We Aren't the Crystal Gems Without You

Sometimes, It's Better Not to Know

The gem hovered in the air and began to glow. A pink aura surrounded the gem. A figure made out of light slowly began to form.
"Wait," Garnet said, her voice low and serious. "Something's not right."
     "Steven's organic..." Pearl murmured.
     "He's not made of light. I could prove it. I fused with him!" Amethyst exclaimed. The light grew bigger, taking shape.
     "Did he lose his organic form after his death? Is he fully gem?" Pearl asked.
     Amethyst's jaw dropped. "Yo, I don't think that's Steven."
     "Could it be...?" Garnet whispered.      
     The gem fully took form. Before the crystal gems stood a tall quartz with thick, pink curly hair. Her build was heavy, as a quartz's should be, and she looked very majestic, standing taller than all of the crystal gems.
     It prove not to be a contest of who could hold back their emotions the longest, who would be the first to crack, for all the gems had tears streaking their cheeks. Both Garnet and Amethyst's mouths were gaping, while Pearl's was covered in shock.
     Rose Quartz looked just as shocked as her fellow comrades. "Pearl? Garnet! Amethyst..."
     "Rose!" Pearl shouted, running to her most trusted, most missed friend. Rose Quartz enveloped her in a hug. Amethyst and Garnet still stared in astonishment. A few seconds later, Pearl realized something, knowing something was missing. "Where's Steven?" she asked, looking up at Rose.
     "I don't know!" exclaimed Rose, panicked. "I shouldn't be here! It should be him! He's all alone! Is he even still there? I don't- I don't know!"
     "I- I don't understand," Garnet said. "What's going on?"
     "Yeah, Rose. Don't get me wrong, we're so happy to see you, but is Steven okay?" Amethyst asked, obvious worry clouding her voice.
     "I think he's okay. I saw him in the gem. But this wasn't supposed to happen! He should be the one here! I should never have left the gem! The one reformed should have been Steven!"
     "Well thank goodness he's alright," said Pearl. "But if you're here, can he come back?" Then she added in a smaller voice, "If you aren't here, can he come back?"
     "We can't exist at the same time! Is the gem confused? He is half human, after all. He wasn't there the first few days after he disappeared. I though he was dead, too!" She burst into tears. The gems watched, unsure of what to do. "But he never ceases to amaze me. He came and I met my son for the first time!" She smiled through her tears. Then her expression turned serious once more. "But if the gem really is confused with both of our forms... What if he's not in there any more? I don't know what I'll do if he's not there!" The gems looked away, anguish of not knowing what had become of Steven becoming even more of a reality to them. Rose Quartz dried her eyes. "I'm sorry. I haven't got the chance yet to tell you all how happy I am to see you." She looked at Pearl. "My Pearl, how are you? I missed you."
     Pearl started crying all over again. "I missed you too, Rose!"
     Rose then looked to Garnet. "Ruby, Sapphire... Garnet. You've been leading the crystal gems well. I'm proud of you."
     "It was nothing compared to you, but thank you," Garnet said.
     "Of course it wasn't nothing! Trust me, I know how hard it can be sometimes to be a leader." Rose then turned to Amethyst and crouched down to her height.
     Amethyst stared and then threw her arms around Rose. Rose laughed. "And Amethyst, amazing as ever!" Amethyst let go and Rose stood. "I like your hair."
     "I liked Greg's, so I grew mine out to look like his," Amethyst shrugged.
     "Oh! Speaking of Greg, where is he? He's still in Beach City, isn't he?" Rose asked the gems.
     "He is," Garnet answered.
     "Where is he? I want to see him," Rose declared.
     "He's probably at the car wash," Amethyst said.
     "Alright. You can come, too. Oh, this is very exciting to be back!"
     "Yeah, ok," Garnet said as Rose raced out the door. The gems turned and just stared at each other, wide-eyed.
     "This can't be happening," Pearl whispered.
     "It feels like a dream," Amethyst added.
     "Garnet? Did you see this as an outcome? Did you know Rose would come back?" Pearl asked.
     "I saw it as a possibility, but I didn't thing it would be the path taken," Garnet admitted.
     "Well, what are we waiting for!" exclaimed Pearl. "She's back!" She then ran out of the house toward her long-awaited Rose.
As soon as Pearl had left, Amethyst said, "Uh, Garnet?" She looked up at her fused friend.
"Yes, Amethyst?"
"I- uh... I'm scared, actually. It's amazing to see Rose and all, but something has to be wrong if she didn't want her gem to reform herself. And what if she's right?! What if Steven really has disappeared... For good?" She bit her lower lip. "Please, please Garnet. Can you show me the future? I have to know."
     "Sometimes, it's better not to know," Garnet said. "But I know this means a lot to you, to all of us. So I'll show you." Garnet bent down so that her face was level with Amethyst's face. Garnet kissed the top of Amethyst's forehead. The place where she was kissed sparkled. Amethyst's eyes were closed as she witnessed the possibilities that the future might hold.
     After half of a minute, Amethyst's eyes opened again. "Wow," was all she said. "Thanks for showing me."