#(but the thought that steven managed to pop up without him knowing makes him afraid that maybe steven---) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

keouil · 4 years ago

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how you forget to be human

“so is she like,” scott hesitates. “cap’s first lady or something?” rated t. 2k+. steve/nat. also on ao3 / twitter / cc

Scott hasn’t been with the team for a long time, but he thinks he at least has enough working knowledge of how everyone operates.

The Winter Soldier—Bucky to Steve, James to anyone who dared—quite frankly still scares the living shit out of him, and that’s Magneto on a good day. It didn’t take much to deduce he seemed wholly uncomfortable in his own skin, his jaw coiled perpetually tight and the rigid set of his shoulders always in alert. It was uneasy just being around him, his discomfort bleeding over others and charging the air around his space with its own brand of disquieting; but always, without fail, Steve cushioned whatever apprehension anyone aimed toward his bestfriend.

Most of it came from Sam, and almost always in good nature as if to ease the brainwashed supersoldier into some semblance of normality; and Scott would fear for Sam’s life every time he opened his mouth, were it not for the also very obvious fact the Falcon held his own and didn’t appreciate handouts and the three of them seemed to be getting along uniquely (if not a little oddly) well enough.

The witch was a small problem, however. Simply for the fact she was a witch and Scott is wary because history taught him they burned all of them down in Salem.

He sees her wiggling those voodoo fingers around sometimes, almost unconsciously, and feels the hairs on his arms rise with every flick of her wrist. The energy around her isn’t suffocating the same way Bucky’s is. It was more a subtle nervous tingling; like she herself was afraid of the gravity of her own powers she had yet to have complete reigns on. Scott is oddly humbled by the fact and even empathises with her a little.

Steve keeps an eye on her and doesn’t bother hiding it, but it’s the archer who gets past her when it really counts. Clint Barton, who, surprisingly is the one he’s on the most similar wavelength with out of all of them: family man and all.

Clint Barton whose also friends with Natasha Romanoff.

Hawkeye who has simultaneously the most complex and impossibly simple relationship with Black Widow.

“I swear to god if you ring me up next time you’re out of goddamn Fruit Loops,” Natasha warns, digging through one of the five grocery bags on the kitchen island. She fishes for a few more seconds, before popping a colourful cartoon box out from under the bag and tossing it to Barton. “I’m bringing you in for real.”

Clint scoffs, placing the carton on the top shelf. “How many times have I heard that before?”

“Apparently not enough,” Natasha glares at him from her peripheral, scooping out Nutella and a pack of store-bought pryanik to lay on the table. Russian biscuits. For Wanda. “If I’m still stopping by an abandoned boarding house in the slums of Siberia every other week. Y’all grown men can’t do grocery shopping by yourselves?”

Scott blinks from his spot by one of the stools.

Of all the things he expected to wake up to in hiding from 117 countries from possible charges of aiding and abetting a war criminal, Black Widow casually arranging and organising their weekly rationale was nowhere near the top of the list. She did this all the while supposedly fighting for the other team.

This one needs no introduction.

Scott knows who Black Widow is. Scott knows Captain America, after all.

You don’t grow up in the land of the free without knowing his legacy even in minute passing. The man has been plastered on nearly every surface of the continent since the dawn of America. Scott has seen the news footages, read the official accounts, willingly devoured every single documentary or biopic helmed in honour of their nation’s greatest hero: he knows, down to the bone, the star-spangled man with a plan.

A forgotten and revered and rebirthed war hero.

How he came to know of her, however, is an entirely different story: because come the news footages, zoom in close enough you’ll see the infamous shield covering a much smaller and daintier figure; go over the accounts with a fine-toothed comb, they speak of a levelled dynamic between a commanding officer and a shadow leader; and, lest history not forget, the documentaries: Peggy, because behind every great man is a woman, Natasha.

“Now why would we do that if we got you?” Sam. He comes up from behind the hallway to playfully grin at Natasha before enveloping her in a small hug. She returns it easily.

Scott braces himself for what’s to come, because they came in a pair, and so: “Nat,” Steven Grant Rogers, in the flesh himself, pokes his head in not a moment later with a barely indisputable frown on his face. “You came here again?”

Natasha clicks her tongue at him. “Someone had to make sure you boys were fed.”

“That’s not— We can—” Steve stutters as he strides in, and Scott has to very carefully school his features into nonchalance because Captain America does not stammer. He sighs deeply before settling next to her, nudging her with his hip. “Tony atleast know you're here?”

Natasha gives him a pointed look. “Who do you think paid for all this?”

Scott watches their silhouettes grow smaller and smaller by the distance.

Even from afar, he can make out Steve’s absolute hulk of a frame: back impossibly straight in a way that bespoke authenticity, years of rigid military training drilled into his bones; only he seemed to mellow, somehow and very slightly, the fine lines of his shoulders angled in the direction of her voice. And Natasha: brave and lithe, nearly a head shorter and so much more smaller, facing forward in full confidence and a leisurely stride in her steps.

Siberia has a biting night air that seeps deep into the bone. But it’s also comforting somehow; all of them knowing, in one way or another, what it was like to be iced out from society.

They were all huddled by the makeshift campfire Barton fashioned out of some wooden logs and a matchstick. Sam, in charge of roasting marshmallows, was gently coaxing Bucky into eating one and promising him it’s not poisoned. Wanda was handing out steaming cups of hot chocolate brewed from the pack Natasha brought in a few hours ago, a staple in her weekly grocery runs because apparently the kid witch liked sweets.

Scott gingerly takes a sip from his mug, some of the warmth seeping into liquid courage he was building up for weeks now. He takes a deep breath before plunging himself into the waves.

“I can’t be the only one worried that the enemy has infiltrated our territory, right?”

To their credit, neither of them kill him on sight.

Wanda pauses in levitating one of the wooden logs above the hearth, a single bark of kindling hovering uncertainly over the air. Bucky has an unreadable expression on his face when he regards him. A look passes between Sam and Clint, betraying nothing of their inner thoughts at his outburst.

The fire is nice and toasty, but the air is stifling now and Scott has never felt more the outsider than at that very moment.

Until Sam breaks into a hearty laugh. “Widow?” he shakes his head amusedly. “No, man, Steve and Nat are tight. They’re past stuff like that.”

Scott furrows his eyebrows in concern. “But isn’t she—”

“On Tony’s side?” Clint quips, poking at one of the planks. Wanda finally drops the floating bark, and Scott doesn’t miss the flash of something in her eyes when she glances at him from the other side of the fire. He thinks he saw a spark of red for a second. “Sure, I guess. Technically she’s Team Iron Man or whatever that means. But Natasha is also fiercely loyal, especially when it comes to Steve.”

“What does that mean?” Scott asks in genuine confusion.

Sam opens his mouth to elaborate, words already forming on his mouth; before he seems to come to a belated realisation, blinks, and manages a nonchalant shrug. "Damn if I know,” he admits, turning over a puffy mallow and watching the crackles of fire burn its edges. “But she’s good for him. That’s all I care about.”

“And he’s good for her,” Clint returns easily, not an ounce of hesitation in his voice. “Maybe sometimes it’s just that easy.”

They hear the crunching of footsteps on snow creeping up behind them, and Scott takes this as his cue to stash the conversation for another time.

He watches them stroll in together carefully.

Steve holds the gate open for her and places a small hand on her back as they advance in the small patch of woods by the backyard. Natasha settles next to Wanda, hands going up and down her arms to warm the younger girl despite being the one having only just gone out for a walk in the middle of Russian winter: because, and at this Scott is now confident, the jacket resting on her shoulders three times her size was keeping her warm enough.

The quinjet doesn’t start up right away.

Scott is slowly panicking, because the realisation that he was truly out of his depth at fighting in the next greatest civil war of the century notches above his pay grade only viscerally begins to take hold.

He has a family back home, pets to feed, a little life saving every now and then; but never this colossal of a scale, never with the stakes stacked up so high against them, that it really could only ever be toppled down by the likes of fucking Iron Man and Captain America.

But Steve is still confident.

It’s so bloody obvious he was always going to keep at it, gunned down the concrete walls of the airport and clawed his way out of it brick by brick if need be. He was really and truly the good man underneath it all, and at the back of his mind, Scott still finds himself awed at the fact.

But he doesn’t know how on earth the man came out of that airport not visibly rattled, not at all unlike how Scott was currently feeling; and, as he processes the rest of their wayward expressions, he knew he wasn’t alone in thinking so.

“Cap,” Sam wheezes by the floor, fighting to labor his breathing with a hand clutched on his dislocated shoulder. “I still got the jeep parked outside. It’s not too late. We can hike the rest of the way.”

“No,” Steve replies, an edge of conviction in his voice. There is not a single tremor in his stubborn hands gripping the wheel. “That’s gonna hold us back days. We just need to be up in the air for now. We need—”

“A woman to come to your rescue again?”

This time, it’s Scott who sighs in deep relief at her voice. This time, Scott doesn’t fight the churn in his stomach at the prospect of having someone who nearly nicked him lifeless not even hours ago this close a range with them again. This time, she is not Black Widow, but simply Natasha Romanoff; Steve Rogers’ friend.

This time, Scott thinks, he will let them be easy just like that.

There was no more a sign of tremble in his voice or hands the entire battle, but at the lilt of her voice, he just crumbles.

“Nat,” Steve breathes out when he turns to her, hands fisting at his sides in an attempt to regain control. Just like that, he unravels; so easily and without preamble in the face of her steeled strength. “I can’t get it to turn on— And I— We have to get Bucky—”

“Work through it, Steve,” she cooes in probably the most placating voice he’s heard of her, but she doesn’t move to touch him when she comes close. Her hands are going a mile a minute over the control panel, pushing buttons and lifting levers. Steve is hovering by her side like it's the only thing holding him together. “You know how to fly this thing, right?”

Steve is visibly taken aback and angles his body to face her. “You’re not coming with us?”

The question hangs in the air.

It charges the silence around them and quells any of their growing uncertainty, because, clear as it was of Steve’s well-founded and undeniable leadership skills: they also knew, intimately, she anchored him through it all.

Sam was putting pressure around Bucky’s human arm as he looked back and forth at them tensely. He could feel Wanda hitch her breath behind him.

Natasha’s fingers keep flying away at the keyboard, until they feel the telling signs of an engine rumbling underneath and the overhead lights spurting back to light. The whole jet roars to life in the next second, heating fans whizzing and technical sounds beeping. She shifts some gears around and locks in a destination with the GPS navigation.

When she turns to look at Steve, it is then Scott forces himself to pry his eyes away and not bear witness to this part of his already over documented life. In that single moment of uncertainty, the what does that mean is meant like this: an intimate baring of a soul, heart, trust: in a way no words could ever begin describing or should even attempt to put to paper.

It is friendship at the most intimate level, it is soulmates on the most soul-crushing departure, and it is the everything else that comes after.

“Not this time, Rogers,” he hears her say, and Scott doesn’t have to imagine the slight fracturing of his iron-clad footing in the world swaying ever so slightly, when he replies with: “Then I guess I’ll see you around, Romanoff.” .

“So is she like,” Scott hesitates. “Cap’s first lady or something?”

They’re some seventy feet off the air above the Pacific Ocean, the moisture from the ocean drifting up to the open barracks and making the air glisten around them. Bucky is fast asleep somewhere down the lower levels with Wanda keeping watch over him, upon the fervent insistence of Steve arguing he needed rest. It came as no surprise that he also self-assigned himself the first watch of the night.

Sam is sharpening his knives, the grating sound of sandpaper slicing over iron piercing through the silent hum and drum of the night.

“Please,” he scoffs, looking over at him. “If anything, Steve is her first lady.”

#romanogers #stevenat #fic #natasha romanoff #steve rogers #romanogers fi #stevenat fic #marvel fic

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pokemon-ventures · 5 years ago

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First Kiss

Morty

The two of you had been childhood friends. While his parents were grooming him to takeover the gym, you were free to roam and enjoy what Johto had to offer. You spoke as often as you could, sent letters back and forth and you always had a place to stay with him. At some point he asks you to join him at the theater in Ecruteak. He’s been gym leader for years and you know Johto and Kanto like the back of your hand. There have been a few moments where the two of your worlds have almost collided but he didn’t want to hold you back and you were too chicken to take a chance. But after some talking from Eusine, Morty decides to take the chance. The night goes smoothly, there’s no pressure from either side. The two of you just fall together and to top it off, he pulls you close and steals your breath away with a sweet, goodnight kiss.

Steven

You took over as champion, giving him time to work at Devon with his father and delve deep into caves. The two of you bonded during your month of training, flirty quips, late nights in the League getting paperwork approved, and some soft moments offering comfort when the stress of being a champion becomes a bit much. Before you knew it, Steven became a big part of your life and vice versa. As a team, the two of you compliment each other’s weaknesses and you’re not afraid to let him know when he’s wrong. You thought you were feeling platonic love, but then one night while working Steven happened to fall asleep on your shoulder and you found yourself enamored with him. You wondered what it would be like to feel his lips against yours, his hands on your body, and his hips pressed against you... you were screwed. When you woke him up a little while later, you were both sleepy and he offered to walk you to your room in the building. Without much thought, he grabbed your hand and once at your door you reached up and gave him a peck on his lips. He reacted immediately and... well, that’s a story for a different time.

Volkner

As stoic and bored as he may seem; he makes your life fun. He’d heard that you were a pretty tough trainer and wanted to test that for himself, and when he saw you relaxing on the beach he was determined. You knew of him, how could you not, and how his mood is driven by a good battle. Instead of giving in to his request you, simply, changed the subject. Undeterred, he followed you everywhere to try and schedule a battle with you and you decided to have fun with it. You managed to get him to play volleyball, eat some ice cream with his Raichu, and shop around some stores with you. Days turn into weeks as he tries to get a battle from you. Flint knows what you’re doing and encourages it, often telling Volkner he must try harder to convince you. Finally, after a few months of back and forth and him waiting patiently, you battle him. Sparks fly and not just figuratively. He realized just how much fun you were, how you made him blush with your cheesy pick up lines and how easy it was to be around you. At the end of the battle, panting from the excitement and blood pumping, Volkner couldn’t stop himself as he crossed the field, took you in his arms and pressed his lips to yours.

Siebold

You were in no way a chef, and that was what made living with one the best. Siebold needed a taste tester and you, his old friend, had just come back to Kalos right in time. He offered you a room in his place while you got your life together. Having lived together once before you were elated to relive those dreams and eat his food again. What started out as him cooking became bonding time in the kitchen. You loved watching him work, his brows furrowed as he tested his food and how they would release when he brought over a spoon for you to try. He was always so sweet with you, even if you didn’t like the food you would try it. One night, you get some music playing and Siebold decides its time for you to learn how to do some basic cooking. There are laughs, cheek smears, and personal space intrusions as he teaches you something simple. At the end, you hope up on the counter and pop some of the food in your mouth. He watches the way your face lights up and finds himself leaning in and kissing you.

Milo

This is by far the cutest relationship in Galar. You, an incredibly shy trainer, with Milo, the biggest sweetheart in, possibly, the whole world. It was a busy day on the farm and you felt bad for Milo and his brother. You decided to make them both a homemade lunch with lemonade. The joy on his face when you turned up on the field made your heart warm. He and his brother rushed you, enveloping you in sweaty hugs, before grabbing their food and settling in the sun with you. As they finish up, Milo takes a moment (building up the courage) and leans down to plant a gentle kiss on your lips. You beam while his brother makes vomiting noises, and pull him down for another!

#mobile post #morty x reader #volkner x reader #siebold x reader #milo x reader #steven x reader

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onthesandsofdreams · 5 years ago

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The Story of Us

Fandom: Wonder Woman Pairing: Diana x Steve Rating: T Words: 4363 (!) Summary: Diana and Steve are soulmates who met during WWI. Unfortunately, they didn't get a happy ending. Present day Diana is a writer, who using the memories of her past life, put their story into a novel. Her memories are all she has of Steve, until... Notes: For the @wondertrevnet‘s Valentine Event. Warnings: Character(s) Death & Reincarnation. Angst with a happy ending.

Read @ AO3

“Diana… whatever happens, just remember that I love you.” Steve said as he held onto Diana’s face in his hands.

“Steve…” Diana’s own voice was barely a whisper.

*****

And Diana wakes, she opens her eyes to find them blurry with tears, so she closes them again and takes a deep breath, centering herself in the here and in the now. What haunts her is her past, a past that was quite literally a lifetime ago. But the pain that came with the memories was as raw as a recent and the most profound love lost.

Diana knows that she is only remembering. But the memory of Steve is hard and raw, they were soulmates. A thing so incredibly rare and precious that, their love had been a shiny beacon of light amongst the darkness of the war. What worries her is the fact that she can remember. By all means, she shouldn’t and that makes it all the more painful, for their love was so very short lived before both of them lost their lives.

Diana has made her diligence, she has spent hours upon hours on the internet, trying to find other people that, like her, remember their past lives and past loves. The small pool of people she has found has been a source of comfort. But she has not found Steve yet.

Diana opens her eyes, turns her head to the light coming from the small crack of the curtains, the sun’s already up and she needs to get up soon. She has a meeting with her editor at eleven thirty and it’s already nine. She chose to have a writing career, even when her mother frowned and disapproved, as a compromise, Diana took an extra degree in history and now, she was working full time at the Louvre, which allowed her to have time to write the books she wanted to write. Thankfully, she was also given the opportunity to do book tours and signings as necessary.

Diana tossed the covers of her body and sat up, stretching her body and willing herself to leave the comfortable nest her bed was, she tossed her legs off the side of the bed and put her feet on her slippers. She stood and made her way to the bathroom to relieve herself, once she’d done so, and after washing her hands, she splashed cold water on her face to clear away any sleep. After drying her face, she went back into her room and began to change into jeans and a comfortable sweater.

Diana kept the slippers on and made her way into the kitchen, she made herself a coffee and some eggs. She ate slowly, savoring her food. She made herself a second cup of coffee and then she went back to her room, only then did she brush her hair, she kept it loose and simply wore a headband on it.

Diana made her way to the small balcony of her apartment. She could clearly see parts of Paris and while she did so, her mind turned to her newest book.

Diana’s first book had been an overnight hit. ‘The Story of Us’, had been hers and Steve’s love story, she had written it as it had happened, even with the unhappy ending that marked their separation and eventual deaths. Many had rained praise upon her work, calling it moving and heart wrenching.

Diana simply had taken it in stride, she had been grateful for the amount of goodwill her book had given her. And now, as she prepared herself to edit her second book, she often wondered if Steve was somewhere out there, if he had read her book and realized what she had done. That she had - with all the love she had in her heart - sang their love song to the world.

And now, Diana had a second book out and - so far - had been getting good reviews. But it’s nothing compared to her first, she finds that she doesn’t mind. If the story of the love she shared with Steve was the greatest thing she wrote, she would be content with it.

Diana closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun hit her face and her mind began to wander.

*****

“Miss Prince,” General Jones had spoken. “Please meet General Steven Trevor, he’s one of our best agents, recently returned from a mission.”

Diana looked at the man whom General Jones had identified as Steven Trevor, tall and blond with slight tan to his skin that brought out his beautiful blue eyes, his smile was friendly and while he carried himself with pride, there was no arrogance to his stance. She extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you, General Trevor. I am Diana Prince.” She gave him a smile and his extended.

But something happened when Steven took her hand in his. Diana felt her body do a full body shiver, and she knew that Steve had felt it too by the way his eyes widened. Steve recovered quickly. “It’s lovely to meet you Miss Prince. Thank you for helping with the war effort. And please, call me Steve.”

Steve’s voice had a pleasant tone and Diana, who had read so much about soulmates, knew what had happened. She had just met hers. They were soulmates. But Diana knew that not all soulmates were romantic. Whatever happened between them, it would either grow into an unforgettable romance or, the deepest and most profound friendships. “No need to thank me, I should thank you. You’re the one who is risking his life out in the battlefield, I’m simply translating documents.”

Steve had not let go of her hand, and Diana found herself reluctant to let go of his. Only doing so in order to avoid any awkwardness around them. Steve’s smile grew. “And those documents are important! They don’t trust just anybody with them, I should know. So don’t sell yourself short Miss Prince, any little counts.”

*****

Diana opened her eyes again, only to blink as the sun shone in her eyes. She looked at the mug on her hand, half of it was still full, but had gone cold as she had been lost in the memories of her past life.

Diana went back inside and looked at the clock, it read ten-thirty. She still had an hour before she met with Etta. Diana smiled at the thought of Etta Candy. She and Etta had met during the war too, but Etta didn’t remember her past life and Diana didn’t begrudge her that. But it struck her as funny that in her past life, Etta had been Steve’s secretary and now, she was her editor.

Diana put the mug down on her bedside table and sat on her bed, it was Saturday and she was in no rush yet, she had half an hour before she had to leave to meet Etta. So she took the book she had and read a little.

“I’m telling you Diana,” Etta said as she went over some changes she wanted to make. “It will be a good book, honestly, I don’t know how you do it. You have one that’s a complete success and the second one is not doing badly at all. And now you have another finished? I wish all my clients were like you.”

Diana smiled at Etta. “I simply write daily, it’s a good way to wind down from work. And I’m glad to hear that you like this book too.”

“It’s fantastic dear. And I’m very happy with you. Very much indeed. Oh and don’t forget, you have a book signing in a week. So brace yourself, because you’ll probably get plenty of questions from ‘The Story of Us’.”

“I know,” Diana sighed and nodded. “That’s fine, people are curious, I’m expecting all sorts of questions and I’m ready to answer.”

“Good, good. Then, read the edits I want you to make on this one and then we’ll talk about it, yes?”

“Of course.”

*****

“I can’t believe they’re sending you to Germany!” Steve’s indignation was slightly annoying. “You’re not a spy or an actress, you’d be in deep enemy territory and that’s not right.”

“Steve,” Diana had been calling him that due to his insistence. “I can manage. I am not afraid, when I signed up to help with the war effort, I knew this was a possibility, you don’t need to worry.”

Steve ran his hands through his hair. “Well, I do. And I won’t apologize, it’s a high risk and I’m not happy. At least they’re putting you with my team, that way you’ll be as safe as you can be with us around.”

“Excuse me?” Diana didn’t like his tone, so she stood tall and squared her shoulders. “I’ll have you know General, that I am quite capable.”

Steve raised his hands in a placating manner. “I know Diana, but this active combat and you’d be in the thick of enemy territory. You have never gone undercover, and while I have no doubt that you’re quick on your feet and a fast thinker, I still feel uneasy. You’re heading for dark waters, more correctly, waters that you have not swam in before.”

Diana relaxed a bit. “I understand and I thank you for your worry; but I am sure I will be able to handle whatever comes my way.”

“If all goes wrong, I’ll always be near. Just in case. We’re partners now, and I’ll always have your back.”

Diana smiled. “Thank you Steve.”

*****

Diana sat on her desk, typing away her new would-be novel, but her mind kept getting distracted. Next Saturday she had the book signing event, and that usually came with plenty of questions of both her first book and the new one.

Diana didn’t mind the questions, she enjoyed talking to people about her book. But there was one question that kept popping up: ‘Why the tragic ending?’. No matter where she went, the question was always asked without fail. She had perfected her answer by now, but she could still see the disappointment of whomever asked the question when she would reply: ‘Because it was an unfortunate event, Arthur had no way to survive the explosion. And Amelia was too sick to make it.’

Because Diana could hardly say: Because that is what happened, and this is my previous life. Because Steve and I didn’t have a happy ending, only a brief and intense love. One that still survives.

*****

Diana and Steve had been working together for nearly six months. And during that time, they fell in love. Being soulmates had turned out to be a blessing. The love that bloomed was one many would envy, she felt complete whenever she was with Steve. It also came in handy, for they would use their relationship as a cover, a way to meet and exchange secrets away from prying eyes. It was easy to blush, look down, smile and say that it was a lover’s meeting. Not a lie, but not the complete truth.

Their love had grown deep roots in their hearts. Diana could hardly wait to see Steve, and Steve would always find something to give her; little trinkets that she could keep with her.

One of their missions was attending a ball. Steve had all but devoured her with his eyes when Diana met him, her blue dress almost a perfect match to his eyes. They had danced and mingled, doing their best to remember every single detail of any conversation they took part.

It had been the only time they had shared a bed. Their passion unleashed, breaking like a dam and overflowing their senses. Both overcome with both love and a deep desire for one another, to the point where Diana felt like she was drowning. But it had been such a sweet feeling, that she couldn’t and wouldn’t object to it. Diana hated parting from Steve the following morning.

*****

Diana clearly remembered the first time she had dreamt of Steve. She had been fifteen, tired from school and feeling a bit lonely. She had always felt so, like something was missing and she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Diana had gone to bed early, and her dreams had been filled with a deep fog. She had felt lost and alone, yelling for someone, for any help. Then, she remembered how the fog parted and the sunlight had filled a palace ballroom and there stood a man, one that she had never met. But who, upon seeing her, smiled bright and wide and offered his hand, calling for her.

Diana had caught her reflection on a mirror, she was older and wore a blue gown. She went instinctively to the man, then, she heard herself say: Steve. They danced all night long. And Diana had woken in tears.

And then the dreams and memories began to come. One by one, they made themselves known, and like a puzzle, everything began to make sense, with all the pieces finally in place, Diana understood and she grieved. She had had a soulmate and she had lost him before they could have had a life together.

“You seem upset.” Mera’s voice broke the silence of her office. “Is everything alright?”

Diana looked at where Mera stood, standing on her open door, Mera cut an impressive figure. Tall and pale and redhead with kind blue-green eyes, Mera could pass for a supermodel, instead, she was an archaeologist and as of late, a good friend of hers. She tried to smile. “Yes. Just didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Mmh,” Mera frowned and her lips thinned. “Nightmares?”

“No. Simply restless.”

“Ah,” Mera nodded. “I understand that, it happens. Drink some chamomile before bed, it should help.”

This time, Diana did smile. “I will thank you.”

“Excited for the book signing?”

“Yes. I can’t wait to see what they ask. It’s always exciting, and it’s also very lovely, you know? All these people come because they like my book and now, they want to read the new one. Or they have read it already and they have questions. It’s always fun.”

Mera gave Diana an apologetic smile. “Sorry I can’t come. But you know I’m meeting Arthur’s parents, they’re visiting and I’m taking them for brunch.”

“It’s fine Mera,” Diana’s smile softens. “I understand, you enjoy your time with Arthur and his parents.”

“Thanks, see you on Monday then.” With that, Mera left to continue whatever it was that she was doing.

Diana stared at Mera’s retreating figure until she was no longer in sight. Then with a sigh, she opened her emails and went through her work, but her mind wasn’t really into it. So she paused for a moment, closed her eyes and did some breathing exercises, once she felt centered, she opened her eyes and continued to work. But she could tell it was going to be a long day.

*****

Diana’s mission ends sooner than Steve’s. It’s almost immediately after the discovery of a new gas made to kill. Diana’s hands shake as she translates the effect on the gas, has to remind herself to breath in through her nose and exhale through her mouth. Everything’s horrible and she is terrified of what’s to come.

Steve has another mission, but he makes sure to escort her back to France, from where she’s meant to take a ship back to London. Diana doesn’t want to leave him behind, the feeling of dread setting into her stomach.

“Don’t make me go,” Diana whispers, looking deep into Steve’s eyes. “I can’t bear to leave you behind.”

Steve to his credit, takes it well. He simply smiles and takes her face between his hands. “Diana, you knew this could happen, the war isn’t over and my job is not done. What you did has given us an advantage, but I must continue to fight. I promise you, that after the war is over, I will come and find you. We’ll be together forever then. Until death do we part.”

Diana’s eyes glaze over with unshed tears. “Steve,” her voice is barely above a whisper. But she knows that he is right. She must leave for the safety of England, else she would be a target with a price on her head. After all, she was the one who was in charge of paperwork, any leads would come back to her. “Promise me. Swear it even, come back to me. Come and find me.”

“I will, Diana. I will come and find you.” Steve looks at Diana in her eyes. His own are serious and solemn, his face still and then he leans forward and he kisses her with all the love and passion he has in him.

Diana kisses him back, holds onto him until she must leave and board the ship. She stands in the deck, watching as Steve grows smaller by the second, until he is no longer visible. “I’ll be waiting, Steve.” She says to the wind, in hopes that her voice will carry over.

Etta Candy is the one who welcomes her back to London. She receives praise for her work, accolades come easy, but she is quiet and subdued. Leaving Steve behind, in enemy territory is not something she wanted to do. It was something she had to, and now, she has no way to know if he’s safe. Now, she can only wait for war to be over.

Then it happens. One night she is asleep and there is a sudden pain in her breast, Diana wakes screaming for Steve, agitated and her heart is racing. She doesn’t know what to do, there is no book or person to consult. Soulmates are strange and rare, there is nothing in print that can make sense of her pain. She spends the night awake, a feeling of loss setting into her bones, chilling her to the marrow. The following nights, her sleep is restless and she wakes crying. Nothing makes sense.

Then war ends. Diana rejoices at the thought of reuniting with Steve. But her joy turns into sorrow a few months later, when Charlie, Sameer and Napi return, bearing the news of Steve’s passing.

‘A hero’s death’, Charlie calls it. Steve sacrificed himself destroying the gas, giving them the chance to live and achieve victory.

Diana is left cold. Her sudden pain makes sense now, she felt him go. She felt whatever it was that bound them together rip apart. Steve’s not coming back, he’s not coming home. There’s no lifetime of love and joy to be had, only pain and grief. Steve is gone and so are all her dreams, her life is suddenly bereft of any joy, all is a blur and grey. A hero’s death is nothing more than death. It feels like the color has gone out of her vision. She walks like a wraith, amidst the joy and laughter, all seems wrong. She wants to scream, to rage and burn. But she doesn’t. She dutifully continues her work until one morning she wakes feeling ill.

Diana ignores it, assumes that is simply her grief. It’s not. In the end, the doctors call it ‘The Spanish Flu’ and she is confined to a bed. She gets worse and worse, death comes slowly and the last thing she remembers, is calling out for Steve. Then it all goes black.

*****

It’s the Saturday of her book signing and Diana leaps out of bed. She’s never been one for lateness, she takes a shower - something she rarely does in the morning -, letting the hot water clear any residue of sleep of her. She doesn’t have to worry about clothes, for she laid them out the previous night.

Diana comes out feeling lighter than what she has felt in years. Slathers herself in body lotion and slips into her clothes and shoes. Dries her hair as much as she can with the towel, then brushes it and lets it loose. Does her make-up with calm, settles for a casual look of eyeliner and soft lips, giving herself a once-over, she smiles. She leaves her room and makes herself a good breakfast and a cup of coffee, eats with leisure.

Only when she sees that her hair is not dried enough, Diana returns to her bathroom and blow dries it, but still lets it loose. It’s a casual event, she can allow herself to let it be. She gives herself a once over in her mirror, the red blouse with black jeans and boots suited her well, on impulse, she went to her closet and grabbed a leather jacket. She was ready, time to face the music.

Diana arrives at the bookstore early. The people inside let her in, and guide her towards a small spot where she can wait. Etta arrives not long after, usually, it would be her assistant, but Etta wanted to see the reception of the book herself and thus, she came instead. Diana doesn’t mind, Etta is lovely and won’t be in the way; Etta is only stern in moments when it’s needed, and those are rare with the two of them.

Diana watches as people begin to arrive and seat themselves, then it’s time. Diana stands in front of her small crowd and reads an excerpt of her book, she notices a man with dark shades, but pays him no mind. She reads and relaxes, then opens the floor for questions. And time passes her by quickly. Once the questions are done, she sits on the table and begins signing books.

Diana’s only sin (according to Etta), is that she doesn’t look up when she’s receiving the book or writing, only does so to give the book back. One by one, people get their books signed until…

Until Diana greets the next person in line and opens her first book and there is a message in it: ‘I swore to come and find you Diana.’ Diana freezes upon reading the message and startled, she looks up. And she finds herself face to face with Steven Trevor.

A myriad of emotions pass through Diana, she wants to speak, but she’s unable. Steve simply smiles at her and says. ‘It’s lovely to meet you miss Prince’. His voice is the exact same tone as it was before. Nothing has changed in his physical appearance.

Diana nods, swallowing the knot that seems to have lodged itself on her throat. ‘Thank you…”

“Steve. Name’s Steve Trevor.”

“Of course it is,” she says and does her best to blink back tears. Then, with a shaky hand she signs both books and gives them back to Steve, who immediately moves out of the way, but doesn’t leave the bookstore.

Diana finishes her work on autopilot. Only after Etta and the people are gone, that she goes towards Steve, who has used this time to browse the store and has a bag with other books in his arms. She stops when she’s close to him. ‘Steve,” she says softly.

Steve turns and gives Diana such a dazzling smile, that she feels like she’s staring at the sun. “Hey Diana,” his eyes twinkle with mirth and happiness. “I finally found you. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Diana loses it at that moment, without any care, she throws herself at his arms. Steve drops his bag books, but embraces her. And to her, his arms and embrace feel the same way they did a lifetime ago: like home. “You found me,” she says through her tears.

“I did,” Steve’s voice chokes. “Sorry for dying on you. I’m sorry you died too. But thank you, thank you for telling the world our story, that’s how I found you.”

Diana buries her face on Steve’s neck and inhales his cologne, “You’re here now,” her own voice sounds raspy to her own ears. “That’s what matters. I love you. I always did and I always will.”

“I love you too,” Steve says and kisses her head. “We’re together now. We can live our life, enjoy our love Diana, we’re finally together.”

“We are. You’re not leaving me anymore.”

“Never. Well, maybe the time it takes to apply for a visa and permanent residency, or whatever policy France requires of Americans moving in,” Steve jokes. “But other than that? Not happening.”

Diana laughs, grateful that his sense of humor is still intact. She’s reluctant to let go, but she knows that they must leave, they have much to talk about and they can hardly do it in a public bookstore. “Come home with me,” she says.

Steve backs a little, and Diana can see him smiling. “Of course. Let’s go home.” He says and lifts his bag of books from the floor and puts them on his left hand, offering Diana his right.

Diana doesn’t hesitate to take it. “Let’s go.”

They leave the bookstore, and Diana knows that all will be well. Life has given them a gift, a gift worth all the painful memories and the deep sense of loss when Steve first died, and the grief that followed her short life afterwards.

Diana turned and looked at Steve, who smiled at her. Yes, they were finally home. She and her soulmate have a lifetime now, and that lifetime begins right this moment. Paris had never seemed to be brighter as this moment, as she walked hand in hand with Steve. Diana’s smile was wide and a profound sense of peace finally settled into her soul.

Then Diana stops and Steve follows her lead. Steve turns and looks at her, “Diana?” He asks.

Diana simply smiles, releases his hand and takes his face in her hands. Softly, she caresses his cheeks and quickly, gives him a peck on his lips. He returns it. And Diana can feel her heart beating faster, “All is well now,” she whispers against his lips.

“Yeah,” he whispers back. “We’re together now.”

“Forever.”

This time, it’s Steve who presses forward and devours her in a kiss. Diana returns it with all the love she has for him, all the love that has waited a lifetime to finally be allowed to be. Their forever starts now.

#wondertrevvalentines #wondertrev #Diana x Steve #Diana Prince #steve trevor #etta candy #mera of xebel #au: modern #au: soulmates

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starscheme · 6 years ago

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With All My Heart

Chapter Twenty: Just a Nightmare

Steven was sitting on the floor, holding Spinel close to his chest as she lay in his arms in silence. He wasn’t sure what caused this, but he couldn’t help panicking. Why did it always seem the moment they were happy, something went wrong? And why was it always Spinel that had to suffer?

“Steven, that Sodalite Gem had the same eyes. They were all blacked out. She might be the one doing this.” Lars suggested. “You should try and find her. If you fix her Gem, maybe this will stop. I can stay and look after Spinel,” he offered, sure that Steven wouldn’t want to leave her alone.

Steven tightened his hold on Spinel gently, staring down at her dark eyes. Leaving her with Lars wasn’t going to hurt her, but he didn’t want to let her go. “…I…what if something happens while I’m gone? I don’t even know what’s happening to her.”

“Well we can’t fix it unless you heal that other Gem. I’m positive this is because of her,” replied Lars, kneeling down so they were at level with each other. “Here, we can lay her down on the couch.”

“NO!” Steven shouted as he hugged her close. He was scared. As if he left her, something terrible would happen and he wouldn’t be able to help her. “J-just give me a minute!”

Lars groaned quietly, unsure how to convince Steven to leave her and help the other Gem. Why weren’t Pearl or Amethyst home? He could really use their help right now. As he was trying to figure out what to do, he started to notice the room getting darker. Was this Sodalite’s doing too? “Steven, give me Spinel!” Lars demanded. If Sodalite was really closing in like this darkness was, it would be harder for Steven to handle her while Spinel was unconscious.

When Steven saw Lars reaching over to pull Spinel away from him, he found himself smacking his hands away before he could stop himself. He knew Lars was just trying to help them, but something inside of him was fogging over any rational thought. “Don’t touch her!” snapped Steven.

“Steven…your eye…” Lars began, staring in panicked concern at Stevens face. One of Steven’s eyes had been blacked out. Was that the reason he was getting so emotional? This alarmed Lars even further. Steven was supposed to be the rational one. Finally, Lars took a deep breath to calm himself down. If this thing was affecting Steven now, he’d have to handle this as best he could. He led the off colors through space; it appeared he’d have to take the lead once again.

Steven could feel his body getting heavy and weak, finding it difficult to hold onto Spinel. He looked up at Lars and began to panic when he saw his mother, Rose Quartz, standing next to his friend. “M-Mom?!” Steven exclaimed in shock.

His mother and Lars turned to face Steven at the same time. “What did you say?” asked Lars, though his voice sounded muffled and far away.

“You didn’t protect her,” his mother began irately. “Look what you did!”

Steven felt a terrible rush of fear as he glanced back down at Spinel slowly. Somehow, he body was gone and all he held in his hands now were the shattered pieces of her Gem. His heart stopped and for a moment he felt like he couldn’t breathe. “N…NO! This isn’t real!!” Steven shouted as he closed his eyes tight so he wouldn’t have to see the shards or his mother’s cold stare. “I know this isn’t real! You’re gone…and Spinel…she was just here…” He spoke aloud, doing his best to remind himself that he was just seeing things. He had to break from these delusions. If he was having visions, Spinel probably was too.

Lars was confused. Steven was yelling at someone that he clearly couldn’t see. Was it because of his eye? “Steven,” Lars began, kneeling down in front of him to place his hands at his shoulders in an attempt to focus his attention. “You need to focus,” he demanded, “Spinel needs your help! Remember, it’s okay to be afraid, you just have to keep going!”

As Lars called out to him, Steven could hear his voice getting clearer and clearer. He kept his eyes closed so he could focus on his own thoughts, rather than the visions that threatened him. Lars was right, Spinel needed his help. He couldn’t let himself give in to this fear. He told Spinel that they could get through anything together; he just had to think of the things that made him the happiest. Thinking of his friends, his family, his body was already starting to feel lighter. The last thing he remembered was Spinel’s smile. He had a lot of memories of her cheerful face and he couldn’t help but smile as he recalled her joyful expression. Though he felt much better, he still opened his eyes cautiously, worried he might still have those shards in his hands. When he finally opened his eyes however, he saw Lars staring back at him with a relieved smile.

“Your eye is back to normal!” Lars exclaimed happily.

Steven smiled back and looked down at Spinel, though her eyes were still dark, she was in his arms, safe and sound. He hugged her close, noting how the darkness in the room was slowly starting to creep away. Was their fear what brought those shadows here? “Spinel…” Steven began softly, placing his hand over her Gem tenderly. “…I know you can hear me. …I need you to wake up. You’re not in this alone. Remember, we won’t go through anything alone. I’m here.” While he spoke, Spinel’s gem and his own began to glow. In the blink of an eye, Steven was no longer in his home holding Spinel. Somehow, he was now in the Garden. Had he connected with Spinel’s Gem? Is this what she was seeing?

“Spinel,” Steven called out as he slowly scanned the area. At first it seemed like she was nowhere to be found, but then he heard the faint sound her sobs. He rushed towards her voice, finding her kneeling among some dead flowers as vines tangled her legs to the ground. “Spinel! I’m here!” Steven shouted, getting down onto the ground with her.

“Steven…?” Spinel started, slowly looking up at him with tears flooding her eyes. “…but you...”

“This is just a nightmare, Spinel,” replied Steven softly, reaching over and pulling her into a gentle embrace. “It’s not real. There will never be a time when I leave you alone…”

Spinel wanted to believe him. She didn’t like being alone here without him, but if this wasn’t real, was this another illusion? Was she being held in his arms only to be abandoned again after? It was then that she remembered what Steven told her before. If she was seeing something scary or she felt alone, she had to think of something that made her happy. That would be easy; there were so many things that made her happy. However, the thing she knew would work best was what always calmed her down. Closing her eyes, Spinel focused hard on the sweet sound of Steven’s heartbeat. The gentle thumping of his heart against her ear, it became all she could hear and the awful feelings of dread faded away.

With a small smile, Spinel opened her eyes, finding herself staring up at Steven as he held her in his arms. The garden was gone and they were back inside the house. “Where…?” she began sleepily, not quite sure what had happened. Did she fall asleep?

Steven and Lars sighed in relief. The darkness had vanished from the room and from Spinel’s eyes. Without answering her question, Steven leaned down and planted a soft kiss against her lips. “Welcome back,” he whispered with a smile.

Spinel blushed, glancing over at Lars who was sitting beside Steven. “Uh…Lars is right there…” she reminded Steven bashfully.

“What happened?” A distraught voice rang out, alarming the trio as they looked up to see Sodalite standing just a few feet away. She looked confused and upset. “It’s not fair. …Why aren’t you scared? Why am I the only one? I don’t want to feel this way all alone! You should all feel just as terrible!”

The three got to their feet and Spinel reached out her hand with a cautious smile. “…that’s the thing; you don’t have to be alone. We can help you…”

Sodalite stared at Spinel’s hand apprehensively, afraid that this was some sort of trick. She couldn’t feel as much fear or anxiety from these Gems, that didn’t mean she trusted them. Those feelings could come back at any moment and hurt her again. She’d followed Lars when he ran off because she didn’t feel anything terrible from him, but that just led her here with these other Gems. Still, they had somehow managed to stifle their bad feelings. Could they do that for her too?

Sodalite glanced at Lars and the pink skinned young man smiled at her, stepping forward and grabbing her hand. He knew that she wasn’t afraid of him and she seemed so much calmer than before. While Lars kept Soadlite’s attention, Steven made his way over to them and licked his hand to place his palm over Sodalite’s broken Gem at her shoulder.

With a light gasp, her Gem began to glow and the large crack down the center filled in, making her Gem whole once again. The darkness that covered Sodalite’s eyes had vanished, revealing gentle, crystal blue hues. The Gem stared out in shock for a moment before she took a deep breath, “…Th-thank you…” she exhaled happily. Her whole body felt lighter than air once again now that all those collected dark feelings were gone. They had been so heavy.

“I know you just got better…” Steven began, “…but do you remember what you did with Ruby and Sapphire?”

“Oh! …yes but…won’t they be angry with me? …I didn’t mean to hurt anyone—I just …” Sodalite started anxiously. Though the collected negative feelings were gone, she was still nervous.

Steven shook his head, “Don’t worry, it wasn’t your fault. You’re all better now.”

Sodalite sighed softly and held out her hands to manifest the black bubbles that held the two Gems. Steven smiled and as the bubbles popped, he took the two Gems in his hands. Garnet would be back soon, they could heal Lapis safely now, and no more Gems would be seeing those terrible things. Finally, all the commotion over the last few days would calm down, right?

A/N: Sodalite is fixed and Garnet will soon return! Hurray! There is only one more thing that Steven and Spinel need to sort out. The next Chapter will the last one, but I hope you all will look forward to the Sequel, “Only You.”

#steven universe #su #steven universe fanfic #stevinel #stevinel fanfic #fanfiction #with all my heart #chapter 20 #SU au #cg spinel #sodalite #lars

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brideofedoras · 5 years ago

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The Loft: Redemption

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the images in the mood board, nor do I own The Loft or the characters from the movie. I only own my OCs.

Word Count: 2400+

Rating: 18+ only, please.

Warnings: Mentions of (later descriptions) of sexual abuse, mentions of infidelity and murder.

“I really wish you would reconsider this, Sam,” Kenna Wilson glared at her cousin as when she walked up to her in the lobby. “There are a hundred other jobs in KC.”

“Jobs that won’t pay enough to make the commute worthwhile, or jobs I’m overqualified for,” Samantha Monroe reminded the blonde. “Kenna, I need this job, stop trying to convince me not to do this!” She headed to the bank of elevators and pressed the call button. “This is a half hour drive from my apartment, and I am more than qualified for this position.”

“Sam—” Kenna dropped her head in defeat when one of the elevators arrived and the door slid open. She sighed heavily as she stepped into the car behind her cousin. “I don’t want you working for him.”

“I know, Ken,” Sam turned to face her. “I know how you feel about him, but I’ve never met him. You know I’m not about to judge a person based on second- or third-hand knowledge without getting to know them.”

“You’re making a mistake,” the other woman muttered.

“It’s my choice,” the brunette shrugged. “Kenna, please, I need you to support me on this.”

“Sam, the turnover in his office with administrative assistants has become legendary. He’s lost six assistants over the past twelve months!”

“You’ve harped on that for a week, Kenna,” Sam sighed. “But you haven’t told me the reason or reasons why.”

“He’s a bastard,” her blonde cousin answered quietly. “He’s cold, he’s demanding…”

Sam leveled Kenna with a look. “You forget, I’ve dealt with that my entire life,” she reminded the blonde. “I can handle cold and demanding.”

“But can you handle devastatingly handsome and brooding?” Kenna lifted her brow. “The man’s nothing but trouble, Sam.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” she said softly. “Everyone deserves a chance, unless they’re murderers, rapists, child abusers, child molesters, or animal abusers.”

“This right here,” Kenna whispered as the elevator slowed to stop at the eighth floor. “This is why I do not want you to work for him. You have a penchant for wanting to help lost causes, and he’s definitely a lost cause.”

“So am I,” Sam pointed out in a low voice.

“No, Sweetie…”

The doors slid open, interrupting Kenna’s argument, an argument she didn’t want to continue in front of witnesses on the eighth floor lobby. Instead she nodded her hellos to the three women at the reception desk, introduced her cousin and headed down the hall to VMS Architecture, LLC’s office and conference suite.

She opened the door and led Sam inside. “Good morning, Linda,” she greeted the older woman behind the secretary’s desk with a warm smile. “I’d like you to meet my cousin, Samantha Monroe.”

Linda McIntyre stood up and rounded the desk to shake Sam’s hand. “It’s nice to finally be able to put a face to the name of the young lady I’ve been talking with,” she smiled warmly. “Mr. Stevens is in a last-minute meeting downstairs but he should be back up soon. He told me to ask if you’d need to reschedule your interview and apologizes if that’s the case.”

Sam shook her head, “No need to reschedule, I don’t have any plans for the rest of the day, other than lunch with Kenna and cleaning my apartment.”

“All right,” Linda nodded.

Sam turned to Kenna. “Wish me luck, Ken?”

The blonde hugged her cousin tight. “If this is really what you want, I’ll support you,” she whispered. “Be careful with him.”

Sam nodded, hugging back. “Thank you.” She noticed Linda watching the exchange with a slightly concerned look but ignored it as she said good-bye to Kenna.

“Would you like coffee or a cinnamon roll?” Linda offered with a smile.

She smiled back, relaxing in the older woman’s presence. “I’m not a fan of coffee,” she admitted. “And I’m so nervous I’m afraid if I ate something I’d probably throw up all over the place and bomb the interview.”

“You don’t look nervous, Samantha,” she assured her, frowning at Sam’s flinch.

“Just Sam, please,” the brunette requested. “My stomach is in knots right now.”

“Interviews can be nerve-wracking,” Linda acquiesced. “Mr. Stevens is all bark, no bite, and if you ask me I believe you have this cinched, he was very impressed with your resume and references.”

Sam blushed. “I hope so,” she whispered.

Linda moved away from her and walked over to the small refrigerator behind her desk. She grabbed a bottle of water and returned to Sam’s side. “Here you go,” she offered the water to her. “Right this way,” she led her to the door to her left and flipped on the light. “This is the conference room. Mr. Stevens often holds meetings in here with clients. We usually make arrangements with a local business to cater the meetings, but on rare occasions a meeting will be arranged at the last minute. He tries to avoid those at all costs because he hates last minute changes. He was quite grumpy this morning when he was called down for the one he’s currently in.”

“I hate last minute changes myself, but things pop up,” Sam shrugged. “I’ve learned to roll with it.”

“Vincent usually does, as well,” Linda assured her. “He’s a good man to work for and I hate having to leave, but this was never meant to be a long-term job for me.”

Sam smiled as she set her purse and folder on the table with the water bottle. They’d had that discussion last week when Linda had called her to arrange the interview. “I’m sure he will hate to see you go,” she said softly, letting her eyes wander the conference room to take in the décor. Framed blue prints and artfully-framed collages of construction projects lined the wall butting up to the hallway, including old photos of some of the city’s most recognizable structures, both past and present. One garish painting adorned the wall opposite the door to the office had her grimacing.

“On the contrary,” Linda chuckled heartily. “He can’t wait for me to retire, he claims I’m a dictator in the office.”

Sam’s eyes shot back to the warm brown eyes of the older woman. It took her a moment to realize Linda was teasing. She huffed out a soft laugh. “I’ll do my best to make sure I won’t be labeled likewise,” she grinned.

“Oh, Dear, you’ll do just fine, I have faith in you,” Linda reached out to squeeze her arm. She started to say something else but a phone rang out in the office. “I’ll leave you to it, Sam, I’m sure Vincent will be right up. He tends to speed things along when he’s needed elsewhere.” With another gentle squeeze she swept out of the conference room. “VMS Architecture, LLC, Linda speaking, how may I assist you this morning? Oh, Mr. Stevens! No, I didn’t look at the caller ID,” she laughed. “Yes, Ms. Monroe has already arrived. No, she’s waiting, she had no issue with the delay. Vincent Stevens, must I remind you who you are talking to? Of course, I offered her food and drink! Pfft, no you won’t,” she laughed again. “All right, I’ll let her know.”

Sam’s attention was on the vast window overlooking the city and the river in the distance when Linda popped back into the conference room. “I take it he’s on his way?”

“Yes, Sweetie,” Linda smiled. “He tried to tell me how to do my job then told me he would miss me when I retire,” her smile turned into a fond expression. “I will miss him. He’s a good man, he just… lost his way for a while.”

“We all do,” Sam smoothed her hands down her grey slacks, her own smile dim from the memories she tried to shove down.

Linda nodded. “Chin up, Dearie, you’ve cinched this job, I just know it.” With that, she ducked back into the office.

Vin grumbled to himself as he stepped off the elevator on the eighth floor. With a polite nod to the receptionists at the main desk he strode down the hall to his suite.

Damn Mathison for arranging that 8:30 meeting at the last damned minute. He wanted to get this interview over and done with so he could make up his mind about whether or not to hire this seemingly perfect applicant.

Samantha Monroe was perfect on paper. She had an interesting employment history ranging from summer temp work in office settings to slinging tacos, and one solid office job for a landscaping company before moving to the city. Her college education was what drew his attention, she had a degree in business management with minors in architecture and marketing. Her former employers and references gave him glowing reviews, and he hoped like hell she was still interested in the job. Because the other resumes Linda had handed him (with a frown of distaste) had gone through the shredder after one cursory glance.

The other applicants were just like the other secretaries he’d gone through before he’d been blessed (and cursed) with Linda.

He hoped like hell this Samantha Monroe wouldn’t turn out to be like any of them.

He let himself into the office and gave Linda an apologetic smile before ducking into his office to grab the folder he had the resume tucked in. He grinned when his assistant handed him a fresh mug of coffee before heading into the conference room.

He damn near spilled his coffee when his hazel eyes landed on a petite brunette standing with her back to him. Long, wavy brown hair was pulled into a ponytail at the back of her head and spilled to her shoulder blades. A hint of a tattoo peeked out of the low collar of the black batwinged blouse she wore and the desire to tug that collar down her shoulder to expose the ink, so he could touch, lick, kiss the artwork hit him hard. He shook himself from that unwarranted wayward thought. God dammit, Stevens, she is a candidate for a job, not a woman to lust after! You’re NOT that man anymore!

Unfortunately the old Vincent Stevens had other ideas and continued the perusal. His hazel eyes slowly caressed down the young woman’s back to the way the hem of her blouse fit snug around her waist and stretched slightly over the smart grey slacks that clung to her hips and bottom before falling straight to her heels. Chunky-heeled shoes completed the ensemble that he could see, and damn if he didn’t find that smart look to be sexy as hell.

“Beautiful view.” Fuck my life, he instantly berated himself when the words popped out of his mouth in a husky tone. He caught a slight stiffening of her body before she responded.

“If you’re talking about the cityscape, I have to disagree,” she looked over her shoulder.

His breath caught in his throat. Long bangs swept over her forehead, black cat-eyed glasses framed big grey eyes. He forced his eyes to remain locked with hers for fear he would stare too long at her full lips and the shimmery nude gloss she wore. She’s beautiful.

Thank God she hadn’t fully turned around. He wasn’t prepared to see her from the front.

“Why’s that?” His voice was huskier than he’d hoped, shit fucking fire, he thought as he approached the window. He lifted his mug to take a drink of his coffee, hoping to calm his damned thoughts before he fucked up big time and scared her off. She’s perfect for the assistant position, but god dammit I can’t have her working for me, not if I’m already attracted to her.

She turned back to the window. “Five blocks out, there’s a three-block stretch of eyesore out there. Dilapidated buildings.”

“They’re coming down,” he told her. “To make room for a park and a pavilion.”

“Are you throwing your hat in the ring for design bids?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded, taking another sip of his coffee. “I apologize for not introducing myself, although you already know who I am. Vincent Stevens.”

Sam found herself laughing softly at that. “Sam Monroe.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Monroe,” his voice was gruff again, dammit. Pleasure, indeed. Get yourself together, Stevens. “Tell me, Ms. Monroe, why do you seek employment with my firm?”

“I’ve worked office jobs off and on since high school,” she answered, turning away from the window to face him. “I’m very familiar with the environment, I’m highly efficient with organization, skilled at setting up for meetings, and as my mother would say, I’m a walking appointment calendar. I also have an interest in architecture, although my interest is more toward houses and landscaping.”

“Those would come in quite handy for this firm,” he nodded. “Why my firm? Why would you want to work for me?”

“Out of all the office jobs available at the moment, yours is the only one that pertains to what I’ve studied and what I’m interested in,” she answered. “Maybe someday I will go back to school to further study architectural design and landscaping so I could be a better asset for the company,” she added softly, looking out the window once more.

His brow quirked at that. “I’m sure you’ve heard all the sordid little details of my past, Ms. Monroe,” he tried to avoid looking at her but failed. His eyes swept down her frame before he sharply looked away.

“What happened in the past is just that, the past, Mr. Stevens,” she stated stiffly. “It has nothing to do with the position and therefore is none of my business.”

“It’s not an easy job,” he told her, switching tactics to try to dissuade her. I just got my life back together, just got my company back on track, I do NOT need her tempting me to fuck it all up!

“There’s no such thing as an easy job,” she countered, turning to face him. “You’re attempting to talk me out of the job, Mr. Stevens. A man in your position should not be pushing away a qualified candidate.”

He snorted again. “A job like this would eat you alive. We’re in the city, not some small town in the middle of nowhere.”

She shook her head again. “You do not know me, you do not know what I can handle,” she stated. “Let me have a trial week. Decide at the end of the week as to whether or not you think I can handle working as your administrative assistant.”

He nodded after a moment. “Okay.” Turning back to her, he looked her in the eye. “Mrs. McIntyre will give you the tour, show you the ropes, provide the paperwork,” he started toward the door. “Your trial starts now.”

#the loft #vincent stevens #karl urban #slow burn #redemption #romance

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howlitecritical · 6 years ago

Text

New character arcs and new back story because canon sucks again

Main 4 cast with notes on characters that need notes for changes to make sense Garnet: yesyesyesyesyeysyes everything good about this show. There’s not enough garnet centric things where she’s just herself and not about ruby and sapphire. More information on Garnet. Shes stoicly funny and just murders people with words sometimes. show her being rose’s top tactician. turning the tides of the war that were never in the crystal gem’s favor. maybe theres a fun earth thing shes into. Her room is the heart of the temple for a reason now. Its a balance between pearl and amethyst. The bubbles are organized, but she has her own side space with things she does as hobbies. She has a collection of antique books that she likes to read lava side and she often meditates to see corrupted gems and a future in which the CGs encounter them. maybe she even draws them out to combine ruby’s need to Do with sapphire's need to Know. Fusion is still very important to her, but not she has plot relevant interests that make sense with her character. Her character arc involves her being the first of her kind. shes something completely new! just like steven is. and for that not to bind them together is silly. She wants the best for steven and he makes her want to be an even better leader now that rose is gone and shes the only one left. she makes him think about his actions and slows down his hyper activity when he or amethyst are trying to do something reckless. From him she learns that it’s okay to let her guard down more. Homeworld might come back, but it’s not all on her shoulders. the CGs are a family and they’ll protect everyone together. Garnet in jailbreak is the first time we know shes a fusion and before that we get more about her character not just from environment around her, but her reactions to things. Maybe she feels like she needs to be in control because shes afraid that without rose, homeworld is more a danger than ever.

Amethyst: I like most of her progression actually!!! a few things I’d mess with is when she’s unnecessary hurtful to people she loves, like greg, when she shape shifted into rose, and peridot when she all but threw her stuff into the ocean. these things need to be gotten rid of, or addressed by the narrative. I’d also like to see her hanging around Vidalia wayyyyy sooner or to have a reason why they dont. As for reasons, maybe Amethyst did or said something hurtful toward her, lashing out at her for whatever reason that made their friendship strained. while a decade is a long time for a human, for a gem its nothing. so while she feels bad, Am’ isnt going to apologize herself!!! she didnt do anything wrong!!! and maybe Vidalia is the first person steven convinces her to apologize to. Steven teaches her compassion and is, in return, the gem he can relate to the best. He goes to her first with gem issues and she acts like an older sibling, trying to teach him or cover up mistakes so pearl and garnet dont find out. I think i’d like a progression of Am’ refusing to apologize to Vidalia, realizing that she was wrong and apologizing to greg, but he breaks down and can’t move past that, rendering their friendship difficult and strained as a “sometimes apologizing isnt enough and you have to change your behavior“ and then the third beat with peridot either not happening at all, where she doesnt throw someone’s comfort items into the ocean which, i think steven shouldve realized and stopped her from doing anyway, BUT if you just NEED that mistake on her part, i feel like this could be a “sometimes, you dont know how bad you hurt someone and you should apologize when you find out“ with peridot being hurt and not talking to her and amethyst has to do a big gesture to show shes sorry. I also feel like that fleshes out amedot as a ship and while i dont care about who peridot ends up with, i care about story and the way im going to make this story go, lapis will be in that fun moral grey area and i want more options in terms of story telling and of fan choice. Also!!! explore the possibility of her being deep cut and thats why shes a runt. she only looks smaller but has all these strengths because of it!!! it fits in really well and bismuth or peridot maybe because she was made for kindergardening, could tell her about it and watch her get excited because shes not ”wrong“ she never came out “wrong“ shes just different and thats okay!

Pearl: Was white diamond’s pearl, first of all! that makes every interaction more interesting, because no only did she defect from homeworld, but she defected from the Queen of homeworld and everything it stood for basically. We learn more about how homeworld operates and what places in society each gem fits from pearl, because while she doesn’t believe it herself, she isn’t kept from talking about diamonds now and what one she served. in this funky fresh au, she is sent by white to make sure the new diamond they’re cultivating from earth comes out properly (aka where the fuck did russia go) and getting her equipped with all of the technology she would need to properly rule. this is where she first meets a quartz soldier. at first she’s taken aback by the quartz’s forwardness, no one had ever talked to her like... an equal before. shes not sure if shes allowed to speak, though, she knows theyre waiting for a response. Their first interactions always begin with her requesting permission to speak. They have to wait a few more years for pink to emerge and while they’re there they slowly become friends as the life is leeched out of the area. we could have a snapshots of them waiting for together, rose getting bored and convincing pearl to come do things with her, slowly breaking her out of her shell. Pearl’s difficulty and character arc comes from not just rose and getting over her feelings, which is perfectly fine, but doesnt need to be her only trait, but finding out who she is now, not just after rose, but with humanity as a whole. with the war well and truly over. she wants to learn about what rose thought was so important to fight for, to die for, and because of that, we get her partaking in human activities that arent eating or drinking, because she still dislikes them. While Garnet reads and collects books, i think pearl being really into her weapons collection is a good idea to flesh her out more. Where did she get her swords from? Well thats a mystery. She mentions someone she cared about a long time ago made them for her and thus we get some fun bismuth foreshadowing.

Rose: And rose..... god... we could of had it all by adele plays in the background anytime i think about her. Here we have a very beautiful fat woman. Shes framed as elegant and regal by the show time and time again and i LOVED that. however after the pink diamond reveal, I have such mixed feelings about her. No more diamond bullshit. Shes the first gem that popped out. Technically she’s too early and she goes to stand guard around the birthplace of her diamond. That is where she and pearl first meet. Pearl is the first gem she ever talks to and while she innately knows stuff about home world, shes pick up a lot from the humans that live nearby. theyve shown her kindness and given her furs to wear and in turn she helped them heal their wounded by crying on them. (yes she still has healing powers sue me) she loves the humans and takes to befriending them before pearl shows up. The two of them get close and after pink diamond pops out, rose realizes what the creation of gems truly means for the world around her. They’re killing what was here before them. This isn’t creation. It’s an invasion. Being the only quartz out so far, shes forced into the role of commander for pink. Her favored soldier. And the more she does what she was “made for” the more she hates it and the more she hates the diamond authority. she convinces pink that some humans are worth keeping. As a curiosity, my diamond. they could prove useful to terraforming other planets or moons to accept life and in time, gem cultivation. She gets poofed while trying to save someone from the group of people she first made friends with. Maybe pink shatters whoever poofed her for not following her orders because of course Rose wouldnt defy her. rose is Loyal, unlike the rest of you lack luster garbage. Rose comes back with her iconic dress and shes here and queer and shes fucking Done with this shit. she hears about the shattering on her behalf and she goes to pink and asks why and she feels sick to her stomach because star, my diamond, she isnt Worth it. she isnt worth the cost of someone else’s whole Life!!! Oh rose... you’ve always been soft hearted. in this time, Pearl is quietly there. waiting to be called back by white as pink pearl has just been sent to take her place. And this is it. This is the moment rose decides to rebel. according to homeworld, her life should be no more than any other quartz. her life shouldnt be traded for that of others. So why? Why did pink do this? Do the gems in her court mean nothing to her? This is the first time a gem has ever summoned two weapons. A Sword and Shield. A knight turning on her master. She tried to attack pink. to poof her. to send a message right here and now that gems are all equal. that a lowly rose quartz is strong enough to take on a diamond! She fails, but only partly. she manages to strike a blow, but pink stays in tact long enough to strike on of her own, sending rose retreating into her gem. This is when pearl has to make a choice. No matter what she’d be shattered. Pink’s wrath when she reforms, white’s when she finds out about what happened. This is a death sentence. But if its a death sentence, its one she’ll choose for herself. she takes rose’s shield and uses the face of it to shatter pink herself, scooping up rose’s gem and getting as far away as fast as she can. This is the start of a war.

Steven: Oh boi. So i love steven, but theres moments where hes just... not good and the story doesnt stop him from doing that. So if were gonna say hes a kid with emotion based powers, we know hes soft and sweet and excitable. sometimes he pushes people too far because hes trying to do what he thinks is best. I want him to wrestle with the fact that his mom, this person everyone says is good, killed someone. she did something so horrible and she never killed anyone again, but she still did it once. I’d like him to get bits and pieces of his mothers memories and so we get to see the world and flashback things that happened in real time. Maybe he tries to talk to pearl about it, but she still wont instead of cant. He feels like an outcast and everyone would rather his mom be there, but they have him instead. basically a lot of his earlier character arc stuff before garnet and pearl talk to him about how homeworld was. They dont think hes old enough to hear about war, but it seems war is coming back and hes unprepared to face it without learning more. he facilitates more interactions with the townies and now its not just a war of gems against gems, they have humans on their side too and they’ll win!

#su criticism #su rewrite #su #su critique #su critical #steven universe #i hate the pink diamond reveal so im just Salty #cw long post

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gemvictorfromtheponyverse · 7 years ago

Text

A family like the one in the TARDIS

Promoted by @junkyardbluebox , but idk where your prompt went. It's somewhere in there. Maybe. It got Vicki, 1 and Steven tho.

Still taking prompts! Got 2 prompts waiting, but feel free to send in new ones too!

Tagged: @lesbianchesterton @unwillingadventurer @thefirstintimeandspace @7th-impossible-thing @sciencefictionrenegade

Fanfic itself:

"Doctor?" Vickie knocked lightly on the door, before allowing herself into the room. The Doctor was already sitting down on the couch, leaning back against the soft pillows. Their cane had been disposed of on a nearby table, and in the warm glow from the lamps on the wall, The Doctor almost looked as kind and loving as Vicki knew he was inside.

"Is something the matter my dear?" The Doctor asked, watching Vicki as she sat down beside him. Vicki shook her head, frowning as she changed her mind and nodded, too.

"Why don't you like Steven, Doctor?" She asked, trying to be delicate but not daring to be indirect, less The Doctor didn't understand what she was referring to.

Since Steven came onboard, joining them when Barbara and Ian left, The Doctor had been very on guard. Even the smallest thing that Steven did would set him off, leaving him completely uncooperative and unreasonably upset for days. That was, he cooperated ad normal with Vicki, but ignored Steven.

On their latest mission, Steven had almost gotten hurt. He had tried to warn The Doctor, but he was ignored and in the end he all but sacrificed himself to protect The Doctor. Only reason he had not been more hurt than he did, was because Vicki had managed to catch on and with fine precision smashed a rock in the top of the attackers head when he was going for Steven, who had fallen to the ground.

Everyone, even The Doctor, had been startled by the incident, and they had quickly gotten back inside the TARDIS.

Now, Steven was resting, The Doctor was sulking and Vicki was trying to understand what bothered him so much. Evr the meddler, she thought, but she couldn't say she minded particularly.

"Oh you know perfectly well why I dislike that boy!" Entirely unhelpful, The Doctor dodges the question, simply stating that he dislike him.

Vicki sigh. "That doesn't count. Why can't you be nice ti Steven? He saved you today. He is really very nice." She glance at The Doctor, and she can see how troubled he looks.

There's a long silence that follows her statement. The Doctor has closed his eyes, seemingly asleep, and Vicki is adamant not to leave her seat until she got her answers. The wait grow long, but if vicki had ever been anything, it was stubborn.

"He's calls me Doc." When The Doctor finally do speak, its with his eyes still shut, and Vicki can't tell what he means.

"Yeah, I know. And it's a bit mean, especially when you've asked him to stop, but surely that can't be why you are so mean?" She looks at The Doctor her brows deeply furrowed, and she wish The Doctor could be more like a mature adult and look at her.

"I don't like being called Doc, young lady, and that should be enough. Besides, he never did that, now did he? Hmm?" One if The Doctor's eyes pop open, and Vicki finds that The Doctor looking at her wasn't much better than when he wasn't.

"Ian." She says, and suddenly it all fit into place. The Doctor didn't like Steven, because he missed Ian. Because he felt Steven was trying to replace him, and, since he obviously didn't know that he was, he was failing miserably. "You miss Barbara and Ian. You don't want Steven here because if he wasn't it'd be easier to ignore how much you miss them." She concluded, suddenly having all the puzzle pieces click into place as she understood what he was talking about. "Oh Doctor!"

Vicki wanted to hug him. She wanted wrap her arms around him and hold him till he realized that Barbara and Ian moved on for the best of Reasons and that Steven was a person all on his own who wasn't trying to replace anybody.

But The Doctor was sitting up beside her, looking so cross just because she mentioned Ian's name, and suddenly, she is scared.

Scared That Barbara and Ian has permanently Doctor, that he will drive Steven way and that in the end, no one but her will be left.

All alone, like she had always been.

Tears well up in her eyes, and she tries to hold back the hiccuping sobs as she thinks of how selfish it is for her to react this way, when it is The Doctor is hurting.

"Oh my, my dear girl, come here..." Suddenly alert, The Doctor wraps an arm around Vicki’s shoulders, pulling her close to his chest as he handed her a few napkins from one of his pockets. “There there. No need to be upset, my dear girl. Everything is perfectly alright, isn’t it? Hmm?” The Doctor smiled at her, and had Vickie mot been so upset she would have cherished it.

“I just...I don't want to be alone, Doctor!” Vicki exclaims, suddenly desperately afraid that she was going to loose Steven and The Doctor. And all because Barbara and Ian chose to leave, chose to go home when they got the chance.

What would they say, if they saw us now?

“Hmm? Leave you alone? Now, why would I do that? No, no. You are too precious to me be left alone.” He smiles, again, The Doctor touching her nose in that way that he only seemed to do with her - like a secret sign of some sort - and despite all she is Smiling as the tears pour down her cheeks still.

“I know Doctor, but…” Finally having stopped sobbing as much, Vicki tries to explain her thoughts. But before she gets far, she is interrupted.

“She thinks we’ll all end up leaving our own way, including checking her out the TARDIS or something to that effect, because we don’t get along.” Steven stands in the door, tamkin fast and without looking at either of the other two persons. “Doctor.”

“What? No, no, I…” The Doctor trails off. Shifting is his seat, his arm still wrapped protectively around Vicki, she thinks he look uncomfortable. Obviously, The Doctor was not used to facing his emotions straight on.

“Look, I understand it was hard to have your two friends leave. I won’t pretend I know how it feels to travel on without them. But I was always to work with what I got.” Steven pause, sighing leaning against the wall. “Right now you got me Doctor and Vickie. We all just got each other. Do you think you can work with that? I’ll stop calling you Doc, if it makes a difference.” Steven smiles, and Vicki does too.

Finally, they were starting to feel like a family.

Finally, it seemed they were bouncing back from barbara and Ian’s departure.

Finally, The Doctor smiles as well. He him and nod and seem to agree. “Hmm, yes, yes it’ll be fine my dear boy. Just fine. Hmm, yes it will.” The Doctor squeezes Vicki’s shoulders in comfort, and Vicki give Steven a blinding smile, mouthing out ‘thank you’.

Vicki had been scared to be alone, but now she knew, that with a family like the one in the TARDIS, she could never be alone.

#gvfpv write #1st doctor #vickie pallister #steven taylor

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minijenn · 8 years ago

Note

Notes for Gems and Journals

Ah… my very first almost completely original chapter… Here you are!

Characters: Dipper, Mabel, Steven, Connie, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl,

Setting: Temple, Inner Temple (Rose’s Room, Burning Room, Pearl’s Room, Amethyst’s Room)

Episodes to look at: Original, Together Breakfast, Rose’s Room, Journal 3

Tone: Mystery, dramatic, lore

Start the chapter of casually, with Steven, Dipper, Mabel, and Connie all hanging out up at the temple, joking around and whatnot; though make sure to have a transition early on of them wanting to go do something exciting, so they use the journal to try and find some anomaly or creature to go investigate

Have the Gems come in for a little while, with some interactions there before they head into the temple, leading the kids into the topic of it; they’re all in agreement about how much they’d like to see what its like inside

Against all odds, however, while they’re talking about this, Steven’s gem actually manages to activate the temple door and open it up (to Rose’s room), and of course, no one hesitates to take the chance and hurry inside

Make a point during this that the Gems are out and that Dipper accidentally leaves the journal behind when they all go into the temple (in a place where the Gems will find it later)

At first, the kids are absolutely awed by the vastness of Rose’s room (show everyone’s individual reactions), and after a little meandering, Steven discovers that the room grants his requests

Of course, show the kids taking advantage of this to have fun in various ways, with Steven calling up things like waterslides, puppies, food (though that’s how they discover that nothing in the room is real) and other things for a while

Cut to the Gems, who have just arrived back to the temple only to find that the kids aren’t there, even though they had been when they left

Initially, they’re confused as to why Steven would go out without leaving them a note, and as they check around for him, they happen upon the left-behind journal (Amethyst is probably the one to find it and present it to Garnet and Pearl)

At first, they’re a bit confused and intrigued by the journal’s entries (remember, they don’t remember what it is, but they do note that it seems familiar), but their tune quickly changes when they happen upon the pages about them

Make sure to show how all three of them are shocked over just how in-depth the information is (Pearl is completely appalled, Amethyst is just plain bewildered, and Garnet is resolved to keep this information hidden)

They soon reach the conclusion to take the journal into the temple (to keep it away from prying eyes) so they can further discuss what to do with it

Cut back to the kids, who are starting to grow a bit bored inside of Rose’s room, and so Steven asks for a way out; however instead of leading to a fake version of town (like in the episode), it creates a door leading to the rest of the temple

Eager to explore, they go through the door, which leads them through several of the temple’s rooms, including Amethyst’s and Pearl’s, so describe them and have the kids comment on them

Along the way, they happen to run into a stray bubbled Gem, and after accidently popping it, the monster attacks and begins to peruse them through the temple (be descriptive with action here!)

Eventually, they’re chased to the burning room, which is where they lose the monster and is also where the Gems are

Though Steven and Mabel are excited and ready to greet the Gems (who can’t see them because of their high vantage point), Connie and Dipper are much more apprehensive (Connie because she’s afraid the Gems will be mad that they’re in the temple, and though this is Dipper’s initial concern, he grows even more worried (and panicked) to see the Gems have the journal)

Of course, Dipper is resolved to get the journal back, even if he doesn’t know how, and though Mabel and Connie agree to help, show that Steven is a bit conflicted, as he believes the Gems had a right to know about the journal all along

And so they eavesdrop over what the Gems are saying about the journal for a while, namely hearing their suggestions about what they should do with it; upon hearing them mention the idea of destroying it, Dipper panics, which leads to the kids falling from their hiding place and landing right in front of the Gems

After a brief moment of tension, the monster breaks into the burning room after the kids and the Gems start fighting it; the kids try to help, but frustrated, the Gems order them to stay out of the way (have some drama in here)

Still, much like in Gem Glow, the kids (Dipper in particular though) use the journal to help give the Gems advice on how to fight the monster and eventually the Gems subdue and bubble it

Up the tension in the next part, with the Gems absolutely confused and upset over the kids being in the temple without their permission; after scolding them for a bit, they eventually get onto the topic of the journals, which turns into quite a point of contention between them all (make sure the Gems aren’t too harsh though)

Show more of the Gem’s skeptical attitude towards the journal as they learn that Dipper found it, and initially, they deny his request to get it back, claiming that such sensitive information about them should be kept hidden

In the middle of this, have the Gems reveal to the kids that they don’t in fact know how the author is, which seemingly contradicts everything the kids had thought they knew based on what the journal said (though this will be explored more later)

Eventually though, Steven is the one to bring peace again, and he convinces the Gems to give the journal back to Dipper, but only under the condition that he’ll keep it concealed, which he agrees to do (also in light of how it helped them fight the monster and everything)

In the end, everyone emerges from the temple together on relatively good terms, though make sure there is still lingering hints of tension and distrust between the kids (namely Steven and Dipper) and the Gems that will continue on into the next two chapters

End chapter on that foreshadowing line from the PM (but substitute Kindergarten for Homeworld) (also give credit in author’s notes)

Cryptogram (Atbash):

Translated:

Faded pagesForgotten wordsSomething is missingRemember what you’ve heard

Untranslated:

UZWVW KZTVHULITLGGVM DLIWHHLNVGSRMT RH NRHHRMTIVNVNYVI DSZG BLF'EV SVZIW

#uf notes

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hotchnerfuckmeup · 8 years ago

Text

Castle

Fuck Standards

Full Badlands Masterlist here

Warnings: Mature language and content. Rated M (14+). Mentions of sexual content, tobacco, and alcohol.

Flood warning: 3,300+ words.

Castle

Spencer Reid was every straight girl’s dream.

In spite of what she thought of herself, Y/N Y/L/N was every straight man’s dream, too.

That’s probably why they got along so well. They were what other people considered perfect, both beautiful, smart, talented. It wasn’t any wonder why the two of them became the best of friends.

But they still had their differences.

Spencer was afraid of nonconformance. He liked to stick to a status quo, do as he was told, follow the rules.

Y/N was the opposite. She liked to do what she wanted. Stick up to ‘the man’. She was always the one to declare that they should fuck standards and live life the way they wanted to.

That’s why Spencer admired her so much. She never apologized for being herself and she was proud of who she was. He wanted to be like her.

Sick of all these people talking Sick of all this noise Tired of all these cameras flashing Sick of being poised

She let the flame caress the end of the cigarette that hung limply between her lips, breathing the toxic waste into her lungs as she leaned against the wall of the diner, passing the lighter back to Spencer. Blowing the puff of smoke towards him, she grinned.

“He wants me to start at the clinic. You know, after I get my degree,” she snorted, throwing her head back in amusement. “As if that’s ever gonna happen.”

Spencer watched her bring the cigarette back to her mouth and admired the orange glow of the tip as she breathed in again. “I think you could do it,” he admitted. His hands were buried deep within his pockets, his fingers flicking aimlessly at the lighter in his left pocket and his wallet in the right. “You’re smart, I know if you applied yourself and actually tried, you could-”

“God dammit, Spencer, why do you say shit like that?” Y/N smiled at her best friend. She was never sure if she could take him seriously when he talked about school. Of course, it didn’t seem to matter to him. When they were in high school, he was top of their classes without the effort that everyone else had to put in. She was always at the bottom, even after putting in twice the effort. With her, there was no winning. It was a miracle she even graduated. “There’s no hope for me as a doctor, nurse, lawyer, anything. It’s not like that’s something I’m scared of, anyways.”

“You mean you don’t want to have a good job someday?”

“I’ll become manager here,” she replied, bobbing her head towards ‘Henry’s Diner’. “That’s a good job.”

“It’s not exactly a job you can live off of, though.”

Y/N sighed and rolled her eyes, annoyed. “I don’t get why everyone expects us all to get degrees, get a low-income job, and move to the fucking suburbs.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” She took a long hit from her cancer stick before chucking it to the ground and grinding the sole of her chuck into the bud. “That’s just what adults tell us we have to do. They tell us we will one day meet our soulmates and marry them, pop out a few offspring, and live life. ‘These are the best years of your life.’ Fucking bite me,” she muttered, chuckling. There was no way she would ever listen to those brainwashed, moronic robots.

“Have you met your soulmate?” Spencer asked her suddenly, the question catching her off guard. She wanted badly to say yes, that he was standing in front of her, but she was much too afraid to wreck the friendship she so dearly cherished.

“Fuck if I know. You?” she asked, kicking at the ground and avoiding eye contact.

“Maybe.”

She looked up and smiled at him. God, he was so effortlessly beautiful. His skin was a perfectly baked golden color, looking flawless in the midday sun. Her heart soared just at the sight of how beautiful he was.

“Think so?” she asked, curious if he might have been, deep down, talking about her.

“I don’t know. You better get back to work,” he answered with a grin, a blush creeping up his neck. He was blushing.

And so did she.

“Work,” she whined, punching him playfully in the arm before turning on her heel towards the front entrance of the diner.

“Y/N,” Spencer called, causing her to stop and turn. “I love you, you know.”

She tried not to beam as she smiled back at his squinting eyes. “Love you too, loser.”

He laughed and shook his head, flipping her the bird before turning to walk in the direction of his house while she made her way back into the diner… Back to work.

And now my neck is open wide Begging for a fist around it Already choking on my pride So there’s no use in crying about it

Ignoring the palpitations of her heart, Y/N walked into the diner through the front entrance. She knew she was supposed to go out back for smoke breaks, but she never listened. This always earned her a glare from her pervy boss.

“Kid, you gotta step it up,” Blake said. She was another waitress here, trying to make enough to feed her kids. Y/N didn’t mind her, she was nice. But she was one of the brainwashed morons. She was the type of woman to tell her kids that school was the most important thing in the world. “Ain’t gonna get that raise if you don’t.”

Managing to refrain from rolling her eyes, Y/N wrapped her apron back around her waist, tying it loosely behind her. “I’ll get the raise,” she said confidently.

Blake stopped organizing the silverware and looked at Y/N carefully. “Shit honey, you ain’t blowin’ him, are you?”

Y/N’s eyes widened. “Gross, no. I would never even think about coming near Pervy Pete,” she said with a smile on her face. “He’s an ass. And not my type,” she joked, grabbing her pad and a pencil before heading to the table that just sat down.

Before she even approached table sixteen, she knew exactly who was sitting there.

She came in every other day, and since Y/N worked every other day, she was the one who always severed her.

“Hey,” she said casually to the blond girl whose face she knew weirdly by heart.

“Hi,” the girl replied, beaming up at Y/N.

“The usual?” she asked, ready to write down the girl’s order: two chicken tacos, a diet coke, and a bag of cheetos. Sometimes she’d even go for dessert, usually ordering a brownie or mini cup of vanilla ice cream.

“Actually, I’m skipping to the brownie today. I’ll still take that bag of cheetos, though,” she said. Her blue eyes were piercing. Y/N almost wanted to recoil at how gorgeous she was

“Of course. Coming right up,” she replied. Before she walked away, there was a question that was burning inside her, had been for months since this girl first started coming to the diner. “Hey, what’s your name?”

The girl smiled wider and released a huff of breath through her nose before tucking her fallen hair behind her ear with a suddenly shy expression. “Jennifer. But my friends all call me JJ.”

“Well JJ, I’m Y/N. And all my friends call me Y/N,” she replied, sticking her hand out to the blonde. JJ took it and gave her a small handshake.

“Nice to officially meet you, Y/N.”

“Ditto,” she told her with a nod. “You’re brownie and cheetos will be right out.”

JJ muttered a shy thank you while Y/N turned to walk away, almost immediately catching the eyes of her boss, Pete. He curled his finger towards himself, motioning for her to come to him.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath as she made her way to him.

“You smoked out front?” he asked, turning on his heel and walking towards his office. She had no choice but to follow. She prayed that Blake had seen and would be there if she needed her to be. Or maybe even JJ.

“Yeah, so?” she said plainly, not even bothering to explain herself, and she wasn’t going to.

“That looks bad on us, kid,” he said, motioning for her to enter his office. She stepped in, hoping he wouldn’t close the door, but of course, he did, silently willing her to sit in the chair opposite of his.

“I’m not a kid,” she stated, crossing her arms in front of her.

“Then quit acting like it,” he said rudely, sitting in his seat and firing up his computer. “You’ve been late the past couple weeks and you’ve been asking Blake and Marge to pick up your shifts.”

“Good observation,” she said, trying to hide her smirk, but ultimately failing.

I’m headed straight for the castle They wanna make me their queen And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying That I probably shouldn’t be so mean

“You are begging me to fire you,” Pete said, shaking his head in a mixture of amusement and frustration.

“I’m not begging you to do anything. Maybe to take a shower more than once a week, but-”

“You’re pushing it.”

Y/N sighed and rubbed her temple. “Didn’t realize we had boundaries.”

“Look, if you want to keep this job, I suggest you get your shit together. Don’t whine when you have to bust a table, don’t ask others to take shifts that you can do, take your damned smoke breaks out back.” He paused, watching as her expression grew amused, her lips formed into a tight smile and her brow raised. “Just do as you’re fucking told for once.”

“We’re done now?” she asked.

“No. Tell me about that kid I always see you with. What’s his name, Steven?”

“Spencer and I don’t think that’s any of your business,” she said. Where was he going with this? He wanted to hit on beautiful teenage boys now, too?

“He your boyfriend?”

“What does this have to do with my job?” she asked defensively.

“He’s keeping you from it. You call in sick, I bet you’re hanging out with him. Am I right?”

“Keep him out of this. Please.” God. She’s never used that word before in front of this asshole. But here she was, saying the P word.

“You wanna keep your job smartass?”

Y/N held back the yell that was begging to burst from her throat. She swallowed hard. “Not really. But I need to,” she admitted.

“So you better do as you’re told.”

I’m headed straight for the castle They got the kingdom locked up And there’s an old man sitting on the throne that’s saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut Straight for the castle

She couldn’t argue anymore. Well, she could, but she really did need this job, as much as she hated to admit it. She needed to pay rent. That was another reason she didn’t go to school. When she graduated high school and moved here with Spencer, she didn’t expect it to cost so much to live.

“Now,” Pete said after a few moments of silence. He slowly got out of his chair and walked to the front of the desk. He might have been an asshole and a total perv, but there was no denying he had a pretty face. He was a handsome man, seemed incredibly charming on the outside. He kind of reminded Y/N of Ted Bundy. He perched himself on the desk, leaning forward with his hands folded together in front of him. “You’re going to work overtime today without pay. To make up for it, you can pick up half of Blake’s shift tomorrow since she’s been covering for your pretty little ass for two weeks. Then you’re going to come in for your shifts, on time, for the next month without whining like a little brat. Understood?”

Y/N looked at him without an expression. She nodded her head slightly to let him know she did understand.

“Oh, and uh,” he started, bringing his hand down to her jean clad thigh and patting it in a perverted manner. “Keep your lips shut about this, huh?” He winked.

She internally gagged.

“We’re done now,” he finished, standing up and making his way out of the room without another word.

Y/N sat for a moment, trying not to explode. She pressed her hands to her face in frustration. God, she wanted Spencer to be with her right then. He always knew how to make things better.

After she collected herself, Y/N finally walked out of that God forsaken office and headed back to work.

Oh, all these minutes passing Sick of feeling used If you wanna break these walls down You’re gonna get bruised

“You should quit,” Spencer said. He and Y/N were in his living room. He was reading a book and somehow talking to her at the same time. She was pacing with a yo-yo, flicking it down and watching it glide back up into her hand, repeating the motion over and over again.

“I can’t. It’s the only place that accepted people without experience and plus there’s nowhere else hiring. It’s my only option right now.” She watched the yo-yo fail to make it back up the climb, falling towards the ground. Y/N sighed before removing the string from her finger and threw it aside. “God I hate him.”

“He like assaulted you, though. You could report that.”

“If I do that, I’m out of a job. He owns the place,” she said, sitting down on the ground in front of her friend and leaning against his legs. “That’s the reason he does it. He knows I won’t say anything. Makes me sick.” She began to pick at her nails.

“I’m sorry,” Spencer said quietly. He didn’t really know what to say. If he were in her position, he knows he’d report the bastard and be done with it. Another job would come eventually.

“Hey, I found out that girl’s name today,” Y/N said suddenly. They were both desperate to change the subject, anyways.

“What girl?” Spencer asked, not looking up from his book still. It was a wonder he could read the words on the page and still talk about something completely different at the same time.

Y/N giggled and turned around, pulling the book from Spencer’s hand. “That blonde girl.”

“Yeah, really narrows it down,” he replied sarcastically.

Y/N rolled her eyes and hit him softly with his book. “Cheeto girl.”

“Oh yeah, what’s her name?”

“JJ. Well, it’s Jennifer but ‘her friends call her JJ’,” she replied, imitating the girl from earlier.

“Nice. That all you know about her, her name?” he asked with a smile.

“No, we actually sat down and discussed our hopes and dreams,, idiot,” she threw a pillow at him, “the most I know about her other than her name is what she orders for lunch every other day and that she has blue eyes. Like, they’re bluer than the fucking sea.”

“Think there’s potential there?” Spencer asked.

“I mean, I guess you can go for it if you’re into cheeto breath,” Y/N joked.

“Not for me, for you, idiot,” Spencer replied.

Y/N furrowed her brows in confusion. Where was this coming from? “Um, Spence… I’m not a dyke.”

He blinked. A dyke. Of all things she could have said, she said dyke. “Ouch,” he said uncomfortably before standing up and walking towards the kitchen.

“Are… you okay? You’ve been acting super fucking weird these past few days.”

“I’m fine,” he said. It was a sentence that someone who was totally not fine would say.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” she asked suddenly, following him into the kitchen and watching as he brewed himself some coffee. Of course, Spencer fucking Reid would drink coffee in the late afternoon.

“No,” he replied shortly.

“Is it because I said dy- that word?”

“Yes,” he answered. She was slightly surprised by this.

“What, you know someone gay that’s offended by that?” She said it kind of playfully, not expecting him to take the question seriously.

“Yeah, I do.”

Y/N gaped at her best friend. “Okay. Well, then, you can tell them that I’m sorry I used that word and that I’ll never use it again?” It wasn’t supposed to come out as a question, but she was so confused.

Spencer didn’t say anything else, just nodded as he set the coffee to brew.

“Wanna play scrabble?” she asked, desperately needing to change the incredibly weird subject and dissipate the intensely awkward moment.

Her incredibly smart, incredibly handsome best friend chuckled and smiled at her, chasing her back into the living room for a game.

And now my neck is open wide Begging for a fist around it Already choking on my pride So there’s no use crying about it

She sighed before shooting the last of the vodka straight from the bottle. Living alone may have been quiet and at times incredibly lonely, but it was a luxury when you needed it to be.

With no one around, she could get shitfaced without judgments or someone telling her she’s had enough. It’s not like the bottle of vodka was full when she started. It was well half empty.

Y/N laid on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, thinking about Spencer. Usually, she always thought about how beautiful he was. She’d imagine herself and him together, normally in some kind of compromising position and him seven inches deep in her. It was a regular thought of hers. Sometimes she’d pleasure herself and pretended it was him, moaning his name quietly in the privacy of her shitty apartment. Her neighbors could probably hear her, but she didn’t care. When she was alone and Spencer was on her mind, this is what she always thought about.

But right now she thought about how weird he’d been acting.

He seemed to get offended when she reminded him she wasn’t gay. In the past week or so, he kept mentioning love and soulmates as if he himself was in love.

And maybe he was.

She was just scared that he wasn’t in love with her. As much as she wanted to ask him more about it and find out what the hell was on his mind and why he was so obsessed with the intimate word, she couldn’t do it. If he was in love and it wasn’t with her, she’d lose it.

The bottle rattled as she laid it down on the ground next to her. She listened as it rolled away slowly. Another sigh escaped her lips as she sat up, her head instantly pounding. Dizziness flooded her as she attempted to stand and made her way to the bathroom for a much-needed shower. She had an early shift in the morning and she, unfortunately, couldn’t be late.

When she realized what a hangover she knew she was going to have in the morning, she hung her head back with a groan. Picking up the phone, she dialed Spencer’s number. Not exactly what she wanted to do at the moment, but he was the perfect hangover doctor. He always had the magic touch.

“Y/N?” he asked when he picked up. It was already half-past one in the morning and sleep was outlined in his voice.

“I had a bit to drink,” she slurred into the receiver, a guilty grimace on her face as her head started to pound already.

“I’m on my way,” Spencer replied with a sigh.

“Thank you, Obi-Wan,” she giggled, hanging up the phone.

She smiled to herself for a moment, butterflies erupting within her at the thought of Spencer getting out of bed just for her.

Why does being in love feel so right when everything goes so wrong?

Tags: to be added, see this post! @ultrarebelheart @gabriels-trix @stunudo @ssajenniferjareau @milkandcookies528 @imagicana @fiftyshadesof-fckedup @marvelfoodlover @hamiltrin @cleohalestilinski @cherry-loves-fanfic @arizonalovesher @elliehasanaccount @burning-potatoes @reiding-and-writing @the-slytherin-ice-queen @brooke0297 @dontshootmespence @marvelfoodlover

#spencer reid au #spencer reid x reader #badlands by halsey by ashley #criminal minds au #badlands by ashley castle

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capbucky-0506 · 8 years ago

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Happy Birthday, Darling (StevexReader)

Happy 4th of July!!!! And Happy 99th Birthday to (my darling?) Steve Rogers💕💕💕 Here's a new oneshot just for today!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ July 4th. Independence Day. The day our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. And also the day America's "golden boy" was born. You woke up to the sun shining in your eyes. After stretching for a minute, you feel an arm snake around your waist and pull you closer. "Good morning, babe," Steve mumbles as he buries his face in your hair and begins to place kisses on the back of your neck. "Good morning," you reply, turning around to plant a kiss on his lips. "Happy Birthday, Darling." A smile creeps onto his face. "Thanks, doll. What's on the agenda today?" You sigh as you sit up. "You have press and ceremonies all day, while Fury decided to keep me busy with a bunch of meetings and briefings that I would rather eat dirt than go to. I'm sorry we couldn't do something better for your birthday." "At least we have tonight," he reassures. "That's all I need." You smile and grab his hand, bringing it up to your lips. "Be at the tower by 7:30 and we'll go to dinner, okay? I made reservations." "Perfect." He plants a kiss on your lips and walks out of your room to get to his. Making sure he's far enough so he can't hear you, you grab your phone and call Bucky. "Everything set, Barnes?" "It's 11:40, the guests come at 7, Steve gets here at 7:30. Assemble the team." You press a button on your bracelet that signals the team, something you helped build with Tony. Luckily, Steve's was disabled for the day. Soon, Bucky, Sam, Tony, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Wanda, Pietro, Vision, Scott, Peter, T'Challa, Thor, and Loki file into your room. They all pile on and around your bed as you stand in front of them. "Alright, you guys. Steve's gonna be back at 7:30 so we need all hands on deck for the entire day. You all have tasks, and there are already cars outside for each group. Tony, Scott, and Peter, you three are in charge of getting the fireworks together. It's the 4th of July, so make sure they're unlike any other fireworks being displayed today." Tony rolls his eyes. "I'm Tony Stark, for god's sake. I was born being the best." "Then make sure these fireworks are Stark-level awesome." The three of them nod and run out. "Wanda and Pietro, you're in charge of food. Check in with the chefs and make sure the meal is gonna be amazing." "May I tag along with them?", Vision asks. "I shall enjoy seeing other people cook so I can improve my skills." "Sure, Vis. You three, get going." The twins, along with Vision, race out of the room. "Thor and Loki, you're in charge of the cake." "Why would it take two of us to get a cake?", Loki questions. "I could get it myself without having this oaf in my way." "It's a big cake, and I don't trust just one of you to get it. No offense, but you might do something to it." "Very true." Thor and Loki walk out. "T'Challa and Sam, I'm leaving you guys with the entertainment. The band I booked has to do sound checks, so make sure they're prepared and give them the song list." "But-" "No buts, Sam. You two have to learn to work together. Now go!" T'Challa smirked. "Yes, let us go bird man." He walked out of the room, a grumbling Sam following behind. Only Bucky, Natasha, Clint, and Bruce were left. "The rest of us are gonna go get the decorations and make sure this place looks amazing. Me, Nat, and Bucky will take one car and Clint and Bruce will take the other. I'll text you what you need to get. And since we're the remaining people and technically in the same group, I managed to get us something a little better than regular cars." ----------------------------------- "HOW COME THEY GET A LIMO?" You hear Sam shout as the five of you pile into the two limos you ordered. "MY GROUP, MY RULES," you shout back as your limo starts to move. You, Nat, and Bucky drove all around New York, buying any decorations you liked (which was hard, due to the fact that some places were closed for Independence Day). By the time you got back to the tower, it was 5 and you were tired as hell. Clint and Bruce got back at the same time. "Alright, you guys. I know we're hot and tired and sweaty, but let's get everything decorated so we can go change our clothes." The five of you worked as fast as you can, ensuring that the place looked amazing. There was red, white, and blue everywhere. The tower practically screamed "Star Spangled Man With A Plan." At 6, the decorations were done and your group raced to your rooms. You quickly dawned on a red, white, and blue dress with red heels and a matching red clutch. Your hair was already curled so you just tamed the (many) flyaways and wiped off your makeup, reapplying it so it looked better. You finished getting ready at 6:30. You got a phone call from Sam and quickly picked it up. "Hey Sam, what's up?" "Big problem. The band can't play tonight." You froze. "What? Why not? What the hell happened?" "Their lead singer lost her voice and they don't have a backup," T'Challa replies. You closed your eyes to think for a moment. Then, you got an idea. "What if we do karaoke? And then we'll have F.R.I.D.A.Y. play music when everyone is partying." You hear Sam and T'Challa mumbling something to the band. After a minute, Sam says, "they said they could do it, no problem." You let out a breath. "Thank god. Now get their asses to the tower. The guests are coming in half an hour." "We'll be right there." As soon as you hang up, you get another call from Thor. "Lady Y/N, I'm afraid there's a problem with the cake." "What is it?" "They're giving it to someone else." "What? Why?" "They're claiming it's their cake." You rummage for the receipt in your dresser and snap a picture of it, sending it to Thor. "I just sent you the receipt. Now FIGHT FOR THAT CAKE." You hang up and bury your face in your hands. After a few minutes, Thor texts you a selfie of the cake, Loki, and himself with the caption "WE GOT IT". You couldn't help but laugh out loud. You press the button on your bracelet to assemble the team. In ten minutes, they were all here. "Okay, everyone. It's 6:50. Guests are gonna be here in ten minutes. Is everything ready?" "The band is set up." "The fireworks are prepared." "The cake is downstairs." "The place is decorated." "The food is delicious." You beam. "We did it! Everyone, hands in!" Everyone puts their hands in the middle. "Cap on three!" "One, two, three, CAP!" You all throw your hands in the air. "ALRIGHT PEOPLE! YOU GOT TEN MINUTES TO GET PREPARED. NOW, GO GO GO!" ----------------------------------- The party was in full swing by 7:10. People were laughing and having a good time. You were at the bar nursing a drink, drowning out the crowd. You didn't even hear Jane and Thor come up to you. "Everything alright, Y/N?", Jane asks. You sighed. "I-I'm fine." "No, you're not," Thor says. "What's wrong?" "It's Steve's birthday gift." You quietly tell them what it is. Jane takes your hand. "It's an amazing gift, and you're so fearless giving that to him. Don't be afraid. He'll love it." "Steve is a very lucky man," Thor adds. "You care about him very much. He'd be a fool to give that up." You smile. "Thanks, you guys. You're honestly amaz-" "Y/N!" Bucky runs up to you. "Steve's outside! You need to get into places." You grab a mic from behind the bar. "EVERYONE, PLACES! STEVE'S COMING! F.R.I.D.A.Y., KILL THE LIGHTS." All of the guests find a hiding place and the lights turn off. You walk over to the entrance, waiting for Steve. After a minute, you see him walk up to you. "Hey, doll," he says, giving you a light kiss. "Ready to go?" "Actually, I was thinking we should stay in." "Oh, I thought you were excited about dinner?" "Yea, about that..." The lights turned on instantly and everyone popped out. "SURPRISE!!!!" Steve looked taken aback, but soon had a big smile on his face. "Happy Birthday, Darling!", you squeal. Bucky runs up to the two of you. "Happy Birthday, Punk," he says as he hugs Steve. "This little missy right here planned the whole thing." Steve pulls you into a hug. "I fucking love you, you know that?" "Language, Captain," you reply with a smirk. You could tell Steve was having a blast the entire night. He always loved hanging out with you, Bucky, Sam, and the rest of the team. In fact, everyone was getting along. Sam and T'Challa were rapping the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song for karaoke, Thor and Loki were having an arm wrestling contest while Jane was rolling her eyes at them, Nat and Bruce were flirting (again), Scott was fangirling over Steve, Peter was talking to Tony and Pepper, Clint was joking around with Maria, Bucky and Steve were playing pool, and Wanda and Vision were by the bar as Pietro was making them drinks. Halfway through the night, you managed to grab Steve and take him to the terrace for some alone time. Your heart was pounding. "Is something wrong, Y/N?", he questioned. You took a deep breath and grabbed his hands. "Steve, words can't describe how much you mean to me. Before I met you, I was lost. I didn't know who I was or what I would become. When you stepped into my life, it was like a beacon of light shining down on me. I've loved you even before I knew what love was. And I want to be with you for the rest of my life." You shakily open your clutch and pull out a small box, tossing the purse to the side. Steve's eyes widen as you get down on one knee. You open the box to reveal a silver band. "I know this isn't the traditional way of doing things," you say with a nervous laugh. "But, Steven Grant Rogers, will you marry me?" A smile creeped onto his face as he kneeled down to match your level. "Of course I'll marry you." You started tearing up as you took the ring from the box and placed it on his finger. You set the box down on the ground as he pulled you into a kiss, and you can tell he was tearing up as well. At that moment, the firework display begins. You and Steve stand up and hold onto each other as you gaze at the beautiful sky. Red, white, and blue fireworks light up the night, illuminating the city. Tony, Scott, and Peter really outdid themselves. "Happy 4th of July, Y/N." "Happy Birthday, Darling."

#steve rogers #steve x reader #captain america #independence day #4th of july #fourth of july #steven grant rogers #happy birthday steve

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lil-blue-one · 8 years ago

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In Secret - Testing Shadows

I felt eyes on me about four blocks from the warehouse. Bags of food in my hands prevented me from being able to block any attacks very well, so I looked around for somewhere to set it down. I'd rather not waste this stuff if I could help it. There wasn't anywhere handy, so I kept walking. I refused to pick up my pace, feeling like that would make me seem afraid, which I wasn't.

I rounded a corner that led away from the warehouse and the feeling faded. At the next cross street I started working my way back. This time when it felt as if I was being watched, I stopped. I made a shelf out of a piece of iron I had in my pocket and attached it to a wall to place the bags on. I took a deep breath as I did, and couldn't smell anyone nearby. That's strange. Why wouldn't there be a scent? Unless... I glanced around and saw what I was looking for, and turned back to the food with a grin.

I only had to wait a moment before I heard the scuff of a foot and caught his scent. I spun at the last second, grabbing hold of his upraised fist, and swinging my attacker into the wall. His breath escaped him in a gasp, and he gaped up at me with such surprise on his face that I struggled not to laugh. I squatted in front of him and raised an eyebrow, "Well, Ryos, what did ya learn?"

"Don't try to sneak attack you." He panted out, pushing himself upright. I nodded at his response. "And?" The small boy looked up at me, and I noticed the nasty glare he used to have whenever he saw me was gone. Replaced by something, was that respect? "I don't know?"

I offered him a hand and stood, pulling him up with me. "Well, fer starters, ya need to work on walkin' silently. Yer shadow was smack in the middle of a square of sunlight, with nothin' around that could have made it. Someone less aware than me mighta missed it, but prolly not. Reminds me, 'nother lesson, know yer opponent." Ryos looked thoughtful as I mentioned all these things, and glanced at me sharply. "Well, I did manage to track your route, even though you change it regularly.

I chuckled at the pride in his voice. "Ya did. And it woulda worked if not fer the things I pointed out. One more point, keep in mind yer shadows can work as an attack too. Coulda pulled me into a shadow from below an' left me stuck in the ground." I handed him one of the bags of food and made the shelf pocket sized again. As we began walking, Ryos sank into thought, and I left him to it, my own thoughts wandering back to a tiny woman and the book in my bag. How am I gonna give this to her?

We continued in silence until we reached the warehouse, and Ryos ran inside to round up the others. I clunked to the table and had started spreading out the food when I felt little arms wrap around my waist. "Gajeel!" Sam squealed as she hugged me. "Hey, girlie." I glanced at the boy lurking across the table from me. "James? What is it?" He jumped a little and stepped forward.

"Um, nothing. Just... Where's Levy?" The boy had a connection with the tiny woman, loving to read almost as much as she did. He'd actually decided to learn script magic, as well. I shook my head, "Not going to be here today, kid." Sam stepped around me to grab some grapes off the table. "She okay?" She asked, popping one in her mouth.

Sam seemed to be unconcerned, but I could see her watching James, and I could smell his anxiety. "Yeah, she's fine. Just not here." The small, navy haired boy took a deep breath and smiled. "That's okay. I just learned a new word and wanted to show her. Now I just have more time to perfect it!" I nodded and held up a hand so the other brats filtering into the room wouldn't get to the food.

"No eatin' before trainin'. Ya know the drill." With a groan, they all went to the training corner of the big room and began stretching. I worked them through their exercises, not really in the mood to teach them anything new. Without the shrimp here, I found my attention wandering. "Umm, Gajeel?" I forced my attention back to the kids in front of me and found Steven, a little slip of a boy, staring at me. "Yeah? Whatdya want?"

He flushed and looked down, "Well... I was wonderin' if we're gonna pratice magic at all? I think... I think I wanna show ya mine finally." This kid had been waffling about showing his magic to us for some reason. It wasn't a big deal, we had a few who hadn't figured out their magic yet and had just been spending their training time meditating to help build their actual power level. I raised an eyebrow and just watched him, waiting for his decision. "Uh, I... Uhm... Yeah! I wanna show ya m'magic!" I nodded at him and looked around at the other kids.

"We'll work magic tomorrow, when Shrimp is here ta work out some of yer finer points. Yer all gettin' strong enough, I don't want ya workin' magic without us both here." I grinned at the groans that pulled from several of them. I remember being excited to work my magic when I was first learning it. I glanced down at my arm, easily finding a few scars. Holding my arm out so they could see it, I told them, "Look here. See this scar? And this one? These happened when I tried to practice by myself before I was ready. I snuck away from my dad, which was hard enough, tryin' to impress him. I used my magic, and caught myself off guard. Several blades caught themselves here," I pointed to the scars again, "and I'd have died if he hadn't heard me." I chuckled at the memory. "I'd thought I was so clever..."

Shaking my head I looked back at them. "So, no magic unless we're here. Even if you don't have a dangerous magic. Understood?" I leveled my best glare at them until they all nodded. "Good. Stretch out and go eat." I glanced at the clock and decided I wasn't going to stick around today. I flagged down Fitz and gestured at the door with my head, giving him a half wave. He nodded at me and went back to making sure the kids were splitting the food evenly. I snatched my bag and left, almost running in my excitement. I'll leave the book on her bed. Then, I don't have to come up with a reason to be giving it to her.

I reached Fairy Hills and climbed the building carefully with spikes that I made emerge from my hands and feet. Her room was dark, so I slid her window open and listened carefully. No breathing. Must still be out with Bunny girl. I slipped inside and dug the book out, placing it in the middle of her bed. I listened again, and realized I could hear her in the building, and it sounded like she was getting closer. I took a deep breath, inhaling her scent, and leapt through the window, landing outside with a thump.

Finding a tree nearby, I scaled it quickly, and glanced at her window just as the light came on. I saw her, tiny little woman, standing with a bat in her hand, looking around the room. Gihihi, good. She noticed something off. Even from my vantage point, I could see her hesitate by the book, wanting to pick it up. Finally, she shook her head and grabbed a different book, leaving her bat against the wall, and left the room. I grinned to myself and dropped out of the tree, heading for home.

Fanfiction.net - https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12352494/16/In-Secret

Archive - http://archiveofourown.org/works/9774311/chapters/25067391

#ftfanfics #fairy tail fanfiction #gajevy #Gajeel X Levy #Gajeel Redfox #Levy McGarden #gajeelswoman #in secret #mywork

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stan-the-fic-man · 8 years ago

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All Roses Wilt - Chapter 1

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was not supposed to be here.

With the malfunctioning of that device that Peridot had made, Rose Quartz was back in the living world. With everyone there and watching, there was a huge cacophony of reactions to her return. Everything from overjoyed cry's, to outright attempts on her life. While she had been successful at getting away from both Jasper and Lapis, Rose was not able to speak and answer the questions that were thrown her way.

It had been late afternoon when she had come back, and it was now approaching evening. As the sun began to set over the horizon, a flurry of questions and worries stormed in Rose's head. If this was the reaction she received from the gems, she could only wonder how Greg would react if he found out about her fate.

And then there was Steven. Oh Great Creator, how was she supposed to tackle that? He above everyone else had every right to question her and her motives. While she was confined in the gem through the years, she had been granted fleeting glimpses of his life, his trials, his suffering. The things that Rose had not wanted to happen had come to fruition.

She sat there alone on that hilltop, just staring at the sun as it slowly set just behind the horizon. It seemed to be the one consistent in her life at the moment. The rising and setting of the sun were the only things that would be everlasting in this world, but even that was being threatened.

As she sat there and meditated, she heard someone coming up behind her. She didn't look, but the light footsteps indicated that it was likely someone very small in stature. With Peridot not knowing anything about her, Rose quickly concluded that it must have been her son.

"I imagine that you have a lot of questions." Rose said without turning herself to him, "So, while I'm still here, go ahead. Out of everyone, you deserve the truth.

The appearance of Rose Quartz had not been an expected one — or a widely accepted one.

Tears were automatically shed at the sight of her. She was beautiful, magnificent, and sparked up many memories, particularly in Pearl, who dashed forward in disbelief. The poor gem crumbled to her knees in front of Rose, her fingers intertwining in the hem of her dress. To see a dead lover rise from her ashes was unbelievable to Pearl. It was a dream.

Amethyst stood aback at first, bewildered, but also threw herself towards the gem, shouting nonsense, wrapping herself around her leg. Even Garnet could not contain herself, visor flickering off and tears slipping down both of her eyes. She had gone and leaned towards her chest.

That was where the welcoming natures ended.

Jasper had not been angry, not furious, no, she had been infuriated by the spectacle.

Despite her own switch in alliances, now fighting for her true home rather than Homeworld, she refused to look up to Rose. Jasper resisted the concept of ever kissing at the feet of the person that both brought her to this life and destroyed it. If it hadn't been for Rose's rebellious actions, and the new need in Pink Diamond's sector to create a species of quartzes that could replace her, Jasper would have never been born. Pearl once told her this.

Jasper plainly asked her what her point was.

Rose was the reason for her birth. Rose was the reason that she participated in the war. Rose was the reason that her comrades had been slain, her sisters battered at the merciless hands of Crystal Gem soldiers, her Diamond slain by an ungracious hand that took more than it gave.

After the war, Jasper had been given to Yellow Diamond and separated from her kin for the sole purpose of being a perfectly sculpted being, one that could be around if another Rose ever appeared. Oh, and how Yellow Diamond's anger had rubbed off on her grief. She would often speak of revenge, influencing Jasper, making her increasingly more scornful over the years, not just for herself, but the lives that Rose had taken.

Vengeance had kept her alive, given her a purpose to live since everything else had been ripped away from her. So it was not exaggerated to say that when Jasper had pulled herself out of her shell shock, she had every intent of ripping Rose's gem right out of her body to make her disappear again. Just as she was going to lunge forward, fueled with indescribable fury and the words, "You-!" at the tip of her tongue, two things wrapped around her.

One was the pair of Bismuth's strong arms around her wrist, pulling her back. She too had been unbubbled throughout the last two years and she and Jasper had become close enough for her to know how she was. Jasper told her to release her, to let her go, however, she then looked back and saw that Bismuth herself did not look very happy, but hurt.

On her other wrist, a strong and firm amount of water wrapped around it, keeping her bound to her spot. It was Lapis, silently storming, looking at Jasper in warning. After the two of them spent months tied together at Lapis' hand, she knew Jasper too well, especially now that past wounds were beginning to heal between them.

When Rose would look over at the three of them she would be met with dark disappointed eyes, fiery livid eyes, and endless bitter eyes.

Eventually, Rose disappeared from them, probably for the better. All of their questions went unanswered, leaving some confused and others further stormy.

Steven was the last to know out of all of the gems. It had been the rubies that ran up to him along with Peridot that explained to him what had exactly happened. Shakily, he had asked where Rose had gone. Eyeball stiffly pointed out a direction and he found himself breaking into a sprint, despite the cries for him to stop and wait.

His mom, his mom, his mom.

After years of pent-up pain, stirring questions, and unsureness, Steven was hellbent on not being the only one that didn't see Rose. Why was she here? Why- Why everything? He thought and thought even though he could not possibly imagine any answers. After awhile, he stopped running, panting at the top of the hill with weariness drawn about him as he looked up.

And then he saw her.

Rose was sitting right there with her gorgeous long hair and ginormous form. She looked just like she had in the room that Steven visited, except she was not fabricated, she was really there. Steven froze with his brown eyes widening, breath completely stolen from him.

Then she spoke. Her voice was low, sweet like honey, the question causing for his heart to speed up. Steven stayed in his spot, in disbelief, falling quiet for a moment. He swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"You... It's really... You? You're her? Mom?"

It seemed that Rose's preemptive words took the boy off guard. While she had been able to only briefly glimpse into his life through her own gem, she had been able to see a few his interactions with her room. How he had gone there wanting to have some kind of time with her. Yes, she was the one that brought that about, but it was his thoughts alone that made her what she was in there.

Now? Now she was actually here. Now his questions would actually come out, and she was obligated to answer them.

The name that he had called her was one that brought both surprised amusement, and a very deep feeling of shame. With everyone's reactions to her earlier, it seemed to be the two emotions that would stay with her. Between the reactions of Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst, and then seeing old enemies turned friends that still had a strong sense of hate for her, Rose was unsure of what to do with herself.

That was why she had gotten away from their questions earlier. She barely had time to put her feet on the ground, and already she was being assaulted. The only one who offered any form of neutrality was the one Peridot. While she was smaller than most she had ever seen, she was just as insightful as any.

"I... guess that I am." Rose answered slowly, looking down at what she was told was her cloned gem, "but I'm also not. This gem that I have, it's cloned from the real thing... but I have all the memories, the thoughts, and... well everything from the past."

Rose was very unsure about how she was going to continue talking about this. From what she could remember of the brief glimpses of his life, he was very upset with her when he thought about what might have happened in the past. Even with her being just a clone, she was still Rose Quartz.

Despite answering his question, Rose couldn't find it in her heart to look at him, at least not yet. From what little information she had about what was going on, she would be in for some very unpleasant conversations with everyone.

But they would not be wrong for feeling like that. They were right to be mad, to be upset, to feel whatever it was they were feeling. Still, she knew that there was no way to hide from it any longer.

"This is likely going to take a long time." Rose told him in a solemn tone, patting the ground beside her, "You might want to sit down for it."

So she was, but she wasn't. Somehow, that managed to bring about a sense of disappointment.

A part of Steven had always wished that one day he would be able to meet his mother, perhaps by popping himself. Pearl had always been deeply against it, her views drastically changing from when Steven was a baby. She was afraid that he might die if he ever attempted such a thing. Garnet was not for it either since not even her future vision could foretell what would happen to him. Amethyst theorized that maybe Rose and Steven would be able to come out at once.

He didn't know and chances were that he would never purposely find out. Steven had a duty to take care of everyone. Even if he knew that it was going to be stressful and that it would come with trying times, he had to do his best. At the beginning it had been so that he could make Rose's legacy great — then it became for himself when he realized that maybe his mother made a lot of mistakes he shouldn't repeat.

A lot of big mistakes.

It didn't matter now. Fake or real, she was here and it was the best that Steven was ever going to get. Steven walked forward and then slipped beside her, keeping his eyes trained downwards. A quiet sigh left his nose and he folded his hands. There was a faint flush on his face, one that overrode his unsure feelings. At the end of the day, this was his mom, kind of. Still, it wasn't enough to beat out the rest of the storm of emotions that was going through him.

"So…" Steven paused, not knowing where to start. There was so much to ask and he had no idea how much time he had with Rose, "Is this… How you thought it would be?"

There was a brief pause when she motioned for him to come over, and Rose at first thought that maybe she had put him off with her explanation of things. Really, with the way that everything was going today, she wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if he completely ignored her.

But that was quickly put to rest when she heard him approach and take a seat beside her. As he sat there, he appeared to be doing the same thing as her, not able to look in the same direction out of some unknown fear of what might become of it. Rose had never counted on meeting him at all, so really she was at a loss for what to say to him.

The question that was raised to her had a lot of undertones to it. She could tell that not just from the pause he took, but also the tone of his voice. It was clear that he was trying to start things off slow, to try and get the both of them in an area of somewhat leveled ground for speaking to each other. It was something that she hadn't expected, or even thought about. Still, she owed him at least something.

"I... honestly don't know how to answer that." Rose told him after a long pause, "I was never supposed to be here, so I never thought about what would happen after... well, you know." Rose had to take another pause to think over what she would say next. As much as she had not expected this, she was a little happy to be able to meet him.

"I will say this though." She went one, "It's at least nice to see that, through all this chaos, you've all managed to find a way to cope, and even find strength with each other. While seeing you here in front of me is rather surreal, I'm not unhappy about it."

Silence filled the air. Steven wondered if she was going to be like everyone else. Was she just going to leave him with more questions than answers? Or was she actually going to tell him everything that he wanted to know? Not even some of the gems knew how to reply to some of the questions so she — the core of his problems — had to know them. Nobody else would, right? It must be her.

Rose actually spoke up. Her voice made him shiver, unused to actually hearing it. It sounded real and concrete unlike in the room all of those years ago where it had sounded airy. A small sigh left him at the mention of her never expecting for this to happen. That certainly made two of them.

Steven finally looked up at her at the next phrase. His eyes did widen when he saw her face. It looked soft, her skin smooth with a shade of pink to it, eyes dark, yet bright. There was a type of tiredness that melted into them. Her hair fell around her in beautiful bundles. No wonder his father had been awestruck by her, just like everyone else.

Rose was different.

She talked about how it was nice that they all at least had each other. Rose spoke of it like she had been there, as though she had seen it through his eyes. Maybe she has. His hands clenched together into fists when she mentioned that she was not unhappy about seeing him. Steven wanted to reply with 'me too,' but those words couldn't leave his lips, not after everything.

What was wrong with him?

"I don't know about cope…" Steven whispered, voice sounding soft while he stared at her, never taking his eyes off of her, "But… They're trying. I- I honestly don't know what to say or what to think of you. I'm just… Really confused. You're here now so I should be happy, but instead, it's just strange. Why is that? I don't understand why it's this way."

When he whispered to her, Rose finally took a risk and looked down at him. From the few times that she had been able to actually see his face in the brief glimpses that she was given, Rose had always seen a little boy who had yet to grow up and start facing the responsibilities of life. That was not the case anymore.

While the changes had not been extreme, they were still noticeable. The teenager was well on his way to becoming a fully fledged adult. He had grown a bit, his voice was a slight bit different, and the way he had his hair was something that made Rose's inside's twist in discomfort. It seemed that some of his hair was now frosted with pink, perhaps in an attempt to try and hold her memory close in some way.

That was the last thing that she wanted.

He expressed his confusion of things, and Rose felt her heart sink. Not because he was confused, but because she knew the reason why he, and likely some of the others, felt that way. Should he have been happy to see her? In her mind... probably not.

"I think I know why that is." Rose said, looking away once more, her voice showing a slight bit of sadness as she spoke, "You don't know that much about me. I was never there at all in your life, so you're unsure how to take having me here now."

There was more to it than that, and Rose knew it. Yet, going about what she was thinking was going to take some tact and care. She couldn't just outright say things to him, as there was a lot to be said. So, rather than just blurting things out, she figured it would be best to just have him ask what he wanted, and then take each question one at a time.

"It also probably has to do with my past as well." Rose went on, lowering her head slightly, "I lived a life of many secrets. I never really shared much about them or my own life. But... I suppose that you, out of everyone, should at least have some answers. After all, it looks like you also inherited a lot of my problems. So tell me, what is it that's bothering you the most?"

That was true. Growing up, Steven had always felt the absence of his mother. Since his father lived in a van, altogether his biological parents were pretty absent. Of course, Greg tried to make room for him and always managed to, but it wasn't the same as having him actually live there. Rose altogether had been absent throughout his child. It left a feeling of something missing — not specifically a mother, but just another parent.

Sometimes he would look at Connie's parents and feel a tinge of jealousy. Steven would automatically shut it down since he knew it was wrong, yet that feeling lingered in the back of his mind. That could have been Rose and Greg if they never had him. If the process of creating him wasn't so complicated, then he could have grown up with both of them by his side. It just wasn't fair. That was life though. Not everything turned out like you thought it would. You just had to find the best in it.

Scooting closer, Steven moved to carefully rest his hand on Rose's forearm at the question. He looked up and both of their dark eyes met. Despite Rose's being such a deep color, they also sparkled in the light, giving the impression that galaxies lie in them.

"Why did you keep so many secrets?" Steven asked, giving into all of the questions that were wandering around within him, "From Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst... And dad... You didn't tell them a lot and... You didn't leave anything for me to follow either. You just never said anything to anyone. Why? Were you scared?"

There was no bitterness present in his tone, simply the pure curiosity of the child that was still within him. Steven looked down so that he could pull his shirt up. Tugging the fabric away, it showed his pink gem, the one that matched Rose's.

They really were the same.

Once the question had left her, Steven seemed to get a little closer to her. The physical contact that she received from him was very foreign to anything else that she had felt before. Greg and Pearl had both put their hands on her before, but this was a different sort of feeling. While what they did was to show love on a different level, Steven's touch was something else altogether.

That's when he looked into her eyes, and Rose felt an intense pang of guilt. The wide-eyed innocents of his youth still very much so there, and it made her feel so bad for not being able to be there when he was younger. Then he hit her with the question.

She really should have guessed that it would be the first, but she still didn't expect it. All the time that she had spent on this planet, all the time in that war, and she never once shared anything about her past. How on earth was she just supposed to answer something like that? How could she possibly explain to him what had happened for things to end up like this?

Many Gems had seen Rose as a wise and capable leader that always had an answer for things, but this was not something that she was prepared for. How could she explain something like that to him, and still have him understand what went on with her life?

At the very least, she could give him a simple answer to the last question. With a deep breath, she looked away from him, and spoke in a low and tone, filled with shame.

"I was ashamed of what I did... and I still am."

Ashamed of what?

The worst part was that Steven could think of many incidents that Rose could feel shame from. Was it from the fact that she had killed Pink Diamond? Or that she bubbled Bismuth away? Maybe it was all of the secrets that she had kept away from Pearl? And even how she had left Greg alone to raise him? There was just… So much guilt that his mother had to carry and it made him feel a heavy pressure on his shoulders that made him want to cry.

Nobody deserved to have that much on them. Everyone made mistakes. Albeit, some were heavier than others, but still. Right now, he wanted to talk to Rose without everybody else's wounds weighing him down. He would get the answers that they needed, however, he also needed to get the answers that he needed.

Steven wrapped himself closer around her arm and pressed himself into it. It felt unbelievably warm, completely different from what he was used to. A deep sigh escaped him and he shook his head, looking up at her with a faint smile that forced itself up there.

"You can tell me… After all, we're similar, right? I understand… It's okay." He tried to tell her as he pointed out the gem on Rose's stomach before beckoning to his own.

It's okay.

She felt him wrap himself around her arm, coming closer in a sort of hug. While she would admit that it was a nice feeling, she also felt like it was undeserved. As much as it was nice to have her son here and trying to help her, she knew that out of all here, that she was not someone who should be able to enjoy this.

The sigh that came from him made her look down out of curiosity but, upon seeing his face, she wished that she hadn't. The smile that he was giving her was very small, but she could tell that is was very forced. He was trying to keep her calm, and trying to show that it was alright. Even if it wasn't.

What he said next was something that Rose didn't expect. What he said about being them being similar made her have a hurt feeling in her chest. If he meant that they were similar in their Gems only, it wouldn't have been that bad, but she knew full well what he meant. He meant that they were the same with their lives and how they acted.

She really hoped that it was not true.

After a very long silence between the two, Rose knew that she had to say something to him. He had gone his whole life without knowing a single thing about her. Yes, the others likely told stories about her and even explained how she was off the battlefield, but nobody really knew her full story. Nobody really knew what started all of this.

"If you really want to understand this, it is a long story." Rose told him, "This all started before I got to earth, but it is important for you to understand how this all happened... Because the things leading up to this happened a very long time ago."

Steven looked at her with almost hopeful eyes as he awaited Rose's reaction. He was not sure what she was going to say. Somehow, he found himself drifting back to the days when Garnet and the rest of them would tell him about how patient and kind his mother was. Looking at the woman beside him, he couldn't help hoping that would be true.

The mention of a story made his eyes widened slightly. Scooting closer, he placed himself on Rose's knee, looking up at her. He swallowed down a strange type of lump in his throat. Not even in the room had he ever gotten this close to his mother.

This reminded him of whenever Greg would tell him stories. They would sit down and most of the time he would have a song to accompany it. It gave the tale a more lighthearted feeling. However, Steven felt that Rose would not do that, even if it was similar to what Greg did. A melody would not be able to make this story look better.

Still, he wanted to dive into it without any previous assumptions.

"I'm listening." Steven told her with a nod. Folding his hands over his chest, he looked up at her, inhaling a deep breath. Even if it took hours or days for Rose to tell him this, he would listen. He had all of the time in the world to spare for her, someone who he never got to see that much in the first place.

He wanted to hear who Rose Quartz was.

It seemed that Rose was not going to be able to get out of sharing her past. Steven managed to worm himself into her lap. It was an action that Rose had never seen, much less done before. It was odd, but it gave Rose something of a good feeling. Was this what it meant to be a parent? Was this how you were supposed to feel when being close to your child?

Regardless of what it may have been, Rose knew that she had to get on with her story. If there was anyone who deserved this, it was her son.

"Alright," Rose sighed and began to tell her tale, "It was a very long time ago, roughly fifty thousand earth years if I'm being precise. I was created and burst forth on home-world. As a quartz, I was made for the express purpose of fighting the enemies of our world, and I was assigned to work under a diamond. Back in that time, we were just barely starting to colonize different planets. We had very few at the time, but they were all being used for the same thing: to make more gems. That is until... that fateful day. We came across a planet that was already inhabited, and the creatures of that world were nearly on the same level as us when it came to technology. However, they were not at all happy about finding out about this, and that was the start of the first war I was in."

There were many details to that war, but Rose was more concerned about getting to her point.

"It was a very long war, but we ultimately succeeded, and used their technology as our own." Rose went on, "After the war was over, I was put in new position. I was to be the leader of the military forces under the control of my Diamond. I wasn't exactly happy to hear this, as it meant I would not be the one fighting, and instead, would be sending other gems off to their demise. That war I was in, it was the last time that I ever felt honor in what I had done."

Rose took a short pause, trying to ready herself for what she was about to say next.

"For the next several thousand years, I worked beside my Diamond with unwavering loyalty, thinking that what we were doing was for the good of our planet. For the good of all Gems. But, after a while, I started looking at things differently. I'll tell you, I've seen some of the most amazing worlds in the universe, and we simply used them to make more of ourselves, and left them to float out in space as nothing more than husks. The more I watched it happen, the I questioned what the point of it all was."

Again, Rose had to pause, getting herself ready for another bit.

"I think that they must have known of my hesitation in the later years because they started doing things to try and pacify me." Rose continued, "They even went so far as to give me a Pearl. As much as I loved having her around, it didn't keep my thoughts from going back to why we were still doing all this."

After situating himself in Rose's lap, Steven was more than glad to hear the story begin. He looked at her and curled his knees towards his chest. Since he had been growing little by little, he reached up to Rose's chest. His height was nowhere close to hers, but he was proud of it.

A quiet sigh rumbled out of him while he leaned his head on her and shut his eyes for a moment, simply listening to her, trying to keep another lump from coming up.

His mother.

It was surprising to hear Rose's age. The oldest quartz that he ever got to properly know was Jasper and even then, she was apparently fairly young for a gem. This could only be confirmed by the ginormous number that Rose gave. Pearl and Lapis were the eldest of the current Crystal Gems, but even then, he didn't think that they were that old. Rose must have been viewed as a wise leader.

A war was mentioned, one that happened far before the catastrophe that occurred on Earth. It was strange to hear about it since everyone always talked about that one specific war. He shifted and kept to himself, curious, yet patient. Eventually, the tale began to dwindle down to when the other gems wanted to butter his mother up. His brown eyes fluttered open and he looked up.

"Pearl?" Steven asked, surprise lining his tone, "Our Pearl? Or a different one? She never told me where she came from. I don't think she likes talking about it."

Steven had remained quiet throughout most of her telling the story. It must have been a lot to take in because he never even spoke up when she had to stop herself. No doubt it was something that none of them told him. Likely because that was a poultry thing in comparison to happened here on earth. And she still had more to tell him.

"Yes, it was our Pearl." Rose said, "She was given to me as an assistant, saying that having a servant would help show my position of importance to other Gems. As if I wanted that in the first place. There were many other things that came my way, but she was the only one that I cared about. She was one of the few gems out there that were able to look at me for something other than my status."

Rose took another pause, trying to get herself back on track with what she was saying.

"It continued like that for some time, with me eventually moving so far up that I had direct communication with Pink Diamond herself." Rose went on, "That was when we arrived at Earth. Now as I've said, there were many planets that I was at before this, but there were few that could match the absolute beauty that this world had. It was truly something amazing to get my first look at this world, but that didn't matter to anyone else. I was ordered to start the kindergarten immediately, and I did at first. Though it wasn't long before those old doubts started to rear their head once more.

Recalling all that happened in the early years of the earth was not something that Rose liked going over, but she knew that she had to.

"For a while, I was able to keep myself in check. I just went along with it, repeating to myself that this was for the best. That the Diamonds were doing this for the right reason. Yet the more I watched the planet degrade, the more I doubted them. That's when things began. I requested to speak with Pink Diamond over a video call, and I was granted an audience with her. It was unusual for any Gem to question the will of their diamond, but I brought my concerns up none the less. I asked her if there could be some way to keep the earth from falling victim to the same thing that happened to so many others. There was a long conversation as to why between us, but she ultimately told me that it would be brought up to the other diamonds."

Just thinking about that day was frustrating to Rose, but she showed no sign of it. There was no sense in thinking about what happened, especially considering she couldn't do anything about it.

"I waited for a very long time, but nothing came up from it. So I asked again, and I received the same response. The next time that I asked, I tried to use other means of persuading her, and she said that something would be done about it. Again, it was a long time before I heard anything back from, and I was beginning to lose faith that she would even do anything. That was when the thoughts of doing something myself came into my head, but then I received a call, saying that Pink Diamond wanted to talk to me. So, the meeting time was set up, and I got myself prepared for what I would do once I was there."

So it was their Pearl. That definitely stuck out to Steven. Pearl was not very talkative about her background unless it came to Rose. She loved her, that much was obvious, and she always tried to preserve the memories that they had made together. However, if Steven tried to dig any deeper, then she would fall extremely quiet.

Steven couldn't say that he blamed her. He had firsthand seen how strangely inhumane her kind was treated back on Homeworld. Soldiers and servants seemed to get it the worst — one experiencing outright abuse while the other happened behind closed curtains. It had been awhile since Steven had gone to the human zoo, but he recalled the way that Holly Blue chastised Pearl despite the two of them not even remotely knowing each other. Of course, she wouldn't want to talk about it.

Still, he was glad that at least for a certain period of time, Pearl had fallen underneath Rose's wing. He knew that no matter what his mother had done, she would never have harmed Pearl on purpose, at least physically. He knew that emotional scars were still there, most likely from both ends, yet physical ones were nonexistent.

His eyes widened at the first mention of Pink Diamond. Steven looked up at Rose with wide and curious eyes, wanting to hear every part of the story. He had been told about different versions of Pink Diamond. Pearl and the rest of them remarked that she had been a relentless ruler, unkind and cruel; Jasper neither confirmed nor rejected this concept, but she did tell Steven that Pink Diamond had been the loveliest being that she had ever met throughout the duration of her life. That was a lot coming from her, although she didn't really have a history of healthy relationships so the truth of that was debatable.

He pressed up against Rose and furrowed his eyebrows together. So they came to Earth and slowly his mother began to see the true beauty of it. What surprised him was the fact that she had tried to negotiate certain terms with Pink Diamond at first. Nobody had ever told him that part. It… Put the situation in a different light.

"What happened in the meeting?" Steven asked, unable to contain himself even though he knew that Rose was simply trying to pace herself with the story.

The way that Steven pressed up against her was a rather strange feeling. It was almost like he was urging her to go on without words, but it also felt like she had put him on the edge of his seat. The thing was, this was actually the very first time that Rose had every gone over her full story with anyone. While Garnet and Pearl had a good number of the details, she had never gone over everything. Not even with Greg.

At Stevens question, she knew there was no more hiding it. It was time for her to give the full truth of what happened. Time for her to bear her shame whole and truly.

"The night before I was set to leave, I called Pearl into a private meeting for just the two of us." Rose went on, her voice becoming heavier, "If I'm honest with you, I was simply preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. I hoped that everything would get sorted and we could go back to our lives, but I wanted to be sure. It turns out that I was right to make that decision."

Now for the absolute hardest part.

"I was summoned to Pink Diamonds personal ship, and the meeting commenced very quickly. She had told me that she and the other Diamonds had come to and agreement and that steps had been taken to quell my concerns. That's when she showed me what they were doing with the inhabitants of the planet. When I saw what she did... I lost my temper."

FLASHBACK - PINK DIAMONDS SHIP

"You see Rose Quartz, everything is taken care of." Pink Diamond said showing Rose what they had done on the ship. The environment looked like that of a very hospitable earth environment, and there were several of the dominant species in it as well. It was like what they had done after the fall of that other species planet. "This way, they can continue to go on, and there will be no need to worry about it anymore. What do you think?"

When the question was asked to her, Rose could hardly believe what she was seeing. This was their solution? To have the planets life forms living in some sort of utopian prison? To just ignore her concerns and try to keep her quiet again? Rose felt her anger surging, and her hands curled into fists. Before another word could be uttered, Rose slammed her fist into the nearby metal wall, leaving a very big indent while she fumed.

"Rose Quartz, what is the matter?" Pink Diamond asked, "Is this not a more preferable solution than-"

"Forty thousand years," Rose spoke slowly, cutting the diamond off, "I have given you over forty thousand years of unwavering loyalty. I never once questioned you, and I always did as you asked. And the one time that I ask for something, the one time that I make a request, your answer is to completely ignore me?!"

"Rose Quartz, you are getting out of line." Pink Diamond said, her tone becoming angry, "This was the best course of action. Are you saying that-"

"I'm saying you failed me!" Rose shouted, cutting the other gem off once again, "I've seen how it is for some time now. You don't care about anything but yourself. You and the other Diamonds, all you care about is serving yourself and having other Gems do your bidding without even considering them! The only question I have left is why? Why did I waste all of my time fighting for a group that doesn't care about its people? Why did I expect anything else? Why did I think that you were capable of listening just once?!"

"Rose Quartz, you must understand." Pink went on, taking a high and mighty tone, "We have only ever had the best interest of gems in mind. If that means that some sacrifices have to be made, then we must-'

"I am so sick of hearing the same thing over and over again." Rose said, her voice becoming even angrier, "I am through with having gems die for all of you. I am through with so many races being destroyed for our everlasting species. But more importantly, I am through with all gems words going unheeded, and simply looked down upon like they are nothing more than tools!"

Rose drew her sword and then brought her shield up. Pointing the blade at Pink Diamond, Rose steeled herself.

"I will not stand for this anymore." Rose said, readying herself for battle, "I will not allow for another Gem to go unheard. I will not allow for another planet to be used as nothing more than fodder for us. I will not allow another gem to be mistreated and fall to the wayside as trash. This is the start of a new era, and it begins here and now."

END

Rose was unsure how to follow that up, but she knew that it was only the begging of what was going to be an even worse story. One of the things that brought her even greater shame and guilt. One of learning about her mistake, and realizing that things weren't always what they seemed.

Rose's background was beginning to unfold before him, slowly making more and more sense as she went on to explain everything from her point of view.

The story began out simple. It was going to be a meeting with Pink Diamond — a concept that could be quite intimidating on its own — and she and Rose had been talking. It started out fairly calm until an atrocious plan for humans was unfolded, causing for his mother to gradually lose her cool. The more that Rose spoke of the scene, the more he understood why she had done what she had. She had been finished with being treated like less and seeing other creatures be put to the side the same. Her drawing the sword prompted him to release a quiet gasp.

By the time that Rose began to wrap it up, water welled up in his eyes. While sadness nor grief washed over him, he did feel great sympathy for both sides of the story. It was a conversation that had gotten out of hand, miscommunication in its worst image. Tears eventually spilled overboard. With a sniffle, Steven tried to blink them away, bringing his sleeve up to wipe any wet steaks off of his cheeks.

It was then that he realized that at the end of the day, Rose was just a gem. She was the same like him or Pearl or Jasper — she was not a higher being that was infallible. Rose made mistakes because that's what everyone does.

Determined, he stood up in the lap and moved to wrap his arms around Rose's neck. It was a wordless gesture, yet he hoped that it could offer her at least a small amount of comfort in reliving the event. He gave her a firm and long squeeze, wishing to show that he cared, no matter what, he was there to listen.

"Is that..." Steven trailed off, unable to say it before forcing the words out, "Is that... Where you finished her?"

She truly had not known how Steven was going to react to this news, but she knew that it was going to be anything but pleasant. She herself was deeply ashamed of what she did, so it would only make sense that people looking at it from an outside perspective would think the same thing, if not even worse. It was the only thing that could happen.

When she felt him rise from her lap, she thought that he was about to leave her. She wouldn't blame him if he did, but it appeared to not be the case. He turned to look at her, and his eyes were filled with tears. Before she could ask what it was, he wordlessly embraced her, and Rose was at a loss for words herself.

Why was he hugging her? With everything that she just told him, he should have been angry at her. Whatever the reason was, Rose found that she couldn't reject the kind gesture. Even though she didn't feel like she deserved it, Rose found the hug to be rather comforting. With her eyes wide from the action, a few tears started to make their way to her eyes as well.

Then his question came. She expected more, but with all the information that she had just dumped on him, he was likely looking for something simple. The answer that was needed wasn't much, but Rose had far more to it than he may have originally thought.

"Yes." Rose told him simply, but she went on, "When I ran my blade through her gem, she looked me in the eye and spoke one last thing to me. Save them, Rose. At the time, I thought she was mocking me, so I didn't pay it much mind. It was then that Pearl and I made our escape from the station, and began making our way back to Earth. We made it out on almost luck alone, but we did manage to get back."

It was then that things started to get to the hardest part of her life.

"When we first arrived, we were met with plenty after us." Rose continued, "For a good while, it was just myself and Pearl fending them off. Though, when word got around to other gems what I had done, and the words that I spoke, it didn't take long for us to start building a formidable force. At first, I simply took the skills that I had learned from my former wars and applied them there. It was a difficult fight a first, but we started gaining traction."

Rose took another short pause, wiping away a few stray tears from her face that she hoped Steven wouldn't notice.

"War can really change people, Steven." Rose told him, "It can cause you to do things that you never once thought you would. The ways that I achieved victory in many of the early battles are... not something that I am proud to say that I did. At the time, I wasn't thinking about it, and I was just concerned about doing what I thought was right in the end. But then something happened that forever changed my look on things."

The part about what Pink Diamond said surprised him, causing for more tears to run down his cheeks. It only made him tighten his grip around Rose's neck, surprised by it. Had she really been mocking his mother or had there been more to it? He was sure he was going to find out, the question was which answer was the right one?

Steven slipped down back into the lap, releasing Rose, once the story of the war began. It seemed almost amazing in his mind that at the beginning it was just Rose and Pearl. The two of them must have seemed like an unlikely pair, two rogues drifting through a sea of gems that contradicted their beliefs. Gradually though, some gems seemed to see what his mother was talking about and went to join her. This made him bring his hand up to wipe at his cheeks, wishing for himself to stop his silent crying.

He could only imagine how that victory was achieved. Judging by the tone, it might have been gained through the horrendous slaughter of other gems. Steven wouldn't be surprised. Jasper had been the only one that was steely enough to tell him the graphic battles that occurred through the war. It would also match Bismuth's thought process about using the 'Breaking Point,' a weapon of mass destruction. Would Rose have accepted that at the beginning of the war? It seemed really plausible.

However, something seemed to change and shift for Rose. He looked up at her for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day, craning his neck to look at her with curious eyes that sought out answers, that wanted the truth.

"It's okay," he whispered in reassurance, "Go on."

To feel her son tighten his grip on her was something that made Rose feel like she had truly done wrong with just saying all of this. It was only heightened when he pulled back slightly and looked at her. The tears running down his face, the sad look in his eyes... it was almost too much for her. He was slowly starting to see her as the monster she saw herself as.

Even with his reassurance, Rose found it difficult to go on. She could still feel that there was doubt in him. A feeling of what she was saying wasn't completely true. In order for things to truly be brought into the light, it was going to take an outsiders perspective. She had a way, but she could only hope that she could still get to it.

Lifting up Steven's shirt slightly, she looked down at his gem. Closing her eyes, she placed her hand over it and concentrated. They were the same gem, so she reasoned that she could still gain access to it. It seemed that she was correct. The gem began glowing, and she was able to pull something out that very few had ever seen before, which was labeled with her name and cut.

"This was found during the early days of the war." Rose told Steven, holding up the strange looking device, "A Spinel, an infiltrator class gem, that was loyal to me brought this back from a mission they were on. They managed to get into the headquarters of Yellow Diamond and bring back information, as well as this.

Rather than explaining to him what it was, Rose simply decided to show him. Turning the device one, the thing floated out of her hand. As the machine came to life, a holographic image came up. The one it was showing was another Pearl. But not just any Pearl, Pink Pearl. She began to speak in a soft informative tone.

"Rose, listen to me. Your words did not go unnoticed by Pink Diamond. No, far from it. It had been something that she knew about for a very long time. While you never said anything, she took notice of the way that you acted during every mission. She knew of the silent agony that you and many other gems went through. For so long she wanted to do something about it but was unable to do anything with the other Diamonds at her back. For so long she had been trying to find a better way for gems, but there was almost nothing she could do. But then something happened that would forever change her purpose. You came forward and expressed your concern about everything, and this was what she needed to finally get things going. Her hope was that, now that something was said, the other Diamonds would finally take notice."

The hologram then cut to soundless footage of Pink Diamond standing at a table arguing with the other three.

"For days she pleaded and argued with them, trying to get some form of leniency, but they refused to budge from their old ways of thinking. Even after you asking multiple times, the other Diamonds paid no mind to it. Pink knew that she could not let this go, but it was clear that no normal means would work with her sisters. So she began to plan, and make ready something that she knew would get their attention. In order for what she was doing to be taken seriously, she knew a statement had to made, and that's why she started the human zoo. She knew that you wouldn't be able to hold tongue the second you saw it."

The image then cut back to the Pearl, looking much sadder than before.

"In order to make this statement loud and clear, she knew that something drastic had to be done. Her life would be ended by her most beloved disciple. Her death at your hands... that was the way she wanted it. Out of duty as a leader, she turned her back on her own sisters. A lesser gem would have been crushed by such a burden. She would be forever remembered as nothing more than a terrible Diamond. A self-serving gem that simply got what she wanted through abused power. And like a true warrior, she saw it through to the end. But I think she wanted you of all gems to know the truth. She wanted to live on in your memory. Not as a Ruler... but as a gem. But in order for her plan to work, she couldn't tell you. That's why she told me."

Pink Pearl than started getting teary eyed, and her voice began cracking.

"Rose, history will never know what she did. No one will ever learn the truth. He story... her dream... will endure only with you. Everything she did, she did for all gems. She sacrificed her life and her honor so that freedom could be a possibility. She was a real hero... she was a true patriot."

The hologram ended with Pink Pearl breaking down into sobs. As the transmission ended, Rose found herself silently crying. She hadn't played that thing in a long time, and it hurt just as much as the first time.

"When I first saw this... I wanted to die." Rose told Steven, the tears heavily streaming down her face, "I wanted to shatter myself. My impatience and my lack of faith in her led to her death. Because she wanted the same thing that I did. Even though I wanted to end it all, I knew I couldn't. My only chance at making this right was to fulfill her dream. But I swore an oath that day. I would never let another Gem die for me, or anyone else."

Confusion swept through Steven for a moment when Rose's hand pulled up his shirt again and hovered over his gem. Slowly, a glow came over it that made him gasp, an unusual sensation coming over him as a device was pulled out of his gem. His brown eyes were large and widening more by the minute as he experienced the spectacle. Aside from summoning his shield, his gemstone never really generated anything. He thought that only Pearl and her kind could store objects in their gems, but apparently, he had been wrong.

Steven leaned forward in curiously and stared at the peculiar item. Suddenly, it floated above them and formed a bright hologram for the two of them to see. Subconsciously, he clutched Rose closer by her dress, curls spinning on top of his head from the force of the sudden hologram. All he could whisper in awe was, "Wow."

A gem came on screen. She was fair and nimble, just like their Pearl, except she was different. This one did not contain the color scheme of any pearl he had ever seen before. Her body was surrounded in hues of pink, very clearly different from Yellow Pearl and Blue Pearl, two gems that served underneath the Diamonds that he had seen in the past. He tilted his head and listened extremely carefully as her airy voice began to speak, sounding far away, yet close. Chances were that this would be the only time that he would ever get to hear anything like this so he made sure to show his utmost attention.

Pink Pearl began to speak of her Diamond, what had happened to her, the motives that had fueled her. The more that he learned, the wider that his eyes got, disbelief washing over him. So they had been wrong. Bismuth, Garnet, and Pearl — all of them had been very wrong about Pink Diamond and what type of person that she had been. She had not been cruel or heartless and chances were that neither were Blue Diamond nor Yellow Diamond, like he had expected all the way at the beginning.

No, she had been another gem caught in a caste system with a purpose that she didn't want to fulfill. She was someone that wanted to have a different reason to live and flourish, not under tyranny, but under a different purpose.

Steven's eyes stayed glued to the hologram the entire time, never daring to deter his focus. When Pink Diamond popped up with the others, he couldn't hold back the jolt of surprise, although he attempted to keep it down. This was a memory, something from the past that he was getting to experience firsthand. Towards the end, he felt his eyes water again as everything began to make sense. The puzzle pieces were coming together and forming a whole picture.

She was a true patriot.

Pink Pearl then disappeared and so did the hologram altogether. It all faded away, leaving him and Rose there alone. His breathing was steady despite the sympathetic tears that overflowed his cheeks when his mother spoke of how she had wanted to die. For a moment, he felt too bewildered to say anything, having to have to gather his thoughts so that he made any sense at all. Slowly, his small hand rested on Rose's forearm, granting it a comforting rub. He looked up at her without an ounce of regret, giving her a shake of his head.

"You shouldn't have to feel that way. In the end, what you did might have been extreme, but it was what she had wanted," he told her, his voice in the most mellow tone that it had been all day, "You were doing the right thing, mom. I think that in the end, it was something that you probably wouldn't be able to avoid. If you didn't do that then I wouldn't have my family today, the Crystal Gems. We're slowly growing and spreading, reforming bit by bit, and that's thanks to you. Your mistakes are small in comparison to the choices you made right... You did what had to be done and I understand that now."

The hologram had been large. It projected itself up so high that anybody underneath the hill could see it. Everyone had their eyes glued to the screen for different reasons. Jasper was the one who was staring the most, understandably.

There she was — Pink Pearl, just as wonderful as she remembered her. She was beautiful and Jasper recalled that once she had gotten the opportunity to meet her, right before she had gotten shattered. It was most unfortunate, an order that Yellow Diamond had given in order to wipe out the memory of Pink Diamond. Hearing her speak now brought Jasper a sense of grief for the colony that she had lost, the gems who were now shards of dust.

Jasper couldn't remember much after the war. It was a blur. She could recall that she had been in such deep shell shock that they threw her in confinement for awhile, the question of if she should go on or be erased being tossed around. Occasionally, she would get less than pleasant visits from Holly Blue Agate that would result in injuries and a sour taste in her mouth for gems out of her court.

However, she did know that she had been one of the only survivors from Pink Diamond's court, which was minimal in contrast to the beginning. Throughout the years, her memory of her comrades managed to gradually fade, so seeing one so vividly on the screen made her swallow. She knew she should excuse herself before she made a scene, yet her eyes were glued to the screen out of obligation.

Then she appeared. It was only for a few seconds and faintly, but it had been her, Pink Diamond. Jasper audibly gasped at the sight of her and her usually narrowed golden eyes widened, a hand clasping itself over her mouth. She was still just like she remembered her — the absolute picture of elegance and power. The feeling of Amethyst rubbing her knee out of comfort felt shallow in comparison to the energy fueling through her.

Slowly, her hands dropped from her face and she simply gaped, listening to what Pink Pearl had to say. Bit by bit, she cast her eyes downwards at her hands, where gloves with a pink diamond inside of each were. She stared at them and then deeply exhaled, a single tear slipping down her cheek.

There was the truth; no matter how ugly it was or what kind of secrets it revealed, it was there, clear as day, filling the hole that had been left in her heart ages ago.

Oh, Pink.

After what she had said, Steven's pause came as no surprise to her. With everything that she had just said and all the new information that he had, it was likely too much for him to take in. While Rose did have doubts about doing this, she knew that he wasn't a child anymore. He had the right to know this. To know why she carried all of this alone. Why no one else deserved to take this burden and why she should bare it.

When he finally spoke up, Rose was unsure as to how she should react. As nice as it was to have someone tell her that it was okay after all this time, she knew that it was something that she didn't deserve. Just because he understood, and just because something came out of this, it didn't make up for all of her failings.

"Even if I could forgive myself for what I did to her, there are so much more things that I can't be forgiven for." Rose told him, her voice still managing to sound even, despite the tears still falling, "So many Gems died because of me. So many gave up their lives because, they like me, truly believed that something would get accomplished. The only way that I could have made this right was if I succeeded... but I failed. I failed to make her wish a reality, and I failed so many gems that deserved to live more than I do. So many died, and even more, corrupted. I don't deserve the love that you are showing me, and I don't deserve to be forgiven for what I did."

It may not have been a very motherly thing to say, but Rose was being honest with him. She truly felt that she wasn't worthy of any kindness.

"This is why so many remember me for always trying to be hopeful in any situation." Rose went on, "I always put on a face of happiness to hide what I was really feeling because no one should waste pity on me. No one should feel sorry for someone who can't do anything right. You were the only good thing that I ever gave to the universe, Steven, and I still messed things up for you. I wanted you to have a life of your own, not inherit everything that I ruined. I didn't want you to be anything like me. Who would want anything to do with someone like me? I'm terrible... You should hate me."

Steven listened to Rose, taking in every word that left her mouth. It was obvious that she was fueled with a lot of feeling and emotion, letting out something that she probably hadn't disclosed to anybody in a long time, if ever. Even if she was a clone and not his actual mother, she felt so real and concrete, clearly in distress with true sadness in her tone.

His eyes widened at the last part; he would have never guessed that she felt like that.

"No!" He yelped with a shake of his head, obviously disagreeing with the words, a frown coming to his face for once, repeating himself in a softer tone, "No, of course, I don't hate you. Sure, I was confused on where we are, and I still am on some parts, but that doesn't mean I hate you. I don't hate anyone. Dad always said that was a strong word and I know I would never use it against you. I love you... And ultimately, isn't it up to me to decide if I'm allowed to love you or not if I'm the one giving it?"

Reaching out, he clasped their hands together, connecting them fully for the first time in the entire conversation that they had shared. Steven looked at her, tears slowly fading as determination filled his chest. He was flooded with a sense of overwhelming care for the woman in front of him, meaning every word he said, making sure to tell her everything that she needed to know, because who knew if he would ever get this chance again?

"I know you made mistakes and feel like you didn't succeed... That forgiveness isn't something for you... But it is. Forgiving is not the same as forgetting. A person might still remember what you did to them, yet they can still move on from it and keep walking forward. Besides, you show something that most don't when they do something wrong and that's remorse. It means you're truly sorry and that's more than enough. I promise."

He shook his head gently and even gave her a small smile, the hopeful type that Rose had spoken of herself wearing — except his was genuine and full of warmth, that glimmer of love being within him.

"We can't stay in the past. We have to look to the future. It's all we can do."

It seemed that Rose had triggered something within the boy, as at the moment she mentioned the word hate, he reacted quickly. It was now her turn to stop and take everything in from him. While Rose had meant what she said, she should have known better than to think that he would ever allow something like that to just be said.

The way in which he spoke was something that reminded her of when she was trying to speak whenever someone was down while they were readying for their next battle. The conviction and unwavering feelings in his voice were truly something that she herself would have used back in the day. And the more he spoke, the more she began to realize just how much she had passed on to him.

As for whether of not that was good or bad, it was not her place to say. After all, it was his life, not hers.

He took her hands in his own, and looked her dead in the eye, speaking more of his own wisdom that he had gained over the years he had been through. He spoke of how he did love her, despite everything she told him. How that she could be forgiven, even if she didn't think she deserved it. How that, because she felt remorse, it meant that she was a good person.

While Rose wasn't sure if she was worthy of being forgiven or not, she still took his words to heart. It was clear that he was not changing his mind, and that he really did mean what he was saying. So, taking a deep breath, she readied herself for a response.

"It sounds like your father has been doing a great job." Rose said, lifting her head back up a bit, "I don't know how much that means coming from me, since I don't know anything about parenting, but I know he always does his best."

Looking up further, Rose finally made eye contact with her son, and began to speak from her soul.

"I need you to know that, the reason that I wanted to have you, was not so I could escape from my old life. It's because I wanted to be able to do at least one good thing for someone. To be able to give you a life where you didn't have to worry about anything that I did. Like I said, you were the one good thing I put into this world after taking so much away from it. I didn't want you to be me, and I'm sorry if you've ever felt like you had to strive for that."

Her final words were something that Rose never thought she would ever get a chance to say.

"Even with all of that, I want you to know that the love that I feel for you from both before and right now has and will always be real. The only thing that I ever really wanted out of you was for you to be happy. I didn't care what it was, just so long as it was what you wanted. And I'm sorry that you aren't able to do that without cleaning up everything I left behind. I never thought things would turn out like this."

"He is." Steven agreed at the mention of his father, giving a small nod and faint turn of his lips. It faltered though when he wondered if Rose was planning on seeing him anytime soon. He hoped that she would. Out of all of them, it had been Greg that had pushed himself the hardest to get out of his rut about his wife's death in order to raise him. Throughout the years he had been nothing except compliant, somehow Steven couldn't help thinking that he deserved closure as well.

That would have to wait for awhile longer though. Slowly, Steven slipped off of the lap, but never separated their hands. He looked up at Rose with slightly big eyes that he tried to keep down to not look too entranced by everything she had to say. However, it didn't work since they only widened the more that Rose went on before softening.

It was true that a part of him, no matter how minuscule, had thought that he should be like Rose. After all, everyone had always told him how he reminded them of his mother and how great her legacy was. Although he loved the Crystal Gems, he had felt like he had been the one keeping them together despite his young age. As time went on though, the more gems he talked to and the more he grew, he concluded that he really did want to help these different individuals, that he wanted to be better than his mom, not be like her. True, he was trying to finish what she started, but not her way.

The part about loving him made him almost tear up again, but he fought through it with a wider smile that pressed upon his lips. He shook his head at the apologies that she was receiving, taking them to heart even if he knew that they were not truly necessary. After all, he already knew that Rose has wanted the best for him.

"Sometimes, a little bit of unpredictability might be good. I don't regret anything that happened. It might have been different from what you expected or wanted, yet... Believe me when I say I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm going to keep fighting for not only your memory and hers," Steven explained, speaking firmly and gently, "But for my free will as well, to do what is right, my way. Everything will be fine. And mom, I know I never really got to see this too much, in dreams or anything, so I'll say it now as well — I love you too."

With the words that he spoke to her, Rose wanted to tell him that she wasn't worth loving, but she knew that it would be useless at this point. Just like her, he was very stubborn when it came to the things he believed in. Not only that but for the first time in a very long while, Rose actually felt at peace with many things in her life.

She still didn't fully forgive herself for everything that happened, but there was something of a weight lifted off of her shoulders from doing this. All that time she had shouldered the burden as a way of punishing herself. While this didn't fix what she did, it was still something of a relief to hear that her son had no grudge held against her.

Rose took some initiative this time around, and she was the one to lean forward and embrace with. To be able to hold her child like this was... well it was something that she had never thought she would get to go through. It was new but somehow strangely familiar.

At the thought of familiarity, Rose knew that she had other things to deal with as well. While everything with Steven had been more or less taken care of, there were still so many here that she had to speak with. Had to give closure to. She was unsure of how much time she had left, but she couldn't waste a second.

"There is still so much I have to do." she told him, pulling away to look into his eyes, " I know that the others need some time but... I also need to speak with Greg at least one more time. I left too many loose ends for him, and he deserves better than that."

Finally standing up, Rose took a peek behind herself, only to see everyone else standing there. It was likely that they caught what had happened, but she had no reason to worry about it anymore. Extending her hand out to Steven, she readied herself for what was likely going to be a lot of questions.

It was Rose who acted first and that pulled him close to her chest. She brought him as close as she could and he gladly leaned into her, squeezing his eyes shut. His pudgy arms wrapped around her while a surge of emotions came through him. This time, they were not as complicated and hurtful — instead, it was peaceful, gentle, normal feelings that a mother was supposed to give you.

For the first time and final time, Steven felt incredibly safe in Rose's arms. This was where he was supposed to be right now.

Nobody would ever be able to convince him that his mother was a bad person. No, true bad people didn't really exist, only those who made the wrong choices sometimes. Those types of people would always have the opportunity to redeem themselves. In the end, he did believe that if someone really wanted to be, they could be good at the core, no matter what kind of mistakes they made in the past. His mother was living proof of that, even if he was not sure if she believed him.

Rose pulled away and gently mentioned his father, her voice soft when she spoke of him. Oh, Steven hadn't even thought of that. He had no idea how Greg would take the sudden appearance. Of course, he was sure he would be absolutely joyous to see Rose, but the question is how exactly the interaction was going to play itself out. It felt like it was going to be something private and hopefully beautiful.

Steven stood himself up on his legs, careful not to wobble and stumble. They felt like jelly. Inhaling a deep breath, he finally turned to her and saw that a hand was extended to him. She wanted to talk to the others, to see what they had to think and say. Looking up, he noticed that a few of them were still there at the bottom of the hill, Jasper missing from the crowd. Once more, his attention came to Rose.

Softly, he smiled.

"Let's do it." He confidently agreed, reaching out to grasp the hand of his beloved mother, a symbol of their newfound connection. Steven gave it a light squeeze before he began to lead them down the hill, to where many conversations laid ahead of them.

#steven universe #rose quartz #steven #pink pearl #pink diamond #fanfic #inthelovehouse

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