They never settled on a definitive time for the funeral to take place, but it silently loomed over the day like the adorable cumulus clouds that draped Beach City's skies. Steven woke to find Pearl had yet to return, Amethyst and Garnet discussing how to get their couch out the front door so the procession would have somewhere to sit, and his stomach itching to get the entire matter done. Since Connie had mentioned black formal attire was standard for this occasion, Steven dug out the suit his father got him on their excursion to Empire City. He had kept it the dry cleaner bag for sentimental reasons, but was ever so glad to see it still fit him like a glove.

As the morning sun rose higher in the sky, everything was getting underway quite quickly. The remaining two Crystal Gems had moved Steven's couch outside to give proper seating and a kitchen barstool for a makeshift podium. Steven simply remained on his bed, feeling completely unprepared despite this whole all being his idea. Once the furniture had all been moved outside, Garnet walked up the stairs to collect him.

"Steven, you look sharp! she complimented.

"Oh, thanks Garnet. Do you have your eulogy ready?" he asked, twiddling his thumbs all the while.

"Yep. I really do want to thank you for coming up with this. This means quite a bit to us."

"Us?"

"Ruby and Sapphire. They were first accepted by your mother. If not for her, I might not be here today."

"Really? I mean, I know she was a big deal but…"

"You'll hear the rest later. I just wanted to make sure you felt alright. You've been awfully quiet the past few days."

"I'll be fine. Thanks."

"Well, come on then. Amethyst and I finished setting up everything."

Garnet crouched down to let Steven ride on her back hoping to cheer him up. Once he was propped up and secured, they made the short trek outside to see the casual arrangements were already finished. Amethyst was just lounging around with her eulogy in hand which, fitting to her style, was written in pencil on a leftover napkin she found lying on the ground.

"Yo Steven," she waved at him "Nice tux. Where did you get that getup? Snag it from the uptight fuddy-duddy store?"

"Hahaha, good one No, my dad got this for me on that trip we were on. You seem relaxed about all this."

"Eh, what's to stress over? Read some emotional stuff and just sit around. As long as I don't have to wear a suit, I'm game."

Suddenly the three picked up the sound of a rumbling engine quietly making their way towards them. As the sound approached they saw the familiar sight of Greg's van idly cruising over the sand until it parked right behind their homemade peanut gallery. While no one batted an eye seeing Greg at the wheel, the one in the passenger seat drew some attention.

"Pearl?!" gasped Steven and Amethyst. Much to their collective shock, the white-skinned Gem was parked right next to Greg with a pleasant smile on her face as if this was an ordinary Sunday drive. When the duo stepped out of the vehicle, both were clad in their tuxedos from that same fateful trip to Empire City. The two could not decide what the most disturbing anomaly was: seeing two former romantic rivals being so chummy, Greg out of his typical tank top and jeans, or Pearl wearing physical clothes instead of just manifesting them!

"Nice little shindig you have setup here, guys!" Greg complimented. He walked over to his favorite son and playfully ruffled his hair. "Look at you in your custom-tailored suit! I guess it's a good thing puberty hasn't set in yet."

"Well, I'm just glad to see him so dapper and well-kept," Pearl commented, "it's nice to see you safe and sound. And I am deeply sorry for my outburst yesterday."

"It-it's okay Pearl," Steven stammered. He was surprised at how composed she was as well. "Do you have your eulogy ready?" he dared to ask. Pearl reached into her coat pocket and pulled out… a stack of flash cards.

"That's it?!" screamed an incredulous Amethyst, "Where's the pages of poetry and songs and praises in Rose's honor?! You were up for two days freaking out over this and you come up with some dinky stack of cards?"

"Amethyst, I realized placing all my emotions on paper was unnecessary for this. I just have these as reminders of key points. Besides, I didn't want to clutter Greg's abode like I did ours. Are you prepared for the occasion?"

"Yeah, whatever," she shrugged. "What I want to know is all of you got suits except me?"

Garnet, who was just observing everything from the porch, spoke up, "You weren't cast in the musical."

Everyone had a hearty laugh at that while Amethyst proceeded to look as baffled as possible. She silently swore to drill Greg and Steven for details later. The guests continued to pour in as Connie soon arrived on Lion, jumping through a portal wearing the same black dress she had during Prisha's sendoff along with her mother's purse slung over her shoulder.

"Hey Steven! Thanks for sending Lion for me!" she greeted warmly.

"I didn't send him. He was just gone when I woke up this morning." He then stomped over to his apathetic pink feline in mock anger. "How come you give her rides without asking but I have to bribe you with a dozen Lion Lickers? What do you have to say for yourself, mister?"

Lion's response was to silently walk onto the porch and doze off. A typical rebuttal to any accusation of question he did not fancy to answering. With Steven's pet and best friend now present, Steven began silently listing off anything else that needed to be addressed. He then turned to Connie when he realized the only missing component.

"Connie, where's this casket we're supposed to have? Is it in Lion?"

"No, I asked Peridot and Lapis to make it. I just assumed they would bring it here once they were done." She began to pace back and forth with worry that the Crystal Temps had blown up again. She planned on checking up on them but then her schoolwork cropped up, but before she could spiral into panic she heard a voice from above.

"Greetings, Crystal Gems! We are pleased to report a complete success on our mission!"

The entire procession looked up to see the ecstatic Peridot clinging to a flying Lapis while a large rectangular object following close behind them. The two soon landed right behind the makeshift podium with their cargo making a soft thud upon touchdown.

"There you two are!" breathed a relieved Connie as she and other ran to greet them. "I knew it would take time to make it, but I thought two days was enough?"

"Well we knew it would be a stretch, but we had a disagreement that set us back," admitted a rather flushed Lapis.

"Artistic differences?" asked Pearl.

"You could say that," said both of the Crystal Temps in unison. The less the others knew about the twenty-four hours they spent hurling insults, paint cans, terrible puns, water-bombs, and uncalled-for jabs at each other's artistic sensibilities the better. They would probably just read all about it on Peridot's blog anyways.

"We apologize for arriving at the last minute, but we are more than satisfied with our work and we hope you feel the same!" said Peridot as she ripped off the blanket to reveal their accomplishment.

The coffin, repurposed from several pianos and discarded pieces of furniture, was exactly eight-feet long, but no one's eyes was on the dimensions. All of the Gems, Steven and Greg were transfixed by the four sides, all adorned by a hand-painted memoir done by both of the amateur artists. The piece may have been lacking detail given their time limit, but the massive amount of content was simply breathtaking. Reading from left to right, top-to-bottom like a wordless graphic novel, it depicted Rose's first stand against Homeworld at the head of the coffin before delving into the countless battles and acts of compassion she performed over the course of her millennia-long campaign. As if this were not enough, the entire lid was a life-size portrait of the Rose Quartz. Unlike the enormous wrap-around mural done on the sides, the likeness was uncanny for the top with every detail captured as if Steven's mother posed for the picture herself on her way home from a victorious mission. Her iconic pink sword lay in front of her bare feet, her dress slightly tattered from a recent battle, her wild pink coif was even more disarrayed than usual, but her eyes still shone bright and proud. They contained no malice or bitterness, only the same matronly, benevolent strength that Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst remember as easily as the color of the sky.

Connie and Steven were both beaming, feeling blown away by how much love and care went into the piece and ecstatic the last piece of their plan was a rousing success. Amethyst was already tangling with her urge to cry in front of the others. Greg silently walked over and placed his hand on one of Rose's cheeks. Garnet removed her shades, her three eyes practically glowing, and gave a solid thumbs-up to the two. Pearl walked up to the two and hugged them as tightly as her shaking frame would allow.

"Thank you. She would be amazed… to see what you two have done…" she whispered in between her giddy sobs.

"It was just a single piece. We've been on Earth for months but we have not accomplished much besides our creative endeavors," shrugged Peridot as she and Lapis returned the gesture.

"That's just it though. Who you were on Homeworld would have never made this. This is exactly what Rose saw in Gems and encouraged. That's how we all came to be…" she affirmed.

"Alright, enough sap already!" shouted the now bawling Amethyst, "Let's get to the crummy speeches before we all look like Steven's weird cartoon!" With a strong laugh from everyone present Greg, Steven, and Pearl settled onto the couch while Amethyst plopped onto the sand and Garnet, Peridot and Lapis stood behind the sofa as Connie moved to the makeshift podium to kick off the occasion. The unofficial moderator pulled a handful of flashcards out of the purse and cleared her throat before reading aloud.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I know it has been a bit… turbulent for the past few days, but I hope we can all use this little ceremony to clear up any loose ends with the departed Rose Quartz - founder and long-time leader of the Crystal Gems. Would any of you care to volunteer to share your words first?"

Everyone started weighing their options with Steven looking around idly while Greg and Pearl sat at his sides with very pleasant yet curious expressions. Peridot and Lapis were shocked at the open invitation which left one tall fusion with the only option she knew would get the ball rolling.

"I'll go first." Garnet strode up in front of the podium, knowing it would be awkward to use it with her impressive height, and stood before them all as calmly as ever. What did surprise them was that she removed her visor showing three eyes filled with quiet pining.

"Everyone here knows that I have the ability to see the future. I can scan the outcomes of different courses of actions and respond in the best way for the sake of a mission. It makes me a sort of anchor for all the insanity that goes on around here, everyone looking to me for the best answer. Not only that, but I suppose I am living proof that two heads are better than one."

She flashed a quick smile and showed the matching gems on her hands. The audience gave a quick chuckle before she resumed.

"I know how people, human and Gem alike, depend on me to make sure everything comes out right. And seeing how we are all still here in one piece I would say I have done a good job. But it is weird to think I would not be able to do this if it weren't for one Gem…"

Her three eyes began to shine with something many of them thought impossible for Garnet: doubt.

"When I first met Rose, I didn't even know what I could do together like this. Over time, I learned how to use my future vision to see multiple possibilities and it has saved us all repeatedly. Still, I realize I cannot see everything. I look back and realize I missed so much. For one thing…"

"I didn't see Rose leaving." She caught her breath as the audience gaped at seeing Garnet, the immovable force and unmovable center of their lives start sobbing as tears began rushing down her usually impassive face. Steven and Amethyst in particular looked stunned with the former looking away to avoid the sight.

"I never even considered what would happen if she were just gone. Then I really thought back and saw so many mistakes I could have stopped. I kicked myself for months. I could have said something different, made some move that would change it! 'No, I kept telling myself, she was gone. She IS gone and will not come back.'"

Steven was burying his head in his knees with Greg and Pearl rubbing his back to alleviate his sorrow. Amethyst was clearly trying to keep it together with Connie kneeling at her side in case she needed a shoulder to cry on. Peridot and Lapis had no idea what to do but stare in dejected shock.

Garnet had gradually let her head fall as she spoke. By the end, she was staring at the sand watching droplets moisten the beach beneath her feet. Suddenly her head moved straight back to where it was, planted firmly between her two strong shoulders that frequently held the weight of the world. She smiled as she spoke again.

"Now though, I'm glad I didn't see it."

"What?!" shouted everyone present in shock. The fusion's face was still wet, but her laidback smile had returned somehow.

"I can see dozens of ways each decision can change the future. I am constantly reminded no future is set in stone. Rose taught me that was for the best. She adored how humans could change practically anything about themselves and nothing was set. If I saw her leaving, I cannot imagine how today would be. Of course I wonder how life would be with her still here. We all do. But in the end, I am glad with the way it turned out. And if Rose were still here, she would be thrilled."

The procession applauded her as she put on her shades and walked back behind the couch as if nothing happened. She made sure to give Steven a smile, as he seemed to have brightened up considerably.

Connie quickly took her place on the stool. "Thank you, Garnet. It is very important we do not think poorly about ourselves for not seeing such an event. Who would like to go next?"

Amethyst seemed rooted to the ground and Greg and Pearl stayed by Steven's sides. Garnet gave a nudge to the Crystal Temps standing in the back as the silence pressed on, signaling them to volunteer. Neither Peridot nor Lapis felt qualified to speak, but the former raised her hand anyways. Connie was pleasantly surprised.

"Peridot? You would like to share your thoughts?"

"It seems we have reached an impasse, so it I have little choice unless we want to stay until nightfall."

"Alright then, come on up." Peridot made her way forward as Connie once again stood next to Amethyst. The diminutive Gem decided to stand on the stool in order to be seen. She was plainly nervous but her hands were perfectly still and her voice level.

"Well, I must admit I did not expect to share any opinions at this occasion. I along with Lapis were merely here to deliver this casket at the request of Connie. However, I have come to harbor my own feelings towards Rose Quartz in the past few days."

Everyone's curiosity was peaked as the green amateur artist continued with her improvised eulogy. "Your Rose Quartz was a touchy subject on Homeworld. Her acts and philosophies were considered the antithesis to everything the Diamonds and by extension Gems stood for. When I came to this planet on a simple maintenance mission I knew of her, but only as some terrifying mishap that lost precious resources for the Diamonds. She was never to spoken of with anything but revulsion and fear as if the mention of her name alone would cause malfunctions. She was considered the ultimate defect – one so terrible and wrong that every other Rose Quartz was immediately recalled and imprisoned in case her insubordination was innate."

"I believed all of it without a second thought." Her hands started to tense and her brow creased as she went on. "I recall my mindset when I came to this planet: nothing more than a mission site that would take maybe a few minutes of your world's time. I had with the same disgust with how a Gem could diverge from its intended purpose so far that it caused the greatest catastrophe in Gem history. I knew nothing about the Crystal Gems by the way. As far as Homeworld was concerned it was just a bygone nuisance that was better left forgotten."

The procession was sharing Peridot's grief with the main Crystal Gems feeling a certain bitterness. Peridot saw their unease and changed the topic.

"I realize now that I am in the same classification as you: an error Homeworld has chosen to ignore in favor of protecting their reputation. In the many months I have been on Earth, I have come to appreciate how varied and expressive your world's loose grasp on individuals allowed me to discover facets of myself that I never recognized. I used to maintain warp pads and robonoids for the sake of My Diamond. Now I maintain a blog discussing my personal life and a collection of Camp Pining Hearts head-canons. It seems even as a nonentity Rose Quartz has molded me into something new."

"Now I see the appeal of why you all fought so long for this planet. You had a remarkable influence to motivate you and I thank you all. Especially you, Rose Quartz." The crowd was amazed at the sincerity of this confession and the single tear that fell from Peridot's eyes. The diminutive Gem stood down and returned to her spot next to Lapis. The latter placed a hand on her barn-mate's shoulder as Connie returned to her spot once again.

"I'm impressed Peridot, I never expected you to bear feelings like this. It is still appreciated, though, and thank you. Now, is there anyone else who cares to share their feelings towards the departed?"

Lapis felt Peridot's eulogy spoke for her and remained quiet. Amethyst was keeping her hands behind her back with her napkin eulogy tightly gripped. Steven was just content with how everyone was getting a weight off their chests and stayed put between his father and Pearl.

Garnet decided to move the event forward herself. "Amethyst should go next."

"Well, that's a fine suggestion Garnet but it is her choice if she wishes to do this. Amethyst, what do you say?" asked Connie.

The Gem in question looked unnerved at the suggestion, but stood nonetheless and sighed. "Alright, guess I should get this over with."

Connie and Amethyst switched places with the latter clutching her napkin for dear life. With everyone's eyes on her, she held her eulogy up and took a deep breath as she began.

"Rose, I hope you're doing well. I miss you every day and I wish you could see all we've done. Thanks for everything." With that off her chest, she swallowed the napkin with her usual abandon and moved back beside the couch.

The crowd was silent. Connie in particular was befuddled. She had not yet moved and simply stood beside the once again content purple Gem.

"Um… Amethyst, is that all you prepared?"

"Yeah," she replied breezily, "I miss Rose just as much as the rest of you, but I don't have much to say on it. Trust me it was really hard for me to admit it, but now I feel much better. Hey Steven, good job for thinking this up. I'm really glad I agreed to this."

"Uh thanks. Glad you feel better," Steven chortled with a confused grin. The matter was settled and so Connie moved on with the affair.

"Well, they say everyone takes grief differently. Amethyst, we still appreciate you coming forward with this. Now, is there anyone who wants to say their peace or should we end the funeral now?"

"I have some words about Rose to share."

Pearl gave Steven a last affectionate pat on the back before walking up to the front with her cards in hand. The entire group was still shocked at how casual she was throughout the whole affair. Aside from the obvious formalwear, she was treating this as a usual get-together. She took a quick glance at the top card before beginning her eulogy.

"As many of you know I spent millennia with Rose. In that time she molded me from a common servant made to be little more than a trophy into a warrior to fight for the survival of Earth. Of course I appreciated this planet's beauty as she did, but her magnificence was always my main motivator. I strove to prove my worth and prowess to her every day. I became her closest ally among her hundreds of supporters. After the war was over I still followed her like the tail of a comet, rocketing forward into the unknown."

She switched to the next card and cleared her throat before continuing. "There was never anything to fear with her around except her disappointment. No danger couldn't be overcome if it meant her goals were furthered. It has become obvious nowadays that I was enamored with her in every way. I never stopped to wonder my life without her. It would always be us, along with Garnet and Amethyst, protecting the Earth as quiet heroes now that our mission was a success. As you can all tell, that is not the case. Rose is gone and will never return."

Her delivery was still calm while her eyes showed a long-held melancholy. She moved on to a new card. "When the owner of a pearl is shattered on Homeworld, there is expected to be a sense of longing. Like many other customs of the Diamonds' world, it is a formality to be obeyed lest their immaculate order be tarnished. I never realized after all this time I actually shared something in common with those pearls until Rose was gone. I missed her just as one of the thousands of other pearls would miss her superior. What differs is why I miss her."

Now her speech was choking up. She moved on to yet another flash card. She felt compelled to look forward should a tear fall and stain her suit. "I miss Rose every minute of every day because I want to. I miss her for being a vibrant, incredible visionary who saw the value in everything. Even a runaway pearl with no reason for existing…and that is a fact that will never change."

Her hands shook as she turned to the final card. "Rose, I will never stop feeling the void your absence left. I do not want to because it risks losing my memory of you. I have explained my gratitude for you countless times over the years. Now I have one more reason to praise you. Thank you for being a Gem worth missing, one whose legacy is worth celebrating. A Homeworld Pearl misses her owner due to necessity and will most likely be forgotten. I will miss you because you deserve begin remembered for all time."

She walked up to Steven while he was wiping the tears from his eyes. She hugged him and whispered, "And you have left behind something even more precious to me. To all of us. I will always love you for that."

This was the final straw for the waterworks to break free. Steven collapsed into a crying heap in Pearl's arms. Greg tried to control his sobbing for his son's sake. Garnet removed her shades once again to let her tears run free. Amethyst resorted to burying her head in the sand as she bawled loudly, banging her hands on the beach as if begging for mercy. Lapis was the only one with dry eyes while Peridot was desperately trying to keep her composure.

"Whoa, are you okay, Peridot?" Lapis asked as she noticed her barn-mate's face.

"NO! My vision spheres are malfunctioning due to an overload of sadness!" she screamed. She jumped into Lapis' waiting arms and blubbered uncontrollably.

Connie was quickly drying her eyes with the portable pack of tissues she brought with her and moved to the front of the pack.

"Okay then! Thank you very much Pearl for that excellent final word. Well, with all that said I believe it is time to end our funeral. Let us all hold Rose Quartz dear to our hearts and hope she has found a better place."

The crowd all nodded in approval and rose from their seats. The sun was now moving off to the west and the temperature was starting to drop. Garnet got to work moving the couch back inside while the other milled about. One major issue came to mind as Connie looked at the gorgeous casket still sitting before them.

"So what do we do with this then? Is it supposed to be a decoration?" asked the now drained Steven.

"Typically the casket is buried in the ground once the ceremony is finished…"

"Absolutely not!" shouted the hysterical Peridot. All of heartache changed into rage at this horrible notion. "We spent hours crafting every meticulously detail into this piece. We are NOT submerging it into the ground like a broken Gem for it to rot and decompose!"

"Well, I guess that means burning it is out of the question?"

"Over Yellow Diamond's planet-sized ego!"

"Well it might be a tight fit in the van, but I could bring it back to the car wash to keep it as a memento," suggested Greg.

"With all due respect, Greg, I believe it should stay here. This was essentially her home and though it may be a tad cumbersome we can find space for it," said Pearl.

Steven's eyes went starry hearing this and raised his hand. "Ooh, I know! We can put it in Mom's room! That way it will still be here and not take up space!"

Amethyst seconded this call. "I dig that. At least then it won't get in the way plus Peri won't flip her lid over it being lost."

Pearl and Greg both appreciated the thought and agreed as well. Garnet simply walked back outside and picked up the lavish casket without another word.

"Well, I'd say this was a success. Good job everyone!" Steven cheered.

"Actually, Steven, there's actually one part of the funeral left: the wake," Connie added.

"But none of us were asleep for any of this," Lapis added, clearly confused.

"No, it's basically an after party. Once everyone gets the sad feelings off their chests, they all have a celebration to remember the good times they had. My grandmother didn't get a wake. No one felt like staying after that downer Mom let off."

"Well, I've got the TV in the van. We could get some of my old tapes and watch…" Greg started before Steven practically jumped out of his tuxedo in excitement.

"Tape! Dad, that's it! I have something everyone's going to love! Get the TV set up, I'll be right back."

With that said, Steven ran up the stairs past Garnet who was finished moving Rose's casket and hopped into Lion. The group was curious at what the young lad had planned. Greg just followed through and moved the van around so it faced the house with his television set being set up in the back. Steven emerged a minute later, out of breath yet still elated as he held a single cassette tape in his hands.

"I'm sorry I never showed any of you this, but now is the perfect time!" he swore as he approached the group now parked in the sand in front of the TV.

Steven inserted the tape and soon a grainy home film began playing. A series of scenes played out showing a younger Greg messing around on the beach with a melodious female voice narrating and laughing at his whimsy. Amethyst, Garnet and Pearl all recognized it instantly. Before long they watched Greg introduce himself as "the coolest dad this side of the cosmos". The older Universe blushed at his past awkwardness before the woman's voice came back, expositing about the wonders of Earth and how unique every life was. The Gems were all stunned when the camerawoman turned the device around to reveal Rose Quartz in the flesh. The main Crystal Gems were all speechless, silently weeping as they saw their beloved mentor alive one last time, wishing her son to love being himself and to take care of them. Peridot and Lapis were amazed that they could finally see their muse once and were equally impressed with how accurate they got her likeness. Greg was beaming at both the screen and his son with pride. Connie was engrossed as well, hanging on to every word of Rose's words. The final shot showed Greg and Rose leaning in for a kiss before static washed over the screen. Everyone shared a wistful smile as the sun moved closer to the horizon and the message from Rose Quartz ended. A few more tears were shed, but somehow felt lighter than before as the group simply enjoyed the lapping waves and radiant sunshine in each other's company. Steven in particular felt a weight off his chest. Maybe he could never adore his mother the way his father and the Crystal Gems did, but now they all shared a sense of gratefulness for the remarkable Gem that was Rose Quartz.