang Blade! Boomerang Blade! Boomerang Blade!" He starts chanting, leading Nora to join him.

Pearl turns to the twins, visibly annoyed. "What I'm showing you two are real sword techniques, not those silly things from your movies. It's about waiting carefully for the perfect moment to str-"

Distracted by her own speech, Pearl is suddenly stabbed by her hologram. The siblings gasp in shock, while Garnet and Amethyst tenses up, predicting what would happen.

Unable to do much, she drops her sword, which hits the ground with a loud clang. Pearl sees the sword impaled through her and chuckles nervously, trying to keep them calm. "Don't worry, it's okay. I'm gonna be just f-"

The gem suddenly poofs into a white cloud, leaving just her gemstone to fall to the ground. Steven is the first one to react, sliding towards Pearl's gem, barely able to see it due to his vision blurred by tears.

Garnet and Amethyst go to calm down the older sibling, explaining that Pearl would be fine and she just retreated to her gem to regenerate her physical form. Steven ceases his crying and seems okay at Amethyst's attempt to cheer him up.

Although the purple gem caught Nora's immobile form, eyes fixed somewhere she couldn't grasp. "Uh bud, no need to worry, okay? Pearl's gonna be just fine."

Amethyst's reassurance falls on deaf ears as Nora is caught inside her thoughts. She had seen her brother in danger in so many situations in a short period of time and now she just witnessed Pearl dying right in front of her.

Her shocked expression turns into an anxious one, before she loses it and starts wailing in despair, big tears rolling down her cheeks. Apprehension explodes inside Garnet's chest, definitely startled at the unexpected reaction.

As she gets closer, Nora grabs her and buries her face in her chest, emptying her distress in uncontrollable sobs. Garnet just stands there and let her have her time, soothing the poor girl in her arms

─ ·★· ─

It has been two weeks since the incident and Pearl still hasn't come back. Nora has been nothing but sad and Steven ran out of options to cheer her up until an idea pops on his mind.

He thought it would be a good idea to spend time with Holo-Pearl while the real Pearl still hasn't arrived and after a few failed interactions with it, he decided to take them to one of Pearl's favorite places.

Nora and Steven stand atop the hill among the hologram, right where Pearl's tree is located. Steven is holding a stuffed walrus toy and Holo-Pearl is holding a balloon sword.

"You had fun at the boardwalk, right?" Steven asks the hologram, while Nora seems slightly annoyed with it.

"Parry!"

"Oh come on, you gotta work with me here. This is Pearl's favorite tree. Don't you recognize it? What's on your mind? Come on, don't hold back."

Steven's poorly chosen words switch Holo-Pearl into combat mode. "Challenge accepted!"

"What?!"

It quickly swings the balloon sword, which Steven ducks under, and before she can slice the tree in half Nora pushes her, enough to let her only manage to slightly scratch it.

"Challenger defeated." It says, before switching back to stand-by mode.

"Steven, we need to get rid of this thing!" Nora exclaims, letting her frustration slide.

"I know but-"

"She almost cut Pearl's favorite tree!"

"But maybe if-"

"And could have hurt us!"

"I know!" Steven snaps. "I know, it's just…" He bit inside his cheeks. "I miss spending time with Pearl and I thought maybe we could make this work."

Nora's face softens.

"I thought she could have Pearl's memories or remember us somehow, but you're right," She sits down with him. "She almost hurt us, almost cut Pearl's tree and in the end she's nothing like the real Pearl."

Steven leans his head against her shoulder and Nora wraps an arm around his frame. "I'm gonna ask Garnet to get this thing away and we can go home, okay?" 

He nods.

─ ·★· ─

It's close to evening. The siblings were back home and gladly without the hologram. Steven is still upset that his plan didn't work out, but Nora suggests they could spend the time planning a surprise for Pearl.

And what is one of Pearl's favorite hobbies? Exactly, organizing messes.

Steven is currently sweeping the living room and Nora is storing their toys. Her brother is weirdly focused on his task, making her uncomfortable at the quietness of the house.

"Hey Steven, you know what I just remembered?" He looks at her. "When Pearl tried to teach us ballet."

Steven giggles at the memory. "I remember asking if I could wear a tutu like you." An image of his younger self wearing a pink tutu to match the ribbon he snatched from Nora came to his mind.

"Oh, you know what I remember too?" Now is Steven's turn. "When Pearl took us on a walk and a butterfly landed on your hand."

"And I showed it to her," Nora adds, smiling, recapping Pearl's soft smile as she carefully held it. "It's funny because for some reason I always loved butterflies and suddenly one landed right on my hand. Such a coincidence."

"A cool coincidence!"

"About coincidence, remember when we were playing snowball with the gems and Garnet kept telling us where she would throw the snowballs?"

A burst of laughter fills the room. "Pearl was so mad we were cheating!" 

"Her face was the best!"

Sharing their sweetest and funniest stories involving Pearl definitely was the best option to spend time, especially when in the middle of their conversation their room was taken by a bright light coming from their bedroom. They watch Pearl's gemstone fluctuate and start taking form until her new design is revealed.

"That's much better." The moment Pearl's feet reach the ground she is hugged by the twins. "Hey, miss me much?"

"Yes!" Nora exclaims.

"Ah man, we had a whole thing planned out for when you came back!"

Pearl looks around the house and notices half of it being clean and organized while the other half remains messy. "It's okay, I really appreciate the surprise."

The twins decide to finish their cleaning while Pearl watches them with a warm feeling on her chest at the sweet gesture they planned for her.

Chapter Text

"Please! Pretty pretty pretty please?"

"Steven, don't give me that look."

While Nora is organizing her bag before she goes with Peedee to buy new clothes for school, Steven is waiting for his friend Connie so they can go to the movies and watch Dogcopter 2, but he wants his sister to go with them, so she can meet and spend time with Connie to get to know her better.

"Oh c'mon, we barely hang out together," Steven whines. "I miss spending time with my baby sister."

Nora rolls her eyes, fighting the growing smile on her lips. "I may be younger, but still I'm taller, so the only baby here is you."

"Nuh uh, is you."

A knock on the door is heard.

"It must be Connie!" Steven runs downstairs to open the door while Nora stays in the room. When a sound of the door opening is followed by a female voice, it confirms Steven's guess.

She just puts some things back in her drawer and closes her bag before joining her brother and finally meeting that girl.

Taking a good look at her, she's exactly like Steven described, including the friendly aspect. Despite being shy at meeting new people, Nora did want to know more about who her brother wants to be friends with.

"Connie, that's Nora. Nora, that's Connie!" 

"Nice to meet you, Steven said a lot about you." Connie shakes her hand.

"I hope only the good parts."

Connie laughs. "It was," She glances at the twins and can't help but stare at them, surprised to know Steven wasn't exaggerating when saying they look extremely alike. "Sorry, it's just I've never seen real twins before, only in medical dramas."

"Do you like medical dramas?" Nora asks.

"I love them! I probably took that from my mom, she's a doctor. She used to watch to point out what was accurate or not."

"We never really watched those, right sis?" Steven asks Nora. "But they look interesting."

"There's one called Under the Knife, my favorite, that I used to watch a lot, but my mom doesn't want me to watch because she says it doesn't represent a real emergency room," She sighs. "She doesn't understand it's a satire."

"You can watch it here," Steven offers. "Just tell me when the episode airs and you can watch it with us."

"Thanks," Connie smiles. "New episodes only air on Fridays, in two weeks, but I recommend you guys to watch the old episodes on Tuesdays, I'm pretty sure you will like it."

"We will!"

In the middle of their conversation another knock is heard, this time Nora is the one who goes to see who it was.

She opens the door. "Hey!"

It's Peedee.

"I got your message, what are Lilo & Stitch up to?"

Nora snorts at the twins' nickname. "C'mon, I want to see if you can resist my brother's convincing skills." She takes him by the hand.

Stepping inside he sees Steven and a familiar dark-skinned girl with dark brown puffy long hair. The moment Steven greets him, causing the girl to turn around, he immediately recognizes her.

"Connie?"

Connie's eyes went to Peedee's, her mouth curving into a small smile. "Peedee?"

Nora raises a brow. "Do you know each other?"

"Well, kinda."

"I just need to finish some paperwork with the Principal, why don't you go explore the rest of the school, son?"

"Fine." 

The principal's door closed behind him and Peedee sighed dramatically at the awful idea his dad had. They went back to school the next day after they talked to Mrs. Lezner, but it was a normal class day, which means the school was full of students.

Full of people.

Full of people he didn't know.

Peedee hated that they arrived at lunch time, just when the school hallways would be filled with students. As he passed by, he received many curious eyes of different kids, wondering who this new boy was.

He started clutching his shirt, a clear signal of worry. What were they thinking of him? Are they finding his hair weird? Were they mentally judging his clothes? Are they disliking him already?

His breathing began to grow progressively fast. The sensations of being suffocated latched on his chest and didn't want to let go.

He needed somewhere quiet, somewhere empty, just somewhere else! His feet worked faster and soon he found a library. Finally a quiet place that seemed unoccupied.

Inside of it, he noticed it is quite a large place. He looked around in aye, this being the first time he went to a library.

Looking around and seeing no one was there, Peedee started talking to himself about how nice the place looked, ranting about how scared he was about going back to school while taking a look in some books and grabbing a few.

His monologue came to an end when he was looking for a chair and noticed someone, a girl, already occupying one.

"Sorry!" He got startled, dropping the books. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. I probably interrupted your reading."

"It's okay," She bend down to help him. "Actually I'm not even supposed to be here anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the cafeteria is full and everybody has their own friends to sit with and I…" She looked down at one of the books' covers, almost zoning out. "I don't."

"I know how you feel," Peedee said. "I never was really good at making friends and now that I'm new here, having to start from 0 it's awful."

"I'm also new," Connie confessed. "I mean, kinda, I've been here only for a few weeks, but I still feel out of place here. I even tried to make friends, but it never works. No one notices me, it feels like no matter how hard I try I'm always…"

"Invisible." Peedee finished.

"Exactly."

A sense of comfort began to grow between these two. Ironically, the same experience regarding loneliness would bring a possible friendship into existence.

She handed him the books. "I'm Connie."

"Peter Dean, but you can call me Peedee." He took them with a smile.

"It's nice to see you again." Connie says.

"Well, now you two can get to know each other better." Nora comments.

"Oh my gosh! We can go watch the movie! All of us, together!" Steven exclaims.

"Watch Dogcopter? I don't know," Peedee scratches the back of his head.

"C'mon Peedee, let yourself have fun!!" Nora wraps her arm around him, slightly shaking him.

"Yeah!" Steven agrees. "And we can help you with your clothes after the movie!"

The warp pad suddenly beams in, marveling Connie with the blue light illuminating the entire Temple, bringing the gems from another mission.

"Greetings." Garnet is the first one to say hi to the kids.

"Oh well, hello Connie, hello Peedee." Followed by Pearl. "What a surprise to see you two!"

"We're gonna watch a movie about a wacky, flying dog!" Steven turns to his friend. "Show them Connie!"

"I mean, it's about much more than that," She holds up her phone to the gems. On its screen, Dogcopter barks with a caption reading 'COMING SOON'.

"That's easy!" Amethyst shapeshifts into Dogcopter and flies into the air. "Who needs to go see movies when you've got... magic!" Her head turns into a boombox and starts playing some music.

While Connie is amazed, Peedee laughs to himself, finding Amethyst's tricks quite humorous. 

"Aw, stop showin' off, Amethyst. Connie promises that this movie's even better than any magic."

"I did not say that."

"And check this out," Steven walks over to the kitchen counter and points to the snacks on top. "We got our own snacks!"

"My parents say I'm not allowed to buy snacks at the theater," Connie explains to Garnet and Pearl. "So, we're not buying anything there."

Amethyst shapeshifts her head back to normal and flies towards the snacks. "Nom Noms! Feeeed me!"

"Sorry Amy, not this time." Nora shields the snacks with her arms.

"Yeah, these are for me, Nora, Connie and Peedee," The blond jerks his head at the mention. "You're coming with us too, right?"

Seeing that many pairs of eyes waiting for his response left him in a one-choice situation. "Guess I don't have much choice, let's go to the movies then."

"Speaking of which," Connie adds. "How are we getting to the theater? It's kinda far."

Steven helps Nora stuff all of the snacks into the Cheeseburger Backpack and a few in her bag. "Don't worry, I've got it covered. Today, we're gonna travel in style!"

─ ·★· ─

"YOU HAVE A FREAKING LION AT HOME!?"

In an attempt to make a surprise, the twins lead their friends towards the beach to show Lion to them while covering their eyes to make a surprise.

Peedee is surely surprised.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Hesitance engulfs Connie's words.

"Nope, Lion is pretty chill."

Lion stares at the two strangers, only to let out a big yawn and lie down on the sand. "Aw, you little goofball." Steven presses his face into Lion's mane.

"See? Don't worry."

"Don't worry!?" Peedee insists. "How can this thing be chill!? Also, how the gems even let you guys have a lion!?"

"Peedee, you really think me and Steven would put you two in danger if Lion wasn't that calm?" Nora argues. "Look at it, he's like a giant cat."

Steven lifts his head from Lion's mane. "A magical giant cat."

"Exactly."

Peedee looks at Connie, hoping she would take his side, but by the unbothered expression at the arguments it seems she is okay with it. Nora takes them to pet Lion and see he wouldn't do anything. The youngest nearly touches him, still deadly afraid, and with Nora's help Connie did caress him.

"Everything in your life is so awesome and magical, the most exciting thing in my life is tennis practice," She picks up a stick nearby and starts swinging it around. "Forehand! Backhand! Overhead death strike!"

"Whoa! Tennis is rad!"

"Well, I made up that last one."

"I think Lion says we should hurry up and go, or maybe he was just yawning," Steven guess when Lion starts snarling at them.

"I'll go with the first option." Nora says.

The group gets onto Lion's back, with Steven in the front, Connie behind him, followed by Peedee and Nora. Steven happily announces they're going, but his pet doesn't take the cue and just stands there, staring blankly into space.

"Uhh... Lion, I want you to take us to the movie," He waits a few seconds, but Lion is still not moving. "Okay, you're not listening to me," The boy chuckles nervously. "Lion isn't trained very well."

"He's not trained at all." Nora adds.

"Not that I expect a lion to be trained." Peedee comments unamused.

Lion's eyes suddenly widen and he roars. He rears up on his hindlegs and begins charging forward, running along the boardwalk before changing direction, now towards the ocean.

"Wait! Don't go in the ocean!" Nora tries to stop him.

They scream as he leaps forward to the ocean and lands on the water surface, standing upright, as if he is on land. "You can walk on water?! Why don't you tell me you can do these things you d-"

Lion starts running on the water with the kids riding happily on its back. Some seagulls join in to fly alongside with the group just as a fishing boat with people on it comes into view as Lion runs past it.

"Hey-o!" Steven waves at the shocked sailors on the boat, causing his friends to laugh.

Connie soon notices they are getting further and further away from Beach City. "Uh... Are you sure he knows where he's going?"

"Maybe it's a shortcut."

Lion's eyes begin to glow white as he emits a magical roar. The roar shoots across the water and then transforms in a white portal and Lion runs right towards it.

The group screams as they warp through the dimension inside the portal, clinging into each other due to the speed shoving them backwards.

"Did he ever do this?!" Peedee yells.

"No! This is new!" Steven replies.

The portal opens up in a cave location with a huge platform in the center of a shallow lake. The group emerges through the portal and Lion skids across the water, not giving them proper time to recover by sitting down, causing them to fall off of him and into the water.

"Thanks Lion." Nora thanks sarcastically, annoyed at having her clothes drenched.

"That was really cool." Connie pushes her wet hair off her face.

Lion, now atop the platform, growls at them to draw their attention and begins walking to the center of the platform, while Steven goes after him.

"Is this some sort of Gem place that you go to?" Peedee questions as they walk towards the platform.

"Definitely."

They walk toward the center of the platform, when the ground suddenly lights up in light pink beneath their feet. The light zooms in towards the center of the platform and becomes a short beam, with Lion standing next to it.

The beam fades away and a hand-shaped pedestal with Rose's symbol rises out from the platform. Steven and Connie run over to inspect it. "What if he brought you here... for a reason?" She theorizes.

"Well, maybe, but if we don't hurry, we're gonna miss the commercials, and then we might miss the previews…" As Steven talks, Connie ponders for a moment before grabbing his hand and placing it on the pedestal. The whole platform begins to glow, surprising all of them.

Steven tries to take his hand off the pedestal, but fails. "Ah! My hand's stuck! It won'tb come off!"

"Hang on!" Connie tries to help Steven yank his hand off the pedestal, with no luck. "Man, that's really stuck on good. I guess we'll have to chop it off."

Peedee burst in laughter while Steven is horrified at the idea.

A white case emerges out of the platform and opens up, revealing several swords in a line-up, however a panicked 'No!' from Steven causes the swords to retract into the white case and back into the platform.

Connie shakes him in excitement. "Do it again! Do it again!"

"Um... okay," Steven begins straining and grunting, trying to make something happen. "Anything?"

"No."

"Alright," Nora steps in. "I know the place is really cool and all, but we really need to get…" She wraps her arms around her brother's waist."...Steven out of this." With Peedee and Connie's assistance, she tries to pull him out, but the only reaction they got was Steven's giggling at having his sides accidentally squeezed. "No! Wahait!" 

Nora rolls her eyes. "Not my fault you're so ticklish."

"I'm soho going to get you bahack!"

A series of armor suits rise out of the platform all around the group. "Whoa, look at all this armor!" Connie looks at them.

"What if these things are, like, triggered by how you react." Peedee suggests his theory.

"It makes sense." Nora agrees.

"Press my nose! Press my nose!" Steven asks Peedee, who, quite hesitant, pushes a finger against it and as the suits of armor retract back into the platform, three laser light cannons attached together then emerge from the platform.

They manage to get a good look of many other weapons by Steven's varied reactions until eventually it's not as fun as before. "This is so great, but... I get the feeling though, we're not really supposed to be here." Connie says, glancing at Peedee who silently agrees.

"I want you here! I mean, I don't want you here. I guess Lion wants us here, but I want us to be at the movies, and I want to see lots of explosions."

Suddenly the whole place stops glowing, freeing Steven from the pedestal that sinks back into the platform. A wide circle opens there, where a robot rises out of and turns around to face the group.

"Should we be worried about this?"

The triangular walls begin to glow white and the robot glows in yellow. A crackling sound can be heard as the robot generates a ball of electricity from its cannon.

"I think we should." Nora takes a few steps back.

"Run!" Steven yells.

They scatter in different directions as the electricity ball is fired in their direction, exploding at where they were just standing. The robot starts glowing blue and floats after Steven.

"Steven, look out!"

Steven spots the robot in front of him, halting on his tracks. The robot shoots a beam of ice at Steven, which he quickly takes cover behind a triangular wall, and freezes where he was previously standing.

"What do we do?!"

The robot, now glowing orange, turns its attention to Connie, visibly frightened. Steven tries to run toward her, but slips on the ice. 

Peedee, who is hiding behind one of these triangular walls, peeks from his place and sees the robot getting ready to start shooting fireballs at Connie.

His body tenses up even more, he wants to help, he wants to do something, but his legs are still frozen in place. His fear echoes in his mind, different voices debuting different anxieties, but when his eyes glances back at his friend an urge to help her overcomes his fears.

"Hey, robot thing! Look at me!" He runs in front of Connie, swinging his arms, and goes towards any other direction away from her, Steven and Nora.

The robot keeps following him, trying to shoot other energized balls, frightening the poor boy even more. Unfortunately, his attempt to keep that thing away fails the moment Steven goes after Connie, unintentionally swapping attention.

When Steven gets up and helps Connie up on her feet the robot floats over them and prepares to shoot another fireball at the pair. 

Out of instinct, Steven unconsciously summons his bubble around them, although when the robot shoots the fireball the force pops the bubble.

"Ugh... My bubble."

There Nora is, the same situation she fears the most; Watching her brother and friends in danger without being able to help them. She attempts to think of a solution, but the fact she has no weapon, power or any fighting ability to face that thing frightens her.

Just when despair almost fills her chest, Lion approaches her. "Lion! What do I do!? How can I beat this thing!?" She clutches his mane, looking straight into his eyes, mentally begging he would understand. 

Suddenly, eyes and mane begin to glow white. He leans down, showing the hilt of a sword with Rose's symbol sticking out of his forehead.

"Whoa," Nora grabs the hilt and begins to pull it out of Lion's head. "Is that…?" When fully pulling it out, she sees it's indeed a sword and holds it above her head. 

She can barely appreciate the beauty of its magic and design, noticing the robot is still after her friends. "HEY!" The younger twin waves at it, trying to get its attention. "OVER HERE!"

The girl succeeds, however when the robot approximates she realizes the 0 clue she has on what to do with the sword.

Connie realizes it and gets up, running the fastest she can. "Watch out!" She quickly grabs the hilt of the sword and helps Nora to deflect an incoming electric ball back at the robot. Both girls exchange happy looks, as the robot begins to aim towards them again.

She guides Nora with the sword in their hands. "Forehand!" They deflect another electric ball.

Steven goes to help them, grabbing the sword through Connie's hands to put his own strength too. "Backhand!" This time an ice ball.

Despite his tremendous fear, the adrenaline pumping on his veins makes Peedee join the rest of the trio. "Overhead…" He also takes hold of the object. "DEATH STRIKE!"

All of them yell in union and bring the sword up and parry a fireball, launching the final fireball back at the robot and into its cannon. It starts glowing red and making whirring and clanging noises, finally exploding.

"Just like tennis practice." Connie says, completely awestruck.

"Magical destiny practice."

As they finally relaxes seeing no more danger around them, the youngest of the group finally feels the effect of the adrenaline leaving his body. "Peedee, you're okay?" Nora asks him, handling the sword to Connie.

He nods, looking for a place to sit down. The boy can even hear his own heart due to how fast it's beating, he glances at his own hands and sees they're shaking as well.

While Steven and Connie let them have some space, Nora leads him to the platform ladder where he sits down and finally rests the tension of his body, giving his trembling legs a break. 

The twin pulls her bag and searches for a bottle of water. "Here." She gives it to him, who gladly accepts, but struggles opening it, which she helps him with and he nods in thankfulness. "I'm so sorry Peedee. I shouldn't have forced you to come, if I hadn't insisted you wouldn't be in the middle of all that. I can take you home if-"

"No!" Peedee interrupts. "It's not your fault. You didn't force me to do anything, I chose to come with you guys," He pauses. "And also... it was kinda cool."

That definitely surprised her. "Really?"

"Yeah! Like, being able to help you somehow was so… nice!" A hint of excitement shone on his eyes, but it is quickly vanishes. "I'm always so scared of everything. Scared of talking to people, going to school, trying something new. I wished for once that I wouldn't let my fears get the best of me."

"And in that moment, seeing all my friends in danger… I don't know, I was so scared, but it didn't stop me!" He clenches his hands, raising his head. "For once I was finally bigger than my fears."

"I'm so happy for you," Nora traps him in a big hug, staying like that for a few more seconds. "I'm really proud of you."

Despite being unseen by her friend, Peedee's face brightens up at thosecwords. "Thanks, I guess I'm a little proud of myself too."

At the same time they talked, the other two sat down to rest a bit, taking care of their minor injuries. 

"Connie, here. I have something for that," Steven pulls out a soda can out of his backpack and hands it to her. "Sorry, they're not that cool."

Connie accepts and presses it against her cheek. "Thanks."

Steven grabs another soda can and presses against his face too. Seeing his friend getting hurt, even if it was just a slightly burn on her skin due to the fireballs is enough for his sense of guilty to show up. "I ruined everything, didn't I? You probably don't even want to watch the movie with me anymore."

"What?" Connie looks up in surprise. "Steven, I don't blame you for what happened, we were all exploring the place," She avoid his gaze. "Actually, if there's someone who should apologize it's me, I put your hand on that pedestal thing that activated everything in the first place."

"But the robot thing only showed up because of what I said!" Steven blurts out. "It was because of me. It's always me, I mess stuff up all the time! I don't know why you still hang out with me."

"I don't know why you hang out with me! I'm so much more less interesting than you! And obviously you have some sort of magical destiny," Sadness clouds her face. "Why would you even care about something like Dogcopter?"

"Why?! Because it's Dogcopter! He's a dog, and a helicopter, and a cop! He shoots missiles out of his butt, and he's gonna save the world!" He throws his hands up in excitement. "Dogcopter is very cool and important... to me."

"Well, I'm no Dogcopter."

"No, you're Connie and you're already amazing being you." Steven assures.

She can't help, but be slightly instigated by his words. "You think so?"

"Yeah! You're so smart, funny, and beautiful- I-I mean," Steven blushes and look away for a moment. "You know how to do a lot of things I don't and that's so cool! You don't need any magical powers, you're already amazing just the way you are."

Connie's smile grows as she continues to listen, feeling the heat on her face while glancing at her friend. They keep staring at each other, as if only both existed at that moment, until-

"Ahem!" Nora fake clears her throat. "Are we interrupting something?" 

A 'no' is said in synch, as well both of them hurrying to get up and babble some excuses of what they were talking about, amusing Nora and Peedee.

"So, um, you wanna go home Peedee?" Steven asks.

"Oh no, I'm still up for the movie." He puts his arm around Nora's neck.

"Awesome!" Lion leaves his spot beside the platform and goes towards the group. "Lion, can you please get us out of here?"

He stares at them for a brief moment, before lying down on his stomach. They get on top of Lion's back, then he jumps off of the platform and into the water, roaring another portal open and diving through it.

When Lion leaps out of the portal, the kids see themselves just in front of the movie theater. "What!?" Nora throws her arms out in anger. "Now you take us to the movies!? You could've saved us from a lot of trouble, did you know that!?"

Lion closes his eyes and sits down, causing all of them to fall off of his back, as if he got insulted by Nora's tone.

"Hey, at least we're here." Steven helps her.

While they get ready for the movie, the ticket booth lady tries to get over the fact she just witnessed a magic portal appear from nowhere and a pink lion coming from it with four kids on its back.

She snaps from her shock when the kids are already in front of the ticket booth. "Hi!" Steven greets her.

"Uh, hello."

"Four kids, and one lion, to see Dogcopter." Lion snorts on the glass of the ticket booth, causing it to fog up briefly. The Lady looks at him, then back at the group. "Um, do you have a rewards card?"

─ ·★· ─

"We can go with you."

"Thanks, but it's okay. My dad is almost there and I'll be quick not to let him wait," Connie gives each of them a goodbye hug. "But thanks for the movie, it was really nice to spend the day with you guys."

Her phone buzz, signaling a message. "It must be my dad. I gotta go, bye guys! See you at school, Peedee!" She waves at them while going.

The group say their last goodbye and once Connie disappears from their sight, it's their cue to go back home. The sky is already darkening, stars switch places with the sun, and the night coldish winds becomes noticeable.

"So, where's the shop you need to go?" Steven questions.

Surprised that his friend still remember his original plan, Peedee shrugs in response. "Actually I think I'll leave it for tomorrow."

"But why?" It's Nora's turn to ask.

"Nothing really. I just thought that after our adventure today you guys would rather go home already." He answers, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"What? No way!" Steven shakes his head. "We would love to help!"

Peedee smiles fondly at his two friend's willingness, feeling lucky for having them in his life. "Really? You would do that? Being this late?" They nod. "Thank you guys, for everything," He pulls them in a hug, surprising both siblings. "I really need this day off… with my friends."

Nora and Steven smiles, returning the sweet gesture.

Chapter Text

After helping Peedee buy his new clothes and having a lot of fun trying a few for their own, the Universe twins went back home. Since they arrived at night already, there wasn't much left for them to do. Also, they were pretty much tired after the whole thing back at the cave.

After having dinner and brushing their teeth, both were ready to go to sleep. Well, Steven was ready to go to sleep, Nora on the other hand…

"Steven, do you think that sword was from mom?" She asks staring at the ceiling. "Because of, you know, the roses in it."

"Guess so," Steven mumbles, eyes closed. "Think Lion… also mom's, he pink and… magical." Sleepiness is clear by the way he slurs his speech.

"But isn't it weird that the Gems never knew or didn't recognize him?" She waits, but receives no response. Glancing at him Nora realizes he's already falling asleep, mind diving into dreamland.

She sighs, going back to stare at nothing.

There's so many things she doesn't know about her mom. Greg always told her how great and loving she was, how much Rose loved Nora way before she was born and how excited she was, rambling and talking non-stop about how she imagined what her daughter would look like and be like.

This kinda comforts her, knowing Rose loved her so much. Nora just wished her love could replace someone's love.

And by someone, she means Pearl.

Nora had no doubt the Gems loved her. She was sure Garnet loved her, not belittling and giving her opportunities to show what she could do and believing in her potential; The same with Amethyst, who loved to hang out with her and always cheered her up with things she liked when she was upset, but Pearl…

It was clear Steven was her favorite.

Nora closes her eyes, biting her lips. It's a sensitive topic.

Half of her wants to believe Pearl just doesn't know how to express love towards her, yet the other half questions that if so, why she can act so motherly towards him.

Isn't it obvious? She clearly loves him more.

And honestly? Who wouldn't, right?

Steven is basically a little bundle of joy. So sweet, smiley, gentle and so… loving, the kind of person everyone would love to be around. Also, he has Rose's gem, now beginning to activate and soon he will be able to fully control it and be as great as she was.

Nora wonders if she also had a gem Pearl would at least like her more, that if she had some powers, maybe, just maybe if she could do something her mother did it could make Pearl love her just a little more.

So much sadness is held inside the younger's heart, sadness that sometimes turns into resentment. Don't get her wrong, she loves Steven, but she just wishes he- No! No, no, no, don't even dare! He doesn't deserve it!

Steven loves her, he adores his baby sister and would do anything for her. However Nora can't help but wish he would fail, or not be good at something for once.

She feels so guilty for even thinking that. She must be an awful sister. Steven doesn't deserve to have someone like her as a sibling.

Nora rolls over, facing the wall, feeling small tears wet the corners of her eyes. She quietly sniffles, using her thumb to wipe them away and trying to finally get some rest.

It was dark, dark and cold.

I couldn't see anything, but I could hear. I heard something.

A sob.

Someone was crying, so quietly and almost scared of being caught. I think... It's me. Tears rolled down my face like a river, and the moment I lifted my head every teardrop fell into a pool of water, the silence giving it a chance to be audible.

My hands were placed in something cold and dull, I bent her head and saw the reflection of the sky and its stars, each one shining along the moon, the only option that could illuminate the place

I couldn't see my own reflection through the tears, a blurry figure being the closest I got staring at the crystal clear water.

"What!? What is that!?"

Nora doesn't even have her eyes open yet and is already woken by her brother's frantic yells. "What is it, Steven?" She rolls over, having the impression of something brushing against her nose.

Slowly she tries to blink the sleepiness away and when her vision adjusts she's surprised to see her whole bed full of flowers, roses specifically. "Steven, what happened!?" 

"I don't know!" He throws his arms. "I just woke up and it was already like this!"

Their bed is covered in pink roses, a few petals landing on the pillows and also on the floor. The whole room smells nice too, a sweet and smooth scent spreading through the ambient.

"What if this is some sort of new power?" Nora questions, picking one flower and twirling it around her hand. "Growing plants or something like that."

"Maybe."

"We need to tell the Gems about this."

─ ·★· ─

The minute the Gems entered the Temple, the sweet flower-ish smell becomes noticeable for them. It smelled so nice, not too strong, however it did have some presence. For the twins, it didn't remind them of anything, but for Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl it resembled their leader and the places that used to be hers. It brings so many good, now bittersweet memories.

When Pearl reached the siblings' room and took a look at the flowers she gasped, noticing how they were exactly like the flowers it used to have on Rose's fountain. She grabbed one and studied it closely, feeling the softness of each pink petal.

"It's… incredible." She whispers, letting herself be reminded of the good times.

"So, is this really like a new power?" Steven asks.

"Much probably," Garnet says. "Your mother had the power to grow sentient plant life."

"Exactly! Rose could grow sentient plant life to act as her defenders," Pearl explains. "Since it's your first time having access to this ability it makes sense as to why you're able to create small and inanimate ones."

Steven smiles widely, proud of himself. "A new power! Isn't that cool!?" He looks at his sister, shaking her shoulders in excitement.

Nora gives him a thumbs up, forcing a shy smile. "Yeah, so… great!"

"But you said," Pearl turns back to the twins. "It appeared suddenly? After you went to sleep?"

"Well, yes," The youngest answers. "We just went to bed and everything was normal, but when we woke up our bed was already like this."

Pearl puts a hand under her chin. "Well, if it happened during sleep, maybe Steven's ability could be linked to his subconscious."

"Like his dreams or something?" Amethyst suggests.

"It could be," Pearl says, earning a grin from the other Gem. "Do you recall what you dreamed about?"

"Uhm," Steven ponders for a moment. "A bit, I don't remember much, but I remember it was a fun dream. It was- First there were some things being sold at the Big Donut, but the front door of the Big Donut shop led to the back of my dad's van. Then, I went into the van and Lion was driving, for some reason, but he was driving really well." He continues.

As Steven rambles about it, Pearl has a frown on her face, trying to find any logic on that crazy scenario, and Amethyst chuckles to herself, finding it hilarious.

"Then Dogcopter meowed at me and Connie finished the pizza delivery on the island Peedee was playing checkers."

Pearl is silent for a few seconds, absorbing all information. "Okay…"

"Maybe the answer is not in the dream, but it's the dream itself." Garnet adjusts her glasses.

"Huh?" Steven raises a brow.

"If it's really linked to your subconscious, it may not be connected to your dreams, but about how you feel," She looks at the boy. "You said it was a fun dream, maybe your unconscious positive emotions are what unlocked this ability."

"It makes sense," Pearl agrees, standing up. "But just to make sure we'll watch you while you sleep to see how it works."

"Like you do all the time?" Amethyst teases.

"What?" Nora tilts her head.

"Nothing!" Pearl sent a quick glare at the short one.

─ ·★· ─

It's bedtime and Steven has just finished his glass of milk to help him sleep faster. Nora chose to do the same since she still has a lot on her mind.

It's so unfair, she spent the whole past night wondering and unconsciously wishing to have any remnant of her mom's powers and when she wakes up she finds out her brother summoned another gem ability.

It felt like a slap on the face.

The only thing she wants right now is to bury her face on the pillow and cry until she drowns in her own melancholy. But she can't. She has to be strong, she needs to be strong for her brother.

She needs to be a good sister and be there for Steven, she can't bother him with her insecurities and fears, it's not fair with him.

Nora takes a deep breath to keep herself together and lays down, wishing Steven goodnight before trying to dream with anything that could make her slightly happier.

Clouds

Pink clouds

When I looked around I was surrounded by pink clouds. They seemed to be so soft, but at the same time so delicate, able to dissipate with a single touch.

Laughter

Loud laughter

I heard someone laughing, this person sounds so happy and carefree. However I'm alone, not a single person could be seen in my view. Was it me the one who was laughing? But I don't laugh like that.

My laugh was bubbly and breathy, not elegant and continuous.

I looked down and realized I was jumping, very high and without a single spot of tiredness. I wore a dress, a white and long one, and my hair felt heavier too.

I felt so happy, free of any kind of worry, fear and insecurity. I wanted to stay like this forever. 

I wanted to be happy forever.

"Sis, wake up!" Steven gently shakes her shoulder.

Nora grunts. "Hmm, what?" 

"It happened again."

She sits and looks around the bed, again covered in roses and in the same sweet scent. The Gems were in the kitchen waiting for them to wake up and discuss it.

When small steps are heard, they turn their eyes to the twins. "Good morning kiddos!" Amethyst greets them from the table she is sitting in.

"Good morning Amethyst," Steven replies. "Did you guys see it?"

"We did." Garnet says.

"We watched you and saw with our own eyes these flowers grow," Pearl joins her hands. "It seems it's really connected with your subconscious, since it happens during your sleep, much probably during what humans call REM sleep, the stage of sleep where the brain is more active."

Nora suppress an annoyed groan that threatens to leave her throat. She really doesn't want to be there and listen to a whole explanation and possibilities of how Steven's power, the one she desperately wanted to have, works.

She is so freaking envious right now. Nora knows she should be happy and cheering his new ability like the Gems are right now, but she just can't!

Her frown and tight jaw gives away her jealousy, however she is glad she woke up a few minutes ago so her expression could be misinterpreted as tiredness, excusing her from giving any further explanation.

─ ·★· ─

"Awww yeah! You received the Mythril Putter!" Sound effects are heard along Steven's attempt to imitate the character's lines. "Don't worry Professor. We're gonna sink 'em all!"

Nora watches from the bed her brother playing Mini Golf Quest with a bag of chips at his side. "You sure you don't wanna play? We could switch at each level."

"I'll pass," She yawns. "M' a little tired, do you mind if I take a nap?"

"Course not! I'll wake you before dinner." Steven peers at her, before focusing back at the screen in front of him.

"Thanks, love you."

"Love you too!"

My hands touched my own cheeks, drying it, however it felt weird. My own touch didn't seem familiar to myself for some reason.

A sense of void filled my heart. Why did I felt that way? I felt so sad, and a vague thought of contradiction hits the back of my mind, but I didn't understand why.

I couldn't remember why.

Why did I feel like I shouldn't be this way? As if I lost my purpose, I should be glad- But why should I? My intuition told me this emptiness and loneliness felt wrong, but I couldn't get rid of them!

I didn't understand. Everything felt wrong, everything felt out of place! Why? Why!? Why!?

"Nora, Nora!" 

"Just five more minutes." 

Steven grunts and keeps trying to wake her, leading to a grumpy Nora finally getting up. "Okay, okay, I'm up!" She rubs her hands. "What's for dinner?"

"Dinner's not ready, but look!" He points at the bed, and Nora checks around, seeing it's full of flowers again. "It wasn't me who did it, it was you!"

"What?"

"This means you have powers! You have powers too!" Steven exclaims. "C'mon, we need to tell the Gems!" He immediately takes Nora by her hands, causing the twin to stumble a bit with the blanket around one of her ankles.

─ ·★· ─

Nora waits what it seemed forever for Pearl, who's in front of her bed, analyzing the scenario again, to say something. "I… I don't understand," She says. "How is this even possible?"

"You sure about it, Steve-O?" Amethyst questions.

"Yeah!" He replies. "I was just playing video games and Nora told me she was going to take a nap. Then I was playing it and suddenly that flower smell appeared again and when I looked there were those same roses again!"

The trio exchanges looks.

Nora examines their faces, searching for a glimpse of pride, happiness, anything positive, however her hope is crushed when she finds worried eyes instead.

They seemed even fearful, as if they were dealing with something dangerous; Garnet disguised at best, but the tensions on her shoulders were visible if you looked closely; Amethyst just acted as if she didn't mind, trying to cover up her slight nervousness with jokes.

But Pearl has her eyes fixed on the roses, a line appearing between her brows, mouth covered with one of her hands. It's like she is not even trying to hide.

"Uh, well," Amethyst is the first one to break tension. "Nora is Rose's kid too, so maybe she can have some power too?"

"But she's human, Amethyst. A fully normal human." The pale gem argues, emphasizing the 'normal' with a subtle slow tone.

"I think Amethyst is right," Garnet interrupts them. "Even if Nora doesn't own a gem, maybe some of Rose's abilities could be transferred to her."

"We should make sure!" Pearl decides, anxious to get rid of their doubt. "I'll watch your sleep and see if it's really you who did these," She glances at Garnet. "If it's really you, then we'll have a lot to think about."

─ ·★· ─

When I opened my eyes I faced a light pink sky. I was laying down, then I raised myself from the ground, the also pink grass tickling my skin.

It was a huge place, almost endless. It brought me some sort of comfort, a feeling of belonging.

When I looked around my eyes found a tree, a little far from where I was. The grass were big enough to engulf me. I could get easily lost here, but I didn't.

As I walked and finally reached near the tree I saw someone there. Someone on their knees, her back facing me, or rather, her voluminous pink curly hair.

Mom.

A ray of light coming through the window is what wakes the young Universe from her sleep. Weirdly, she doesn't feel as tired as the last few days, which is good.

Without even looking she knows the other side of the bed is empty and her brother is already awake. She is ready to get up, until she hears the Gems talking about… her.

"Okay so," It's Amethyst's voice. "Does Nora have some sort of power too like Steven too, right?"

"We don't know," Now it's Pearl's. "I mean, it looks like it, but I don't understand."

"Like Steven, Nora is Rose's daughter, she may not have a gem, but she could have inherited some of her abilities in a nonconventional way, probably during birth." Garnet explains.

"But Garnet, she doesn't have a gem! Every single ability we can do is exclusively from our gems! What Nora does should be impossible!"

"There's a lot of things that should be impossible," The taller one states. "There has never been anything or anyone like Nora or Steven. There's a lot of things we don't understand about them, but we shouldn't focus on what we don't know or shouldn't be possible. Right now, we have to focus on guiding them."

"So… what's the plan?" Amethyst questions.

"The plan is to pay attention to Nora and find a way to encourage whatever powers she holds. We can take her to easier missions, make her know about the gems, and see if it helps her."

"Steven already managed to summon his shield, and if we can help him to do more, we can help Nora as well."

She hears a door being open, followed by Steven's voice talking to them. Nora's more than awake at this point, pretty awake and disappointed.

She was so excited to think she was able to have gem powers too and just when she thought this could be her chance to earn Pearl's approval, her excitement is erased by the worry and uncertainty.

The imaginary scenario where Pearl finally looks at her with eyes shining with pride and a bright smile being a consequence of immense joy will keep belonging to her unfulfilled dreams.

However Nora can't stay in her bed the whole day, they're probably waiting for her to talk about her discovered phytokinesis, but honestly? She doesn't care about it anymore. She lazily raises herself from the bed and walks towards the kitchen with heavy steps.

"Good morning, sis!"

"Good morning, Nora." 

"Good morning." She rubs her eyes, a joyful tone long gone from her words.

Pearl is quick to start her discussion. "Nora, we watched you and it seems like it was really you who's been creating these flowers. At some point they started growing out of nowhere, but closely around you."

"That means you probably inherited some of your mother's powers, but we are still unsure of why you can do this due to the fact you don't have a gem, since that's where all our abilities come from."

Nora nods.

"Also, we need to figure out what other gem powers you may have and how potent they can be," She concludes. "Me and Garnet will talk about this later, right now we have a mission to go."

"Aww, but you guys promised we'd hang out more!" Steven whines.

"Sorry Steven, but a dangerous artifact has appeared in the Northern Hemisphere, we need to go retrieve it the fastest we can." Garnet explains.

"We'll bring you something back." Pearl comforts him, joining Garnet to her room where they need to discuss some things before the mission.

"Sooo," Amethyst steps closer to the younger. "Looks like you got powers now, huh? Welcome to the club!" She hugs Nora, spinning around in excitement.

"Thanks," Nora giggles, being put down. "Never thought I would know what it feels like to have one."

"Pfft, it's really not a big deal," Amethyst pulls her closer with an arm around her. "But don't worry, I will teach you a bunch of cool things!"

"Okay."

"Amethyst!" Pearl calls her.

"Alright, I'm coming!" She says unamused with a dramatic groan.

When they hear the Temple's door close, the twins go back to making their own breakfast. Nora opens one of the cabinets to grab a box of cereal and a bowl.

"Oh, sis there's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"You know, when the Gems thought it was me doing it they said it could be linked to my dreams," He starts. "Now that we know it's you, I wanted to know what did you dream about."

"Oh," Nora stays quiet, a little shy to talk about it. "Actually I dreamed about… mom."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Nora looks down. "I mean, the last time. The others were like me in a pink room full of clouds and me having fun in it; Then I was in some kind of fountain, I guess?"

Steven listens carefully, filling his bowl with milk.

"And the last one I was somewhere, I don't really remember it," She shrugs. "It was a large place, pink grass and then a tree, pink too."

"I knew you liked pink, but not this much."

Nora laughs. "But seriously, it was a pretty nice place and then," She pauses for a second. "There she was, mom was right there."

Steven doesn't say anything.

"I didn't see her face, she was on her back, but she was just..." She gesticulates a grabbing motion. "Right there."

"How it was like?"

Nora looks at him. "Weird, but a good kind of weird."

Chapter Text

The darker tone in the sky would usually tell it's nighttime, however today it just meant the Crystal Gems were visiting a new place.

Right now, they arrive at the Gem Communication Hub for another mission. In reality, Nora would've liked to stay home and finally be able to chat with Peedee about how he's doing in school since the last few days she had been so focused on her new powers.

But when Pearl invited her and Steven to join them on another gem task she just couldn't miss the opportunity.

It's a coldish place, so both twins were wearing appropriate clothes; Steven with his salmon hoodie and kept his dark blue jeans; Nora wore a light purple sweater and pink pants with star drawings on it.

"Whoa!" Steven looks up at the tower amazed. "What magical place of mysteries is this?"

"Well…"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" Pearl interrupts Amethyst. "This was once a communication hub for Gem-kind, but lately, it's begun transmitting bursts of electromagnetic interference."

"What that means?" Nora turns to Garnet.

"It's hurting television."

"Nooo!" Steven tries to kick and push over a pillar. "I'll save you television!"

Amethyst lifts Steven up. "Sorry, but we need a Steven at least…" She shapeshifts into a stronger-looking Steven with a deeper voice. "This strong for this job!

Steven gasps. "It's all the me I could be!"

Nora chuckles at his statement while Amethyst puts him down, and starts punching at the pillar as the strong Steven. "Amethyst, we could be here all day taking out these pillars individually." Pearl catches a small piece of the pillar punched off by her partner.

"Ugh, I hate it when you're right. You get this look on your face…" Amethyst pauses. "Yeah, that's the one."

"What we need is a well thought out plan." Pearl starts to project a hologram and is about to explain until Garnet interrupts.

"No. What we need is Sugilite," She points at the short gem. "Amethyst, fuse with me."

"WHAT?!" Amethyst and Pearl yell in union, however the first one begins to scream in excitement while Pearl looks annoyed and somewhat worried. "Garnet, think about this. You and Amethyst can be a little... unstable when your personalities combine. We need to be careful! Fuse with me instead."

The leader places a hand over her shoulder. "We don't need to be careful. We just need to be huge."

"Oh, yeah! Let's wreck this joint!" Amethyst prepares herself.

Garnet and Amethyst's gemstones begin to glow as they start to dance. Steven and Nora stay still, watching them until Pearl forces them to turn around. "You two don't need to see this."

"Wait Pearl, c'mon." Nora turns around.

"Yeah, we wanna see!" Steven prys her hands away.

They continue to watch, despite her disapproval and witness the dancing finishing, both gems finally fusing into the colossal Sugilite.

A dark laugh fills the air the moment she comes to existence. The magenta-skinned fusion adjusters her dark lilac visor, covering her lowers eyes. "I forgot how great it feels to be me!" She cracks her knuckles, her grin showing how sharp and pointed her teeth are.

"That's Sugilite?" Steven looks all the way up.

"You got it, baby. Hey, you two, wanna see something cool?"

"Yeah!"

Sugilite summons Garnet's gauntlets and Amethyst's whip, and fuses them together to form her flail, causing the twins to gasp loudly in amazement. "You liked that?"

"Yeah, it's amazing!" Nora exclaims.

"Are you gonna smash stuff with your wrecking-ball-thingy?" Steven asks.

"That's the plan! Where should I start?"

Curious eyes look all over the tower until Nora points to a nearby pillar. "That one!"

Sugilite proceeds to smash the chosen one and some pillars with her flails, caring less about where the pieces of rock would land, exactly what Pearl is concerned of.

"I think we should go."

"No way! This is awesome!"

Sugilite continues smashing more pillars, causing debris to fall everywhere in every kind of size and speed. "Watch it!" Pearl kicks away a debris heading towards her, but a small rock then hits Nora in the face, knocking her onto the ground.

"Sis!"

"Nora!" The gem quickly kneels down to hold her. Panic starts to creep inside her chest when she notices a strain of blood start to leak from the injury.

"Pearl?" Steven's worried tone gets her attention.

"She's gonna be okay." Pearl says, more to herself than Steven. She needs to keep calm, she has to stay calm for them.

Pearl picks Nora up, adjusting her in one arm while she takes Steven by the hand with the other, rushing towards the Warp Pad.

─ ·★· ─

Do y u th nk s e'll r act w ll?

H n st y? I' n t s re

Y u al  n ed t be m re c reful fr m n w on

I th nk i 's b st if y u stay at l ast dur ng-

W it, s e's m ving

S e's w king

As she's gradually coming back to consciousness, two different voices are heard in a certain distance. Slowly Nora recognizes one being female and the other a male one, both familiar.

Nora opens her eyes, but whenever she is, it's too bright for her liking, causing her head to hurt and her eyes remain closed again.

"Easy there, cupcake." It's Greg, it's her dad's voice. The bed weight shifts and she feels him crawling closer to her, putting a hand on her back to help her sit.

"What happened?" She rubs her head, wincing at the discomfort.

"You went with the gems on a mission to deactivate a…?"

"The Communication Hub," Pearl corrects. "Right after Garnet and Amethyst fused into Sugilite and started to break it in such a…," She huffs. "Careless way, one of the rocks accidentally hit your head."

"Where Steven? Is he 'kay?"

"Steven's fine, kiddo," Greg caresses her hair. "He just went to the Big Donuts to buy you some things, but he's okay." He reassures her, noticing the small tension leaving her shoulders.

Greg is so relieved to see his daughter awake and talking normally to him, despite slurring her speech a bit, but that's okay since the doctor warned him that could happen.

Boy, he did panic.

When Steven appeared at the Car Wash saying his baby girl got hurt, Greg left everything behind and rushed to the Temple, expecting the worst. His anxiety reached a peak he didn't know was possible and his heart beat faster than he thought he could take.

Arriving there and seeing Pearl also panicking certainly didn't help either. However, when they took her to an emergency they managed to calm down with the doctor's well chosen words, explaining to them that Nora was fine and nothing life-threatening happened.

Overall, after his kids moved to the Temple, Greg never had to worry about any of them getting hurt since neither Nora or Steven were allowed to go on missions and whenever they injured themselves it was something Pearl could take care of.

The last time Greg recalled being this worried was when they were toddlers.

"We took you to a doctor and she said you had a concussion, but nothing to worry about!" Pearl forces a smile. "You just needed some stitches to help close to the wound and a few medications for pain, however you're completely fine."

"Yeah, for now you just need to rest," Greg gives her shoulder a light squeeze. "And to make my baby girl feel better I'm going to make that lasagna you love!" He playfully whispers in her ear, earning a chuckle.

For some reason, Pearl looks tense, her hands tight against each other and fingers forcefully intertwined. Nora is good at reading body language and is sure she wants to say something.

"Nora, we also need to talk to you about something else," Pearl glances at Greg, who nods, as if signaling her to continue. Nora was right. "After today's incident, we talked and came to an agreement to keep you from going on missions."

"What?!"

"For a while!" It's quickly added, hoping it would make the girl less upset.

But it doesn't.

"That's not fair! It was just an accident!"

"Exactly!" Pearl argues. "If only an accident managed to hurt you like this…" She pauses. "I don't want to even think what a difficult mission or even a real fight can do to you."

Nora feels her dad holds her closer at the mention of fighting. "We're just trying to protect you, because we care about you."

They really hoped she would understand and not be mad at them, since what else were they supposed to do? Even Pearl sometimes is pretty hesitant to take Steven on missions and he's half gem. With Nora, who's a normal human, her worries simply double.

But the resentment and frustration that only grew and was regularly fed through tiny actions and words resonated in her heart. Anger finally escaping inside her, this time being unable to keep hidden.

"No!" Nora yells. "It's not fair! I bet if Steven got hurt instead of me you wouldn't treat him this way!" 

"Nora-"

"NO!" A raise in her tone startles both human and gem. "I know you wouldn't, because he 'can protect himself' or 'he is half gem'. It's always me! Everyone always treats me different just because I'm not like him!"

"It's not like that."

"Yes, it is! I know it is!" The familiar sensation of tears arises, which it's not good for her headache. "He could've got hurt when these Centipeetles appeared in the Temple, or when he almost fell at the Lunar Spire, and yet you still let him come with you!"

"You all think I'm weak, you all think less of me just because I don't have a gem. Well, I'm sorry I don't have a gem, I-I'm sorry for not b-being good enough!" Her lips tremble and she can't hold back the tears of frustration anymore.

Nora covers her face until Greg's tries to talk to her again. "No!" She swats his hands away. "Just leave me alone!" She buries herself under the blanket.

Pearl tries to offer some comfort, but Greg shakes his head, sure that it would be better to give Nora some space. Knowing his daughter the way he did, trying to push this topic would only stress her more, and that's the last thing they wanted.

Still unwillingly, they left the room.

The sadness Nora feels overflows through her tears and sobs. She clutches at the sheets and let herself cry what she has been holding for a while.

She doesn't know for how long she stays there, surrounded by inner voices telling her how pathetic she is, how much she is clearly a burden for the Gems and can't do anything on her own to prove them wrong.

Suddenly, a shy call of her name gets her attention. Through the blanket she recognizes the small shadow with curly hair. Nora adjusts her body and takes the blanket off, facing her brother.

Steven's innocent stare is enough to bring renewed tears to his sister's eyes. She crawls on the bed to get closer and hugs him tightly, a few whimpers escaping.

─ ·★· ─

When Nora opens her eyes, she sees herself laying down on Steven's lap, between his sprawled legs. He's humming something as he watches Crying Breakfast Friends until he notices his sister awake. "Hello there!" He greets her playfully.

Nora smiles.

"Dinner's almost done."

The delicious smell of lasagna makes her stomach growls, earning a chuckle from Steven. Nora attempts to get up, but groans, alerting her brother.

"What's wrong?"

"I just really need to pee, but I don't want to get up."

Steven sighs, relieved it wasn't serious.

"C'mon, I'll help you." He puts his arm under hers, helping her into a sitting position. She lets him leave the bed first, before standing up, her legs a little wobbly.

With Nora's weight shared into Steven's body, they reach the stairs, where they're able to see their dad cooking, forehead a bit shiny from sweat caused by the pan's heat. "Oh, you're awake! Feeling any better?" 

Nora nods, still upset to share any words.

"Hm, I was sure the food I bought would last a few more days, that's probably Amethyst eating their snacks. I need to tell Pearl to keep an eye on them to check if they're eating right." He mumbles to himself.

Steven leads his sister to the bathroom and stands by the outside to wait.

Turning the light on, the brightness feels like it burns her eyes. The twin groans in pain, covering them, the pounding on her head resurging anew and worse now that she's on her feet, a faint wave of nausea hitting her. 

Nora stays immobile, waiting for the pain to lessen. Taking slow steps she squint her eyes and continues what she needs to. Done, she washes her hands and looks at herself in the mirror.

The rock hit the right side of her head, where now the stitches were placed. The skin around it is still reddish, a little irritated and rough to touch. She is slightly annoyed at the nurses from messing with her hair, since her signature hairstyle included a fringe, however they needed to undo it to have clear access to the skin and close the wound properly.

Her hair is a mess, but she can deal with it tomorrow.

When she opens the door Steven is still there waiting for her, warning that dinner is ready. He helps her sit on the couch and goes grab a plate for her.

"It's been a while since I made these," Greg tries to lighten up the mood. "But I think I haven't lost my touch." He cuts some pieces in square shapes and puts them on both plates.

Steven, being the impatient kid he is, already grabbed his fork to prove. He barely listened to his dad's warning in time before the hot food touched his tongue. He blows the piece a few times and eats the lasagna.

"What do you think? Is 'Steven approved'?" 

He nods, humming in contentment, giving his dad a thumbs up. "Steven approved!"

Nora waits for her brother to give her the plate. He sits down along her, placing his plate on his lap, Nora mimicking him. She blows a little before taking a mouthful of the lasagna.

"So," She looks up to face her dad. "Nora approved?"

The youngest shyly nods, which is enough to bring a smile to Greg. 

"I'll go buy some food, but I won't be long. If you need anything Pearl is right there on the balcony."

"Dad! Dad!" Steven yells for him. "Can you buy waffles for us?"

"Steven, you know what I think of you two eating these everyday." Greg gently resonates.

"What about some donuts?" 

"Try again, kiddo."

"Oh c'mon," He whines dramatically. "Chaaps?" 

"Hmm," Greg put a hand on his chin. "I'll think about it," He looks at his daughter. "What about you Nora? Want anything?"

"Um, maybe that strawberry juice I like?"

"On it!" Greg waves at them and leaves, again saying he wouldn't be long.

"It's not fair, he always buys what you want." Steven crosses his arm.

"Steven, in the last time he brought you that apple pie, it's my turn to get something."

Suddenly someone's knocking on the door. The twins glance over and see through the window Pearl talking to Peedee, however they can't hear what is being said.

The gem waves at him with a smile, signaling to the inside and Peedee nods, heading towards the door. "Hey!"

"Peedee!" Steven greets him with a hug.

"So, how are you doing? Steven told me what happened." The blonde boy took a seat at Nora's left side.

She sighs, leaning against the couch. "My head hurts and it gets worse when it's too bright. I feel tired and I don't really remember what happened at the Warp Pad or when they took me to a doctor."

"I think it's normal, right?" Peedee asks Steven. "Like, you hit your head, so it makes sense why you don't remember these things "

"I think so," Nora shrugs. She opens her mouth to say something, but looks over the door to make sure Pearl wouldn't hear it. "What I'm really upset about is that dad and Pearl agreed to keep me from going on missions."

"What?!" Steven exclaims.

"I know right? It's not fair!" She clenches her fists, hitting her thighs. "It was just an accident and it only happened once! It's not like every time I went with them something went wrong, then why it's a big deal!? It wasn't even that serious!"

"I dunno," Peedee says. "I mean, if I were you I would be mad too, but they're your… parents?" He's unsure of giving this title to the gem. "And they worry about you. Also, they're just keeping you from going only for you to recover or did they say it was permanent?"

"No, they said it was for a while." She shyly admits.

"See? They're just waiting for you to heal, so you can go with them even better!"

Both boys cheer in excitement while a small smile appears on Nora's face, her sadness beginning to be put aside. 

"So Peedee," Steven changes the topic. "How was school?"

"Yeah, tell us everything!"

"We want all the details!"

Peedee laughs. "It was better than I expected. I was so nervous to face new people and I kept thinking about every single thing that could go wrong, but in the end it was nice, after all."

The twins nod, waiting to continue.

"Connie was there too and made things a lot easier for me. It was great to have someone there with me, also we're in the same classes and Mrs. Lezner is our teacher- Did Nora tell you about her?"

"Uhum!" Steven confirms.

"Okay, then, oh right! She is our teacher too and she was really nice to me. She didn't force me to do the whole 'stand up and present yourself', which I was SO relieved," He chuckles. "And, um, she explained a few things about the school, how their classes work and activities I could join."

"It seems really nice," Steven comments. "What about classes? What did you have today? Did you like it?"

"Was it boring?"

"Well, since it was my first day everything was exciting," Peedee smiles, gazing at his own hands. "We had literature and history classes, which I really liked. I found it interesting."

"That's good," Steven says. "I'm glad you're enjoying it and it's nice that Connie's with you, she's a great friend."

"Yeah, she is. It's good to not be alone and have someone to talk to," His feet move back and forth. "I wish you two could go with us, it would be so much fun."

"It definitely would!" Steven nearly jumps in excitement, almost dropping his plate. "Oh, do you want to stay for dinner? Dad made lasagna!"

"Sorry, but I actually need to get going. My dad closed the shop earlier so we could have dinner together."

"Wow, really? That's new." Nora comments.

"Yeah, I found it weird too but I'm not gonna lie, I kinda missed that," Peedee blushes, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, I need to get going. I just came to see how you were doing."

"Alright, but come to see us tomorrow." Nora gives him a goodbye hug.

"I will."

─ ·★· ─

Nora wakes up feeling a little better than yesterday. The room is darker than usual, the window covered by an improvised curtain put by Pearl to help Nora with her light sensitivity.

Steven is already awake as expected, she can hear him talking to his dad and by the distance they're probably in the kitchen. She cautiously sits down, thankful that her pain is not strong as yesterday.

"Nora?" Greg notices she's awake, walking towards her room, Steven right behind him.

"Dad?" She rubs her eyes, letting out a yawn.

"Good morning!" Steven jumps into the bed. "Feeling better?" He embraces her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder.

"Actually yes, the headache lessened a bit." She rubs her head in demonstration.

"That's great," Greg offers her a gentle gaze, before speaking. "Nora, I know you're upset about what me and Pearl decided, but I want you to understand we're not doing because we think less of you, we're doing this because we worry about you."

"You think if it was Steven we would treat him different, but that's not true. We keep him from doing certain things because we know it's not good for him, and the same thing applies to you."

"I know, it's just... I was really upset because I still want go on missions, I like to go with the gems to see them fighting and learn about gem things."

Greg affectionately ruffles her hair. "I know you do, but missions are generally dangerous and Pearl only take you two to easier one because you're not ready for hard ones."

He looks at his son. "Steven's half gem, but he's still too young to go on hard ones. He has a lot to learn yet and so do you," Greg places a hand on her shoulder. "For now, you can't go because you're injured and need to rest, but when you get better you can go back to join them."

Nora nods. "I know. I'm sorry for yelling at you, I was just really upset about it, but I know I shouldn't have done that."

Greg pulls her to a warm hug. "It's okay, I'm glad you understand."

The Warp Pad suddenly beams in, bringing Pearl from whatever place she was. 

"Pearl! Did you find them?" Steven asks, regarding Garnet and Amethyst.

"No," She replies. "I don't understand. They should've been back already. I tried to warp back to check on them, but the warp pad is down! I tried to search somewhere near but-"

Suddenly, the ground starts to shake and the house starts to rumble, crumbles falling from the ceiling. Pearl and Greg quickly exit the house and see Sugilite in the distance, marching towards them in the ocean. "I'M BORED!!!!" She roars, arriving at the beach.

"It's Sugilite!" Nora walks with Steven to the outside.

Pearl leaves the house in a rushed pace, approaching Sugilite. "Y-you're back!"

"You left me behind!" The fusion angrily accuses.

"We just thought you didn't need any help. Now why don't you separate, and we can all sit down and rel-?" Sugilite gives her no time to finish, before straight up kicking the gem out of her way.

"Pearl!"

Despite the scratches drawn on her skin, Pearl stills stands up. Determination plastered on her face. "Listen to me! You've been fused for too long! You're losing yourselves!"

"I am myself, and I'm sick of being split up! So you better get used to me, baby."

"Why is she so angry? Why is she attacking Pearl?!" Steven questions his dad.

She looks back at the house. "Greg, take them inside!" Pearl orders, summons her spear and stances herself for battle. "What, you wanna fight?!" Sugilite's mockery falls deaf into her ears. "You'll thank me later!"

She leaps towards the fusion, but she is quickly swatted away, roughly landing on the sand. Greg picks his daughter up to keep her and Steven safe. "Come on, kids!"

"Dad, no! Pearl!" Nora looks ahead.

Pearl stands back up and leaps off again, this time, managing to knock off Sugilite's visor. "You think you're something?"

"I am!" She yells back. "I am the one who's been taking care of Nora, the person we swore to protect, the person you swore to protect and managed to hurt without even noticing!"

Sugilite looks at the house and spots Nora on the outside, noticing the stitches on her head and the angry skin surrounding it. She looks so fragile in Greg's arms, and her eyes seem so full of fear, as if she is...

Scared.

Scared of her.

Sugilite stops her track, no longer caring about Pearl or herself, nothing is relevant right now.

The fusion fall on her knees, watching her own hands bury inside the sand. What did she do? What did she become? The power she craved to flavor and appreciate every single second drove her to this path where she hurt someone.

She hurt Nora.

She hurt the little girl she loved so much.

Sugilite starts trembling, unable to keep her existence for too long. Garnet and Amethyst's inner guilty thoughts and voices are too much to bear. She no longer feels her body anymore, a bright light taking form where solid limbs used to be.

Then, the big and scary fusion is replaced by two smaller gems.

Garnet and Amethyst fall into the beach, pain spreading through their whole body, muscles begging for any relief. Ignoring the wanting to rest, the stronger gem is the first one to get up and walk towards Nora.

The group watch her reach the stairs and without a single word, take Nora from Greg's arms. "Garnet?"

"I'm sorry!" She hugs the girl tightly. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry for being so irresponsible."

Everyone stares in awe. They weren't used to seeing Garnet, someone so strong, who always knew what to do, and stoic during the most stressful and dangerous situations, seems at the point of losing her composure.

"It's okay, Garnet."

"No, it's not okay!" Garnet's voice cracks a bit, but she recomposes herself. "I should have been more responsible, paid more attention, I shouldn't have ever let myself get carried away like that," She glances at Pearl. "I should have been more careful."

Pearl nods, silently forgiving her.

Nora couldn't see through her glasses, but by the way she speaks and the way she is firmly held she knows Garnet is looking at her with adoring and sad eyes.

"This will never happen again."

No matter how many times Greg or Pearl told her Nora was fine, Garnet only felt better when she held the youngest in her arms.

The day ends with the gems back at the Temple; Garnet resting in her room; Pearl helping Greg organizing the groceries; And the twins taking a nap on the couch, with Amethyst sleeping shapeshifted as a cat on top of Nora.

Finally a peaceful moment.

Chapter Text

"We're going, Pearl!"

"Please be careful!"

It has been a few days after the incident in the Communication Hub occurred and since then Nora hasn't left home and this was driving her crazy. She just needed some fresh air and finally, with Steven's help, she managed to convince Pearl to let her spend some time outside, more specifically at the Lighthouse Cliff.

"Nora dear, you're sure you don't want me to go with you?" Pearl asks, again, worried that Amethyst, who promised to keep an eye on her, wouldn't be careful enough.

"Quit worrying P, we're just going to hang out," Amethyst easily lifts Nora on her arms, teasingly rocking her back and forth. "Nothing will happen to your baby."

"I'm not a baby!" Nora whines, causing Amethyst and Steven to laugh.

As Amethyst starts to leave with Nora in her arms, Steven stays to carry the rest of the things they need.

"Steven," Pearl kneels down to look at his eyes, hands on his shoulder. "Promise me if anything happens you'll call me or Greg."

"Will do!" Steven gives a thumbs up. "Don't worry, I'll be a good big brother!"

"I'm sure you will," She grabs the picnic basket placed on the table and gives it to him. "Have fun!"

─ ·★· ─

"Steven c'mon, let me help!"

"Nuh uh, you need to rest," Steven denies her, going back to set up the picnic mat. "Let your big brother take care of these."

"Yeah Nora, enjoy your princess day," Amethyst tells the youngest, who was riding piggyback on her back. "Tell me, your majesty, what is your wish for today?"

"Hum," Nora pouts, seeming to think. "I want you… to do your shapeshifting tricks!"

"Alright!"

Amethyst carefully puts Nora down and steps a little far. Nora sits down with Steven, who opens the picnic basket and gives her a sandwich.

"Watch these!" She shapeshifts into a seal, earning applause. "And this!" The next one is a wolf, followed by a wrestler and finally a jay.

Nora giggles at the gem who flies and perches on her head. "Amethyst, you're amazing!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," She flies off and shapeshifts back to normal. "But maybe you can do this one day too."

"Really? But I don't have a gem."

"Yeah, but, like, maybe you can have some sort of gem magic in there," She pokes Nora's belly, causing her to suppress a laugh and push her hand away.

"That would be awesome!" Steven throws his arms in excitement. "Maybe you can even- Amethyst!" He quickly gets up. "Amethyst, be careful!"

Knowing Nora loved to watch any cool moves she had, Amethyst starts to show off her acrobatics, however too near the edge of the cliff. "Steven, why are you getting so worked up? Do you care about me or something?" She makes a mock-lovestruck face.

"Yes…"

"Ah, Steven, I didn't mean to make you…" She pretends to fall backwards. "Woah, woah!"

"Amethyst, stop! You're gonna fall!"

"Ooh... Steven! I'm gonna fa-all!" The gem continues horsing around, laughing at the young boy's worry along Nora who goes after them.

"Amethyst, you're gonna get hurt!" Steven chases after her.

Amethyst stands at the edge of the cliff. "Steven, please, I'm a Gem warrior. I'm not gonna fall-" The ground underneath her gives way, and she falls off the cliff, bringing Steven's fear to reality.

"Amethyst!" Both siblings turn around and see Pearl dropping a few things from her hands before running towards them. She holds each on her arms and jumps from the cliff, using her gem ability to control her own floating to land smoothly on the beach.

After the twins are put down, Pearl goes to check Amethyst, unaware of Garnet's presence.

"Amethyst, show me your gem!" Pearl reaches towards Amethyst, who slaps her hand away.

Garnet, who walked until there without a word, grabs Amethyst's arm and pulls down her shirt, revealing a crack in her gem.

"Amethyst! Your gem is cracked!"

"Rude!" She blushes and covers up her gem. "Ah- It's not a big deal! Plus, now I have this!" Amethyst pulls aside part of her hair to reveal an enlarged eye. "Cool, right?" She shakes it around.

The twins laugh at the gem's silliness while Pearl rests her hand on her chin in concern. She looks up to the cliff and sighs. "Of course... How could I have been so blind? We need to put a fence up there, so this will never happen again!"

"We can take care of that later, right now we have to treat Amethyst's gem." Garnet says.

"But what's the problem? Amethyst always falls on stuff all the time." Nora questions.

"It'd be fine if it was just her body, but her gem is damaged." Pearl explains.

"So, what do you do to fix it?" Steven asks.

"Before... we had Rose."

"Steven, your mother had healing tears that flowed from her gem," Garnet bends over to looks at the boy's eyes. "She felt real love for those around her. She felt real sorrow when they were hurt. You have the Rose Quartz gem now. I know that power is in you, too."

Inspired by Garnet's speech, a determination look is plastered on Steven's face. "Amethyst! Show me your gem!"

"All right." She pulls down her shirt.

"The power... to heal." The boy whispers, doing an elegant and dramatic entry, only to end up straining himself in front of Amethyst's gem.

Nothing happens.

"It's not working. I guess I'm just too tough to cry." Steven crosses his arm.

"Yeah, right." Nora rolls her eyes. "Says the one who was crying about snakes."

"They don't have any arms!"

"We have no choice. We need to take Amethyst to Rose's Healing Spring."

Amethyst scoffs. "Guys, I'm fine, I'm not gonna get any wor-" Her body starts to change and suddenly she starts speaking backwards. "⸮ʜɔɒɘd ɘʜɈ no ϱniob υoჸ ɘяɒ ɈɒʜW !ƨჸυϱ ˎჸɘH"

Garnet and Pearl look at each other with concerns.

─ ·★· ─

The Crystal Gems warp to a bramble-covered canyon. Steven looks around the place, enthusiastic to know a place that once belonged to his mom.

"And in the center of the garden, Rose's Fountain! Overflowing with your mother's heal-" Pearl interrupts herself by gasping in horror when notices the garden is overran by massive vines and brambles.

"ɘmoʜ ϱnioϱ m'I ˎʜϱяU" Amethyst says backwards.

"Now, now! Let's keep it together! Our memories of Rose can't be tainted by some overgrown brambles!" She grimaces when a few touch near her feet. "Look at them, they're a mess without her guidance."

The twins' worried glance at each other doesn't go unnoticed by her. "But it's going to be okay! Right Garnet?"

A monotone "yes" is pronounced, exactly the answer she needed.

"Healing tears!" Steven continues to strain himself, as Amethyst lies next to him, waiting impatiently.

"Steven, stop that. It's not going to help!"

"Hmm... Maybe there's a path over here!" Pearl leaves the area with Garnet. "You two stay there with Amethyst."

Nora nods. In reality, she wanted to go with them, but it was already difficult enough to convince Pearl to let her come instead of leaving her in home to rest, she didn't want to risk it.

"ჸяɔ Ɉi ɘʞɒM ...ɒɈɈoϱ υoY ...nwo ƨɈi no ჸяƆ ...Ɉ'nɒɔ ჸbod яυoჸ ʇI !ჸɘH" Amethyst slaps herself in the face and imitates crying.

"Pain can make one cry." Steven guesses.

Amethyst nods her head in agreement.

The boy looks around. "Where is pain?"

Steven sees at the brambles all over him and slowly approaches them, until Nora pulls him closer to her. "Careful, okay?"

He nods and walks towards them, covering up his eyes, and tries to stick his index finger into a thorn of the brambles. The brambles then suddenly animate and reach towards him. Amethyst quickly notices and tackles Steven out of the way just in time.

Upon hearing the noice, Pearl comes back to check on them. "AMETHYST! No more roughhousing, you'll exacerbate your crack!"

Amethy scoffs. "wonʞ υoჸ oƨ Ɉƨυį ˎnɘvɘɈƧ lliʞ ɒnnoϱ ɘяɒ bnɒ ɘʇil oɈ ϱnimoɔ ɘяɒ ƨɘniv ɘʜT." She attempts to walk away, but accidentally reverses herself and just before she walks straight-on into a rock, Nora holds her by the shirt.

"It almost hit her gem." Steven cringes at the thought.

"booϱ m'I ˎϱniʜɈჸnɒ яo ჸяяow Ɉ'noꓷ." Amethyst coughs, visibly worried to think about what could've happened.

Pearl bites her lips, her shoulders tense. "Keep calm, don't worry! We will find a way through all this mess and get you into the fountain immediately!"

In parallel, Garnet pulls out a rock from the brambles in the background, then summons her gauntlet and punches the rock through the brambles with an unprecedented force, creating a tunnel to Rose's Fountain.

"I needed that. This way."

"We could've probably found another solution without having to appeal to… brutal force…" Pearl chuckles nervously.

The Crystal Gems proceeds through the tunnel to Rose's Fountain, relief barely able to flourish until Garnet brings bad news. "This isn't right, the fountain isn't running."

"What?! W-what's wrong with it?"

"I'm not sure."

Steven looks around the fountain, surrounded by brambles everywhere. It's weird to be in a place that once belonged to his mom, it brings a sensation of closeness, but distance at the same time.

The fountain itself is located in the middle of what it seems like a garden, and a giant stone statue of Rose Quartz stands at its center on a star-shaped pedestal while four life-sized Rose statues surround the central sculpture.

Nora studies the construction and a weird sense of familiarity washes over her. Immediately, one of her weird dreams comes to mind, the one where she found herself crying.

It couldn't be, she couldn't have possibly dreamed about a place she was unaware of its existence. It was impossible, it should be impossible.

"Is that... Mom?" Steven feels a slightly burning sensation on his eyes. "Oh, oh, I'm getting emotional! I think it's happening! Uh, I'm really feeling it!"

Steven leans over Amethyst and starts straining to cry again, while Pearl and Garnet watch. However, his anxious state causes his natural emotion to revert, making his upcoming tears vanish.

"Ah, come on! I had it!"

Pearl sighs. "Steven, it's fine. Just stay here and watch Amethyst and your sister, we'll find out what's wrong with the fountain."

"No, no. Wait! I can still do it!" Steven tries, but his plea falls on deaf ears as Garnet and Pearl start to leave.

"I can't understand! I don't understand anything! Why is everyone acting so strange? Why can't I-" He looks at Rose's statue at the fountain. "WHY CAN'T I CRY?!"

The place echoes Steven's words back, startling him, and an uneasy silence takes place when the voices could not be heard anymore.

Steven sighs and sits down on the fountain. Nora joins him and offers a hug, which he accepts and lays his head on his sister's shoulder. "Don't worry. Amethyst will be fine, the gems will find a solution."

"Yeah, I know they will." Steven replies, a small hint of annoyance covered by sadness. "It's just…" He glances at the statue. "I mean, everyone expects me to be like mom and… What if I never get those powers?" 

"Of course you will," Nora run her fingers through his curls. "Steven, you did so many amazing things to this day; You summoned mom's shield, activated her cannon, you shapeshifted, you created a magical bubble, you changed your age."

Steven listens as she counts with her fingers.

"It's just a matter of time until you can do other things like-."

"Exactly!" Steve interrupts, breaking the hug. "It's a matter of time, but what if it's too late!? If I had my healing powers already I could have fixed Amethyst's gem!"

Nora frowns.

"What if I can't cry? What if I can't help her in time? What if Pearl a-and Garnet can't find a solution and A-Amethyst d-don't…" Steven's voice starts to break and that same burning sensation returns, stronger this time.

Just the possibility of losing Amethyst, who is like a big sister for him and someone he loves dearest, along with the immense helplessness is enough to bring real tears in his eyes.

Steven searches for comfort in his sister's arms, which welcomes him with the reassurance and love he desperately needs right now. While she comforts Steven, she motions for Amethyst to come over.

The gem silently joins them, and when Steven notices her presence he immediately hugs her tightly, as if she was about to leave him. "I just want to be a magic healer…"

Steven starts weeping, and a few tears drips off his face and right onto Amethyst's gem. When he opens his eyes and sees her gem in front of him, hope brightens up on his face.

Well, until the gem remains cracked.

"Oh, come on!"

Suddenly, the whole place starts rumbling and pink water begins to flow out of Rose's Fountain, washing over the trio and flooding the whole place.

The bushes disperse away from the fountain and roses bloom on them. The brambles also begin to disappear as they blossom into flowers, allowing every part of the sanctuary to be bathed in the sunlight.

Nora swims up to the water surface and dries her face to be able to see. She looks at her own reflection on the water and for a moment, she has the impression she recognized it as being her mom.

Amethyst then bumps into her, floating on the water and fully healed, laughing in joy along with Steven.

"Oh, thank goodness." A voice draws their attention, belonging to Pearl who arrives with Garnet.

"Did you see what I did? It was magic! My tears brought the fountain back to life and saved Amethyst!" Steven swims with Amethyst towards Garnet and Pearl, Nora just behind them.

"Looks like it did!" Pearl looks at Garnet. "Garnet and I were about to unclog a clogged chamber to bring the fountain back to life until we heard the water running already."

"Looks like you did save Amethyst." Garnet smiles at him.

"See? I told you!" Nora hugs Steven tightly, causing his eyes to shine in more joyfulness. "I knew you could do it."

Steven breaks the hug to face her.

"I'll always believe in you."

Chapter Text

"What? Why not?"

"Steven, I told you I can't hang out today. I have tennis practice and then mom wants to go out for a family dinner, but she said I could hang out all day tomorrow, and I can come over all the time now that it's summer vacation."

Steven flops off the couch he is sitting on. "That's great! I don't have these vacations, but I know they'll be so much fun!"

"Wait, you don't? But why doesn't your school have it?"

"Oh, I've never been to school before, so I never really had these 'vacations', you know?"

"So, you're homeschooled?"

"Yeah, actually I was supposed to be doing my homework right now," He offers a nervous smile to Pearl, who's waiting for him to go back and finish his activities. "But yeah, I still study at home."

"Oh, sorry! I didn't-"

"No, no, it's okay! It's just, can you call me back later?"

"Of course! I need to go to my tennis practice anyway and my mom- well, she doesn't want us to be late. I'll call you after dinner."

"Okay, bye!"

"Bye!"

Ending the call, Steven quickly gives his phone to Pearl. "Sorry Pearl."

"It's alright Steven, just remember to warn Connie about your classes so she won't call during these again." She gently warns, putting his phone on the counter.

Steven nods, going back to his place on Nora's side who sat on the floor while wrote her essay on the wooden table. "Are you finishing already?" 

"Almost." She spies Steven's notebook, seeing he wrote only half the paper, mentally praising his calligraphy.

"Aww, I'm still in the middle," Steven whines, grabbing the pencil he left on the couch. "You're too fast."

Nora chuckles and looks at her own notebook, then at her brother's again. "Hm, I can wait for you."

Steven takes the cue to start writing almost immediately, new ideas being translated into words, one after another. Eventually he got close to finishing his text and Nora started to end hers too.

Since they were writing about the Earth's environment, Nora thought about a question she remembered a few days ago. "Steven?"

"Hm?"

"What do you think space looks like?" She asks. "You know, where the gems came from."

"Hmm," Steven places a hand on his chin. "I have no idea, maybe it's like on the movies with a bunch of weird things- Oh, you should ask Pearl!"

"No, you ask Pearl," Nora whispers, not wanting to draw the gem's attention to herself. "Ask her about it, but don't tell her it was me who asked it first."

"Alright. Pearl!" Steven raises his hand. "Someone that wasn't Nora asked me to ask you about space!"

Nora face-palms and covers half of her face. A sinister glare is sent to Steven, who replies with a mischievous grin. That little shit did it on purpose.

Pearl suppresses a small laugh. "Oh well, what do you want to know?"

Steven nudges Nora. "Um, do you know what it looks like?"

The gem nods, standing up. "I do, I have been there," She can't help the big smile plastered on her face when hearing surprised gasps and excited questions. "It's really incredible, there's a lot of planets all over the universe, each one having its own beauty and unique landscapes."

"That's sound so awesome, I wish we could go."

"Me too," Melancholy is expressed in her eyes, focused on her own hands. "If these War Pads still worked…"

"What do you mean?" Steven asks.

"There's a place called Galaxy Warp where it has a few Warp Pads we used to travel off-planet. They were our connection to the Gem Homeworld and to Gem-controlled planets all over the universe, but the Galaxy Warp have all been inactive for thousands of years." She explains.

"We can't activate them anymore?" Nora questions.

"Unfortunately no," Pearl says. "But It's fine, I'll always have my memories of other worlds." She walks towards them to grab their papers. "It's really incredible out there, though. I wish you two could see it."

"I wish I could see what it looks like." Nora tells Steven.

Suddenly, an idea pops in Pearl's mind. "I think I can show you," She puts the papers aside and positions herself, her gem beginning to glow, summoning a mirror from it. "This is a Gem-powered mirror we found at the Galaxy Warp. It can capture and display any event it's witnessed in all of Gem history," She explains. "It'll offer you everything you've ever wanted to know about your fellow gems and our culture."

"It must be really important to Gem culture." Nora comments, observing the given object.

"It surely is," Pearl clears her throat. "Show us the Galaxy Warp," However, the mirror does nothing. "Show us the Galaxy Warp." Another try, with no response. "Oh, come on! I know you've seen it!"

She grabs the mirror and examines its front and back, realizing what must be wrong. "It is in pretty rough shape. It must finally be broken, what a shame."

Steven admires himself in the mirror. "Doesn't seem broken to me!"

Pearl chuckles. "Now that you two finished your homework I can bring you these that I'm sure you will like." She opens the fridge and grabs two bowls of ice cream poured into it.

The twins gasp and smile widely. Nora is given the pink bowl with a yellow butterfly drawing, containing the vanilla ice cream with strawberry topping, while Steven receives the dark chocolate with caramel in the salmon bowl with a yellow star drawing.

"Thanks Pearl!" They say in union, earning a smile from the gem.

While she goes to sit down in the kitchen and check their answers, the twins stay on the couch and savor their dessert.

"It's so good!" Nora hums, getting a bit of ice cream on the corner of her mouth. "I hope dad doesn't find out."

"Yeheah, remember what he said about too much sugar?" Steven licks the spoon. "But it's just a little bit right?"

"Yep!"

They chatted for a few minutes until they finished their ice cream, putting their bowl on the sink. "Want to hang out for a bit?" Steven invites.

"For sure!" Nora agrees, ready to leave the house until she spots the mirror she left on the couch. "Pearl, can we keep the mirror? Only for today? Please!"

"Please, pretty please!" They held their hands together, using their best cute pleading eyes. Now Pearl understand when Garnet says she can't say no to them.

"Yes, just be careful with it." She grabs their papers and organizes them perfectly together, walking towards the counter to sit down and continue to examine their homework.

"Uhuuu! Let's go!" Steven takes his sister's hands and runs out of the house.

─ ·★· ─

"Happy Summer Vacation!" Steven excitedly jumps as they run on the beach. "Oh my gosh, now that Connie and Peedee's school is out we can finally hang out again, all of us together!"

"Yeah, it'll be awesome."

"I have so many plans! We can have a picnic, make a beach party and- Oh, we can make a jam session!" 

"Steven, look out!"

Not looking where he is going, Steven bumps into Lars and Sadie, knocking over one of the tables they were setting up outside the Big Donut.

"Ugh, watch where you're going, you little-" Sadie's glare makes Lars engulf his upcoming words. "Ssssteven!"

"Sorry! We're just so excited for summer. Are you excited for summer? I'm so excited for summer!"

Sadie chuckles. "I think I'm as excited as I can get about setting up extra seating for the summer rush," Nora helps Sadie to put back the fallen table. "But Lars has big plans."

"You bet I do! All those out-of-town summer babes traveling away from home without their boyfriends, if you know what I mean." He jitters his eyebrows.

Both twins just stare at him, completely oblivious. "Nope."

"Maybe I'll get a few numbers. Maybe I'll even... call one."

"Ha! Well, yeah, maybe I'll meet some new friends."

"That's a great idea!" Steven cheers. "A special new friend to have fun on the beach with in the summer. Maybe if we keep using the mirror to guide us, we'll walk backwards into our own beach-summer-fun buddy!"

Nora and Steven waves goodbye at them while holding the mirror out and continues with their walk. 

The twins run and laugh, imitating a few dance moves on the boardwalk until the mirror repeats Lars' phrase. "Watch where you're going, you little!"

They look at the mirror's reflection of Mayor Dewey's Van chanting "May-or Dew-ey" driving towards him. "Nooo!" Steven screams in fear and the van halts in front of them.

The mayor leans out of the van and speaks into a megaphone. "Car wash kids, what are you doing?!"

"What are you doing?" Nora retorts. "Why were you driving down the boardwalk instead of walking like a normal person?"

Mayor Dewey scoffs. "I'm the mayor, I'm not going to walk anywhere! Now go get run over somewhere else, I'm late for a speech." The van maneuvers around and begins to drive off again.

Nora crosses her arms. "Rude."

Steven looks at the mirror. "What just happened?"

It projects Nora's words. "Rude."

The twins gasp in surprise. "You work!" Nora exclaims. 

"This is so cool! What's it like being a mirror?"

"You work!"

"I think it can only repeat stuff," The youngest looks at it. "Right?"

"Yeah!"

They walk on the boardwalk until they see the Mayor Dewey giving a speech on the beach. "Hello, Beach City, my friends! It's great to be here to celebrate the coming season. A warm summer breeze wafts through the air."

Steven giggles to himself, handling the mirror to Nora, positioning it in her hands. "Steven, I know that face. What are you going to do?"

"Just look." Steven glances at the mayor and the crowd to make sure he isn't seen. He inhales deeply and makes fart noises, waiting for the mirror to repeat it.

"We all look forward to the sounds of the summer season…"

"PBHT!"

"...the smells of the busy boardwalk…"

"PBHT!"

"...the hot, wet ocean wind…"

"PBHT!"

"...the time to take that pressure that's built up all year and just let it out."

"PBHT!"

The crowd, who was snickering at first, now laughs aloud, disconcerting the mayor who looks at them trying to understand what just happened. Both kids leave their spot and walk away to entertain themselves with anything else.

Time passes by and the siblings stay at the beach, still playing with the mirror. "Wow, you picked that up fast, huh?" 

"PBHT!"

They laugh. "You got a lot of mileage out of that joke." Steven comments.

"You're pretty funny for a mirror." Nora says.

"You're pretty funny for a mirror."

She chuckles. "But I'm not a mirror."

"You're pretty funny for a mi- Nora!"

Both gasp. "You made something new!" Steven smiles widely. "Say something else!"

"Nora — Ssssteven! — Are — New friends."

"Ownt, thank you." Nora smiles softly.

"Really? You're our friend too!" Her brother says. "We gotta tell the gems!" They stand up, but both are taken by surprise when the mirror repeats Steven's scream. "Don't be shy, they'll love you."

"Nooooo!"

He chuckles. "Don't worry, they're a good audience."

They enter the house where they're greeted by the trio on the living room; Garnet and Amethyst chilling on the couch while Pearl exercises with her spear.

Steven barely let Amethyst say hello, blurting out the news. "We fixed the mirror!"

"Excellent work!" Pearl praises, lowering her weapon.

"You didn't tell us it's like a person."

In an instant, Pearl's smiles disappear and a worried glance is plastered across the other two's faces. "Wait, what?"

Nora is about to add information, but stops when she notices their reaction. Why aren't they happy with it? They fixed it and it talks now, shouldn't it be doing that?

"Yeah, it's like it's talking to us! Say 'hey'." Steven shows them the mirror, but it stays silent. "Lil' buddy?" He tries again, but the awkward silence remains. "Uh... excuse us." He turns around. "Come on. You want to come out, don't you? You have so much to say and funny noises to share from across the ages. Are we not beach-summer-fun buddies?"

A few moments of nothing it's replaced by the mirror repeating the same fart noises that apparently it's its favorite, causing the twins to laugh. "You just couldn't help yourself, right?" Nora can't help but laugh along Steven.

"Just — for — you — Nora — Ssssteven!"

"It's talking to them? It shouldn't be able to do that. I-It should just be following orders…" Pearl takes a few steps back, her eyes going wide while she covers her mouth in shock.

"Garnet, do something." Amethyst is not less worried.

"Listen, you two," Their leader walks towards them, somewhat relieved when the object stops replaying laughter and shows a scream instead at her approach It knows what it's doing, it knows it should fear her. "You should just give us back the mirror. It will be safer where we can watch it."

"Yeah, let's bubble it!" Amethyst can be heard behind her.

"Nooooo!" The mirror keeps echoing it repeatedly at the gem's threat.

Steven looks at the mirror, asking himself why it was in so much distress and why the gems were so worried when it didn't do anything.

"Steven!" Garnet grasps his attention with her firm tone. "Don't make me have to take it from you."

The young boy gasps and retreats, almost reaching the wall. "It doesn't want to go with you. Don't you hear it screaming?"

"Steven, it's just a mirror, a tool. It can't want anything." Garnet tries again, now reaching for the mirror.

"Steven, just give it to her!" Nora pleas her brother, not wanting to upset Garnet even more. If she said it's better in their hands, then so be it. They clearly know way much than them and also, she really doesn't want to disobey Garnet.

The object keeps echoing the same yelling over and over again, drawing Steven's anxiety even more further. Watching Garnet's hand getting closer and the mirror displaying the same scene, shows he needs to choose right now!

He needs to choose if he keeps the mirror or gives it to Garnet.

The mirror or Garnet.

"It wants to be with ME!" Steven slaps Garnet's hand away, which accidentally hits her in the face and knocks her visor off.

He chooses the mirror.

Amethyst gasps in extreme surprise, and Garnet opens her eyes, each one glaring in anger. Nora backs off, afraid of what would succeed. Just like Steven is now. Noticing what he had done, his instinct leads him to run out of the house. "Ah! I'm sorry!"

Garnet raises to her full height, slowly putting her visor back on and clenches her fists. "That little boy is in big trouble."

Seeing Garnet and Amethyst going after him puts Pearl's motherly side in action. "Garnet, wait! I'm sure he didn't understand what he was doing!"

Nora, unlike them, stays in the house, just wishing her brother would listen to Garnet and return the mirror. She lets out a big breath she didn't notice she held and sits down.

Why on Earth did her brother disobey Garnet!? Why couldn't he just give her the mirror and end the whole situation?

She goes to the kitchen and takes a glass of water to calm her nerves. Nora walks to the balcony and looks at the beach, no sign of any of the gems or her brother. She starts to worry. "They must be talking, they'll come back soon." Nora says to herself, deciding to stay there.

While she observes the place surrounding her house, the water starts moving a little weirdly, but she brushes it off, thinking it was just her imagination until she hears a loud thud followed by a yell.

"Steven, run!"

It was Pearl's voice! Her brother was in danger! 

Nora immediately rushes downstairs and runs towards the left side of the house, where the rocks blocked her view of what was happening. She only manages to show up when a big wave of water crashed onto the gems, a small shadow of someone blurred inside the ocean.

"Steven!" His sister embraces him tightly, not caring about the uncomfortable sensation of touching his drenched clothes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," He reassures, watching the gems rushing to his side. "So... that was another gem?"

"Yes." Pearl sighs.

The Crystal Gems gaze out to the ocean for a brief moment, before bringing them home again.

─ ·★· ─

Nora finds herself sitting near the window, watching her dad and the gems discuss the previous event which occurred earlier on that evening.

"I'm grounded?" Steven asks, slightly hesitant to look at his dad who is right in front of him and the trio right behind.

"Yes son, I'm sorry," Greg slouches his shoulders. "Remember when you and your sister came to live with the gems?" Steven briefly glances at her. "What was one of the rules we talked about?"

"That we should listen to them like we listen to you?"

"Did you do that?"

Steven ashamedly shakes his head. "No," Eyes still focused on the floor. "But dad, I just wanted to help!"

"I know buddy. I know your intentions were good, but even when we try to do good things we still can make mistakes due to them and we need to face the consequences." Greg gently pats his shoulder. "And your consequence is being grounded. No TV and video games for a week."

Steven can't suppress the defeated sigh from leaving his mouth. He just nod in understanding and listen to Pearl explaining that there's a lot of things about gems he doesn't know and that's why he should listen to them.

─ ·★· ─

The night went gloomier than usual. Steven was pretty much upset about his punishment, but there wasn't much he could do. They spend their time drawing and talking with Connie when she called after dinner, and explained why it was better for her to visit them another day.

Now, the twins are already in bed ready to fall asleep. Nora had the impression the pillow and blanket were softer than ever, making it easier to take her to dreamland. Her eyelids feel heavier, blinking less and very slowly. She is about to close her eyes completely-

"Nora?"

Her eyes open wide again.

"You awake?"

Nora turns around and sees a pair of eyes looking at her. "Yeah," She rolls over, now facing her brother. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Steven shifts underneath the covers.

"You sure?" She insists. "You know you can tell me anything."

Steven's lips curve into a weak smile, disappearing in an instant. "I can't stop thinking about Lapis."

"That gem from the mirror?"

He nods.

"You…" The water suddenly started moving, raising itself until it takes the huge form of an arm out of the ocean. "You three knew I was in there, and you didn't do anything. Did you even wonder who I used to BE!?"

Lapis slammed the water-arm onto the gems, trapping Garnet underneath it and knocking Pearl and Amethyst aside, away from Steven.

"The gems seemed so worried about Lapis, as if they knew what she could do," Steven continues. "Also, she said some things that got me thinking."

"Like what?"

"I'm Lapis Lazuli, and you can't keep me trapped here anymore!" Lapis screamed, a desperate and angry tone shaken in her voice.

Her body was tense, her reflective eyes could lack pupils, however they clearly evidenced deep-rotten resentment.

"She said about being trapped here and the gems knowing she was inside the mirror," Steven adjusts his body, now putting himself in a sitting position. "Do you think they really knew she was in there?"

"I…" Nora thought before replying, but before she answered a specific memory came to her mind.

"It's talking to them? It shouldn't be able to do that. I-It should just be following orders…" Pearl took a few steps back, her eyes going wide while she covers her mouth in shock.

Pearl's phrase kinda implied she knew how the mirror worked, or how it should work, and if so, that means she could've possibly known someone was in there.

Or, she thought otherwise, maybe she thought the mirror worked like a sentient object with gem magic. But it had a gem carved on the back-

No.

No, absolutely not, the gems wouldn't let someone be trapped in purpose. They wouldn't do that... Right?

"I'm not sure." 

Steven hugs himself, eyes focused on nowhere specific. The silence alongside with the beautiful moonlight shining through the window gives the room an even sadder atmosphere, accentuating the hybrid's worried expression.

After a long pause, Nora finally let some words out. "I don't think the gems would trap someone on purpose," She glances at her brother. "It isn't like them."

"I know." That's all Steven managed to say.

It's obvious Steven isn't entirely convinced. Nora can see through his thoughtful gaze that a lot of questions run on his mind, questions that probably aren't going be answered soon.

But Nora doesn't know what to say. She is not skillful with words like he is and she has no idea what to do to make him feel less upset. The only thing she can do is stay with him until he falls asleep.

Chapter Text

The first thing Nora notices when waking up is the weight of something leaning against her body. She blinks the sleepiness away and when looks at her side she sees what that weight was.

It was Steven.

He is sleeping with his left arm under the pillow, body curled up against her and a little trail of drool leaving his mouth. 

Guess I'll stay here for a while, she thinks.

It's unusual for Nora to wake up before him, but she doesn't mind. She even thinks about going back to sleep, closing her eyes and getting ready to rest a little more, but then Steven starts to stir and wake up too.

He stretches himself, letting a big yawn out and staying still for a moment before looking at Nora. “Sis?”

“The one and only.”

“You're awake? Before me?” He rubs his eyes, lifting himself up. “Now that's weird.”

Nora chuckles and takes the covers off her, leaving the bed with Steven. Both walk downstairs where they find Pearl just finishing their breakfast.

“Good morning, Steven! Good morning, Nora!”

“Good morning, Pearl.” 

Two bowls full of yogurt with chocolate cereal and blueberries waited for them with two plates with scrambled egg and smoked salmon filled croissant. Nora and Steven take a seat and glance at the bowl. It looks delicious.

Pearl turns around to clean the dishes. With the faucet on, she washes the first plate while mentally waiting for the twins' reaction. That breakfast was a new recipe she attempted and she's too excited about their review.

“Whoa, Pearl this is amazing!”

“It's awesome!”

I knew it, Pearl smiles to herself, before looking over her shoulder. "Oh, thank you, I'm glad you liked it."

Despite the whole eating thing not sounding any appealing to Pearl, she loved the process of baking. She remembered clearly of her first attempts to cook just a few years before Nora and Steven moved to the Temple.

Since Greg never seemed interested in moving with them, Pearl knew someone needed to be responsible for their primal needs like sleeping, cleaning and eating.

That's when she started to focus on studying human needs.

Eventually she learned how to properly clean their clothes, set a healthy bedtime and the most important: prepare an ideal and tasty meal. It started simple like juice, cereal, scrambled eggs, pancakes and it scaled to what she can do today.

After they finished their breakfast, both went to do their hygiene and prepare themselves for the day. Just when they were about to spend some time outside the front door suddenly opens, revealing a very out of breath Greg.

“Dad?”

“Hey kids,” He pants heavily. “You guys better come check this out.”

Everyone leave the house and on the balcony they already see what the problem is. “The ocean is gone!” Steven exclaims.

All citizens of Beach City are gathered in front of what's left of the ocean, that being a few big pools of water that isn't enough to carry the various boats and ships stranding on the overall deserted ocean floor.

It's pretty early in the morning, so it makes sense why only most adults are present.

"Hey, it's those magical ladies!" Mayor Dewey points at the gems. "What's going on here?!"

"The ocean is gone, obviously." Garnet says flatly.

"That's right. Now it's just a desert and no one wants to take a vacation to... Desert City!” He starts to cry. “We're gonna lose all our summer business and as mayor, I DEMAND you explain this immediate-"

Garnet slaps the megaphone out of his hand. "It was Lapis Lazuli."

"Lapis Lazuli?"

"She's the gem you released from the mirror." Pearl projects a hologram of her.

“But she's a gem, just like us.”

“There's a lot you don't know about gems, Steven.” Something in Pearl's tone makes Steven feel even worse.

─ ·★· ─

All of them go back home, discussing what to do in that situation while Steven starts to pack things in his backpack. "Are you going with them?” Nora asks him.

“I have to,” He finishes his packing by putting a water gun inside, zipping it closed. "I need to fix what I did to our home. I was the one who set Lapis free from the mirror and now it's my fault the ocean's gone. I'm gonna bring the ocean back or get really thirsty trying.”

"Wait up kiddo," Greg places his hand on Steven's shoulder. "I'm coming with you."

"Well, if you're going I'm coming too," Nora places her hand on Steven's other shoulder. "I'm not going to let my brother handle this alone."

Lion then appears from behind, placing his paw on Steven's head, and growls in agreement, which surprises Greg.

Pearl clears throat, bringing their attention. "Clearly, we're coming too."

"You're ungrounded by the way," Garnet adds. "For now."

Amethyst jumps on the kitchen counter. "WHOO-HOO! Road trip!"

The group heads off into the deserted ocean, with the gems riding in Greg's van and the siblings riding on Lion's back, watching from distance a distressed Mayor Dewey crying while spraying water on the sand with a hose.

It was a very long road trip. They left home by morning and by evening they still haven't reached their destination. Throughout the trip they observed the closet they got, more they saw spread water on the floor.

Pearl and Garnet were sure it meant that, despite being powerful, Lapis' cracked gem prevented her from having absolute control over the water. She could manage to steal part of the ocean, but she was probably struggling manipulating it, especially for that long.

Now, the group is still traveling through the deserted ocean, passing even through the abyssal zone. Garnet is now lying on the top of the van while Pearl takes the driver seat, with Greg and Amethyst sleeping and snoring in the back of the van.

The twins are still awake, riding on Lion, and Nora is leaning on Steven's back, with her arms wrapped around him, tiredness slowly kicking in.

"I can't believe Lapis would do this, gems shouldn't fight each other." Steven says, a hint of sadness present in his speech.

"We're always fighting gems, actually." Pearl confesses, wincing at how surprised the siblings react. "Oh, how do I put this?" She sighs, avoiding looking at them trying to think of a good approach. "All Gems aren't necessarily... good."

Amethyst, now awake, suddenly leans forward. "All those monsters we fight used to be just like us! Right, Pearl?"

"Yes, but they've become corrupted and broken. We have to take care of them, subdue them and contain them. It's the best we can do for them for now. If we don't, then…"

She left her speech unconcluded as the group arrive at a giant glowing blue structure standing before them, revealing to be a massive tower made entirely out of water. It's definitely a very tall one, reaching an impressive height, but not enough to pass the Earth atmosphere. 

“This is it. Lapis Lazuli is here.”

“I don't understand. What does she want with the ocean?” Pearl tries to spot Lapis up there.

They all take a look at the tower until a voice echoes in the place. “You shouldn't be here!”

“She sensed us!"

“Lapis Lazuli! It's me, Steven!” He takes a few steps forwards.

The water sloshes from the tower, as Lapis Lazuli's face is formed on its wall. “Go away! Before I make you.”

“But we're beach-summer-fun buddies!”

“You're one of them. One of the Crystal Gems.”

The disgust in Lapis' way of pronouncing angers Amethyst and Pearl who growl angrily. “Easy.” Garnet puts a hand on their shoulders.

“What do you mean? We're all Gems, right? Just let us help you.”

“You don't understand, just leave me alone.” The face disappears into the water tower.

“We're not leaving, Lapis. Not until you give us back our ocean!” Steven starts patting on the wall of the water tower, when an arm extends from it and grabs him by his shirt.

"I said…" A water clone of Steven then emerges from the tower. "LEAVE ME ALONE!” It knocks him away with a water-arm attack.

Nora tries to hold him, but the clone's strength makes both flung away. Garnet catches them in time and puts them down safely.

Water clones of each Crystal Gem then emerge from the water tower too. "Greg, kids, you stay behind us. We'll handle this." Pearl glances at them, in position to prepare herself to fight.

“Sounds good to me.” Greg takes Nora and Steven to hide behind a rock, with Lion following them.

The Gems summon their weapons and their water clones proceed to repeat each movement of them, summoning identical weapons as well.

“Uh-oh.”

"Stand together. Don't let them separate us." Garnet tells the gems, just in time to predict her own clone's attack.

She dodge from the punch, hauling the clone by its neck and punches it in the chest, sending it flying backwards across the ground. Giving it no chance to react, in quick jumps, Garnet lashes an attack but it steps away in time.

The clone jumps towards her and Garnet does the same, both blocking each other's punch. The impact is strong enough to create cracks on the ground beneath their feet. 

Their attacks parry one another, until Garnet finds an opening and punches the clone in the head, splattering it, however the head quickly reforms though, and before she could pull her arm the clone kicks her into a rock.

As Garnet leaps away from the rock, Amethyst uses her whip to grab it and sling the rock at her clone, who effortlessly dodges it. She keeps slinging nearby rocks at the clone, who continuously dodges them by bending out of shape.

“Aw, come on!” She steps her foot in frustration.

The clone grabs Amethyst by her foot with its water whip and flails her away.

“Well, as long as we're playing fair…” The gem suddenly spin-dashes around the clone, spinning the fastest she can to create a swirl around it. The clone tries to knock her away with an water-arm attack, but the wind speed causes the clone's form to distort, keeping it defenseless.

Meanwhile, Pearl spars off with her water clone. She manages to slice it in half, grinning in victory, however her smile fades when the two halves quickly reform into two other clones.

She sighs in annoyance as she summons another spear. “I hate fighting me.”

Lion engages against water-Steven, emitting several magical roars at it, but it effortlessly slitter out of the way every time. The kids yell encouragement words to help him, until their pet is then knocked back by the clone, slamming into Greg's van. “Oh no, not the van!”

“Revenge!”

“Revenge!”

Steven and Nora charge towards water-Steven. The hybrid shoots a water gun while the younger hurls small rocks at the clone. None have success. The clone extends its water arms and entraps Steven's heads in a water bubble, a clear try to drown him.

Nora dodges from its arm and tries to hit the clone with a bigger rock, but it manages to grab her by the back of her shirt, tightening it around her neck.

“Kids!” Greg cries for them, his parental despair taking over his chest at seeing his two children trapped and losing their breath. 

He may not be a magical parent, but he was still their dad. His only weapon at the moment is his van and decides to use it, ramming the water clone over with it, freeing Steven and Nora.

“Is this a normal magical mission for you?” Greg asks, peeking out of the window. “Cause I'm not so sure how comfortable I am with you going on these any-”

His van is blasted upwards and away by the clone underneath, along with Greg inside. The vehicle crashes a distance and the twins rushes towards their dad, who's coughing and groaning in pain.

"Dad! Dad! Are you okay?" Nora helps him, with Steven’s assistance, to crawl out of the van.

"Are you hurt!?"

Greg winces. "Ugh, I think my leg's broken. See, this is why we wear seatbelts, kids."

Something emerges in Steven's chest. Anger, determination, whatever you call it. The boy turns around, glaring at the water clone. “Lapis, I don't want to fight anymore.”

His clone ignores him, creating a water ball and hurling it at Steven.

"I said... I DON'T WANNA FIGHT!"

Steven then successfully summons his shield and blocks the attack. The impact is so strong it causes him to fall backwards and create a massive sound wave, resulting in all water clones to dispel in the reverberation.

The gems watch in awe their clones falling apart until the only thing left is a small pool of water where they used to be. Everyone look at Steven and he watches in fascination his shield slowly dissipate in a bright light surrounded by a pink one.

Nora helps him get up, and he once again walks towards the tower. "Lapis, I'm coming up to see you. So please don't drown me."

"Wait, Steven! I'll go with you.” Nora says, but Steven shakes his head.

"No, you gotta stay with dad, he's hurt," He supports his hands on her shoulders. "I'll handle this, I just need to talk to her."

Nora wants to insist, she is afraid of letting him go and have a face to face conversation alone with that gem. Who knows what she's capable of doing to him up there without any help.

But she knows how stubborn her brother is and also how great diplomatic he can be. “Fine,” She takes his hand from her shoulder and squeezes it. “Just… be careful.”

Steven walks towards the tower and holds his breath, jumping into the water tower. Lapis then makes a water hand inside and lifts him to the top of the tower.

“Guess we'll have to wait.” Amethyst comments, looking up.

“Yes, but we need to be ready,” Garnet warns. “If Steven can't convince her, we need to be prepared to fight.”

“But isn't her gem cracked?" The shorter one asks. "I don't think she can handle it for too long.”

“Her gem may be damaged, but it's stable,” Pearl begins her explanation. “I suppose the mirror stabilized the state of her gem, keeping it from cracking any further, that can explain why she still can talk normally and have access to her own powers, even on a smaller scale.”

“Guys?” They turn to Nora. “Can you help my dad? I think he broke his leg.”

The gems go towards them and Nora steps away, letting Garnet and Pearl take care of it. Greg puts his arms over their shoulder while he stands using his other foot as they also lift him up.

“Let's put him in the van.” The two lead him to his vehicle, putting him to sit down.

“Now we have to pay attention and wait.” Pearl places her hands on her hip.

They wait a few more until a bright blue light illuminates the end of the tower. “Is that Lapis?” She squeezes her eyes, seeing a glimpse of what looks like water wings. “Did he heal her gem?”

“We're about to know.” Garnet says.

They watch a water hand being formed and Steven walking on it, carefully bringing him down on the ground.

“Steven! You're okay!” Nora runs into him, hugging him tightly, causing him to almost fall.

Before he can say anything, the water tower starts to fall apart, alerting all of them. “We need to get out of here!”

An idea pops into Steven's head. “Everyone get inside the van!” The gems look at him in confusion. “I can summon my bubble!”

“Can you handle it, Steven!?” Pearl asks worriedly.

“I-”

“Of course he can!” Nora answers for him, turning him around to face her. “You can do it, bro! I believe in you!”

Steven nods, a determined smile appearing on his face.

With Greg occupying the passenger seat, Pearl takes the other seat while the rest goes for the van’s roof. The tower is already leaking water onto the ground, becoming partially liquid, crumbling its structure. 

“Okay Steven, you got this!” The boy tells himself. He opens his arms and closes his eyes, focusing solemnly on his power.

He thinks about keeping his family safe, getting all of them home, resting, and everything being alright. Steven starts to disconnect from the world, focusing only on himself, putting his attention on the sensation flourishing from his gem, increasing and taking over his body.

Even with his eyes closed, he senses the wave of energy around him and when he decides to take a peek he sees the bubble just closing around them.

He did it.

─ ·★· ─

They arrived in Beach City at night, pretty much late. Almost no one is on the beach, except for the Mayor sitting on the sand with the megaphone still in his hands, but no longer using the hose. It looked like he barely left his place.

When he caught the water coming back, gradually filling its place he immediately got up, joyfulness shining on his eyes. “The ocean is back!”

He rushes towards his van parked at the boardwalk and gets inside it, driving around the citizens’ houses, alerting them of the news. “The ocean is back! I repeat, the ocean is back!”

One by one, the residents come out of their houses to see with their own eyes that summer would be graceful as always. All of them gather in front of the ocean just in time to welcome the Crystal Gems.

When the pink bubble emerges from the water and lands on the sand, Steven finally gives himself a break and dispels it, causing the van to fall apart. Pearl looks at a distressed Greg and nervously chuckles. “Well, what's that thing you always say about the pork chops and hot dogs?”

The citizens all run towards the group cheering and laughing. The Mayor tackles Steven and embraces him, as the citizens cheer him on. Nora takes a few steps behind, giving him space, already knowing he would take the credits, until she is caught off guard when Mr. Fryman tightly embraces her too and the rest of the group also cheers her on.

Amethyst hugs Lion in relief that everything went well and Greg cries in front of his broken van, supported by Yellowtail who hands him a handkerchief to comfort him.

On the other hand, Garnet and Pearl can't bring themselves to fully celebrate. “So, Lapis made it off planet.”

“What does this mean for us?” Pearl asks, looking at her.

“We wait and see.”

The citizens continue cheering, carrying Steven and Nora above them. The boy looks up to the sky and whisper to himself. "See you, Lapis.”

A single distant star in the sky shines brighter than the rest.

“Wherever you are…”

Chapter Text

An empty house is not what Nora expected for today.

Definitely not.

Her dad is currently fixing his van now that Steven healed his leg and the gems hurried to a mission to fix something called “Geode”. Steven went with them while she stayed home because apparently it wasn't safe for her to go.

Now it's just her.

Alone.

Nora couldn't comprehend why it still affected her. This already happened a bunch of times before, then why does it still bother her? Why does it still hurt… so much?

This was just another miserable event joining another that occurred a few weeks ago; Pearl decided to build a ship to be able to visit space and when it was ready she took Steven with her. Only him. 

She was left behind.

Again.

Part of her thought she only did this because she was less willing to disobey Greg's grounding to stay here on Earth, but her emotional side insisted that Pearl did this because she loved him more.

Nora doesn't know how long it'll take for them to come back and honestly she doesn't want to stay to figure it out. She couldn't stay here alone with her thoughts, she just couldn't! Nora needed to talk to someone, craving to have someone to talk about how she felt.

She can't talk to Steven or the gems since it was about them, and she also doesn't want to dump all her problems on Peedee's back now that he started school and had his own things to worry about.

Her dad is great, but not when it comes to gem things. He wouldn't really understand her willingness to prove herself since his priority is to keep her safe, kinda making his opinion biased.

There was only one person left, someone she hadn't seen in a while.

“Lion!” Nora opens the front door and calls him. “Lion!” She tries again, walking downstairs to find him chilling underneath the house. “Hey buddy, what do you think about a walk?”

He just stares at her, uninterested.

“C'mon, it'll be fun! And if you go with me there I'll give you these.” She pulls a few Lion Lickers out of her pocket. Lion immediately widens his eyes and leaves his spot. 

“Let’s be quick so it won't melt.”

─ ·★· ─

Coming out from the pink portal Lion made, they arrive just in front of a familiar cian-painted house with dark burgundy roof. “Stay right here,” Nora dismounts the pet and walks towards the front door, giving it a few knocks.

She waits a few seconds. No response. When she's about to knock again, a blonde woman with short hair wearing her long mint green dress shirt shows up.

“Auntie Vidalia!”

“Nora!” The woman kneels down and hugs her. “Finally paid a visit to your aunt, huh? What brings my princess here to…” Vidalia stops mid sentence when spots Lion behind her.

“Oh, that's Lion. Kinda like my pet, a magical pet.” Nora gives a nervous smile.

“Is this safe?”

“Yeah, actually Lion is pretty chill, he's like a big cat,” Nora pulls a few packs of the ice cream and he immediately chomps on them and shakes them around. “See?”

“If you say so.” She leads her inside, closing the door behind them.

The house remained the same since last time Nora came here, still having the same comforting smell of ink. “So, what brings my princess here?” 

“Uh, actually I just wanted to talk,” Nora replies. “You’re alone?”

“No, Onion's upstairs taking a nap in his room, but Sour Cream went out with his friends and Yellowtail is at work,” Vidalia walks towards the kitchen where she opens the fridge and fills a glass with strawberry juice. “Did something happen?”

Nora glances at the given glass, tapping her fingers on it. “Yes, I mean, not really.”

Vidalia hums, a little suspicious. She opens a plastic bowl and takes a few pizza toast made for snack and places it on a plate, handing it to Nora who mumbles a shy ‘thank you’.

“So, wanna tell me what's wrong?” She positions her arm on the table, leaning her face against her hand. Vidalia has such a motherly aura surrounding her that makes Nora feel so safe, it's almost disconcerting.

The young girl sucks a breath in. “Nothing much, it's just… I've been so frustrated.”

“With what?”

“I don't know if dad told you, but for the past few months Steven's powers finally appeared and he’s starting to control it more.”

Vidalia smiles. “Yes, Greg told me and I'm very happy for your brother.”

“Yeah…” However, Nora doesn't seem too happy about it. “And I- Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for him too, for real, but I feel so frustrated because I don't have any,” She confesses. “I can't do anything amazing while he's always helping everyone.”

“Wait, Steven. Don't you have healing powers now?” Amethyst recalled.

Pearl smiled nervously. “Oh, right, yes! You fix Greg, I'll fix the van,” She left to grab a few more tools. “Nobody has to live with us.” Frowning, the gem mumbled under breath.

Steven gasped. “Yeah! Here goes something new and exciting,” He licked his hand. “And... go!” He patted his saliva-covered hand on Greg's broken leg. “Okay, you should be better now.”

“Okay, if you say so,” Greg tried to stand up. His eyes widened in surprise to see he managed to do so. He looked at his leg, feeling like it was back to normal, actually even better. “It worked!”

“Good job, Steve-O!”

“And today the gems took him on a mission. I guess that can count as his first official mission since the gems asked him to come instead the other way around,” She explains. “He went with them while I had to stay back.”

Steven, Nora and Amethyst were making paper airplanes in the living room. Amethyst threw her paper airplane in the air and it hit Nora on the nose, causing the three to start laughing.

They hear the door opening, revealing to be Pearl, covered in oil from repairing Greg's van. She dropped the toolbox and wiped herself clean up, when Garnet appeared as well. “You're back. The Geode is cracked, we must leave immediately.”

“What!?”

“Oh no!”

Pearl was quick to throw the cloth away while Amethyst jumped from the couch, rushing towards the Warp Pad.

“You too, Steven.”

Steven stood up excitedly. “Yeah!”

When Nora tried to join them, Garnet stopped her. “It's better if you stay here, the Geode is a very powerful object and at the moment is very unstable. It'll be safer for you to stay.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I get it that they took him with them to fix it, but if it was really that dangerous then why weren't they worried about him coming too!?” Nora throws her hands. “They don't mind Steven coming with them, but when it comes to me it's always the same ‘it's too dangerous, you need to stay to be safe’!”

Vidalia listens carefully, observing the irritation radiating.

“I know I don't have a gem, I know I don't have powers, but they don't need to rub it in my face.”

“Oh Nora, they're not rubbing it in your face.”

“It feels like it!” The sharpness in Nora's voice nearly startles her aunt. “It sounds like a bunch of excuses, I bet if I had powers too they wouldn't-” Nora pauses, giving a humorless laugh. “Who am I kidding, of course it wouldn't change anything, I even have one and they still-”

“Wait, what do you mean that you have one?”

Nora sighs. “I kinda have powers too, to grow plants while I dream, it's useless.” The younger Universe is so caught up in her own thoughts she doesn't even notice the distress on the woman's face.

“Oh, r-really?” Vidalia coughs, trying to cover up her nervousness. It couldn't be, then Pearl was right after all? I hope they didn't mention- No, of course they wouldn't do it.

“Yeah…” Nora replies without looking. “Maybe after all it was never about having a gem, maybe it was never about having powers or not,” Her voice starts to lose volume. “Maybe it was about me being faulty.”

“You're not faulty!”

Nora doesn't answer. She wraps her arms around herself and remains silent, clenching her jaw and taking long deep breaths. Vidalia can see how badly she wants to cry, the light from the kitchen’s lamp reflects on Nora's glossy eyes, revealing big tears that are about to fall.

“I just wanted to help,” The way her voice breaks makes Vidalia’s heart wrench. “I just wanted to be useful, but instead it f-feels like I'm a…” Her lips start to tremble and she pauses again, trying for a last time to hold herself. “Burden.”

Once one sob is out, there's no stopping. She starts to cry, hiding her face in her crossed arms on the table. “No, no, no, shhhh,” Vidalia scoot her chair closer to hers and soothes her by rubbing her back. “That’s not true, you hear me? You are not a burden!”

She leads Nora to her own arms, welcoming her in a lovely way, letting her cry all the tears she had been holding all those time. “It's okay, I'm right here, I'm right here,” Vidalia whispers, caressing her hair. “Feeling better?” She asks when her cries ceases, only a few whimpers left.

Nora nods, shoulders shaking a little.

“Now I want you to listen to me,” She breaks the hug, cupping her niece's face in her hands. “You are not a burden, okay? Never ever think about that again. Don't think about ‘I need to be useful, I need to do this and that', everyone helps in their own way and even if they can't help someone in a specific situation it doesn't mean they're useless.” 

Nora continues to listen.

“You have so many things to be proud of Nora,” She runs her fingers on the youngest's dark locks. “You’re so intelligent, you write poetry, you write songs, you sing amazingly, you have excellent grades, you can do embroidery and sewing so well.”

Tears want to renew again, but this time for a good reason.

“Don’t let these bad thoughts take the best of you, you have so many qualities and so much more to explore,” Her aunt's words sound so heartwarming. “You will help them when it's time and in your own way. Actually, did you know that a long time ago humans used to help gems during fights?”

“Really!? But how?”

“Well, they may not have had gem or magical powers, but they had their own intelligence,” Vidalia clarifies. “They created a lot of weapon, but mostly strategies, using their acknowledgment of Earth to be in advantage against the gems who didn't know how our place works.”

“What I mean by telling you this is that everyone can help in their own way. You have a lot of qualities, use them in your favor,” Vidalia embraces her one more time. “And please, don't think so low of yourself. You're an amazing girl who has so much more to offer the world. Promise me to call whenever you feel upset like this?”

Nora gives her a weak smile. “Promise. Thanks for the talk, it really helped me.”

“Glad I could help,” Vidalia pushes the plate. “Now eat, because I know you're probably hungry.”

─ ·★· ─

The next day Nora was feeling better, but not as much as she thought it would. Well, yes, talking to someone and being honest with her feelings definitely helped her. She did feel lighter once that burden was free, but her insecurities insisted in haunting her mind.

They obviously doesn't need you

Why would they want someone useless like you around?

Steven's way better than you and you know it

You don't belong in this family

No one loves you

You'll never make them proud

You're not a real Crystal Gem

"Not now please." Nora mutters to herself. She didn't want to cry again, it was hard enough to let herself be vulnerable in front of her aunt, she can't do this again right here, in the Temple.

Steven entered home inviting her to play ‘Steven Tag’, which Nora declined. She said she was just tired and would take a nap, hoping her brother would just leave it. He did.

Although Steven started to notice her unstable mood; One day she would be happy and the other would be sad or tired “out of the blue”. He knew something was up, but also knew that if she didn't tell him what bothered her, it was probably because she probably didn't want to talk about it.

He doesn't want to make her uncomfortable by pushing it until she blurts out her problem, but now he's starting to think he should keep an eye on her.

A few hours later, Nora wakes up from her nap, still on the couch, but with her legs on someone's lap. “Sleepyhead finally woke up.” 

“Amy?” She rubs her eyes, yawning.

“Yep.” The ‘p’ is emphasized with a popping sound.

At that moment, Steven enters the house with a sad expression, slouching himself on the couch between Amethyst and Pearl, browsing Ronaldo's blog on his phone and finding out it has been shut down.

“What's wrong, Steven?” Pearl asks.

“I think I broke Ronaldo's heart.”

“Oh, Steven. Humans just lead short, boring, insignificant lives, so they make up stories to feel like they're a part of something bigger. They want to blame all the world's problems on some single enemy they can fight, instead of a complex network of interrelated forces beyond anyone's control.”

“It's sad, and funny.” Amethyst snicker.

Pearl lands a hand on his shoulder. “Don't feel bad about it, okay? It's not like he was ever going to be right."

Amethyst stretches herself, letting out a dramatic yawn. “Well, I don't know about that guy, but I'm going to chill in my room,” Before she gets up, she pats Nora's ankles. “You owe me a ‘Steven Tag' match.”

“What!?”

“You heard me.” She says before disappearing into her room.

“I need to wash the dishes, call me if any of you need anything.” Pearl walks towards the kitchen, leaving the twins on the couch.

Steven looks at a coin on the table, which has a snake emblem on it, and has an idea. “Sis, can you help me fix Ronaldo?”

“Only if you help me to help Peedee with his homework.” Nora says, reading her friend's message sent a few minutes ago. Why does he always message me when I'm sleeping?

─ ·★· ─

Can't believe I'm doing this, Nora mentally whines while observing hidden behind a wall for any sign of Ronaldo.

Peedee asked her to help him with his homework of history classes, but when Steven came for her to help light up Ronaldo's spirit she couldn't say no. Help him, be useful for once, show that you can handle something on your own, the little voice inside her head told her.

After Steven explained the whole blog thing and everything she needed to know she put the plan in action while her brother went to Peedee's home to help him.

Finally, Ronaldo comes out of the Fry Shop to take out the trash. “Nothing weird lately,” He mumbles. “Everything's... normal.”

Perfect.

Nora leaves her spot and goes towards him, hissing to sound like a snake, startling him. “Snake men are real, and we're puppeting the gov’ment!”

When she thought he would only get super excited about it he starts laughing hysterically and slowly approaches her. 

Nora steps back, a bit uneasy about the situation, and before she can react Ronaldo retrieves a potato from his shirt and hits her over the head with it, knocking her out.

─ ·★· ─

Nora slowly wakes up, still in the snake costume, finding herself back in the Lighthouse and chained to a chair. When her vision unblurs, she studies the place, eyes glued on the windows.

It was night already. How long did she stay here? Was someone looking out for her? Did Steven or the gems noticed she is missing?

Ronaldo places a hand-held camcorder in a wooden table in front of her, turning it on, before turning around and facing her.

“Wakey wakey, Mr. Snakey,” He uses a flashlight to examine Nora's eyes. “Wave forms seem typical for a twelfth dimensional being of this size,” Next, he examines the costume's arms. “Arms appear to be vestigial.”

Suddenly they hear steps coming from downstairs. “It must be Peedee,” He goes towards the stairs where he sees his younger brother coming. “Just in time!”

“You're lucky I just finished homework,” Peedee says, 0 enthusiastic. “Is this about the monster people you've been hunting?”

“No, no, not ‘monster’, Peedee, ‘snerson’. It's very scientific!” He corrects. “But still, better safe than sorry.”

“What’s this for?” Peedee asks when Ronaldo hands him a potato.

“For me! In case the amphibianoids turn my body into a host vessel!” Ronaldo moves out the way, letting Peedee get a clear view of the captured person.

“W-What!?” The young boy takes a few steps back, feeling usual fear creep instantly.

“Peedee, you gotta look at the big picture here!” Ronaldo holds him by the shoulders. “Something important is finally happening to me!”

Suddenly, the wall of the Lighthouse suddenly breaks apart, pieces of rocks flying everywhere and the Gems burst in, fully armed. “We know you have our Nora!” Pearl demands angrily, ready to attack, but Garnet holds her back.

“Give her up, curly!” Amethyst growls, owning the same position of the other guardian.

“You snake people. Hiding like cowards in your false humanoid exteriors! Nora’s got nothing to do with this, it's me you want!” Ronaldo reveals a breastplate under his shirt.

The Gems begin to attack Ronaldo while Nora struggles to free herself. Peedee glances at the wiggling costume and when he carefully observes it, he recognizes his friend by her eyes. “Nora?”

She manages to wriggle free from the chair and slips off of the costume. “Peedee!”

“Nora? What the heck!? You've been here this whole time? Me and Steven's been worried about y-” He notices the injury on her head. “What was that?”

“Oh, this? It's nothing, just your brother thinking I'm a threat.”

“Ronaldo did this?” He asks himself incredulous, a peak of anger present on his dangerously slow-toned words.

Rapid footsteps is heard from downstairs, later revealing Steven who jumps between Ronaldo and the gems. “Everybody stop!” He notices his sister from his perimetral view. “Nora! Are you okay? I was so worried when you didn't come back home!"

“I'm okay!” She assures him as he hugs her.

“Nice pants.” Amethyst chuckles.

“Nora, your legs! When did they get to you?”

“Ronaldo, it's not real!” Steven breaks the hug and points at his costume on the ground, highly frustrated. “It was my idea, I just wanted to inspire you to be weird again.”

“No! It- It just isn't that simple! There's got to be more to it than just... you,” Ronaldo rummages through his papers. “Uh... A small piece of the puzzle! Look at this! I think it's gotta be uh, level 8- No, no! Level 8 beings are a worker society incapable of such organiza-”

“GET REAL RONALDO!” Peedee screams at him, rage burning on his gaze. “Can't you see that all this crazy stuff it's just you being paranoid!? Again! None of this crap is real!”

“But-”

“Can't you see how your paranoia affects everyone around you!? Look what you've done!” He points at Nora's, making him notice her injury. “Look at all this!” He gesticulates at the broken wall in the Lighthouse.

“Y-You don't understand. Something's bigger happening to me and I got to figure it out! It's right in front of our faces!" He yells, eyes darting at each person in the room, desperate to be believed in, but instead he only receives pitied gazes.

Ronaldo sounds so hysterical it starts to scare the twins. They go towards the gems, with Pearl placing a protective arm around Nora and Steven's shoulders and Amethyst stepping in front of them, in case the older Fryman tries anything.

Peedee covers his face, tears of frustration starting to show. “Can you stop being selfish for once?” He bit his lips, running his hands through his hair. “You weren't like this,” He sniffles. “You used to be different, you used to be who I always looked up to, but instead… You changed, you changed since…”

“Since what?” Ronaldo's face darkens at the implication. “SINCE WHAT!?”

“SINCE MOM DIED!”

Silence. 

No one dares to say a word. The gems just stand there, not sure what to do in that situation, Nora and Steven on the same page, while the brothers continue to stare at each other.

Peedee has tears on his eyes, his heavy breathing being the only audible sound in the room. His tears mixes with sweat due to stress, mentally preparing himself to anticipate his brother's reaction.

He expected Ronaldo to do a lot of things; Yell back at him, deny what he just said, change the subject and crazily ramble about the stuff he's been studying, but instead he does the only thing Peedee didn't predict;

Nothing.

The older one just stares back at him, face expressing a thin line between emotionless and every single feeling at once. He just bends to quickly grab the papers scattered around the floor in front of him and leaves without a word.

“Ronaldo!” Steven goes after him, but Peedee stops him with a hand on his chest.

“Don't,” He says. “Just let him go.”

─ ·★· ─

The next morning Greg went to the Beach House to check for Nora's injury and see if she needed to be seen by a doctor, which wasn't the case. Pearl took good care of it, treating it correctly and putting a small band-aid on it.

At least she wasn't hit in the same place as in the Sugilite incident.

For the twins, their dad looked quite tired and Greg explained that he spent the whole night awake comforting Mr. Fryman who was stressed out about his older son not coming home.

A few hours later, both men went to search for him in the Lighthouse, only to find it locked. They stayed around the place and when they heard what seemed like Ronaldo's voice echoing in the place they could return home, relieved to know he was still around.

Peedee missed school today and right now the twins are heading to the Big Donuts to buy him some snacks and distract him for the day.

When they reach the store they spot Barb on the outside in front of it inside her car. “Hey kids!"

“Hi Barb!” Both greet in union. “Helping Sadie today?”

“Oh no, today I'm giving a little hand to Lars,” Barb’s usual joyful tone brings a smile to the siblings. “They need to restock a few things, but they have to get those in another distributor and Lars offered to go get it,” She explains. “And since he neither can drive or have a car I'm taking him there, it's quite far though.”

“Oh, that's… really nice,” Nora gives a hesitant smile, unsure to believe it or not. “We need to get going, but it was good to see you!”

“See ya, Barb!” Steven waves at her.

“See ya kids, tell Greg I said ‘hi’!”

“Will do!”

The familiar 'ding dong' welcomes them along the glistening floor, perfectly clean. Just when they were about to praise Sadie for the cleanliness, Lars appears from the storage room.

“I just cleaned the floor and now I'm going to grab the restock, okay?” He warns Sadie as he's heading towards the front door.

“Uh, sure. Thanks.”

Everyone watch him leave until he gets inside the car and both he and Barb are nowhere to be seen anymore. "Whoa, Lars working instead of doing nothing all day? Now that's new.” Nora comments.

“Yeah, definitely new." Sadie mumbles.

The twins look at each other. 

“I thought you would be happy with that.” Steven returns the same concerned look she has.

The employee rests her head on the counter. “I would, if I didn't know why he's doing this.”

“What do you mean?”

Sadie sighs, closing her eyes. “We found out about what happened with Ronaldo yesterday and, um, actually he and Lars used to be friends, like real close friends.”

“What!? Really?”

“Yes, but something happened and they stopped being friends. I think they ended the friendship just a few months before Ronaldo's mom… Well, you know," She pauses. “Lars is only helping me to keep his mind busy, he doesn't like talking about it,” The twins remain quiet, bringing a heavy atmosphere at the store. “So…What will be today?” Sadie tries to lighten up the mood.

“Uh, four croissants, three chocolate donuts, two sodas and an apple juice, please.”

After paying for their orders they leave the shop and follow to find their friend who should be on his way to their house. “I called Connie, she said she'll be here in a few minutes,” Steven says. “I hope we can make him feel a little better.”

Nora glances at their bags. “Me too.”

Chapter Text

Since the “Ronaldo incident” at the Lighthouse, Peedee hasn't been really spending much time home. The atmosphere there was still a bit tense, and a frown never left his father's face.

The Fryman's house was usually a bit noisy since Ronaldo would fill the empty place with his talkative nature, speaking non stop about his discoveries, theories, and etc. But now, the only words heard there were “good morning”, “ready to go?” and “good work”. All lacking the family warmth.

Since his school went on summer vacation and Steven helped him with the last piece of homework, the only place he could use as a refugee, besides the Fry shop, was his friends' house.

For the past few days his schedule has been; Waking up, getting ready to work, staying at the Fry Shop for the morning shift, break for lunch and going to the Beach House.

Steven and Nora were the happiest to spend more time with him, even letting Peedee sleep there as well, now having an excuse to have a slumber party.

Today, Connie is also there and the group are watching 'Under the Knife' on the TV together in the twin's room, Steven and Nora sitting on the floor while Peedee and Connie lay on their stomach on the bed.

“Doctor, it's my son. There was an accident, I-”

“I know what we have to do. Nurse!”

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Prep the patient for emergency surgery. We're gonna go... Under the Knife.”

Connie screams happily in excitement as the commercial break is announced. “This show is so good! Thank you so much for letting me watch it here.”

“Why can't you watch it at home?” Peedee asks.

“My mom says this doesn't represent a real emergency room,” His friend sighs. “She just doesn't understand that it's satire.”

“I'm going to get us more popcorn.” Nora excuses herself from the room, grabbing the empty soda cans and popcorn bags to throw it away.

“I'll come too!” Peedee goes right after her.

In the kitchen, Nora throws the cans and bags on the trash, following to open a few cabinets to find the popcorn.

“Oh, you know that show you like, 'The Fantastical Magical Family', is getting a new season?”

“What!? No way, really!?” Nora smiles widely. “Oh my gosh, I didn't know!”

“Yeah! Dad was watching the news in the morning and it was announced during the commercial break.” Pee Dee opens the fridge and grabs the rest of soda cans.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I can't believe it!” Nora rubs her hands together, jumping in excitement. “It's been a year since the last episode and I thought it was canceled.”

“Me too, but it looks like season 2 it's finally coming up!”

Nora puts the popcorn on the microwave and presses a few buttons. “Did they specify the date?”

“No, it just said it was 'coming soon', but I guess they'll air by November like the first season.”

“You think they'll be explaining how they got their powers?”

“I hope so, I'm still so curious about it.”

“Uh guys,” They turn to Steven and Connie, both having a shocked and worried expression. “We have a problem.”

─ ·★· ─

“Aw, what do you mean, your mom won't let you come over? It's the midseason pre-finale of Under the Knife!” Nora, who is dressing a cake in the kitchen, hears her brother talking to Connie over the phone.

“Steven, my parents are really upset. They say they will not let me see you again until they meet both of your parents in person.”

“But that's impossible!”

“I know, but they want both of our families to go out together for dinner.”

Steven sits in one of the benches. “It sounds so... adult. I wonder if Fish Stew Pizza will take reservations for...“ He counts on fingers. “Nora, Pearl, Garnet, Dad, Amethyst- All nine of us.”

“You can't bring everybody!”

“Why not?”

“Because... I told my parents you have a nuclear family!

Steven exclaims in defensiveness. “Nuclear?! Sure they make stuff blow up sometimes, but that's because they're magic, not radioactive!”

“Steven-” Connie is about to explain, but starts to chuckle when Nora's full belly laughter is heard in the background. “Nuclear means-” She has to pause when the girl's laughter renews, louder this time. “It means two adults and their child and/or children. My parents think you live with your mother and father.”

The boy frowns. “But none of that is true. You never told your mom and dad about the Crystal Gems?”

“No, and it has to stay that way. If they find out I lied to them, they'll never let me hang out with you two again.”

Nora takes Steven’s phone. “But why didn't you say that our mom, well, isn't around and we live with our… Sisters? Aunties? Something like that?”

“I didn't even think about it. I was so afraid they wouldn't let me see you guys just because you have a different family that when they asked I just said yes.”

“It's okay, we'll think of something. You can tell your parents we're going for that dinner.”

“You're sure?”

“Uhum, just give us a few days to prepare ourselves.”

─ ·★· ─

After talking to Greg about the dinner, Steven brought the gems together at the kitchen to decide who they would bring to the event. “How am I supposed to choose just one of you to bring to dinner? You're all so cool!”

“Why does it have to be dinner?” Pearl questions, a little exasperated. “We get all the energy we need from our gems and while our human constructs are capable of eating, I find it very uncomfortable.”

“I love eating! Feels weird.” Amethyst munches on some chips from a bag loudly and grossly, spilling some bits onto Garnet's shoulders, which she brushes off.

“Okay, okay, okay. Let's focus, which of you would make the best and most nuclear mom?” Steven approaches the first one. “Garnet, you keep us safe by scaring off the bad guys, just like a mom would… but you're not the best conversationalist."

He proceeds towards the shorter gem. “Amethyst, you would be a super fun mom!” He watches her still munching on the chips, drooling and begins picking her nose. “Can moms be gross?”

“Why not?” She pulls a strand of mucus out of her nose.

Steven walks past her. “Pearl! You're always worried about us, you teach us lots of stuff, you're approachable, and you're, like, totally not gross,” She cringes in disgust at Amethyst's antics. “But you can't eat.”

The older twin walks away sadly and sits beside Nora who watched the whole scene from the couch. “Why did Connie have to say we have one mother instead of zero... or three?”

“Don’t worry Steven, we'll figure this out together.”

Nora's words suddenly lit an idea on his head. “Why didn't I think of this before? It's so obvious!” He goes in front of the gems. "You can all come to dinner! All three of you, fused into one!”

“What!?”

“Excuse us, guys!” Nora takes Steven outside to the porch. “Steven, are you serious? That's insane! Connie told us she was afraid of what parents might think of us, imagine what they'll think if we show up with a giant fusion.”

“But it'd be like... like we're actually bringing our whole family!” He insists. “It's not fair to only bring one gem when everyone is part of our family too.”

“I know Steven, I don't like this either,” Nora says. “But we can't risk making Connie's parents have a bad impression. If she thinks that's the best way to handle it, then we gotta follow her plan.”

Steven crosses his arms.

“Please, please, let's just bring Pearl. She's the most social and polite,” She pleas. “I’ll think of something about the eating part, just please let's choose her!”

Steven seems to think, a defeated sigh leaving his lips. “Okay.”

─ ·★· ─

“Alright, if you two are going to that dinner, you need to be prepared!” Peedee states, clicking a pen. “Connie's parents settled that so they can meet your family and you know what that means?”

The twins shook their heads.

“They’re gonna ask questions! Questions that you two need to have the answers to.” The blonde boy pulls his notebook and places it on the table, in front of the siblings that are sitting on the floor.

“Sounds like a plan.” Steven says.

Peedee finishes writing a few things on the paper. “So, one of the first things I'm pretty sure they'll ask is about your parents, like how they met.”

“Yeah, about that…” Nora scratches the back of her head.

“We could think of something fun!” Steven suggests. “Like a roller coaster! Dad would be at the Funland trying the ring toss to earn a toy and mom would show up to help him. They would get the toy and would start to get to know each other.”

His sister and friend look at each other.

“So, what do you think?”

“I think you took this from one of these corny movies you like.” Nora teases him, chuckling to herself.

“Hey! They're not 'corny', they're romantic!” Steven defends himself.

The young Fryman laughs. “That's it! It's definitely romantic, it'll be more interesting like this,” He writes the next topic. “Also, they'll probably ask about how you're doing at school, what their jobs are like,” He looks at them. “You guys ready to answer some questions?”

“More than ready!”

─ ·★· ─

“Okay Stevie, now we need to find some clothes for us,” Nora places a big box in front of him. “We need to impress them, so I thought about searching for some of our fancy clothes that we never really got to use.”

Steven tries to open it, but when he puts his hands on it, it comes out full of dust. “Uh, how long have we been keeping those?”

Nora pursues her lips. “Most of our lives?”

They clean the box’s surface, before opening it, seeing an amount of clothes inside plastic bags that have been kept for long years. “I hope it still fits us.”

Each twin starts to pick up every bag it has inside, stopping to take a look at any that gets their interest. For Nora, it's a red skirt with suspenders. “That one is so beautiful, I never got to use it!”

Nora gets up and faces herself in front of a big mirror they got from Amethyst's room. She puts the clothes in front of her body and frowns seeing the skirt barely reach her knees. “Aw, but it's too short.”

On the other hand, a pink vest caught Steven's attention. “I'm definitely using this!” He places it at his side and looks for a shirt to use it underneath. A long sleeved shirt is what he finds.

“Oh no, look,” He shows her a tear on the shirt armhole. “It has a few tears and a button is missing.”

Nora takes it from Steven's hands and studies it, looking at the rest of the shirt to see if there's more. “Hm, can you put this on? So I can see if it tore because the shirt it's too tight or not.”

Steven nods and carefully puts it on, buttoning all the front buttons. “Is it too tight?” Nora asks.

“Nope!”

“Alright, it's only a tear here,” She puts the ripped part together on the armhole. “And here,” She points at a little one at the side. “I think I still have a white thread so I can use it. Don't worry, it's easy work, just need to fix these two tears and sew the button back.”

“Alright!” Steven takes the shirt off.

“Also, you'll be using a vent, right?” He nods. “So, it'll be over the shirt and no one will notice.”

“Yeah, but your sewing it's awesome. I wish I could too, but you know,” He wiggles his fingers. “Too clumsy.”

It's quite funny to think Steven could play a bunch of instruments, something that requires a lot of good coordination, but couldn't sew a button even if his life depended on it.

─ ·★· ─

“Auntie, aren't I a little too old to use a bow?” Nora says in a bashful tone glancing at her reflection, adjusting the pink bow Vidalia just put on her hair.

“Nonsense dear, you're not too old to use anything. Don't worry,” She squeezes Nora's shoulders in a comforting gesture. “Turn around for me,” Nora obeys. Vidalia takes a good look at her clothes; A pink dress, white shirt underneath it with puff sleeves.

She searches for any dirt on it or her Mary Jane shoes. “Okay, you're ready.”

“Steven! Where's Steven?” Vidalia looks at Amethyst who's eating flour out of the bag. The gem points at the bathroom. “Steven, is everything okay? You're ready?” She gently knocks at the door and a muffled confirmation comes out from the other side.

In a few seconds, Steven steps out of the bathroom, wearing his white shirt underneath the pink vest, dark blue jeans and white shoes. “Wow, look at you, Steven! You look great!” 

The boy beams at the compliment.

“Let me just…” The painter kneels and adjusts his little black bow tie. “There, all done!” She motions for Nora to come along, standing aside her brother.

It's adorable seeing them match clothes, just like when they were younger. Gosh, she is getting old, isn't she? Feels like yesterday when she was helping both toddlers getting dressed and now they were thirteen already.

“You two are so cute!” Vidalia coos, squishing their baby faces, earning a heartfelt laughter from Steven and an embarrassed whine from Nora.

“Alright, you two are ready- Pearl! Let me see what you got.” Vidalia turns to greet the gem who came out from her room.

Pearl is wearing a baby blue elegant dress that reached her knees, with translucent details on her shoulders, a yellow belt around her waist, and black ballerina flats. “You look stunning!”

“Thank you Vidalia,” A faint blush covers her pale cheeks. “I'm not used to wearing this kind of clothes, but I think it's fine. Actually it was Steven and Nora who idealized this look.”

“Really?” Vidalia turns to them. “I didn't know we had two stylists in the house.” The twins grin at the praises. “Oh, I almost forgot! I got you this.” 

Pearl takes the gray object in hands. “A purse? But why? I have nothing to put inside.”

“You don't need to, it's just to complement the look.”

“Oh,” The gem glances at the clock. “I think we should be going.”

Vidalia agrees and waves goodbye at them along Amethyst who watches them from the porch.

They leave the house and go towards the van parked right a few meters from it. Greg in the driver's seat while Pearl on the passenger one, and the kids behind with Steven on the left side and Nora on the right one.

Connie's parents set the dinner to be placed at The Crab Shack, a seafood restaurant located on the very outskirts of Beach City, on a less frequented part of the beach, past the Funland.

Being there, they notice they're the first to arrive, which slightly worries Greg. “Did we arrive too soon?”

“No, no, we were punctual,” Pearl says. “From all the years I… studied humanity, arriving a few minutes before is a clear sign of responsibility, giving a very good impression.”

Steven pulls his phone from his pocket. “Well, they'll be here in just a few minutes.”

Nora used this free time they had to make sure they remembered everything from the “script” Peedee wrote, reinforcing some points of their story.

Just like Steven predicted, the Maheswarans arrived a few minutes later. When the family appeared in their eyesight Greg waved at them and rose from his seat to greet them, the rest following him.

The only thing he didn't expect is that Connie's mother to be someone familiar. “Doctor Maheswaran?”

“Mr. Universe? Nora? What a surprise.”

“You know each other?” Steven asks.

“She's the doctor that attended your sister after the tower incident,” Greg tells him, before shaking her hands. “It's nice to see you again.”

“I say the same, I'm glad Nora recovered well, quickly I assume.” Priyanka sends a small smile at the girl.

“I'm Greg Universe,” He greets Mr. Maheswaran. “And this is my… wife… Pearl.” 

The gem offers a nervous smile and tries to brush off what he just called her. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.”

Everyone sat at the table. The Maheswarans, Connie, Priyanka and Doug, at the left side and the Universes, Greg, Pearl, Nora and Steven, at the right. 

While they wait for the food, Priyanka decides to start the conversation. “So, tell me, how did you two meet?”

“On a roller coaster!” Both say in union. They stare at each other and burst into laughter, finding amusing their own nervousness.

Nora and Steven glances at each other, surprised that Pearl is handling it well.

“Uh, well, we, um- It's a funny story,” Greg chuckles nervously, glancing sideways at Pearl who's just uncomfortable as he is. “I was at the Funland to spend some time when I tried one of the ring tosses to earn a toy, but I was really bad at it. I was about to give up when Pearl showed up and won for me, on her first try.”

“Yes, I saw how much he was struggling and, well, I just wanted to be helpful. That's when we started, uh, a conversation and we had so much in… common. “Pearl forces a smile. “It was… Lovely. A very special moment.” At least they sounded convinced. “But what about you two? I'm sure you share an interesting story!”

Connie's parents look at each other and a silly smile appears on their faces. “We sure do.” Doug says.

“To start, I'm a doctor and I used to work in Empire City. There were some security guards to guard the hospital and Doug was part of the team that took care of my sector.” Priyanka begins.

Connie can't help but smile at seeing the loving gaze plastered

“I used to be very… Private, until he offered me a coffee during my break and started a conversation. Since then we would always talk during our breaks and we got to know more about each other.”

Doug gently places a hand above hers.

Greg smiles at hearing their story. It reminds him of when he met Rose, the first time he laid his eyes on that pink curly hair, the sweet gaze of hers and the gentleness she offered him.

“So, what is it that you two do for a living, Mr. and Mrs. Universe?” They progress the conversation.

“Well, you see, I own a local car wash, and my dear… wife here-”

“I spent most of my life taking care of protecting the Earth and humanity,” Pearl begins, forgetting for a moment about the script. “Fighting against all evil and containing everything that can harm any kind of innocent lives.”

“Just a fancy way to say that she protects people too!” Nora quickly adds. “Like a… Guard! A security guard!”

“Oh, just like me then,” Doug gently smiles. “I’m also a security guard, a private one. Actually that's why we used to move a lot, but we finally decided to settle in Wilmingmore.” He doesn't miss the small smile on his daughter’s face.

He knew how much moving from city to city affected Connie and that's why he and Priyanka did some adjustments so they could finally stay in a definitive place.

“We used to move a lot, and I had to travel a few times from other countries before I met my wife.”

“Oh, that's wonderful, I also used to travel. I visited all places around the Earth and all kinds of places you can imagine.”

“Whoa, that's… Impressive.” Priyanka had a hard time believing, but no other option was left when Pearl started answering Doug's questions regarding Asian and African places, since traveling is a topic that always brought his attention.

Nora notices they are nearly finishing their food while Pearl's plate remains intact, she squeezes Steven's hand under the table, so he could put the distraction plan in action.

“OH MY GOSH!” Steven suddenly exclaims, slightly hitting the table. “I-I JUST SAW A SHOOTING STAR!”

“Where?” Greg joins him to look at the sky, causing the others to turn around together. That's the cue Nora needed to throw the food from Pearl's plate inside her bag.

Pearl is quick to grab a fork and pretends she is chewing. When everybody turns around, she fakes a gulp to speak again. “Ah, what a shame, I think I missed it.”

As time pass they manage to hold on pretty well, just needing to put more "distraction" a few more times as more food was served, which Connie wasn't the happiest about it.

“Uh, excuse me. I need to go to the restroom,” Nora rose from her seat. “Connie, could you go with me? I don't know where it is.”

“Of course.”

They enter the place and walk towards the small hall, right in front the two wooden doors, where they decide to talk.

“What was that?” Connie is the first one to speak. “The star thing, then the fork. Why are you all doing this?”

Nora bites the inside of her cheek, annoyance creeping into her at the tone in Connie's voice as if they had no good reason to do that. "Because we had to improvise."

"What do you mean?"

“Pearl doesn't eat, she finds it gross, but she was the only one we could bring here,” She begins to explain. “Garnet is not really sociable and Amethyst is not really the 'responsible type'. Pearl was our only best choice. We just had to help her somehow.”

“I don't know,” Connie mumbles. “I'm pretty sure my parents are starting to find it weird. I just hope they like them.”

Nora inhales deeply. “Well, I'm sorry if my family isn't good enough for yours, we’re trying our best.” 

“No Nora, I didn't meant it-”

“You know what, forget it! Let's just get this over with.” Nora walks past Connie, not caring to see if she's following or not.

Both girls come back and everyone there notices the tension between the two. Greg sees the frown on his daughter's face while Priyanka glaces at the guilty one plastered on Connie's.

The dinner went on with the adults still talking about life, work and other stuff that the younger ones definitely found boring until, to finish it, Doug raised his glass to propose a toast.

The adults had wine in their glasses while the kids had juice. As Priyanka also raises her glass, everybody joins her, then after a short cheer, they drink. Well, almost everyone.

Pearl just stares at the glass and looks at each person there. She tries not to grimace as she brings the glass closer and closer to her mouth.

It touches her lips, but just when the liquid nearly does the same she just loses it.

“I CAN'T DO THIS!” Pearl leaves the glass fall carelessly on the table, causing it to spill the drink. Everyone stares shocked. “I'm sorry,” She looks at the twins. “But this is too much for me.”

At the excruciating quietness, the younger twin makes her decision. "It's better if we tell the truth,” She raises from her seat. “She's not our mom,” Her eyes peek between Pearl and Priyanka’s. “Our real mother, well, she's not around anymore.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry.”

“We didn't tell you because we were so afraid that the fact we don't have a normal family wouldn't make you like us that we thought the best way to go was to pretend we did.”

“Is this true, Connie?” Priyanka turns to her daughter.

“Yes,” She sighs. “When you asked me if they had a nuclear family I lied because I thought if I said no you wouldn't let me see them again.”

“And you told them to pretend they had?”

“Yes.”

Priyanka closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, making a steeple of her fingers. “Connie, when I asked you about it I just did because that's what people usually expect from someone else, but it doesn't mean that if you told me truth I wouldn't allow you to see your friends.”

Connie lifts her chin, eyes widened in surprise.

“The only reason I asked about it was because I wanted to know their family structure, and see if they were good influence to you,” The doctor unleashes the tension on her shoulders. “You never needed to lie to us, Connie.”

A bittersweet smile appears on Greg's face, happy for the way Connie's mom handles it. He knew this kind of thing would be unacceptable on his house.

“But now, I think it would be better if we got to know your family,” Doug says to him. “Your real family.”

“I, uh… Like my daughter said, their mother isn't around anymore, she passed away when they were born,” The sympathetic gaze from the couple didn't go unnoticed. “Since then, I was the one who raised them.”

“I rented a house nearby where they grew up, a friend of mine who also was a single parent used to babysit them when I went to work. We kinda helped each other.” 

“When they were five we started building a new house for them, a better one,” Pearl continues. “I am part of the Crystal Gems, a group of gems who swore to protect the Earth from any kind of threat. We have a Temple and we build their house there where they could be close to us, so we could watch them and teach them about it.” 

“So, their mother was also a ‘Crystal Gem’?” Priyanka asks, not sure if she was following them.

“Yes, and Steven inherited his mother's gem and her abilities as well,” Pearl answers. “We needed him to be close so we could teach him how to activate and control it, in case he needs it.”

“What do you mean with ‘need it’?” Doug asks, suspicious.

“There's many things that are still a threat on Earth that need to be contained and Steven may need to learn to protect himself from these,” She carefully explains. “Me and the gems go on missions to fight these things, but obviously since Steven is still unprepared he's not allowed to join us on fights.”

While they talk, Nora stays there in silent, observing little details on the situation; Like how Pearl said “may need” instead of “will need” since at this point they're sure Steven has to protect himself from other gems; How Connie's parents doesn't ask what gems are, but she suspects that since gems have been around Earth for a very long time ago they probably have heard about them somewhere.

And now she stares at Priyanka who asks her dad if he doesn't get uncomfortable at having his kids not living with him.

“They spent most of the time living a normal life. Living in a normal house, having bedtime, doing homework,” His eyes glisten in pride when looking at his kids. “Now they gotta figure out the other half of their family and about themselves.”

“I understand,” They all wait for the doctor's verdict. “It's a very… unique situation that I surely wasn't expecting, but from what I heard today you are responsible parents, uh, caregivers? Guardians.”

“Does that mean I can still see Steven and Nora?” Connie timidly asks from her seat.

Her parents look at each other. “Yes.”

The kids' cheering definitely brought a smile on the adults’ faces. After that, the twins took advantage of the little time they had before Greg and Pearl finished their talk with Connie's parents to chat with their friend.

“So, I guess we could say the dinner went well?” Steven says.

Connie giggles. “I think so,” Her eyes focus on Nora. “I'm sorry if I ever made it look like your family wasn't good enough, I really didn't mean to come out that way.”

“And I'm sorry for being so harsh on you, it wasn't your fault and you were just trying to protect our friendship,” Nora fidgets at the hem of her dress. “I hope we can still be friends.”

“Of course we can!” Connie hugs her. Nora definitely didn't expect that and both didn't expect Steven to join them. 

“Group hug!” Steven holds both girls closer, making them laugh.

From his place, as a parent, it was relieving for Greg to see a childhood friendship only grow stronger and stronger as the time passed by. He didn't have that luxury when growing up, but he would do his best to let his kids enjoy that.

They deserve it.

Chapter Text

PD: Hey, I found you a little sad yesterday, you ok?

Yeah, I'm fine

PD: Quite hard to believe

PD: It's because of the watermelons right?

It's no big deal

Really

PD: It's ok if you don't want to talk about it

PD: But I'm here 4 you

Ok

Sighing deeply, Nora lays the phone on the table and stares at the ceiling. Yesterday they were dealing with Steven’s new powers which happened to be the same as hers: Phytokinesis. The discovery itself was enough to ruin the young girl's mood.

Steven could grow plants copies of him, sentient beings that could walk and think about its own actions. Way better and more useful than growing stupid flowers that have nothing special on them.

Even at this he's better than me and here I thought I had something special.

She's laying down on the couch when Steven asks her to go with him to the Big Donut. She decides to go so she wouldn't be alone with her thoughts.

─ ·★· ─

Inside the store, Steven is currently struggling to make a decision, glancing at the different kinds of foods while Lion is napping near the counter and Nora is sitting on one of the few chairs there staring at the window.

“You can do it, Steven.” She chuckles when hear Sadie.

“Thanks, Sadie. It's just, I could get a donut, which would be tasty, but I always get donuts. Shouldn't I be living life to the fullest and trying new things? So tonight, maybe I'm thinking... Spicy Pretzels?”

“Why don't you ask your little friend?”

Sadie looks at Lion, who suddenly sits up from his nap and walks over to the Lion Lickers fridge and presses his face against the glass door.

“Ugh Lion, those are gross!” He groans. “No offense.”

“You kids better hurry it up. Lars and I are closing up for the day.”

“C'mon Steven, just pick something.” Nora gets up, stuffing her phone in her pocket, ready to leave.

The boy looks at the fridge one more time and sees several bags labeled Sadie. “Hey, Sadie! There's a snack named after you?”

“Nah, those are all lunches my mom packed for me.”

“Aww, that's so nice.”

“Actually, it's pretty embarrassing,” She rests her head on the counter. “She's been doing it for years. I mean, I know how to feed myself. They just make me feel like a kid, you know.”

“Can I try one?”

“Sure, but choose wisely. Some of those have been in there for a few months.”

─ ·★· ─

“Alright, let's see what we've got here,” Steven starts pulling the food out of the lunch bag on the kitchen counter. “Looks like a classic PBJ sandwich cut into triangles. Very nice, it's the only shape a sandwich should be.”

While Steven is examining the food items, Nora amusedly watches Lion stick his nose into the empty lunch bag and it gets stuck on his face, even backing up towards the door, trying to get the bag off his face.

“Woah, look at this! It's a cookie shaped like a star.” He giggles and compares it to the star on his shirt. “I guess you could say this cookie is... out of this world, eh?”

“Oh my gosh, Steven.” Nora fights the smile trying to creep from the bad pun while she takes the lunch bag off Lion.

Steven breaks the cookie in two, giving one half to Nora and munching his. “I wonder what kind of lunch mom would've made,” He then looks at Rose's painting hung above the door. “Maybe actual space cookies!”

“Maybe.” 

Lion walks beside the twins and sits down, saying nothing. Steven sighs. “I just wish... I knew a little more about her.”

Nora puts a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in comfort and Lion pokes his nose at Steven's other shoulder and looks at him. “Blink if this means you love me,” He keeps staring at Steven, who then blows into Lion's eyes, causing him to blink involuntarily.

“He loves me!”

─ ·★· ─

“Hey, get out of there! Lion, this is the Steven bed, not the Lion bed!”

Steven's exasperated words are muffled by the bathroom door, but can still be heard in there. Nora is just finishing brushing her teeth, wanting nothing but crawl onto her bed and finally get some sleep after a miserable day.

She opens the door and sees Lion laying down on the makeshift bed Steven made using the cushions from the couch. “I thought you were eating dinner?” Steven asks, watching Nora already tucking in bed.

“No, I'm not really hungry.” She yawns, relief washing over her when her head sinks into the soft pillow.

Steven pursed his lips, mumbling a shy “okay” before laying down and throwing the blankets around his torso. 

Nora closes her eyes and tries to relax, focusing on the quietness to fall asleep. They stay silent until the oldest breaks it. “Sis, are you really okay?”

“Huh?”

She feels Steven shift on the bed, now sitting up. “I mean, there's something bothering you?” Nora turns around and sees a pair of worried eyes waiting for her response.

“Uh… no,” She gulps. “Why?”

“Well, you have been quite tired these days, not sleeping much, waking up late and now you skipped dinner,” Crap. “Also I kinda felt you were sad today. I wanted to make sure you're okay.”

Steven could be pretty much oblivious to certain things, but it was obvious he would notice at some point that something's wrong with his sister. Nora didn't know if she was happy that he worried or frustrated she couldn't keep it hidden anymore.

“I'm fine,” God, she feels terrible for lying to him. “You don't need to worry about me.”

“Of course, I do! That's what big brothers do.” He says, stopping for a moment before embracing her.

Nora hugs him back, but frowns the moment his arms wrap around her. His hug isn't warm and tight like usual, instead Steven's arms feel loose around her frame. “I want you to know that I care about you and if there's something wrong, you can tell me.”

Nora opens her mouth ready to say it, but stops midway. The little voice in her head kept saying it would be selfish to put her issues on his shoulders when he had a lot to deal with.

She couldn't do it, it would be unfair to him. Her brother can perfectly handle things on his own, why can't she do the same? Nora needs to prove herself she can deal with her own emotions without giving in to the need to cry on Steven's lap.

“Don't worry, I'm good. Really.”

For a moment, Steven seems disappointed. “Alright then,” Although, he offers a gentle smile. “Goodnight, sis.”

“Goodnight, bro.”

It was hot.

I was walking where it looked like a desert. Bright sun shone above me, highlighting the golden color of sand surrounding me.

I look to the side and see a lion, along with others walking in sync. He caught my glance and stared at me, I smiled and sank my hand into his mane, which made him lean into my touch.

As we walked I spotted a dark, small shadow a few distance from us. It didn't move, but it could be dangerous. My shoulders tensed as I got closer, however when our distance diminished it looked like someone rather than something.

Is it a human?

Nora wakes up to a sharp pain on her face. Her body rubs against something cold and when she cracks an eye open she sees it's the floor, a few pink petals and flowers scattered on it. She just had fallen on her face from the bed.

She rubs her nose and looks up at the bed, a pink tail poking out of there. Nora stands up and gasps when sees Lion sleeping on top of Steven, clearly suffocating him.

“Steven!” She grabs one of his flailing legs and attempts to pull him out.

Nora hears a door opening and when glancing downstairs she spots Pearl leaving her room. “Pearl!” She calls her. “Pearl, help me! Lion is suffocating Steven!”

“What!?” No need to be said twice, the gem rushed upstairs. “Steven! Oh my gosh! Hang on! I got you!” She takes Nora's place and tries to pull the boy out by his legs. “Ugh, Lion! Let him go!”

Lion lifts his body slightly and Pearl, pulling at full force, is flung backwards with Steven pulled out. Nora scrambles towards him, who is gasping for air. “What happened?”

“Steven, are you alright? Why was Lion sleeping on top of you?” Pearl helps him on his feet.

“He's being a little clingy today. But that's because I'm his favorite!” Nora rolls her eyes while Lion nuzzles against Steven and pulls his face into his mane. “See? Wait... Why are you here, Pearl?”

Pearl nervously laughs. “Me? Nothing. I was just passing by and... Well, you know how I always say... I just uh... I like to watch you two sleep sometimes. And by sometimes, I mean often.”

The twins look at each other, with a unsure look. “Uh, okay… We will go back to sleep now.” Nora says, climbing in their bed.

“Yep! It's time for everyone to leave us alone. We're growing kids and we need our rest.” Steven walks right behind her.

Pearl seems hesitant to leave, fidgeting her fingers, but seeing the twins already getting ready to bed she doesn't have much of an option. “Um, alright. Well, if you need anything or if Lion does it again you can call me.”

“Okay!” Steven replies.

Nora waits for Pearl to leave and turns to Steven. “Did you ever notice she did that?”

“Nope, I had no idea.”

I was crying.

I don't know why I was crying.

I just know I held something big and soft tightly against my chest, keeping my eyes closed so I didn't have to see what's around my arms. However, I could feel something dripping right into my arms, oozing through my hands and probably staining my clothes.

Then, even in the darkness surrounding me a feeling of warmth started to spread. I opened my eyes and watched in awe a pink light taking over my lion's body while he stayed still.

He stayed still… He shouldn't be staying still.

But I know why he didn't move.

He was dead.

Now I remembered why I was crying.

“Ow!” Nora groans in pain as, again, sees herself on the floor after falling from her bed. This time she is thankful she at least didn't hit her face. “Lion!”

She brushes the flowers around her and climbs up her bed. Nora uses all her strength to lift Lion's body enough to Steven pulls himself away. “Lion, my face is not your bed! What's going on with you?”

Lion rolls over on his back, exposing his belly, causing the boy to gasp in surprise. “You just wanted a belly rub? You never let me touch your belly!” Just when Steven starts stroking his belly, Lion pulls him in into a hug and shoves his face into his mane.

Steven struggles around to get out of his hold, but fails. “Okay, you got me! Will you let me go?” He puffs at Lion. “Come on now!”

“Let him go Lion, c'mon!” The twins try to get him to let Steven go, but Lion hugs him tightly, sinking his claws onto his back and Steven yelps in pain.

“That's it!”

Finally, with a lot of struggle, they managed to set Steven free. Now, they step outside the house with Lion following them. “Let's go, Lion, you're on a time out!” The pet just stands in the doorway and looks at it. “He said, you're on time out!” Nora pushes Lion outside. 

“You're gonna stay out here and think about what you did!” Steven points at him, angrily locking him outside on the porch and heads back to his bed with his sister.

As he does so, Lion begins to yowl sadly and looks at Steven with pitiful puppy eyes. "Steven you can't just..." Nora stops talking seeing Steven already giving in.

"He loves me!" He goes outside to Lion and hugs him "Aww, I just can't stay mad at you. You're a wonderful pink human being. Except you're not, 'cause you're a lion."

Steven sinks his face into Lion's mane and finds himself back with the unbreathable pink plain again. He quickly pulls his head out and gasps for air. Lion stares at Steven as he places his palm on Lion's mane, causing it to glow pink.

Steven takes a deep breath and dunks his head back into Lion's mane, back into the pink plain. He pulls his head out and grabs Nora's hand. “You gotta see this!”

“Steven, I don't think-” Her brother pushes her into Lion’s mane, causing her to bury her face on it, accessing the weird and magical place. Wait a minute, this pink grass, that sky, I feel like I have been here already.

Nora pulls herself out to breath. “You can't breathe in there!?”

“I know, right!” Steven stares at Lion. “I guess Lion wants me to go in there, but why?”

“There's just one way to figure it out.”

Steven nods, but before he can go in there he offers his hand to Nora, silently pleading her to go with him. She smiles at the gesture, she always appreciated her brother trying to not let her feel left out in these magical situations.

Nora holds his hand and both take a deep breath, then climbing all the way into Lion's mane. There, study the place around them and see a pink tree on a hill in the distance and advance toward it.

They stop briefly to breathe and go back in. Nora tugs his hand to signal they gotta be quick and Steven nods in understanding. Reaching the tree, they look around at the various things around it; A flag, a bubbled gem, their mother’s sword, a shirt. 

Nora tries to open the chest near it, but notices it's locked. Meanwhile Steven picks up the VHS tape and finds it labeled in cursive, reading "For Steven". She glances at the place a last time to spot something they could've missed, but at seeing there's nothing they can possibly need she motions for him to go.

They exit Lion's mane and gasp for air, as they were beginning to run out of breath. Just then, they see Pearl is seen exiting the Temple Gate with Amethyst and Garnet. They don't bother to grasp what they can be talking about, instead they go to the Big Donut, just when Lars and Sadie are opening up for the day.

“Sadie! Sadie!”

“You guys, you know donuts aren't ready for another hour.” Steven proceeds to whisper into her ear. “Really? Come on.”

Steven, Nora and Sadie sit in the employee room as he puts the VHS tape in the TV, everyone paying full attention. The screen crackles with static and flashes between different shots of the ocean waves and the Crystal Temple, which used to be pretty different back then, when a younger Greg dances across the screen on the sand.

“What are you doing?”

“Guys, that voice.” Sadie says, interrupted by the screen flashing again.

Now it shows Greg napping and snoring on the beach, with a seagull on his stomach. Rose chuckles in the background. “Greg made a friend.”

The seagull squawks, waking him up, and flies off.

“What?! Ah!” The screen flashes again, showing just Greg on the screen. “Go on,” Rose laughs. “Sorry, I'm getting stage fright here." 

“Tell us about yourself.”

“Well, let's see here. My name is... Greg. No, no, no! This is all wrong!”

A blue crab on the sand is shown in the next shot. “Okay, go!” The screen pans towards him, posing on the beach. “They call me... Mr. Universe!” He strums his guitar. “Get ready, baby, you're gonna have the coolest dad this side of the cosmos!” Greg mimics a guitar riff. “Press the button, Rose!”

“Oh, right!” A colorful stream with stars then washes across the screen. “Was that the right one?”

“Uh... Maybe.”

“Oh, what does this one do?” A star iris then zooms in on Greg and the screen flashes, showing him playing his guitar on the beach, while Rose narrates.

“Isn't it remarkable, Steven? This world is full of so many possibilities. Each living thing has an entirely unique experience. The sights they see, the sounds they hear. The lives they live are so complicated... a-and so simple.”

Nora glances at her brother and catches him with eyes in sheer happiness, smiling widely enough to his cheeks become sore.

“I can't wait for you to join them," Rose turns the camera and reveals herself. “Steven, we can't both exist. I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you because you're going to be something extraordinary. You're going to be a human being.”

“Hey, Rose!”

“Take care of them, Steven.”

The screen flashes for the last time, showing a pregnant Rose setting the camera down and running up to Greg. He caresses Rose's belly and they lean in for a kiss, when the screen cuts and cracks in static as the tape ends.

Lars enters the employee room. “Hey Sadie, come on, we gotta open up.” When he sees everyone with tears in their eyes he backs up in awkwardness.

Steven is the first one to step out of the room, high-fiving Lars' chest and leaves with Nora right behind him. “What in the world did you guys watch?” They hear him say before leaving the place.

It was such an interesting experience to watch that tape, to actually see their mother smiling, laughing and talking to them, even if not directly. For a whole life they only knew Rose as a beautiful painting hanging over them day and night, a distant memory created by everyone who got to meet and live with her.

But now they managed to see her as a person, as someone who used to be here, alive, just like them. 

“And you said earlier that you wanted to know more about her,” Nora says with amusement. “Guess Lion got your message.”

“Yeah,” Steven wipes the remaining tear on his face, his voice still shaken a bit. “I really needed that, it was really good to see mom talking to us like that.”

Nora’s smile quickly fades away.

Us

He said “us”, but Rose never said her name on the whole recording. She only addressed Steven, talking about caring about him, loving him, becoming him. Not her, not Nora.

A big wave of sadness crashes onto her and tears start to prickle in her eyes. She clenches her jaw and quickly rubs her face with both hands, faking a yawn so he would think she's just sleepy. Just wait until he sleeps, she tells herself.

─ ·★· ─

It didn't take long for Steven to fall asleep. Nora looks at him and sees the sweet smile on his lips, face exhaling fondness and calm. It makes her feel worse.

She carefully leaves the bed, tiptoeing towards the kitchen where she fills a glass of water. Nora barely opens the fridge so the light wouldn't wake Steven, she stares at him for a moment before going out.

It was morning already, pretty early yet. The sun is a little shy in the sky, and the orange colors showing behind the clouds indicate its arrival and Nora decides to stay on the porch, appreciating the view ahead of her.

‘Was this what mom used to see?’ She mentally asks herself.

The sound of the ocean waves is so soothing, a bit loud with the contrast of the silence inside the house. She tries to distract herself from the bad voices inside her head, but it's futile.

Why didn't mom mention me?

Why did she only talk about Steven?

Didn't she care about me at all?

Wasn't she expecting me?

What If I wasn't supposed to exist!?

So many questions rule her mind right now and none of them have good answers. 

Seeing a tape where her mother directly said how much she loved her brother and how excited she was for his arrival, despite not even being able to be physically here while she wasn't even mentioned, definitely hurt.

Hurt way more than she could have imagined.

No matter how hard she tries she can't shake the feeling of being unloved and worthless. It's not fair. It's not fair that Steven got all the attention and love from every single person of the family and even outside.

Nora walks down the stairs, not really sure where she is going. She tries to hold back her sobs, as tears run down her cheeks.

The young girl stops right in front of the sea, partially illuminated by the faint sunlight. She sits down, only noticing she's barefoot when the sand sneaks between her toes.

“I wished she loved me,” Nora whispers. “I just wished someone loved me,” The burning sensation on her eyes grows stronger. “But why would someone love me anyway? I can't do anything great. I'm not sociable, I'm not that smart, I don't have powers, I-I…” 

“What if mom wasn't supposed to have me?” She no longer bothers to dry her tears. “That would… explain a lot.” She lets out a mirthless laugh, laugh that turns into sobs, and sobs that become full cries.

Nora wished she could have someone with her, someone she could share her sorrow with. Having to endure this pain is so difficult, even more alone, but she doesn't have other options; She just can't be a burden to her family and have them worry about her when they have bigger issues to handle.

No matter how much she wants Steven to comfort her she can't do this to him. She saw the struggles he has with expectations and self-blame and she just loved him too much to make him see her like this.

When she calms down she loses track of time.

The sun didn't change much from the previous position behind the sea, but she's afraid Pearl or another gem may have noticed her absence and she can't just show up home with bloodshot eyes.

Nora doesn't remember the last time she cried so hard; Her nose is clogged, her throat hurts and there's a faint pounding all over her head. The good thing this crying fit brought was tiredness, so she could definitely fall asleep faster.

She needed that.

Chapter Text

As usual, Steven is the first twin to wake up in the morning. He yawns as he stretches himself, peeking at his sister who's still asleep, curled up into a little ball.

The elder sibling walks downstairs and goes to the bathroom to get ready for the day. After he's done, Steven prepares his breakfast to eat on the kitchen counter. 

He eats his cereal drenched in milk still thinking about Nora. The boy couldn't shake the feeling of something being off about his sister. As her brother, he could feel whenever she was sad or upset about something. The major issue was figuring out the reason.

“Maybe Peedee knows something,” Steven mumbles to himself. “He’s the one who knows everything she doesn't tell me.”

Done, he checks on his sister for a last time to make sure she's fine and asleep, and goes to find his friend. As expected, Peedee is in the Fry Shop, just watching the view as no client shows up. “Hey Peedee!”

His bored expression swaps to a happier one. “Hey Steven! How are you and Nora doing?”

“I'm good, but I don't think Nora's fine.”

“Why? What's wrong?”

“That's the problem, I don't know,” Steven steps closer, resting his arms on the counter. “She seems so down and sad, I hoped you had a clue.”

Peedee indeed has one.

It's nothing new to him that Nora always felt less when around the Gems or Steven. First, it was due to him being more extroverted and gaining more attention from everyone, but as they grew older it changed to not having a gem.

But when Nora found out she had powers it boosted her self esteem a little more, unfortunately only to disappear completely when Steven showed he had the same powers. Peedee suspects she's sad for not being 'special' anymore.

Yet, he can't tell this to Steven. If Nora hasn't shared the last topic with him, it means she doesn't want her brother to know either. Even if it's a speculation of his, he still can't betray Nora's trust like this.

“Sorry Steven, but I have no idea.” A trace of guilty swirled inside his chest seeing Steven getting sadder with the answer.

“It's okay,” He tries to reassure. “So, um, any news about Ronaldo?” 

Peedee sighs. “Not really, he's still at the Lighthouse on his own. My dad goes there to bring him food, but he won't say a single word.”

“Actually I heard Sadie comment about going to check on him with Lars-”

“With Lars!? Now that's interesting,” The younger rolls his eyes, sarcasm dripping from his words. “I’m really surprised Lars is going, I thought he hated Ronaldo.”

“I never knew they don't get along. I mean, I never saw them hanging out, but I didn't assume it was because they don't like each other.”

“I know, I think most people forgot they were friends, like real best friends that have a secret handshake and everything.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Peedee chuckles softly. “Well, they had until…”

“Until…?”

Peedee pauses. “Look, I don't know all the details, I just know that Ronaldo said one day Lars was being a total jerk to him and destroyed something important and from that on, they wouldn't even look at each other on the face.”

Steven frowns. “But they never tried to sort things out? Sit down and talk?”

His friend shrugs. “Like I said, I don't know the details, but knowing my brother and Lars, I highly doubt it.”

Steven goes back home disappointed.

─ ·★· ─

“I can't believe that went so well!”

“That was kinda great when you hit it with your spear and it went, like, 'bing-bong'!" Amethyst recalls, making explosion sounds.

A faint blush covers Pearl's cheeks. “And the way you were circling around it? Almost looked like a strategy.”

Amethyst briefly looks away, a small chuckle leaving her lips. “Well, you know, I can do that stuff, too.”

Just when they reach the warp pad where Garnet sends the bubbled gem, Steven and Nora emerge from the flower meadow with runny eyes and nose. “Wait up!” The boy pants heavily. “Sorry we couldn't help much, I think the flowers are making…” He accidentally sneezes at Garnet's hip. “Sorry, Garnet.”

“I'll live.”

“Oh, Steven, you're supposed to sneeze into your antecubital fossa.” Pearl suggests.

“My what?”

“Your... this thing.” She points to her inner elbow.

Stepping on the warp pad, the Crystal Gems leaves the place. While they travel back home, Steven feels the urge to sneeze again and Amethyst sees an opportunity to mess with. “Do it at Pearl!”

Pearl panics as she is pointed at. “Steven, your fossa!”

He ends up sneezing downwards, propelling himself upward in the warp stream.

Nora gasps seeing his head pop out of the warp stream. Recalling what Garnet once strictly said they should stay inside the warp, she pulls herself upwards and grabs Steven by his shirt, bringing him back into the steam.

“Careful Steven! It's dangerous to stick your head out of the stream!” Pearl warns, right behind Nora.

“There's not much air and it's very cold.” Garnet gives a brief explanation, flicking the frozen snot off Steven's nose.

“You guys, I saw something out there! Something warping!” 

“Steven, that's not possible. Is your vision blurry from the pollen?”

“I can see perfectly… Pearl?” He squints his eyes, still trying to make his point. “I know there's something out there!”

“There's nothing out there, Steven. There hasn't been anything else for a long, long time.”

─ ·★· ─

It's the middle of the week, so Greg could be spotted sitting in a chair in front of the car wash, waiting for any clients. He was humming one of his favorite songs, Nietzche's Breakdown, when Steven and Nora arrive.

“Hey kiddos-” Greg stops mid sentence when views the twins' state; Squinted teary eyes, runny nose, wet trail under their nose from previous snot running from it. “Pollen allergy?”

They nod.

“We went with the gems on a mission, but we didn't know it would… would…” Nora stops for a moment to sneeze, cringing when a string of snot spills from her nose. “Urgh, this is bad.”

Indeed, Greg thinks. He led both kids inside the Car Wash where he goes to the bathroom searching for their medicine kit. “Found it!” 

The twins wait for their dad to fill a glass with water and take two pills from the box that had a funny name. “You two take these, and you'll feel much better later.”

“I just wished Steven's powers had worked,” Nora says, her voice sounding nasally. “I asked him to use his healing on us, but it didn't work.”

“I guess I can understand why it didn't work, your powers heal injuries right, stchu-ball?” Steven nods. “So, when you have an allergy your body isn't hurt, it's a reaction to something, so it makes sense why it didn't work.”

He chuckles when his youngest whines. “Why don't you two go take a nap? I'll come check on you later and make dinner. You can call me if you need anything.”

─ ·★· ─

Nora is pulled back to consciousness when the sun is ready to say goodbye for the day. There's a faint feeling of curls tickling her chin, and she lazily opens one of her eyes, seeing Steven snuggled her.

Lips curving upwards, she pulls him closer and stays there to enjoy the cuddling a little more until someone starts to gently shake them awake.

“Kiddos, time to wake up.” It's their dad.

Steven groans, waking up, finally moving from his position, allowing Nora to move and get up from the bed. Both twins realize they're feeling much better than earlier; Nose isn't clogged, throat isn't hurting from sneezing many times and eyes aren't teary anymore.

“Feeling better?” Greg asks them, already expecting a positive answer since they look better.

“Actually yes.” Nora looks at Steven, who nods.

“That's great news!” He ruffles the boy's hair. “I'll make dinner, are you two hungry?”

“Starving!”

Greg chuckles at the synchronized reply.

Dinner ended up being a creamy ham casserole which the siblings loved. They managed to spend some time with their dad which was awesome too.

When bedtime arrived, both went to bed with no sign of sleepiness, but for divergent reasons; Nora, for napping more hours than she should, and Steven, due to still fearing the thing he supposedly saw in the warp.

“Can't sleep?” Nora asks him, already tucked in bed.

“No.” Steven replies, clutching his palms on the sheets. His sister knows it's because he's worried about that thing, since he has no trouble sleeping whenever he wants.

Suddenly, a blue light illuminates the whole room, startling Steven who's quick to put himself in a sitting position, only to groan when seeing it's only Amethyst that opened the kitchen refrigerator. “Amethyst!”

The gem looks up. “Hey, Steven! Want some macaroni cheese?” 

Nora gets up as well, watching her return back into the temple with her mouth and fingers covered in powdered cheese until Steven halts her. “W-wait! I can't sleep!”

“Why? Are you scared of that thing you saw warping right into the house and attacking you in your sleep?!”

The mocking tone makes Steven reply sheepishly. “No...?”

“Oh, good! Good. Nighty night you two! Don't let the warp monster bite!” Amethyst laughs as she enters her room.

Nora rubs her brother's back. “Look, if it makes you feel better I can stay awake to make sure nothing will happen.” 

“I don't want to make you stay up all night.”

She huff. “You're not making me, I'm offering. Besides, I'm not sleepy anyway,” Nora throws the blanket off her legs and goes downstairs, opening the closet to grab a water gun. She comes back and shows it to Steven. “Nothing will hurt you, your awesome sister will make sure of that!”

Steven lets out a short laugh, a bit relieved to be honest.

─ ·★· ─

Steven ended up falling asleep while Nora sat leaning against the room’s window with the water gun still in hand. She managed to stay awake until 3 am, when she lost the battle against tiredness.

By morning, even asleep, Nora sensed someone stepping closer in the bedroom, causing her to jerk awake and stand up, prepared to use her water gun.

However, it wasn't a threat, only Garnet and Pearl.

“Good morning, Nora.” Garnet greets her, carrying something behind her back, while Pearl wakes Steven up.

“Good-” A yawn interrupts her speech. “Morning Garnet.”

“We have a surprise for you two!” Pearl says with a wide smile on her face in adorable excitement. When Steven is fully awake, she motions for Nora to come over next to him.

Garnet reveals a tray of cookies behind her back, leaning it closer for the siblings to grab it. “Thanks, Garnet!”

“Nora, did you sleep well tonight? You don't look fine.” Pearl focuses on Nora, a visible worry crossing her face.

“Uh, not really.” Nora scratches her neck, lowering her head to avoid looking at her. 

“It's my fault,” Steven says. “I was scared to sleep because of what I saw in the warp yesterday and she wanted to stay awake to make me feel safe.” He offers her a small smile in gratitude.

Pearl sighs and puts a hand on her head, still frustrated she couldn't make Steven believe her. “Listen, nothing on Earth can use the warps but us. Corrupted gems can't activate any warp pad and we made sure nothing else could be here on Earth.”

“I'm confident Pearl is right, but if it'll make you feel better, we can just go check.” Garnet offers and Steven nods, smiling gratefully. 

This way, everyone gathers to spend the next hours checking in every gem location they can think of to catch any signal for that thing Steven is so adamant he saw; They go back to the flower meadow, the Desert, the Geode, the Battlefield, Lunar Sea Spire, and even the Sky Spire, where they meet Steven Jr. again.

“Whoa! Now that's something!” Amethyst points at the goat nearby, with a pair of kids. “Heh, Steven Jr.'s been busy. This makes you a grandpa!” She laughs.

Garnet rubs Steven's head gently. “Congratulations.”

“Hey! We're getting off task here!”

“We've looked all over! There's nothing out here to find!” Pearl says.

Steven mumbles and rolls his eyes. “But you're wrong.”

Nora isn't the only one who's surprised at Steven's attitude, Pearl is too, enough to stop for a moment and narrow her eyes. “Excuse me?!”

Realizing what he did, Steven’s eyes widen and tries to take back what he said, however the gem is having none of it. “Like I said before, nothing on Earth can use these warps but us!”

“Well, what if it came from space?”

“I... don't appreciate your tone.”

They warp back to the Galaxy Warp, where Pearl is quick to begin her explanation as she walks towards the Homeworld warp. “These are the warps that once connected us to other planets. If something tried to come from space, it would be through here.”

She kneels down to point at Steven's sticker. “But wait! This warp pad is broken! Marked inactive by the very 'depressed' cartoon breakfast sticker you placed here yourself!”

“Look, Pearl's right, like usual. You get used to it.” Steven ignores Amethyst's attempts to light up things.

“We're safe.” Garnet places her hand on Steven's head, which he quickly grabs away.

“Well, I guess so.”

Steven places his hand besides the Crying Breakfast Friends sticker, still unhappy, while the Gems sigh in relief. Nora tries to bring him some comfort, but the Gems’ patronizing words about how he supposedly feels causes him to finally reach his limit.

“I'm a little tired... of you guys telling me how I feel!” He turns around, facing them. “I know I saw something outside the stream!”

“And I know you didn't!”

Pearl and Steven begin to argue, with the gem saying he doesn't tell her what she already knows while the boy complains about why it’s so hard to just listen to what he has to say.

If she had to pick up a side, Nora is definitely taking Steven's. It's unfair the way Pearl is belittling her brother's worry and acting as if she holds all acknowledgement in the world. She's not always right, but refuses to admit it.

However, despite how much she wants to defend her brother she knows she doesn't have the courage to face Pearl.

“Steven, you just don't know what you're talking about.” Pearl rolls her eyes.

The gesture triggers something inside Steven. “It sounds like... maybe... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!”

Everyone go silent, not expecting Steven to raise his voice like this, especially to Pearl. She opens her mouth to retort, but Garnet steps in between them. “Okay, Steven, that's enough. Let it go.”

─ ·★· ─

Steven is sitting in front of the warp pad, an unhappy expression plastered on his face. Nora is leaning her back against the kitchen counter, waiting for the macaroni and cheese she put on the microwave to be ready.

When it beeps, she opens it. Carefully holding the vessel, the girl poured it in a bowl she picked up from the cabinet. Nora returns to her spot aside Steven with both bowls in hands.

“Thanks,” He mumbles, placing it between his crossed legs. “You don't need to be here, I know you're tired.” Steven says when a yawn escapes Nora's mouth.

The girl resists the urge to roll her eyes. “Steven, if I'm here with you it's because I want to stay here with you. You're not forcing me to do anything.”

Steven opens his mouth to retort, but he turns around when hearing the Temple's door opening. Amethyst exits her room and sees both kids sitting in front of the warp pad, still in unrest.

“Hey, y'all!”

“Hey Amy.”

“Hi.” Steven looks up at Amethyst briefly, then back to the warp pad.

“You still on about that thing in the stream?” Steven shrugs. “Uh, what'cha eating?” She points at the bowl.

“Macaroni and cheese,” Nora answers for him. “There's a bit left on the counter and some on the fridge."

Amethyst can almost feel the tension radiating from Steven. “Alright then, see ya later.” She says, closing the door.

“Ugh! Why am I doing this!?” He places the bowl next to him and gets up. “Fine. I give up! Steven was wrong and everyone else was right! Nothing's going to come through that warp pad.”

“Steven, stop that!”

A spherical object suddenly crashes through the ceiling of the house and onto the floor, scaring the siblings that scoot away. It slowly activates, revealing to be a robonoid, and walks towards the warp pad.

“Is that…?”

“The thing in the warp stream!” Steven looks at the hole in the ceiling. “You did come from space! You're trying to get to the warp pad, aren't ya?”

The robonoid tries to get around Steven, who is blocking its path. 

“Amethyst, come back!” Steven yells, but it pounces at him, knocking him back, and lands on his chest. “I knew it, I did see something!

Nora runs towards the door to call for Amethyst until the robonoid shoots a green goo at Steven and he pins it to the floor. “Steven!” She retreats while the thing attacks him with its legs. He grabs one and throws it at the warp pad, cracking both in the process.

“Ah! Sorry!”

The damaged robonoid fixes the crack of the warp pad, by spraying green goo at it, and then begins to activate it. “Oh no, you don't!” Nora pounces on it, pushing him out the way before it teleports. “Call Amethyst! She must be around!”

He leaves the house yelling her name while Nora holds it by the leg and hurries to the closet, finding Steven's backpack to trap the robonoid inside it. “Garnet! Garnet!” She keeps calling for her, still being hit by the robot through the bag.

Finally, the Temple's door opens, revealing the tall gem just in time to catch the robonoid when it slipped from the girl's hand, still inside the backpack. At the same time, Steven comes back with Amethyst, with her whip ready on hands.

“Guys, it's okay! Garnet's here!” Nora immediately reassures them.

She opens the backpack and grabs the robonoid by its leg. “So, this is what you saw,” Garnet looks at it, then at Steven, who nods. “I should've listened to you, we all should've listened. You're a Crystal Gem, too.”

Steven smiles in content.

“Let's break it!” Amethyst is quick to summon her whip.

“Wait! We shouldn't destroy it!” Steven stops her. “It tried to use the warp pad, maybe it wants to go somewhere and we can find out why it's here.”

“And even see if it's the only one or there's more of it.” Nora adds.

Garnet orders Amethyst to call Pearl, so she could show her the robonoid and explain to her the plan to figure out the many why's surrounding that thing.

The Crystal Gems follow through the warp stream and arrive at the Galaxy Warp. The robonoid in Garnet's hand escapes and walks up towards the warp pad to Homeworld, joining several other robonoids. The group run forwards and see all of them spraying green goo on the Homeworld warp.

“What are they doing to the Homeworld warp?!”

“There's a million of them!” Amethyst exclaims in awe. The robonoids back off as the Homeworld warp appears good as new, without a single crack, almost shining. “They fixed it?!”

“What does that mean?” Steven asks.

Nora, Steven and Amethyst look at Pearl, expecting an answer. “I... don't know!” Her ego is crushed by worry and nervousness, as if karma rubbed in her face that she had been wrong all day.

The Homeworld warp begins to activate and the Crystal Gems gasp in shock. Garnet quickly grabs everyone and hides behind a tall rock. They watch an unknown green gem arrive, looking around, and lightly stomps on the Homeworld warp.

“Who is that?” Pearl whispers.

“No idea.” Garnet answers, using the same quiet tone.

“Log date, 3 1 2,” She turns on a screen with her floating fingers. “This is Peridot, performing Earth hub maintenance check.”

“Peridot. Her name is-” Nora quickly covers Steven's mouth.

“Warp repair is a success. All 79 Flask Robonoids deployed and accounted for. Preparing to locate and manually reactivate Kindergarten-”

“Aww, the little ones are like her babies.” Steven finds it cute how the flask damaged robonoid tries to crawl up Peridot's leg, but falls off and rolls back and forth.

Nora can't see anything from how she's held, but hears a weird popping noise and her brother gasping in surprise and mildly in horror after seeing something.

“Now to access the domestic warp,” They hear footsteps. “Huh?” Then, a sound of something being ripped, like a paper. “This site may have been compromised.”

Footsteps sound is heard again, then the warp pad is activated. A beeping sound starts, before everything go silent again. The Crystal Gems come out of hiding and see a green stone placed in the warp pad surrounded by motionless robonoids.

“They're coming back. I can't do this, not again!” Pearl's voice trembles and she covers her face in fear, shoulders roughly tense.

“We're dead! We are so dead!” Amethyst tightly grips her long hair, pacing in circles. Her panicked words not helping either. 

“Was that another gem? Where did she come from? What was she trying to do?” Steven questions, sharing the same worry his sister has.

Nora stays silent, utterly confused and afraid seeing the gems so distressed and… scared? But why and what would they be scared of? It's such a rare occasion to see her guardians like this when they usually have all the answers and are so certainty about everything.

“It doesn't matter.” Garnet's cold voice draws everyone's attention, in time for them to watch the fusion summon her gauntlets and enlarge it to a giant size to break the Homeworld warp.

“She's not coming back.”

Chapter Text

It's a nice afternoon in Beach City.

Nora is in her room, drawing a few things on the floor despite being cold; Steven was with the gems on the living room playing 'Citchen Calamity', a very confusing board game they found on Vidalia's garage years ago.

Yesterday wasn't much of a great day anyway. The gems spend hours trying to teach Steven to fuse through dance techniques and he most failed to catch up with them. Of course, Nora had to stand by and only watch since she was told it was impossible for her to fuse since her body is most organic and not half organic like Steven's.

By nighttime, the twins reunited with Connie and Peedee on the beach to spend some time together. Surprising everyone, Steven and Connie ended up fusing during that time. It was subtle, but Peedee managed to notice how Nora seemed… uncomfortable.

“I'm not really excited about it,” Nora confessed, avoiding his eyes. “I know Steven will want to try fusing with me, but I'm… not really comfortable with this.”

“Why not?” Peedee asked, a spark of concern peeking out of his gaze.

“Because…” Nora interrupted herself, sinking her feet on the sand. “Forget it, you won't understand.”

“Well, if you don't tell me, then I really won't.”

“It's just… How can I explain? I'm afraid that I'll lose myself, that our fusion will be more ‘him’ than ‘me’, you know?” She glanced at him, seeing a half puzzled expression. “Never mind.”

“No, no, no, I get it! Don't worry!” Peedee gesticulated and a small laugh left his lips. “It was kinda confusing, but I think I get it.”

Nora rubs her face and tries to forget about the last day and instead focus on the cozy feeling for being home with her family together.

The muffled rain brings a relaxing atmosphere, along Lion’s soft snores next to her. She frowns a bit at the annoying sound of water dripping into a pot from the hole in the ceiling caused by the robonoid, but if she focuses enough on her drawing it's barely audible.

She eventually smiles, finding endearing the gems attempting to follow Steven through the game.

“Oh hoo! You've got freezer burn, Pearl! Looks like you lose all your fish sticks.”

“What? I needed those for my bachelor meal combo. Now I can't ring the dinner bell! These rules make no sense.”

Nora snorts and goes back to finish her doodles. She made two drawings so far; One of the Geode, a place she hardly remembers since she only saw it once when they were searching for the robonoid; And the other was Pearl's spaceship, where she took Steven to show him the galaxy.

The one she's currently finishing it's about the Sea Spire, where she drew herself holding the statue. She groans at the lack of more blue crayons, but she can work with what she has.

It didn't take long for Steven's voice to fill the room announcing his victory. Even focusing on the paper in front of her, she could tell the gems are staring confused at each other.

“I don't get it, but nice job.” Amethyst starts clapping.

“Yes, well done. That was very, very complicated.”

“Well played.”

Of course they're gonna praise him for winning. He's so perfect, everything he does is amazing, Nora rolls her eyes in annoyance, but also resentment.

She goes back to drawing- Or rather, tried, since Steven walks upstairs to see how she's doing. “Whatcha doing?” He asks playfully, bending over to see her drawing. 

“Nothing, just drawing.” Nora replies flatly. Normally, she's always excited to show him her new art pieces, however the commentaries she just heard ruined her mood.

“Whoa sis, these are beautiful!” He looks at it for a few seconds, before snatching the three papers and leaving. “Guys, look at this!”

“Steven, give it back!” Nora barely reaches him, not able to prevent him from showing to the gems.

He gives them to Pearl, who carefully holds it in her palms, afraid to crumple the papers. Garnet and Amethyst scoot closer to take a peak. Nora stops midway in the stairs, covering her face in embarrassment.

“Whoa, these drawings are very well done!” Pearl compliments. Nora's eyes peek through her fingers. “Did you draw them yourself?”

“Uh, yeah.” She replies shyly.

“You did an excellent job! These are beautiful and the colors were really well chosen!” 

Nora can't help the smile involuntary showing in her face. Hearing any sort of compliments from Pearl always makes her feel like the best person on Earth. “Thanks.”

“You drew the The Moon Goddess Statue so accurately, it's impressive!”

Steven looks at the drawing and frowns. Amethyst notices. “What's wrong, buddy?”

“It's just… I remembered I almost forgot the statue that day,” He sits down on the couch. “The Sea Spire almost got destroyed because of me. I keep thinking about how I could be so careless about it.”

“You did your best on that mission, and that's what counts.” Garnet gently pats his hair.

“But the Sea Spire was a special, important, gem place!”

Pearl turns to him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Oh Steven, do not worry about it. If the Spire had been crucial, we wouldn't have used it as a test for you. It's fine, really.”

"Wait, test? What do you mean, test?”

Garnet looks at Amethyst, who shares the same worried and startled expression, looking at Pearl wide-eyed. The slim gem stays silent, realizing the mistake she slipped from her lips.

“Uhh... Well it wasn't really a 'test', per se. Not in the traditional sense. We just wanted to see if you were ready to go on missions.”

Steven glares at her. “That's exactly what a test is!”

“Steven,” Garnet joins the conversation, since Pearl couldn't find any words to argue. “It wasn't something we planned behind your back. We just saw an opportunity and decided to go with it, we didn't tell you because we didn't want to pressure you.”

“Yeah, besides, you passed! So, what's the worry?”

Amethyst's remark triggered something inside Nora, whose face immediately darkened. Steven did not pass! She was the one who remembered to bring the statue and she was the one who they should be praising. The credits should be brought to her!

Her shoulders tense as heavy footsteps are done, but the moment she catches Steven’s soft gaze half of her anger melts. She sighs, I can't do this to him. It makes her even more frustrated, but now she swaps her resentment towards the gem.

“Wait, he gets to be tested to see how he's doing and I don't!?” Nora's jealousy starts to speak for itself. “It’s not fair! I want a test too!”

“Nora, I don't think it's a good idea.”

“No, she's right!” Steven agrees. “If you guys gave me a test, it's only fair she also gets one too!”

─ ·★· ─

“Alright, Nora. We've adjusted the metaphysical properties of the temple to create a customized dungeon for you,” Pearl projects a hologram of the dungeon to add to her explanation. “Now, just beyond here are three chambers designed by each of us to simulate the challenges of a mission. Should you succeed, you will unlock the final door, where we will be waiting for you.”

Nora nods, adjusting her inseparable bag around her shoulder, determination never leaving her eyes. “Okay, I'm ready.”

Garnet places a gentle hand on her shoulder. “This won't be easy. Be careful in there.”

Nora would be lying if she said Garnet's words didn't bring worry, however she brushes it off with a smile. “Don't worry, I won't let you down.”

“That's the spirit!” Pearl says.

“Yeah! Get amped, Noor!” Amethyst ruffles her hair.

The Gems open the Temple Gate and just before Nora steps in, Steven pulls her into a tight hug. “You can do it! I believe in you, sis!”

No matter how big the resentment she may eventually feel from her brother is, his kind words never fail to soothe her and elevate her confidence. “Thanks, Stevie.”

They break the hug and Steven waves at her while the door starts closing itself. “Good luck! You're gonna need it!” She hears Amethyst's voice before being embraced by darkness.

Then, purple torches lit up, dispelling the darkness, and reveals a long stone ramp with deep pits on both sides. “If each room was made by each of them, I'm sure this is probably Amethyst's.”

A harsh noise causes her to turn around, seeing bars were raised to block the entrance behind her. Nora looks up and sees an Amethyst statue at the top of the ramp. “Like I said.”

After guessing who was behind the design, Nora kept in mind to be careful, since Amethyst loved to play tricks and bring the unexpected. In a slow pace, she walks across the ramp, when suddenly she senses something behind her and when she looks back a giant boulder emerges from the mouth of the statue and rolls towards her.

Crap.

Nora starts running on full force from the it. She quickly spots a vine hanging above a gaping pit, right in front of the edge to access the door. She puts more strength into her legs, and runs faster to gain enough boost to latch on the vine and swing herself to avoid being hit by the boulder.

Fortunately, she manages to land on the ledge, stumbling a little on her feet, but immediately steadies herself. Before she can recover, the door starts to foam out towards her.

Out of fear mixed with a bunch of adrenaline still running in her body, Nora punches it, causing the door to pop, releasing star-shaped balloons and confetti, as a fanfare plays.

“Oh,” Nora chuckles awkwardly, feeling ridiculous for being scared of it.

After the scare, Nora realizes how she needs to calm down her own body. Deep breaths, she tells herself. Her heart is beating so fast it scares her. She looks at her hands and sees both are shaking.

If I want to go with them on missions I need to get used to it. Gradually, she can feel her heartbeat return to its normal rhythm and the tremor leaves her limbs.

She hates the fact she can easily freak out facing gem-related things. Since she was told about the magic behind them, Greg always insisted she should stay away from it, unintentionally making her grow up scared of being involved in its conflicts.

She wonders if Greg hasn't been so adamant about it, she would be more willing to participate in gem activities like her brother.

Entering the next room, bars block the entrance behind the twin again, and she sees a door high up on the wall across an empty room. Nora carefully studies the place and coincidentally, when she looks at the ground a short music score starts to play, and certain tiles on the floor glow to each note.

She right away focuses on the elegant-sounding piano playing again, and another series of tiles glows this time.

“Memory puzzle, Pearl definitely made this one!" It makes her smile, just the kind of thing she likes and it's good at. “Okay, let's see.” She glances at the tiles, remembering the chosen ones one more time before starting. Stepping in each one, a bit anxious to not touch any other by accident, she makes it through the end.

When she reaches the last one she waits, and a chime is heard. A wide smile is seen on her face when the tiles in front of her rise, forming stairs to the door. “Easy!” She's about to take a step forward, but stops. “Too easy.” She says suspiciously.

Nora grabs her bag, taking the strap from her shoulder and swings it in front of her, activating some sort of sensor that frees a pendulum blade from the wall. She is quick to snatch her bag back, now seeing another two appear from the wall as well, making it three.

“Ha! I knew it!”

Not leaving her spot, she observes the pendulum blades swinging in the air, trying to find a pattern between them; When the first one reaches the right wall, the second does the opposite, and the last is a bit slower, positioning in the middle.

“Better tie my hair for this one.” She opens her bag and pulls a pink hair tie, adjusting her hair into a bun.

Nora notices there's a small space between the blades where she can possibly stay and wait for the other's next move. Perfect. She curls and uncurls her fists in nervousness, feeling the clamp skin from sweating.

“I need to do this, for them, I have to prove to them I can do it. I can't fail now,” She takes a deep breath, preparing herself. “It's now or never.”

When the first blade reaches the right side she runs the fastest she can, managing to pass through it and the second one in a row. For a moment, she thinks she can avoid the last one, but it's slower, making it too late.

She retreats at the last second, taking a step back. The blade behind her gets too close, startling her with the movement almost scratching her back.

Nora freezes.

It almost hit her.

The thought it could have hurt her scares the poor girl enough to make her not move. Nora has her eyes tightly shut and when they reopen she realizes she's hyperventilating, which doesn't help and leads her to panic even more. 

Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm! Nora tries to think of anything she enjoys that can bring good memories. The current situation reminds her of her favorite character, Mariana Galdrima, from her favorite show, The Fantastical Magical Family. She remembers a particular scene where the protagonist got trapped in a magical room, but eventually managed to escape.

The memory calms her down, making her think that if Mariana did it, she can also do it. Taking a deep breath, she waits for the last blade to reach the wall and finally goes for the door.

At this point, she's not excited about the test anymore.

Nora steps into the final chamber, grimacing at the sudden change of temperature, the heat making her skin feel even more uncomfortable.

There's a door straight ahead, separated by a lava pit, connected by a narrow bridge between them. A wall of fire then shoots up from one of the cracks in the bridge. “Looks like Garnet turned up the heat,” Nora chuckles at her own pun. “Steven would've liked that one.”

The twin starts to advance, when another fire wall shoots through another crack. She avoids several other fire walls on the bridge, however the closer she gets to the other side the more panicked she gets from the fire being too close and too fast.

Instead of calmly waiting for the timing between each fire wall, following the same strategy she did on the past chamber, she ends up basically jumping one after one. When she reaches the other side, the bag she hasn't bothered to strap back around her shoulder slips from her hands.

Nora stretches her arms to grab it just when spikes suddenly fall from the ceiling above her. She doesn't have time to retreat, only to shut her eyes and expect excruciating pain.

But nothing happens.

The spikes stop short just above Nora's arms, before retracting back to the ceiling. The girl grabs her bag back and holds it tightly against her chest with one hand. She steps away from the spikes, watching them repeatedly hit the ground, then she sticks her arm out again and it stops above her limb, retracting once more.

“No…”

Nora glances at the fire wall behind her and decides to try this too. She slowly draws her hands closer to it and before she can touch it, the fire dissipates around it, then she sticks her whole arm into it and it misses her on purpose.

“This can't be true!”

In Pearl's chamber, she already expected the blades to be false, although when she walks straight to the tiles, not following an specific order, she gets furious when it still plays the same music score.

“What!? Are you serious?” Nora clenches her hands into fists. “Like, I get it about the fire a-and the axes being fake to not hurt me, but this!?” Her eyes shine with angry tears. “Did they really think I'm too stupid to solve a puzzle? D-Did Pearl really think I'm too stupid for this?”

She stands up and tries to stop the tears from rolling down her face, a futile attempt. Nora walks towards Amethyst's chamber and stares at the gap in front of her.

If the axes and the fire were fake, this is probably too. Nora studies it and carefully sticks out her left foot in it, gasping when it actually touches something, something invisible.

She growls loudly in frustration, pulling at her own hair in frustration for having nothing to take her anger out. “I can't believe it!” Nora expected at least for it to be a real pit, but something down there to not let herself fall for real.

She wished to be given a real sense of danger, not some patronizing trick.

Nora walks back to the ramp and the giant boulder starts rolling towards her again. She stands her ground as the boulder approaches, and it stops just in front of her. She growls in anger as she walks up the ramp, pushing the ball back into the mouth of the statue.

Nora then finds herself outside the test dungeon, standing atop a big rectangular prism over a black void. She sees all the fake traps as she walks around, examining the setup

“This… this can't be,” Nora whispers to herself. “I… I thought that was my chance to prove myself, that I finally had the opportunity to prove my worth and now… It was all lies.” 

All she wants is to scream and wail her disappointments out.

But she doesn't.

Instead, she lets her body fall, knees hitting the ground while she hugs her middle and silently sobs, more tears spilling from her eyes. She's been silencing her cries for so long that now she got used to it.

The silence only accentuates the little voice in her head that laughs in mockery at the cruel joke.

Quit trying, you will never be enough

Why don't you just accept you're useless?

You're so pathetic it made them pity you

“Of course they wouldn't believe me that much, I should have seen that coming,” Her voice cracks and she barely hears herself, but the pain in every word is heavy enough to be felt. "I'm not worthy of their trust, I failed the test, so they were right anyway."

A whirlwind of emotions swirl inside Nora's heart; Anger, sadness, disappointment, frustration, resentment. There's so many she can't even properly figure out which is the predominant one.

Nora suddenly hears a few voices and walks to the edge of the prism, where she sees everyone standing at a platform, with a large bouquet of star-shaped balloons and a banner reading "Congratulations".

“What's taking her so long?” Impatience strikes Amethyst.

“I didn't think mine was very difficult. Do you think she hurt herself?” Pearl asks Garnet.

“There's no way. It's impossible for her to fail.”

“Impossible to fail?” Steven questions, raising his eyebrow. When the trio shares worried glances, the boy realizes it. “It's not a real test, isn't it?”

“Pffft, of course it is!” Amethyst waves at him.

“Yes! We've just… Uh, make sure that no physical harm could be done to her!” Pearl comes up with an excuse.

Garnet walks past Pearl and kneels in front of Steven, her eyes focusing only on him behind her glasses. “Steven, the whole point of this is to show your sister how she's come so far and make her realize the skills she has. We just want to prevent her from losing her confidence.”

Too late for that. Nora leaves the place, not bothering to stay and hear anything else they had to say. It clearly didn't matter anymore.

She reenters the test dungeon and walks through the three chambers, unfazed by the fake obstacles, towards the final door. When her hands touch it, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath again.

Nora doesn't want to face it, but she can't turn back now. Don't be a coward.

Pursuing her lips, she pushes it open to a dark doorway. A pathway lights up, and the Gems along Steven start clapping as fireworks set up upon the girl's arrival.

“Congratulations!” 

“Congratulations, sis!”

“Congratulations, Nora!”

“Yeah, congrats little one! Woop, woop, woop!”

The only thing crossing Nora's mind is to run and yell, spill every single thing that's disturbing her peace of mind, but she knows she can't. Step after step, her chest raises faster and her hands clutch forcefully around her bag.

She wants desperately to let herself cry and tell them what's wrong, confess that she knows everything in there is false, and how angry and sad she is for making her believe in all this.

“Thank goodness you made it!” Pearl is the first one to check. “How did it go?”

“It was…” Horrible, being betrayed like this hurts me so much and makes me feel like I can't trust you, in none of you. “Amazing! Each room was incredible and at first I thought I couldn't do it,” And I didn't, because none of that was real and I failed in the last one. “But I did it. Thank you for doing this for me.”

The relieved faces they made soothes her a little, it shouldn't, but it does.

“I'm so proud of you", “you rock!”, “I knew you could do it!”. Every word coming from them feels like a punch on the gut. It's so hurtful to hear these praises when deep down Nora knows it's untrue and they only did that to make her feel better.

She wished the gems would straight up say to her they didn't believe in her potential, it would definitely hurt less, since she wouldn't have need to go through such a betrayal.

The twin forces a smile while she lets everyone hug her. Almost everyone. Steven didn't.

She opens her eyes and sees him still standing in the same place, sad eyes looking at her, fingers fidgeting against each other. Nora gulps, the fake smile now gone, unable to do anything but stare back at him.

He knows, he doesn't look convinced. He figured out there's something's awfully wrong with her and probably, after they get home, he will approach the subject.

There's no way Steven will leave it alone.

Chapter Text

Arriving in the Temple after the test fiasco had been pretty much awkward. Nora pretended to listen to the gems' numerous false praises while Steven acted…. Well, weird.

They talked while having dinner, but Steven's words felt untrue, as if he was trying to keep a good mood, but Nora could sense something was off.

When bedtime arrived they could already feel sleepiness emerging, at least one of them. When Nora finished brushing her teeth, she saw Steven on the couch already wearing his pajamas, but with a serious look on his face.

“Nora, we need to talk.” 

Nora takes a sharp breath, body frozen at hearing it. “Now, Steven? Can it wait ‘til tomorrow?”

Steven sighs. “Okay,” He gets up. “But we really need to talk. Tomorrow, alright?”

“Alright…”

─ ·★· ─

Tiredness didn't vanish from her body like Nora expected to, however the anxiety creeping the moment her eyes were open was surely a surprise.

She rolls over and realizes Steven is already up, which it's no surprise, but she really hoped today she would wake up earlier to ditch him. Of course it wouldn't work like she planned.

Nora makes her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and adjust her hair, then goes to the kitchen where her brother is currently eating his breakfast. She notices there's a bowl of cereal waiting for her beside Steven's.

“Good morning.” He greets her, before shoving a handful of cereal on his mouth.

“Good morning, Steven.” She bites the inside of her cheek. Steven didn't sound welcoming as always, the hint of seriousness was disconcerting.

He finishes breakfast first and after washing the bowl he lays down on the couch where he pulls his phone from his pocket and entertain himself.

Nora tries to eat the slowest she can, but the inevitable happens. She knows the moment she steps out of the kitchen Steven will bring the subject again, and that's exactly what happens.

“Sis, we gotta talk.” He says, putting his phone back on the pocket.

“Talk?" Nora gulps. "About what? There's nothing to talk about.”

“Yes, we do,” Steven frowns, no hint of amusement written on his face. “Nora, there's something bothering you, I can tell.”

Nora's hardened expression pretty much confirms.

“You know you can tell me anything. I'm your big brother and big brothers are always there for their little sisters,” Steven’s soft approach makes Nora's guilt even bigger. He shouldn't have to worry about her, she should have hidden it better. “I won't judge you no matter what it is, I'll always support you.”

“Steven,” Nora stops him from going any further. “I know you worry about me and I really appreciate that,” She offers him a weak smile. “But there's nothing wrong, I'm fine. You don't need to worry, I promise.”

Steven sighs, frustration clear on his features. “Nora-”

“No Steven, I'm serious.”

“But there's-”

“Please, drop it!”

Steven was completely taken back by her exasperation. They stay silent just staring at each other until the boy raises his hands in surrender. “Fine, I won't push it,” He walks towards the front door. “But I know there's something you're not telling me.”

Nora watches him leave, probably to find Peedee, and finally let her eyes water. She never intended for him to notice it and now he's upset that there's something she isn't sharing with him. 

Way to go Nora, now you made your brother upset

You always mess things up, that's a talent

She hides herself in the bathroom where she lets her upcoming tears freely fall while crying silently in case the gems show up and hear her. For someone who's been doing that for a while, she became a pro at hiding it.

The younger one stays there for a few minutes to calm herself and the redness of her eyes and nose disappear, then she exits the room to prepare some food for Ronaldo that she and Steven promised Sadie they would take.

─ ·★· ─

It’s already quite late, Sadie and Lars are closing up the Big Donut for the night. Lars first exits through the back door ahead of Sadie, playing with the keys at the door lock.

“Sadie~” Lars sing-songs. “Better hurry up or I'm gonna lock you in!”

“Hey, just a sec!” She answers from inside.

Lars leans against the wall to wait for Sadie, when he looks down and gets startled by the sudden appearance of the twins in front of him.

Nora burst into laughter at his scared face. “Don't be too scared. It's just us.” Steven says, holding back his giggles at his sister's laughter.

Lars just groans in annoyance. He spots a few vessels the twins are holding in both hands. “What are these for?”

“Oh, these are for Ronaldo. We and Sadie are going to visit him to bring some food and see how he's doing.” Steven explains.

At the mention of Ronaldo's name, Lars' face lights in curiosity, however he tries to pretend indifference. 

“Ah okay,” Sadie exits the Big Donut. “Oh, nice timing, guys. Ready to head over to Ronaldo's?” The twins nod. “Alright, night Lars!”

“Nighty-night!”

“Goodnight!”

The trio begins to leave while Lars doesn't move, pondering between keeping his pride and play unbothered or give in to his want to see the person that once was his friend.

He chooses the second option.

The employee quickly locks the door and shoves the keys in his pocket, running after them who just accept his presence. Beyond her surprise at the sudden change of attitude, Sadie is a bit concerned for the tension built between the twins.

It's atypical for the two not to be chatting with her or themselves, it looks like Nora is even afraid of addressing Steven. 

They climb the hill towards the Lighthouse and Sadie puts herself upfront to knock on the door. “Ronaldo? It's me Sadie, I'm here with Steven and Nora to bring you some stuff.”

She thinks it's unfair of her to not announce Lars' presence, but honestly she isn't exactly counting on Ronaldo even letting them in. 

Finally, the Fryman opens the door as far as the chain lock allows and, gosh, he doesn't look good; His hair spikes in every direction, bags are heavy under his eyes and by the way his clothes seems worn out it gives the impression he has been wearing it for days.

His gaze wanders from Sadie's eyes to her vessels, then he closes the door, unlocking sounds coming from behind it. 

The moment he has a full view Ronaldo realizes Lars is also there and his body stiffens almost immediately. “Lars,” It's not a question, neither a greeting. Probably acknowledgement that someone who once used to be so important to him is right there in front of him after years apart.

“Hi?” Lars awkwardly waves.

Both stare at each other in silence, having no idea what to do next, since each one held different expectations. When he saw Lars, Ronaldo expected a mocking commentary about his issues, at the same time Lars mentally prepared himself for some well deserved hostility. 

“Uh, I think we should get going, it's quite cold here outside.” Nora breaks the silence, rubbing her arms to prove her point.

“Yeah, right,” Ronaldo snaps back to reality. He motions for them to go inside and when Lars stops by the doorframe, fearing he wouldn't be welcomed, he rolls his eyes. “You can come too, Lars.” He closes the door behind him as he got inside.

The place on the ground floor has no illumination at all, however it wasn't engulfed in darkness due to the few windows allowing the moonlight to enter. Messy is the perfect word to describe the house, with a few chairs knocked on the floor and walls full of spider webs.

Breathing in there is a bit difficult, considering the space smells like mold and at each step they create a small fog of dirt. Wanting to get out of the room faster, Steven speaks. “We brought this to you.” He gives Ronaldo the three vessels he's holding. Nora and Sadie do the same and the Fryman puts them on the table to see what's inside.

Steven's vessels is full of food for breakfast; Pancakes, fresh fruits like strawberries and grapes, toasts and yogurt. The other one (Nora's) had for lunch; Chicken, rice, salad and a few tomatoes; And Sadie's had for dinner and snacks.

“Where do you put your stuff?” Sadie asks, referring to dirty vessels and plates from his dad and Greg's previous visits.

“Uh, upstairs.” Ronaldo guides them to the top, through the spiral staircase.

Nora bites the inside of her cheek, remembering the last time she had been here. The memory of being kidnapped by Ronaldo brings extreme discomfort, although she tries to ignore it.

Arriving there, the first thing they pay attention to is the giant hole on the wall caused by the Gems when they rescued Nora, now half-covered by an old canvas. The place looks cleaner than downstairs, which everyone is thankful for.

“Do you mind if I…?” Ronaldo asks, pointing at one of the vessels on his hand.

“No, of course not! Dig in!” Sadie smiles, leaving him to eat dinner while she and the twins collect the dirty dishes.

Nora and Steven pull gloves out of the youngest's bag and place them on their hands, mimicking Sadie, then begin their tasks. On the other hand, Lars remains only observing them, afraid that if he tries to help he would get pushed away.

He takes his time to take a good look at the place and wonder how his friend managed to get himself like this, in an old lighthouse, obsessing with the supernatural universe enough to have people on the outside remind him to eat.

His inner thoughts are cut when the power in the Lighthouse goes out, startling everyone. “What's going on?” Sadie asks, glancing around.

“Probably just a fuse.” Lars replies, crossing his arms, unbothered by the semi-darkness.

Ronaldo rises from his seat and shines a flashlight on his face. “Or maybe it's a ghost?”

Sadie nervously smiles, taking off her gloves. “Good one.”

He hands another flashlight to her. “No, really. What if it's a ghost?” Ronaldo walks to his cabinet of files, rummaging through the papers. “As a skeptic of mortality, I've long suspected that this place might be haunted.”

When no one says anything, he turns around and sees how everyone seems uncomfortable. The flash of pity in their eyes angers Ronaldo, who shuts his cabinet with a loud slam. “What? You guys don't believe me!? Fine! I'll prove it, I was just thinking about doing this anyway.”

Sadie takes a few steps back, putting herself between the twins and Ronaldo, while Lars stands by with arms crossed. The Fryman walks towards the center of the room and pulls out a pendulum. “Spirit, I beseech you! We wish to make contact!”

“Dude, cut it out. You're being super weird.” Lars rolls his eyes, clear annoyance involving his speech.

Ronaldo ignores him. “Please, spirit, send us a sign.”

The pendulum begins to swing around on its own accord, shoots off of Ronaldo's hands and hits Lars in his face. He furiously rubs his nose, groaning in pain, although Ronaldo doesn't seem to care. “Spirit, that was a good sign. But could you send a couple more like that just to be sure.” 

Lars narrows his eyes at the ‘that was a good sign’, but before he can snap a remark, some indistinct whispering is heard around the place, then drawers of the cabinet suddenly burst open and files come flying out, swirling in circles above the group.

“I was right, I was right!” Ronaldo cheers between hysterical laughter. “I knew it! No one believed me, but now I finally proved it! I always knew better!” His enthusiasm keeps him from paying attention to his surroundings, causing a levitated mug of coffee to hit his feet.

He stumbles backwards and falls, hitting his head on the concrete wall behind them. “Ronaldo!” Sadie reaches for him, who luckily didn't black out from the impact.

Steven, distracted by Ronaldo's state, doesn't notice a barrel being moved and rolling full force towards him. “Steven!” Fortunately Nora does, tackling him down out of the way, and the barrel smashes against the wall near the two young adults.

“We have to get out of here!” Sadie puts Ronaldo's arms around her shoulder, helping him to his feet.

The group runs towards the door, but it slams shut. Lars pulls on the door knob with no luck. “It won't open!”

He takes a few steps back, Nora and Steven joining him, and the trio slam themselves through the door, successfully breaking it. Sadie exits the lantern room with Ronaldo just in time before the door mends itself from the broken pieces.

“I'm so sorry! I had no idea there was this violent presence here.” Ronaldo says.

“Quit it, Ronaldo! This is not a damn ghost!” Lars yells right into his face.

Sadie steps in between them. “Who cares what it is? We need to get out of here!” Her exasperated tone shuts their mouths.

The group starts descending down the spiraling staircase of the Lighthouse. The place is restricted to awkward silence and quiet sounds of footsteps and heavy breathing, until eerie laughter echoes in there.

“What is that?” Sadie's grip around the flashlight tightens.

When Ronaldo opens his mouth to offer an explanation, Lars does it first. “Nothing! We're all just hearing things and seeing things and feeling things that aren't real.”

He runs ahead towards the front door, unprepared when it swings open and smashes him in the face, knocking him backwards.

The scarecrows outside are now animated and creeping towards them. Sadie quickly leans against the door, attempting to force it closed from the scarecrows, but her strength isn't enough.

When a scarecrow is seen almost slipping through the door, Nora races towards, using all her strength and managing to close it with a single shove. The door closes itself, ripping the scarecrow's head in the process, causing it to fall at Steven's feet, scaring him.

“Whoa Nora, I didn't know you were that strong.” Sadie says with a nervous chuckle to make herself less tense.

The young girl glances at her, then at her hands. She curls and uncurls her fingers, expecting to feel something different. “Me neither.” 

Nora helps her to get up. Sadie thanks and glances at Ronaldo leaning against the wall to keep his balance, that seems it's returning to its normal state. “Have you ever seen a haunting this bad?

“This is no run-of-the-mill haunting,” He shines his flashlight onto his own face. “It's a poltergeist. A 'ghost' only haunts a house, but a poltergeist haunts a person. They're usually attracted to the terrifying inner world of the emotionally disturbed.”

The flashlight is pointed at Lars, who shields his eyes. He snorts, almost bittersweetly. “Yeah, right. If that's so then it would definitely come after you.”

“What are you trying to say?” Ronaldo growls.

“I'm not trying to say anything, I'm saying what no one has the courage to, that you got serious problems in that messed up head of yours!” Lars raises his voice, pointing at Ronaldo's face.

The older one slams his hands away. “Don't point your finger at me like you do to everyone else!” He moves away from the wall. “How ironic of you to talk about courage when you're such a coward yourself!” 

Lars' eyes widen at his words and mirthless smirk.

“Yeah, that's what you really are, a coward! You always have been so afraid of everything and everyone; What they would think of you, what they would do to you-”

“Stop!” Lars steps towards until he’s face to face with Ronaldo. “Don't you dare!” He says between gritted teeth.

“Oh, but I dare.”

While the two start another heated argument, Sadie sighs and walks away. “C'mon guys.” She addresses the twins, but the floorboards suddenly open up underneath her, revealing a glowing red void.

Before Sadie is engulfed by it Nora slips on the ground, managing to catch one of her arms. The floorboards start to close up and Nora, afraid of it chopping Sadie's hands off, lets go of her. Sadie screams as she falls into the void beneath her.

“Sadie!”

“The spirit took her!” Ronaldo turns to Lars. “You're gonna drag us all down with you! Don't you even care?”

“Drag us down? Are you fucking serious!?” Lars stands up. “You wanna talk about caring for someone, but here you are obsessed with this thing!”

“Guys! Stop it!” Steven exclaims, waving his hands to get their attention. “I know you two are very upset with each other, for whatever reason that may be, but we need to focus and work together to save Sadie!”

“Steven is right,” Nora grabs Sadie's flashlight left behind on the floor. “Fighting won't get us nowhere, but right now you two need to put your grudges aside and help us to find her before it's too late!”

A hatch on the floor opens up and a faint voice seems to be coming from downstairs.

They descends into the basement, which is illuminated by the eerie red glow. While Ronaldo takes the lead, Lars next to him, the twins are right behind them.

“Steven,” He looks at Nora's shrunken form; Hands clutching at each other and chest rising and falling in a steady, but abnormal pace. “I'm scared.”

Her words are barely audible, but Steven hears it anyway. The boy takes her right hand and holds it in a firm grip, offering her his signature kind smile. “It's okay. I'm here, big brother’s here,” He gives her hand a light squeeze. “I won't let anything happen to you.”

Usually, Nora would feel less nervous of facing something if she had the Gems to help her and her brother, but now? When they, apparently, aren't dealing with a gem? Completely on their own? She's terrified.

Their feet pass through more dusty steps. Nora feels something bad swirling inside her chest and it gets stronger as they walk towards the room.

“I don't see her anywhere!” Lars says frustrated when they stop midway.

“We're close,” Nora lowers her voice. “I can feel it.”

“You can feel it?” Steven wiggles an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” She places her hand on the lighthouse structure. “Whoever that is, it's hurt and… obsessed. They feel obsessed and trapped, it's in much agony.”

“How can you-”

“Spirit, show yourself!” Ronaldo interrupts Lars.

A strange noise draws them further downstairs. Ronaldo shines his flashlight to a wall, and the group notices a pulsing flesh-like structure with Lars' name carved into it.

“It should have been you.” Ronaldo slowly turns around to face him, who shudders in response. 

“Wh-What?!” Lars takes a few steps back.

“It took her, but it should have been you, Lars!” 

“Whoa! Hold on, Ronaldo!” Steven takes his hands off Nora's. “Stay here!” He tells her, before running towards the other two.

A mouth opens up in the wall below the pulsing flesh and Ronaldo grapples Lars, dragging him towards it. “Let me go! What are you doing!?” He screams, failing to use his anger to cover up his terrified state.

“Wait, stop! Ronaldo, please!” Steven runs in front of Ronaldo.

Ignoring the boy's words, Ronaldo lifts Lars above his head, causing him to scream in fear. “Spirit, I deliver the package of darkness! Return to us the innocent Sadie!” He tightens his grip around him as the wall makes a noite sounding like it's calling for Lars.

“C-Come on, man! We used to be friends!” Lars trashes around Ronaldo's hold, but the Fryman has the upper hand.

Ronaldo growls. “And you threw me away!” 

“Lars!” Steven exclaims watching him get thrown into the mouth. He's quick to run towards him, ignoring Ronaldo saying he's not worth it.

Nora remains unmoved in the same place Steven left her, too scared to face that thing. She wants to help him, but fear is taking the best of her, keeping her limbs frozen despite her brain screaming to move.

The mouth pins Steven and Lars down with its tongue, and its upper teeth begin to slowly come down in an attempt to sever both in half. Ronaldo silently watches the scene in front of him, while Nora closes her eyes and screams in horror.

However, the worst doesn't happen, thanks to Steven, who manages to summon his bubble shield, protecting himself and Lars. He then expands the bubble, causing the mouth to stretch and explode.

The force of the explosion causes Ronaldo and Nora to be thrown away across the room along the broken pieces of wood. The bubble rolls Steven and Lars away to safety before popping.

Sadie emerges from the rubble of the wall, coughing and gasping for air, a gemstone appearing next to her. “Sadie!” Everyone cheers in relief, rushing to help her out of the debris.

While Nora stands watching from afar, Steven holds up the gem. “It's a gem!”

The gemstone starts to glow, enveloping the place in a bright light, and begins to project a holographic flashback of a younger Lars and Ronaldo.

“This is the perfect clubhouse for the Beach City Explorer Club!” Ronaldo smiled, watching his friend place a few boxes on the floor.

“Secret clubhouse, right, Ronnie?” Lars made mouth zipping motions, making his friend laugh.

“Lars, you're a riot!” Ronaldo played with a camera, when he is startled by some scraping noises. “Dude!”

“Just carving our names in. Pretty metal, huh?” Lars etched his name into the wall with a screwdriver. Ronaldo mumbles something, noticing how the whole place started to rumble when his friend sticks the screwdriver into the wall.

The elder held a camera on his hands, ready to hit the button to test the quality of it when a wooden board from the wall springs outwards, knocking Lars away. Out of reflex, Ronaldo quickly snapped a photo of it.

“Holy smokes! The clubhouse is possessed!” The biggest grin was plastered on his face. “Lars, Lars, when you turn on the TV tomorrow, this is what's gonna be on every station!” He ran over to his friend and showed him the photo.

Lars' eyes widened. “B-But you said this was secret!”

His worries fell on deaf ears. “Our first paranormal discovery! We're gonna take on the world together!”

Lars got up, innocently taking the picture out of Ronaldo's hands and stared at it. He looked ridiculous, the face the camera caught made anger flash on his eyes, pretty much like the mental image of a group of people laughing at him. “Um... Let me just…” 

Ronaldo only noticed he was tearing the photo when small pieces of papers reached the ground. “No! What are you doing?! No-no-no-no-no-no!”

“I'm just tearing myself out.” He coldly replied, not bothering to look at the horrified expression on his friend’s face.

“Stop!” Ronaldo finally grabbed Lars' arms strong enough to retrieve the torn photo. “Let me see!” There was basically nothing left. “What'd you do?”

A pinch of guilt hit him on the chest, anger now giving room to sympathy. “Oh, come on, Ronnie... You know I can't let people see me like that.” 

“What's the matter with you?!” He shoved Lars. “Don't you know how important this was?!”

Both boys began wrestling one another and the fight ended when Lars then stepped on Ronaldo's foot and started running away.

“Why do you care so much about what other people think?!”

A few tears glisten on Lars' eyes. “You wouldn't say that if you knew what other people say about YOU!”

The image glitches, swapping from the current scene to glimpses of other ones. Their voices get cut and only a few words can be heard like ‘gone’, ‘ghost’ and ‘leave me’, until the projection finally shows a full memory again.

“Why are you even here!?” Ronaldo screams, angry tears spilling from his face. Lars, startled by his rude tone, trips backwards, staring at him in shock. “Why do you keep pretending you care!? Is this some cruel joke your little friends made you do this time!?”

“Ronnie-”

“Don’t call me that!” He spat. “Only my friend could call me that and you're not my friend anymore,” He ignored the hurt in Lars' eyes. “Or maybe you were never my friend for real. Just leave me alone.”

Lars brushed off the stinging on his eyes, wiping the snot running from his nose as he rose from the ground. “Fine! It's not like your friendship mattered in the first place.” Lars said, putting a disgusting undertone on the word ‘friendship’.

He ran away and a few seconds later Ronaldo started to sob.

Both holograms vanish, ending the projection.

The place stays silent, no one daring to say a word after what they just witnessed. Despite it not being haunted, the tension presence almost makes it feel like it is.

Then, a quiet hiccup is heard.

“Ronaldo?” Sadie calls him, heart wrenching when she sees his trembling frame. Before she can grasp his arms he harshly turns around and runs past them. Surprisingly, Lars goes after him.

Sadie just can't bring herself to chase them too, a little too shocked to do that. Also, she doesn't want to leave the kids alone.

After all that scene, Steven remembers he has something that needs to be taken care of. “Okay, shh. I've got you,” He addresses the gem. “When you were stuck in the wall, was the house like your body? You must have felt like you were under attack back when Lars carved his name in you.”

“Can I see it?” Sadie asks, curious.

“Uh, sorry Sadie, but I think we should just bubble it and let it rest.” Nora says, gazing at the gemstone held in Steven's hands. She gently touches it and a rosy bubble emerges around it.

“Nora, you can bubble gems!” Steven smiles excitedly while his twin stares in awe at the bubble.

“Oh my gosh…” Nora's lips curves upwards. Steven hands her the gem and she carefully holds it in her palms. “H-How do I…?”

“Just tap the top and it'll go home.” Steven explains.

She briefly looks at him, before returning her gaze at the encapsulated gem. Nora complies and sends the gem away.

“That's awesome, is this some sort of new power? I didn't know you could do these things.” Sadie comments, brushing a few strands of hair from her face.

“Well, kinda. That's a surprise for me too,” Nora smiles shyly, before turning back to Sadie. “But are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Not really, just a few bruises and some scratches. I'll be fine,” Her gaze saddens. “Just wondering how the poor guy is.”

The trio looks at the stairs, agreeing it's time to check on Lars and Ronaldo. Upstairs is completely empty, then they decide to go towards the ground floor where they found an open door.

Reaching there, both boys could be seen at the hill, Ronaldo sitting down while Lars went towards him, unaware of the other's presence. “Why did you come here?” Frymans's voice is muffled by his arms, crossed around his legs.

“Because Sadie was coming too?” Lars mentally smacks himself from sounding so unsure about answering a simple question. That's the problem, anything regarding Ronaldo was never simple.

“That’s what I thought.”

“And because I… I wanted to see you!” He blurts out. “How you were doing.”

“Yeah right.” Ronaldo rolls his eyes.

“I'm serious!”

“Whatever you say, Lars.”

They go silent again.

“It was kind of nice…” Ronaldo looks at him. ”To see you again, even if you didn't want me here.”

“I never said I didn't want you here.”

“I thought you made that pretty clear back then,” 

“I just don't understand,” He licks his lips. “I don't understand why you prioritize their opinion so much.”

Lars let a deep sigh leave him. “Of course you don't.”

Ronaldo thinks he should be offended by what he said, but he doesn't, because unlike other times now his words doesn't hold the usual snarkiness he's known of, no, this time Lars' words are soft, leaving the impression he's actually upset he's misunderstood.

“Everyone thinks I'm a freak, that I'm crazy or my dad needs to throw me into a psychiatric ward or something,” He says, nails biting onto his chubby skin. “They just don't understand me, they just can't understand the pain of someone who lost their mom.”

Lars' head spun around, surprised that he was actually talking about it.

“I just wanted her back, is it a crime to try to bring your mother back!? Because if it is, well, then they can arrest me!” 

“Ronaldo, man, look-”

“No! I'm done, Lars! I'm done with everyone pitying me or trying to belittle my pain!” Ronaldo rises to his feet, hands tightly curled into fists. “If they're not willing to see my reasons, fine! But I'll keep doing what I've tried the past years, I'll keep trying to bring her back!”

Then, the final piece finally clicked on Lars' head. It all makes sense now.

For years he had been in the dark trying to understand what his friend had been going through and now he has the answer; He wasn't trying to disassociate from Hellen’s death like he thought, no, it's the exact opposite, he was digging himself further down into the supernatural world to find a desperate attempt to bring her back.

As far as he remembered, his friend always had been fascinated with horror and monster related tales, he just could never guess it would turn into an obsession, neither with a specific reason.

“Ronaldo…”

He recognizes that tone, and it angers him. “No!”

The Fryman tries to make a run through the hill, but Lars catches him by the arms, turning him around. “Ronaldo, I'm sorry-”

“Don't!”

“But you gotta wake up, man!” Lars ignores him. “I know you miss her, I know that it hurts, but damnit! Pretending things are fine it's not going to work!”

Ronaldo keeps thrashing around his hold, shaking his head, refusing to acknowledge. “You're wrong! You're all wrong! I can do it, I can bring her back!”

“Ronaldo!” Lars, exasperated, roughly shakes him by the shoulders, frustration reaching a peak. “Your mother is dead! Hellen is gone and she's not coming back!”

She's not coming back

Inside the Lighthouse, the trio winces at Lars' sharp words. Sadie runs her fingers through her head, nervousness at seeing how terrible her friend was handling the situation.

What is he thinking!? The poor guy is already having a hard time and he just says something harsh like that right on his face? What the hell!?, Sadie screams in her own head.

The employee wishes she could go in there and stop Lars from making things worse, but she isn't even sure she would be the best at handling it either. While Lars was the one that used to be his friend and somewhat still had some sort of closeness to touch the subject, Sadie is nothing but a stranger that Ronaldo greeted with a ‘good morning’ and a small wave.

She has to step back on this one.

Back on the outside, that phrase triggers a specific memory Ronaldo promised himself he would forget.

It's cold and the ambience is embraced by a morbid aura. He's alone. His dad went to talk to the doctor in a nearby corridor while he stayed on his seat next to his mom's room.

He wished Peedee was here, but their dad had left his little brother in Barbara's house to prevent him from witnessing such a stressful situation, especially in a non-welcoming place like a hospital.

He kept his eyes locked on his feet that dangled over the chair.

When his dad came to view, no longer accompanied by the professional, he looked absolutely destroyed. His hair absolutely messy as if it got pulled, his eyes were puffy and red.

“Dad?” Ronaldo dared to ask.

Mr. Fryman walked towards him, licking his dry lips before kneeling to watch his son at the same eye level. The empty look his dad gave him would haunt him over the years. “Son, you'll need to be strong.”

He didn't like this. “Is mom okay?” 

Atticus remained silent, until he shook his head hesitantly. “Ronaldo, your mother…” He locked his jaw. “She is resting, s-she is in heaven now and…” His lips trembled. “She's not coming back.”

Ronaldo feels like he's relieving the all over trauma again. The sadness for having to deal with the fact he would never hug her again, anger towards the doctor for not being able to save his mom, guilt for not being fast enough to arrive home in time, so many things at once.

“No…” He whispers. “No, no it can't be. I-It can be!” He takes off his glasses while tears emerge on his eyes.

“Ronnie, I'm sorry.”

“She can't be- No, M-Mom was just fine…” He inhaled deeply, trying to grasp onto the little self control he still had. This couldn't be true, he couldn't be wrong about the unnatural this whole time.

But then, every evidence of paranormal activity had been debunked; The weird little holes on the cliff face had been made by gem drill parasites; A few unknown red rocks were fragments of the Red Eye the Crystal Gems destroyed months ago; A big crater near the beach was Amethyst playing ‘Steven Tag’ and now the Lighthouse…

He firmly believed there was something abnormal in life, something- or rather somewhere beyond where his mom could be and a small chance of talking or even bringing her back.

But now, everyone just crushed his hopes.

Ronaldo is shaking, deep breaths not being enough to calm him. It's clear he’s desperately trying to keep up with the lies he repeatedly told himself over the years.

Lars doesn't really know what to do. Should he reassure him? Hug him? It's not like he's much open at physical touch, but- argh, screw it!

Lars pulls him into a crushing bone hug, and Ronaldo, startled for a second, doesn't return the gesture. The younger keeps holding him in his arms and when he feels vibration around his body and a few sobs become audible, he knows he did the right thing.

Chapter Text

The winter is finally here, enveloping Beach City in snow and low temperature, forcing everyone to spend most of their time home with their family, just like the Universe twins were doing.

Steven, Nora, Peedee and Connie are in the living room sitting by the fireplace, just talking about their favorite or random topics while roasting marshmallows on a stick.

“Mmm... You're roasting good!” Steven withdraws a roasted marshmallow away from the fire. “And…” He blows at the marshmallow and eats it

“Good job not setting that one on fire.” Connie jokes.

“C'mon, give him a break. The other one wasn't that burnt.” Peedee chuckles, looking at his friend.

“Thank you Peedee, someone has to defend me,” Steven says, with his mouth full. “Mm-hmm. What is it about marshmallows that make them so good?”

“It's probably the animal by-product.” Connie replies.

Steven stops chewing. “You mean like... poop?”

Nora laughs, a small snort escaping, and Connie chuckles. “No. Stuff like hooves, bone marrow, collagen…” She picks up a marshmallow and eats it. “And lots of sugar and corn syrup.”

Steven yells. “Corn sugar!”

“Corn sugar!” The rest yell, shoving a handful of marshmallows into their mouth, giggling at their own attempt to chew it with stuffed cheeks.

The fun is interrupted when Connie's phone starts to beep. She pulls it out of her pocket and answers it. “Hello? Mom?"

“Have you been watching World Weather News?”

Connie swallows the marshmallows in her mouth. “Um… no," She stays silent, listening to whatever Mrs. Maheswaran has to say. “Oh no, don't send dad! I'll be home soon,” Hanging up her phone, she turns to her friend. “Looks like I gotta get going, there's a snowstorm coming through and my parents don't want me getting stuck here.”

“Man! That stinks!” Steven groans, crossing his arms.

Connie sighs, nodding in agreement. “Wouldn't it be fun if we all got snowed in together?” 

“We could stay up all night and watch the snow fall!”

“I would've loved that, it would be awesome.” Nora comments.

“Me too,” Peedee shyly agrees. “But even if we can't do that, it's fine. I had a great time with you guys and I'm really thankful you invited me to spend the afternoon here,” His voice saddens. “Especially with what's been going on at home.”

Connie and Nora exchanged worried looks, but Steven stepped in with his optimistic speech. “Of course we would call you Peedee, you're our friend,” He scooted closer, wrapping an arm around his neck. “No matter what's happening or not happening, we still want to hang out with you.”

And cheer you up, Nora mentally adds.

Things were still tough at home regarding his brother, but due to Lars and Ronaldo's proximity it seems it's getting better. Still, Peedee was left in a melancholy mood, which the group noticed and decided to invite him to spend more time with them to distract from the emotional stress.

“Group hug!” Nora exclaims, hugging her friend.

“Group hug!” Her brother and Connie mimicked her action, trapping Peedee in a warm and tight embrace, bringing a big smile on his face.

“Hello.” Garnet greets them as she and the gems walk into the house from the Crystal Temple. “Are you all having a nice time?”

“Yeah, but Connie has to go soon. There's a snowstorm-a-comin'.” Steven pouts.

“Maybe the storm will miss us. Sometimes the forecast is completely wrong.”

Garnet shakes her head. “Nope, it's definitely going to snow and you kids better get yourselves to Greg's.”

“We can't go yet!” Steven whines. “I've got to show you this video really quick.”

“Steven.”

“It's only, like, one minute long!”

Garnet walks over and kneels in front of the boy. “I know you don't want to go, but you have to make the right choice.” She says, before planting a kiss on his forehead.

Instead of receiving the affection with a smile, Steven shut his eyes tightly, a frown taking place on his face. “Uhhh… What?” He reopens them, looking around the place, then focuses his gaze at Garnet's glasses. “Garnet, what happened?”

“I passed my ability to you for just a moment.”

Steven gasps. “You mean... I had future visions?”

“Tell me what you saw.”

“I saw... some good things,” He glances at Connie. “But mostly bad things.”

“And now you can make the right choice.”

Steven nods. "Guys, we have to go right this instant.” He grabs Connie's and Nora's hand and runs out of the house with Peedee right behind him.

The kids arrive at Greg's car wash, when it begins to snow, finding the owner already waiting there by his van. “Would you look at this? An entire inch of-”

“Dad, there's no time! We got to go now!” Steven interrupts, grabbing him by the hand with Connie's help to lead him inside the van.

Nora and Peedee are confused, but go with them. Everyone gets into the van and after buckling up, Greg starts driving off. The kids are in the back, using their last free time to enjoy each other's company, well, almost everyone.

Unlike Steven and their friends, Nora is observing the outside while thinking about what has been stuck on her mind for the past few days. Since they went to the Kindergarten, she has been recalling what the Crystal Gems said about other gems.

“Hey, you alright?” Peedee draws her attention.

Nora hums. “Yeah, just thinking.”

“About what?”

She leans against the wall. “Some things about the Gems. I feel they were hiding a lot from us, but recently they kinda gave away.”

“You want to talk about this?” He asks and she glances behind his shoulder, noticing Steven and Connie were now paying attention to their conversation.

“I guess, I just wanted to understand more about what's going on.” She says, before explaining, with Steven's help, what happened for the past few days.

"There's a place called Galaxy Warp where it has a few Warp Pads we used to travel off-planet. They were our connection to the Gem Homeworld and to Gem-controlled planets all over the universe, but the Galaxy Warp have all been inactive for thousands of years." She explained.

"We can't activate them anymore?" Nora questioned.

"Unfortunately no," Pearl said. "But It's fine, I'll always have my memories of other worlds," She walks towards them to grab their papers. "It's really incredible out there, though. I wish you two could see it."

"I can't believe Lapis would do this, gems shouldn't fight each other." Steven said, a hint of sadness present in his speech.

"We're always fighting gems, actually." Pearl confessed, wincing at how surprised the siblings reacted. "Oh, how do I put this?" She sighed, avoiding looking at them, trying to think of a good approach. "All gems aren't necessarily... good."

Amethyst, now awake, suddenly leaned forward. "All those monsters we fight used to be just like us! Right, Pearl?"

"Yes, but they've become corrupted and broken. We have to take care of them, subdue them and contain them. It's the best we can do for them for now. If we don't, then…"

“You guys, I saw something out there! Something warping!” 

“Steven, that's not possible. Is your vision blurry from the pollen?”

“I can see perfectly… Pearl?” He squinted his eyes, still trying to make his point. “I know there's something out there!”

“There's nothing out there, Steven. There hasn't been anything else for a long, long time.”

“They're coming back. I can't do this, not again!” Pearl's voice trembled and she covered her face in fear, shoulders roughly tense.

“We're dead! We are so dead!” Amethyst tightly gripped her long hair, pacing in circles. Her panicked words not helping either. 

“Was that another gem? Where did she come from? What was she trying to do?” Steven questioned, sharing the same worry his sister had.

“It doesn't matter.” Garnet's cold voice drew everyone's attention, in time for them to watch the fusion summon her gauntlets and enlarge it to a giant size to break the Homeworld warp.

“She's not coming back.”

“Amethyst, please! This is serious! We need to understand these things, not squash them. If Homeworld Gems are trying to return to Earth… THEY HAVE TO BE STOPPED!”

“Pearl,” Garnet set a firm tone, hoping to settle her panic. “Calm down, we're still cut off. The Earth is safe.”

“Safe from what? What do the Homeworld Gems want to do?” Steven questioned.

Pearl exchanged looks with Garnet. “Steven, a very long time ago, gems tried to do something... very bad,” She looked at Amethyst, who quickly turned away. “It was something that would have damaged the Earth. Some gems, like your mother, Garnet, and myself, felt that this was unfair to the life that already existed here, and so we swore to never let the Earth be used for their... purposes. Even if it meant-”

Amethyst approached another robonoid and crushed it underneath her foot in upset.

Pearl groaned in annoyance. “Even if it meant we could never go home.”

“We chose Earth.”

“So wait,” Connie starts. “The real reason why they're here was to keep other gems from destroying the planet?” The twins nod. “How? I mean, they said they tried to do something here, what was it? Did they explain anything?”

Steven and Nora look at each other, unsure of how to answer it. “Well, kinda.”

“Nora,” Pearl called her. “Do you know where Amethyst and Steven are?”

“Uh no,” Nora poked her head out of the book she was reading. “They just said they were going out, pretending they were the ‘No Home Boys’.” She snorted, thinking to herself how silly that was.

The Temple’s door activated in two red lines, announcing Garnet's presence. Pearl sighed, resting a hand on her cheek. “I'm afraid of what Amethyst has in mind, where she can possibly take Steven to.”

“Kindergarten.” Garnet said.

Pearl froze. “T-The Kindergarten? Are you sure?”

Garnet adjusted her glasses. “Yes.”

“But why would they-” Pearl interrupted herself, as if she was trying to recall something, something that apparently upset her to darken her features. “Amethyst.” It was the answer.

“Pearl?” At this point, Nora had shut the book down, leaving it on the couch, and made her way towards the gem.

Pearl took her by the hand and marched towards the warp pad. “C'mon Nora, let's go find your brother.”

Arriving at the Kindergarten, they easily spotted Steven in front of the many holes made in the walls. “There you are!” Pearl carefully picked Nora up and leaped off the platform.

“Great,” Amethyst said unamused, exiting the hole. “Here comes the fun police.”

“Garnet said you'd be here, but I didn't want to believe it,” Pearl approached them, still holding Nora's hand. “Amethyst, what were you thinking bringing Steven to a... Kindergarten!?”

“I don't know,” She kicked a nearby pebble. “We were in the neighborhood.”

“Pearl? Was Amethyst really made here?” Steven asked, wanting confirmation.

“How much did you tell him!?” She ignored him.

“What? You mean about the bad thing? How this bad place is where bad Gems came to grow more bad Gems? Is that what you're talking about!?” Anger leaked from the shorter’s words.

“They grew other gems here?!” Steven asked, receiving no response as Pearl turned around.

“Amethyst! They're not ready!” Pearl stated.

The gem's hold on Nora's hand grew weak, and Nora took this to pull Steven near and try to distance themselves from the argument.

“Oh, but don't worry, guys. Everything's just fine now-” Amethyst only ignored her, proceeding to spill what she's been wanting to say.

“Amethyst!”

“It all worked out. We won!"

“Stop!”

“And we shut this place down-”

“Stop!”

“So the Earth would be safe from parasites like ME!”

“ AMETHYST!" Pearl stepped in between her and the twins. “That's enough!” They couldn't help flinching at her raised and dull tone, watching Amethyst silently walking away.

“So that's what they were doing,” Peedee says. “They were using the Earth to create gems and somehow that damaged the planet and the Crystal Gems fought them off the planet.”

“Yeah.” Steven confirms.

“But aren't they from, like, space? Couldn't they go to another thousand planets? Why did they need the Earth so bad?” The blonde boy asks.

“Well, remember our science classes about what makes the Earth have so much life?” Connie asks her friend. “Our planet has a lot of natural resources that no other, that we know of, has, so it makes sense why the gems wanted to use it to create more gems.” She explains.

“Also, you know what I've been thinking too?” Nora asks Steven. “Remember when Pearl said these monsters they fight used to be gems like them-”

“Wait, what!?” Connie's eyes widens. “You mean, that these things, like that one when we met, were normal gems like Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl?”

Nora nods.

“But what happened to them?” Peedee asks.

“I've been wondering if it had something to do with the war,” She replies, failing to notice Greg tensing in the front seat. “Because Pearl once said when Amethyst’s gem cracked that it would be fine if it was her body, but damaging a gem was dangerous.”

“So, you think all these things hurt their gems? On war?” Peedee makes a face. “I don't think so, it's too many gems and, like, couldn't they find a way to heal themselves somehow?”

“Yeah and also, mom would probably heal them.”

“Mom? But why? They were her enemies.” Nora retorts.

“We don't really know,” Steven scratches the back of his head. “Pearl said we fight these gems because they're corrupt, not bad, and maybe one of those were good ones too. I think mom would heal them, even the bad ones, and maybe… I don't know, bubble them then?”

Nora frowns, resting a hand on her chin. It does make sense, because Rose seemed to be someone who could be too good for her own good to let her enemies suffer and become broken. However, if these gems were still like this, then it means…

“Uh, kids?” Greg looks at them through the small mirror above him. “Sorry to interrupt your chat, but could you tell me why you were in such a hurry? I got worried.”

“Oh, right!" Steven turns to him. “Garnet kinda gave me her ability to see the future for a sec and I saw a few things that could happen if we tried to buy time instead of going right away.”

“Like what?” Greg asks, but when Steven takes too long to answer, he pipes in. “You don't have to answer if you're not comfortable, kiddo.”

“No dad, it's fine,” Steven reassures in a weak voice, lowering his gaze to his lap. “I just never thought a decision I made could change a lot of things.”

Greg gives him an assurance smile while Connie, Nora and Peedee crawl closer to him and offer him comforting hands. In the middle of the route, they stopped to drop Peedee at home, and the kids waved goodbye to him.

─ ·★· ─

“We're here!” Greg announces when the car stops in front of a terraced house that shares a street with other, linked homes. Out of the car, they barely make it to the door before it swings open, revealing Connie's parents.

“Connie! Oh, thank goodness you're safe!” Priyanka and Doug greets their daughter with a hug. Greg and the twins watch the scene a few steps away.

“Nice sweatshirt, Greg.” Mr. Maheswaran compliments.

“Oh, thanks.” Greg smiles and puts a hand on Steven's shoulder and gazes at him proudly. Steven returns the gesture and relief is felt.

“Well, we better get going,” Nora says, walking towards Connie to give her a hug. “Sorry we can't stay and watch the snow, it would be awesome.”

“Yeah, but maybe next time.” Connie solemnly nods, opening her arms to receive Steven's hug this time.

While the kids talked, Doug peeks through the window to watch the weather and sees how dense is the snow, falling more forcefully and white little mountains started to take larger forms on the street. “It's starting to get pretty bad out there. I don't know if they should be driving in this weather.”

“Why don't you both stay here tonight?” Priyanka suggest, agreeing with her husband.

“Really?!” The trio gasp in surprise.

“Wow, mom. That's... really cool.” Connie smiles fondly at her mother, who returns the gesture.

“It's... just safer that way,” She explains, guiding them inside. “We Maheswarans are all about safety.”

“I'll make up the couch.”

─ ·★· ─

“I dreamed that we were sleeping on the couch and then Connie appeared to watch the snow fall with us through the window.”

“Sis, that wasn't a dream, that really happened.” Steven chuckles.

Nora opens her mouth in surprise and looks at Connie, who nods, telling her Steven is right. “Really!? That's why it felt so realistic.”

The kids were just finishing their breakfast, which the Universe family were very thankful towards the Maheswarans for letting them stay and enjoy their food. It's still too early, barely 7am, but with the current snow outside bringing a dark sky it's not easy to tell the time.

“Hm, that's so good!” Nora hum, savoring one of the soft and fluffy steamed little cakes on a plate in front of her. “What's that?”

“It's called Idli, it's a food my mom used to eat in her childhood,” Connie explains. “She’s of Indian descent and her mom used to make this at breakfast.”

“That's so cool!”

“If you guys want, you can eat it with this,” She points at a small bowl filled with orange content and a few vegetables visible on the surface. “It's called Sambar, is a lentil-based vegetable stew. Mom cooked it with pigeon pea and tamarind broth.”

“I'm definitely trying this one!” Steven wasted no time and grabbed one Idli, dipping half of it in the stew before eating.

With the twins' approval, Connie took the opportunity to introduce them to other indian food on the table; Like Indian bread rolls (stuffed with a tangy, spicy potato filling and a crispy exterior), Rava Uttapam (savory pancakes made with semolina, spices, yogurt, veggies and herbs) and Paniyaram (mini spongy, slightly crispy dumplings made of fermented rice and lentil batter).

No need to say they loved it.

After breakfast, they helped Connie with the dishes while Priyanka talked to Greg in the living room about something they couldn't really grasp. Doug had to leave really early for work, so he just packed his breakfast in a vessel to eat halfway.

“Thanks for the help, guys.” Connie thanks them, finishing putting the juice jar on the fridge.

“It was nothing,” Steven says, before paying attention to Nora, who is discreetly watching the parents in the living room. “What do you think they're talking about?”

“No idea.” His sister replies.

In the end, Priyanka and Greg ended their conversation without giving the kids any information. At the clue they were allowed in the room, they joined Greg to spend some time while the snow still hadn't subdued.

Well, until Connie called her friend.

“Nora, my mom said she wanted to talk to you.”

The young girl wiggles her eyebrows, glancing at Steven who's just confused as her. “Me? But why?”

Connie shrugs. “I don't know, she just said it needed to be private,” When Nora still has a worried look on her, she places a hand on her shoulder. “But it's okay, I know my mom can be strict most of the time, but I'm pretty sure it's nothing to worry about.”

“Okay.” Nora looks at Steven one more time, then leaves the living room. Reaching the kitchen entrance, she observes the doctor in front of the window with her back turned, typing something on her phone.

“Um, excuse me?” Nora announces her presence in a shy voice, causing Priyanka to turn around. “Mrs. Maheswaran? Connie said you wanted to talk to me.” 

“Yes, I do. Have a seat,” Priyanka gesticulates over the chair in front of her, putting her phone back in her pocket. She sits down and waits for Nora to do the same. “And please, you can call me Priyanka.”

Nora nodded, fingers fidgeting against each other. What can she possibly want to talk to me about? Did I do something wrong? Did I say something wrong?

“First of all, I just wanted to thank you. I know Connie probably commented about how much our family had to move and unfortunately it became very hard for her to make friends, but I'm really glad that now she has you and your brother.”

Nora is still too surprised to reply.

“She talks a lot about you and it became noticeable how happier she was after she met you and Steven. Me and Doug are very relieved to know our daughter has a good influence like you.” During the conversation, her tone softened to a point it didn't even feel like she was the same intimidating and serious woman they met back at The Crab Shack.

“Uh, thank you?” The young twin says a little hesitant. “I'm also very happy to have her as a friend.”

Priyanka nods, but her small smile faltered. “Nora, the real reason why I called you is because I worry about you,” Worry? But there's nothing to worry about. “As much as this subject can be tough to you, I need to ask this: Do you have any motherly figure in your house?”

Okay, that one took her by surprise. The first person that comes up to her mind is Pearl, which makes sense; She cooks, cleans the house, take care of her clothes, set a bedtime, and always prioritized her safety, basically everything a normal mom would do, but at the end of the day Nora can't really see her as mother.

She doesn't even call her mom and there's this barrier between them that keeps Nora from being 100% open with her, unlike Vidalia who's always there for her when she needs, although she only views the painter as a cool aunt and nothing more.

Guess you can predict the answer.

“Uh, no. Not really,” Nora confesses, without looking at the doctor. The train of thoughts brought a buried melancholy she hasn't felt in quite a while. “I mean, there's the Gems- Pearl specifically that does chores and stuff, but she's not really a mom. Also, she's a gem and doesn't understand a lot of human stuff.”

“That's the point I wanted to get,” Priyanka points out. "Nora, as a doctor, way before I could practice my profession, I was taught about what basic needs everyone has, not only things about water, food, sleep, and physical needs overall, but also mental needs.”

“The reason why I asked you this is because I know the consequences behind the lack of a mother figure, and despite the fact we don't have that much proximity I want to let you know that you can talk to me about any issues you may have.”

Nora knows what Priyanka is talking about, she knows she's referring to ‘girls problems’ or topics daughters usually discuss with their mothers. She has been in that place a few times, where she silently wished Rose was still here to listen to her resentment and unspoken pain she never dare to share with anyone.

However, she wondered why Connie's mom held so much sympathy for her. Was it because she had a daughter and that kinda activated her ‘mom mode'? Even if it was towards someone that she wasn't even related? Was that even a thing?

“How old are you?”

“Thirteen.”

“Since you're thirteen, you are basically in your adolescence phase, when there’s a lot a girl of your age may go through, especially during puberty, and I know how difficult facing all the changes in that phrase can be, however I just wanted to let you know you can talk to me,” She sees Nora nod, but with a slightly confused face. “Do you know what puberty is?”

“Yeah…” Nora doesn't really like where this talk is heading to. “I know that is a phase everyone goes through and our bodies change and stuff, but that's it.”

Priyanka huff, annoyed at the lack of further information Greg gave his daughter. She was thirteen for god's sake! At this point, she had a full detailed conversation with Connie about everything she should know.

The doctor places her elbows on the table, fingers intertwined. “Puberty is the process of physical changes where a child's body matures into an adult body,” She started, keeping in mind to stay simple so Nora could comprehend. “Girls and boys have different changes at different ages, while girls usually start earlier between the ages of 8 and 13 and boys at 9 and 14.”

“W-What kind of changes do we have?” Nora asks, ignoring her own awkwardness of the answer.

“At first they aren't really noticeable, but soon the physical changes start to occur like development of breasts; Body hair starting to grow under the arms, genital area and legs, which in some girls are the first sign of puberty; Usually after two or three years after the development of breasts that's when most girls get their first period…”

At this point Nora was redder than a tomato hearing a bunch of detailed explanations regarding her own body. If she pushed the whole embarrassment away, she would've noticed that she hasn't experienced any of these symptoms yet and she probably needs a doctor appointment.

“O-Okay! Okay!” Nora waves her hands in a gesture to stop, with a furious blush on her face and ears. “Uhh… Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your explanation, but…”

Priyanka smiles in sympathy. She never had issues when addressing any of these topics with Connie, but she figured out it would be different with Nora, principally when she didn't have a mother figure in her life.

“It's alright,” She leans forward. “But I want you to understand you'll need to have this kind of conversation, either with your father or even me if you'd feel comfortable. I understand it can be embarrassing for some teens to talk about this, but I guarantee you there's nothing to be ashamed about. Everyone goes through them and it's perfectly normal.” 

“Thank you Mrs Mahes- I mean, Priyanka,” She corrects, earning a grin from the older woman. “It’s good to know I have someone to talk about these kinds of things. I didn't have any friendship with girls growing up and well, mom wasn't here and even if she was she wouldn't understand.”

Priyanka nods.

“I hope it's not too much, but could I ask you something?” Nora asks, receiving a positive answer. “Well, my mom was a gem and my dad is a human, and that's why Steven is half gem and half human, but since I'm only human I wanted to know if we could make an appointment to… I don't know, make sure my body is… normal?”

Priyanka hums. “We could make an appointment to run a few tests, but I can't guarantee I may have the answers you want,” The doctor explains. “I have knowledge about the human body, but I'm not sure how gem biology works.”

“You could ask Pearl,” Nora suggests. “I don't think she would mind explaining about gem stuff, she kinda loves to teach.” She lets out a short laugh.

“I'll take one of my free days to talk to her,” Priyanka grabs her phone to check on her calendar. “Just one more thing, as I was talking to your father, he mentioned that you and your brother are homeschooled. I wanted to know if you are interested in changing that?”

“Uh, I'm not sure.” Actually she is pretty sure of her own decision. She remembers very well the small talk she had with Mrs. Lezner months ago and the reason why she can't attend school like a normal person. She couldn't tell Priyanka the real reason since she only knows the basics about the Crystal Gems and has no idea the twins do go with them in a few missions and are training to make it a routine.

She can't risk Connie's friendship like that knowing the kind of parent the doctor is.

“I think I rather do all my homework at home, I feel more comfortable like that.” Nora says, which Priyanka understands the implication she doesn't want to go into full detail about it.

“I understand,” She rises from her seat, bringing relief to Nora who realizes the conversation it's finally over. “But I still stand about what I said. If you ever need someone to talk about any issues I'm here, alright?”

There's so much genuine care in her voice Nora can't help but smile at the fuzzy feeling in her chest. “Thanks.”

Priyanka returns the gesture and glances at the window. “It seems the storm is finally over.”

“Yeah, I think we should get going before the weather catches us by surprise.”

Stepping in the living room, they see Greg telling one of his stories about his teenage years to Steven and Connie, who seemed seriously invested in it. At the sight of the two female figures in the doorway, Greg knows is his cue to go.

“Well kids, that's it for today,” He announces, chuckling at the chorus of 'aww' he earned it. “I’ll tell you the fence story another day.”

“We won't forget it, right Connie?” Steven playfully elbows his friend, who nods.

While Greg thanks Mrs. Maheswaran one more time for the hospitality, the trio sadly says goodbye to each other with a hug, promising they would see each other as soon as possible.

Inside the car, the twins waves goodbye at Connie who watches them along with her mom from the window. Steven and Nora go back home satisfied they managed to spend a good time with their friend, barely containing their excitement for the next time.

Chapter Text

1st day of January 2015.

There it is, the very first day of a fresh new year, where people often promise themselves big changes and hopes for the better in their lives. Well, except for Nora.

The young twin couldn't bring herself to celebrate what was supposed to be a refreshing start, not when she was currently recovering from a incident that really struck her. 

Nora really needed to clear up her mind and that's why she found herself under her favorite tree in her special place, the forest located in the outskirts of Beach City. She has no idea how long she has been here, but apparently long enough for someone no notice her absence.

“Nora?”

She looks up and sees her friend approach. “Peedee? What are you doing here?”

His mouth twitches, shrugging awkwardly. “Well, you left without telling anybody where you were going, so Steven kinda sent me here.” Peedee takes place next to her.

Nora sighs. “Of course he did.”

The boy stays silent, waiting for any context. “Did something happen? You weren't really talkative yesterday.” He tries.

Yesterday was New Year, and like Steven, she was pretty much excited to celebrate with the Gems and Peedee, but it didn't go like she expected to.

Seeing the face she made, Peedee realizes she really isn't willing to talk about it and feels like an idiot for pushing the subject. “Look, if you don't feel like talk-”

“I…” She bites her lips. At the same time she doesn't want to remember it, she also doesn't want to hold that close to her heart alone. “I think I kinda want to talk about it, if that's okay,” Peedee nods, waiting for her explanation. “So, it started the day before yesterday…”

Me, Steven and dad were talking about fireworks and walking down the street towards the U-Stor, carrying dad's cardboard. “And I really like the ones that shoot up kind of spirally with the long tails.”

“Steven!” When he looked at me I pointed to where the cardboard was slipping. 

“Oh, sorry,” He sent me a grateful gaze and adjusted his hold, grabbing the edge a little more. “So, which firework is your favorite, dad? I know Nora's favorite is the pink star one, right sis?

I chuckled. “Yeah, that's right.”

“Uh, I don't know. I just like watching them together with you two.” Dad said, making both of us smile. I loved spending time with him and whenever he said the same it made me feel cozy.

“Me too dad.” I replied.

“Yeah, me too! I can't wait for New Year's Eve tomorrow. It feels like I've waited a whole year!”

“Well, you feel that way for a reason.”

We arrived at the U-Stor where dad opened his storage unit and a whole junk pile spilled out of it. The three of us stood there seeing how much dad accumulated all those years. “Um, dad? Do you really need that thing?” I asked.

He scratched the back of his head. “Actually I'm not sure if the ‘Summer Wax Special’ sign was that effective anyway, but I can't bring myself to throw myself out. Might as well store it for the rest of the winter,” Dad approached the storage and took a look at it. “I haven't really cleared this place out since your mom… Well, maybe this is good timing! A new year is coming up... I should just get rid of all this stuff.”

Steven picked up a jacket and a sweater. “I could take these off your hands.”

“That's a start, but I'll need a little more help than that and this guy's not gonna do it,” Dad pointed to the cardboard. “Who would organize a mess this big though?”

“Ah! I know just the gem!” Steven took my hand and both of us ran towards the Temple. “Wait here!”

“Do you think Pearl will want to help dad with all that mess?” I questioned him.

“Pearl? Oh no, I was thinking of Amethyst.”

“Wait, Amethyst?” Peedee interrupts the narration. “Wasn’t Pearl a better choice?”

Nora grins. “Yeah, I thought too, but when Steven told me she would go crazy seeing such a mess I had to agree with him,” She laughs along with her friend until a dark thought crosses her mind. “And also… I'm not sure if she would've liked to help.”

Peedee tilts his head. “Why?”

“Because they're not really that close. I mean, they work together, sometimes, when it comes to me or Steven, you know? To make sure we're doing okay, if we need anything or they need to fix something in the house. But besides that they don't really get along.”

Her friend looks at his own hand, playing with grass, unsure of asking about his guess. “You think that's because of your mom?”

Nora goes quiet for a moment. “I guess. Pearl was really, really close to her. I think she met mom even before Garnet, so… Yeah,” Peedee nods. “Anyway…”

When we went back there with Amethyst, everything was doing good. Steven tried a cleaning system to 'separate the trash from the garbage'; He made three organizational boxes in three categories: Keep, Sell and Burn.

It was a good idea, but nonetheless it wasn't really effective when Amethyst kept anything she saw. But I gotta say, organizing things started to get fun, now I understood why Pearl liked it so much.

“BOOOOKS!” Me and Steven chanted in union at the discovery of a box full of it. “Can we have these?”

“Uh, hold on. Let me see some of those first,” Dad approached us to examine the books in the box. “Yeah, I think you'll like this one,” He pointed at a comic named ‘Space Dog'. “This one,” A book called ‘The Ebbing Mind'. “And, uh…” He quickly pulled out one entitled ‘Passions of Xanxor’ from the box. “Maybe we'll save this one for when you're a little older.”

We both glanced at each other and shrugged, ignoring dad's awkwardness. We closed the box and carried it outside the garage to avoid it getting mixed with the rest of the mess.

When we turned around I couldn't help but laugh at the big pile of things created inside the ‘Keep’ box while Amy still rummaged through the junk and put more stuff on it. “I don't think she quite got the throwing away part.” I teased and Steven muffled a snort.

Everything went fine until dad spotted a broken picture of him and mom on the ground and picked it up. “Oh, no. How did this happen?” His voice caught Steven and Amethyst's attention, who were playfully wrestling, and Steven walked over to us.

Immediately, he remembered what happened. “Oh, sorry dad. I stepped on it when we were trying to find mom's cannon.” Steven kept his eyes on the picture.

Dad caressed his hair and softened his expression. “It's okay son. It's just the frame, we can fix it.” He gave me the photo to put it next to the books box outside.

“Hey! I found something that definitely doesn't belong with all this junk.” Amethyst announced, pulling something from a random box.

“Is it the deed to my uncle's mansion?”

She came to us carrying over a stack of VCR tapes and spread the tapes out in a neat line. “Even better.”

“Is that... ‘Li'l Butler’!?” Dad picked up two VCR tapes. “Oh, where have you been all these years?!” He laughed tearfully holding the tapes against his chest.

“Will it be weird if I say I know this show?”

Nora gives him a surprised look. “Really? How? I don't really think this seems the type of show you like."

“It isn't,” He chuckles. “But my parents liked it, my mom… She used to watch it with my dad. I don't remember really well, but I remember her watching it to have fun with him.” 

The memory is blurry, but Peedee can make out what's on there; The small tv in front of him with bright bluish lights radiating from it. “Who wants to be a skinny penny? I'm happy being a full dollar!” Someone said on the screen, followed by a laughter track.

Smell of fresh coffee filled the air, indicating evening had arrived. Hellen would make coffee religiously at 6 pm every single day. Ronaldo came from the kitchen holding a plate and a glass filled with milk.

After him, a taller figure appeared from the entrance holding two cups of coffee, hot enough to leave a trace of fog in the air. When his mom handled one cup to someone next to him it made him remember his dad was sitting on the couch behind them.

He thanked Hellen for the coffee, before erupting in happy booming laughter, pointing at the screen. Peedee had the slight impression he heard his mother chuckling at her husband's silliness, before bending over and scooping the blond boy on her skinny tanned arms.

Peedee can't remember what she looked like. His memory became too worn out to properly capture her features, but there's one thing his brain maintained intact: her smile… He couldn't forget it. 

It wasn't a perfect one; Her front lower teeth weren't correctly aligned; the second upper tooth had a small missing piece, a childhood accident caused her to fall on her face and break it; and yellow spots danced across all of them, due to her habit of always having a cup of coffee in her hands whenever she went.

But he didn't mind. Why would he? He had the best mom in the world and that was enough for him.

Peedee found it curious how he could possibly miss someone he barely remembered. He didn't spend much of his life with his mom, not like Ronaldo or his dad, yet this feeling of something missing inside his chest was still pretty adamant of making itself noticeable.

“It's one of the few good memories I have of her, before…” Peedee gulps, avoiding to look at Nora, afraid she'll be able to see the pain through his eyes. She only squeezes his hand in comfort. “Sorry, I interrupted your story again, huh?”

Nora tries to smile, encouraging his attempt to light up things. “Nah, it's okay.”

Remember when I said everything was going fine? So, that's when things began to go downhill. Dad put on the tape and we all watched the show;

“You people have too much money!” It seemed to be the character's and the show's most famous catchphrase. After the title card appeared over the protagonist, ending the opening credits, the first episode of twenty two minutes from the first season started.

I gotta say, Lil Butler was a nice character. He was really sweet and really cared about the family and always tried to help with their daily struggles. Lynn Money was a good dad, but he focused too much on his company and impressing his rich friends he used to meet playing golf.

The character I disliked the most was Daphne, Mrs. Money, she was boring and didn't have much of a story, at least not during the episodes I watched. Then, there's their daughter, Heather Money. She's the typical rich kid we see in movies that has everything people want, but at least she was funny and that made me like her.

Overall, the show was good, but I couldn't understand why dad and Amethyst liked it that much and when I looked at my side and saw Steven with eyes unfocused on the screen I could tell he didn't either. “Shouldn't we finish cleaning the storage unit?”

“Hey, it's getting pretty late. Why don't we just call it a day? We can pick this up again tomorrow.”

Steven sent me a ‘what do I do?’ look, and I only shrugged in response, motioning for him to come with me. “Uh... okay. See you tomorrow, dad!”

“Bye dad.”

Outside, we noticed it was evening already, meaning we spent more than nine hours watching that show. “Whoa, time went fast today, huh?”

“You tell me,” I said. “Steven, did you find this whole thing weird?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, wasn't it weird how dad and Amy got totally sucked into that show? And it's not even that good!”

“I liked it,” Steven mumbled bashfully. “But I know what you're saying. Didn't dad say they used to watch it when we were little? Maybe it's just reminding them of the good times.”

My inner voice told me it wasn't that simple, although I chose to listen to my brother's words. “I guess you're right, maybe I'm just overthinking.”

The next morning, after we got our two breakfast-only breakfast specials at the Fry Shop, we returned to dad's storage. “Weird, it's still open,” Steven comments. “You think dad decided to organize things early?”

“Not sure.”

I really hoped things would go back to normal, but it didn't. Entering it, we saw they were still watching that show and it looked like they didn't even move from their place. “Hey!” I greeted as we approached, barely getting any attention.

“Oh, kids! What are you doing coming over so late?”

Me and Steven exchanged looks. “It's... morning,” He answered. “You never stopped watching Li'l Butler?!” His question got ignored by real laughter mixed with a recorded one. “Well, you want to get started?”

“Oh, yeah,” Just when dad started to get up, Amethyst halted him. “Ooh, this part is so good!”

“I guess the storage unit can wait,” Steven said, straining his voice to keep the frustration in check. He set the food bag we got on the ground. “Want to just meet at the fireworks?”

“Sure.”

“Okay... I'll see you there, c'mon sis.”

When we walked out we went straight up home. I don't want to sound… Jealous? Annoying? But the way Amethyst kept dad from getting out of their 'bonding time' to help me and Steven was starting to get on my nerves. Was she doing it on purpose?

In the end, we didn't have a lot of time to think about it since the New Year celebration would take place in a few hours. I helped Steven to find clothes for the Gems and get things ready for the occasion.

By night, everyone in B each City were seated on the beach. Peedee and Mr. Fryman joined us to celebrate and there's no need to say Steven was euphoric with the idea of everyone together, well, almost everyone.

Garnet put on the 'Cool Dad' jacket that me and Steven bought from Vidalia on her bazaar a few months ago while Pearl put on a beige sweater with diamond drawings on it. 

Honestly, I thought that sweater was too ugly, but Steven was so excited to give it to Pearl that I didn't comment anything. Also, Pearl didn't seem to mind, so there was no reason for me to say it out loud.

“Like this?” She asked after putting that thing on.

“Yeah! You guys are killin' it!" Steven said, handing some pots and pans to them while we already had our own. “And here are some pots and pans, we got to make lots of noise. Dad, Nora and I do this every year. I brought some for Amethyst, too. They should be here any second.”

“Why would she come with Greg…” Pearl changed her tone when realization hits her. “Are they hanging out again?”

“What do you mean, 'again'?” Steven asked.

“They'd better not be watching that dumb show.”

“You mean Li'l Butler?” Seeing Garnet scoffed pretty much confirmed.

“Un-be-lievable! They really are!” Pearl exclaimed, almost angrily. “They used to disappear for days, watching those obnoxious tapes over and over and over. Until…”

“Until what?”

“I don't know. One day, they just... stopped.”

Steven pulled his phone from the pocket and glanced at the time, marking 11:55 pm. “It's almost time,” He looked over his shoulder, expecting to see dad and Amethyst coming over already. “I think I'm going to check on them.”

“No, no, Steven. Don't worry, I'll see them.” I stopped him.

"Hey, I can go with you." Peedee offered, but I declined.

"I'll be quick." I simply stated. Both looked unsure, but I left anyway.

I didn't want them to miss the fireworks if it took more time than it should. I had a strong guess of where they could be and I really hoped I was wrong, however when I got close to my dad's garage I knew I was right. The storage was still open and light found a way out to illuminate the pavement.

I got angry. It was New Year and Steven literally asked him to be there with us and dad chose to stay with Amethyst!? I didn't mind- I mean, I could handle dad not being there for me, but not being there for Steven!? No, I wouldn't let him upset my brother.

I walked inside, dodging from the amount of boxes and other things sprawled on the floor when I heard dad speaking. “I'll miss the fireworks!” I hid behind a junk pile, peeking over them. “How did I get so sucked into this show again? It's like everything else just disappears!”

He got up and tried to walk off, until Amethyst grabbed his hand. “Woah, woah, don't go! We're having a really good time!” I frowned. “Here. Look, I've got the 2 part Hawaii special.”

“But Steven and Nora really wanted me to do New Year's, especially Steven.”

The purple gem rolled her eyes. “He'll be fine, he's Steven. He's tough.” She pushed another tape into the VCR, and it started to play.

“I wanted to be there!” Dad tried to walk off again until Amethyst used a different tactic. 

“Here, here. It would have been like this!” She shapeshifted into Steven, doing a poor attempt to mimic him. “Whoa! Fireworks! Hey, Dad, come on! Now let's watch some Li'l Butler!”

“Amethyst, you know how I feel about shapeshifting.”

“Geez, sorry. I was just trying to cheer you up,” As if it wasn't enough, she morphed into dad and leaned into him, twirling her hair. “Oh, that's right I forgot you're soooo sensitive.”

He backed away. “I know you like making me uncomfortable, but it's not funny. I can't stay here and humor you. I have to be there for my kids.”

The seriousness in dad's tone made me feel uneasy. I wasn't used to seeing him talk like that. Not even when he was really upset with either me or Steven I heard him use that tone.

Amethyst went back to her normal form with a look of rage. “Well, what about me, huh? I had someone who was always there for me until she started hanging out with YOU!” She pointed an accusatory finger.

I can't pretend I didn't feel bad and I'm sure dad felt the same. Amethyst was basically blaming him for mom being gone.

Even if none of what she said was directed to me, I felt like it was. It hit a sensitive topic. 

I never told Steven or anyone about this, but I feel guilty that mom had to go for me to be born. I know the Gems still miss her a lot, especially Pearl, and I feel like I'm not worth her sacrifice. She gave up her physical form for Steven to exist and here he was being a smart boy who everyone falls in love with, can befriend everywhere he goes and beyond that still have mom's gem, taking her legacy forward.

And me? I don't have anything to be worth it.

“Don't do this, Amethyst. Seriously.” I focused my attention back to what was happening.

Amethyst gulped, before saying the next words. “I bet you'd stay for her.”

“You wouldn't.”

I was confused about what they were referring to, and honestly? I wish Amethyst didn't make me understand. “What? Do this?” Her gem started glowing and she began to grow, her hair becoming more voluminous and her clothes larger. That's when I noticed what she was changing into.

Mom.

A glimpse was the most I managed to see, because I turned around quickly. I just… I couldn't believe that was happening.

“Hey Greg, turn around. Check it out!” I heard her chuckling, but there wasn't a single hint of humor in it. It was pretty much disturbing.

“I know you're doing it! I want to be friends again. I really do, but I can't let you do this to me again!”

The distress in dad's voice was louder than my heart beating inside my chest. I ran over and climbed atop the couch. “YOU GUYS NEED TO STOP!”

My voice reached Amethyst’s ear, causing her to turn around towards me, both of our gaze meeting in pure shock. Then I saw it… I saw… What was supposed to be the image of my mom, but it wasn't her. Something seemed out of place and I'm not referring to her purple skin or hexagonal gem carved on her chest, no, even her identical features didn't seem to belong her;

It felt like I was stuck in that kind of nightmare where everything seems perfectly normal, but deep down you know there's something horribly wrong with it. My stomach turned into knots, triggering something in my throat that caused the faint impression I was about to throw up.

Out of horror, I shut my eyes, the TV doing the same, going static. No one said a word. Not Amethyst, not dad, not me. No one moved. 

I opened my mouth, trying to say something- anything! But my throat was tight enough to keep any words spoken. The stare became too much, the scene I just witnessed kept replaying in my mind. Everything was too much.

I ran.

Leaving the garage, I sucked a deep breath as if being inside there was suffocating me and it kinda was. ‘Deep breaths’, I told myself, focusing on steadying myself. I tried, I really tried to wash that sensation of being dirty, witnessing something forbidden.

I never thought of Amethyst that way. She was like a big sister to me, someone I could have fun with and be myself, unlike Pearl or Garnet who were some sort of guardians. It was… shocking, to say the least, to see that side of her, see what she's capable of doing, even hurting someone's feelings - my dad's feelings.

I'll never be able to look at her the same way.

My little exercise was interrupted when fireworks began decorating the sky with a variation of colors. “Oh no, Steven!” Panic flourished inside my chest, remembering my promise that I wouldn't take so long. “I gotta go!”

“Nora!” I heard dad calling. I winced, not really wanting to talk to him. Out of the garage, when he went towards me he opened his mouth to give some explanation - or an excuse - I didn't let him.

“Dad,” I began. “With all respect, I really don't want to talk about what happened,” Keeping my voice low and the gentler I could, I saw him nod sadly. I felt bad for handling it that day, but I was too overwhelmed with everything that happened. “We need to go, Steven and the Gems are waiting for us. He's probably wondering what's taking us so long.”

He placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me to the beach. Halfway, I heard footsteps and looking back I caught Amethyst running away to somewhere else. I didn't bother to ask about her.

"Whoa," It's all Peedee managed to say after a deadly silence. "So... That's what really happened. I thought something went wrong after you and your dad came back, but I had no idea it was that serious."

"Yeah," Nora replies, quietly. "You know what it felt like? When you realize your parents aren't perfect, but like, I knew Amethyst isn't perfect, but I never expected that kind of thing of her," She looks up, as if watching the trees made it easier to think. "I feel like I didn't know her, all those times. I didn't know she was like this, that she could be so... mean."

"I know this may sound like a stupid question, because I probably know the answer, but I need to ask you," He pauses. "Are you going to tell Steven?"

“What!?” Nora turns to him, grimacing. “No! Of course not! I…” She covers her face with her hands. “He doesn't deserve to know that and I don't wanna ruin the image he has of Amethyst or their relationship.”

“So you're gonna let yours get ruined?”

She shrugs. “I think so.”

Sometimes, it's highly frustrating how far Nora is willing to go in order to protect Steven. Peedee feared that her mindset would grow worse and cause her to cross any lines for the sake of her brother. She isn't even the older sibling and still has the need to keep her brother physically and emotionally safe at any costs, including abdicating her own peace and happiness.

Although, Peedee isn't going to bring that right now. No. She just poured private feelings out of her chest, venting about the stress she went through. The least thing she needs right now is to be called out.

But he could offer some comfort. He opens his arms in a ‘come here gesture' and let her rest her head on his shoulder. “Thanks for listening anyway.”

“Always.”

Chapter Text

August 18th, 2014

Lars had no idea how long they've been sitting here in front of the Lighthouse. He only knew Ronaldo had finally stopped crying and still had his head buried on his drenched shirt. The Fryman's chest hitched against his body, letting out the few residual hiccups left inside.

“Um, you good?” Lars dared to ask.

Ronaldo pulled himself away. “Yeah, I guess so.” He took off his glasses and wiped his face.

The older nodded and awkwardness filled the air. What do you do after you hold a sobbing mess of your ex-best friend you haven't had a decent talk with for years? 

“You should go.”

“And leave you here? Yeah right,” Lars gave a humorless laugh. “C'mon, let's go to my house.”

It took a few seconds for Ronaldo's brain to register what he just heard. “What?”

Lars rolled his eyes. “You deaf? I said we're coming to my house. C'mon, get up. I'll tell Sadie to drop the twins at their home. It's getting late and cold."

“As if you cared.” Ronaldo wasn't sure where that harshness came from, not when his fri- ex-friend was being so nice to him, but it was pulled out of him like an instinct. 

“If I didn't care I wouldn't be dealing with your stubborn ass,” Lars left and before he reached the Lighthouse entrance his eyes spotted Sadie and the siblings. “Guess I don't need to tell you we're leaving, hm?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sadie averted his eyes. “C'mon guys, let's give them some space,” She adjusted her coat and guided the twins outside. “Goodnight Lars.”

The kids shyly waved goodbye and followed Sadie outside the building. Once, out of their sight, he ran a hand through his hair when Ronaldo still didn't move from his spot.

He went back to his friend and sat next to him. Both boys gazing at the sky, the same stars that once witnessed their shenanigans years ago now winked at them again. “Remember how we used to watch the stars?”

Lars nodded. “Yeah, when our parents let us camp here and stay overnight.” A small smirk found its way on his face, regarding when both would occupy the Lighthouse with their theories and playfulness while stating to their own parents they could stay unsupervised.

It felt so distant, but close at the same time. 

Lars cleared his throat. “Uh, let's go.” He stood up, dragging the older by his arms as his body heavies with gloom. Fortunately, Lars' house wasn't that far from the hill. It was located on Waterman St, near the Car Wash. They just needed to walk a little…

The entire walk was filled by an unsettling silence. Lars didn't know what to do with his hands rather than shove them inside his pockets, deciding to whistle at some point, at the same time Ronaldo kept observing the many houses they passed by.

When the familiar white house with a front porch came to view, Ronaldo felt like going back in time. For a moment, he reconsidered his route, but his feet automatically dragged his body alongside Lars.

“It has changed so much since the last time I came here.” He wandered all over the house, carefully picturing every change in the spacious living room they used to spend hours watching their favorite cartoons;

It wasn't big like today, quite contrary, the living room was smaller and didn't have a lot of windows, bringing a darker atmosphere; The free space connecting the kitchen used to be non-existent thanks to the small corridor with a circular entrance.

He could almost picture a younger version of himself along-

“Lars?” A female voice came from upstairs. “Is that you?” Seconds later, Martha Barriga, his mom, appeared from the stairs; Her long red hair poking out in every direction, and hands clutching at her blue robe that reached her ankles.

“Mrs. Barriga,” It felt weird to not address her by ‘Auntie Martha' like he used to when younger, but Ronaldo thought he didn't have that right anymore. “I'm sorry I showed up in your house like that-”

“Mom, Ronaldo will stay here for a few days.” Lars cut him off, confusing him.

“Oh,” That definitely caught the housewife by surprise. “Um, it's alright,” She adjusted a few strands of hair. “You can stay in Lars' room, I'll grab a few more blankets.”

“No, no, no! Please, don't bother Mrs. Barriga.”

Martha smiled fondly at the boy, walking towards him. “You are never a bother on this house, Ronnie,” She gently adjusted his glasses, trying her best to hide the sadness at seeing the poor state he was in. “And I'm sure Laramie thinks the same.”

Lars was too caught up in the moment to protest the use of his full name. Remembering how his mother would be hovering over Ronaldo, trying to make him the most comfortable and feel like he's part of the Barriga Family.

While Martha searched for the blankets, Lars guided Fryman to his room. “My room's in the attic now,” He said, pointing at the stairs, when Ronaldo went towards where he used to sleep, but today it became his dad's workplace. “Pretty cool, right?” Grinning, he watched the curly haired one examine his room.

“Army of War,” Ronaldo pointed at a poster. “Do you still have this game?”

“Of course, I only own the best!” Lars exaggerated, while searching for a towel in his drawer. “There,” He threw a blue one at him. “Now go take a shower.”

“Gee, thanks for the subtle way to tell me I stink.” Ronaldo replied sarcastically, but went to the bathroom.

It was nice. Bright and dark tones of blue danced a crossed the tiles, a small shelf with little plants decorating the right wall in front of the square mirror on the left; He didn't intend to take too long, but the warmth of the water certainly changed his mind when it hit his skin, desperate to wash the oiliness and maybe the discomfort.

Finishing, he dressed the clothes Lars left next to the door. The black shirt caught his attention, it had ‘Don’t Be Sorry, Be Better’ on it. He smiled, a quote from their favorite game franchise.

“It fits me,” He commented, exiting the bathroom. “I thought it wouldn't… but this doesn't look like the clothes you wear. How did you even-”

“Shut up!” Lars blushed. “Just get on that damn bed, it's late and I'm tired.”

Ronaldo snickered, shaking his head. He got on the bed, unconsciously snuggling onto the soft pillow, pulling the covers even more around him. When was the last time he got that comfy?

Lars made himself comfortable on the sleeping bag he arranged. He genuinely didn't mind sleeping there, his main concern being Ronaldo's well being. He really wanted to help Ronaldo and he couldn't express how relieved he was for him to accept it. However, having him here, in his house, home, wasn't that easy.

Looking at Ronaldo was a constant reminder of the good times he had in his childhood. Lars always struggled during his younger years, being an easy target of mocking comments and bullying; He almost believed no one would ever want to be his friend until he met Ronaldo and suddenly anyone else's opinion didn't matter anymore.

“Lars?”

He held his breath.

“Lars?"

“What!?”

“You awake?”

“Well, yeah.”

Silence.

“Lars.”

“What?”

He noticed the bed moving and quacking noise came from the mattress. Then, Ronaldo poked out in his vision. “Did you miss me? At all?”

Lars didn't answer, certain the reflection of his glossy eyes were enough to sort out the doubt. “What do you think?”

“I don't know.” He said after a long pause, then retreated to his original position.

This wasn't what Lars expected to hear.

In fact, these three words felt like a knife twisting around his guts. How badly he failed to make him doubt his care? Considering how things went downhill after their friendship ended he really shouldn't be surprised, but he was.

After the fight, Lars decided to change himself. He always craved approval, but this time he took this seriously; Changed his style, mannerisms, vocabulary, everything to fit into the small box people he looked up to belonged to.

Even if it meant leaving his true self behind.

Even if it meant joining people who were mean

Even if it meant being mean.

Even if it meant being mean to who once was his friend.

“Freak”, “weirdo”, “loser”, “cry baby”, were a few of the words his group used to taunt Ronaldo and he eventually repeated. The flash of hurt flickering on his eyes haunted the boy for years and guilt became the source of the many times he wanted to throw up during recess and his cries before he went to sleep.

Like now.

Yeah, he was crying.

He tried to stay quiet, but a sob choked out of his throat. Ronaldo heard it and lifted himself off the bed to check on his friend, but Lars left the room before he could see his teary eyes. Rushing downstairs, he locked himself in the bedroom, muffling the unwelcoming sounds with his hands roughly placed around his lips.

He was trembling. It was difficult to breathe when his nose began to clog and his mouth was currently covered. It felt like he was about to choke. “Lars!” He shut his eyes, causing more fat tears to spill, and that panicked the teen even more.

“Lars, c'mon. Open up!”

The older sniffled, exhaling a shredding breath. With a quick clumsy wipe around his face, he stood and opened the door, then retreating back to his spot on the floor. Ronaldo right away entered the bathroom, failing to not show his desperation and worry.

He only shut the door behind him, sitting next to him, arms brushing against each other.

“You were right,” Lars lifted his head from his arms. “About what you said at the Lighthouse,” Ronaldo tried to search in his mind what he could possibly be talking about, but Lars was faster. “When you said I was a coward.”

Oh, that.

“No, don't even try! I know what I did,” He raised a hand when the blond was about to protest. “I was a jerk, a fucking coward that couldn't even stand up for his friend!” He kept going. “I've always been scared, of who I am, of what people would think of me. I tried to change that and guess what? It didn't do anything, it cost me so much, it cost me…” You.

“Damnit Ronaldo, do you- You really think I didn't miss you? That your friendship meant so little to me!? I know what I did, I know what I said, but did you really believe that!?”

“I…” Ronaldo was utterly speechless. As time went by and his ex-friend’s treatment got worse towards him, he grew sure that he was being hated and eventually started taking the cruel words as true. He was a “freak”, “weirdo”, “loser” and “cry baby”. They were right. No wonder after Lars, he couldn't manage any friendship he attempted to gather.

Yet, a part of him, a really small one, deep down and buried inside his heart still shone with hope that behind that facade there was still the funny, playful and caring Lars he knew.

“I know I don't deserve it,” Lars proceeded, taking his long silence as consent. “But I… I wish I could make up for it somehow.”

“You can,” He said, quietly. “I don't know how, but you can.”

“Is this a start?” Lars asked, hesitant, fearful of even looking at him and see a glimpse of rejection in his gaze.

“It can be,” The younger replied. “Do you want it to be?”

“Yeah, I do,” He looked at him, close enough to burst his bubble of personal space. “But… Do you want to?”

“I do.”

September 15th, 2014

“Another day working alone.” Sadie mumbled, unlocking the backdoor of the Big Donut, pushing the keys back to her pocket.

She turned the lights on and stared at the empty employee room that she used to share with Lars before starting their shift. Putting her bag aside, Sadie changed into her uniform and prepared the place for the day.

Her lunch bag labeled with her name was put on the same spot as the previous ones. With the open fridge, she initiated her inspection if there was any expired product between the drinks. Ending the task, she cleaned the outside of it.

“Did I leave my CD here?” Sadie went back to the room, taking the squeegee with her while she searched for the item, craving to hear her favorite singer, Olivia Olson’s, new song, Haven't You Noticed (I'm A Star).

Before she could find it somewhere, Sadie heard a familiar voice from the outside. “Lars?”

Behind the transparency, there was the cashier with Ronaldo, confusing the woman even more. Why did Lars suddenly decide to remember he had a job? And most importantly, why bring his friend with him?

She picked the keys and unlocked the front door, allowing the boys to enter. Sadie and Ronaldo greeted each other with a short ‘hi’ while Lars guided him inside, with the blonde right behind him.

“Sorry for coming here all of a sudden,” Ronaldo started. “But someone basically dragged me here.”

Sadie mentally asked herself how he could look so different? The last time she saw him it was a month ago and back there he looked almost like a maniac at the Lighthouse, owning so much anger and distress on his voice, completely obsessed;

And now, he appeared almost helpless; Voice lower than usual, arms shielding himself and the inability to hold eye contact.

“Nah, you'll thank me. Now let me get changed,” He swirled the purple shirt on his hands and left, Sadie following him. Before she could say something, he went first. “Sadie, look, I know it's confusing, but I'm doing this to help him.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“He's been locked inside a room all those months and I'm trying to get him to step outside. I researched and it said that it could help-” He stopped seeing the funny look she gave him. “What?”

“You researched,” Her grin grew. “That's so sweet.”

“Urgh! That's not the point!” Lars attempted to ignore the heat spreading from his face. “I’m trying to get him to be better, okay? I know this doesn't count as outside, but I'm out of options.”

“I know, but trust me, get him to at least leave your room and stay here where he can at least see a few people will do good,” She said, before going back, but stopped at the doorway. “And Lars, you're doing great.”

The day went as smoothly as it could be. It felt kind of nice to spend a day out of the house and actually talk to someone else. It felt like a breath of fresh air. Well, that was until he saw through the glass window his little brother coming.

He panicked, he wasn't ready yet. Both employees saw him rushing to the backroom and before trying to change his mind, the boy entered the store. “Hey Peedee!”

“Hi Sadie,” The boy waved at her. “Can I get two chocolate donuts and a pretzel, please?”

“Sure thing!” Sadie pulled out a bag and went to the donuts. “So, how are you doing?”

“Um, good, I guess…” Peedee lowered his face. “I wanted to know if you guys have any news about my brother.”

Sadie stopped on her tracks, eyeing Lars. “Uh, actually he's with me, in my house.” The teen answered, awkwardly.

“Oh, cool,” He replied shortly. "Good to know he's with someone he knows."

"He is," Sadie put the items on the bag, rolling the end. "But I understand the worry, he's your big brother after all and you probably miss having him home."

“Well, yeah,” Peedee admitted. “Things haven't been easy, I mean, things almost never have been easy between us, but I…” He sighed. “I do miss him. Like you said, he's my brother, you know? I wish we could sort things out. We had a lot of issues, most because of his obsession, but I know he was having a hard time.”

Sadie left the counter and approached him to offer a comforting hug. “I know this isn't easy, but I'm sure everything will be okay. He's getting better and soon he'll be 

“Dad misses him too, he doesn't talk about it- not with me at least, but I hear him talk with Nora's dad through the phone,” He tightens the embrace. “He worries a lot and…” Peedee let go of the hug, blinking the stinging from his eyes. “Sorry, I'm rambling. I shouldn't be dumping all my problems on you.”

“Hey, it's fine, don't apologize,” The employee assured him. “Everyone needs to blurt out their feelings sometimes. You're dealing with pretty heavy stuff, and you're just a kid.”

Peedee shrugged. “I even forget that sometimes…” He grabbed the bag on the counter. “Anyway, I gotta go. If anything happens, can you please tell me or my dad?”

“Of course, don't worry. Lars here will take good care of him!” Sadie tried to light up with a playful tone. Peedee gave a small smile, before leaving.

In the backroom, Ronaldo didn't move from his seat, still shocked to know his absence was that important. He truly thought both his brother and father would be relieved from dealing with his troubling personality, however the words he heard just caused his mind to turn upside down

Peedee missed him, his dad was worried.

Despite the guilt for being the reason for their restlessness, he felt somewhat relieved. Relieved to know he was wanted and missed back home. He certainly needed to hear that.

October 16th, 2014

“Ronaldo, sweetie, aren't you coming for breakfast?” Martha opened the door, without waiting for a response. She found him sitting on her son's bed, staring blankly at his own hands.

“Ronaldo?” She tried again when received no answer.

This time, he snapped his attention to her. "Sorry, didn't notice you were there..."

“What's wrong, sweetie?” She sat down next to him, eyes wandering to catch any glimpse of new details on his body; He still looked thinner, a little pale, the stubble he didn't care to shave became more perceptible and the bags under his eyes didn't leave his face.

“I don't even know,” Ronaldo slouched his shoulders. “I'm just sad, all the time, and I just can't feel happy anymore, or anything good at all.”

Martha smiled in sympathy and ran her hand around the chubby skin of his arm, until her eyes caught a small detail on his left arm. Ronaldo barely had time to react or stop her hands from turning his arm upside, revealing the few lines carved to his flesh.

His eyes widened, too frightened to come up with a plausible excuse - if one existed - and possibly deceive Martha. “Ronaldo…” How could a single word carry so many emotions? Confusion. Fear. Worry. Everything at once.

Her voice carried something so motherly, filled with tenderness, offering a chance for him to feel safe and secure. Something broke inside him, and Martha mentally prepared herself at the sight of trembling lips and reddening skin.

Her skinny arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling the Fryman the closest she could against her chest. Uncaring about getting snot on her robe, she made soothing noises while he babbled about missing his own mother.

December 13th, 2014

“And you love me? Even like this?”

“I dooooooooo!”

A choir of laughter filled Sadie's room after the movie Fangs of Love ends with a final kiss scene between the two werewolf couple.

“I don't remember the last time I laughed that much,” The employee wipes a small tear from the corner of her eyes. “You guys up for another movie?”

“As long as it's not lame like this one.” Lars and Ronaldo exchange a look, more laughter ready to erupt from their chest again.

Sadie left the bed and looked through her movie collection. “Uh, Hellhounds, It Came From Beneath the Sink!, Creeptasm III, Dream Ghost, The Rotten Forgotten, Enjoy the Violence, hm… Maybe we could try Exposed Brunch?”

“Do you still have The Organ Pickler?” Lars asked. “They’ll be releasing part 5 in a few weeks.”

“Let me see… Yeah, I do!” She pulled the DVD out of it, but her face fell when she looked at Ronaldo.

Ronaldo shifted uncomfortably on his seat. He wasn't really ready to face anything paranormal-related after his 'mental breakdown' and that's why they watched that corny movie in the first place. Although, it was bad enough to feel like everyone was tiptoeing around him, let alone deprive themselves from watching something they liked.

“It's okay, I like that movie.” He lied.

Sadie, on the other hand, didn't seem convinced. “You sure? We can watch something else.”

Lars, sensing the talk was about to head to another direction, decided to excuse himself. “I'll go grab some popcorn.” He grabbed the two empty bowls and made his way to the stairs, closing the door.

Now it was just them.

“I know we don't talk much or aren't that close but…” She licked her lips. “How are you doing? Really?”

“I… don't know,” They barely interact without Lars around and the fact he's still awkward talking about his feelings to his friend (he still wondered if he could call him that) doesn't make things easier with Sadie. “Still have a lot of things to deal with.” However he appreciated her concern.

“I understand,” Sadie chewed on her lips, mentally debating if she should ask what's itching on her mind. “Ronaldo, can I just give you some advice?”

He tried to hide his frown. The older sibling already heard this before and every single time someone made that question the person spat out some rude and extremely unnecessary comment. “Sure, go ahead.”

“I think you should do therapy,” Sadie confessed, and was quick to add more words when he made a face. “B-But, you know, therapy isn't like a lot of people say. It's good and it isn't for craz-"

“I know therapy isn't for crazy people!” Ronaldo remarked. Guilt immediately pipped in when he noticed how Sadie flinched at his tone. It wasn't fair. “I know it isn't for crazy people,” He used a softer one. “But I… I don't know, just don't feel like-”

He stumbled on his words, trying to find a reasoning behind declining every invite to a phycologist’s clinic; Fear of facing his anguishes? Shame of sharing the darkest corners of his heart?

“Talking about your dead mom isn't exactly the easiest thing to do.” He said, bittersweet.

“I know,” Sadie sighed. “But you can't keep holding onto this, it won't do any good and you're only gonna poison yourself with these unresolved issues,” When he didn't seem convinced, she decided to change tactics. “You know, I have this friend, Jane, she lost her dad in a fire. After the accident, she became someone else. She barely talked to her mom, couldn't even say his name and every night kept reliving it with nightmares. Her mom suggested therapy and she was pretty adamant about it, but she gave it a chance.”

Ronaldo listened.

“It wasn't easy, it took months for her to even touch the subject, let alone talk about it, and Ronaldo… I'm not gonna lie to you, it hurt, she told me it hurt a lot. When she opened her heart about it, it felt like she revived the same day again, but also… it felt like she got rid of a huge burden.”

He knew what it was to hold onto a pain for years, and at the same time you desperately want to free yourself from the haunting chains around your own memories, you're still hesitant, because after so long the agony began to become… Soothing?

You start to get used to it and it's harder to let go of the pain, because letting go means changing and changing means facing the aftermath of that decision, alongside the unknown. 

The unknown is scary.

Change is scary.

“I won't sugarcoat anything,” Sadie said. “If you decide to go, it's going to hurt and it'll hurt a lot, but it's the first step to overcome this and address your problems.”

Lars' footsteps were becoming closer. Sadie took this as her cue to end the conversation and let Ronaldo process all the given information. “Just think about what I told you.”

December 31th, 2014

Martha and Dante left yesterday to spend the New Year in Charm City like they do every year with their relatives. Lars, however, chose to stay with Ronaldo, who was still afraid to face his family. “Are you going to watch the fireworks?” He asked, being followed to the kitchen.

“I wanted to,” Ronaldo replied. “Everyone in Beach City will be there so, yeah, I think it would be nice,” He pulled a chair nearby to watch his friend. “What about you?”

“Isn't it obvious? I'll be there with you, duh!” Lars said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “But you know when you said everyone will be there, that includes your dad, right?”

Almost immediately, Ronaldo's grin disappeared. “Yeah, I know,” He looked over his lap, tugging at the shirt Lars arranged for him. “I'm just not ready to see him again. I'm scared.”

“Of what?”

He shrugged. “Disinheriting me?” Lars laughed, before turning around to look at him, shutting his mouth when Ronaldo didn't appreciate having his worry laughed at.

“Look man, I'm sure your dad won't disinherit you or anything. He cares about you and everyone knows that, damnit,” Lars filled a cup of water. “If he didn't, he wouldn't bother to go to the Lighthouse to see how you were doing or leave you some food and you heard what Peedee said the other day.”

“If you don't want to run into him, fine, we can go there later. It's up to you.”

The elder watched Lars gather a few utensils and ingredients. He was about to cook something, yet he couldn't bring himself to be surprised or ask what he planned for today, and honestly, Lars was thankful his willingness to show some of his baking skills were treated as something usual.

Ronaldo hasn't seen his dad in months.

He didn't want to be rejected, however he didn't have much of a choice; It's not like he could live with Lars forever or avoid his own family for the rest of his life, especially when both live in the same freaking city! 

He had to approach this issue someday.

Hours later, near midnight, both left the house and went to the beach where they should watch the fireworks. It was crowded, basically every single citizen of Beach City decided to go there. Ronaldo wouldn't admit it, but after so long barely going outside he was slightly anxious about putting himself in the middle of people.

“Guys!” Sadie's voice drew their attention. She was sitting in a picnic towel with her mom, a few snacks sprawled over it. “For a moment I thought you wouldn't come.”

“And miss Mayor Dewey's pretty darn spectacular fireworks? Never.” Lars laughed, mocking the advertisement poster he’s seen for the past few days. “Hey Barb!”

“Hi kids,” The mailwoman greeted them, before grabbing a glass and raising it towards them. “Champagne?”

“No, thank you.” Ronaldo declined.

“I'll take it.” Lars took it from her hand and accepted the bottle pouring the transparent liquid into it.

“Hey kiddo,” Barb gently squeezed Ronaldo's shoulder, almost startling him. “Glad to know you're doing okay.”

He didn't know what she meant with ‘okay’ when he still viewed no purpose in waking up every day and part of his being was swallowed in grief. Yet, he offered a little nod in response.

From where they were, near the boardwalk, he struggled to view the Universe Family in the front, but he caught a glimpse of his brother speaking to Nora, before she walked to somewhere else. 

They're right there, so close and so far at the same time.

When midnight arrived and the countdown finished, a choir of 'happy new year' filled the beach, a cue for the coloured show to begin.

The first were pink, followed by blue ones, varying from cyan tones to indigo. “Peedee loves the blue ones,” His thought expressed out loud, remembering how a younger Peedee would shake his shoulders and excitedly point at the blue lights performing in the sky. Then, it hit him. He should be with his family, at least try to be there and join them in such a special moment together. “I gotta go.”

“Where?” Lars asked. His friend didn't answer, but the red haired caught where he was looking at and immediately understood. He nodded and watched him go towards his family.

Dodging from the people's personal space, Ronaldo made his way to the group. He tried to brush off the little voice inside his head telling him it was a bad idea and he should go back before he faced his dad's anger and Peedee’s resentment.

“Can I sit here with you guys?” He asked quietly. It was a surprise his voice was heard through the explosions and loud cheers from the other citizens. The first one to acknowledge his presence was his dad and, gosh, when their eyes met he was surprised his heart didn't jump out of his mouth.

“Son?”

Now it was Peedee's turn to look.

“Ronaldo?”

His dad was bewildered while his little brother was completely astonished. Mr. Fryman patted the empty place next to him and Ronaldo gladly took it, letting out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding. His dad wrapped an arm around his kids and drew them closer.

“Hey,” Peedee looked at him. “I'm glad you came.”

The older brother smiled. “Me too.”

January 11th, 2015 (present day)

“And that's the whole story.” Peedee finishes his long speech, letting his friend process the bunch of information they just gathered.

“Whoa,” Connie is the first to speak after a deadly silence. “I didn't know he was having such a hard time. At least he's getting better, isn't he?”

“Well, yeah, in some way. He came back home,” The resemblance of a smile crossed his face. “He and dad had a long, long talk about what happened and it looks like they'll finally sort things out.”

“That's good! I'm glad everything's going fine.” Steven says.

“What about you, Peedee?” Nora asks. “How are you feeling after all this? Did you and Ronaldo manage to talk about it too?”

Taken back by her question, the boy takes a few seconds to formulate a proper response. “I’m confused, to be honest,” He began. “I mean, I'm happy that Ronaldo's back, really. Despite everything, he's still my brother and I love him,” The three nods, waiting for him to continue. “But I can't settle, I keep having this feeling that something big is going to happen at any time.”

“When he was still into this paranormal stuff, he would be this obsessive jerk- Me and dad would have to guess his mood of the day; What to do, what to say, always be careful to not trigger him. It was a nightmare,” He confesses, each word coming out heavier. “And now, when everything is okay, I'm still like this. I still feel like something's about to happen, like my body is always in alert mode and it's awful, but I can't help it…”

“You're anxious,” Connie interjects. “What you're describing, it looks like anxiety. It's probably sequelae from dealing with too much stress.”

Peedee doesn't know what to answer, yet he knows what Connie is implying to. A few times in school, they talked about anxiety, social anxiety to be exact, a disorder both apparently had in common and how challenging it was to overcome this.

With the concept of the anxiety disorder fresh on his brain, he knew Connie was trying again, implicitly, to get him to see a doctor. But at the moment, he couldn't afford such luxury. “Maybe, but I'll wait for my dad to handle Ronaldo's problems first,” He ignores the displeasure on his friends’ faces. “So, um, Connie, you said you had a surprise for us.”

“Oh,” She almost forgot. “Yeah, I brought something for you guys.”

Connie introduced The Spirit Morph Saga, her favorite book series, through its first book, The Unfamiliar Familiar. She's been excited to show her friends and hope they would also like it. 

Hopefully, at least for today she would get her friend's mind off his problems and distract him with Lisa and Archimicarus’ magical adventures.

Chapter Text

With one leg leaning on the wall while the other one spread on the couch, and an arm under her head, Nora makes herself comfortable reading the book Connie introduced to her, Steven and Peedee, The Unfamiliar Familiar.

For the past week she had been focusing on finishing the first of four books from the saga to distract herself from the garage incident. Things were still weird between her and Amethyst, and Steven noticed it. It was impossible not to.

The tension caused her to choose to stay at home while the gems and Steven went out to take care of robonoids that suddenly started to appear. Today, they went to the Gem Battlefield to recollect the remaining weapons there. Steven offered to stay and make her company (like the other times), but she refused.

The silence was broken when the warp pad activated. “We’re back!” Nora hears her brother and peeks from her book, eyes widening when she spots the giant axe held by Garnet. “Whoa.”

Nora sits down, leaving her book aside, and watches Garnet and Amethyst go to the quartz’s room. “This is great! My room's been needing another pile.”

“Hey, did everything go well?” Nora approaches when Amethyst is at a reasonable distance. 

“Yeah! Look what we got!” Steven points at the scabbard in Pearl's hand.

“It belongs to your mother's sword,” Pearl explains. “Unfortunately, it was lost during one of the last battles we faced.” She displays the object on her open palms, allowing the girl to see it properly.

The scabbard is pink, with a smooth, pale white edge and tip, and has Rose's symbol in the center. It seems so delicate, quite ironic of it to guard a war weapon. Nora didn't even have the courage to touch it, land her hand on her mom's belongings. She felt unworthy.

“What is it, Steven?” Pearl asks, noticing the boy staring at her.

He hesitates. “What was mom like?”

Pearl expresses that look everytime she remembers the leader, gaze distant as if searched into the most loving memories. “She was courageous, and brilliant…” There's a pause, then a sigh. “And beautiful... Sometimes, you look so much like her.”

“Really?”

Of course he does. He is perfect, there isn't a thing he can't do. He is really like mom; courageous, brilliant and beautiful while I… I'm not.

Nora excuses herself to go to the bathroom, ignoring the commotion Amethyst and Garnet are causing, still trying to fit the giant axe through the door.

Taking a deep breath, she stares at her own defeated reflection. She turns on the sink, wets her hands and rubs them all over face, Nora just needed a few minutes to recollect herself. When she is about to exit she overhears talk from the outside.

“Hey, Steven, maybe you should hold onto this.” Pearl is probably handing him the scabbard.

“Woah... Thanks, Pearl. If anything tries to eat me, I'll bop them with this!” 

“That's just the scabbard, Steven. It held your mother's sword. Nothing else could fit so perfectly inside. For all this time it's been... incomplete.”

Mom's sword… Now that I think about it, is she talking about the one Lion gave to us? Because that's the only one I know mom had and it matches the scabbard.

“Well, let's complete it. Where's the sword?”

There was a pause.

“Can you keep a secret?”

Nora presses her ear further against the door. Pearl is whispering and the door is thick enough to muffle almost everything.

“A secret?!” Steven's squeak is hurriedly hushed by the gem covering his mouth.

“Shh! It's a secret, even to Garnet and Amethyst. Rose had a place that she kept hidden from all but me, but you have her gem. That place is yours now, and I can show it to you!”

“Uh, okay,” She hears footsteps. “But what about Nora? Wouldn't that be her place too?”

The girl tenses.

“We won't be long, we can tell her later.”

Nora leans her head against the door and silently exhales. Bright blue light emerges from the small crack underneath the door, a clear signal her brother and Pearl were gone. She stares at the floor. She doesn't want to leave, she wants to stay here and maybe throw herself a pity party.

Remembering there's no one in the Temple, she goes back to reading and as chapters go by, a small scene caught her attention;

“What will you do once your mission is over, dear Lisa?” Archimarus’ question rang through her head. “It's clear this place wasn't built for a young girl like you.”

“Are you asking me if I'll leave?” Lisa retorted, raising her torch higher, flames dancing across the darkness surrounding both. “If so, your answer is no,” She wasn't surprised at the familiar’s indignation. “Why? Because I'm no ordinary no more. You said this place wasn't made for me, yet now I'm sure I wasn't the one made for normal civilization.”

“After the situations I went through, things I did, words I spoke, horrors I saw, I can guarantee you, my friend, I can't be normal anymore. I no longer fit that word.”

The character's monologue raised a question inside the twin’s mind. What if that wasn't her place after all? She may be Rose's daughter, however she is fully human and she has no gem, Nora doesn't have anything to make her a real gem, so what if she isn't in the right place?

She is always trying to fit in a place that has zero common traits with her. Maybe, just maybe her place wasn't alongside gems, but humans instead.

Although… The thought she didn't belong alongside her brother certainly hurt. It saddened Nora to think Steven was placed on a level that no matter how much she attempted to reach, it would always be out of her grasp. He was the perfect one, Rose Quartz’s son, chosen to carry her legacy onwards with his inherited gem, while she… Had nothing left.

After all, she could have been putting efforts in the wrong place, trying to fit into a too-small-box for her. What if her place wasn't fighting monsters or handling magical artifacts, but attending classes and making friends in a cafeteria.

What do you mean?" She hears the teacher slightly confused. "Your daughter never attended school?"

"Oh no, I'm not his daughter, I'm just Peedee's friend." Nora quickly clarifies.

"And where's your father? Why haven't you ever attended school?"

"Because my dad is homeschooled! And he decided to homeschool me and my brother too!" She tries, waiting for Mrs. Lezner's reaction.

"Hm, I understand," It seems she believed it. "Some parents do believe homeschooling is the best option for their kids, although they may not know it can be very harmful for children."

"How?" It instigates Fryman's curiosity.

"Well, one of the biggest problems is that their children will lack social development, it will be harder for them to form friendships and handle different opinions from different people. Also, their education may not be the highest quality since their parents won't have the same knowledge as a qualified teacher with a degree.”

Priyanka grabs her phone to check on her calendar. “Just one more thing, as I was talking to your father, he mentioned that you and your brother are homeschooled. I wanted to know if you are interested in changing that?”

“Uh, I'm not sure. I think I rather do all my homework at home, I feel more comfortable like that.” Nora says, which Priyanka understands the implication she doesn't want to go into full detail about it.

“I understand,” She rises from her seat, bringing relief to Nora who realizes the conversation it's finally over. “But I still stand about what I said. If you ever need someone to talk about any issues I'm here, alright?”

There's so much genuine care in her voice Nora can't help but smile at the fuzzy feeling in her chest. “Thanks.”

Nora wonders if she would be more useful inside a school, like normal kids- She snorts. Normal. Funny that, despite every extraordinary situation she witnessed, she never once looked at her life as “non-normal”.

She thinks about texting Connie and having a chat about what her normal life is like, but she chooses to just focus on her book for now, not wanting to push herself further into this topic. The girl ends up so focused on her reading she doesn't even notice Amethyst and Garnet's presence.

“Yo!” Amethyst jumps onto her, laughing when the younger let out an embarrassing yelp at being startled.

“Amethyst!” Nora growls.

“The one and only,” The gem teases. “What are you up to?”

“Just read- Hey!” Her book is pulled out of her hands. “Give it back!” Nora tries to take the book, but Amethyst pushes her with one arm while holding the object with the other. “C'mon Amy, it's not even mine, it's Connie's. Don't ruin it!”

“Chill, I'm just looking.” She laughs.

The warp pad activates and brings Pearl with Steven back. “Sis!” He leaves Pearl's side. “Is Lion around here? I need that sword he gave us!”

“Uh, yes. He's outside,” Nora answers, but Steven already makes his way towards the outside.

Miraculously, Lion obeyed the twin and followed him to the house. Inside the living room, Steven approaches his hand towards Lion's mane, causing it to glow instantly, and pulls Rose's sword from it. Pearl watches with a frown and widened eyes. “Rose's sword, how did it get in there?”

Steven shrugs. “I don't know,” He hands the sword to Pearl, and she slots it in the scabbard. “But there's a ton of stuff in there, I keep stuff in him too.”

“But how?” Pearl tries to enter Lion's mane, but he growls at her. “Does Lion have something to do with Rose?”

“Of course! That's why he's pink!” Amethyst says as if she just did the discovery of her life.

“It's a little obvious.” Garnet states.

“But... Rose didn't have a lion.” Pearl insists.

“It seems like her stuff in there.”

“NO! Rose didn't have a lion, because if Rose had a lion I would have known about it!” She denies, offended with the possibility.

Garnet approaches. “Rose kept many things secret, even from us.”

“But not from me” Pearl exclaims, raising a hand to her chest. “I was the one she told everything!” Tears threatened to fall.

“You're not the only one who misses her!” Amethyst raged, up here with the gem’s selfishness and tendencies to act like she's the only one suffering from Rose's loss.

“YOU can't understand how I feel, NONE of you had what we had!” Pearl tightens her hold around the sword, stepping back.

Steven was about to say something, but Nora goes first, trying to soothe the situation and maybe receive whatever rude remark instead of her brother. “She probably just wanted to protect you."

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be the right words to use. “AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW!? YOU'VE NEVER EVEN MET HER!” Pearl slams her fist into the wall, which causes the painting of Rose to fall.

Unable to move, she gasps in shock. Fortunately, Garnet is faster and quickly catches it, without saying a word. Pearl looks at Nora and then runs off.

“Fine, go! Go cry about it!” Amethyst yells, watching her warp away. “I hate it when she gets like this.” She mumbles, fuming, stomping towards her room. Once the door closed with a loud slam, silence returned to the Temple.

“Sis?” Steven approaches her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She gives no response. “You okay?” Her gaze is solemnly fixed on the floor, breathing coming out heavier, but slow.

“Yeah,” She gulps. “But Pearl clearly isn't, we gotta find her,” Steven tries to change her mind, but she stops him. “Now.”

Steven turns to Lion. “Do you know where she went?” The pet growls in response. “I'm going to assume that means you do. He hops on Lion's back, then looks at Nora. “You're okay to go?”

She nods, hopping on the pet too. “Let's go find Pearl.” Lion opens a portal with his magical roar and jumps in with both twins.

The portal leads them to the Battlefield, where behind a few bushes crusted with strawberries they spot Pearl standing alone, embracing Rose's sword. “Pearl?” Steven calls and it's enough to alarm the gem.

She immediately runs off. “Leave me alone!”

Steven and Nora hold firmly around Lion, who begins chasing after her, catching up to her with one of his portals, putting them aside her. However, Pearl runs in a different direction and jumps off a cliff onto floating chunks of earth. "Get that thing away from me!”

Steven gets off Lion and pats his mane. “You better sit this one out, Lion,” He takes a few steps and jumps across the chunk of earth. When Nora goes to follow him, Steven looks back. “Maybe you should stay too, sis.”

“No!” Nora says, adamantly. “I'm not going let you do this alone!”

Steven glances at his sister, then at Pearl who's going further and further from them. He doesn't have time to argue, so he keeps on his way to approach the gem, a silent agreement to Nora's company.

They follow Pearl and eventually arrive at the top-most chunk. She stands on a huge platform, separated by a large gap in between the twins and her. “Go away!”

“Pearl! Did I... did I do something wrong? You got to tell me!”

Receiving no response, Steven prepares himself to jump across the large gap between him and Pearl, but Nora grabs a handful of his shirt. “No! It's too dangerous!” She looks over her shoulder, then at the gap. “I have an idea, stay here.”

The youngest twin goes to the previous rock, calculating the distance amongst it. She takes a few steps behind and runs, jumping at the next rock, but using her momentum to draw it forward, closing the space between the gap.

Steven stumbles a little, but manages to get a hold of his balance. He reaches where Pearl is now sitting, muffling her sobs with one hand while holding the sword closer to her with the other. He looks back, to reassure his sister and after she nods he goes talk to the gem.

Nora inhales, retreating to where they left Lion. 

The pet was lying down, curled up, but in the twin's presence it immediately opened his eyes. Nora sits down next to him and raises her hand, waiting for permission. Lion leaned his head against her palm, granting it.

“I'm so tired Lion, so tired of always trying and failing to be good enough,” Nora says, looking up and seeing Steven hugging Pearl from afar. “I just wish Pearl loved me, but I guess I'm asking too much,” The first tears fall down. “I mean, I can't blame her, right? I don't love myself either.”

“I know she was sad, but I'm sure she wouldn't talk to Steven like that,” She leans against his frame. “It's always me, and I get it. I do, but still…” Nora rasped. “I'm so sad, that's the true. I feel awful for everything and it's all too much!”

To her surprise, Lion places a paw over her and it's enough to get her at the edge of tearing up. No, I can't cry right now, not when they can come back at any moment. I gotta be strong, I need to be strong.

Instead of helping, her mantra fails and makes things worse, because she's tired of being strong, tired of pretending everything's fine and that she doesn't care when in reality she's slowly falling apart.

Back at the temple, they realize they've been out for hours. Steven offers Nora to take a bath first and she genuinely appreciates it. Inside the bathtub filled with warm water, she stays there with her knees tucked to her chest, hair gluing onto her skin.

The younger twin can't bring herself to move, limbs too heavy to lift. The soap is right there, but so far at the same time when her hands are submerged. Water was hot enough to create fog, but now her skin is protesting through shrivers against the coldness.

I wish I couldn't feel anything, she sighs. I know she was angry and I get it, but… What she said hurt me so much. I was only trying to help… Maybe that's my problem, I can't help at all and I should stop trying.

Why did I even open my mouth, I should've stayed quiet. Pearl was stressed and I pushed her even more, in the end it's all my fault. So stupid, stupid, stupid. Why didn't I learn to step out of the way when I'm clearly making things difficult or worse to everyone.

Everyone would be better off without me. I don't have a purpose, or a gem, or anything that I could be proud of. I should've learned that I'm useless already, that I'm pathetic and no one needs me.

But I wish they did…

I still wish for good things and maybe that's my problem. I haven't learned already, I keep trying to find a reason to stay here with them when there's none. Why do I still hope? Why don't I give up already?

“Sis?” Steven gently knocks on the door. “Is everything okay?”

Crap. Am I taking too long?

“Y-Yeah, I'll be out in a minute!” Nora scrambles to drench herself and leaves the tub. Dry, she puts on a white sweater with pink stripes, one of her comfort clothes. She roughly rubs her face in the towel, trying to get rid of the teary aspect of her face and clean her throat to not sound like she's been holding back hiccups.

Stepping out of the bathroom, she spots Steven sitting on the couch swinging his legs. “Sorry, I took too long. It's all yours.”

Her brother chews his lips. “You've been in there for an hour.”

“An hour!?”

“Yeah, I got worried. I didn't hear the water running or anything, so I wanted to check. Anyway, sorry for interrupting your bath.”

Oh Steven, always so worried. I don't deserve a brother like you. “It's okay. I just lost track of time.”

Dinner was mostly quiet, actually, Steven prepared both plates for him and Nora. Creamy pasta was today's order and instead of eating on the counter, Steven suggested having dinner in their room watching TV, Nora's favorite show to be exact; The Fantastical Magical Family’s new season still haven't aired, it got delayed due to extensive production, but the reprise still aired normally on the same days and time. 

Steven peeks at his sister's plate and frowns seeing she barely touched her food. “Nora, you need to eat.”

Her eyes leaves the screen to her lap. “Oh right, I will.”

Before she could sink her fork on the pasta, Steven takes the plate away. “I'll heat it for you.” He grabs his plate too and leaves.

─ ·★· ─

While Steven is in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Nora is silently debating over a decision. Suddenly, the Temple's door opens and Pearl exits. Nora spots her from the corner of her eye and decides to wait for her brother in their room.

“Nora?” She freezes at the sound of Pearl’s voice. “Can I talk to you?”

The girl partially turns around and stays quiet. Pearl takes this as a ‘yes’. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have done or said what I did, I hope you understand I didn't mean it.”

“Okay,” She says so quietly Pearl almost couldn't hear it. Nora walks upstairs and grabs her pillow, before going back to the living room searching for her umbrella and a smaller blanket.

“What’s all this?" Steven asks, after leaving the bathroom.

“I'm going to sleep in the van tonight,” Nora opens the door, adjusting the umbrella as well. “Don’t feel like staying here.” She says, directing her gaze at Pearl, visibly recoiling.

“Wait! I'll go too!” Steven makes a quick job to grab his pillow and the white covers. Nora waits for him, purposely avoiding eye contact with the gem. When her brother is done, she offers some space under the umbrella and leaves with him. “Goodnight, Pearl!”

“Goodnight, Steven.”

They walk downstairs, thankful for the rain 

“You're upset,” He says. It sounds more like a statement than a question. “It’s because of what Pearl said, right?”

Nora goes stiff. “It doesn't matter.”

“It does matter,” Steven insists, noticing how tense she seems at each passing second. “Nora, I know there's something wrong. This has been going on for days- weeks! Something's bothering you, hurting you and you need to talk to me.”

The more she hears, the stronger her urge to cry gets. Such a shame there's no escape from Steven's questions, because unlike when they searched for Pearl there's nothing for her to focus on. “I’m fine!” Nora emphasizes. “I'm fine,” Stopping on her tracks, she uses her free hand to rub her eyes, welling up. If she started crying right now she wouldn't stop, but it seems that every action only triggers her emotions. “I'm f-fine.”

Steven rubs her back in reassurance and offers to hold the umbrella for her. She hands it to him and he tucks the pillow and covers underneath his left arm. Nora sniffles and rubs her eyes, still using the willpower she had left. “Let's go find dad, the rain is getting worse.”

Greg was playing a few random accordions on his guitar inside the van when a loud knock startled him. He peeked from the small window and immediately opened at the sight of his children.

He grabs the pillow, covers and umbrella from Steven's hands and takes the umbrella, closing it while they get inside. “Kiddos, what were you doing out there? Did something happen? You didn't warn me you were coming over…” His voice trailed down when he saw the look on his kids’ faces.

“I don't wanna talk about it,” Nora embraces herself. “I…” Want to scream, I want a hug, I want to stop feeling like a burden, I want to feel enough. “... don't even know what I want.”

However, Greg does.

“C’mere, strawberry.” He pats his lap and Nora crawls to his side. She lets him wrap his arms around her, bringing that warm and genuine feeling of comfortableness and safety, and before she can stop herself she is already sobbing and clutching at his shirt

Everything became too much to bear. All the emotions she had been bottled up finally overflowed and even if it happened in the worst way possible, she is so relieved. Letting go of every imprisoned tear, allowing to feel the whirlwind of emotions made her feel so much lighter.

Also, having her dad's comfort right now was exactly what she needed. She couldn't be more thankful for his embrace, his chin resting on her head while one of his big arms rubbed circles around her back and the other held her close. Greg caused the impression no evil could hurt his little girl while wrapped in his hug.

“Feeling better?” Greg asks, running a thumb to dry her tears. She nods. He searches for a box of tissues, and wipes the snot and wet paths on her cheeks.

“T-Thanks,” She shyly moves away, letting the residual hiccups fade. “Dad, can I just go to sleep? I'm really tired.”

“Sure kiddo, let me just put the covers on,'' Greg grabs the mattress and places it closer to the seat. Steven helps him by handing the pillow and the covers he took, sprawling on the mattress.

He motions for them to lay down and when both make themselves comfortable, Greg draws the covers over them, like he used to do when they were little. “There we go, all comfy.” 

“Um, you don't need to go to sleep just because I will,” Nora says, aware of the fact Steven is only joining her to make her company. “If you two want to stay awake and do your jam sessions it's okay.”

“And miss the opportunity to cuddle with my baby sister? No way!” To make his point, Steven scoots closer to Nora and nuzzles his nose against her face. She smiles weakly and snuggles closer to him.

“Would you two like a bedtime story?” Greg asks, reaching for his guitar.

Steven nods, looking at Nora, who repeats the gesture. “Yeah, I think a bedtime story would be nice.”

Chapter Text

The rain falls hard against the van, its million droplets leaving wet paths on the window. Greg, who chose to stay awake and make sure his kids were having a good night of sleep, smiles fondly at the peaceful state they currently are;

Nora sleeps on her back with sprawled limbs, managing to kick the covers out of her ankles while Steven wraps his arms around her waist while cuddling against his sister, legs tangled around hers. Every time the younger twin moved in her sleep, Steven would move as well, following every movement.

Greg finds it impossibly adorable.

Since they were literal toddlers, Steven had this “big brother instincts” with Nora. Always wanting to sleep next to her, following her like a shadow and even when she cried he would find himself in tears too. Both had an unbreakable bond ever since.

Memories of the early years with his children flow through his mind, bringing so many emotions alongside. It wasn't an easy part of his life, having to deal with the grief of losing the love of his life, loneliness of being a single dad and confusion haunting every second of his being about raising kids, everything at once.

Today, he can announce with pride that he managed to overcome his toughest moment, but back then he wasn't so sure if he would be successful.

─ ·★· ─

Steven & Nora - 9 months old

Greg was resting on a wooden chair, arms loosen over the edge of the crib in front of him. The purple room he was in provided a melancholy setting with its half illuminated state. He watched the rise and fall of his kids' chest, embracing the peace and love the situation gifted him.

He realized he's been there longer than he should be, so he checked on them for the last time and left.

Greg soon found his friend in the kitchen, cleaning the residuals of what once was toddler food from the table and chair. Vidalia only acknowledged his presence when turned around, her stained clothes being on display. “Hey.”

“Hey,” He leaned against the entrance, taking a deep breath, free from the concern of even making the slightest noise. “Little one gave you a hard time?”

The blonde snorted. “Just discovered the fun of playing with food,” She dropped the cloth on the table and stretched herself, groaning at the renewed pain her back brought. “And the twins?”

“Thank goodness they fell asleep quite fast,” Greg left his spot. “I just decided to stay there with them for a while. Still afraid of letting them alone for too long, you know?”

Vidalia nodded. “So, do you really plan on moving out?” She asked, touching the same subject they'd left a few days ago.

“Yeah, I do. There's this house on Chestnut Road - I think you know where it is - the owner tried to sell it, but no one bought it. I talked to him and he lowered the price if I fixed the house by myself.”

“I think I do,” She said, referring to the location. “But that's quite far from the Temple, isn't it?”

“Well, yes,” Greg replied, a little hesitant. “It’s not like the gems were worried about this, so… I'm not worried either.” He put the two bottles on the sink and motioned for Vidalia to hand the spoon and other utensils left on the table.

The younger complied, not failing to notice how sad her friend seemed to be with the topic. She just couldn't wrap her head around the fact none of the trio cared enough to pay a single visit or ask for news regarding the kid!

Vidalia understood Pearl absolutely despising the child considering the weird obsession she had for Rose, however what about the others? She knew what grief could do to you, yet she felt bad for Greg being left to carry all the burden on his own.

“You know this house is also yours, right?” She spoke, clearing her throat when her voice came out raspy. “I don't want you to think that just because me and… Beatrice had plans, it doesn't mean I don't want you here. We're both helping each other here, we're on this together.”

Greg stopped his task to look at his friend in time to see a glimpse of effort put to control her emotions. Talking about Beatrice, her best friend and the original owner of the house, after she died demanded a lot of strength not to cry. He understood what her willingness to talk about it meant.

"I know and I-" He barely could finish when the faucet decided to make his task harder, ruining the moment. "Aw man, really? Again?"

"Urgh! I swear I'm gonna rip that thing off!" Vidalia groaned, gripping at her own hair to release some frustration. "I wish I knew someone that could fix that shit."

"You know, I met this guy, Yellowtail, he's new here in Beach City. He came to work as a sailor, but right now he's working at the Car Wash too and he's the one who fixes most of the structural stuff,” Greg recalled, trying to close the stuck faucet. “He knows how to fix everything, the problem is he only communicates in ASL, but the owner, Tom, speaks it too and I can ask him a little help. Is that okay?"

She waved at him. "This Yellowguy can even speak Japanese, as long as he fixes that thing."

Steven & Nora - 2 years old

“C'mon kids, it's late and you two need to sleep,” Greg groaned. His eyes couldn't be more than half closed and he used everything on his willpower to keep himself from yawning every five seconds.

The living room was a mess, the fur blue carpet almost engulfing the small building blocks scattered all over the place and a wet spot of milk decorated the lower part of the couch. Greg could already imagine the trouble it would cost to wash it.

“No!” Steven cried, crossing his little chubby arms, barely visible by the too-big-for-him salmon shirt tucked on his shorts to keep it from going under his feet.

“I want auntie!” Nora protested, pouting her lips. “Auntie read!”

“I can read to you,” Their father tried, offering his arms to carry them. “Just please, come here with daddy.”

“No!”

Vidalia, who just arrived downstairs after putting her son to sleep, recognized the commotion. To let Greg have a bit of a rest after coming back home, she would get the twins ready for bed and read to them and, as you can guess, it happened enough times to become some kind of “tradition” between them.

“It's okay Greg, I don't mind,” She walked past him, sending a sympathetic look. “C'mon, let's get ready to bed and I'll read to you.” Bending over, she carried Nora, then Steven, taking both to their bedroom. Sure, her back was killing her, but she couldn't say no to these two.

When they disappeared upstairs, the older one sighed, quietly making his way to the bathroom to get the work aura out of him. No books of parenthood or virtual blogs could prepare him to face any sort of rejections coming from his own kids.

It's silly to feel upset over this, he told himself, however the resentment over a situation that happened a few times grew bigger enough to bring his insecurities and plant doubts over his parenting skills.

Later, with the task completed, Vidalia went downstairs to talk to her friend. She searched for Greg all over the house and worry began to creep when he was nowhere to be found.

The painter eventually found him on the outside of the house, sitting down on the pavement in front of the garage. “Greg?” Vidalia passed through the curtains and walked towards his friend.

“Hey," Greg briefly looked over his shoulder. “Sorry, I just- I really needed a moment.” The small packet of cigarettes clutched on his trembling fingers didn't go unnoticed by his friend.

Vidalia remained without an answer, sitting next to him, choosing to observe the empty and quiet street. “I don't blame them,” His sudden phrase caught her attention. “I really don't, I mean, how can they want to spend time with someone who's never there with them?”

Greg chewed his lips. “I'm not always there because I'm working! They don't know that and I can't expect them to understand, they're too young, but…” He paused, glancing at the packet. “It still hurts.”

“I know.” Vidalia rubbed his back and let him lean against her touch. During times like this she wished her mind could give her any comforting words to use, but dammit, she had zero experience being the voice of reason or that kind of friend you can ask for any advice.

“Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing,” Greg lowered his head, slightly glancing at his side when Vidalia placed a hand on his shoulder. “I keep thinking If I should've spent more time with her, but I only worked like crazy to make sure our kid had everything they needed!” He recoiled, bringing his knees to his chest. “It feels like I'm making the same mistake again, maybe… Maybe I'm not being good enough, maybe I'm not a good dad-”

“Stop!” She held a hand. “Stop right there, Universe. You're not allowed to say that crap about yourself!” Her determined tone kept him quiet. “Greg, you're the best dad these kids could have. You're always making the best of your efforts to make sure they have everything they need, you're so attentive and patient with them, hell, you even read these tons of books about parenthood.”

“You're always trying to be the best version of yourself and that makes you the best dad Steven and Nora could have. I'm 100% sure these two are going to grow up as the most loving kids because if there's something they won't be lacking is their dad's love.”

Greg sniffled, wiping the few tears rolling down his cheeks. “Whoa, I wasn't expecting you to say all this,” His friend suddenly felt self conscious. “But thank you, really, I guess… I needed that.”

Steven & Nora - 4 years old

Childlike laughter could be heard from the kitchen Greg was busy himself. From time to time he would check his kids having fun with Sour Cream and Peedee running around the courtyard while he prepared a snack for them.

He was just finishing putting the tomatoes and lettuce above the melted cheese when his daughter arrived in the room. “Hi daddy!”

“Hi sweetie!” Greg looked over his shoulder.

“Daddy, can I ask you something?” Nora walked towards him. At the confirmation, she proceeded. “Why is Steven not like me?”

Her father frowned, not quite understanding. “What do you mean, sweetie?”

“He has this thing on his belly button,” Nora slightly raised her shirt, pointing at her navel. “I don't know what that is, but why don't I have it too?”

Oh.

Oh.

Greg left the plate with sandwiches and sat down in one of the chairs, patting his lap. “C’mere,” Nora quickly jumped on his lap, expecting to hear some ‘story time'. “You remember when I told you about your mom?”

She nodded, still fresh on her memory the day her dad explained her mommy wasn't here anymore and couldn't come back.

“When she was alive she used to live with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl in that Temple. Together, they fought monsters to protect all of us.”

“Like a superhero!?” Nora exclaimed, her big smile exposing the single missing front tooth. “Like Mariana from my comics?”

Greg chuckled at his daughter’s excitement, knowing she never missed an opportunity to mention her favorite character. “Yeah, just like her,” He affectionately ruffled her messy curls. “And she had the same thing Steven has on his belly button, it's called gemstone, it's what makes the gems different from us.”

“Is that what gives them their weapons? Cause I saw Amethyst taking her thing from her chest and it's so cool!” Nora asked, gesturing to mimic the gem's whip.

Her dad nodded. “It's what gives them their weapons and makes them strong, so when your mom had your brother she passed it to him.”

“But why him and not me?”

There it was, the so feared answer Greg hoped his daughter would never make. It was silly to think she would never notice this difference between her and Steven, although a small, very small piece of hope she wouldn't ask about it still existed inside him.

Now it was too late.

“I… don't know, cupcake,” Uncomfortableness caused him to shift awkwardly on his seat, this conversation wouldn't end well. “Pearl said it's probably because he's older and there was only one gem to give.”

“Oh,” Nora hung her head, fidgeting her fingers against her shirt. In an instant, her excitement dissipated completely. “That means no super power?”

The older Universe winced, witnessing the disappointment beginning to grow on his child's face. “Not like him, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that! You're just different from your brother and you two still can learn and do a lot of cool stuff together!”

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to cheer her up. “I guess so,” Nora said, crawling off his lap. “Daddy, can I go to my room? I want to read my comic, I like to read it when I'm sad.”

It broke his heart to hear his baby so sad, even more over something he couldn't do much. Helplessness is one of the worst feelings you can ever experience as a parent. “Of course, sweetie,” Standing up, he grabbed the plate to offer her. “Don't you wanna a sandwich to eat while you read?”

She shook her head. “Not hungry.”

Steven & Nora - 6 years old

Tap, tap, tap.

A pen tapped incessantly against one of the many papers thrown across the table. This one, holding Greg's attention, had his parents’ names written on it.

Mr. and Mrs. DeMayo.

How long has it been since he heard or even spoke that name? His heart weighed at the childish wish of having his parents with him, but not the ones that forced him into wrestling against his will or yelled at him to suppress his tears for being ashamed seeing the disastrous photo of his yearbook, no, the ones he imagined and dreamed about; A happier and loving version of them, where they would be proud of the person he became and be genuinely interested to meet their grandchildren.

A knock on the front door snapped him out of his melancholic state. “One sec!” He blinked the stinging from his eyes and hid the paper under the others he calculated the monthly bills he had to pay. Opening the door, he wasn't expecting to meet Garnet and Pearl. “Oh, hey!” 

“Hello.” Garnet greeted him first.

“Do you guys need anything?” He asked, inviting them to enter. “Is everything okay, are Steven and Nora alright?”

“Yes, don't worry about them,” Garnet assured him, not surprised to see an apprehensive mood due to the siblings being at Amethyst’s supervision during a visit to the park. “But we need to discuss a very important issue about them.”

“What is it?”

Now it was Pearl's turn to speak. “First of all, do you remember when we said Steven and Nora's body could be different from a normal human one?” He nodded. “In Nora's case, it could be subtle, but Steven has shown significant physical changes due to his gem heritage; Unlike Nora, Steven isn't prone to common illness or serious injuries like broken bones, and the cause may be his gem heritage, since he's half-human and half-gem, and that implies his biology is adapted to reinforce the defenses of his body.”

“We still don't know what changes Nora's body could own, since she never showed any of these signs, however I believe the fact she has, using simple terms, ‘a gem DNA’, can indicate a small probability of any changes during her human development.”

“Okay, okay, I understand what you're saying, but why are you telling me this now?” Greg glanced at both. “I mean, why bring up this discussion? Did something happen?”

“Greg,” Garnet uncrossed her arms, taking a step forward. “You told us Steven's gem glowed a few days ago and his gem glowed once when he was a baby too, when we still didn't understand what he was,” She put a hand on his shoulder and felt muscles tighten under her palm. He sensed he wouldn't like what was about to be said. “But now we know a lot more, we learned a lot more and there's a lot of things we can teach them,” Garnet briefly looked away, before saying it. “We think it would be better for Steven and Nora to live with us.”

A few seconds is what it took to Garnet's words register on his brain. “What!?”

In contrast to his shock, Pearl remained neutral. “Greg, I understand you may find this decision unfounded, but there's a high chance of Steven being able to develop his gem side and Nora may do the same. I assure you they would be better at the Temple, where they would learn about their gem heritage and how to properly access their abilities!” Greg couldn't comprehend the excitement behind her words.

“We thought of building a house in the Temple to accommodate their human needs and I already planned the logistics,” Pearl raised her hand and summoned a paper containing a floor plan from her gem. “The house I projected has an extremely open-plan design; It'll need cross-beams to minimize the need for support beams; High ceiling and platform providing passive cooling…”

As the gem listed the many things she thought for the house, Greg stopped listening midway, too focused on the possibility of not living with his kids anymore. He couldn't do that, no, absolutely not! How could he handle the distance of not seeing their kids every day when he's been at their side since their birth!?

Imagining not having anyone to make breakfast for, watching TV alone, being met with an empty house where it used to be filled with joy, laughter and long talk about how fun playing with their friends had been, all of this was enough to make him want to weep. Not only that, but fear also takes turn inside his head, bringing a lot of scary scenarios;

What if the gems don't properly take care of them? What if they don't eat enough? What if the house isn't adequate? What if they can't sleep well? What if they're always left alone? What if they g et hurt and the Gems aren't there to help? What if a gem monster sneaks into the house and wounds them? What if I can't get there in time? What if they can't make it? What if they di-

“No!” He barely noticed he didn't say, but straight up yelled. “I'm sorry but- No! I can't do that!” Taking a shuddering breath, he continued. “I know you guys want the best for my kids, I understand, but they'll be better off staying here with me.”

“What makes you think that?” Pearl interjected, raising an eyebrow. “Clearly, we could provide a lot more assistance to them and teach them beyond any human’s intelligence and acknowledgement.”

“But that's not the point!” His voice sharpened. “Taking care of a kid isn't only about being smart or-or knowing everything, humans aren't that methodical, Pearl!

“And that's why most of them often make questionable choices,” Pearl said, lowering her tone, not appreciating the way she was being talked to. “Steven and Nora would do great under my supervision. I could provide everything they needed, everything… A normal human couldn't.”

Greg narrowed his eyes. “A normal human? You mean me?” She remained quiet, with that same contemptuous look she used to give him back when she still didn't accept him as Rose's partner. “Well, I'm sorry if that bothers you, but I'm still their father and you just can't ignore that!" He added. "And you even told me once you didn't want to have anything to do with- what you said once? 'human shenanigans', and barely had time, so what makes you think I should hand my kids to you!?"

"That was before!" Before I learned to love them. "And I don't think so, I'm sure, because I trained myself for this just like I trained to be at Rose's side, to protect her!" She raised her tone, ignoring the tighten on her chest. "Just like I did it for her, I'll do it for them, to protect Rose's child!”

“They're my child too!”

The gem growled, and before she could spill anything regretful, Garnet stepped in. “Enough, you two!” She didn't yell, yet her words were so firm that it shut them down. “Pearl, please, give us a moment.”

She was about to protest, but realized it wasn't worth it. Huffing, the gem left, slamming the door behind her. Silence returned to the living room, traces of an awkward tension still present in the air.

“I shouldn't have yelled,” Greg sighed, feeling all that anger dissipate little by little. “I'm sorry, I just- I don't know what has gotten into me.” He really didn't. He is a calm person, avoiding fights at any costs due to his nature of ‘no violence'.

Although, he didn't understand why suddenly he found himself so angry, willing to be in a shouting match with Pearl. Where did that bitterness and resentment he locked buried deep inside his heart came from? He is used to Pearl's passive-aggressive behavior towards him, mean words included, but when she insinuated he wasn't a good enough dad to his own children, as if his babies would receive a better treatment away from him…

No, he couldn't take it anymore.

He just snapped.

Greg ran a hand through his hair, sitting down on the couch, resting his aching shoulders on the soft brown cushion. “I'm just worried, Garnet. You probably don't understand but-”

“I do,” She replied, taking a seat next to him. “Greg, we, gems, we may not be used to emotions like humans are, yet we still can experience them, sometimes at the same intensity. I understand your worry. I worry about Pearl, Amethyst, Nora and Steven, everyone I care about.”

"I'm just scared," He confessed, resting his elbows on both knees. "The thing is- it's not that I don't trust you guys, but as a parent, you think no one can take care of your kids or protect them like you can. You think that the moment they aren't by your side everything bad will happen and you won't be there to help them," He risked a glance at the shining glasses ahead of him, seeing his own apprehension on the reflection. "I bet you won't need to worry about it with your future vision."

“Being able to see the future doesn't always help it like you think it would. Sometimes it's worse, because there aren't always good paths to be seen,” Garnet adjusted her glasses. “Yet, I can't always interfere, since these paths don't belong to me and there aren't my choices to make."

“My future vision allows me to see down the rivers of possibility, but that doesn't mean I can predict everything, nor that I can be prepared for everything,” Greg listened carefully. “I know you're fearful and you want to protect them from any threat, but Greg, Nora and Steven won't be children forever. They won't always run from their responsibilities and turn to you for help. Eventually, both will be able to make their own choices and they'll need you to guide them through it.”

“Please understand you have an impact too. There will be times when they'll look up to you for strength and you must be strong so they can move forward and trust themselves, but if there's something I can guarantee to you is that me, Amethyst and Pearl will do our best to keep them safe.

Greg slouched his shoulder, relieved to be understood, and also being exposed to a new point of view. Certainly it wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to do anything for the sake of his children, even facing the worst of his fears.

Steven & Nora - 8 years old

As Sunday morning, today the weather provided Beach City a beautiful day to spend time near the sea. The van was parked near the half built house, where Steven and Nora were practicing a song with the older’s ukulele.

“Are you two sure you aren't hungry?” Vidalia asked, holding her picnic basket on her arm, while keeping a close eye at her youngest who played sand castle with Sour Cream. “You've been playing this for almost an hour.”

Steven dropped his ukulele onto his lap. “We're good auntie Vidalia, really.”

“We’ll eat something after we're done. We promise.” Nora reinforced.

“Hm, alright, but don't stay too long without eating something,” Vidalia pointed at them, before rummaging through her basket. “I brought plenty of snacks here. There's sandwich, a few cookies, chopped fruits you like-”

“Hey there, Vidalia!” Greg approached them, giving a quick tap on her shoulders.

“Hi Greg- Geez, you're really putting efforts there.” The painter acknowledged, referring to her friend's extremely sweaty state.

“You have no idea,” Greg stated, running a hand over his forehead. “Phew! Building a house is not easy. How's that ukulele treating you?” He focused his attention on the twins while Vidalia handed him a bottle of water.

Before his children could answer, Pearl arrived to greet them. “Hello, everyone.”

“Hi Pearl!” The siblings answered in union.

“Great job you're doing out there!” Vidalia handed a bottle of water to Pearl, who looked confused at it.

“Um, thank you,” She passed the bottle to Amethyst right behind her alongside Garnet, who snatched it and spread the liquid all over her body before swallowing the whole bottle. “Did you learn how to play this instrument?”

“Ah, Steven learned a long time ago. Now they both are learning how to write songs, isn't that right?” Greg said. “And someone told me you already have one ready.” He gives them an encouraging wink.

“We would love to hear it.” Garnet sat down, leading the others to do the same and get comfortable to watch them.

Steven and Nora looked at each other, nodding. The older sibling adjusted the instrument on his hands, pitching the tune and counted until three.

“If you're evil, and you're on the rise, you can count on the four of us taking you down, cause we're good and evil never beats us. We'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas,” Nora sang.

“We are the Crystal Gems, we'll always save the day and if you think we can't we'll always find a way,” Her voice softened as the gems started to clap along the song. “That's why the people of this world believe in Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and-”

“-and Steven and Nora!” Steven finished the last note.

“Steven, it was supposed to be the other way around!” Nora laughed and Steven, smiling, only shrugged in response.

Steven & Nora - 11 years old

“Aw man, this isn't gonna fit!” Steven huffed in annoyance, struggling to put every single piece of clothes he owned on his suitcase. “And I didn't even put our video games in there!”

Finishing folding her clothes in perfect square shapes, Nora interrupted her task and approached her brother to see the state of his suitcase. “Steven, dad said we have to take the important things first and then he would take the rest later.”

“But this is important!” He pouted.

Someone knocked on the door, revealing it to be Greg. “Hey! Are you two ready?” The state of Steven's suitcase answered his question. “Guess not. Wanna a little help, schtu-ball?”

“Please!” Steven dramatically threw himself in the bed.

“Let’s see…” Greg sat next to him. He grabbed the video games and showed it to his son, who insisted they were important enough to be put on it. He took a few clothes off and reorganized them properly, folding the bunch of shirts and jeans again.

After helping Steven, he checked Nora's suitcase only to find it almost perfectly organized. “Good job, sweetie! Now, I think we're all set, right?”

The ride to the Temple went rather fast. Stepping out of the van, the twins observed with widened eyes the finalized version of the house, now beautifully and perfectly painted. By the outside they could spot a balcony/deck with further seating and an umbrella waiting for them.

“It looks so cool!” Steven says. “C’mond dad, let's see the inside!”

“Actually, you two should go,” Greg interfered. “I still have a few things to bring here and Vidalia will help me, but I promise I'll be right back.”

“You really can't live with us?” Nora questioned shyly.

“Cupcake, we've talked about this,” Greg kneeled down, staying at their eye level. “Now that you both are growing it's up for the gems to help you with gem stuff. I can't help you with this, but they'll do great, they're your family too and this will be your new home.”

“You promise you'll come here to see us?” Steven asked, tugging at his shirt.

“Pinky promise,” Greg raised his finger, locking their pinkies, earning small reassured smiles. He helped them carry their suitcases to the front door. “It'll be okay, the gems are waiting for you.”

They watched their dad leave and finally went inside where the gems welcomed them with open hearts.

The house was a modest-sized dwelling with one large interior room and an upper level. The loft served as Steven and Nora's bedroom; It has a legless wooden bed with a white comforter, TV set, nightstand, dresser, circular rug. There's a large window taking up about a third of the wall running beside the loft, and the upstairs is reached by a staircase inside the house.

The main interior contained a lounge with a fireplace and a kitchen/bar, the far side of the house's interior opened into the foyer of the Crystal Temple and just outside of the Temple Gate was a Warp Pad;

The door to the bathroom was located on the back left, past the fireplace, while the bathroom itself was built directly below the upper level. As a typical bathroom, it held many normal items, including a red sink, shower with a red curtain and yellow stars on it, bathtub, mirror, toilet and a red rug.

“C'mon, you can say we totally rocked!” Amethyst bragged, stretching her arms behind her head.

“Everything is amazing, It's way better than we expected!” Nora agreed, grateful for all the effort put on this project. “Thank you for all this.”

“You guys are amazing!” Steven rushed to hug them, barely reaching their hips, with his sister.

Eventually, their nervousness of being in a new scenario lowered. Nora and Steven had a lot of fun making themselves home by properly exploring the house and decorating some stuff in their room. By evening, while they listened to one of Pearl's stories, the other half of the family arrived. “Auntie Vidalia! Sour Cream!”

“Who's ready for some video games?” The teenager cheered, shaking the video games in his hands. He skipped steps on the stairs, followed by the twins to their room, and quickly sat down to connect the console on the tv.

“We bought groceries,” Vidalia and Greg entered with heavy bags, putting them on the counter. “We're making dinner tonight. Amethyst, wanna help?” 

“Oho, you bet!” She hurriedly sat on the counter, rubbing her hands in excitement to ‘help’ her friend (mostly eat the garbage and unused items).

For the first day in the new house, it ended up being pretty nice. Bonding time with a whole family where everyone has fun together is one of the best feelings you can ever appreciate.

Everything went perfectly fine.

Well, until everyone said goodbye and bedtime arrived.

“Stevie,” Nora whispered. “Can you sleep?”

“No,” He replied. “And you?”

She shook her head.

Both were snuggled together under the warmth their covers provided. The lights were off, leaving for the big window next to the bed to illuminate the room. “I wish dad was here.” She says, also wishing the distant sound of the sea could lullaby them to sleep.

“Me too.” Steven replied, sinking further on the bed.

The sudden movement coming from downstairs startled them, however it was just Pearl emerging from her own room. “Oh, I thought you were sleeping already,” She climbed the stairs and frowned at the double distressed face. “Is something wrong?”

The twins looked at each other, nodding a silent agreement. “We can't really sleep without dad here,” Steven spoke. “We wanted to… Can we call him to read us to sleep, please?”

The gem recalled the few times where Greg mentioned the ‘tradition’ before they went to bed. She couldn't quite grasp the concept of it being helpful, but if it's what they needed to, she wouldn't deny it. “Of course.”

In an instant, they phoned their dad, who answered almost immediately, telling them he would be there in a minute. There wasn't anything scary in the place, but neither Steven nor Nora was used to being there. The Beach House didn't express any familiarity their old home had, there were no fond memories they could attach to and make them trust this was their home. They didn't feel totally safe.

‘All About Space' is the book Greg chose to bring with him; It had a cool story, he admitted, its storytelling mixed an autobiography narrative with fiction. A very interesting read. It took him less than 20 pages to lead the siblings into dreamland.

He quietly shut the book, leaving it on the nightstand and slowly stood up. “I love you.” Greg bent down to place a goodnight kiss on their foreheads, feeling ready to go back home with the certainty that he proportioned a peaceful and safe night for them.

─ ·★· ─

A yawn breaks out of Greg's mouth, putting his ‘back to the past moment’ to a stop. It's still raining hard. He glances at this watch and notices it's almost 3 am, time to allow himself a well deserved rest.

He crawls next to Steven and lays down on the free space on the mattress. Greg covers himself with a thin blanket he had with him in the van and looks at his children for a last time, thinking of how lucky he is to be their father;

It's insane, isn't it? How your heart can be the center of genuine unconditional love towards someone, and that love becomes the source of irreplaceable strength and comfort. There's not enough words to fully describe the beauty inside the pride watching your own children grow and succeed and the empathy you develop when things don't go according to plan.

Sometimes Greg still wonders what his life could've turned out if he decided to push the love he felt for Rose aside, however this scenario it's nothing more than a curious what-if, since there's nothing, absolutely nothing Greg would trade over his children.

He loved them to death and nothing would change that.

Chapter Text

My chest tightened enough to make me feel like I couldn't breathe. My head throbbed, causing me to grip my hair and pull it until I couldn't concentrate on anything else.

I'm alone.

I'm completely lonely.

Everything was so dark, even the small unreachable window at the top of the room couldn't provide any brighter light. My cries echoed through the walls, both fists hurting from punching the door countless times while I begged for it to be opened.

I yelled my frustrations out, I promised changes of good behavior and I wailed my deepest apologies.

Yet, that door didn't open.

I was left at my own mind's mercy and the agony swirling inside me, wondering why every single thing I do received reprimand, as if my whole existence is an inexcusable mistake.

─ ·★· ─

“Nora?”

She takes her eyes out of her fingers tapping across the window. Her dad briefly looks at her, swapping his attention from the street. “Everything okay?” He asks, slowing down the van in case they need to talk.

A few seconds in silence goes by. “Yeah, I guess.”

The so waited doctor appointment has finally been marked for this month and Nora couldn't be more anxious. Her main and only interest is discovering more about her “gem side” (if you can call it that way), although the fear of discovering something bad is still present.

Greg softens his expression. “There's nothing to worry about, sweetie. You've been to Mrs. Maheswaran’s office before.”

“I know, but this time is different,” She clutches her seatbelt. “Maybe we'll find out something new about me and that… It's kinda scary, dad.”

Greg checks the view mirror and the route one more time and pulls over. Stopping the van, he faces his kid. “Nora, I know you're not worried about your health, but mostly about your, let's say, gem side” He's right and it's not like I've been trying to hide. “But this gem stuff isn't as important as you think it is. With or without it, you still can do so much more and be so much more.”

Should I be surprised dad knows exactly what I'm worried about? That my actual concern wasn't about finding an illness or something alike, but not finding a trace of significant gem heritage. I'm putting so much hope of having anything that can grant me some kind of power or anything that may help, that honestly, if that doesn't happen… Maybe I should give up and accept that I'm just an ordinary girl with an extraordinary family.

“I don't want you to be frustrated kiddo,” Greg runs his hand across her hair, resting it on her cheek. “Let’s just see how things go, hm?” Nora agrees quietly, leaning against his hand.

They resume their route and finally arrive in the familiar parking lot. While Greg parks the van, Nora looks over the window and stares at the central circular building. Is it too late to go back home?

Entering the building, Nora is thankful she decided to use her sweater due to the cold atmosphere there. After talking to the receptionist, both are allowed to enter the doctor's office.

“Dr. Maheswaran.” Greg greets her by shaking hands.

“Mr. Universe,” Priyanka reciprocates. “Please, let's go inside.”

The office feels even colder than the hallways, if that's even possible. Blue prints each wall and ceiling, bringing a soothing atmosphere. Unknown portraits hanged across the room, among a few simple cabinets, reinforcing the minimalist aspect.

“Well, from what we discussed prior to this day, today we'll do a few check up exams,” Priyanka checks on the computer screen. “There’s also the possibility of studying her gem percentage, although my main focus will be her health overall.”

“Okay.” Greg says.

“Did Nora ever have any common illness through the years?”

“Uh yes. When she was younger she had a fever, ear infection, the flu, allergic reaction. Most stuff children have, but not that frequently.”

“I see,” She changes her focus from the screen. “And regarding gem things overall?”

“Never really, only once and recently.”

“The flower one?”

“Yes.”

Saying it out loud, Nora thinks how stupid this power looks. Growing flowers while sleeping, seriously? I still can't believe how useless that is.

“Any procedures or major illnesses in the past 12 months?”

“No.”

A few more questions later Priyanka finished her first round questions. “Now that I filled in the missing information we can proceed for the next ones,” She looks at the twin. “Now Nora, you're thirteen and that means you are old enough to follow the appointment on your own. Do you want your father to stay with you or would you rather have him wait outside?”

Nora was definitely unprepared for that question. She is so used to having her dad by her side she never expected such a decision to be given right into her hands.

Actually, she doesn't mind Greg staying, she has nothing to hide and knows he wouldn't judge anything she has to say… On the other hand, she doesn't want to appear childish in front of the doctor, not willing to leave the impression she can't do a simple appointment without her dad around.

“I think it would be nice to do this on my own, you know?” She looks at Greg, scanning any sign of upset on his face. There's none.

“Of course strawberry,” The car washer bends down and places a kiss on her forehead. “I'll be waiting right there.” He points at the window, where a few chairs are supposed to be on the outside.

Nora observes him leave, waving goodbye before the door is closed. Suddenly, the air became colder and the walls seemed like they were closing. She looks at the woman in front of her, unable to recognize her as Connie's mom, but Doctor Maheswaran now.

“Before we start the examinations we'll work on some questions, so I can know more about your historic,” Priyanka chooses one of the blank clipboards left and clicks her pen. “Firstly, how are you feeling? Is there any discomfort or pain bothering you?”

“Um, no. I'm good.”

“How is your sleep schedule?”

With a lot of weird dreams that I never know what they meant. They often make me so sad somehow. “Good, I guess. I sleep just fine.” When I'm not crying myself to sleep or letting my anxiety go through the roof.

“Do you exercise often?”

“Does playing outside count?” She asks playfully.

“Well, it can be,” Priyanka grins. “You know, as a doctor I see a lot of sedentary teenagers at your age, most of them prefer to stay home watching tv or playing video games all day. You going outside is actually a very good thing.”

“Me and Steven… We like that too, we like to watch tv and play video games, but we can't do this all day. It's kinda boring. It's nice to spend the day outside, to see the beach, visit our friend, and sometimes we get the gems to play with us too! Once we convinced Garnet to play tennis and everyone to try volleyball!” A few giggles escape at the memory of a panicked Amethyst dodging from a strong attack Garnet sent mid air. “So, yeah, I guess I can say I exercise.”

Pleased with the answer, Dr. Maheswaran continues. “How is your appetite?”

“Normal, I think?” Nora furrows her forehead. “I mean, I don't think I eat too much or less. I have breakfast, lunch, dinner and sometimes Pearl lets us have dessert,” The resemblance of a smile flashes across her face.

“Have you noticed any significant changes in your mood?” Priyanka moves to the next question.

“Like how?”

“For example, experiencing irritation regularly, feeling sad most of the day or lack of interest in activities or hobbies you enjoy.”

“I feel fine most of the time and I still like doing the things I like.” It's not the whole truth, but it's not a whole lie either.

"Do you often face stressful situations?

Oh crap, I can think of so many times where I thought I was going to lose my mind; When that centipede appeared; The gem shards taking over Frybo; During the test at the Temple; When Lapis almost drowned me and Steven; When Amethyst almost died; When Pearl died…

I can't answer that, not honestly.

“Not really,” She lies. “I mean, I live with the gems, so I worry about them because what they do it's dangerous, but that's it.”

The doctor remains quiet and writes something down that Nora isn't sure if she wants to know. All years of practicing medicine and acting in healthcare Priyanka can sense when a patient is lying. They aren't as subtle as they think they are.

“Is there any medication you take regularly?”

“No. I don't take medicine that much, only for my allergy.”

“What allergy?”

“Pollen. Actually Steven and I have the same allergy, I don't know if that's important.”

“It is, which leads me to a topic I want to discuss with you," Priyanka let her clipboard aside for a moment. “You and Steven are twins, fraternal twins to be exact. Unlike identical ones that share the same genomes, fraternal ones share only half like any other siblings. Using this information as a base, it leads me to think you and Steven may have a few similar bodily mechanisms.”

“A few months ago when I asked Pearl about it, she told me a few things that should be taken in consideration; Despite being sick, you had a great immunology and after injuries you healed incredibly fast. Basically, your body, apparently, works better than a normal human would,” Priyanka explains. “This may be related to your gem heritage. I want to know if Steven has anything similar, so I can draw a parallel."

The girl stops to think. “Well, he can heal with his spit, which it's icky,” She grimaces. “He doesn't get sick or get seriously hurt, and- Oh wait, he can age faster!” 

“Age faster?” Priyanka raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, like, if he feels old he can turn old,” Nora says, pausing to wonder if she would understand it better with context. “You know, gems don't celebrate birthdays, and Steven thought it would be a good idea to make them celebrate. Then, he started to think he was getting too old for some stuff and started to feel and turn old, like really, really old, with a beard, white hair and everything.” And almost died. “Me and the gems made him see it wasn't true and he went to his normal age again.”

“Hmm, that explains a lot,” Priyanka hums, leaving the clipboard on the table. “With this information I think I have a guess of why your body hasn't developed yet.”

Nora follows her train of thoughts. “You think I have the same power he has?”

“I wouldn't call it ‘power’, but the same mechanism of development,” The older clarifies. “Since Steven is half human and half gem I can see why his body can modify in a way it doesn't harm him, since his two halves are in perfect balance. In your case, your organic half is the prevalent one and maybe - I'm not sure - But maybe it's what is delaying your body's development.”

“Yet, I'm sure it won't cause any serious problems for you, Nora. Like I said, it delays your development, it doesn't stop it. You still will grow, however not in the same way most teenagers do.”

My life itself isn’t like most teenagers, so I guess it won't be much different. Also, I will grow up anyway, so I think I don't need to worry at all.

“And speaking of which, do you remember our last talk at my house when I asked you about puberty?”

“Yeah…” Nora answers hesitantly.

“Since then, has your body had any symptoms related to it?”

“Actually no, everything’s the same.”

Pursuing her lips, the doctor proceeds. “Well, as I said before, girls usually start their changes between the ages of 8 and 13, however what we call late puberty is when the body doesn't develop by age 16. That means you're still at the range, however we'll do a genetic testing to make sure you're not suffering from a non-gem condition.”

It's quite a lot to take in. She wishes Greg was here too to make things easier, but isn't it part of what she has been struggling to change? Nora wanted so much to handle a gem responsibility, but how will she succeed if she fails in small steps like this one?

“And since we're discussing this topic, there's a few other information I need to pass to you,” The confusion mixed with apprehension were expected. “I think it's time for us to have a more detailed conversation about what happens during teen years.”

Oh no.

This is a nightmare.

For the next few minutes Nora had to endure a full detailed seminar about puberty, emotional changes, masturbation, pregnancy, STDs, birth control, consent, among other topics. The whole thing. Nora wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment, since she felt pretty much close to it.

She mentally thanked god when the conversation was closed, not being able to bare much before she crawled off of her skin.

“Now we can begin with our examination, are you ready?”

“I just survived the most embarrassing talk I've ever had in my life,” Nora laughs, rising from her seat. “I think a few examinations won't do anything.”

Priyanka chuckles, relieved that her patient is less tense. “We’ll do only the standard ones, such as checking your temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and a few more. It won't take too long,” She helps Nora sit on the examination table. “And before we start, I want you to be honest and tell me if you feel uncomfortable with any kind of procedure. You're the patient and have the right to say if you're not comfortable and say no if you aren't ready. You're the one to set the boundaries.”

Nora nods. “It won't need to, you know, like…” She gestures over her shirt.

“Only for the heart rate measure and lungs check up,” She says honestly. “However, as I said, you can refuse if you aren't comfortable.”

“No, it's fine. I don't really feel comfortable with the idea of touching,” Nora rubs her arms, lowering her face. “But you won't, so I guess it's okay.”

“Noted. Is there anything else I need to know?” She shakes her head. “Good, then let's begin.”

Nora sits and watches Priyanka come back with a digital blue thermometer in her hands. Turning it on, she gently placed it in the girl's ear and waited until it beeped. “Hm, average,” She says, reading the 98.6 F on the small screen. “Now I'll listen to your heart and lungs. I need you to remove your shirt, please.” Priyanka warns while she searches for her stethoscope.

Nora zippers her pink sweater and fold it next to her. She knew this would happen, it isn't the first time she faced this kind of examination, but it's so hard not to be modest during these moments.

With care and patience, Priyanka let Nora take her time. The inner monologue flashed across her darting eyes, avoiding her own gaze, but as a medical professional she knew when to interfere or not and that wasn't that right moment.

With heart and lungs checked, Priyanka goes to grab a blood pressure machine, then come back and puts it around Nora's arm. It went fine, except for the small discomfort when the machine compressed around her arm. The procedure ended and after the shown 100/70 mmHg, she wrote it down.

The next one in the list is the oral examination. Priyanka gently places the tongue depressor on Nora's mouth, eyes sharpening to catch any important details; Consistently pink tissues, no redness or swelling, and absence of coating and patchy areas around the tonsils.

Done, the doctor points at the stadiometer attached to the wall. “Take off your shoes and stand there." Nora unlace her shoes and steps on the device. She stays still and feels the metallic ruler slightly bump into her head.

With height and weight calculated, it's made sure Nora's BMI is normal.

“The last one is the blood test, which we'll also use a sample for genetic testing. Just a moment and I'll call the nurse responsible the test.” Priyanka leaves the room and not so much later she returns with the healthcare professional.

She has brown skin and black hair with a reddish-magenta hair band, wearing a dark indigo uniform and white shoes. “Hi! How are we doing today?” Her voice was breathy and somewhat bubbly.

“Fine, only a little nervous.” Nora says with a controlled smile.

“No need to be! It'll be done before you notice!” The woman, whose ID card identifies as Jasmin Molisee, sings songs. A soft strap is put around the teen’s arm to make the extraction easier. “You'll feel a little scratch, but don't worry.” She wipes the area around the vein with a sterile alcohol wipe.

A small needle is inserted into the vein inside of her elbow and a small blood bottle is then attached. Nora holds her breath, face contorting in displeasure, not witnessing the process. Once the bottles are full, Jasmin removes the needle. “Aaaand we're done! Told ya!” She searches for cotton wool and places it where the blood was taken. “Hold this for me, sweetie.”

Nora takes hold of it and maintains it firmly in place. “It's to stop the bleeding, you can take it off in a few minutes.” She hears the nurse grabbing the bottles, before blowing her a kiss as goodbye.

"Are we done?" Nora questions. Tiredness finally beginning to kick in.

"Yes, we are," Priyanka confirms. "Do you want me to call your father?"

"Please."

─ ·★· ─

A few days later, Greg and Nora returned to the hospital for the genetic test results. He didn't tell his daughter, but Dr. Maheswaran told him beforehand there were a few things that needed to be discussed regarding it.

And of course, his ‘dad mode’ went on full alert.

“Have a seat,” Priyanka gestures, watching father and daughter sit in front of her while she remains on her feet. “The results have finally reached a conclusion and I thought it was for the best to be discussed personally.”

Unable to cope with his anxiety, Greg had to ask. “None of them are negative, right?”

"Oh, no. Actually, Nora is one of the healthiest patients I have ever encountered,” Priyanka says, bringing the girl a sense of pride. “I called because we've found something different in the genetic test results.”

“Different?” Greg straight up on his seat.

Mrs. Maheswaran nods. “First, I need to tell you the results for any birth defects or genetic disorders came out as negative,” She gives him the folder with the papers indicating the details. “No changes had been found in a particular gene, chromosome, or protein, and the same goes for the blood test; The complete blood count and basic metabolic panel had excellent results.”

Greg takes the folder and wanders through the papers, observing the few key words he recognized already. His daughter tries to peek at it, but the amount of complicated terms and acronyms leads her to giving up trying to understand.

“The only issue is regarding her genes. The pathologist told me that while he examined her chromosomes he spotted what seemed like another composer among it, although it wasn't visible no matter how or what device he used,” Priyanka resumes. “He told me he got the impression the machine wasn't advanced enough to process what this composer was and from the information you told me I believe this composer is actually Nora's gem side.”

“Alright, but what does that really mean for Nora?” Greg asks with so much caution it feels like he's trying to avoid falling into an abyss.

“It means, by my theory, that Nora's gem percentage isn't as low as we thought it was,” She declares. “Considering all the inferences made on Nora's body, the information I gathered along the amount of the composer found on it, I tend to think her gem half should be between 15% and 25%” 

25%? Would that mean that she finally has a chance to flourish any other powers? And there's a lot more possibility hidden inside her that at the right moment would see the light of day?

“This would be more useful if we could investigate her gem half, but I fear I can't do more to help. As I said, our devices aren't advanced enough to capture and process gem magic,” Priyanka's attention lays on Nora. “The only thing I can do for you is examine your human half and make sure you stay healthy.”

“And that's more than enough,” Greg adds. “Seriously, I don't know how to thank you for your help, Dr. Maheswaran. Having my daughter safe it's what truly matters for me.” He smiles fondly, side hugging his baby.

“I'm here for my patients, Greg. I will do anything in my reach to help them, unless I'm unable,” Priyanka sits down. “There’s just one more thing I want to know before we're done.”

“Sure.”

“Back when Pearl and I had our discussion to know more about Nora's situation I asked her about their birth and its process, so I could understand more about their biology,” Her mouth twitched. “However she didn't give me a… Let's say, a concrete answer.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Greg wondered how Pearl got a hold of herself receiving this kind of question. “Look, I'm not really good at explaining gem things, but I'll say what I know the most,” He cleared his throat. “Me and Rose- We wanted kids, we really did. She, as a gem, didn't know much of how humans worked and I brought all the books I could find about it to make her understand.”

“She read all of it and was so excited about it. After she understood how things worked, we decided to try. Rose told me she could use her gem powers to shapeshift an organ and anything else it needed, and combining my DNA, we could have our child. It worked,” He continues. “And, by being a gem, everything that makes you, well, you, comes from your own gemstone and during the pregnancy Rose's gem would be enveloped in Steven's body in a way her form couldn't exist.”

“That's where my question lands,” The physician raises her hand. “If Steven's halves were perfectly calculated to make him able to live, how could Nora have survived with a lower percentage and without a gem?”

Greg avoids looking at her. “I can't ans- I mean, I don't have the answer for that. I'm sorry.”

That's exactly why Priyanka is so confused. There's something strange about this story, like the smallest and most important piece of information is missing. If Rose basically controlled every step of her own pregnancy, then how could she not know there would be twins? And if she did know, why try it since there was only one gem?

Nora doesn't like where this conversation is leading to. Sadness always makes an appearance whenever the subject of her birth shows up. Everyone treats Rose having her as something abnormal, full of doubts, it causes the impression she wasn't planned.

Or wanted.

Her chest tightens in a familiar way and her mind decides to play tricks, bringing memories of her own thoughts the day she found out about Rose's tape; She can remember the clear excitement behind her mother's speech, how well chosen those words were, making it clear the amount of preparation and expectation were felt towards Steven.

Only Steven. Not her. Not once her name was mentioned, not once she was told how much her arrival was awaited and how loved she was.

What if she's right? What if Rose never meant to have her, never expected a second child and she just… Happened? Was her existence a whole mistake? Steven was so much awaited, there was so much love directed to him way before he left his mother's womb while Nora had her existence debated left and right, as if it was wrong.

“Nora, you okay?” Greg places a hand on her back, leaning towards her.

She hadn't realized her right leg had been bouncing nonstop and both of her arms wrapped around her, like a self defense hug. “Yeah, I just want to go home.”

Her father glances at her, then at the profissional, silently asking if they were done. Priyanka confirms and raises from the chair, taking a mental note to not bring that topic again around the youngest’s presence.

"Well, thank you for your help, Mrs. Maheswaran. I know how hard dealing with gem stuff can be.”

“No worries Mr. Universe, I'm glad I could help somehow, even to a limited extent,” Priyanka turns to her patient. “And Nora, what I said about talking if you need it still stands, alright? I'm here if you ever need me."

Nora's lips weakly curves upwards. "Thank you."

Chapter Text

"I hope you're able to hear this. There's a gem that's looking for you, she even knew your name. I don't know how, I didn't tell her, I swear! She's on her way to Earth and she's not alone. Steven, Homeworld it's not the way it used to be, everything here is so advanced! I can't even understand it. There's no way anything on Earth can stand up to it. Please, don't put up a fight, it will only lead to devastation!"

Peridot. Lapis was talking about Peridot, according to Pearl.

A new gem is arriving in Beach City and apparently isn't alone. No one knows what to expect, well, Nora and Steven don't know what to expect, but the gems do, since it's not the first time they face an unknown threat.

Two days ago the wailing stone the gems collected last year suddenly activated, ringing loudly as ever. With Greg's acknowledgement in sound systems, they managed to discover Lapis’ message on it and were warned by what would be a surprise meeting.

And now there's a giant hand shaped ship flying towards Beach City.

"We'll have to take them head on, the whole town might be in danger.” Steven and Nora hear Garnet's concern while they walk away from the beach. The gems just made another attempt to stop the ship with the Quartizine Trio and Rose's primary Light Cannon. It was futile.

“We better make a call, it's time for some political favors,” The older twin takes out his phone and taps on mayor's icon. “Mayor Dewey! It's me, Steven Universe!” He waits for the response. “The whole town's in danger, we have to evacuate the city.”

“What is he saying?” Nora tries to eavesdrop.

Steven isn't sure. “Something about a catchy slogan.”

“Seriously!?” The girl asks him to hand over the phone, unamused. “Mayor Dewey? It's Nora Universe. Look, we'll warn everyone about what's going on and say we need to evacuate the city,” She says. “We'll tell them to meet you at the boardwalk and listen to your instructions, is that okay? Because we don't have much time,” The mayor's reply takes a few more seconds. “Okay, I'll call you when everyone’s ready.”

“Let's go! We have to warn everyone!”

Without wasting time, Nora and Steven start their route of visiting every single citizen to warn about the current situation. The warned persons also began to help, calling more and more people while they searched for close ones and like that, the news spread through the entire Beach City in a few minutes.

“Aunt Vidalia? Sorry for calling like this, but it's important. Did you see that thing in the sky? So, it's a gem ship, there's a new gem coming to Beach City and she's not alone,” While she talks to Vidalia, she sees Mr. Fryman and the Pizza family rushing to warn the others. “We need to evacuate the city and since you live a bit far from here, could you warn everyone there? Mayor Dewey will instruct everyone on what to do.”

“Alright, I'll do it!” Vidalia answers. “But what about you and your brother? The gems? Greg will take you two out of there too, right?”

“The gems will stay, they need to protect Beach City and dad, well, I'm sure he'll take us from here,” Nora isn't sure how her brother would receive the news. “He wouldn't let us stay to help-”

“He better not, because this is serious!” Vidalia blurts. “You two better leave the town with everyone else or-”

“Okay auntie, I get it! Gotta go, bye!” Nora hangs up, not really willing to be scolded right now. She looks through more contacts, frowning when supposedly she called everyone in there, but there's more people missing.

Urgh, maybe Steven had it on his phone.

Hours later and evening is already there and instead of the beautiful dark blue, the sky turned green, the color of hope, even if such a thing has been devastatingly fading through the day.

With his van parked on the boardwalk, Mayor Dewey proceeded to deliver his speech to the crowd there. Steven and Nora watched in worry from a distance and since their job was done, they decided to go home.

Next to the Temple, they see the gems helping Greg to pack and load luggage into his van. “Hey! That's a great idea, dad. You should leave with the rest of the-” Steven pauses after spotting his cheeseburger backpack and Nora's bags at their feet. “Is that our luggage?”

Greg and Pearl exchange worried looks, unsure of what to tell them. Fortunately, Garnet decides to take the lead. “Steven, I know you don't think we trust you both and Nora, I know more often than not we treat you like a human child. But the truth is, we rely on you two,” She lowers to their level, taking their hands and placing a megaphone. “Your voice inspires us, binds us, reminds us why we promised to protect the planet. You must now be that voice, for them.”

The gem points the twins towards the boardwalk, where the Beach City citizens, visibly panicking, are seen finishing packing everything they needed in theirs cars, hurrying to leave the future conflict. “If anything happens, you need to be there to protect them. Like your mother once did. It's your destiny.”

Nora and Steven look at her, taking the megaphone. “We won't disappoint you!”

“I know.”

Sister and brother walk where everyone is and turn the megaphone on. “Attention here, please!” Steven speaks, handing it to Nora. “We don't have much time, the ship is too close and we need to leave. Is everyone there and ready to go?”

“I've checked every street of Beach City and no one's left behind,” Dewey affirmed with a shaky voice. He looks so desperate, it's hard not to feel sympathy. “All the cars are already there and the route is clean. We're all set.”

Nora nods. “Alright, we're going too. You can take the lead.”

Mayor Dewey leaves and tells the others. Steven and Nora get into Greg's van and he begins driving them off, waving goodbye to the gems, who put on a visibly fake smile to give them the false sensation of hope.

The Universes family then drive out of town, along with other citizens in their vehicles.

The siblings are sharing the passenger seat, maneuvering the seatbelt to strap it around both. Steven stares at the emerald sky, growing darker as the minutes pass by, watching Lion following them. “Maybe when Peridot gets to Earth, she'll see how nice all the people are and she won't want to hurt anyone.”

Nora suppresses a sigh, certain that it wouldn't be simple like that, while Greg forces a smile. “Just like your mother.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, but these other gems aren't like your mother,” His forced smile fades away. “They aren't like Garnet, Amethyst or Pearl. They aren't gonna start caring about people now, they didn't the first time they…” He wants to smack himself for saying too much, his anxiety, again, causing more trouble.

“The first time they what?”

‘They came to Earth’, Nora thinks.

“I mean, it was thousands of years ago! I-It's not like I was there!” Steven's curious eyes lays upon him. “The gems should be telling you both all this stuff, but I get it. I mean, they don't want you thinking of them like that!”

“Like what?” Steven grows worried when no reply is made. “Dad, like what?”

“Like aliens, Steven! Aliens who invaded Earth!” He reveals. "All they do is try to make up for it. They just can't forgive themselves, you understand?” Greg really doesn't want to have that conversation, but now the cat's out of the bag and it's pointless to ignore. “Look, they were doing something awful to the planet and your mother couldn't stand it anymore. She told me that's why she had to turn on her own kind, she gave up everything just to stop what they started here and drive the invading gems off of Earth.”

“So she saved the world, that's good!”

Greg sadly shakes his head. “No such thing as a good war, kiddo. Gems were destroyed, people too…” He pauses, recalling the tears Rose shed on his shoulder for this reason. “In the end, your mother could only save a handful of her closest friends. If it weren't for her shield, man, I don't know.”

This topic makes Steven remember what Nora said months ago, how she thought the gems were hiding something from them. Every piece of information she gathered along past year made sense and now he had the confirmation it was true.

But the worst part is what he just heard; The gems weren't able to make it through without Rose's protection and since they just left Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl on their own luck that could mean one thing. “We gotta go back! Turn the van around!”

Greg clutches harder on the steering wheel. “No way, the gems don't want you going back and neither do I!”

“I know you're just trying to protect us, but we have to protect them! I have mom's shield, they need me!” Steven shows his gem, trying to make his point.

“I need you too!”

“Please dad, what if they get hurt?” Greg, who's sweating at this point, purposely doesn't reply again. “Dad, turn around! Dad!”

All that worry half turns into anger. The gems are in danger, they need him and he can protect them the same way his mother once did. Why couldn't his dad understand that?

Steven tries to sound more incisive. "Turn the van around, PLEASE!” He punches the panel in front of him, causing the airbag to inflate and his bubble activate. Nora, alongside Steven, ends up launched out of the van, rolling down out of the street.

“Nora! Steven!” Greg halts the van on the road, almost ripping the seatbelt off him. He runs after his kids, relief washing his body to see that both landed safely due to the bubble.

“Dad” Nora weakly reaches for him as soon the bubble pops.

“Greg, are you and your kids okay?” They hear Mr. Fryman leave his car to check their safety. Among him, other citizens begin to gather around too, worried as well.

“Yeah, we're fine... we're fine.” Greg says a bit in a rush.

Nora nudges him. “Dad, I know you worry about us, but we have to go back. The gems really need us this time, please, let us do this. They're our family too."

He really doesn't want this. He can't let his kids go into the route of danger where there would be evil gems that could care less about humanity overall, ones that if needed would kill other gems and humans in the process.

Yet, he is sure this is a fight he would never win. Greg knows his kids too well to consider they would be conformed with the idea of letting the gems fight on their own when they had an important help in their hands.

They would find a way back to them, with his permission or not.

“Okay, just... be careful, you two, or I'm gonna run fresh out of family.” Greg hugs them, ignoring the sting on his eyes and the inner voice telling him this could be the last time he would see his children.

“Stay with everyone and keep them safe. We’ll figure out some way to get back to Beach City.” Steven says, muffled by his dad's sweater.

Lion suddenly appears behind them and places his paw on Nora's head. “Just in time, buddy.”

Waving their dad goodbye, they begin riding Lion back to Beach City. Nora sees Steven dialing his phone. “Who you're calling?”

“Connie,” He says. “Come on, pick up,” Steven groans in disappointment when it reaches voicemail, yet decides to wait and leave a message. “Hey, Connie, it's Steven and Nora's here with me. Just seeing what you were up to. Don't know if you knew, but there's some crazy stuff going on with a giant space hand and we all might die, so, uh, I guess… call me back when you get this and talk to you soon! Uh, bye!”

“You could've avoided the ‘we all might die’ part,” Nora says, once he hangs up. “She's going to worry, a lot.”

“But it's true, right? She has to know.”

Lion roars open a portal and warps the both of them onto the beach in front of the Crystal Temple. At a distance, Opal is seen aiming at the warship with her bow, while Garnet stands beside her. “Fire!”

Under Garnet's order, Opal fires a barrage of arrows at the warship, unfortunately, with no impact at all. Both fusions are dumbfounded. When Lapis said Homeworld had an advanced technology she really wasn't exaggerating.

Nora dismounts Lion and helps Steven get down. “Lion, it's better if you stay here in case something happens. If we don't come back, go find dad and protect him.”

Opal and Garnet watch helplessly as the warship increases speed in its descent. They haven't been in this kind of situation for a long time and no matter how many times they assured they could handle it, they knew the truth deep down.

The only comfort the gems could grasp into is the fact Steven and Nora were safe, well, they should be safe.

“Hey, guys!”

Upon seeing the twins, Opal ends up splitting in surprise back into Pearl and Amethyst, throwing them back on the sand. “You came back!” Amethyst exclaims.

“What are you doing?!” Pearl panics. “Get out of here!”

“It's too late! Just stay behind us!”

The Crystal Gems stance themselves as the warship lands on the beach, creating dust clouds at the then. A bubble appears from the palm of the warship, it rolls onto a finger and opens up, revealing Peridot, Lapis and Jasper.

“That's them, all right. They're the ones who keep breaking my machines.” Nora recognized the green gem by her nasal voice, that being the first time actually seeing her.

A bigger and taller one appeared right behind Peridot. “This is it?” As if her height and frame weren't intimidating enough, her dangerously low tone just intensified it.

Peridot huffs, irritated at the indifference. “Jasper! They keep interfering with my work!”

Jasper sighs and steps forward. “Looks like another waste of my time,” She forcefully drags Lapis out from behind her. “Get over here!” She briefly loosen her grips on the gem's arm. “This is their base?”

Lazuli can't help the soft gasp at the sight of the twins. “Yes…” The confirmation is enveloped by sadness.

Garnet summons her gauntlets. “You need to leave immediately!”

“Yeah, step off!” Amethyst holds her whip tightly.

Pearl raises her spear. “This is not a Gem-controlled planet!”

Peridot and Jasper, dragging Lapis along, jump off the finger and onto the beach. “And neither of you saw Rose Quartz?” She crosses her arm, unbothered by the gems’ warnings. “Oh, what a shame. I'd hoped to meet her. I was looking forward to beating her into the ground!

Nora winces at that.

“But this is all that's left of her army? Some lost, defective Pearl, a puny overcooked runt, and this shameless display?” Once her attention shifts to the siblings, her curiosity is instigated. “What are these?”

The three Crystal Gems bare their weapons in preparation, putting themselves in front of Steven and Nora.

“It calls itself-”

“Both of them are just human! Neither of them are a threat at all!” Lapis cut Peridot, desperate to protect the two persons that ever mattered to her. “They're not one of them!”

“I know what a human is,” Jasper raises her voice, patience growing thin. How could she, a respectful high ranking quartz, be assigned to this ordinary mission and deal with the leftover of an army? It's almost offensive. “You don't need me for this, just blast them with the ship.”

Peridot mumble something under her breath and complies, drawing a wide circle on her finger screen and taps at it The warship lifts up and points towards the Crystal Gems, charging energy on its fingertip.

Suddenly, everything seems to be in slow motion. The ship about to blast them, the gems incapable of doing anything to protect them and Steven adamant to stay.

Nora can't even grasp what Garnet is screaming at them and neither what her brother is replying to. It feels like she is zoning out, completely unaware of her surroundings, only able to focus on her own body.

A burning sensation emerges from her chest, spreading deep inside her bones. Her skin keeps itching, but in a different way, and the outside of her limbs feels numb. She can't even tell how's her breathing, but the moment Nora looks at the energy about to hit them everything comes back to normal.

The voices are louder again and she can feel the softness of her sweater again, along with the sea smell invading her nostrils. Her feet move without permission, her brain switching to automatic with one specific mission;

Save your family

A beam fires out of the ship and without thinking twice, Nora runs past the crystal gems, willing to take the hit if it meant saving them. “I AM A CRYSTAL GEM TOO!” She jumps at the beam, embracing herself for the impact.

When her feet touch the ground again, she opens one of her eyes and pink is all she can see. Using her full vision, she gasps at what just appeared in front of her.

A shield.

Her mom's shield.

She just summoned Rose's shield!

Jasper turns around in shock, blinking to make sure she isn't seeing things. “That shield! That symbol!”

Nora still stares in awe at what she did. She just summoned her mother's weapon! Even being human, gemless, owner of a lower gem percentage, her body still found a way to charge the little of magic she had.

Once the adrenaline fades away along with the shock, her limbs finally feel the effort put behind it; The strength used isn't enough to sustain her and the shield at the same time, causing her legs to tremble.

Nora uses everything in her reach to keep the protection on, however the more she tries the weaker she gets. Strength is leaving her arms and her joints aches to the point where she can't take anymore and finally collapses onto the ground, watching her shield dispels in thin air.

"You! You have the power of Rose Quartz!” Was this a trick? Was this human actually Rose? The person she freely declared her deep rotten rage. “Fire a barrage! Widespread!” Jasper orders.

Peridot swipes a finger right across her finger screen. Garnet pushes the twins out of the way as the warship cuts a line across the beach, where Pearl and Amethyst weren't fast enough to dodge, being caught on it.

Once the smoke from the blast clears up, the remaining trio searches for both gems and instead, their eyes catch the reflection of their gemstones landing on the sand. They were poofed. “No!” They cry out for them.

“Rose, why do you look like that? Why are you so weak?”

“Don't hurt her!” Lapis pleas, giving away her knowledge.

Jasper is more than displeased. “You knew about this!?” She towers herself over Lazuli, who takes a few steps back.

“I… I-It wasn't relevant to the mission!”

“Forget about the mission!” She ignores Peridot's protest. “Yellow Diamond needs to see this... thing.”

Garnet then stands up from behind Steven and Nora, charging at Jasper. Her opponent summons her weapon, a crash helmet, and blocks the crystal gem’s punch, creating a powerful draft that pushes back Garnet and the twins.

She quickly recovers and charges at the quartz again. “You two, RUN!!”

Jasper pulls out an electrical weapon and dashes at Garnet, jabbing her in the chest with the destabilizer. The fusion becomes unresponsive, yellow currents run across her body, ripping every piece of consciousness from it.

Nora and Steven watch in horror as Garnet's physical body falls apart. Her empty eyes lock on theirs one last time, before poofing away.

They are terrified. To them, Garnet is the image of strength and resilience; She is always guiding everyone, always knowing what to do, always bringing solutions when everything seems lost. But now without her, now that even she was defeated, that meant everything was indeed lost and they had no chance against them.

“I was there, you know?” Jasper approaches them. “At the first war for this garbage planet. I fought against your armies, I respected your tactics, but this?” She points at Nora. “This is sick!”

“Leave her alone!” Steven yells, slapping her hand away.

What an insolence. “You little-”

Before she could lay a finger on him and Steven summons his weapon, Nora rises from the ground and puts herself between them. “Don’t touch him!” A shield appears for a second time, separating her from Jasper.

Now, without the element of surprise, the youngest can focus on her ability. She focuses entirely on her power and, miraculously, manages to push Jasper back through the shield. I can't let her hurt Steven, I need to protect him.

Jasper almost laughs at her, until their gaze meet and she sees herself back in the past, seeing these eyes. The same pair of eyes holding bravery and determination. The eyes of Rose Quartz, leader of the Crystal Gems, the very first rebel, the one Jasper most craved to defeat.

“Tell me Rose Quartz, is all this still worth it?” A wicked grin plastered across Jasper’s face. “Most of your army has been shattered, your friends have been captured, Homeworld is close to victory. And all of this for what? A pathetic piece of rock where defective gems like you display your unworthiness!?”

“You’re wrong!” Rose remarked between gritted teeth. “There's so much more about this planet than its resources; Their beautiful species, innocent humans with valuable life, and a place where every gem can be free from their role and be whoever they want to be!”

“Ha! Don't make me laugh,” Jasper keeps her hold around the edges of her shield. “This is just some excuse to cover up the fact you can't accomplish your own purpose, that you have no place to fit in!”

Rose let her enemy have the false upper hand, before using her full force to push her back. The few seconds Jasper needed to regain her balance were enough for Rose to hit her with the shield and throw her on the ground.

The taller quartz tried to get up, but a sword rightly placed on her throat stopped her. Jasper couldn't accept it, she shouldn't be the one laying on the floor, raising her head to look at someone- at Rose.

Sounds of footsteps mixed with screams provided from agony faded in the background, as if they were the only fighters on the Battlefield.

Rose still hasn't moved an inch; Her dress torn in edges exposed her legs drenched in a disgusting mixture of mold and dirt up to the knees while her shield proudly stood in one hand and her sword, perfectly intact as the day it was made, in the other.

“It didn't need to be this way,” Her words are almost a whisper. “Things could've been better, if the Diamon-”

“Don't you dare ever speak of-” Rose sank the sword slightly deeper into her skin, hushing her unwanted speech.

Jasper couldn't comprehend. Why didn't she shatter her already? What was she waiting for? Between all possibilities crossing her mind at the moment, the Crystal Gem did the worst thing she could expect to.

Rose left.

Rose pitied her.

Always feeling superior, thinking she's bigger and greater than she actually is, and now attempting to do the same. How dared she… 

Fuming, Jasper roughly throws the shield aside, getting it to dematerialize in a blink of an eye. Nora falls back and the quartz gives her no time to react, grabbing the twin by her shirt.

"No! Nora!” Steven tries to reach out for her.

“Get out of my way, brat!” Jasper grabs him and throws the boy carelessly onto the ground. Steven groans in pain due to landing on his left arm, unable to move or else his limb would become even more sore.

“Steven!” Nora's heart sank watching her brother distanced from her. She looks up at the sky, with tears in her eyes, begging at anyone or anything that could hear her. Please, don't let them do anything to him. I would never forgive myself if they hurt my brother.

All the courage she thought she had is gone, making room for panic and despair. She doesn't want to be strong anymore, neither fight, nor face the bad guys.

All she wants now is the gems to help her, she wants her dad to scoop her in his arms and tell her not to worry because everything is going to be okay.

But this isn't okay.

Things aren't going to be okay.

“I don't get what you're planning, Rose, but look!” Nora tries to bat her hand away, struggling to breath due to her collar shirt too tight around her neck. “Your base is taken and your armies are ruined.” Jasper makes Nora to look at her, forcing her to capture the spark of cruelty in her eyes.

“You have failed!” Are the last words Nora hears before pain and darkness surrounds her.

Chapter Text

Nora regains her consciousness little by little. The first thing she notices is her inability to fully open her right eye as her vision adjusts. She carefully lifts herself, avoiding triggering a worse version of her headache and looks around the place.

It's a prison cell.

And replacing a door, there is a yellow transparent barricade. Probably gem technology.

“Where's everybody?” Nora attempts to take a look on the outside, managing to see a few other cells but all of them are empty. “Steven? Guys?”

No reply.

“Oh no, what if they hurt them!?” Nora clenches her hand, now pacing around the room. “No Nora, don't think that. Maybe… Maybe they're just in another room, a little far from here.”

She calls out for them again and this time she receives an answer. Not a verbal one, like she expected to, but she hears something, heavy footsteps approaching.

It's Jasper.

“Rose Quartz,” She puts her hand on the scanner outside the cell, deactivating the force field. “I've waited for this moment for so long.”

Nora gulps, scooting away until her back hits the cell's corner, trying to appear the smallest she could. It makes the quartz smirk. “What's the matter, Rose? Not so strong anymore?” Jasper grabs her by the neck, slamming the girl against the wall. 

She whines in pain, her hands weakly fighting to get Jasper's out of her throat. The throbbing on her head became unbearable and the lack of oxygen isn't making things easier.

“I don't know what your trick is this time and why you look like… that,” Jasper reinforces the word with a disgusted tone. “But I will find out and when I do, I'll get my revenge. I'll send you back to Homeworld and the Diamonds will shatter you for what you did!”

Is that it? Is that how things end?

Her heartbeat sounds so loud inside her own head Nora doesn't even hear the soft tune in the background. “Is she still singing!?” Jasper growls, releasing Nora from her strong grip. “Guess I will have to take care of that one and you stay here.”

Nora, sore from the sudden fall, stays still and watches Jasper leave by her perimetral vision. Once she's alone, she bursts into tears. Curling up against herself, she hides her face behind the knees while sobs fill the place. I'm not strong, I'm not courageous, I can't do anything to help my family. I thought my shield would be enough, but it wasn't. What should I do?

I just want to go home, I just want my dad.

Sniffling, Nora lifts her head. The idea of staying there and waiting for the gems’ verdict draws her interest.

I can't do that. I can't give up, not when my family needs me. They fought in the war, they fought the corrupted gems and fought against Jasper when Peridot showed up. I need to fight too… For them.

The young twin wipes the wet traces on her cheeks and fills her lungs with a deep breath, steadying her body still shaking from the residual hiccups. She raises to her feet and steps closer to the force field, decided to escape. For her family.

Inches from the force field, Nora stares at it and closes her eyes, sticking her finger on it in a quick motion. Nothing happens. Seeing her hand is intact, she places her palm on it and gasps when it goes through, yellow currents start running across her arm. “Whoa!”

Nora pushes herself through the force field without any problems. “Okay, I'm out! That's great! Now I need to find the others.” She pauses and glances over both free directions. “Since Jasper went this way, it's better if I take the left.”

Exploring the ship wasn't exactly in her plans, but she had to when facing the difficulty of finding a single trace of Steven or the gems. Along the way Nora finds a window and decides to look just out of curiosity; She is indeed inside the warship, floating outside of Earth. It's incredible, beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

The girl keeps running and eventually finds a cell with a gem in it. At first she thinks it's Steven, but her joy doesn't last long when she realizes her guess it's wrong. “Lapis?”

Startled by the sudden voice, she backs away inside the cell. Once their eyes meet, Nora is able to see how miserable Lapis seems. “Stop!” She protests when the twin approaches the forcefield.

“It's okay, I can-”

“No, I don't want your help!” Lapis insists. “Things are already bad enough. I’ll say the same thing I told Steven-”

“Steven!? You saw him!? Where did he go?”

“I… I don't know,” She sounds so defeated. “Please listen, we can't stand a chance against them. It's better if we do what they say, they might go easy on us once we get back to Homeworld.”

Nora shakes her head. “No Lapis, they won't! They're mean and they'll be even worse with us if we don't fight back!”

“And that's why we can't fight them.” Having nothing more to say, Lazuli goes back to face the wall and reunite with her hopeless thoughts.

Nora turns around and walks away, ready to resume her search, but stops midway.

She doesn't trust her; Lapis hurt Greg breaking his leg and nearly killed Steven by drowning him. The resentment and anger tells her it's fair to leave her behind.

Although, Lapis helped them. She warned them about Peridot, omitted the fact Steven had Rose's powers and even lied about them not being part of the Crystal Gems just to protect them. 

Lapis deliberately chose to help, despite the trouble it would cause her.

It's not fair to leave her behind.

Nora glances back, feeling bad seeing Lapis looking so forlorn. It gave the impression she was utterly lonely, with no one to rely on or nowhere to go, left to accept any cruel fate would be laid upon her.

She makes up her mind. Nora returns and pushes herself through the force field, grabbing Lapis and freeing the informant from the cell. “What are you doing!?” Nora loses the grip around her wrist. “I told you I don't want-”

“Lapis, listen. I know you're scared, I am too, but we can't give up like that, at least not without trying," She says. “You were so mad at the gems for keeping you in the mirror and you were so happy for finally being able to go. You fought so hard for your freedom and now you're gonna give it away to their hands?”

Nora notices she hit a sensitive topic the moment Lapis' face went blank.

“Please Lapis, don't give up and fight back. If not for us or the Earth, then for yourself.” She stretches her hand, offering not only a way out, but the possibility of owning a true freedom.

Tempting is the right word to describe the gem's current state. It's been so long since she experienced listening to her real wishes that Lapis isn't even sure if she remembers how it feels like.

Deep down, under the indifference, melancholy and frustration, a small piece of hope still exists inside her chest. Nora's speech only brightened the fading flames of its existence.

If she insists on staying behind that forcefield, it's certain she will never live her wish again, and if she chooses to go, it becomes a real opportunity.

After what felt like the longest seconds, Nora is finally given an answer; Lapis takes her hand, her coldness contrasting to the warmth of being welcomed. “I think I know where your friends are.”

Both leave, the older hoping the right choice was made. 

A few distant lefts and rights from where she was found, Lapis takes Nora to the two occupied cells. “Amethyst! Pearl!” She exclaims, her chest ready to burst in joy and relief together.

“Nora, you found us!” Amethyst’s face immediately lightens up. “Where is Steven?”

“I still haven't found him.”

Seeing Nora approach the forcefield, Pearl cautioned. “No! Don't touch it! It's a Gem-destabilizing forcefield!”

“Don't worry, it's okay! It doesn't hurt me.” Nora pushes her hand through the barricade, proving it's harmless. She creates a gap in the force field with her arms, allowing Amethyst to slip under it.

“Way to go, Noor!” She pats her back, earning a pair of eyes shining with pride.

Nora repeats the trick with Pearl and now with both gems free they can think in a part 2 of their escape plan. “Guys, your new clothes are so pretty!”

The two gems look at each other, then at the young Universe, flashing a bashful smile.

Amethyst's tank top is black with two small slots on each side towards the bottom, and her leggings are mauve with black stars on the knees; The tear above the left star is no longer present, her right shoulder strap is now fixed and her boots are still white.

Now Pearl wears a dark blue tunic along a cyan upper part where a small yellow star is on the center of her chest; There's a yellow satin sash bow around her upper waist, leggings amber-colored and slip-on ballet flats that matches her sash.

Lapis stands awkwardly from her spot away from them. Curious, she observes how Amethyst and Pearl supposedly worry about Nora. It confuses her, how can these same Crystal Gems who kept her imprisoned in that damn mirror for a whole millennia be the same who genuinely cares for Nora and Steven?

“Alright, we need to get going,” Pearl becomes serious. “There must a control bridge somewhere that we can wor-”

A faint sound is heard across the hallway, growing louder. The gems go into full alert mode, hoping it wasn't Jasper or Peridot after them. When it gets closer, Nora recognizes what it is, it's that same squeaky sound she hears everyday. Flip-flops. It's Steven.

Before she can look for him, the boy appears in the entrance of the hall. “Nora!”

“Steven!”

The siblings run to hug each other, the youngest almost knocking the other on the ground. “Oh Steven, I'm so glad you're okay,” Nora keeps a firm hold around him, clutching the back of his shirt.

The relief of holding her brother, to know he's right there and safe it's inexplicable. “I was so worried. You have no idea, I thought they…” Her voice breaks as tears come with full force. 

“Aw sis, hey- don't cry. It's okay, look, I'm fine!” Steven gives a weak reassuring smile and wipes the tears out of her face. “But you're not, let me just-” He licks his hand and gently places it on her right eye.

Nora winces at the contact, but it doesn't last long. The pain surrounding the area vanishes in a few seconds and her skin feels weird, going back to normal in an instant. “Thanks.”

“We need to find the control room,” Pearl turns to their new ally. “Do you have any idea of where it may be?”

“I think so, I'm not sure.” Lazuli says hesitantly. She really doesn't want to work with them, but guess she doesn't have much choice, considering that helping them also helps the twins.

The blue gem leads them out of the corner and follows to the left, passing by rows of empty cells and other hallways.

"Sis, did you know Garnet is a fusion?”

“What!?” Nora squeals. “Seriously?”

“You met Ruby and Sapphire?!”

“Oh no! We were going to introduce you, Garnet was waiting for the right moment.” Pearl confesses, lamenting the ruined birthday surprise.

They continue following Lapis’ guidance, although she doesn't have a very clear idea of the directions she's taking. 

“Urgh, these corners look all the same.” Amethyst groans, tired of facing the same green-yellow pattern on the walls.

Ironically, just when she said that, Lapis recognized the next room they would go through. “That one!” She whispers.

They peer at the entrance and find Peridot inside, too busy checking the coordinates centering the ship. It's their chance.

Pearl signs to Amethyst, who nods in response. The short one quietly summons her whip and tiptoes inside the room. When she's close enough, Amethyst launches her weapon towards Peridot, tying her up with it and knocking her out of the seat.

“W-What!?” Utterly surprised, the technician tries to wiggle off, but the whip it's extremely tight around her. “You! You're with them!?”

With her features darkening, Lapis chooses to stay quiet. She walks over Peridot and roughly pushes her to the ground, where Amethyst stays on top of her.

“Hey! Don't touch that! You clods don't know what you're doing!” 

Amethyst rolls her eyes. “You got this, Pearl!”

Pearl nods and sits down. “Okay, ship. Turn us around!” She reaches into the ship's control panel, yelping when her hands go straight through it.

“You okay?” Nora asks, a bit aftaid seeing her eyes flash with data.

“Y-Yes, I am!” Pearl let out a soft chuckle. “I wasn't expecting that… kind of technology. I never saw anything like this.” Prepared this time, she did it again.

Nora lets the gem do her work and goes for Steven who's talking with Lapis. “I'm not sure, Steven. I've been waiting for so long to be able to go. I don't belong on Earth.” She overheard.

It's almost comical how predictable Steven's sadness at hearing the news. “It's okay, I understand. Just promise to come visit us.”

Nora isn't exactly thrilled with the idea of having Lapis close, either to her or her brother. She still can't understand how or why Steven forgave her so easily after what she did.

Okay, Lapis did what she did because she was desperate to leave Earth, Nora can understand that, however Lazuli had a bunch of possibilities on how to better handle that situation and none included almost killing her sibling and hurting her dad.

The more Nora thinks about it, the angrier she gets.

Suddenly, a loud noise echoes through the whole place. It's an explosion. The whole ship jerks with the impact of it, knocking everyone's balance. “It's everyone alright?”

“Yeah.” Steven answers Pearl, crawling towards his sister who fell next to the panel.

Peridot, still tied up, crawls away in the chaos and activates an Escape Pod that encases her. Lapis notices it. “No!” She throws herself over it, but fails as the pod sinks into the floor. “She ran away!” Growling, she punches the ground in frustration.

“We can deal with her later!” Amethyst helps her stand up. “Pearl!?”

The guardian pulls herself off the ground leaning against the control panel, searchingbfor some command to regain any partial control of the ship. “The panel it's not responding! It's broken!”

Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl watch out the window as the ship continues its freefall when Garnet enters the control bridge. “This ship is going down!”

“What do we do!?” Pearl asks, glancing back at the window. The warship is falling at an alarming speed, currently close to entering the Earth's atmosphere.

“Steven, your bubble!” Nora recalls. “You can do it! Use your bubble around us!”

"Steven, look at me!” Nora grabs his face. “I know you can, I trust that you can do it. I believe in you.” She takes his hands and gives it a gentle squeeze.

The siblings sit on the floor and the others follow, circling them. Steven holds Nora's hands and closes his eyes, the girl does the same, and concentrates on his wholehearted wish of protecting each one of them there; Nora, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Lapis.

Soon, a pink light begins to emerge from Steven's gem and, unexpectedly, the same happens with Nora. Unlike Steven's that come from his navel, the rosy glow surfaces from Nora's heart.

A bubble closes around them, and a pink layer is then placed above it. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl are absolutely shocked; Nora really did manage to summon another new power and in a short period of time.

The moment Beach City comes into view, everyone closes their eyes, expecting the impact. The bubble receives hits from all directions at different speeds, the sound of broken things it's almost deafening, followed by an enormous explosion and pressure around it.

After that, everything goes quiet again, except for occasional water splash when rubble falls into the ocean. A muffled loud roar is heard and then, the darkness embracing the bubble is gone. With a clear vision, Steven is able to see they are safe and undo his bubble shield.

“Nice one.” Garnet caresses the twins’ hair.

“Garnet, I can't believe you're a fusion all the time!” Nora exclaims starry-eyed. “Why didn't you tell us?”

She half shrugs. “Oh, we were waiting for your birthday.”

“We can still do it! I haven't met them, so I'll include that on my gift list!”

Amethyst starts to chuckle, until something rumbles under a pile of rubble, ending their little amusement moment. A hand emerges from the rubble, followed by a full bruised body.

Jasper bursts out from the burning wreckage, panting heavily and limping, barely able to give two steps before falling to her knees. “Don't think you've won. You only beat me because you're a fusion! If I had someone to fuse with-” She stops mid sentence once she sees Lapis. “Great, now you're one of them!? Do I need to remind you who they are? Traitors!”

The gems stance themselves.

“How long did they keep you trapped here on this miserable hunk of rock? These gems, they're traitors to their Homeworld. They kept you prisoner, they used you and they'll do it again at the first opportunity they get!”

Lapis flinches at the memories coming back at her, the same emotions she attempted to bury deep in the back of her mind.

“But I can give you a chance to take revenge, just fuse with me.”

Lazuli looks at Jasper as if she lost her mind. “What?!”

“Listen, this is your chance to make them pay for what they did! Think of how long they kept you trapped, how they used you. This is the time to take revenge and be in control,” To be in control for once. “Come on, just say yes.”

Steven is ready to say how his friend would never do such a thing, but his words remain unspoken when Lapis distances herself from them. “Lapis!” He tries to run over her, but Nora and Amethyst stop him.

Right between the two opposites, in the middle of a silent inner battlefield, Lazuli stops and looks back. Doubt with a hint of sadness clouds Steven's face while Nora… She can't do that, she can't face the disappointment pouring out of her gaze.

Why did you choose this?

Lapis lowers her gaze.

You wouldn't understand.

Pondering for a moment on her own, she then turns and offers her hand to Jasper, who grins and grabs her hand.

“No!”

In a simple, short and calculated dance, both gems begin to fuse. Their frame glows into a blob of light, growing and growing to the point of nearly equalizing in size to Sugilite. Lots of arms pokes out, two long and slender while the other four are more muscular

Once the light vanishes and their frame takes full form, Malachite is born.

Her wavy and frizzy hair falls all over her face. Four green eyes open wide at the world in front of them, her mouth twisting in an evil sharp grin at the boost of power and confidence sparkling inside her.

Malachite starts cackling menacingly watching the group recoil, afraid of her, lost, oblivious of what their next step should be. She raises her arm and summons a water arm from the ocean, ready to attack the Crystal Gems, until it suddenly grabs her own wrist and turns into a shackle. “Huh? What?”

Another water arm grabs Malachite's other arm, becoming another shackle, and water chains wrap around her torso and neck. The fusion groans in discomfort, trying to break free, but the chains keep holding her back.

Jasper doesn't understand. They were supposed to be stronger, she was supposed to be stronger and destroy the Crystal Gems. “What are you doing!?”

“I'm done being everyone's prisoner, now you're my prisoner!” Lapis’ anger speaks out. “And I'm never letting you GO!” Two more water arms grab Malachite's hide legs and start pulling her into the ocean.

It's a disturbing sight. Malachite screams in distress, her face beginning to split apart, a sign that Jasper desperately struggles to unfuse, but it goes back to normal, due to Lapis’ refusal to let her go.

“Lapis!” Steven cries out, running to the shore. Everyone followed after him.

Malachite stops for a moment, all of her fours eyes on him. “Let's stay on this miserable planet... together!” She manages to say before the ocean engulfs her.

No one says a word, too stunned by what they just witnessed.

“Yikes, they are really bad for each other.” Garnet adjusts her broken visor, letting Pearl lean against her shoulder.

The rest stares speechless at the sea, now returning to its calming and normal waves, without a trace of the unstable fusion. It's a lot to take in and to work on if you consider the state the beach finds itself in.

However, at least the Crystal Gems can finally rest with this specific chapter they were dealing with being finally closed. At least for now.