Amethyst was crouched behind a large pile of electrical conduit. The humid air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Sirens growing closer to their position, this was intense.

She looked over to Pearl, who was half-hidden behind a tool chest. Amethyst didn't have a clear view in the dark, but she could see the thin woman was sobbing, a hand pressed tightly across her mouth.

"Hey, pierogi, it's going to be okay. We'll make it through this somehow." A chopper flew nearby, it's spotlight visible through a hole in the corrugated metal wall.

"You think we'll still be employed when we get back, P?" A wry smile stretched across the bartender's face.

Pearl choked out a laugh, and Amethyst knew she had hit her mark. "Not a chance!" The manager's voice was hoarse and cynical.

"You know, I never did like that job." The admission shocked Amethyst, Pearl was the perfect manager.

"For real? You could have fooled me!" The shorter woman chuckled.

"It was close by; it paid decent money, and I could be home in the afternoon when Steven got back from school. I hate the smell of raw fish, and the owners of the Crab Shack are horrible people. They make us put imitation crab meat in everything they can get away with and still charge full price."

Amethyst guffawed at the admission, "Pearl! Girl, you just went off on the Crab Shack!"

"I'm a way better cook than both the chef and the sous chef there. Oh, what a waste. No one will ever know except you, Garnet and Steven." Movement could be seen near the chain-link fence surrounding the construction site. Amethyst watched as Pearl chambered a bullet in her Glock.

"When this is over, you wanna open our own place? I can run the bar, and you can run the restaurant. It'll be great, you can make those amazing burgers with the onion rings! I was scoping out the old Aqua-Mexican restaurant." Amethyst ratcheted her shotgun as she checked the sights.

Pearl gave a soft but bitter laugh, "Assuming we survive this and somehow don't end up in federal prison… That sounds like a grand plan, I'm all in. What are we going to call it? It'll have to be catchy because it's on the far end of the boardwalk."

Authority agents were creeping slowly towards them, night-vision goggles down, and weapons loaded. The plan was to wait for Garnet to hit the switch for the floodlights. Amethyst was getting antsy, she didn't want those goons to get too close to the building where Steven was.

"The Hidden Gem. What'cha think?" Amethyst's gun was trained on the nearest target. Pearl had already faded from view.

"I like it, it's ironic, but it's fitting." There was a long pause before Pearl spoke again.

Amethyst? I know I've always been hard on you…"

"P, you're like my sister. Whatever happens, I love you."

The floodlights came on, washing the construction yard in an unnatural white light. The officers wearing the night vision goggles were temporarily blinded. Amethyst new this was her and Pearl's queue to attack.
… … … … … … … … …

Yellow watched as Garnet hovered near the utility pole. Her hand gently resting on the breaker that would activate the floodlights in the yard.

This was a cosmic joke, it had to be, there was no other explanation for it. Yellow was in a fight, so dire she may not make it out. What's worse? Blue was here with her, with their grandson. And she had to rely on the criminals she'd been hunting for years to help her get out of this mess.

Turns out they weren't so terrible after all, they were human beings. (She'd bite her tongue off before admitting it, however.) Carissa spent the last years of her life with these people. She always saw the good in everyone.

Yellow didn't know how her daughter could do that. Putting her heart on her sleeve. That's how you got hurt, she tried explaining it to Carissa, but the child only got angry. She was so reckless, the consequences be damned, and she had a temper like a volcano…

Now Yellow had a grandson, and that beautiful child seemed to have the same mindset. But he was thoughtful, compassionate. God, she wished she had more time with Steven.

One thing was certain, she was going to make sure that boy and Blue got out of this alive no matter what.

"I can hear you thinking from here general." The ever aloof leader of the Crystal Gems said softly. She was only about five feet away from where Yellow was crouched. The bulldozer and crane made for excellent cover.

"I was just centering myself. I… I have to know something." The general grimaced when she saw movement around the chain-link fence. The group had taken out a lot of Aquamarine's forces at the farm, but they were still grossly outnumbered.

"I'll answer if I can." The smooth British accent drifted through the oppressively hot air.

"The last few years she, Carissa or Rose, was alive. Was she happy?" Yellow cleared her throat, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes when she looked at Garnet.

The chopper that was across the river was now precariously close to their location. More figures appeared around the perimeter of the construction site.

"She was loved fiercely, and she loved back fiercely. At the end…" The blonde couldn't see the woman's eyes behind her sunglasses, but she knew the carnage that was there.

"At the end, she was positively glowing. Rose was the happiest I'd ever seen her, she couldn't wait to meet Steven."

Yellow barked out a laugh, tears rolled down her face. There was no holding back these emotions and Melena, was only human. "That sounds just like her. Thank you."

Garnet nodded and looked away. The silence between the two women was amicable, they watched as shadowy figures padded across the construction site. It was time.

"Going to flip the breaker in three, two, one…"
… … … … … … … … …

Steven was kneeling behind a stack of bricks with Blue. They had entered the skeletal structure, hoping to escape upwards, but the power was out for the time being. Garnet was going to fix that, but she wanted to catch the officers coming after them by surprise. So, he and Blue sat on the ground floor.

The building was maybe a third of the way complete. It's foundation poured, and the walls were mostly built on the bottom floor up to about the second floor. The rest of the structure was all steel girders and cement support beams. Plastic sheets lining the outside rustled ominously in the breeze off the river.

Blue shifted from one leg to the other, she was crouched right next to Steven. Her breathing was harsh, and sweat beaded down the sides of her face making her beautiful silver-hair damp. The boy was amazed at how Blue just pushed on despite having been shot more than once. He got grazed on the arm and was screaming when it happened.

"Steven, what are you going to do when this is done?" The question caught him by surprise. It seemed like none of this was ever going to end. The 12 year-old looked up into softly glowing arctic-blue eyes. There was so much to say, and the situation seemed so final right now.

"Uh, probably sit in bed and eat an entire box of Cookie Cat ice cream sandwiches while playing Minecraft. That's my short term goal anyway." The boy tugged on the end of his shirt.

Blue laughed, and Steven didn't think he had ever heard her laugh like that before. It was pure and uninhibited and tinged with love. Her smile was flawless, and tears were in her eyes, but they weren't there because she was sad.

This was the happiest Steven had ever seen, Blue Diamond. They were hiding in the middle of an unfinished building surrounded by people that wanted to kill them, and they were both injured. But Blue was absolutely radiant, her aura was pulling all sorts of emotions from the boy. (All of them good.)

"That sounds lovely right now. I'm with you." She carded her hand through his messy curls, her touch as soft as a feather.

There was motion at the fence in the front. Steven sighed, he knew things were going to end here one way or another. He scooted closer to Blue, and she wrapped her arm around him.

"We can do that when this is all over, sit in bed, and eat ice cream. Play Minecraft." The boy looked up at Blue, stars filling his eyes.

"Hmm, I don't know how to play Minecraft, though. I'm not a gamer, I'm going to need a teacher." She winked at Steven.

"It's okay, Blue! I'll teach you when this is all over, I promise!" The helicopter could be heard nearby, things were about to explode. Steven was young but not naïve, everyone was trying to stay positive, but there was a small army after them. He may not see anyone ever again; Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst. His dad, Connie. Yellow or Blue…

"Blue, I love you. I'm glad I found you." Steven wrapped his arms around Blue's neck and held her tight, and she held him just as hard.

"I love you too. I'm not really sure what I did to deserve you, but…" Blue gently pulled away, and tenderly kissed Steven on the cheek while brushing his tears away.

"We have to focus now, alright?" The Irish woman's gaze was set on the yard in front of them. Figures moved with purpose towards them.

Steven's saw spots dance in his eyes when the floodlights snapped on.
… … … … … … … … …

That damned sheriff was wrong, he had to be. There was no one here at this construction site, the Crystal Gems must have escaped again. Aquamarine stood at the entrance of the construction site wearing her own set of Kevlar armor. She had a Ruger Super Redhawk strapped to her hip, the revolver had enough power to stop a rhino. Her ability to paralyze was more than adequate; however, she really didn't need the gun. (She simply liked the feel of having the monster handgun at her side.)

The rest of the agent's squad was covering the area, searching always searching. It was then that Aquamarine noticed that there were only about 20 people on the ground. The group was mostly comprised of Ruby agents and officers, there were two or three Quartz agents.

There should be at least five more agents. More Quartz and a couple of Peridots… Where was Topaz? (Where was her air support for that matter?)

Blinding light filled Aquamarine's eyes, she was temporarily blinded but quickly recovered. She looked up to see gunfire from a nearby shed. The one they called Amethyst was raising hell with a shotgun, she looked like she was alone, but officers started to drop with seemingly no attacker. White Pearl!

Things didn't look good for the pair. A surge of gunfire and officers were rushing in when Yellow Diamond flashed through the bulk of the squad, taking out at least three of Aquamarine's men.

Then the one they called Garnet jumped into the fray. Her hands glowed a deep dark red, she was going to wreck someone. The leader of the Crystal Gems picked up a steel girder and threw it at some nearby Ruby agents.

Four Gems were wreaking havoc on 20 plus armed men and women. Where was the god-damned air support!? Where was Topaz!?

"Aquamarine to Topaz! You have one second to respond you big stupid oaf or I'll-"

"This is agent Hessonite responding for Topaz, over."

Finally, some backup, the diminutive woman took a deep breath before answering, "It's good to hear your voice Hessonite. I'm going to need some air support ASAP. The Crystal Gems are more formidable than anticipated, and the local law enforcement is refusing to help."

"Negative Aquamarine, White Diamond is ordering you and your squad to stand down immediately. My strike squad will be coming in to take over the situation. You are officially being relieved of duty." The contralto voice said smoothly over the radio.

All Aquamarine saw was red. The seething anger was too much, she howled with rage. Not that anyone fighting in front of her noticed. She couldn't care less about the fight in front of her now. She would tell no one to stand down.

This, this was Blue Diamond's fault. It was her fault, dammit! And that boy, Steven Universe…

Those were the only two people not accounted for. Aquamarine scanned the area with a critical eye. Where, oh, where could they be? She looked at the partially finished building and noted that the elevator had been used. If all the workers had gone for the day, why was the elevator on the seventh floor?

"Found you bitch and your little boy too." If Aquamarine was going down, she was going to take Blue Diamond and Steven Universe with her.
… … … … … … … … …

Blue was sure she didn't need to take Steven to the seventh floor of the ten-story building, but there was a lot of stray gunfire. She wanted to be sure he was well away from any danger.

The pair was a little more exposed up here. The cement exterior had been put in place, but little else. Steel girders and piles of rebar were strewn about. Drywall dust blew around in the breeze.

Blue didn't quite know what to do with herself. She wanted to run down and help, but it was clear why she was sent up here with Steven. She was injured, she would be a liability. That and Steven needed a guardian if someone decided to make their way up. Blue could do that. God help anyone that chose to make their way up here because Blue Diamond had run out of patience about a day ago.

She paced, checking, and re-checking her sidearm. "Blue, there's plenty of room."

She paused and smiled, Steven was sitting on top of a pile of cement mix. His short legs kicking nervously. "I'm sorry, love, I'm a bit anxious."

He loved her. It warmed the core of her broken heart.

It was strange; about a year after Blue lost Carissa, she had tried to end her life. She had gone to her daughter's grave with a single handgun, and a hollow-tipped bullet and held it to her temple. She was going to do it, and Yellow just happened to be visiting the grave that morning.

She was still in existence because of Melena. It was just that, however, and existence. Some years didn't seem so bad, while others were terrible. She hated her wife sometimes, and other times she couldn't go on without her. Time passed, and she took up drinking, a slower form of destruction over a quick one. Time had no meaning.

But this past week, it was like something woke up. She felt more than just sadness and despair. This boy was showing her how to live again. And oh, how she wanted to now. Blue didn't want to just exist anymore; she wanted to live.

Linna Diamant wanted to be alive with Steven, and Melena and Bianca. She was ready, there was still a lot to work through, but she wanted a future now.

Blue's head jerked towards the construction elevator, it was called down to the first floor. Steven hopped off his makeshift seat and watched intently as the elevator was slowly descending. Fighting could still be heard below, Blue wasn't sure if this was a friend or foe.

"Steven, hide behind that pile of bricks in the corner." The colonel cocked her gun, eyes piercing the darkness around her.

"But, Blue!"

"Do as I ask, and stay put." She glanced back as the boy hesitantly jogged over to his assigned place.

The colonel made sure her handgun was ready and took cover behind a cement support. She watched as the elevator ascended, and then stopped on their story. The cage rattled open to reveal Aquamarine. (Of course, it would be her, why wouldn't it be?)

Blue noted that the usually sickly sweet façade was gone, however. Replaced by sneering hatred, her eyes burned through the darkness with purpose.

"I know you're here! I know you are; the elevator was sitting on this floor! You think you're so smart, I'm going to get the last laugh though, Blue Diamond." The diminutive woman was ranting, something had happened.

"Topaz turned on me, and White Diamond told me to stand down! Me!" Aquamarine was walking away from Blue and Steven's position at this point, and that was just fine. The colonel was shopping for the best opportunity to strike.

"She's sending in Hessonite with a new squad to take my glory, mine! Well If I'm going to lose, you're losing with me, Colonel Diamant. The boy is losing too,"

The agent walked by Blue's position, she had to be careful, there's a reason why "Beryl" class gems are only second to "Diamond" class.

"I'll make you watch as I end his life. Then, I'll end your life!"

That was enough, Blue jumped out and grabbed Aquamarine from behind, locking her in a classic "sleeper hold."

But the colonel was weak, she was injured and had been on the run for days now. Somehow the agent managed to get a hold of her injured arm and flipped Blue over her shoulder.

The smaller woman lunged for Blue on the ground. But Blue managed to roll forward and up at the last second, putting out her elbow. Aquamarine grunted as the air left her lungs. She was wearing armor so the move wouldn't stun her for long.

The colonel threw a punch, but agent blocked and smashed her fist into Blue's side, the side where she was shot. The Irish woman screamed and doubled over and fell to her knees.

A hot white-blue light was radiating from Aquamarine, "I'm going to hold you in place right here while I find that little brat!"

"No!" Steven flung his shield and is smashed into the agent, knocking her back. The boy threw another, but Aquamarine was on to him.

"Think you can best me! You're nothing without your friends!" The agent lunged again in a rage. Still, Steven was ready; he put up a magenta-colored bubble, and Aquamarine was thrown back.

This was Blue's chance, she shot a beam of Azure light at the woman, and she collided with the pile of bricks that Steven was hiding behind, not moments before. She didn't get up.

"You okay!?" Steven was out of breath but whole and uninjured. He helped Blue up from her knees, and she held her side.

A helicopter spotlight was raking the yard and the side of the building. "Attention, all suspects are to throw down your weapons and put your hands up in the air. Resistance will be met with force."

Hessonite's voice echoed through the skeletal building. Finally, help had arrived. They were all going to be arrested, but everyone would be safe, at least. The elevator was once again called and began to rattle as it descended.

"Listen, love, we're probably going to be detained by the Authority. Just do as they say, and we'll straighten everything up later." Blue held Steven's hand and squeezed.

"O-Okay." The boy began heading towards the elevator.

He looked back at Blue uncertainly. "Don't be afraid, everything will be alright."

"No, it won't be."

A thunderous blast resonated through the empty hotel floor. Blue instantly fell to her knees and looked down. A bloody ragged hole the size of a teacup had been punched through her chest. She wanted to tell Steven to run, but the pain…

Blue fell forward, darkness encroaching on the edges of her vision. All she could hear was Steven screaming.