"The bits! The bits! The bits! The bits! The bits! The bits! The bi--".

"Shut up!", I shouted, sending Steven a threatening glare so he would be quiet. He sent me an apologetic smile, glancing at the ground and chuckling restlessly. He had been repeating that stupid chant since we left the house and I was quite frankly getting sick of it! We finally reached Beach Citywalk Fries as Steven slammed his fists on the counter, frantically. It's literally just deep-fried chips, what's he getting so excited for? "Give me the--", before Steven could finish his sentence, the boy working in the shop pushed a bag of premade fry bits in front of him.

Steven was a little surprised but sent him a smile. "Eh, I saw you guys coming", the boy spoke, putting his elbow on the counter and using it to support his head. Steven took the bag as Greg paid for it. We all leave, Steven scoffing down the fry bits as we walked along the shore. Steven offered me a few, but I shook my head in rejection. Steven shrugged obliviously, "Oh! (Y/N)! Remember when Peridot was shooting huge robots here from space? And when you smash them, they explode into goo!", he giggled, retelling the story with a mouthful of fries. "That sounds scary", Greg frowned at me, "Are you sure your mother is ok with this?". I snorted, mockingly, attempting to imagine my mum's reacting if she found out what I've been doing with Steven. "Of course she isn't! I haven't told her. She'd kill me if she found out".

Greg's frown lowered as he rubbed the back of neck apprehensively, eyeing Steven. His visual contact looked intense, yet worrisome, but Steven didn't seem to notice. "You know, I'm not sure if...", Greg's voice trailed off before he continued, "Do you ever feel like this Gem stuff is too much for you?".

Steven raised a brow at his father, tilting his head slightly. Now that I think about it, Steven does do a lot of dangerous things for a kid. Before I met him, the most dangerous thing I ever did was plant a tac on my teacher's chair as a result of risky truth or dare game. On the other hand, Steven battles a bunch of gems from space like it's nothing. "What are you--".

Suddenly, the ground we were standing on seemed unstable, making a low rumbling sound. Then the unsteady feeling turned briskly into severe shaking, so drastic that Steven nearly got wobbled off his feet. Almost every local business place had their windows shattered by the impact of the quake as they all glanced up at the sky in utter disbelief. Greg, Steven and I all peeped up to see what everyone was gawking at. I squinted my eyes slightly, to make sure I wasn't seeing things. "Is that a...hand?", I asked, questionably as the giant, green object that was approaching us at a gradual and moderate pace. Steven sent a cautious glance at me, which I instantly returned. "You don't think...?".

Steven rushed me and Greg off the shore, heading towards the direction of his beach house. As we ran, I couldn't help but catch an agile glimpsed at the flying hand making its way to surface as its pace seemed to have gotten quicker. That means we'd have to be quicker too. I suddenly see the Gems, gathered at the edge of the shore, observe the thing in the sky through a telescope. The mouths either gritted with contempt or their eyes widening in terror. "Guys!", Steven called out to them, puffing as he dashed across the beach, "Did you see that thing in the sky?".

The Gems nodded, as the atmosphere around us began to get murkier and more ominous. I felt the air around us become thinner like it was being sucked away from us. "Care to explain why a giant hand is slowly coming towards us?", I asked, glimpsing up at Pearl who looked more anxious than ever.

"It's a ship", she explained, "We have to assume it's Peridot".

My hands clenched slightly. Why was that gem coming back? What did she want? I could see Garnet's agitation growing worse. "Lapis told us she'd be coming. With advanced weapons and reinforcements", she said. I arched a brow turning to face Steven. "Lapis? Who's that?", I asked him.

Steven explained to me how she was a gem who was trapped in some magic mirror which he freed her from, and how she warned him beforehand of Peridot's arrival. Steven then pushed past all The Gems to stand in front. "I wanna see", he stated, bending his knees slightly to peek into the telescope, "Woah...".

I shoved him over into the sand, a little harsher than I meant to, but I wasn't bothered to apologise. And lucky for me, Steven was afraid of me and wouldn't argue back. "My turn!", I chuckled, peering into the telescope lenses to see the green hand pointing its mechanical finger towards us. My smile faltered at the sight as I gradually back away from the telescope. It freaked me out. "Ready the light cannons!", Garnet ordered the other Gems. Pearl flipped a red switch she had in her hands as three radiant, magenta cannons joined together by a crystalline structure appeared from under the deck of the Beach house. I took a few steps back, admiring the enchanting weapons. Amethyst began to push another cannon into position from the porch before giving Garnet a thumbs up.

"Steven, light them up".

Steven took a walkie-talkie from Greg's grip, leaning into it to speak, "If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs". As soon as he spoke The Light Cannons opened up like a blossoming flower. I knitted my brows in complexity, goggling Steven with a dimwitted expression plastered on my face. "Hold on a second...wHat???".

Steven shrugged obliviously in return, "It's a phrase--".

"What does that mean?!".

Once the Cannons were fully activated, four beams of light fired and twired towards the hand ship. I noticed something weird about it though. There was a white silhouette in the middle, but it looked oddly familiar. It was a woman. I've...seen that woman before, but where? Was it the same woman from my dreams? The one who gave me that gemstone?

The ship unclenched its hands, opening up into a palm and blocked the attacks with ease. It then continued descending as if nothing happened.

I scoffed, "Well that didn't work".

"What now?", Greg asked in a state of frenzy. "We'll have to take them head-on", Garnet replied, picking up the telescope, "The whole town might be in danger". Steven took out his phone from his jeans pocket. "I better make a call. Time for some... political favours", he said, as I looked over his shoulder to see that he was dialling the Mayor. I began to take out my phone too, "I better make sure my mum's ok at work", I spoke, tapping her nicon on my phone. I bring the phone up to my ear, listening to the deafening sound of the ringing before it goes straight to voice mail. I tried again, I tried several times but to no avail. "Argh! She's not answering!", I fussed, with a hint of panic in the tone of my voice. Greg rested his hand on my shoulder, making me glance up at him. "Don't worry, (Y/N)", he reassures me, "I'm sure she's fine".

~

I hear the sound to a siren chanting and the noise of an engine towards the boardwalk. A whole crowd of citizens gathered around the Mayor's van. He began to say his quite inadequately planned speech about how the town should evacuate as Greg pulled up onto the beach with his vehicle. He gets out and receives help from the Gems to pack and load the luggage into the back of his van. "Hey! That's a great idea, Dad. You should leave with the rest of the--", Steven's voice halted when he noticed a cheeseburger backpack at the foot of Greg and Pearl who looked extremely ashamed. Wait, isn't that Steven's backpack? "Is that my luggage?".

"Uuhh...", they both said simultaneously as the glanced at each other in guilt. "Who wants to tell him?", Greg asked, rigidly, before him and Pearl turn to face Amethyst. She scoffed, turning her back at us and crossing her arms defensively, "Hey, I'm not good with this stuff!".

Garnet eyed everyone, before stepping forward. "Steven, I know you don't think we trust you", she justified, kneeling down to his level. She placed her hand on his shoulder as Steven began to realise where this was going. "I know more often than not we treat you like a human child. But the truth is, we rely on you". She handed him a megaphone, which he hesitated to grab. "Your voice inspires us, binds us, reminds us why we promised to protect the planet. You must now be that voice, for them".

I clicked my tongue, somewhat scowling at the Gems. "Oh, please! You're just using that excuse to get him out of the way", I asserted, planting my firm hands on my hips. Pearl shook her head relentless, waving her hands in front of her face in an apprehensive manner. "N-No, no! That's not it at all! We just--", she halted mid-sentence, biting down of her lip and glancing away. I knew it!

"We need Steven to take care of the townfolks", Garnet answered, "If anything happens, you need to be there to protect them. Like your mother once did. It's your destiny". Steven glimpsed down at the megaphone in doubt, feeling a huge weight of distress resting on his shoulders. But he plastered on a courageous face, before assuredly stating, "I won't disappoint you!".

Garnet smiled, feeling proud of him, "I know, make sure to take this one with you", she pointed at me, still scowling at her. Steven nodded, gripping onto my arm and hauling me with him to the van. Greg set up the back seats for me, and let me climb in. Once Steven sat down, Greg turned the keys, started the engine and drove off. I glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing the Gems visibly distressed and devastated. Steven turned to look back at me. "Seatbelts save lives", he told me, reaching out to grab onto my belt and buckle me up, "Buckle up every time". I frowned at him, leaning forward and flicking his forehead so he would face forward. "Ow!", he expressed in pain, rubbing his head.

I caught myself gawking at the rearview mirror again, seeing other citizens in their vehicles driving out of town with us. I was hoping I'd see my mother in that crowd, but I didn't. I let the air out through my nose, sinking into the car seat, watching Steven peer at the surroundings through the window. "Maybe when Peridot gets to Earth, she'll see how nice all the people are and she won't want to hurt anyone", Steven said, positively. I tsked, glaring out the window, still noticing the dark atmosphere surrounding us. "Get real, Steven", I grunted, sinking into the car seat with a foreboding aura clinging onto me, "She's coming to kill us".

Steven turned to me with a timid face while Greg peered at me through the mirror. "You...You don't know that", Steven studdered.

"You think she'll change sides so easily? People aren't like that. Not everyone is as nice as you". Greg sighed, wistfully, frowning down at the wheel. "(Y/N) right, Steven", he gripped the wheel a little firmer. "These other Gems aren't like your mother. They aren't like Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl. They aren't gonna start caring about people now. They didn't the first time they...", Greg suddenly stopped himself from talking, hoping Steven and I didn't hear the last thing he said. But, we did. "The first time they what?", Steven asked. Greg didn't look at Steven but saw my reflected scowl in the mirror which made him tense up. "I mean, it was thousands of years ago! It's-it's not like I was there!", Greg studdered restlessly. Steven began to glare at his father, not in wrath, in curiosity. He knew his dad wanted to say something. But what?

"The Gems should be telling you all this stuff, but I get it. I mean, they don't want you thinking of them like that!", Greg explained to him. I crossed my arms over my chest, "Like what?". Greg doesn't reply. Instead, he faced forward, pressing his lips into a thin line and breathing a little heavier than usual. Steven leaned closer to him, "Dad, like what?".

"Like aliens, Steven! Aliens who invaded Earth!", Greg shouted.

"What?!", Steven exclaimed in awe.

"All they do is try to make up for it. They just can't forgive themselves, you understand? Look, they were doing something awful to the planet and your mother couldn't stand it anymore. She told me that's why she had to turn on her own kind. She gave up everything just to stop what they started here and drive the invading Gems off of Earth".

Steven was in utter shock, shuddering at the thought. His breath was caught in his throat. He felt paralysed, an aura of despair clinging tightly onto him. So tightly that he couldn't breathe. He was overwhelmed by this new information and his brain couldn't process it. "So sh-she saved the world, that's good!", he stammered as his dad shook his head. "No such thing as a good war, kiddo", Greg frowned at his son, "Gems were destroyed, people too... In the end, your mother could only save a handful of her closest friends. If it weren't for her shield, man, I don't know.".

He looked down at Steven noticing how poorly he was doing at handling all this. "B-but hey, let's look on the bright side! We're gonna drive past that waffle place in a couple miles!", Greg forced a fraudulent, comforting smile on his face as Steven buried his face in his hands. "You like waffles, right (Y/N)", he looked at me in the rearview mirror. I glimpsed down at the floor, not knowing what to say. Well, of course, I wanted waffles, but Steven looked so hurt and I didn't think that waffles would cheer him up.

"We gotta go back! Turn the van around!", Steven begged his dad.

"No way, the Gems don't want you going back!", Greg countered, focusing on the road. "I know they're just trying to protect me, but I have to protect them! I have Mom's shield, they need me!", Steven lifted up his jacket to show his glimmering, pink gem in his stomach. I leaned closer to Greg, gripping onto the fabric of his chair, "I think we should turn around!", I said as drops of sweat profusely dripped down Greg's face. However, he still refused to reply. Steven suddenly knitted his brows together. He steamed with resentment as I heard him swallow down the sudden fury he had, but it clearly showed in his pink-tinted cheeks.

Steven clenched his hands into a tight fist, "Dad! Turn the van around, PLEASE!!!". He threw a blow at the panel in front of him as an airbag inflated and launched him out of the van. "Steven!", I called out to him as Greg pressed his foot on the brake to stop the van. We both dashed out of the vehicle, running down to where we assumed he landed. We saw him, lying face down in the dirt.

I kneeled down to grab onto his arms and help him up. "You idiot! Why would you do that?!", I scowled, sharply. His glossy eyes turned to face me as tears spilled down his pale cheeks, making me soften my scowl on him. "Yo, are you three okay?", a man asked as several citizens began to gather around to check on Steven's safety. Greg nodded, glancing down to look at his son. "Dad, please. I have to go back. I have to! They don't have my shield, do you understand?", he sobbed as fresh tears began to form in his eyes. Greg smiled, wiping away his tears with his thumbs. "Yeah, okay. Just... be careful, or I'm gonna run fresh out of family", he wearily chuckled.

"Stay with everyone and keep them safe. I'll figure out some way to get back to Beach City", he explained to his dad as I jeered. "Um, you mean we'll figure out some way to get back to Beach City?", I stated, "I'm coming with you". Steven goggled at me, shaking his head in denial.

"What, no! You need to stay with dad where it's safe", he told me. I crossed my arms again, narrowing my brows, "So I can helplessly watch you risk your life from the sidelines? That's not happening!".

"(Y/N), pleas--".

"Either we both go, or neither of us goes", I asserted. Steven thought for a short while, looking back at the crowd of agitated citizens, then at his dad who shrugged with a timid smile before letting out a sigh. "Ok, fine", he gave in. Suddenly, Steven's pet lion appeared behind him, resting a pink paw on top of his poofy head. I arched a brow, "When and how did you get here?".

Steven climbed onto Lion's back, shifting to get comfortable as I curved my lip in uncertainty. "You know, if you come with me, you'll have to get on. You sure you don't want to change your mind?", he asked to confirm. I glared daggers up at him, "Don't try and toy with my head", I grunted, stretching out my hand to grab onto Steven's as he lifted me up in one, sluggish motion.

~

"Hey, guys!", Steven greeted them as him and I began jogging towards to beach to be greeted by Garnet and a new, extremely tall woman with periwinkle skin, a pointed nose, plump lip, baby blue eyes and wavy, thick white hair that was tied back into a ponytail. Her face looked extremely familiar.

"Steven! (Y/N)!", Garnet gasped at the sight of us. Suddenly, the very tall woman, spilt into two individuals who turned out to be Amethyst and Pearl who were lying in the sand. Oh, great. Fusion. I practically gagged at the word as memories of the experience of Quartan came flooding back.

"What are you two doing?! Get out of here!", Pearl exclaimed with terror reflecting in her eyes. "It's too late! Just stay behind us!", Garnet said as the Gems stanced themselves in front of Steven and me as a protective wall. The ship landed in front of us, just on the shore of the beach as it created a dust cloud that we needed to shield our eyes from. The hand ship opened up its palm, revealing a small green bubble that rolled onto the fingers and opens up. Inside was Peridot and another gem I didn't know. She had orange skin, thick, beige-white-coloured flowing hair and an organ gemstone on her nose. I noticed that Peridot had something on her wrist and my eyes widened when I realised what it was. My bracelet. She still had it!

"That's them, all right. They're the ones who keep breaking my machines", Peridot pointed down at us. "This is it?", the orange gem grunted. "Jasper! They keep interfering with my work!". Jasper?

She sighed, stepping forward to reveal her face more clearly. Her malicious gaze skimmed over all of us and the sight her sent a distraughted shiver through my body. "Looks like another waste of my time...", she snarled, glancing behind herself. "Hey, get over here!". Jasper grabbed harshly onto someone and dragged her out. She had blue skin and chin-length hair and long bangs that almost completely covered her face. She immediately ripped herself out from Jasper's grip, scowling at her. But, she suddenly gasped when she locked eye contact with Steven. "Lapis...!", a small whisper left Steven's lips. So that was Lapis, is she evil too?

"This is their base?", Jasper aggressively asked Lapis. She shamefully glanced to the side, "Yes...".

"You need to leave immediately!", Garnet commanded, trying to remain dominant. "Yeah, step off!", Amethyst growled.

"This is not a Gem-controlled planet!", Pearl said although it sounded like she was begging them to leave rather than forcing them. Peridot and Jasper jumped off the tips of the finger, dragging Lapis along with them onto the sand. "And neither of you saw Rose Quartz? Oh, what a shame", she frowned, before slightly grinning, "I'd hoped to meet her. I was looking forward to beating her into the ground!".

I could see from the corner of my eyes that Steven was shuddering, but tried hard to keep still as he swallowed a large mouthful of air. He turned to wearily glance at me as I pressed a finger to my lips, silently urging him not to say anything that could instigate a fight. "But this is