With that, the secret team had started their mission to try and soundly collect all of the loose gem pieces scattered throughout the temple without your or garnet's knowledge.

Surprisingly, everything goes smoothly in the shard hunt, particularly with pearl and amethyst, who were getting along quite well during the mission, cooperating swimmingly with one another, which, unbeknownst to them, gave joy to the younger gems; spinel because she just liked everyone working together and steven because he didn't have to witness the two bicker like they usually did.

Finally after an extended amount of searching and poofing, the makeshift hunters stood atop the highest fountain of pearl's room, doing a brief count of their collected shards. After ensuring the total, pearl nods to herself. "okay."

"That looks like all of them." Amethyst concluded, a note of relief in her voice.

Steven and spinel beamed brightly at their victory and high fived each other as they excitedly exclaimed in unison; "y
Yeah! Secret team!"

However, pearl hummed in slight uncertainty as she closer inspected the number of shards. "Are you sure we didn't miss any?"

"No way," Amethyst smiled up at the tall gem confidently. "We totally nailed this!"

"Yeah!" steven and spinel agreed, once again in cheerful unison.

Though she isn't fully convinced, she clears her throat in resignation. "If you're sure this is all of them, then we just need to seal it in a rose quartz bubble." This turns everyone's attention on the young hybrid as he's handed the shards. "Steven this is all you," Amethyst affirms giving her share of shards. "Think you can handle it?" Steven smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, I can do it."

"Of course you can!" pearl added with a cheery note. "You're part of the secret club!"

"...Secret team." steven and spinel corrected to which pearl smiled awkwardly, handing her shards over. "Ah, yes. Secret team."

"Yeah, that thing." Amethyst added, with a tad less enthusiasm.
~~~~~~~~~~~

In the burning room, steven's head pops in through the puddle of amethyst's room, preparing to return the pink bubble in its rightful place when he spots none other than garnet herself, standing conveniently beneath him.

And as if that couldn't get any nerve-wracking, the gem leader started to lift her head up, as if she sensed his presence.

This made the boy fly into an abrupt panic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

The abrupt flailing startled the three gems, prompting spinel, who had her limbs wrapped around steven's waist, to yank him out of the puddle so she could check him over in concern. "Did somethin' happen?"

"G-Garnet!" Steven replied somewhat breathlessly, which made the two older gems to stiffen.

"Did she see you?" Amethyst asked anxiousnessly.

"I don't think so..." Steven replied, sounding mildly unsure.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Pearl quipped somewhat impatiently. "Go on."

Spinel pursed her lips at the sharpness in pearl's voice, but quickly dunked steven back into the puddle so he could finish the task at hand.

Once the bubble was put in its place, steven was pulled out of the puddle and set on his feet. Spinel gave him a bright smile as the other two gems got up from their kneeling position, relief written all over their features.

"Mission accomplished," Pearl stated, an air of achievement in her voice. "Congratulations, us."

Amethyst smiled in triumph. "Aww, yes! We're off the hook."

Spinel smiled brightly and clapped once. "Alright! so what's next?"

"Nothing next," Amethyst shrugged nonchalantly. "The mission is over."

"Now everything goes back to normal and we never speak of this again." Pearl affirms matter-of-factly, which made spinel and steven's smiles drop rather quickly.

Steven in particular seemed most distraught. "But what about... Secret team..?"

They both shared saddened glances between each order.

The Secret team... has disbanded.

~~~~~~{timeskipsie}~~~~~~~~

"Hello spinel!" You greeted cheerfully, pausing your snack rummaging through the cabinets at hearing the familiar squeaky footsteps of your dear pink companion. "Did spinel enjoy playdate with Amethyst and Steven?" However, instead of getting a normal, cheerful reply, she doesn't say anything.

"...Spinel?"

you look over your shoulder at spinel, who made a slow approach to the counter, sitting at one of the bar stools, clasping her hands together in front of her and resting them on the counter. to add to this odd behavior, she a hat obscured her eyes and she was oddly quiet and not her usual bouncy self.

Very unlike her.

Your eye squinted at this as you turned around to fully face her. "Does... Spinel want something...?"

"I'll take..." She looked up at you from beneath the brim of the had, a shadow casted over her eyes, giving her that "dramatic character" look. "Some of that juice, ya got."

You narrowed both eyes at her quiet tone, but hummed in affirmation as you trotted over to the fridge, grabbing the colorful carton from the fridge door in one paw, as well as a glass from the cabinet into another. As you poured it, you heard spinel sigh quite loudly in despair. "Spinel okay?" You finish pouring her drink, and walk over to set it on the counter in front of her. You don't see it, but she was looking at something in her lap, which was obscured under the counter. "It was one of the best, (nickname)." She muttered, a bit mysteriously as she shut her eyes in a mildly ominous manner, which made you squint your eye again in slight curiosity. "What was?"

She suddenly slammed her fists onto the counter, startling you slightly as she gave you a dramatic, almost cartoonish glare. "I can't tell ya! I swore I on my gem that I wouldn't!" She holds your stare for a moment, before sighing, and wrapping her hand around the drink you provided, looking back down so the hat rim hid her eyes. After an awkward minute of staring on your part, she finally drinks her beverage, but she chugged it all down in one go and slammed the glass down with a groan. "It's always some of the best things in life that gotta be kept a secret." She peers up at you from under her hat. "Ya get what I'm saying, big fella?"

You stared for a long time.

"...No."

Before anything else could be said, steven suddenly enters the living room, wearing his salmon colored sweat jacket and had his head down, and hands in his pockets. To top it off, his behavior was just as quiet and 'mysterious' as the pink gem as well, as he stood in an awkward silence with his eyes shut for an extended period of time. "...Hello?"

After a second or two, steven looks at you and nods once with a brief hum. He then walks over to spinel, and starts to mutter something in her invisible ear. You don't hear what it is, but judging by the way her brow lifted, it must be interesting. After a minute, they both share a nod between each other, after which steven suddenly slides a bag of frybits to you. "Keep the change." After which, they start to make their way towards the deeper part of the temple. "Good day..."

And just like that they're out of sight.

You stared in their direction for an extensive amount of time, taking the cup off the counter, and stared to clean it with a clean rag, with a disgruntled grumble in your thoat.

"Odd."
~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I know you must be wondering why I brought you all here."

Steven stated, his back turned to the two older gems as spinel stood silently beside him, arms crossed with her best intimidating expression.

"It's 'cause I'm gettin' the team back together!"