(Sorry this took so long, guys. The fact of the matter is two things: 1 I was struggling with trying to get out of my job, which I really hated and left me drained and often crying after shifts. I do have a better less stressful job now thankfully. Secondly I was having trouble coming up with a way to explain Blue coming back, as this would not be allowed by the rules established in canon so I had to take my best logic and stretch it. Thank the diamonds I don't write for SU.

Something I need to clear up before this chapter starts, I did not intend Garnet to come off harsh or cruel when she smiled while Steven was injured. I had set that up for a reveal as to why she /spanspan class="tm5"was smiling later, and I had thought more people would be able to guess why she was smirking. Since it seems people can't guess, I won't spoil it, but let's put it this way, her smirk was directed towards Blue rather than towards Steven's dire situation. Remember that Garnet always lives PARTIALLY in the future and it only takes her a second or two to see events play out in advance. Now here we go.)

"Steven clung happily to his mother's chest as Blue Diamond carried him towards home. One arm held him securely while the other held hands with Greg. Blue head was still reeling a bit. A truce with the Crystal Gems? How would she ever come to terms with this herself, let alone tell Yellow and White?

She felt her son cuddling into her and smiled down at him. She'd figure it out somehow. Greg walked with her in comfortable silence until they reached home, Lapis and Pearl following silently. Pearl moved ahead only to open the door for them. After Lapis, Pearl entered and closed the door behind her.

"My Diamond, it's nearly lunch time. Do you have any need of me before I go prepare a meal?" She asked dutifully. Pearl was slipping right back into her normal role surprisingly easily. Blue Diamond shook her head.

"Go on, Pearl. I'm sure these three want to be informed on what you already know." Pearl curtsied and went to the kitchen. Blue turned and led the rest of their party to the living room. Blue Diamond seated herself on the couch, placing Steven in her lap. Greg and Lapis sat down with her.

"I'm certain all three of you have questions. Where shall we start?" She asked. Her gaze was tender and happy, much more so than Lapis could ever remember seeing on her. Lapis wondered if this was what a Diamond looked like when her guard was down.

"How is this possible?" Greg blurted out, repeating the question he'd asked when he saw her that morning. Blue drew him even closer. Steven looked up at his mother with great curiosity, more than ready to hear this explanation.

"Ah, the most complicated question first. Well you and Lapis both know the basic process of gem creation, and I'm sure Pearl has taught Steven. Well the development of a sentient mind in a gem is what separates autonomous gems from a simple gem power source. Certain resources can be combined into a... fluid that absorbs into a gem as it incubates and causes it to develop its own mind, to become a person. It's the... essense of gem life.

"When I was pregnant with Steven I had an idea, that perhaps if the essence could be removed from my gem-" She paused to tap the diamond on Steven's chest for clarifiation. "Then perhaps it would be possible for my essensce to be transplanted into an incubating gem." She paused again and tapped the diamond on her own chest. "I made the plans and instructions on how such a thing would be done, and Pearl followed through on them, extracting my essense and transfering it after Steven's birth. The details are complicated, but to make a long lecture short, Pearl had to extract my essence from my original gem, then transfer it into the drill with the carbon and just the right amount of boron to make a new gem for me." Blue Diamond explained.

Greg gave her a sad look. "Blue, why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" He asked. Blue drew him closer. "It had never been done before. No peridot on homeworld was ever assigned to try such a thing. I decided not to tell you, because if it failed I didn't want you to spend your life waiting. The same goes for you, Steven. Besides, it did take longer than intended. We managed to use some ideal placement and experimental techniques to speed up the incubation rapidly, but I couldn't be sure it would work and work quickly."

Lapis listened silently up until this point, absorbing the information. "You took such a big risk for them. It could have been the end of you, My Diamond. Why?" She asked softly.

Blue straightened up a bit, her natural inclination to come off as absolute authority coloring her action and her words. "Because I wanted to have a child. I wanted to experience motherhood like humans do. I wanted it badly enough that it was worth the risk." She hugged Steven closer to herself, as if he could still be taken from her.

Greg placed a hand on her shoulder. "Blue, no need to be so harsh. She doesn't know us or understand us like Pearl does, but she'll get there. You don't need to DEFEND your choices. It's understandable that she's curious." Blue relaxed and checked her tone, stroking Steven's jet black hair.

Lapis cringed a bit, but seeing Blue calm down, she dared to ask one more question. "My Diamond, are we... going to go home soon?"

Blue Diamond nodded. "Yes, we'll need to return to Homeworld soon, at least for a bit. I have to catch up on what's going on in my court, as well as catch up with Yellow and White. They'll want to meet Greg and Steven too."

Steven gasped. "We're going to go to Homeworld?!" He said excitedly. Greg couldn't help but feel a bit of his old wanderlust build up, but he had to think logically. "Are you certain it would be... safe for Steven there?" He asked.

"You'll both be perfectly safe there. I'll see to that." Blue promised. "Besides, it's not as if we're leaving for homeworld tomorrow. There is catching up as a family to do here, and plans to make for the trip. We'll need to think about food, and see what clothes you and Steven will need. We may need to have Pearl make you some new outfits that will allow you to fit in better." Blue resisted the urge to start making plans at that very moment. There would be time for that while Greg and Steven slept that night.

Greg and Lapis took the time to fill Blue in fully on what had been going on in Beach City, and the alliance Steven had been slowly building with the Crystal Gems. Steven was also excited to tell his mother all about his new friend Connie.

"Ah, a new friend so quickly? I suppose socialization tends to be easier for children. None the less I'm proud of you. I'll have to meet her soon." Blue smoothed Steven's hair, while Steven pulled out his phone to show Blue pictures.

"Everyone, dinner is prepared." Pearl said, standing in the doorway. Everyone stood and followed her, even Lapis. So far the Lazuli had refrained from eating, but she decided if Blue Diamond was going to eat, she may as well try it. It was there in the dining room where Blue finally set Steven down for the first time since picking him up, in the seat next to hers, of course. And obviously Greg on her other side. Yet Blue still held the nagging feeling that the family wasn't completely reunited just yet.