Chapter 2: Back in Beach City

Hey everyone! So here's the next chapter, this one's a bit shorter since it's mostly just about Steven getting back to Beach City. I know it's not much but we'll be getting into the meat of the story in the next one, I promise! Anyway, on with the chapter!

Thirty minutes away. Steven was getting excited now, he tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the beat of "Mr. Universe", his dad's all time favorite song. At first he was afraid that he'd be jaded with the song with the experience he had involving it, but since being on the road he's actually come to like it a lot. He'd even started to affiliate it with his own experiences on his journey.

Oh! That reminded him! He pulled out his phone and dialed Greg Universe's contact. The call rang for a few seconds before his dad picked up. "Hey Dad!" Steven greeted as soon as Greg picked up.

"Hey Schtuball! How's the trek?" Greg responded in turn.

"Great!" I'm half an hour from Beach City! I can't wait to see you there!"

"Oh geez, you're going to be there already?" his father asked rather dejectedly.

"What is it?" Steven questioned in concern. Was he not excited to see him?

"Well, this is really bad timing but one of the wheels on the tour bus suddenly exploded a couple minutes ago and we're basically stranded in the middle of nowhere. I just called a tow truck but they weren't able to give us an estimate on how long it'll take for them to get out here and patch everything up. So it'll probably be a while before we can get home. I'm sorry, bud. I know you were expecting us to be there when you got back."

Steven nodded solemnly. Sadie and the Killers had been on tour again for a couple months now and they were supposed to get home today along with Greg, who was their manager. He'd been really looking forward to greeting his dad when he got home but he didn't find any point in complaining about something that was clearly out of both of their control. "It's okay, Dad, these things happen."

"Are you sure? I can try and call for a cab or something if you need me to be there when you get home," Greg replied with a somewhat wary tone.

"No no, Dad. The Killers need you more than I do right now. Take care of them first before you come to take care of me." There it was again. That same overly cautious vibe in his dad that he was getting from Connie earlier.

"Okay, son," Greg assured. "I'll keep you posted on what's going on and give you a timeframe when I can."

"Sounds good, Dad. I'll see you soon. Love you, bye." Steven hung up his phone and inhaled deeply. This definitely wasn't turning out to be a very good morning. He turned Mr. Universe off absentmindedly, the song was starting to irritate him. Why was everyone being so weird around him? He thought they'd moved past the corruption incident by now, he knew he had. Hadn't he? Maybe coming home wasn't such a good idea after all...

Thankfully a familiar view blasted that mindset away before it could fester in his head for too long. He stuck his head out the window with a huge smile on his face as he saw the welcoming sight of the Temple's cliff and a quaint little town beneath it. He breathed in the salty sea air and the rush of nostalgia hit him like a pile of bricks. Any doubts he had were being washed away as he increased his speed towards his old home.

He drove into the relatively busy tourist town with excitement. Hardly anything seemed to have changed at first glance. Funland was still bustling with human and gem activity, Fish Stew Pizza still had customers eating the delicious pies, Beach Citywalk Fries still had the Frymans running the joint, and Mayor Pizza still patrolled the town with her loyal Ruby guards. It looked like Amethyst's job assignment had paid off for the gems in town, the place was thriving as much as ever and everyone he saw seemed to be having a good time.

Steven didn't think his smile could get any bigger as he drove past each familiar block. Quite a few people recognized him and shouted his name with an ecstatic wave along with it, and he responded to them with an equally elated honked or wave back. He was definitely happy to see them, but truth be told he wasn't actually there for them. He was headed for the beach, back to his old house, back to his family. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. He knew they'd be so happy to see them.

Or at least he was almost certain. Truth be told he hadn't actually told them he was coming back, he was saving it as a surprise. But hey, considering how in tears they were when he left he figured they'd be happier than any beings in the universe at the sight of him home. He made the last corner around the temple and finally saw the beloved house/temple where he grew up in its full glory. His eyes nearly welled up but he wasn't gonna start crying now.

Steven parked his car and stepped out, glad to finally stop sitting and stretch his legs at long last. However he wasted no time to rush up the creaky wooden steps and burst through the front door, fully expecting the Gems to be standing there with a surprised expression on their faces. However, the only thing he was greeted to was a bare house and a slightly leaky faucet in the kitchen. Huh.

This was weird. Maybe they were upstairs? Steven dashed up to where his old room was to find it empty too. Perhaps they were in their respective rooms? He entered the temple's door and scoured every room it had to offer, still not finding a trace of anyone. They had to be in the dome then, right? He again searched every place of his former greenhouse to find it barren of any gem life.

Well that's slightly disappointing. Steven could feel the excitement draining from his body with every step he took now, this whole day was going down the flusher in a spiral, that was for sure. They didn't even think to leave a note or anything? But then he remembered they really wouldn't have had any reason to since no one else lived there anymore besides Greg who wasn't even home at the moment, so he felt silly for even thinking about it.

With nothing left to do Steven exited the house, plopping down on the front of the steps with his head in his hands. Where was everyone? Why was the universe out to get him today, of all days? He looked up and noticed the spinning structure on a particularly tall building in the distance. The half-gem boy instantly perked up. That's right! Little Homeworld! Maybe the Gems were there! Heck, he could even see Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot while he was at it! He ran back towards town, deciding to leave his car parked in front of the house, and took off towards his new destination.

So it looks like everyone's being overly cautious or straight up avoiding Steven. Will the same happen when he gets back to Little Homeworld? Well you'll just have to wait for the next one to find out. ;) Until then, thanks for reading!