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Pearl finds her on the beach as the sun crawls its way down past the horizon, illuminating the sky with a rich orange hue. She sits with toes buried in the sand and hand stroking loving circles over the bump in her belly, humming a calming tune, as she admires the view. No matter what’s happening and what worries she has on her mind, Rose always finds the time to see the beauty in everything.
Pearl just can’t understand what she sees in giving up her own life like this. “How long?”
Rose glances up at her companion. “Not far now. Maybe weeks.”
“It’s too soon.”
With a wistful smile on her lips, she replies, “I think it’s just in time.”
There’s that look again. In their quiet moments alone, sometimes Rose thinks back to Homeworld (she doesn’t say as much, but it’s obvious in the far-off glaze in her eyes). Sometimes, Pearl gets the feeling she’s been running from something the moment they stepped foot on Earth that had nothing to do with the Diamonds or how they treated her.
It shows in the façade she puts up in front of the others and in the effortless hateful comments toward Pink Diamond.
Almost as if some part of her hates the person she used to be.
Pearl once thought Rose was simply putting on an act for the Crystal Gems to hide her true identity, but now that the war is over and the Diamonds have left them alone, Rose is still carrying on in the same way. It doesn’t make any sense.
A breeze rolls past as Pearl takes a seat at her right side, the only spot she’s ever truly belonged. Now, Rose is asking her to give all that up.
“Pearl.”
“Yes?”
“Promise me you’ll look after them,” says Rose, taking the smaller gem’s hand and placing it on her belly. There’s a kick, and Pearl’s eyes widen. “They’ll need the guidance and support you’ve given me all these years. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for that.”
“I… I promise. And you know you wouldn’t have to. I wouldn’t accept it, anyway.”
“I know.” Rose presses a kiss to the back of Pearl’s hand. “Thank you.”
The finality of it all hits all at once. She didn’t cry when Rose took them all aside to explain her decision and what that would mean for the rest of them going forward, or when Pearl exploded at the news and took off running, desperately hoping she just heard her wrong and Rose didn’t actually mean what she said.
But now, Rose is going to leave her, and she looks almost… happy about it.
“It’s going to be okay, Pearl. You’ll see.”
“I don’t want you to leave.” There’s a burning at the corners of her eyes as Pearl whispers, “I don’t want to be alone.”
“You’ll still have Garnet and Amethyst.”
“That’s different! They’re not you; they don’t even know that -” Her hands fly up to her mouth against her control, and the reminder sends a fresh wave of tears down her cheeks.
She wants to ask Rose to take it all away and free her from a lifetime on Earth being the only one who knows (and who would Pearl even be without someone to live for? It’s not something she’s ever had to think about before now, and the realization makes her grow cold), but one sad look from Rose is enough to still her lips.
If this is what Rose truly wants, Pearl will bear her burdens and more without complaint. “You’re actually doing this.”
“Yes.” Rose’s gentle timbre is barely audible over the sea breeze. “And I’m sure you’ll love them.”
Pearl hiccups, chest shuddering. “If they’re anything like you, of course I will.”
“If they’re anything like me…” Her smile fades. “I imagine so.”
“Rose?”
She simply shakes her head, tenderly caressing her belly bump as the two of them watch the remaining sliver of sun sink below the horizon and encase them in darkness.
Mere days later, Rose goes into labor. Pearl is at her side through it all until the moment her form disappears, leaving a wailing baby in her wake.
She collapses to the ground, cries drowned out by the newborn she’s sworn to protect.