Rooftop Romeo
By: Element of One
"Up here guys, I think I found something," Amethyst shouted, as she motioned towards Garnet and Pearl, who were standing at the bottom of the stairs. "I think I know what he's up to," she exclaimed, as she reached underneath Stevens's mattress to retrieve something. Pearl ran up the stairs and shouted, "Stop it! We need to respect his privacy!" Amethyst looked at her and said, "Oh please, like you respect his privacy!? Is that why you're always spying on him every night!?" Pearl responded, "That's different. I watch over him to make sure he's sleeping peacefully at night! I check to see if he has any irregularities in his breathing! It's strictly for health purposes!"
"Whatever, weirdo!" Amethyst exclaimed as she retrieved a "comic book" from underneath the mattress. She held it in both of her hands and began to observe it, then Pearl snatched it from her. "Give me that!" Pearl said, as she started to read from the front cover, "Detective Comics? What is this?" Garnet looked down at the cover and began to read from it as well, "The amazing and unique adventures of Batman… Well, I guess this explains a lot." "It does explain a lot," Amethyst said as she pulled out a cape and a mask from underneath the mattress.
Pearl opened the cover and began to read from the comic book. She had a worried look in her eyes as she said, "Garnet we have to go talk to him! He's in over his head! Apparently this Batman character likes to fight crime! Steven could get hurt if that's what he's doing!" Garnet walked over towards Steven's window and saw that he was sitting down on the beach next Connie. "This explains why he's been sneaking out at night," Garnet exclaimed with her arms folded, then continued, "I've noticed the bruises. Steven isn't aware, but I am." As the three stood in front of Steven's window, Pearl asked, "So what are we going to do? We can't allow him to continue, he could get seriously hurt!"
"We're not going to do anything," Garnet replied. "We're going to follow him tonight, to see where he ends up." All three gazed down upon Steven, and observed as he was sitting peacefully on the beach.
The Beach
"How long are you going to keep this up Steven?" Connie asked as she observed the bruises on Stevens's arms and legs. "Why are you fighting with people anyway?" Steven looked at her and said, "I'm only doing this because I want to be useful to the team. I can't seem to summon my shield when I want to, so the gems decided it would be better if I took a break from the missions for a while. At least until I get control of my powers." Steven held Connie's hand and continued, "Besides, Batman doesn't have any powers and he's still able to stop the bad guys." Connie looked back at him and said, "Yeah Steven, but Batman isn't real. Don't you know that?"
"Yes he is!" Steven protested. "Anyone could be Batman! He likes to fight against evil, and I want to be just like him!" Connie smiled then said, "Just don't hurt yourself when you're out there pretending to be Batman, okay? And who gave you those bruises by the way?" Steven smiled back at her and responded, "It was Onion, I caught him trying to break into the arcade again." The two stared at each other and began laughing, then Connie said, "Have you thought of a name for yourself?" "Yes I have," he responded. "I was thinking I'd call myself Quartz-Man or something like that. I'll try to keep it original." Connie smiled once more and said, "That's not very original Steven." She leaned in close to give him a kiss on the cheek, then said, "How about Rooftop Romeo?" Steven began blushing, as he could still feel the sensation of her lips pressed up against his skin, then said, "That's a good name! That could work too! Why not!"
The two continued to hold each other, as Connie whispered, "Are you going to stop by my house tonight?" Then Steven replied, "Yeah, I'll stop by for a little while. I'm sure the streets of Beach City will still be safe, even if I spend some time with my girlfriend." Connie laughed at Steven's comments, then said, "I've never seen you in your costume before. I want to take a picture, so I can add it to our photo album. Is that okay?" "Sure," Steven replied. "Besides, the citizens of Beach City will want to know who's been protecting them from all the criminal activity." Connie laughed once more and said, "I don't think Onion qualifies as criminal activity…."
Pearl will still standing in the window. She gazed down upon the two of them, with her eyes now blazing and shouted, "She's kissing on him again! I don't appreciate this! Someone needs to tell that girls parents, how much of a…" But before she could finish, Garnet grabbed her and yanked her away from the window, then said, "Let's go Pearl, let them have their privacy!"
That Night
Steven lifted his head off the pillow and glanced over his shoulder to see that it was "10:00pm" on his alarm clock. He observed his surroundings and saw that the lights were turned off, so he stood up out of his bed and began to reach underneath his mattress. Steven put his cape on first, which was a simple towel that he tied into a knot, and then placed around his neck. He then put on his mask, which was an old black cloth with two holes cut out, so his eyes could see. Lastly, he grabbed a belt, he fitted it to his waist and began hanging items from it. He grabbed a hammer, a rope, and a flash light, then placed each item on his belt.
When he was finished, as he stood in front of the window with both hands on his hips, he looked up towards the night sky and shouted, "I AM QUARTZ-MAN!" Then Steven caught himself, and remembered the name that Connie had suggested to him earlier, and said, "I mean, ROOFTOP ROMEO!" Steven turned to face the kitchen. With both of his arms above his head, while holding his cape, he said in a deep voice, "I'll turn fear against those who prey on the fearful!" Steven was strong in his conviction as he headed down stairs, and made his way to the front door.
Amethyst was struggling to prevent herself from laughing, as she quietly whispered, "Rooftop Romeo!? Are you kidding me? Come on Steven! You can come up with something better than that!" Pearl elbowed her and said, "Shhh! be quiet Amethyst!" All three gems were huddled on the other side of the kitchen, and were crouching behind the counter to stay out of site. Garnet peered her head over the counter and watched as Steven walked through the front door, then left. She then stood up and said, "Let's go." But before Amethyst could get to her feet, Garnet looked down at her and stated, "I don't appreciate you making fun of Steven. He's just a kid, and he's very impressionable." Amethyst stood up, then responded, "Oh come on guys! I was just kidding!" Then there was silence between them.
"As confused as Steven is right now, I read his comic book," Garnet exclaimed, as she continued to talk at Amethyst. "This Batman character is valiant and believes in integrity. That's someone who Steven should strive to be like, even if he's not real." Garnet looked down at the comic book in her hand, she tossed it over to Amethyst and said, "Here, why don't you take a look at this. You might learn something from it." Amethyst held the comic book in her hands, then responded irritably, "Whatever! Let's just follow Steven so he doesn't get hurt or into any trouble!" As she was walking towards the door, she continued, "Batman! Oh please! Give me a break! He's not even real!"
As the three Gems headed outside, Garnet spoke to Amethyst once more, "You're missing the point. Steven needs a strong male figure to look up to, and I'm glad he found him in his literature."
Connie's House
Connie heard the sound of a pebble hitting her window, and when she got up to go see who it was, she could see that Steven was now standing outside on the beach, beneath her balcony. She opened her window to gaze down upon him and quietly said in a low voice, "Keep it down Steven, my parents are asleep!" Steven nodded his head, as the two stared at each other for a moment. Connie smiled at him and quietly whispered, "You look awesome Steven!" "Thanks!" he replied. "Is this the outfit that you wear when you go out at night?" She asked. "Yep," Steven replied as he now began to suck in his gut, and proceeded to pump out his chest.
She giggled at him for a moment then said, "Wait right here Steven! Let me go get my camera!" Connie was overly excited, as she didn't pay attention to the window seal, and ended up banging her head against it. As she pulled her head inside, she began to rub it and said, "Ouch!" Steven was still standing outside, when he looked up at her and asked, "Are you okay?" She replied, "I'm fine Steven, let me get my camera." Connie disappeared into her room, as Steven continued to wait patiently. Off into the distance, the gems were hiding behind a few bushes when Amethyst said, "Oh gosh, I can't believe we're actually watching these two! It's like watching two geniuses!" "Silence!" Garnet whispered. "We're only here to make sure nothing bad happens to Steven."
Pearl, who was kneeling behind a bush with binoculars pressed up against her eyes, also whispered, "I'm here to make sure NOTHING happens to Steven! Which includes him being seduced by a certain someone!" Garnet grabbed the binoculars and yanked them away from Pearl, then said, "Give me that! I told you to let them be. I've been meaning to talk to you Pearl, but right now you need to stop! Steven's getting older and you can't hold onto him forever. We're all going to have to let go someday." Pearl's heart sank as she heard Garnets words, and she began to cry a little.
"Why do you even need binoculars? He's like 20 feet away!" Amethyst exclaimed to Pearl. She continued, "Stop being a weirdo!" Suddenly, Pearl leaped at Amethyst and the two began fighting. Steven looked off into the distance, and could see a cloud of dust coming up from behind the bushes. He heard rustling in the background, when he looked up at Connie and said nervously, "Uh, Connie! I think I need to be going!" Then she replied, "Wait Steven, let me take your picture." After she snapped the photo, she stepped out of her window, onto her balcony, then blew a kiss at Steven.
Steven smiled as he caught the kiss with his hand, and blew one back at her. He reached into his pocket to pull out a "rose," then threw it up towards the balcony. Connie caught the rose, she looked at it, then asked, "What is this for?" Steven replied, "It's for you my lady…." Connie smiled as she put the rose petals to her nose, and said, "I don't recall Batman ever giving out roses before." Steven smiled as he said, "Well I'm not Batman, I'm Rooftop Romeo!" The two continued to blow a few more kisses at each other, when suddenly they heard a loud scream come from the bushes. Steven looked up at Connie once more and said, "Well, I guess I have to be going. Duty calls. Be safe my lady." Then Connie replied, "Be careful Rooftop, bye…"
Amethyst and Garnet watched as Steven walked past, without taking notice of them, and observed that he was now heading in the direction of the boardwalk. "Just wait a few more moments," Garnet whispered, as she looked over at Amethyst. They both looked at each other, then they looked at Pearl. Pearl was now tied up with Amethysts whip, as Garnet and Amethyst were sitting next to her with their hands over her mouth. She had tears flowing from her eyes, and both gems were struggling to prevent her body from shaking.
"How long is this going to take!?" Amethyst asked, as she stared at Garnet. "She flipped out as soon as she saw Steven toss the rose! This is so ridiculous!" Garnet looked at her Pearl, then looked back at Amethyst and said quietly, "Remove your hands." Then Amethyst protested, "Wait, what!? Are you sure about that!? I don't want her to flip out and go all psycho!" Garnet responded, "it's okay, I can handle her." "Alright," Amethyst said reluctantly as she released her grip. Garnet observed Pearl and said softly, "I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth now. Everything is going to be okay Pearl. Just remain calm" Amethyst kept her whip wrapped around Pearl's body, while Garnet slowly started to lift her hand from Pearl's mouth. As she did, Pearl began shouting hysterically,
"WHY STEVEN, WHY! HOW COULD YOU! YOU BROKE MY HEART! I CAN'T GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?"
Garnet instantly placed her hand back over Pearls mouth, then said, "We're going to be here awhile..." Amethyst sighed, as she too got in close to hold Pearl once more, and said, "What are we going to do!? This is like Rose all over again! She had a problem with letting go back then, and she has the same problem now!" Garnet began to wipe the tears from Pearl's eyes, when she said, "She doesn't have a problem with letting go, it's just that each of us deals with it differently." Amethyst, in her frustration, said, "Well we're wasting time! We need to follow Steven! We can't sit here all night and baby sit!"
Garnet smiled as she looked into Pearl's eyes and said, "Steven will be fine and so will you Pearl." Amethyst looked at her confused, and demanded an explanation as she said, "What!? And how exactly do you know that!?" Garnet stood up, then took her hand away from Pearl's mouth, and to Amethyst's surprise, Pearl was no longer hysterical. Both gems began to stare up at Garnet, and waited for her to speak. She took off her visors and looked up towards the night sky, as she said,
"Steven's fantasy is about to become a reality….."
Fun Land
Steven made his way onto the boardwalk, and began walking towards Fun Land. As he was doing so, he saw a "dark" figure standing in front of the arcade. He called out to him, and as he did, the figure turned away and ran from him. Steven gave chase and began shouting, "Hold on! Stop right there!" The dark figure ran around the corner, and Steven followed. When Steven made it around the corner, he shouted into the darkness, "Onion if that's you again, I swear I'm going to be mad!" Steven pulled out his flashlight and pointed it in the direction that the figure had ran.
Steven stood there, and was paralyzed, as he now saw 10 men standing before him with "ski masks" on. Suddenly, a tall thin man came from the back of the crowd and began walking towards him. Steven was frozen in shock, as he watched how the beam from the flashlight reflected off of the man's pale skin. He began to shake as the man crouched before him, and pulled the flashlight out from Steven's grip. The man held the flashlight underneath his chin and said quietly, "Do you want to hear a Joke?... You look like a boy who takes himself too seriously!?" Steven had tears in his eyes, as he was now filled with fear, and offered no response.
"Hey boss, it looks like the kid doesn't have much to say!" One of the thugs shouted, and soon they all began laughing. The man continued to stare at Steven and said, "Nonsense! All children have so much to say!" The man proceeded to remove Steven's mask and observe it, then he continued, "Do you know how dangerous it is for you to wear this? I once knew of a man who wore this same mask, and he died a very painful death! Do you want to die boy? Are you afraid of death?" The man pulled out a switch blade and held it to Stevens's face, when he whispered, "Have you ever experienced the feeling of a cold blade pressed up against your flesh!?"
Steven was shaking, and began to wet his pants, as the man said one final thing, "Do you wanna know how I got these scars?" But before anything else could happen, Steven saw the shadow of a tall figure standing on the building above them. The figure responded in a menacing voice, "No, he doesn't. But he'll know how you got these….." Suddenly, the figure reached into his utility belt and retrieved a weapon. He then threw the object at the man with such tremendous force, he was knocked off his feet. Steven watched as the object hit the man in the jaw, which caused him to fall to the ground, screaming and shaking in pain.
The man was laying on the floor, and was holding his jaw, as it was now bleeding profusely. He then he let out an evil laugh and shouted, "Kill him! And the little welp! Cut them both into tiny pieces!" The thugs began charging towards Steven, but before they could get any closer, the figure jumped down from the building, and began gliding towards them. The figure now stood between the thugs and Steven, as one of the men shouted, "Boss! This isn't going to work! We need more men to take him down!" Suddenly, the man lying on the ground pulled out a pistol and shot one of his own thugs, as he shouted, "I don't care you idiots! Attack or I'll kill all of you!... Kill the Bat now!"
In an instant, the figure threw another object and knocked the pistol out of the mans hand. Steven looked down at the floor to retrieve the object, and once he did, he saw that it was a "batarang." His mouth dropped as he looked up towards the figure and said silently, "Batman!... Is that really you!?" The figure offered no response, as he cracked his knuckles and said to the thugs, "You all know the drill… If you fight, you'll only prolong the pain." The thugs had no choice, as they began to charge towards him, and now had tears in their eyes. Steven watched as he saw the figure proceed to fight, as he attacked the thugs with accuracy and skill. His heart sank as heard the sounds of bones breaking, and the thugs screaming out in pain. "No! Please! No more!," one of the men shouted, but he was quickly silenced by the sound of a fist, shattering his jaw.
In no time the fighting stopped, and Steven saw that the thugs were now completely incapacitated on the ground. The figure turned his attention towards the man on the ground, he grabbed him by the collar, then lifted him into the air. Steven observed how the figure standing before him was taller than Garnet, his shoulders were broad, and he held the man in the air with ease. "Did you really think you could escape me Joker!" the figure shouted, as he began shaking the man in the air. The joker laughed, as he spat blood in Batman's face, and said, "Oh Bats! How could I even dream of escaping you! Remember how I said all of those years ago, you and I are destined to do this for a long time!"
Batman punched him then shouted, "What are you doing here Joker!? Why are you in Beach City!?" The joker laughed as he responded, "One city is as good as another! It doesn't matter why I'm here!" He looked down at Steven with a grin on his face and said, "I don't know Bats! Maybe to murder a few more children, or to watch the fireworks go off over Beach City! Why don't you figure it out, detective!" The joker looked at his wrist watch, then said, "Oh would you look at the time! It looks like I have to be going, Bats!" Suddenly, the joker pulled out a bomb from his coat and tossed it at Steven. Batman lunged towards Steven and grabbed him, to shield his body from the blast. The bomb went off and Steven opened his eyes. He saw that the joker was no longer there, but Batman was now staring down at him. "Are you okay? Can you walk?" Batman asked.
Steven responded, "I think so," as he began to pick himself up. Batman responded, "Good, now hold on tight," as he grabbed Steven once more and reached for a device in his utility belt. "Wow!" Steven said. "That's the grapple gun!" He aimed the gun towards the sky, then shot it, as Steven closed his eyes, grimacing at how loud the sound was. Suddenly, Steven began rushing through the air, and could feel the wind brushing against his face. He was now in the sky and looked down upon the board walk to see Amethyst, Garnet and Pearl running towards the thugs.
When they got there, Amethysts mouth dropped as she said, "No way was this Steven! There's no way he could have done this!" They observed the cries and the whimpering of the thugs that were laying before them, when suddenly, Pearl ran over and grabbed one of them. "Where is he!? What did you do with Steven!? Answer me!?" she Shouted. The thug looked back at her and said in a broken voice, "It's Batman! He has the kid!" Pearl looked at him confused and began shaking him violently, as she yelled, "We know he was dressed like Batman! Now I'm asking you where is he!? Where is Steven!?" The thug was about to pass out, but before he did, he said, "I swear I don't know anything! Please don't hurt me! Leave me alone Harley!"
Pearl summoned her spear and was about to drive it down into the man's skull, when she said, "I don't know who Harley is, and I don't care! But if you don't tell me where Steven is, I swear I'm going to kill….." Garnet stopped her and said, "Look," as she pointed to the sky. Suddenly Pearl looked up and saw a plane in the shape of a "Bat" hovering right above them, then it flew off. "Come on you two! Let's go!" Garnet yelled. "It's heading in the direction of the temple! We need to get moving!" As soon as they began running, they could hear the sound of Police Sirens in the background, so all three shapeshifted into birds and flew away.
As Steven was sitting in the plane, he nervously looked over at Batman and said, "Uh Sir, I mean Batman. Why are you here in Beach City?" Batman responded, "I'm here because a mad man from my city has infiltrated yours, and he means to do harm." Steven listened to him, then replied, "Which one of them? Was it that man who had paint on his face? The gems should be able to handle someone like him, he's not that tough." Batman looked over at Steven and said, "He's not a man, he's a monster. He's already taken so many lives and I'm here to prevent that from happening here."
The canopy to the cockpit opened, as Batman grabbed Steven and gently glided towards the roof of the house where the Temple stood. He jumped down in front of the door, then released Steven. "No one's going to believe me!" Steven said, as he was staring up at him. Batman reached into his utility belt and said, "Here, show them this," as he tossed a batarang towards Steven. Steven caught it and was staring down at it, when he said to himself, "Wow, this is so cool! This is amazing! Thank you sir!" But before he could lift up his head to observe him, Batman was gone. Steven looked up towards the sky and saw that the plane was no longer there. He held the batarang close, as he began to open the door, then walked inside.
A few minutes later, the door to the house opened, and the gems came bursting through. Pearl ran up the stairs to Steven's bedroom and shouted, "Steven! Are you okay!?" Without warning she tackled Steven as he was sitting up in his bed, then Steven shouted, "Ouch! I'm fine Pearl! Can you please get off of me!?" Pearl ignored his words, as she held him close and began sobbing uncontrollably. When she was done, she stood up out of his bed, and in her anger she began yelling at him. "Just who do you think you are!? Why would you run off like that!? Do you even know what you've put me through these past few hours!?" Steven tried to say something, but Pearl continued. "You're not Batman Steven! You can never be Batman! He's not real!" Steven had tears in his eyes as he looked up at Garnet and said, "Yes he is! He's real! He was here tonight and he saved me!"
Steven watched as Pearl grabbed a pillow from his bed, then buried her face into it and began screaming. Amethyst was sitting next to him, when she said with amusement, "Steven I think you broke Pearl! You should sneak out more often!" "That's enough!" Garnet exclaimed, as she snatched the pillow from Pearl's face. "I need to speak with the two of you outside!" Garnet hugged Steven, she gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, "Go to sleep Steven, it's late. We'll see you in the morning." "Am I in trouble?" He asked. "No you're not," She responded. Amethyst hugged Steven, then headed down stairs, as Garnet followed. Garnet turned back to look at Pearl and said, "Hurry up Pearl, now!"
Pearl looked down at Steven and said, "I'm still mad at you Steven! You broke my heart!" She watched, as he closed his eyes and tears began flowing down his cheeks. Observing this, she immediately sat down back into the bed and embraced him. She too started to break down as she said, "You can't keep doing this to me Steven! Do you know how much I love you!? What would I do if something bad were to happen to you!? I could never forgive myself!" Steven held her close and said, "I'm sorry Pearl! Please don't be angry with me!" She wiped the tears from her eyes then responded, "I'm not angry at you Steven! I'm not angry at you at all! Sometimes you break my heart with some of the stuff that you do! I wish you would just be more careful!" The two embraced each other for a little while longer, then Pearl tucked him in. She kissed him on the cheek, turned off the lights inside the house, then walked outside to join Amethyst and Garnet.
"Okay, what was that you guys!?" Amethyst said frantically as she was waiting for a response. "Who left that pile of bodies on the boardwalk? There's no way Steven could have done that!" Garnet said nothing, but then Pearl chimed in, "I don't know what you're talking about. All I saw was a bunch of low life's laying on the board walk, and they were nothing but cowards because they refused tell us where Steven was!" Amethyst looked at her and said, "Yeah, but there's no way Steven could have done that! What was that plane!? And how did you know that it was heading back towards the temple, Garnet?" Pearl and Amethyst looked at Garnet, and waited for a response, but she gave none. She just stood there quietly, in deep thought, and was thinking to herself. Suddenly, a shadow from the moonlight came down upon them, as all three gems looked up towards the roof.
Amethysts mouth dropped as she looked up at the figure standing on top of the roof, and saw that he was now staring back at her. Pearl summoned her spear and was about to throw it, but before she could, she felt the sting of a batarang hit her wrist. "Ouch!" she yelled, as she dropped her weapon to the floor. Amethyst was still in shock as she looked over at Garnet and said, "Garnet! Do something!" Garnet remained silent, as she looked up at him, then said, "I just have two questions….. First, are you a friend of Steven's? Second, is there any reason why we should fear you?" He quietly responded, "I don't have the luxury of friends….. and no, you do not have to fear me…" He leaped down from the roof and was now staring down at Garnet, as he stood slightly taller than her.
"You must be the Batman," Garnet exclaimed, as she extended her hand out to him. He walked towards her, grabbed her hand and shook it, then said, "The three of you must be the Crystal Gems…." Amethyst looked at him and said, "What!? How do you know who we are!? And why are you here!?" Batman responded, "Steven filled me in, and I'm here because your city is in danger. There's a psychopath running loose through the city, and he plans to murder innocent civilians." Amethyst responded, "Who's stupid enough to attack our city? If he's just a man, we can handle it ourselves! And we don't need to dress up in a Halloween costume to do it!" Pearl chimed in, "Amethyst! Be respectful!"
Batman smiled as he said, "It's quite alright, I just hope you don't learn the hard way. The man in question is not a man at all. He's insane and hell bent on causing chaos. That's why I'm here….." Garnet responded, "Is there anything that we can do to help?" "Yes, there is something that you could do. Stay out of my way!" He replied. With that, Batman began walking off towards the shadows, but before he got any further Pearl shouted at him. "Wait! I have to ask you something! Who is Harley? When I was out at the board walk, one of those men lying on the ground called me that."
Batman turned around, he had a slight grin on his face, then said, "The madman's girlfriend, her name is Harley." When Amethyst heard his words, she began laughing. Batman continued and asked, "What were you doing to make him think that you were Harley?" Pearl thought for a moment then said, "Nothing, I held my spear over his head and demanded to know where Steven was! And If he didn't give me answers, I was going to kill him! " Batman smiled at her and said, "That sounds like Harley. She's just as cold and ruthless as the Joker." Garnet looked at him and asked, "The joker? That's his name?" Batman nodded his head as Garnet continued, "How will we know that the city is safe? That you've apprehended the joker?" He responded, "Watch the morning news…."
Before he left, he reached into his utility belt and tossed a device at Garnet. She caught it, as Batman said, "Use this if you ever need to get in contact with me." Garnet observed the device that she was holding in the palm of her hand, as Pearl and Amethyst gathered around her to observe it as well. When she lifted her head to look at Batman, he was gone. Amethyst and Pearl looked around, but they too, could not see him. "Who is this guy!?" Amethyst yelled frantically as she observed her surroundings. "I don't like this! I don't like not knowing where he is!" Pearl exclaimed, as she too was looking for him. Garnet continued to look at the device and said, "He's gone, and all that matters is Steven is safe." As the three were standing there, they began to hear loud explosions and could see a few fire's burning, off into the distance of the city. There was an evil laughter that echoed throughout the city, as Amethyst said, "Okay! I'm outta here! I'm not staying up for this! I'm going back inside, because this whole night doesn't make sense!"
Pearl eyes grew wide, as she pulled on her hair and said, "Oh my god! Steven! Batman could be inside the house right now!" As she was running towards the door, Amethyst shouted, "Run Harley! Go check on your little joker! Make sure that he's alright!" Pearl snapped back, "Shut up Amethyst!" as she began briskly walking back inside of the house. Before Amethyst went inside she turned back towards Garnet and said, "Are you coming?"
"I'll be there in a minute," Garnet responded. She waited as the door closed behind Amethyst, and continued to look down at the device once more. As she was staring at it, she quietly said to herself, "How can one man face evil all alone!?... You're just one person!"
To her surprise, she saw the shadow of the dark crusader pass over her, and glide towards the city….
The Following Morning
Steven rolled over in his bed, and gradually started to open his eyes. As he did, he saw Pearl lying next to him. "Good morning Steven," Pearl said, as she was staring back into his eyes. He was startled as he fell out of his bed and said, "Good morning Pearl, ouch!" Pearl got up out of the bed and proceeded to pick him up off of the ground. "Steven, are you okay?" She asked. "I didn't mean to scare you." He responded, "I'm fine Pearl." Then she replied, "Okay, good! I made breakfast!" As the two headed down stairs, Amethyst was sitting at the kitchen counter when she said, "Hey Steven, good morning! Don't mind Pearl, she's kind of a weirdo!"
Steven laughed as he sat down next to Amethyst, and Pearl ignored her as she walked into the kitchen. Pearl handed a plate to him then said, "Here's your food Steven." As he was eating, he saw Amethyst lick her plate clean and say to Pearl, "Can I have some more? Please mommy!" Steven laughed when he heard her words. Just then, he saw Amethyst duck down, as a knife came flying over her head. Steven turned and saw that the knife was now imbedded into the wall, right above the sofa where Garnet was sitting. "It's too early for this," Garnet said, as she continued to read the newspaper. "If you guys want to kill each other that's fine. Just wait till after breakfast, and wait till Steven is gone from the house."
Pearl came out from the kitchen and said, "After everything that happened last night, he's not leaving this house! He's not going anywhere!" Garnet continued to read the newspaper when she said, "Okay, so why are you telling me? Tell him." Pearl turned to face Steven and said, "I'm sorry Steven, but in light of the events that transpired last night, you're not leaving the house until further notice." Steven got up out of the stool and yelled, "Ah Man! Come on Pearl! That's so unfair! You guys can't keep me locked up in here!" Pearl smiled and said, "Actually, yes we can Steven." She walked over towards the front door, pulled out a key and placed it in the doorknob, then proceeded to lock it. When she was finished, she tossed the key to Amethyst, who then swallowed it. Steven's mouth dropped as he saw what they had just done, then he asked, "I can't believe it! You guys are serious!?" Pearl looked down at him and said, "Yes we are, we're completely serious, MAN!"
Steven walked off, and headed up towards the stairs, when he said, "You guys are ridiculous! Hold on, watch! I'm going to show you something!" He made his way up the stairs to his bedroom, and underneath his pillow he retrieved an object. He held the object into the air and said, "This is how I know it's safe out there!" Garnet stood up from the couch, and looked up towards Steven to see what he was holding, then asked, "Where did you get that?" As Steven was holding the batarang, he said to Garnet, "From a friend, and he was here last night." Garnet looked over at Pearl and Amethyst, then she turned back to Steven and said, "Yes, we know he was here Steven." When he heard her words, Steven held the object close and asked in a broken voice, "So you guys believe me now!?"
Garnet nodded her head and said, "Speaking of which, that reminds me." She then walked up the stairs towards Steven, sat down beside him and said, "Let's watch the news Steven, there's something that I have to show you." Garnet reached over to turn on the television, and she changed the channel to the local news station. Then she grabbed Steven and sat him down in her lap. Pearl and Amethyst also walked up the stairs to sit down beside them, as they waited for the local news report.
Beach City News
"Good morning Beach City," the news anchor said enthusiastically. "We hope you're having a wonderful Friday, but we come to you with a special report this morning." The T.V. cut to a live video feed out on the streets, as the news anchor continued, "We've received reports of criminal activity throughout the city, and this is the first time anything like this has ever occurred. I'm told, that we now have the chief of police on the line, and he's going to fill us in as to what exactly has happened over the past few hours." Steven watched as the live feed began to show dozens of men lined up against a wall, while wearing hand cuffs, and were waiting to be taken to jail. Suddenly the news anchor reached for his ear piece and said, "Are you there sir? Hello?" The chief of police responded, "Yes, I'm here. Good morning" Then the news anchor continued, "Good morning Sir. Can you give us an idea as to what exactly is going on out there? I'm sure our viewers at home would like to know."
"Well, I'd ask you the same question," The chief responded. The news anchor laughed, as the chief continued, "We don't have all of the information yet, but all we know is that around 6 o'clock this morning some of our local residents and business owners began flooding the telephone lines with their concerns. They were calling to inform the police department of suspected individuals or criminals, that were incapacitated outside of their establishment or residence." Then the news anchor asked a follow up question, "What exactly makes these individuals a suspected criminal, if you don't mind me asking, sir?" The chief responded, "Well, when we sent our officers out to investigate, it appears as though the individuals in question were tied up and incapacitated. They were wearing ski masks, some of them had painted faces, and some had weapons on them, which included C-4." He paused for a moment, then continued, "But probably the most peculiar thing about this whole situation, is that when our officers came upon these individuals, they had their driver's licenses or I.D. cards stabled to their clothing. When our Officers ran their information, that's how we determined that they were suspects. Most of these men had warrants out for their arrest, and some of which, had a criminal history which was particularly disturbing."
"Another question, If I may sir," the news anchor asked. "Do you believe that these particular criminals were planning something big? On a grand scale? If so, was the police department ready to mount a rapid response?" The chief sighed, then began to speak, "I honestly can't say. This is the first time Beach City has ever experienced anything like this. So whether or not our officers were prepared to deal with a threat of this magnitude, I would hope so, but I don't know for certain." Then the news anchor asked, "This might sound a little far fetched, but do you believe that there was some involvement by The Crystal Gems?"
Suddenly Steven jumped up and shouted, "Hey! Why is he talking about us for? We never did anything wrong!" Garnet grabbed Steven to calm him down, as the Chief answered the news anchors questions. He thought for a moment, and chose his words carefully, as he said, "If there was any involvement from the Crystal Gems, it would be to apprehend these criminals." All four of the gems began to smile, as they heard the chief's words, then he continued. "I suspect that they did have a hand in this, but given the amount of suspects, I believe they had help. Significant help."
Then news anchor asked, "Roughly sir, about how many suspects has the police department taken into custody?" The chief responded, "We've apprehended about 200 or so, and the number is still rising." Then the news anchor finished, "Alright sir, thank you for your time." The chief responded, "You're welcome, thank you for having me." The news anchor continued, "Now we want to switch to our news crew out on the street. We have an interview with a local resident who claims to have seen a masked hero, assist the police in their efforts to clean up the city."
The live feed had switched, and suddenly there was a female news reporter standing next to Connie. The reporter looked down at Connie with her microphone and asked, "Can you tell us just who this masked hero is?" Connie responded, "Yes," as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a Polaroid photo. She handed it to the news anchor and said, "He's the reason why the criminals are now in custody."
The news anchor observed the photo and began to smile. She held the photo up towards the camera and said, "We should all be thankful for our cities protector!" The news anchor back at the station smiled and asked, "Does she know his name? Ask her what his name is?" The reporter pointed the mic towards Connie and asked, "Can you give us the name or alias of our local hero? Or is that confidential information?" Connie responded, "Of course….his name is Rooftop Romeo. Not only does he fight crime, but he's also a gentleman to the ladies." There was silence as the female reporter began to shake, as her body filled with laughter. She started to wipe the tears from her eyes, as she said, "Thank you for your time!...Alright, now back to the Station please!"
"Thank you Connie," Steven whispered as he leaned in close to kiss the television screen. But before he could, Pearl's eyes grew wide as she turned off the TV and shouted, "Steven can go outside now! Go play Steven, have fun!"