Epilogue

Greg was at the car wash, desperately trying to think of something to distract himself with.

When Steven and the Crystal Gems had left on their mission, Greg had intended to stick around the Temple. He really had. But it hadn't been easy, just sitting there, waiting for them all to return. It was like being at the hospital, not knowing when the doctors would call your name, and not not knowing what the results would be when they did.

So when over an hour had passed, and still the the warp pad had remained stubbornly inactive, Greg simply couldn't take it anymore. He'd headed back to Beach City proper, hoping to do something relatively useful to take his mind off things. He tried not to feel guilty about abandoning his 'post'. He wasn't helping anyone, just waiting there, and they'd know where to find him when they came back.

(He refused to think about what would happen if they didn't come back.)

So the old rock-star had thrown himself into his work. Over a dozen cars, mostly belonging to visiting tourists leaving after the previous day's parade, had pulled up for a clean: he'd given them all the most enthusiastic wash he could muster. That had still left plenty of down time in between, so Greg had done what he could to stay busy. He'd gone and refilled all the soap machines. He'd adjusted that hose faucet which had sprung a leak a couple weeks back. He'd gone online and done some modding for a music forum he was a member of, frustrated by the surprisingly low level of troll activity that day. He'd pulled out his guitar and tried to compose, but of course his mind was in no place for that, and gave up quickly. Eventually he became so desperate that he'd happily went and updated that month's balance sheets.

But then he'd managed to finish off even that usually tedious chore, leaving Greg standing in front of his van, wondering if he'd finally found the motivation to tidy it up. He was just contemplating if he should begin by folding clothes when he was seized by the sudden urge to turn around.

It wasn't that he'd heard anything, or seen something just out of the corner of his eye- at least, not consciously. It was just as though some sixth, fatherly sense had gone and tapped him on the shoulder, telling him to look around. And when Greg did, he saw Steven.

The boy was making his way down the boardwalk, hand-in-hand with Pearl. Even at this distance it was clear that he was smiling. Relief made it feel as though Greg's stomach had leapt into his throat.

"Steven!" the man shouted, now smiling too, rushing to meet the pair. "Pearl! You're back! Did you do it? Are you all okay?"

"Yep, we're fine! The Gems all have their memories back!" the kid chirped, bouncing slightly as he launched into a story about the Amazon rainforest and scrolls and spiders, of which Greg understood only about a third. This was partially because of Steven's over-eager story-telling style, which often lead to him forgetting important details or going on meandering tangents, but Greg had the uncomfortable suspicion that there were also parts that the boy was deliberately omitting. He wondered what had happened that Steven now didn't want to share.

"Well," Greg said when Steven's story finished. "I'm real glad that it all worked out."

"Yes," Pearl agreed, meeting his eyes.

Greg returned the alien's look. She had been smiling this entire time, and she still was- but whereas before it had been with that fond smile that she reserved almost exclusively for Steven, now it had a distinctly forced quality to it. Greg knew he wasn't the most perceptive guy around, but he could still tell that Pearl was trying to signal him. Asking to speak alone.

Considering everything that had happened, Greg wasn't feeling particularly eager about the idea, but he also recognized that his feelings didn't really matter in this case. So he just grinned, pulled out some bills from his wallet, and handed them to Steven, saying, "Hey kiddo, why don't you go grab us something to eat as celebration?"

Steven loved the idea and went running off towards the fry shack, just as expected. The two adults watched him go, waiting until he was out of hearing range.

"So," Greg finally said in a low voice. "You've really gotten all your memories back?"

"Yes, as far as we can tell," answered Pearl. She was still staring in the direction Steven had gone, not meeting his gaze. "Of course, the inherent nature of the condition means that it's impossible for us to know for sure, but the evidence suggests that they've all been restored." She sighed. "Though not as quickly as we would have liked."

Greg eyed Pearl. "...Did something happen?"

She ran a hand through her short peach hair. "We- I did some things that I...regret."

Greg suppressed a wince. He could only imagine. "Is Steven okay?"

"I don't know," the Gem answered. "I think so. I hope so. We talked to him, and..." she trailed off, shaking her head. She crossed her arms. "We think he's okay.

"But that's not- not what I wanted to talk about," Pearl continued. "I actually- um- I wanted to say, I'm sorry."

Greg blinked at her. "What?"

"I'm just- I'm sorry, for the things I said to you." She looked deeply uncomfortable.

He knew the feeling. "Oh, well," Greg stammered, rubbing his neck. "Don't worry about that. It's fine. I know that...well, you'd lost your memories, things got emotional. It happens. Not your fault."

"I don't just mean that," Pearl said in a rush, as if she was trying to get it all out as quickly as possible. Her cheeks had turned pale blue. "I mean before, as well. The first time around. And before that, also. I wasn't very- well, I could have treated you better."

"I- what? Why are you saying this?"

Those weren't the words Greg had intended to say. He'd been raised, after all, to always accept an apology when given it. But he was so flabbergasted that his mouth moved without any thought for what was polite. He'd grown to care for Pearl, he really had, despite how hard she could make it, and sometimes he liked to think that she'd come to care for him as well, in her own way- but he'd never actually expected anapology from her.

She was looking away again. "Getting the memories back...It was like living them all over again. They feel very- fresh. It gives you a new perspective." Pearl looked as though she was choking. "I can see now that I wasn't always- fair, to you. And I'm sorry."

And there was only really one response he could give to that.

"It's okay, Pearl," Greg said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She didn't shrink away from the physical contact. "I know how hard it all was for you. And thanks."

Pearl looked at him, her eyes suddenly very bright. She shook her head. "I can see why Rose loved you so much."

There was a lot more they could have said, but neither were quite sure how to say it. Greg withdrew his hand. They stood in silence until Steven returned, carrying brown bags filled with fry bits. The three of them walked back to the Temple together, Steven carrying the conversation for them all. The air seemed to grow lighter with him around, and Greg again nearly felt himself swallowed in relief, knowing that the boy and his family was safe.

As they made it up the sandy hill, Greg noticed a couple of birds perched on the railings of the deck. He quickly realized that one of those birds wasn't a bird at all- seagulls didn't ordinary come in purple, after all. It took him a little bit longer to acknowledge the oddly pinkish hue to the massive bird sitting next to Amethyst; he'd only ever seen Garnet shape-shift a handful of times. He was fairly certain that she was supposed to be an albatross. She was, somehow, still wearing her sunglasses.

Steven ran up to greet the two other Gems, Amethyst swooping down to brush his hair with her claws. (Seagulls, of course, didn't actually haveclaws, but Amethyst seemingly hadn't gotten the memo.)

"What's all this about?" Pearl asked Garnet once they'd reached the deck as well.

"Amethyst is going to take me where she last saw Malachite," the tall Gem explained after nodding a greeting at Greg. "It's probable that she's moved on by now, but it's still the best lead we've had yet."

Amethyst, who'd been making a show of settling down on Steven's head, puffed out her chest feathers with poorly disguised pride.

"Should I come too?" wondered Pearl, wringing her hands. She made a meaningful glance in Steven's direction.

"No, this is purely a scouting mission," Garnet said. "You can stay here."

(Was Greg imagining it, or did Pearl seem relieved? Or perhaps thankful? He wouldn't be surprised; it sounded like she'd had quite the day. They all must have.)

The boy seemed to deflate a little. "You mean you guys are heading out on a mission? I was kind of hoping that..."

"Don't worry, Steven," Garnet said, somehow managing to smile despite having a beak. "We'll be home soon."

"Yeah, dude, we can all hang out then!" Amethyst said.

Stars seemed to glitter in the child's eyes. "Awesome! We can do a movie night! Oooh, oooh, I know! We can start right now!" He turned to Greg. "Dad, Dad, you haven't see 'The Crying Breakfast Friends' movie yet, have you?"

The frozen expression on Pearl's face made it very tempting to lie, but with that sheer earnestness in his son's voice, he couldn't help but be honest. "Nope. Can't say I have."

"Great, neither has Pearl! It'll be new for both of you! And when Amethyst and Garnet get back, we can all watch the sequel together!"

At their expressions Amethyst made a cackling laugh as she jumped off into the sky, who was soon followed by Garnet, who called down a quick 'have fun!' as they pair flew off towards the ocean. They moved with supernatural speed, and it was obvious that they would return quickly. The three of them watched the pair disappear over the horizon; then Steven shepherded him and Pearl into the house to start making popcorn.

Yes, it was new, for all of them. But thankfully, after nearly eleven years, it wasn't that new. They had some practice, hey had some idea of what they were doing- and even if they didn't, at least they all had each other.

oOoOoOo

Author's Note: And so we come to the end.

I'd like to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who's been so supportive of this story. People have been so enthusiastic, thoughtful and helpful- I haven't had this much fun writing in a long time, and a big part of that is because of you. The Steven Universe fandom is really one of the most positive ones out there, and I look forward to writing more for it. 3