Steven Universe Fanfiction

My Pearl

Chapter 18: Lover's Blight

Author's Warning: Suggestive Scene at the end, Nothing graphic but warning still applicable.

Nothing. Just nothing but inky black. He tries to move, or at least he thinks he's moving. He doesn't know. Was his arm moving in front of his face, flexing a hand or was it doing nothing? He doesn't know. Maybe he should try wiggling his big toe. That was simpler, right? He doesn't know. An image appears before him, stark bright colors in the nothingness. It is Patricia. Sweet beautiful light. There is a horrible crack. Harsh jagged lines appear out of nowhere all over her person. She crumbles into pieces. The pieces become dust as they're blown away by a screaming wind.

A gasp. Harsh breathing, wet eyes, blinding white. He's somewhere now. Somewhere more familiar at least, he thinks. He can hear the sound of the sea and its waves lapping at the shore, the same caws and shrieks of seagulls. The smell of sea salt and…tea, yes. Jasmine, his favorite…or at least, he's preferred tea. The breaths come easier now, the white fades away to a shadowed corner of the ceiling, next to a closet. He's lying down on something soft. His head is at an odd angle though. He flinches at the cool cream-colored hand that softly sets down on his sweat-laden forehead, immediately making a grab for it. He knows this hand.

"Patricia…" Edward rasps.

"I'm here, love, I'm here," She soothes, brushing stray strands from his face, "There's tea if you're feeling well enough."

He nods, getting up with a low grunt as Patricia steadies him. Turning to sit face to face with her, he sees the steaming cup offered to him in her hands. He softly offers his thanks to which Patricia nods in return. Taking a slow sip of the jasmine tea, he sighs as its warmth flows through him and the tension bleeds away.

"How long have I been out?" He asks.

"Garnet came carrying you over her shoulder just as I closed up shop and that was fifteen minutes ago." Patricia replies.

"I see…"

Another sip.

"What happened to you?" she asks.

"T-they didn't tell you?"

"Garnet told me what happened but I still want to hear your side of things."

"…I see."

Nothing is said. Edward stares into what's left of his cup of tea while Patricia waits patiently for him to start.

"We failed."

"…Garnet and the others seem to think differently but go on."

"Diff-!? How on Earth could it be anything else!? It was believed that Gems no longer existed on Earth but everything, EVERYTHING, that we have done today proved otherwise! She is going to report this to…whoever it is she reports to! She will be back and she won't be alone! And…!"

"And what if they don't believe her?" Patricia interrupts.

Edward sputters to a stop, eyes widened by the incredulous thought.

"You said it yourself. It was believed that Gems no longer existed on Earth," Patricia continues, "It's been thousands of years since the war and if that's been on the record for so long, would one odd report really change all of that? They would most likely attribute it to her just seeing things or perhaps even a malfunction of her gem."

She gently takes the lukewarm cup from his hand, setting it away from them for the moment.

"I know that if it were you, you would have investigated it thoroughly with the best you had but you would be surprised by how...tedious Gem bureaucracy is. Peridot would need the corroboration of another Gem before they even thought of entertaining the idea of verifying her claim."

"Is it…is it really that simple?" Edward questions.

"The only time protocol is ever broken is if and when a Diamond commands it. Otherwise, yes."

He has no reason to doubt his wife. But he can't bring himself to believe it, either. No no, there has to be more. Shouldn't there?

"Edward," Patricia tried to comfort him, softly touching her forehead to his, "If you want, we can go see the others tomorrow. Maybe they'll have some ideas that will at least give you some peace of mind. And…"

"…A chance to apologize, at the very least," Edward finishes.

"What? No," Patricia responds, sighing, "If you feel that you must, I won't stop you but I don't think you need to. And Garnet feels the same…or at least, expressed as much."

"…I don't believe that."

"Then when you see them, apologize for whatever it is you think you did wrong. Just know that despite everything that happened, they have already forgiven you," Patricia finishes.

Edward sighs, his eyes coming close as he nods. Though she doesn't know for sure, she can feel that at least some modicum of relief and comfort was achieved. Maybe. For now though, they do nothing and hope.

"Thank you for coming to Tea Dreams, do come again!" Patricia calls out to the last customer as they leave for the evening, broom in hand as she sweeps the entrance.

She takes a minute to enjoy the breeze before finishing up, flipping the sign to "Closed" and stepping into the building. Gently setting the broom against the wall and remembering the table the customer last sat at, she takes a rag out of her apron pocket and begins wiping down the table, humming. To be honest, there isn't much to clean up after but still, it never hurt to be thorough, she thinks. The door to the kitchen swings open, Edward walking out in more casual clothing with the work day over.

"All finished?" She asks, eyeing the table one more time as she finishes wiping.

"Yeah, we can leave whenever…"

The telephone to the shop rings suddenly, the shrill tone causing Edward to jump slightly.

"Spirits above…" Edward curses with a hand over his heart, taking a breath, "One of these days, we're getting a more modern one with a softer ring tone."

"We would have to go outside the city for that. I certainly don't recall seeing any store that sold home appliances here. We'll make a date out of it."

"Find a nice place to eat, look at phones, take in the sights, just relaxing with the two of us. Sounds about right," Edward says, picking up the handset, "Welcome to Tea Dreams, this is Edward speaking, how may I help you?"

"Yes, hi, this is Jake and I am calling from Delmarva General Hospital. Is this Mr. Edward Feng I'm speaking to?"

"Oh, uh yes, that is me."

"Great, how are you doing this evening, sir?"

"Uh, good. How about you?"

"I'm doing good myself. This call is just a reminder of your appointment tomorrow for a physical with Dr. Maheswaran. Is that still ok or do you need to reschedule for another time?"

"Oh, no no, I'll be able to make it for tomorrow. Thank you for the reminder."

"Not a problem, sir. You have yourself a good day."

"Thank you, you as well. Good bye," Edward finishes, hanging up the phone.

"Everything alright, dear?" Patricia asks.

"Just a reminder for my appointment with Dr. Maheswaran tomorrow," Edward answers, "Good thing too, I had completely forgotten about it…"

"It has been a while and we have been busy," Patricia agrees, "Speaking of busy, we should be going before it gets too late."

"Right, sorry."

Edward offers his arm to Patricia, who takes it as she usually does and they both walk out of the shop. After locking the front door, they make their way down onto the beach before continuing their leisurely stroll to the temple. It is a silent trip but not without its peace as they take in the warmth of the sun rays and refreshing chill of the sea breeze. There is a pause every now and then when the wind picks up enough to kick up sand.

Still, time is made well and they soon begin to see the ruined arms of the statue of the temple and eventually, the small hill that leads up to Steven's house. From there, it is a quick uphill walk to the wooden stairway that leads to the deck of the beach house.

Bang

They freeze at the noise. Eyes scan around them and see nothing, meaning it could only have come from within the house. Slowly, they approach the front door, keeping out of sight, listening. Nothing. Edward turns towards Patricia, who only nods in response. Cautiously, they step up to the glass door. Strangely enough, Garnet is already there but she's looking down at what appears to be large picture of sorts. There is a tension in the fusion's arms though, something has happened.

"I don't think now is a good time," Edward whispered.

"Quietly then," Patricia agreed.

Too late though, as Garnet looks up quickly as if startled by the whispers. Seeing the two on the other side of the door, the fusion quickly stretches their arms up to hang the picture before opening the door.

"Hey, you two."

"Hhheeeyyy," Edward replies, immediately coughing to somehow cover up that embarrassing blurb, "Everything alright?"

"S'alright, how can we help you?" Garnet offers.

"We…I came over because I wanted to apologize for what happened with the Peridot mission and…" Edward begins.

"Ok, no, stop, stop right there, you are not doing this right now and you don't need to, just let it go," Amethyst interrupts, slapping both palms into her face and dragging down with exasperation, "Gggguuuuhhhh, you're like Pearl with all of the drama so just stop, ok!?"

"Wouldn't have put it like that but," Garnet adds in, "We all make mistakes sometimes and it's alright to make them. What matters is how we move on, learn, and react to them appropriately."

"But…" Edward starts but he thinks better of it, closes his eyes, breathes in, then out, and nods, "Alright, alright…thank you for forgiving me."

Patricia knows that he's still thinking about it but having him accept their compassion without too much of a fight was a start. For now, at least.

"There was something else we wanted to discuss regarding Peridot and the future but should we save it for another time?" Patricia asks.

"We can talk now," Garnet answers, moving aside as an offering to let them in, "We'll inform Pearl when she gets back. They're going to be a while anyway and it's probably best to do it now with Steven occupied."

"Alright," Edward replies, but there's still an unease to it all, "Will he be informed as well or…?"

"He'll be told enough to keep him safe."

Edward can only sigh in acceptance. Maybe it wasn't fair to judge the boy after only one excursion but it left enough of an impression to have second thoughts about telling him everything. Especially with a heart as big and naïve as his. Still, Garnet leads them to the lounge where they settle down comfortably; Edward and Patricia together on one end while Garnet and a still pouting Amethyst occupy the seats next to them.

"So, where do you want to start?" Garnet asks.

"Well, this was something Edward and I discussed earlier but I believe that despite what happened, we won't have to worry about Peridot returning," Patricia starts.

"Really?" Amethyst perks up at this and looks to Garnet but the fusion is unconvinced.

"Yes," Patricia continues, "If Peridot believed and the records showed that Gems no longer existed on Earth, why would one odd report change that? Especially since Homeworld was unsuccessful in colonizing the planet and came away with great losses? Peridot would be ridiculed for reporting anything to the contrary along with not completing whatever her assignment was. Add in with our bureaucracy being as tedious as it is followed by dwindling resources and quality personnel, Peridot would need to have her report corroborated by another Gem."

"How would another Gem corroborate Peridot's report if no other Gem has been sent out to Earth?" Garnet questions, considering the future and all its possibilities.

"I honestly don't know," Patricia admits, "If anything, the only way I could imagine Peridot's claim would be investigated is if some Gem were to somehow return to Homeworld and say she came from Earth."

Amethyst harshly hisses before panicking, slapping pudgy hands over her mouth.

"That…is not a good sound. What happened?" Edward asks, already dreading the answer.

Garnet sighs, leaning back into the couch heavily with arms folded. In the end though, there is no hiding it. So, the fusion told the Fengs everything that happened with the Gem Lapis Lazuli. From the discovery of the mirror all the way to the end of the ocean disappearing to become a tower to Homeworld that collapsed, with the ocean returned and them to Beach City.

"…and then that's when we met the two of you. Or at the very least, I first laid eyes on the two of you," Garnet finishes.

For a moment, nothing is said. Every Gem in that room was more or less waiting for Edward to respond, since it was his emotions that were the strongest and not in the best of ways as they all know. Patricia is especially worried as she had given him the hope that nothing would happen. She can see it in the closing of his eyes and the furrowed brow, the shaking sigh he exudes.

"Is there a plan?" He asks.

A pause.

"The plan is to do what we can," Garnet answers, "For now, we've been stockpiling weapons gathered from old battlegrounds and Pearl seems to have an idea about their machinery and is working on something. If there's anything you want to add, we'd appreciate it."

It's not much of a plan, everyone knows that. But considering they have no idea what's coming for them other than a name for it, it's the best they got. This and hope that all their preparations would be enough.

"Thank you, Garnet," Patricia says, standing up and gently coaxing her husband up as well, "Edward and I will need some time but we'll try to come up with something to contribute."

"Take your time," Garnet says, standing up and walking with them towards the door, "I would say don't worry about it but…"

"That would be a lie, yes, it's…we'll be alright," Patricia replies as they step out, "Again, thank you and take care. You as well, Amethyst."

"Later," the purple gem waves at them half-heartedly.

"You as well," Garnet returns, watching them leave. The fusion assumes a meditative position, contemplating the various futures to be had and hoping for the best. Amethyst can only sit silently next to her.

Night has fallen and Patricia is alone in their futon, reading a book. She had attempted to read the diary that Edward had given her but what she had read turned out to be the last legible page for everything else was either charred black or ripped out, if the remnants near the spine were anything to go by. While the book she was currently reading was certainly interesting enough, it was more or less just passing time as she waited for Edward to come to bed. He said he would come up in a bit, saying he was going to try to calm down by the beach. That was an hour ago.

Moving towards the window, she looks out towards the beach and sees Edward sitting. Harmless enough, she supposes. But now he's standing up so maybe he's calm enough. Or at least, that was the thought until he started stripping out of his clothes and leaving them in a pile next to him. Thank goodness it was dark out and no one was around, otherwise he just might be called out for public indecency. Much as she loved the way his body looked, why though? That's when he starts marching towards the water. So, he felt like a swim would help, that's fine. She didn't see a towel anywhere she might as well bring one out there.

Patricia moves away quickly, sliding the closet door open, grabbing a body-length towel, slamming the door shut, then returns to the window. She's not worried. He's only waist deep in the water now. Nothing to worry about, he's just going for a swim after all. She sees him take a dive, disappearing under the waves. Though the moon and stars shine brightly, it only lights the surface and not quite what's below. She jumps out the window, soaring through the air and landing softly by the pile of clothes. The towel is folded in her trembling arms. It is completely fine, she thinks. It's not considered a swim if you don't submerge your entire body for a time, right?

So one minute passes with just her watching the waves. Two minutes, she's shaken the clothes Edward left behind of sand and folded them for easier carrying. Three minutes in, she tries to recall the average time a human could hold their breath underwater as she approaches the water, just stopping at the farthest point the waves reach. It definitely wasn't that long. A well trained human could apparently hold it for five minutes. Then again, she remembered a strange alcoholic's records of one person managing to hold their breath for more than 20 minutes. Surely, Edward was an extraordinary individual but not by that much, insulting as it may sound.

Wait, how many minutes has it been? Patricia can't remember but surely Edward has been underwater for longer than should be normal. She's just about to phase off her clothes and dive in when she sees him break the surface. She finally lets out that breath she didn't realize she was holding. Calming down herself, she can see Edward swimming back. Reaching land, Edward stands up again and oh my, she had just remembered that he was completely naked and indecent it may be, the front was VERY nice to gaze upon.

"Patricia? Is something wrong?" Edward asks.

Her immediate answer is yes but she holds off on that truth for now.

"I just thought you would like to dry off after your swim. Wet clothes aren't very comfortable after all and as much as I admire the view, I would be worried about you catching a cold if you decided to walk back naked," Patricia answers, holding the towel out for him which he gratefully accepts.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"Is it?"

"Well, I am," Patricia sighs, "What about you though?"

Edward returns the sigh with his own.

"I've…come to regret what I said to Steven…to the Crystal Gems…to them."

While her first thought is that he still regrets his most recent words with him, his weariness and sorrow suggest something more so she waits, expecting more.

"I just…I don't know what I was thinking when I said…when we said we would help them," Edward starts, "It all seemed fine; Hell, it even sounded fun. But now there's all this Homeworld business and all because we couldn't imagine them coming back."

A shaking breath.

"I don't know what to do. We could fight. You would be a fine addition but me? I'm just a human wielding an oversized axe that I'm still struggling to use. The only reason it works is because most people are afraid enough to not realize my weakness with it or my opponent is that dumb of a target. But to you and by extension the other Gems? You could easily stop me, even kill me which the Gems from Homeworld will have no issue with, I would think."

Another pause but Edward doesn't continue. However, Patricia recognizes the furrowed brow as he is lost in his head once more, the way his mouth opens and closes uselessly as he struggles to put his other thoughts into words.

"We could run," Patricia throws out, already knowing the answer.

"You and I both know we couldn't and wouldn't do that. We're…not like that," Edward answers.

"No, we're not," Patricia agrees.

A breeze passes over them. Edward shivers just a little.

"We should go inside. Wouldn't want you catching a cold just before your doctor's appointment tomorrow," Patricia says as she walks up to him and pulls the towel over him like a cloak. The warmth their bodies share is comforting but only just.

The following morning, Edward went alone to his appointment with Doctor Maheswaran. This was something Patricia insisted so it wouldn't interrupt their business and routine. Still though, he felt bad for leaving her alone with the tea shop again however temporary. Doubly so with everything going about Homeworld in the future and perhaps even triply so, this week their anniversary is coming up and he hadn't done anything for Day 1 other than kissing Patricia that morning and making her tea. Luckily after his appointment was over, he found a gift shop on the premise and quickly bought up the last bouquet of lilies, her favorite flower.

As he was driving back, he recalled the good doctor asking about Rooster, Zippo, and Fortune. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell her much since he hadn't heard anything from them since they train hopped out of Beach City. Really, the only thing that he could confirm is that he had received their results and that he would send it after them as soon as it was known where they had settled and when possible.

Entering Beach City, he clears his mind as he parks the car at the U-Stor, grabs the bouquet, and runs down the street to the tea shop. One thing at a time. Get back to the shop, reaffirm his love for his wife with another kiss and the bouquet of lilies, work, clean up, close, reaffirm again, errands, not worry about Homeworld for the day, calmly consider going to that Gem battlefield where he got his axe and get more weapons…damn it, he already failed but at least he's back at the shop. Edward takes another deep breath to just let everything out, place a little smile on his face, ready the bouquet, and walks in.

"Welcome to…oh, welcome back, dear, how did your appointment go—MPH!?" Patricia was saying when Edward takes her up into his embrace and kisses her; soft, deep, and blind to the world

"Happy Anniversary, my beloved wife," Edward says to her lovingly, presenting the flowers.

"Happy Anniversary, my dear husband," Patricia returns, smiling as she accepts the lilies, "Even if it's still a few days away but still."

Bold as he may be, he still blushes red when he realizes that Jenny, Buck, and Sour Cream were there the entire time, cheering them on with a very a long and loud "Whoo!"

"Aw~, that's so sweet," Jenny gushes, "Points for at least remembering the week of though."

"Oh no, he remembers the day, he just doesn't believe in keeping it to one day and just spoils me for the entire week," Patricia giggles.

"Now that's dedication," Buck comments while Sour Cream lets out a low whistle.

"Why does this sound so familiar?" Edward mumbles to himself.

"What was that?" Patricia asks.

"Oh no, nothing, just…feels like I had this conversation before but can't remember. Only thing missing is…"

"Seeing as it's your anniversary I have to ask because I'm dying to know but how did you two meet? Love at first sight? Through friends? Online?" Jenny asks, giddy at the chance of hearing their love story.

"There it is," Edward chuckles.

"Admit it, you love telling this story," Patricia teases.

"But of course," Edward grins before separating from his wife and sitting down with the teens, "Funnily enough it was a Tuesday, not in the 'ha ha' kind of way but a weird one where yours truly decided that visiting a jewelry shop was a good idea. It really was though when I found her in that shop all those years ago. Now me, being the idiot I am, have no idea how to approach a lady like her and because of that, I thought that a pun would be fun."

"So what? You said she was a real gem or something like that?" Sour Cream asks.

"How did you know!?" Edward sputters indignantly.

"It just seemed to fit," is Sour Cream's simple answer with a shrug.

Meanwhile, everyone else is laughing uproariously at poor Edward's expense, who can only groan in defeat.

"Cheer up, dear," Patricia encourages him with a quick peck on the cheek, "It might not have been that clever but I still love you. That being said, up up up, time to get back to work."

"Yes, love…" Edward sighs, still pouting.

"Oh honestly," Patricia says before she starts whispering to Edward, low enough that not even the Cool Kids can hear her. As many have observed though, they don't need to when Edward turns a lovely shade of red, stands immediately to attention, and dashes for the kitchen door.

"What did you say to him?" Buck can't help asking, echoing his friends' thoughts about how…energetic…Mr. Feng seemed.

"Oh, you know, this and that," Patricia answers with a wink.

"Fuck, I love you so much," Edward gasps, scented oil laden hips twitching as he rides out the wave.

"Are you sure you aren't up for another?" Patricia teases, her own breath heavy and wanting as she grinds down onto him with her own oil slicked body and clenches, moaning when she feels that delicious throb within, "It is our anniversary, after all."

"I think…I am done for the night," Edward rasps as his lust is laid to rest, hands sliding over Patricia's thighs as he rubs them tenderly, "Spirit willing but body not…and all that."

"Well alright, I suppose there is tomorrow night…and then every night afterward," Patricia teases again, leaning down to cup Edward's face between her hands as she kisses him on the lips.

While Edward didn't have the energy for any more vigorous activity, he still had enough to turn the tables as he rolls suddenly and Patricia is now below him. She playfully screams into his mouth as both refuse to stop kissing all the while, giggling at the sudden rush. Unfortunately, he is human with the need to breathe so he breaks off the kiss and settles for lying next to her and just getting lost in her eyes with what he knows and feels to be an idiotic smile. She returns the look and smiles at him and it is so very beautiful to him. His misfortunes continue when sleep threatens to overtake him, his eyes drooping. Stubbornly, he tries to stay awake but Patricia provides the coup de grâce as gentle hands comb through his hair and she hums…something. He doesn't recognize the melody but it is beautiful…just like…her.

"Like a charm," Patricia giggles to herself quietly, hugging her beloved just a little more closely as his rhythmic breathing tickles her gem.

She continues to hum her melody, reveling in the afterglow. When her melody is done, she is very careful in adjusting Edward's body so she can escape from his weight. He got a little clingy here and there but a kiss in return is just enough to relax him and provide an escape. She places his head gently on her lap, another giggle as he snuffles randomly before breathing regularly again. When she looks up from her husband's sleeping form though, she considers maybe she should've remained laying with him. The scented oils were definitely an interesting touch but the cleaning up…well, they had always cleaned the futon after nights like this but again, the scented oils added a touch to that as well.

But then it isn't like any other night, she thinks as her smile falls. No, tonight it was their anniversary…or near to it, at least. Everyone always did think it was sweet of him to celebrate it for a week and left it at just that. What they never knew though...

"Nnngh…"

"Right on time, as always," she sighs.

His nightmares always reached their peak around their anniversary. Muttered pleas, curses against God, tightened grips that would always bruise, the tears, the…

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…please no…!"

When she first witnessed this, his actions were far worse and far more terrifying. Bloodshot eyes from sleepless nights, the screams, blind assaults at things that weren't even there, the blood; that was when they were beginning to live with each other.

"I can't…not again…I'm sorry…!"

She never had the courage to ask, not as a stranger nor as an eventual friend and comrade in a strange and harsh circumstance. But as a lover, as a wife…she had asked just once and only once.

"I couldn't have known…! Why, why!? Please, no more! I'm sorry!"

And he had answered then; the one time he would without being pushed to. It still hurt her, even after all this time. Certainly not as much as before but still. That was why he celebrated it for an entire week. After all, the day they met, when Edward Feng and Vermarine Quartz's Pearl first laid eyes on each other, was the most horrible day of his life.

Author's Note: So, this might just be the norm given how crazy my life is. I honestly had this ready for a month but I wanted to review it one more time, edit one more time, the list goes on. That being said, thank you to all around from the people who are still here from the prologue to the relatively newer people that are reading this. Really, it does me good to see that people enjoy this story enough for favorites/follows.

As for what's coming next, it's one of the things a lot of people have been asking for or maybe have been curious about. It's going to be long, it will be borderline M in terms of violence, and...I imagine it'll take a while to upload. Hopefully, I can get it out in a timely fashion.

So thank you for enjoying this story, I hope you continue to do so, and see you all next time.