Chapter X

Garnet's Turn

"Are you sure you'll do fine on your own?" Said Pearl, probably for the fifth time that afternoon.

"Yes. You and Amethyst can handle yourselves on this mission, I need some quality time with Steven" Garnet faced the two whilst holding the young boy. "I expect you two to co-operate."

Amethyst laughed and slapped Pearl on the back, "Don't worry boss, we've got this covered, right P?"

"Right" She said begrudgingly.

"Garnet, Garnet! What're we gonna do today?" Said the excited three-year old, tugging eagerly at the gem's sleeve.

"What ever you want, you decide" She smiled, jogging him a little in her arms.

"I get to decide?"

"Yes"

"Hmmm" Steven pondered hard, rubbing his chin in thought. "Hmmmm" He began to climb onto her shoulders, and flopped onto her large hair. Putting his face to Garnet's, he grinned mischievously.

"How about ice-cream?" He asked hopefully.

"Ice cream it is" She replied, taking the youth and holding him under his arms, "But I do hope you're not abusing your power of decision-maker"

Steven crossed his arms in mock offense, "I would never ever do such a thing"

She chuckled, putting a finger on his little nose, "I think you have a hidden dark side, your cuteness can't hide it that well"

"I have my secrets" He then attempted to wink, but hadn't quite gotten the hang of it. Garnet threw him in the air and caught him, and Steven laughed, looking up at her adoringly.

The two walked along the path that ran parallel to the smooth ocean. The tide was out for the moment, residing not too far away from the soft sands that enveloped into large cove. With only a few clouds in sight, today definitely was a good day to be out.

Steven was tugging Garnet along, not that the gem had trouble keeping up with his small, upbeat footsteps.

"So what flavour do you want?" He asked as they neared the desired stall. There was a short line in front of the counter, giving them plenty of time to decide.

"Vanilla" She replied, "That's an ice cream flavour right?" Garnet wasn't too big on eating, with one half wanting to savour the taste of the once-in-a-while treat, and the other thinking it was too cold on their tongue. "I don't like cold things" She paused, "E-except you Saffy, not saying that you're that kind of cold, but—" A resounding chuckle echoed in Garnet's mind,

"Then it's a good thing I like hot things"

A blush settled on Garnet's face, well-concealed by her visor.

"One chocolate chip and one vanilla" Then remembered, "Please."

Steven remembered his Dad telling him that manners don't cost a penny, but rudeness will cost you your self-image. Although he didn't know what a 'self-image' was, everything was valuable when it came from his Dad.

Somehow managing to successfully hand the change over the tall counter, Steven took the two cones and said an eager "Thank you" in return.

"Here Garnet!" He handed the cone over to the gem, who took a tentative lick.

"Mmm! I love ice-cream, it's the best!" Steven wolfed it down, getting quite messy in the process, not that he minded –it was all part of the eating experience.

Finishing off their treats on a bench facing the beach, the duo was left to admire the picturesque view.

"What shall we do now? Stickyface" She wiped the remaining ice-cream from his cheeks, making him giggle.

"Let's look for treasure! I bet pirates came here in the olden days, if we find gold we'd be rich!" He got up excitedly, running onto the sand and looking for clues. "Then I can buy a van to match Dad's!" Garnet chuckled and followed him, hoisting the boy up onto her shoulders for a better view.

The sea was gradually coming in, but a wide stripe of wet sand could still be seen. Tiny hermit crabs could occasionally scurried from hole to hole. A plethora of shells also littered the beach, each intricate fossil unique from the last. Steven pointed to one.

"Look!" After swinging him down, the youth picked up a large spiral-like shell. "Wow! I've never seen one like this before" It had orange stripes running through the pale-yellow design, providing a stark contrast to most of the pastel coloured shells.

"If you put it to your ear, you'll hear the ocean" Said Garnet, guiding it to the side of his head. Steven's eyes widened as well as his smile.

"Wow, how does it do that? Is the ocean trapped inside?" He took the conch and looked inside of it, finding nothing.

"Maybe it's magic, the ocean is a very mysterious place, creating little treasures that can be washed up to shore" She held it with both hands, "This is the ocean's gold"

Steven looked fascinated, eyes shining. "Treasure"

He turned and sped off to find more, getting on his hands and knees to dig for more shells concealed by the golden sand. Creating a small pile and gathering them up, he handed them to Garnet to hold.

Spotting a flat one with purple stripes, he rushed to Garnet to show her. "This one looks like Amethyst…sorta. Can I give it to her later?"

"I'm sure she'd love to add it to her 'shell pile'" They both laughed.

"I'm gonna go find one for Pearl now, and you!"

Steven raced to go and find more. With the sea starting to come closer, it brought in more 'gold' with the help of the mild waves coursing the surface.

Steven eyed some other shells, a small, light-blue spiral glinting a little from where it was. Beside it was a large beach comb. Carefully picking up the two and avoiding the long spines from one, he presented them to Garnet who managed to pile them on top of the ones she already held.

"This one's for Pearl 'cause it matches her shirt" He pointed at the other, "And this one's for you 'cause it's really cool"

Garnet bent down to kiss his cheek, "Thank you Steven, I love it."

"Your welcome!" He gave her a toothy grin.

Going to knee-height in the water, Steven waded in a little further. He stepped on something, and fished around to grab it. Looking intrigued, he held it up for Garnet to see.

"It's a starfish" She said, coming over.

"A fish from space?" He stroked the dappled creature, cupping it gently in his hands. "I bet he misses his home"

"I bet he does, Earth is a long way away."

Steven seemed to deflate a little, he felt sorry for the little guy.

"Can we help it get back?"

Garnet put an arm around him and pulling him in.

"I'm sure he prefers it here where most of his family is. He has so many lovely people looking out for him like you, that he likes Earth a lot better than Space. The ocean will take care of him, don't worry"

He smiled, holding the starfish to his chest. "Okay"

After walking along a little further, Steven was beginning to get a little tired. The evening had rolled in, bringing a beautiful, hazy sunset with it that reflected in the clear waters.

Garnet sat on a pile of rocks, watching as Steven went to play in the sand a little.

"He's grown so much" She thought, resting a hand on her cheek.

"Everyday he gets a little bit more like his Mother. Exploring this world like she did, and admiring everything inbetween. Steven has so much to give to this world, so much he can do and heal. We have him as an example to care for this planet."

"You made the right choice Rose" She whispered.