A/N: Hello, all. This is my first ever published fic. I'd really appreciate it if you dropped a line telling me how it is, especially if you didn't like it. Constructive criticism is good. ^_^

Garbage

It started with just sitting next to each other on the beach while Steven played in the sand.

Greg would come over to see him, and Amethyst would carry the blanket and toys outside while the musician carried Steven. She would spread the blanket and toys out, and Greg would place a little two years old Steven down. Usually Amethyst would've just waved and left, but that day the sound of the beach called to her. It was either that or the sound of Pearl screaming.

So, she started joining Greg and Steven on their beach adventures. She never tried to intrude on their father/son time, and Greg didn't seem to mind all that much. Most of his time was spent entertaining Steven. But there were moments when Steven would go off on his own, perhaps chasing a seagull, and Greg would come over to sit next to Amethyst. They wouldn't speak, just coexist. It was...nice.

Then they discovered that they both liked Little Butler.

It was an accident. Greg saw that the Gems had bought a new refrigerator and said, "You people have too much money." From then on, they were the best of friends, brought together by the love of a baby who was a butler.

They would spend nearly all of their spare time together watching reruns. As soon as she, Pearl and Garnet would warp in from a mission, Amethyst would sprint over to the car wash to watch Little Butler with Greg and Steven. Soon, their Butler Binge extended into the night, after Pearl or Garnet had come to take Steven to bed.

At night is when it first happened.

She doesn't know what possessed her to do it. She was warm and happy. Greg never expected anything of her. He was nice. She wanted to thank him. She wanted to show him how thankful she was to him for watching a stupid sitcom with her. For not treating her like a little kid.

For helping her not feel lonely.

She kissed him. She grabbed him by the back of his neck and brought his mouth down to hers and kissed him with every fiber of her being. She felt him tense, surprised. She expected to get pushed back, to get yelled at and threatened, maybe even hit.

But it never happened.

He kissed her back with just as much desperation. That's what it was, Amethyst realized. They were desperate for someone to love, for the person they did love was gone. She tasted tears in the kiss, and at first she thought they were Greg's. She could feel the tear tracks running down his cheeks with her hand, but then a shudder passed through her body, and she realized they could just as easily have easily been her tears.

Clothes were removed quickly and sloppily until all that was left was them and their crushing loneliness and desperation. Amethyst was past the point of no return. She didn't care who they were and who they weren't. She just wanted to feel good, feel something other than the burning hatred and hopelessness in her heart.

He slid inside of her and they cried harder. It was right. It was a betrayal. It felt good. It felt terrible. It was the light of Heaven. It was the torture of Hell.

He couldn't finish.

"Rose," he whispered, an unending stream of tears making her wet in another guilty way. "Rose..."

"I-it's okay," she said, close to the end. All she had to do was reach the end and this would be over. She would feel better. It always made her feel better. It would work for him too, he just had to reach the end.

"Rose!"

What they were doing was wrong. What she was about to do was unforgivable. But maybe he would forgive her, one day. When he looked back and saw that it helped make them feel good, if only for awhile. It was for him as much as her.

A bright purple light shone as she shapeshifted. Thick, curly hair sprouted from her head, she grew over three feet, and her body expanded.

Ameth-no, Rose placed her hand under Greg's chin, lifting his head so that his eyes could meet hers. It was dark, Amethyst having turned off the television so that it wouldn't bear witness to their shame. He would barely be able to see the difference in color, not if he didn't want to. "Greg," she whispered. "It's alright. You can do it."

It was a over in a matter of minutes. They rolled away from each other, lying on the ground and staring up at the ceiling.

She didn't understand. It was supposed to make her feel better, but she felt like...

"Garbage,"Amethyst whispered almost silently.

Greg stood up, gathering his clothes and slowly walking away. Amethyst heard a door slam, signaling that he had gone back to his van.

Amethyst rolled over onto her side, coming face to face with a mirror.

Rose's face, twisted with disappointment, anger and grief stared back at her.

Garbage.