A special Thankgiving chapter for yall! I really hope everybody enjoys. I may skip next Thursdays update so I know i have enough material written, just so everybody knows!

Chapter Text

As Steven approached Greg’s van in front of funland, he noticed Pearl sitting in the back of the van with his father. Greg got up and waved and Steven ran over to meet him. He hugged Greg and Pearl then sat next to them.

“Dad.. I have something I gotta talk to you a-“ He began, but Greg interrupted him.

“Shtoo-ball, if this is about your mother…Pearl already told me. She told me a few days ago. Don’t be mad at her though, I did pester her and she made it clear you didn’t want to get my hopes up with anything.” He explained, putting a hand on Pearl’s shoulder. She smiled softly and looked at Steven.

“I’m sorry..” She apologized and looked off. Steven took a breath.. and sighed in relief.

“It’s fine you guys! I.. actually didn’t know how I was gonna do this. Thank you Pearl.” He admitted, smiling and scratching the back of his head. The other two chuckled and hugged their son.

“If you can bring her back Steven.. you know I wouldn’t be opposed. I’d give a lot to be able to see her again.” Greg said after awhile. Steven nodded and leaned back in the van.

“I just.. don’t know what’s gonna happen if it works. I don’t know what she’d think,” he said, looking up at the sky. Greg patted his shoulder and gave him a nudge.

“One thing I know son, if she gets to meet you she will love you no matter what. At least in my eyes… you’ve grown up to be one of the greatest people I know, Steven. Rose will be proud of you too,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye.

“Dad…” Steven began. He sniffled and hugged Greg tightly. Pearl placed a gentle hand on Steven’s back.

“He’s right, you know. Whatever Rose thinks, I know she’ll respect that you did what you thought was right,” she said. Steven wiped his face off and smiled wide.

-

Two and a half months passed. Steven anxiously checked in on the growing gem every other day, waited for Connie to come home and managed a raft of other responsibilities he had to deal with now.

The entire famethyst came to live in Little Homeworld after the visit, Holly Blue nowhere in sight. Steven figured she had either stayed at the zoo or homeworld. Amethyst began spending more time with them, Garnet also spent more time in Little Homeworld teaching the Homeworld and formerly corrupted gems about earth life, fusion, mindfulness and more. Steven was amazed at how much she enjoyed teaching the other gems, it was inspiring watching her interact with new fusions and gems who want a direction.

Pearl, in between seeing Sheena, tried to stay by Steven’s side to keep him company. She showed him the ropes of the Diamond computer systems and answered his questions about colonies and how gem teams operated.

“She would have loved doing all this, quite honestly. Your mother, that is,” Pearl said, the day before Connie came back home. She closed out a screen with data about a different colony planet.

“I hope she gets to see it all,” she finished. Steven nodded in agreement.

“Me too.”

-







Time moved far too slow as Steven waited for Connie to walk through the door. She had promised to come visit him as soon as she unpacked and said hello to her parents.

2:13

the clock said.

He flopped onto his bed, wondering how the gem project was coming. Peridot has said it would be ready to take out of the ground any day now.

For two months, Steven has consulted with the gems, meditated and tried to see what he could do in his dreams. He knew there had to be a way to achieve his goal in those things somehow.

He decided to close his eyes and try meditating again.

He focused on the sound of the ocean waves coming from the window. Breathing. Letting thoughts go and relaxing the body.

The waves continue to blur his thoughts into nothingness. Letting them go further, and further..

He opened his eyes without opening them, and found himself in the mind space, but it was an ominous collection of oranges, reds and purples instead of blues, a heavy fog filled the air and Steven could sense something was off. He hadn’t experienced something like this since Stevinnie had their breakdown. He carefully made his way through the fog, trying to wave it off as he went. It muffled his hearing and was making his clothes damp from just walking through it.

He tripped on himself, catching himself on the floor right before he hit. Pushing himself up he waved away more fog from his face, but it cleared to reveal a faint figure in a clearing in front of him.

Rose Quartz. Pink Diamond.

She glitched between the two forms, sitting on the ground and hugging herself.

Surrounding her were hundreds, if not thousands, of bright white butterflies, tinted orange by the surrounding area.

They settled on her, flew around her, did whatever they pleased. A large group simply swarmed above her, not resting or landing.

The ghost like figure of his mother glitched to the Diamond form, holding out a hand for one butterfly to land on. She glitches again, back to Rose Quartz, and the butterfly flew away. She lowered her hand slowly, disappointed, and hugged her knees closer to herself. The butterflies above her swarmed worse, growing in size.

Steven stood, mouth agape and simply stared at her for a moment.

“M-Mom…?”

The figure glitched again but scurried back in surprise, her eyes wide. She backed up a bit further after examining him, fingertips digging into the floor beneath her like it was soft dirt.

“Steven…?”

“Steven!”

Steven opened his eyes and gasped deeply, clutching his gem. Connie was in front of him but stepped back in surprise.

The clock said 2:17.

“Hey, Steven are you okay? What happened?” She asked worriedly, taking his shoulders into her hands. He looked around but finally focused on her face.

“C-Connie? It’s you.. you’re home!” He said, his eyes brightening as he realized what was happening. He jumped up from the couch and picked Connie up by the waist, swinging her around and laughing with her. His heart fluttered as he looked into her eyes again, he loved the fact that he could see her whenever he wanted again.

“Hi!” He said excitedly, putting her back down.

“Hey, Steven,” she replied with a chuckle. She frowned after though and looked at him with concern.

“What was that just now? Did you fall asleep?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. Steven shook his head and thought back to what he saw.

“No.. I went into the mind space, Connie. I.. I saw my mom,” he explained. Connie gasped, putting a hand up to her mouth.

“Really?”

“Yeah.. she looked like a ghost. Her form kept glitching and changing from diamond to quartz.. and she was surrounded by those butterflies that we had to deal with. Like… thousands of them.”

Steven ran a hand through his hair and sat back on the couch, giving Connie a little smile.

“But I’m really glad you’re back now. Was the trip okay?” He asked.

“I took Lion,” she said.

“I figured,” Steven replied with a chuckle.

From the table, Steven’s phone began to ring. He checked it and answered immediately.

“Hello?”

“Steven! Peridot reporting in! The gem is ready to extract from the ground as of now. Meet us at the Kindergarten and we can get things going,” Peridot said from the other end. Steven and Connie gasped in unison and looked at each other excitedly.

“We’ll be right there!” Connie assured Peridot with a big grin on her face. Steven grabbed a bag and Connie’s hand and ran to the warp pad with her. She laughed as they got on and Steven looked at her, stars in his eyes. Something about her right then was just perfect, something about the moment made his heart leap from his chest. The light from the warp pad, her laugh, her eyes..

Steven tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention and then kissed her for the first time as they warped to the Kindergarten.

Peridot ran over to the warp pad as soon as the two arrived, hiding their blushes.

“It’s tiiiiime!” She yelled. Steven and Connie laughed and followed the small green gem to the extraction site. The other peridots were there waiting with digging equipment and Peridot’s microwave computer. Steven introduced Connie to the other peridots and showed her the area he had healed to make the gem. The gem had made the area barren again, the rose bushes gone and the trees fallen, but Steven knew he could fix that now. He had a lot of plans.

Connie talked with the peridots as they prepared, and Steven examines the ground they were about to take the gem from. He hoped it had worked. Even if it didn’t, he was willing to do it as many times as he had to. The vision of his mother in the mind space, plagued by internal torment, glitching from one form to another… Something was happening. Something in his gut told him his mother was waking up.

“Steven! We’re ready when you are!” Peridot called. Steven looked at Connie and they nodded at each other and went to join the peridots.

His heart pounded in his chest throughout the whole process. They found the exact location of the gem in the ground and dug around it to make absolutely sure they didn’t damage it. As he watched the peridots dig the gem out, Connie held his hand and squeezed it. He took a deep breath and realized he’d hardly been breathing at all. He gave Connie a small smile, then they made their way over to the hunk of dirt that contained the gem.

Lapis was called in the blast the dirt off with water, then giving the gem to Peridot to examine in her microwave for issues. Steven waited anxiously, not saying anything and watching the gem turn in the microwave. Finally, the paper with the information Peridot needed popped out and she grabbed it and read it over a couple of times.

“Well? What is it?” Steven asked nervously. Peridot balled up the paper, throwing it behind her and took the gem out of the microwave, handing it to Steven.

“It’s perfectly fine, Steven. The gem is stable and secure and doesn’t seem to have any trace of a consciousness inside. Your plan should be a success if you can figure out how to execute it properly!” Peridot told him proudly. The other peridots nodded and 5XJ smiled wide. Connie looked at the gem, eyes bright as Steven examines it closely. It looked perfect, the exact same cut as his but cut flat on both sides, not just one. It was more coral, reddish pink instead of the deep magenta Steven’s was. It reflected the sunlight and turned what it hit pink. It was beautiful, but it lacked what made a gem truly a gem. The light, sentience, the spark that put life into the gems, was simply not there. Steven knew he had to find a way to put Rose Quartz’s spark of life into that gem.

He teared up, hugging the gem close to himself and then hugging Peridot.

“Thank you, Peridot,” he said, sniffling and turning to the other peridots.

“And thank you guys too. Thanks to y’all I can do some really important things,” he said.

Him and Connie said their thank you’d and goodbyes and took the gem back to the temple to show the Crystal Gems.

They got back and the gems gazed in awe at the gem that had been created.

They all discussed the plan again, and Steven decided to put it into motion that night. Connie had dinner with them and went home for the night, and the crystal gems went to do their own activities before settling in for the night. Steven did his nightly routine. Shower, pjs, hair comb, teeth brushing. Tonight, he gently laid the newly made gem on a pillow on his nightstand.

The waves. Soft sheets. Fluffy pillows. The sea breeze. This was his home. It would always calm his soul.

Finally, Steven laid down to sleep.







-







He envisioned himself in the same area where his gem half had given him the message in the first place. Moments passed. Maybe hours. Maybe only seconds.

He opened his eyes and found himself there, but Pink Steven was nowhere to be seen. He stared in frustration but took a few deep breaths.

I wish I knew what I was supposed to be doing here. He thought to himself.

He started walking, reminding himself that there were no clear answers here, and he began to wonder if this was even the answer at all. He stopped, realizing the best course of action was probably to just let whatever it was happen. Doubting at this point would do no good. Worrying wouldn’t help whatever process this was. He sat down and started to meditate, hoping whatever force that let him see his mom before would do it again.

Breathing. Let the thoughts go and see where they take you.

Eyes closed, the original message from his other half danced in front of him but faded away, replaced by drifting thoughts of the empty gem waiting on the pillow in the waking world. Unbubbled rose quartzes, his other half hugging him…

Slowly pulling him from his trance of thoughts was a growing tingling sensation from his gem, similar to when he first summoned his shield. He focused on the feeling, and he felt waves of emotion he’d never felt before, at least not like this. Love, confusion, anger, self loathing. They came and went in waves, until the tingling was like a buzzing in his gem. He opened his eyes and saw a glow coming from his gem. It wasn’t his shield though. He held out his hands and summoned whatever it was.

A small pink bubble came from his gem, a tiny pale rose bud safe inside.

Steven’s eyes widened as he held the bubble. The familiar scent of roses wafted around him, his focus caught entirely on the little rose bud. Suddenly he blinked and found himself in his own room, looking at his sleeping body and the empty gem on the night stand. The memory of his message dream came to mind. The rose dissolved into the gem and gave it light. Was that this moment? Was this the message? He hesitantly looked over the empty gem and his own unconscious face.

Is this really the right thing to do? He wondered, nerves starting to get the better of him.

But instead of letting him give in to his thoughts, his gem half seemed to take control, a ghostly pink hand popping the bubble for Steven, making the rose bud land in his hands. The hand vanished into the darkness, and Steven remembered his vision of his mother, suffering alone.

No. This is it. I can’t let this go on anymore.

The rose bud was light as a feather, slightly glowing in the dark bedroom, tingling with a faint presence.

Steven stared in awe for a moment before gently kissing the rose bud and placing it onto the empty gem, watching it glow slightly more and absorb into the gems surface.

As it faded from his view, he suddenly felt as if a hole was opened up but immediately filled in his body, like butterflies in his stomach that were instantly relieved. A nightmare that he had just woken up from. He felt light as air, and everything around him vanished, replaced by the void he had been falling down during the first dream. He started to float down and his eyes widened in awe as Gem Steven materialized in front of him, noticeably different looking as he now sported Pink Diamonds real colors instead of seeming like a pink hologram. His other half smiled wide as tears formed in his eyes. He reached out for his human half’s hands, and Steven took them and smiled as well, swinging his other half around, remembering when they fused in front of White, reveling in the joy that surrounded them, knowing they succeeded in their mission.

They swung each other in circles as they floated down, both of them laughing.

“You did it other half!”

Gem Steven said joyously. His human half swung them around again, embracing his gem half.

“ We did it! You’re the one who told me!” He told him. They pressed their foreheads together and slowed their descent down, still laughing softly. Pink Steven gently wiped a tear from his human half’s face and his smile softened.

“We have to help her… she’s not going to be perfect. The diamonds are here now too,” He reminded his other half. Human Steven nodded and hugged him.

“We can do this,” He promised.

They fused back into one and Steven smiled, looking at his hands.

“I can do this.”

-

Steven awoke with a small gasp, looking around his room and immediately looking for the rose quartz gem on the pillow on his table.

There was light in it now. A spark of life.

Stevens eyes shone and he took the gem in his hands. Looking at the clock quickly he saw that it said 5:57. The sun was just rising and hopefully the gems were busy. He put on his clothes as fast as he could and took the gem, sneaking down the stairs into the living room of the temple house. Looking around the corner of the stairs, he saw the crystal gems sprawled on the couch, asleep.

Great, He thought to himself. It would be easy to sneak out. He wanted them to be involved, but he had to do this himself first.

He hurried to the door, not knowing how long he had until the gem in his hand started to reform, if she did at all. He was confident she would soon though. Gently, he clicked the door shut and tiptoed down the porch stairs, holding the gem close. The early morning sun shone against it, reflecting pink light onto Steven’s skin, and a gentle breeze made him glad that he had put on his jacket. He headed for the beach, wanting his Mom’s first reformation to be somewhere she knew. He went and stood by the glittering water, gentle waves licking at seashells and driftwood. It was a beautiful day out, there were boats out fishing and sailing already. As he stared at the gem in his hands, Steven realized he had no idea what it would be like to see his mom. Up until now, he had been so focused on the possibility of bringing her back that he had barely thought about his first words to her if he managed it. He shook the thought away, he would deal with that as it went.

He stared at the gem for a moment longer before placing a gentle kiss on it and setting it onto the sand. He stared in awe, amazement and joy as the gem started to glow.