Chapter Text
The Crystal Gems remain standing in front of the sea, observing the burning wreckage of the Gem Warship on the sand and a few floating between the calm waves.
Pearl is the first one to break silence. “That could have gone... a lot worse.” She offers a half convincing smile.
“Could have gone a lot better too.” Garnet disagrees, glancing back at the broken pieces scattered all around the Lighthouse hill and the Crystal Temple.
Their contemplating moment is put to an end by Steven's phone beginning to ring. “Uh… hello?”
“Steven! I got your message. Are you okay? What's going on?” It's Connie, extremely worried. “What happened?”
Before he could think of an explanation, Amethyst grabs him by surprise and twirls him around in joy. “We won!"
“Is that Amethyst?” Connie asks, managing to hear the gem's celebration, confusing her even more. “What's going on? You said that there's some kind of giant space hand and you all may die?”
Nora takes Steven's phone to answer her friend. “Hey, Connie! It's Nora. Um, oh my gosh, where do I even start?” Her first words come out as a squeak when Lion inches in and nuzzles her. “A lot of stuff happened, but you don't need to worry! Everything's okay now. The ship that was coming to Beach City is- Lion! We destroyed the ship and everybody is safe.”
“Oh I'm so glad you guys are alright, but what really happened? Why was there a space hand going to Beach City? Was it Homeworld gems trying to invade Earth again?”
When Nora is about to answer those questions, she spots her dad's van around the corner, arriving at a fast speed. “Dad! Oh, sorry Connie. My dad is here and he's probably worried, we'll call you later, I promise!”
Hanging up the phone, she passes it to Steven, who shoves it in his pocket. Both run towards the vehicle and are surprised when the first person to exit is Peedee.
Neither Steven nor Nora have the chance to greet before they're engulfed in a tight embrace. “Don't ever scare me like that again!” He sobs into their shoulders.
“Aww Peedee, it's okay. We're good!” Steven pats his back, unbothered by the tears soaking into his shirt.
“I-I thought something happened to you,” Peedee breaks the hug to face them. “We were going to the Wilmingmore shelter when that giant hand appeared falling from the sky. I was so scared, t-then I saw your dad going back and I asked him to come too and see if you guys were okay,” He uses his shirt to wipe his face. “I'm sorry, I… I just c-can't lose you both too.”
“Oh Peedee, it's okay. You don't need to apologize, we're here and that's what really matters.” Nora assures him, guilty for being the cause of his worry.
Helping their friend calm down, the twins spot their dad waiting for them to sort things out. Peedee gives them space and allows the parent to have a moment with his kids.
Greg bends down and envelopes his kids in his arms. “Thank goodness you're alright,” Nothing in this world can ever compare to the relief of being sure his kids are alright. “Did you get hurt?” His eyes search for any injury, bruise or scratches.
“We're fine, dad.” Nora assures him, thankful that her brother healed her black eye back at the ship.
“I saw the spaceship start to leave and then it crashed so I came back to make sure you were alright,” The way his words come out increasing in pacing exhibit the recent anxiety he went through. “But you're okay! I guess those jerks were no match for the Crystal Gems!”
“No way!”
Greg frowns. “But you were able to beat them back?”
“No-”
“Yes, we did!” Nora nervously clamps Steven's mouth shut. “Garnet, she… She totally beat Jasper and we escaped from the cells!”
Steven looks at his sister, confused on why she didn't let him say the full truth, until he saw Greg sighing in relief. “And what did they want after all?”
“We're not sure,” Nora says. “Peridot was sending some kind of robonoids and the Gems were breaking it because it wasn't something good. Then, she came in that ship with Jasper to stop us.” And now she thinks I'm mom.
“Whoa, that's… a lot. But at least the Gems took care of them, right?”
“Yeah, you could say that.” Peridot is missing and Jasper is somewhere deep in the ocean imprisoned with/by Lapis. Definitely taken care of.
Yet, Nora can't bring herself to tell the whole truth, not when the panic flashing across her dad's face was still fresh in her memory. Greg was so desperate and scared of letting his kids go into that ‘adventure’, afraid of what could go wrong with them and in the end, he was right.
She couldn't reinforce this fear on him, it wasn't fair.
─ ·★· ─
The next day, Nora and Steven leave the Beach House under Garnet's order to see how extensive the damage was through the city. They walk along the beach, but only the youngest seems concentrated on the surroundings.
“Now Connie, please don't freak out, but a giant laser hand tried to steal us into space, but it didn't! We're back and everything is fine... now.” Steven mumbles to himself, staring at Connie's contact on his phone.
Nora approaches the Big Donut and realizes the glass door and windows are completely broken. “Whoa, everything is a mess,” She carefully steps inside, avoiding the pieces of glass around the floor. “I hope Sadie and Lars didn't lose all the food.” With one last look over the place, she leaves.
They walk past the Fry Shop, Fish Stew Pizza, Funland Arcade, Cone N’ Son, Dewey Park and many, many houses that also ended up being victims of flying debris. Overall, the establishments either had cracked/broken glass, a few parts of the roof has been ripped apart and the food was at risk of being spoiled due to the ruined electricity.
The last time Nora remembers an incident being this destructive was the Red Eye one.
“Um... Connie. Funny story. As it turns out, there's a lot more gems out there than we thought and I think they wanna... kill us- Agh!” Steven yelps when he accidentally trips over something.
“Steven, careful!” Nora helps him stand and distance from the mechanical tube still shooting sparks from its exposed wires.
The boy looks around and finally takes a moment to look around the boardwalk area littered in rubble and pieces of the warship. The emptiness of the place that used to be somehow crowded and full of life brings him a bad feeling regurgitating on his stomach.
"C'mon, let's go.” Nora tugs him and Steven obliges, following her to others unseen paths.
The twins end their route treading up a hill overlooking Beach City, observing the disastrous state that would take a good amount of work to rebuild the damages.
“I guess we'll have to tell Garnet pretty much everything needs repair,” Nora states, receiving a simple hum as answer. “Steven, are you okay?” He has this thoughtful gaze glued to his phone, ignoring the world around him.
Steven sighs, keeping a tight grip on his phone. “I don't want to tell Connie what happened. You saw how dad and Peedee reacted, I don't want that for her. I don't want to worry her,” He confesses. “Everybody told us gem stuff is dangerous and I guess I didn't believe it until now. Dad always seemed apprehensive and now I feel like if we told him everything he would really freak out."
Nora really wishes she could retort what he said, but what can she say? She has been in that same position of keeping everything to herself for the sake of others, but she never wanted that for Steven.
She knows very well how tiring it can be to keep all of your emotions a secret and, well… Yeah, maybe she is a bit hypocritical on this one.
“I didn't want that for him and I don't want that for Connie.” Steven declares, making it clear his final decision.
─ ·★· ─
Back at the Temple, the Crystal Gems are reunited, already discussing the next course of action, while Steven and Nora are staring out the windows. “No whining, we need to start cleaning up debris.”
“Garnet's right. People are already coming back into town and we have to make sure none of them get hurt due to these.” Pearl adds.
Nora is appreciating the calm after the storm, enjoying being at home again and the safety these walls offer. She has no idea exactly how long she stayed on that ship, but it seemed like the longest hours of her life; Nora wanted so much to be back home and now that she's there it's almost hard to believe.
And she isn't the one deeply immersed in their own thoughts; Steven is also quiet, staring so hard at his phone his sister wonders how he didn't burn holes on it. “You really aren't going to call Connie?"
“No,” He replies bluntly, putting the phone beside him. Bringing his legs close to his chest, he sighs. “She's definitely better off not knowing the trouble we were in. I don't want her to worry about what we’ve been and seen.”
“So you're just going to ignore her forever?”
“It's the responsible thing to do.”
Nora rolls her eyes, before going back to watch the view provided by the window, until she spots someone down the stairs. “Well, it's gonna be hard, because she's coming up right now.”
“What?!” Steven peeks through the blinds and realizes Connie indeed decided to pay them a visit. “I can't talk to her! I don't know what to say!” He turns to Nora. “Sis, you gotta help me hide and don't tell her anything!”
“What!? But Steven it's not-”
Sounds of footsteps become closer, proceeding by a knock on the door. Steven hides himself behind their seat and Nora has no other choice than to greet her friend.
“Nora!” In a blink of an eye, she finds herself in Connie's arms. “I'm so glad you're okay! I know I should've waited for your call, but I needed to see you and Steven in person,” She looks around, weirded by his absence. “Where is he?”
“Uh…” Nora glances at the front door, seeing Steven managed to sneak out the window and now walks past them. “He went out! He, um, we needed to check out the damages.”
“Oh, then let's go find him-”
“Wait!” Nora takes her hand, keeping her from leaving. “Actually, I need to talk to you,” She looks at Garnet. “Can you guys…”
She nods. “Let's give them some space.”
Am I doing the right thing? Steven was right about dad probably freaking out but… he is dad! And Connie, well she is our friend. We can't ignore her or lie about what happens to us. When Lion brought us to mom's cave, she saw a glimpse of how dangerous gem stuff can be, so she won't be surprised I guess.
I don't want to scare her either, but I don't think I can keep this a secret. I've been holding so much on my back already and it's getting too much to bear. I'm not gonna lie, I really want to get this off my chest, only this once.
“Is it about what happened?” Connie asks, letting herself be guided towards the bedroom. She sits on the bed, facing her friend.
Nora nods. “Connie, there's something I need to tell you first. Steven is trying to avoid you," Before Connie could make questions, she quickly adds. "And no, you didn't do anything! I swear! He's just trying to protect you."
"From what?"
“He's just… worried about how you would react because a lot happened yesterday,” It's now or never. “But you have the right to know. You're our friend and it's not fair to lie to you.”
She sends a thankful look.
“You remember the whole Lapis thing? The gem who stole the ocean?” Connie nods. “So, a few days ago she sent us a message warning us that a gem from Homeworld was coming to Earth and she wasn't alone.”
“It was Peridot and Jasper. I don't know what exactly they were looking for in the first place, but Peridot got mad that the Gems were breaking the stuff she kept sending here, that's why Jasper came with her and they brought Lapis as a testimony.”
“Peridot wanted Jasper to stop the Gems?”
“Yeah, and they came in that giant spaceship Steven told you about,” Nora recalls. “Then a lot happened. They arrived here and Peridot tried to blast us with her ship but… but I activated my shield and protected them.”
“A shield!?” Connie gasps. “Nora, that's amazing! How did you do that?”
“To be honest I have no idea,” She says. “At that moment the only thing I could think of was to protect my family. Then, it was like I stopped existing, I guess?”
“Like when you zone out?”
“Yes, exactly! And I felt this weird thing like when your arms go numb, but in my entire body. My brain just went into automatic mode and I started to move before I could even think,” Remembering that is kinda strange. “And then my shield showed up, a big one!”
“Whoa,” Connie smiles. “That's awesome. I know how much it means to you.”
Nora's eyes flicker with shy pride, before moving on with the story. Fighting her own discomfort, she told everything, recapping how the Gems were poofed, Jasper forcefully taking her and Steven with them, Lapis choosing to help them, the fall of the ship, Peridot's escape and Malachite.
“That is a lot to take in.”
“I know” And that's why me and Steven were so hesitant to let you know. “Are you okay?”
“Are you okay? You're the one that's been through everything. The least I could do is just listen,” Connie takes both of her hands. “Look, I know you and Steven were worried about telling me everything but I want to listen, I want to be there for you two. I want to be a part of your universe.”
If there's something on a list of best feelings in the entire world, it is to be understood and emotionally welcomed. Nora definitely needed that, the chance to be able to vent without judgment and receive nothing but care in return. “Thanks for being an amazing friend.”
─ ·★· ─
By evening, Steven and Nora said goodbye to Connie and went back home, where they received a call from Greg saying he would be there to make them dinner. Almost 40 minutes later, the twins heard the familiar sound of the van and hurried to wait for their dad at the front door.
Although, the few voices alerted them that he wasn't alone, which was confirmed once Vidalia entered the house. “There you are!” Vidalia pushes the few bags she had into her son's hands.
“Auntie!” The siblings are squished and hugged until they have to warn her both can barely breathe.
“You two gave us quite a scare, huh?” Sour Cream ruffles their hair once his mother breaks the hug. Even though he appears to look calm, reinforcing his usual self, the apprehension is still visible on his tense shoulders.
“Sorry.” There isn't much left for Nora to say.
“But we heard you two saved the day and in the end, everything went well for you all, right?” Vidalia looks up at the trio and softens her expression when Garnet nods and Amethyst gives a thumbs up.
“I’m making dinner!” Greg announces, entering with hands full of groceries. Sour Cream helps him by sharing a few. “And your auntie brought something as dessert. I'm sure you both will love it.”
It brings curiosity to the siblings.
Vidalia guides them to the kitchen where she points at one of the bags. Steven and Nora inspect it and notice a good amount of purpose flour, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and a… cat cookie cutter? Wait a minute.
“No way!” Steven's face brightens once realization hits him. He looks at his auntie and she nods, confirming it.
“I thought it would be nice to spend some time together and do something you both like!” Vidalia bops his nose, earning a sheepish grin.
“So, what do you say?” Sour Cream carries Nora in his arms, placing her on the counter. “Are you up to help make these Cookie Cats?” He searches for the cutters and hands her one.
Nora smiles, finding it cute. “Sure, I am!”
─ ·★· ─
As the hours went by, the visitors had to leave and go back home to settle again now that the threat has been eradicated. Both siblings received an earful from their aunt about how they were forbidden to go on life-threatening adventures and a promise from Sour Cream he had a surprise for them the next day.
Now, the house is half dark and mostly quiet. Pearl and Amethyst retrieved into their rooms, leaving Nora and Steven to their own company.
While Steven finished brushing his teeth, Nora waited for him in the living room. Pillows and blankets were folded under her arms as she was ready to go watch a few movie with Greg.
A sound is heard from the Temple and the door opens in two red lines. Garnet arrives and walks towards the twin, who tensions in anticipation. “Something wrong?”
Garnet shakes her head. “Don’t worry, everything's fine,” She kneels down. “I only wanted to say that you were very brave when you protected us from Peridot.”
“Oh,” That wasn't expected.
“I know neither you or Steven should have been there. It was too dangerous for both of you and we should've kept you safe, I should've been able to be there for you. And I'm sorry I couldn't.”
“Garnet, you don't have to apologize. You fought for all of us and you did what you could, I don't blame you for what happened.”
“I do!” She reveals, before recomposing herself, regretting letting it slip from her lips. “But this isn't about me. This is about you, Nora. About how courageous you are and I don't say this due to your shield, which I'm very impressed, but also due to how you did everything you could to protect us and save everyone in Beach City.”
Nora is taken back when Garnet takes her glasses off, exposing her three colored eyes. “Your mother would be very proud of you. I'm really proud of you.”
There it is. The recognition Nora fought so much for in her whole life. Garnet's words carried so much genuine tenderness and love the twin couldn't dare to wonder any artificially on them.
“Thanks Garnet, it means a lot to me.” Nora places the things on the couch, before giving her guardian a hug. The effort put behind the avoidance of crying is insignificant compared to the fuzzy feeling inside her chest.
Garnet finds herself smiling, enjoying the closeness with the youngest Universe. She is not the most expressive member of this family, neither is used to affection or its ways of demonstration, although everything becomes different with Nora.
She would gladly pull herself out of her own comfort zone if it meant well for the girl.
Steven exits the bathroom and is slightly confused at the scene in front of him. “Um, did I miss something?”
“Nah, it's alright!” Nora chuckles, stepping back. “Ready to go? I got everything here.”
“Yep! All ready!” Steven grabs a pillow and one blanket from the couch. “Goodnight Garnet!”
“Goodnight.”
They exit the house and happily go find their dad at the Car Wash. Usually, their bonding time would take place in his van, but today he had different plans. Inside the establishment, Greg had his own room to stay in (he rarely did) and due to recent events he chose to let his kids stay in a more ‘secure place’.
For the twins, spending time with their dad would be an excellent way to end the night. If only they knew the reason behind it.
It's not like Greg wouldn't appreciate some hours together with his kids, but he definitely needed this to ease his senses and calm him down. He needed the reassurance that the two most important persons in his life were right there with him.
Their movie marathon included Dogcopter, the Lonely Blade saga and The Fantastical Magical Family: Origins. Funny how a few silly movies could make things so much fun.
A kind of fun that stopped once time was up.
"Alright, I know the movie was fun, but now it's bedtime for you two,” Greg raises from the bed and turns the tv off. He finds weird the lack of resistance coming from his children, in fact both doesn't seem anything but apprehensive. “Are you two okay?”
Steven and Nora look at each other. Greg knows this look in specific, it only meant one thing and wasn't good.
“Dad…” His son pauses, contemplating if he should tell the truth already or pretend he's fine. “Could you play a song for us to make us sleep?”
“Of course, stchu-ball,” He turns serious. “But only if you're honest with me.” Why did they ever think they could hide something from their dad? “You can tell me anything, alright kiddos? No matter what it is.”
It's tempting. They didn't want their dad to think they somehow didn't trust him when it's the exact opposite. Yet, they do want to lift this weight off their shoulders, but it's so hard when you think the other person won't handle it.
But that's the thing, at this point none of them could.
"We didn't want to worry you,” Steven confesses. “I know how you feel about gem stuff, you're always telling us about how dangerous they are and… and…” Now he started it, he is going to finish. “You were right, b-but I didn't want you to freak out.”
“Steven, how are you really feeling?”
He pauses, trying to formulate an understandable phrase. “I'm fine, but I just can't stop thinking about it. Everything is done, these gems are gone, but I'm still scared! I can't forget what happened back then.”
“A lot happened when that ship came,” Nora says. “The Gems were poofed and Jasper…” Hit me. “She took me with her. I don't want to sleep, dad. I'm scared that if I close my eyes I'll see her face again.”
“Oh kids,” Greg opens his arms, allowing both of his children to curl into himself.
“It was so scary dad,” Steven feels like he's about to cry. “They were so mean to us and the Gems. We just wanted to come back, we just wanted to be home.”
Nora remembers the anguish she experienced while stuck on Jasper's hold; Many times she mentally begged out for her dad, pleading to be safe on his hold again; The fear of not knowing what would succeed, if she would come back home again or if she would ever come back at all.
Then it hits her like a crashing wave. Tears begin to fall and she clings onto her dad for dear life, needing to assure herself that she's fine now and everything is okay.
It breaks Greg's heart to see both of his kids in this state. None of them should have witnessed such a stressful situation or faced such danger. Even if they had a gem heritage and were used to witnessing some crazy creatures and unusual adventures, they were still kids at the end of the day.
In all honesty, Greg is horrified. He wants to freak out, scream his most terrible fears and anxious scenarios into a void so he could light his heart.
But he can't. He is their father, the responsible one, Greg has to be their safe place and guarantee any stability for Nora and Steven. His children need him and he has to be strong, even if he had to bottle every single emotion he's experiencing.
Greg waits until both calm down and wipes their faces. “I want you both to listen to what I'm going to say, okay?” They nod. “None of you is responsible for how I feel. You don't have to worry about how I'll react to anything. I'm your dad and, well, dads worry about their kids all the time, it's kinda our job.”
A pair of faces softens at the subtle playful tone.
“Remember when your friend Peedee had a problem and you worried about him? Didn't things get better when he told you what bothered him so you could work on it with him? It's the same thing,” He continues. “I don't want you to think you have to hide anything from me. I may be your parent, but I'm your friend too. I'm here for you whenever you need.”
No reply is made immediately, instead, Nora crawls to his lap and snuggles him, with Steven doing the same afterwards. Greg doesn't push the topic further, understanding they're mentally exhausted and let them rest upon him.
“I love you,” He whispers, planting a goodnight kiss on the top of their heads. “Dad's right here and I won't let anything happen to you.”