Mother, Mother

Mother, Mother One-Shot

The night air was chilly as Steven walked slowly along the beach feeling the fine sand between his toes. It was nights like these, where he felt like he had more questions than answers, that he liked to walk alone and hear the crashing of the waves. Every wave crashing reminded him of the impermanence of his problems. Waves didn't have to question "why", they simply were.

He sighed sadly. Even though he knew that he would never be able to truly meet his mother, his heart still wished on for it. Pulling up his shirt a little and staring down at the pink gem placed within his belly button, he pushed back tears. That little gem was the only part of her left, and sometimes that sentiment would bring him to his knees.

Off in the distance, he saw a shimmering light within the water. Did someone lose their flashlight or something? No, no, that wouldn't make sense. He summoned his bubble and began rolling on top of the waves. With a bit of effort, he managed to float above where the light was emanating from. Peering down into the waves, he spotted what looked like a glowing... Crystal Ball?

Something felt off about it. Was it an artifact? Why was it so close to his house? Who even would lose their crystal ball in a place like this? Letting out another sigh, he popped his bubble and swam down to grab it. It had sparked his interest enough where he couldn't just let it sit there on the sand for fish to try and eat.

As his hand grazed the smooth surface of the ball, he felt himself being pulled closer towards it. He quickly tried to pull his hand away in a quick panic. No way was he going to get stuck under the waves by a strange glowing ball. It didn't do much to help, however, as he only got further pulled in the harder he tried to pull away. He felt his airways begin to scream for air as his panic furthered. Just as his vision began to darken, he heard a voice.

"H-Huh? Who are you, dear?"

Steven was pulled out of the water still holding the crystal ball. He gasped for air as the bright light hit his vision like arrows. Coughing and spluttering on the sand, he finally opened his eyes fully. A pink figure hovered over him, blocking out most of the sunlight now. "Hello? Human? Are you okay?"

It was Rose Quartz. Steven quickly sat up in shock, his eyes as wide as saucers. "M-Mom?!"

Rose chuckled, "You must have hit your head pretty hard, kiddo. I'm not your mom. My name is Rose, nice to meet you." Her hands rested on her large stomach, caressing an unborn child.

"N-No, really, you are my Mom! I-I can't believe this! Am I in the past? Maybe I did hit my head too hard... Oh! Here! Here's proof!" He stood and lifted his shirt up to show his gem.

She let out a gasp, "Oh my! Are you... Steven?" Steven nodded quickly. She looked down at her stomach before looking up at him, "My, you look so much like your father! How adorable. I'm so glad I was able to meet you, Steven. I can't believe it!"

Steven felt so much he could barely contain it. He had wished since he could remember to finally meet his mother. But... How did he feel about her now? After all she had done? After all she had put everyone through? His face must have betrayed his feelings, because Rose's face fell.

"You don't seem too happy to see me... What do you know?"

"Everything."

"Oh..."

There was a long silence as they stared at each other. Rose seemed to not be too bothered by what he had found out. Steven, on the other hand, could barely keep his temper together. "Why'd you do it, Mom...? Why'd you leave Spinel in that garden? How could you fake your own death and keep everything a secret? H-How could you leave everyone behind and put me in your place? I just-... I can't believe you'd do all that."