"This is fun." Steven throws the football at Isabella who catches it.
"Maybe baseball or volleyball could be better?" Isabella adds as she throws the football to Rose.
"My children. All sports are beautiful." Rose chases after the football, "Each sport is a unique experience. The adrenaline, the glory." she catches the football and spins around, "The sheer feats of athleticism, each one is so complicated." she floats onto the ground, "And yet, exactly the same."
"Whoa." the two say.
"Hey Steven!" Rose holds the football on the ground for Steven to kick with a teasing grin.
Isabella snickers, "I know this one!"
"You know, I always felt like something was unusual about my adolescence. Maybe this is what I've been missing. Football!" Steven runs towards the football and right before he can kick it, Rose removes the football at the last second, causing him miss and flies into the air, "AAUGH!" he falls onto the ground, he, his sister, and Rose laughing, "Touchdown!"
"Good one, Mom!" Isabella adds.
"My children." Rose pats the ground and the two siblings sit down next to her.
"We've been, uh, thinking about you...a lot lately. More than usual." Steven told her.
"Is that so?"
"Well, for our whole life, we've been hearing stories about you. About how amazing you were. That you were so kind and loving. And every time I'd see the painting of you hanging in the temple, I'd be inspired. And reminded of how much I had to live up to you. I've, uh..." Isabella chuckles nervously, "Even dyed the ends of my hair pink."
"And I even thought of dying mine pink. More than once." Steven adds.
Rose giggles and ruffles Steven's hair before stroke Isabella's hair, "There's nothing wrong with your hair. It's wonderful just the way it is. Wonderful in every way. Just like you two."
Steven lies against Rose's lap, Isabella doing the same on the other side, "Wow... this is nice. It-it's really nice." Steven begins to tear up.
"We should have tried this a long time ago." Isabella adds.
"But my children, don't you realize? We've been together this whole time."
"Oh!" Steven laughs, "That's-That's right!" he sniffles and gets up, "Oh, this is the first time we've hung out together." he takes out his phone, "We gotta capture this moment!"
Isabella stops him, "Bro, there will be nothing here but us...this entire time, we were just..."
"Talking to ourselves." Steven puts his phone away and looks at Rose, "You're not our mom."
"I'm not?"
"This is how we want you to be. But we don't know if this is who you really are." Steven says as the atmosphere in the room quickly turns dark, "We've learned things about you. Things you wanted to keep secret."
"You locked Bismuth away inside of Lion, because she wanted to shatter Gems, and you never told Garnet or Pearl. But then you shattered Pink Diamond!" Isabella adds.
"Now all of Homeworld has it out for Earth, and the Crystal Gems, and us!"
"You put us all in danger, and you just...disappeared!"
Thunder rumbles and lightning strikes in the room, startling the two siblings. Strong wind begins to blow, lifting the two away and knocking them onto the ground. Rose begins floating in the air, with a dark shadow cast upon her face.
"We finally know the truth. We know what you are! You're a liar!" Isabella points at her.
"We thought you'd never want to hurt anyone, but you hurt everyone! How could you just leave Garnet, and Amethyst and Pearl, and-and Dad?! They don't know what to do without you!" Steven adds.
"Maybe they didn't matter to you, as much as hiding the mess you made! And that's why we're here, isn't it?! Did you make us, just so you wouldn't have to deal with all your mistakes?!"
Rose remains silent in the storm as Steven and Isabella sigh, falling to their knees.
"Is that all we're here for?..." Steven asks.
Rose floats down in front of them, the storm calming down, "Isabella, Steven, you know that isn't true. In the tapes I left you, I told you how much I wanted to have you two and let you exist. Do you think what I said to you in the tapes were lies?"
Isabella looks in shock. She had a tape?
"No...I'm sure-I'm sure you meant it." Steven says.
Isabella nods silently.
Rose walks over and gives them a hug. It then begins to rain in the room.
"I get it. I know you didn't want us to deal with your problems." Steven told her.
"But you're a part of us now. We have to deal with what you left behind." Isabella adds as Rose disappears into clouds.
...
The two emerge out of Rose's room and lie down on the couch.
"Hey, schtu-ball! Hey, sweetheart!" Greg calls out as he holds a box of pizza, walking into the house with the Gems, "Guess who's back in jean shorts! And guess who also got you a pizza?" he sets it down on the table and sits down on the couch with them, "It was me!" he hugs the two siblings.
"Dad! Amethyst? Garnet? And Pearl, too?" Steven says as the Gems joined them on the couch.
"They were all out of pepperoni by the way, so I just got you mushroom. I hope that's alright." Greg says.
Isabella looks over at Steven, the two smiling as they pick up a slice, "It's perfect."
Storm in the Room
Start from the beginning
