Greetings from Negaboss2000 ^^

It's certainly been a long while since I updated this story, so I suppose I'd better get back to it before I procrastinate anymore.

Enjoy the story

Double Date

The Sun Incinerator cruised through the asteroid field whilst Nora did her log recording. It had been a whole 10 days since the young girl had spoken to her brother or her friends, and already things were beginning to get a bit stressful for her once again. "Captain's Log: I think…yeah, it's Sunday. I've asked Rhodonite to do a spectral scan of the system. Hopefully there should be one of these asteroids that has the flotanium deposits that we need to get our warp engines back online." Nora said, struggling to be optimistic while glowing pink.

Sighing sadly, Nora looked away before all of a sudden, a letter flew out of her hair. "Ok, what have you got for me this time, Steven?" She asked stressfully before catching the letter and opening it to see what Steven had written to her.

Dear Nora…

How's Space? Is it still big? What am I saying? It probably is.

I know you guys are pretty much busy right now and you don't have to answer this letter immediately.

Anyway, since you're far from home, I thought I'd fill you in on what's happened around Beach City. Everyone, even dad, misses you.

Things here in Beach City have been calming down since I got back, plus, Mayor Dewey won his recent election against Ian Galaxy and is currently taking things a lot more seriously than he originally did, even though he still has his goofy nature. Even Nanefua is helping him out with various jobs.

Mayor Dewey held a town council inside the pizzeria with Nanefua and while his bodyguards standing guard outside. He and many others came to an agreement that when a gem-related emergency came along, the best way to avoid it was to get to the new designated shelters. Nanefua also helped explain in details, and most days she was even there for Dewey's emotional support.

Then Sadie and Lars had formed a band called Sadie Killer and the Suspects. But since they're busy with the band, Zach has been taking a few shifts there to help out his cousin. Also, the whole band is still going strong. I even heard that they're gearing up for a huge show right here in Beach City. I hope you guys can get back in time to see them play.

Sadie, Lars and the cool kids were busy practicing together whilst Steven and Zach watched them. Zach took a few shifts at the Big Donut, and so far it was working out perfectly for him despite the odd phone call from a member of his family.

I honestly didn't expect this, but Topaz has taken two clubs here in Beach City. One involving wrestling, and the other involving chess. It's because of Amethyst that she's been able to become a natural champion.

Topaz, in her spare time from helping Beach City, had take a chess club and always insisted on winning with Knights. She also took on wrestling matches, and with her size and strength, she managed to become a champion within mere days.

There've been other great stuff going on, like: Jamie the mailman making progress with a local theater and even started to teach improv, Peedee started his very own food truck thanks to Mayor Dewey's authorisation and even Dad doing everything to make sure you stay in school…

On one day, Zach and Rogue took Jamie's drama class and even Peridot joined in as well. Steven, Pearl, Bismuth, Connie, Imperia and Citrine were also there at one of their rehearsals and enjoyed it.

Another day, Dewey had given Peedee his old Mayor Mobile and allowed him to paint over it and turn it into a food truck called: Hot 2 Tot. Sure he wasn't old enough to drive it, but he's happy to have it as another food stand for the time being.

Greg and Steven did all that the two of them could to convince Nora's teacher, and principal, to let her keep attending school, even if she was absent. In fact, to both of their surprise, it seemed to be working. And if that wasn't good news, then Steven was even offered an enrolment when he turned 15, given that he learnt music from his own father.

Though I have to say, none of those are as great as my first date with Connie.

Seeing this new part, Nora shook her head in disbelief. "Wait, what?! you and Connie went on a date?!" She said in shock, looking at the exact words that Steven had written in the letter.

Yep. That's right. Garnet figured you'd say that. I actually went on my first date with Connie. Well...it was actually a double date, since Zach and Rogue were coming along too.

Yesterday...

8:45 AM

It all started yesterday morning. After a week of planning everything out since I saw Connie again. Zach managed to take the day off for the date and Rogue was pretty much willing to go if Connie was going.

Steven, Zach and Rogue walked up to the house, having gotten out of Kevin's car that he stole from him and even modified as well with Bismuth's and Peridot's help. They were pretty much dressed like they were when they were at Kevin's failed party. But while Zach and Rogue were pretty excited about the date, Steven was somewhat nervous about it. "Hey Ste-Man, you ok?" Rogue asked, taking notice to Steven as he fidgeted with his fingers nervously. "I-I'm ok." Steven said with a nervous expression, only for the hive mind to blink, possibly indicating that Steven was lying.

"Are you sure about that? Because it doesn't seem like you're ok." Zach asked in concern, having noticed the Hive Mind blink. "Ok...I'm nervous about this date. I mean, what if Connie doesn't like it, what if I get her mad and ruin everything again?" Steven then said in a panic, worried about ruining everything for Connie. "Woah, woah, woah, bro relax. If you're worried, then follow my lead as best as you can and everything'll work out fine." Zach then said with reassurance, calming Steven down before knocked on the door and waiting for a few minutes. Before long, the door opened, and revealed Connie's mother, Priyanka Maheswaran.

"Hello, Priya." Rogue said with a polite wave. "Oh hello, Felicia. I take it the three of you are here for Connie?" Priyanka then asked, figuring it was true. As soon as Zach said that they were, all three kids were let into the house. They waited there for at least seven minutes before they were greeted by Connie's pet cat, Autumn, who jumped up and cuddled into Steven's side. "Aw, she's cute. Hey, I never knew you got a cat, Priyanka." Steven said, adoring the little kitten whilst stroking him gently. "Oh, Autumn? Ah, Connie was begging to keep it and I couldn't refuse, even when I did." Priyanka explained sheepishly.

The trio were pretty amazed that Priyanka had found the heart to let Connie keep a kitten, especially after hearing from Connie that she gave Garnet her kitten called Cat Steven. "Hey you guys." Connie's voice said, attracting the attention of her childhood friend and the boys as she walked down the stairs, wearing the outfit she had worn to Kevin's party, only this time, she was wearing her glowing bracelet. "Hey girl, you all ready for today?" Rogue asked with enthusiasm. "Y-Yeah...I mean, if Steven's ready, then so am I." Connie replied nervously before walking over to the gang.

I was honestly really nervous about the whole date as much as Connie was.

As soon as the quartet were ready, they left Connie's place and got into the car, or rather, Steven and Connie got into the back seats whilst Rogue and Zach got into the front seats. "Have fun you lot, but DON'T do anything to hurt my daughter or you'll have me to deal with." Priyanka said, speaking the last part in a serious tone. Zach got a bit timid as soon as he heard Connie's speak but nodded sheepishly before leaving. "Yeesh, was your mom always this strict?" Zach asked, trying not to sound rude, but couldn't help but feel like he was gonna get chewed on.

"Trust me, Z-man. I've known Priyanka a lot longer than you have." Rogue said with a snort of laughter after seeing Zach's expression. "For the record, she's stopped being that strict for a while now. Also...I can certainly see why you two got back together again in the end." Connie spoke before speaking about the duo in the front, seeing as how the two of them were opposites, yet...they liked each other for who they were. "Just like the two of you have a certain crush on one another?" Rogue asked, making her two friends blush in embarrassment. "Nah, I'm just messing with you girl." Rogue said reassuringly as she put her feet on the dashboard.

"Hey...just to ask. Are you sure you guys really wanna go on this double date? Because there's no harm if you don't want to." Zach then asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable about forcing his two friends to do something they didn't want to. "It's alright, Zach. It's a break from all the troubles we've gotten into, so I think this'll be like a relaxing day for us." Steven said confidently in reassurance despite the nervous feeling. "Yeah...plus, I've been meaning to go to Empire City for a while." Connie added with a simple nod from her head. "Well, if you guys insist. Then off we go then, to Ocean Town." Zach said, driving off to Ocean Town, which was where Steven had gone before.

At Ocean Town

Our double date took place in Ocean Town, it's near a place where I went to see a Rock Show, but we were going into town this time.

The quartet of kids had arrived at the town, a part of it where Steven had never seen before. Steven and Connie were amazed at the part in the town they were, even as they reached the place for their date; a pizza parlour. "Wow...nice place. Sure, I've been to Fish Stew Pizza before, but I think this'll be nice to try somewhere different for a change." Steven said, excited about the place as he helped Connie out. "What is it with you and change?" Rogue asked with a snicker. "Never underestimate the power to change, Felicia. It's good, but it can also be bad at the same time." Steven pointed out with a firm smirk.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it, Ste-man." Rogue said. Being herself, she never knew much about change and many would say that she would never even change either, which was annoying but worrying at the same time. "You're sure you've got the right amount of money for later, Rogue?" Zach asked, making sure that his own girlfriend had enough money to pay for the next part of the double date later. "C'mon Z-man, it's all taken care of. It's enough money than what I was able to take from Ian Galaxy and any cash register." Rogue said, placing the money in her secret pocket, or at least, one of them.

"Wait, you've been hacking money all this time? Wouldn't that be illegal, Rogue?" Connie asked in concern, even making Steven a little nervous. "Only to people who deserved it, and sometimes." Rogue said in her defence, and she wasn't too wrong about that. "She even hacked money from Galaxy Industries one time." Zach pointed out, impressed that Rogue had still got some skills. "And we're gonna use that money for this place?" Steven asked nervously, gesturing the pizza parlour. "Nah, of course not. I got some cash with the help of my brother for this place. The money Rogue has, we're both saving that for later." Zach said, reassuring Steven much to his own relief.

Steven sighed, relieved that they weren't going to be using stolen money for the parlour, though the thought about using the money for something else was itching at him from the back of his mind. He chose to not think about it for now, especially when his stomach began to rumble. "Well then, in that case we'd better go in before we all get too hungry." He said as everyone agreed with him and followed him inside.

Inside

The gang had sat at one of the tables and already got their orders written down, they were currently talking to each other about their lives and anything else. So far, they were curious to know about Steven's life, to which he explained what his life was growing up. "So, you've never been to school, never had any friends before Connie and you were raised in a van your whole life by your dad?" Zach asked in surprise. "Yeah...Nora grew up with Uncle Andy and got a life like you two, and that was basically my life from the moment I was born." Steven admitted sheepishly.

"Bro, you really don't know what you're missing in life." Zach said, chuckling right before he said he meant it in a nice way. "Eh, nobody's perfect, Ste-man. I mean, I never had a normal life myself. Before coming to America, I was always on the move, traveling to different parts of Europe before I stowed away on a ship to America." Rogue said, explaining how she managed to get to the US. "Yeah, we're all special in our own way. Also, she told me about that stuff she did after I left, and I was even stunned to find all this out myself. Not to mention it would have taken at least years to pull something off like that." Connie said, still amazed at how Rogue was here with her amazing mind.

"Wait, weren't your parents sad when you came to America...?" Steven asked after remembering that Rogue had parents, but he was about to learn why. "I've...never had my parents. I was in an orphanage after my birth, they went missing when I was a baby and I grew up in Ireland with nobody there to adopt me." She said, taking off her kitty hat gently but sadly whilst Zach rubbed her back. "Rogue...I'm sorry. I didn't-" Steven began, only for Rogue to stop him there. "It's ok, Ste-man. Because if it wasn't for a certain accident from my childhood, I wouldn't have become the girl I am today." Rogue said, confidence coming back to her.

It was the first time I ever went someplace that wasn't in Beach City. Man, I wish you were here. We were talking about our own lives and even getting to know each other a little better.

"Oh, I never asked. How'd you and Zach meet?" Steven then asked, curious to hear how his two new friends met. "Well, it was during my 5th grade, I wasn't exactly...like this all the time. When I met Rogue, she changed my life after one of her investigations, I became almost as confident as she did." Zach explained, looking at Rogue as he explained how he met his girlfriend. "Basically, we dated as soon as he turned 13 years old, then we went into Ocean Town High soon afterwards." Rogue explained with smirk. Steven was pretty amazed at how they both met, though he was confused on why the two of them broke up.

"Anyway, enough about us. What about you two? How and where did you two meet?" Zach then asked, deciding to ask about how his two friends met. "The two of us met in Beach City. Once when I was on a parade float and saw Connie before she dropped her bracelet." Steven explained, the only thing he would remember about Connie after when he first met her. "And then the second-first time was outside his home. Steven was...riding his bike in the sand and ran away screaming." Connie explained, remembering the day that she and Steven first truly met, which was awkward and all, but she couldn't forget that day.

"Maybe he was trying to get your attention?" Rogue asked, seeing as how that's something that Steven would have done. The two of them glanced at each other briefly before Connie spoke up. "I guess I was just too focused on my books at the time, Rogue." Connie admitted sheepishly. "Also, I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now: How come you aren't wearing glasses anymore? Did you get contact lenses?" She asked, pointing out that Connie didn't have her old glasses anymore while oblivious to the fact that her eyes were magically healed.

Looking at Steven briefly, Connie felt pressure suddenly wearing her down. "Um...would you guys excuse me for a moment...?" Connie asked sheepishly as she got up from her seat and walked to the bathroom. "Uh, is it me or does Connie seem nervous?" Steven asked, feeling concerned for Connie after seeing her expression. "Relax, Ste-man. I'm sure she's just fine. It's probably nerves, but nothing she can't get over." Rogue said, confident about her childhood friend.

In the bathroom

Connie was at one of the sinks, trying to calm herself down as she washed her face with water. "Calm down, Connie. It's just your first date with Steven. Nothing to get nervous over." She said before taking a huge sigh of relief...but still felt nervous. "Ugh, why am I still feeling like this?! Get a hold of yourself. He's not going to get mad at you again." Connie must have been speaking to herself out loud, because the next thing she knew someone overheard her. "Hey, you ok, kid?" She asked, revealing to be a girl in a white hoodie with only her blue eyes who was at the sink beside Connie.

"Oh...yeah, I'm fine. I guess I'm just a bit nervous." Connie then spoke, trying to keep as calm as she could, especially when she couldn't see the girl's face. "Lemme guess, first date?" The girl asked, figuring she was more than likely right. "Y-Yeah...but I'm nervous that thing will go wrong." Connie admitted, feeling like she would probably mess everything up. "Well, I'd say just go easy and don't panic, everything works out eventually." The girl said confidently. "Y-Yeah...I suppose that's true. Anyway, I'd better get back. Thanks uh...what's your name?" Connie said confidently, about to head back outside before turning to thank the girl.

"Just call me Riv for now." The girl, called Riv, responded to Connie's question. "Oh right. Well, thanks either way, Riv. Maybe we'll meet again in the future." Connie said as she left the bathroom to find her friends. All the while, Riv watched the young girl leave he stalls before speaking. "You're welcome kid. Or maybe sooner than you might think when you put it like that." She said with a smile as she took off her hood to reveal her huge ears.

Back at the table

Connie got back to her friends to see them still talking to each other. She saw that Steven was eager to hear about how Rogue originally got her detective-like knowledge as a child. "Woah...a huge plasma ball gave you all that knowledge?" The young boy asked with absolute amazement, unable to believe how one could gain so much info. "It's true. Mixed with an old computer, that shock was one of the best things to happen in my life. I even learnt a few moves or two as well." Rogue explained, tapping her head with merely a finger. "That story's a little different from the one you told me, Rogue." Connie then spoke up with a smirk, grabbing the attention of her friends immediately.

"C'mon, girl. It's still true from what I remember." Rouge pointed out with a chuckle as Connie got back onto her seat. "Although, Rogue's not half wrong there, Steven. She basically uses what she learns from what she sees when she needs to." Connie explained.

Boy, our first date was really one to remember, trying new things and all.

And a while afterwards, their meals had arrived. They were all enjoying their time at the place and even Steven was amazed at the different kind of Pizzas that he never knew about. "Wow...a Hawaiian version of Pizza?! I never knew that it was even a thing until now." Steven said, delighted at the taste of the pizza he was trying out his Hawaiian Pizza. "Like I said, you don't know what you're missing out on." Zach then said, taking a bit of a munch on his own pizza.

"Man, I can't remember the last time I was with you and another boy." Rogue chuckled, recalling one of her childhood memories of herself and Connie, mainly with a boy who was quite charming. "Yeah...me neither. Now look at us, we've both got boys of our own and I think tonight might be a blast for us." Connie then said with a sigh. Sure, her mother would kill her for having anything with trans fats, but in this case, she didn't care. She finally got to hang out with Steven again after a stressful few weeks apart and knew that nothing could ruin that for her...or so she assumed.

There was only one problem...

Steven's eyes suddenly widened in horror after darting around the place. He saw that Amethyst, Citrine and Peridot were all there at one of the tables, having a good time despite making a few people uncomfortable. Ohhh man, the three of them overheard him talking about the double date, and he was terrified of the idea that they'd ruin the double date he and the others were on. "Zach..." Steven quietly but nervously spoke to catch his buddy's attention. "What is it, bro?" Zach then asked before seeing Steven's eyes pointing behind his buddy. Looking to where Amethyst was, Zach was surprised.

The other gems were following me wherever we went.

"What's Amethyst doing here?" Steven then asked with concern. "No idea...but I think they must've followed us here somehow." Zach said, and he could've been right too. He along with Steven were then beginning to get worried that they'd get thrown out if Amethyst, Citrine or Peridot came their way. "Yo, Ste-man!" Amethyst suddenly called to her buddy, immediately sending chills down Steven's spine, especially when she and the others rushed over to Steven's table. He was sure that they'd ruin everything and closed his eyes. However, acting fast, Zach saw this coming and quickly activated the Hive Mind, using it to conjure an illusion which disguised them just as the trio came towards them.

Amethyst then looked in Steven's direction...only too see that there was nobody there. "Aw man, I coulda sworn Steven was here." Amethyst groaned before she, her sister and Peridot then left. "Phew, that was a close one." Steven said in relief as Zach dismissed the illusion he conjured. "Ste-man, come on. I thought you liked being with Amethyst often?" Rogue then pouted, kinda hoping to talk to Amethyst. "I do, it's just... I guess I didn't want us to get thrown out." Steven then admitted sheepishly, which was understandable from Rogue's perspective.

After finishing up their meals, as well as paying for them...

The gang left and headed to the movie theatres to see a movie. They were going to see the movie make of The Unfamiliar Familiar, based on the Spirit Morph Saga series that Connie had introduced Steven to. Connie was really excited when she and Steven made plans to go see the film, and Rogue was also keen to see what it was like too. But when they tried getting tickets, they discovered that it was PG much to Connie's and Rogue's annoyance.

Not only that, but me and Zach were risking getting into trouble to make sure the girls had a good time.

Thankfully, Zach and Steven came up with a brilliant plan: They formed Z-ven and pretended to be the girls' father, even using the hive mind's powers in order to sneak past and get everything they needed to watch the movie. It was a close one though, especially when Zach couldn't hold his fusion with Steven for long due to a sudden headache he gained. But nonetheless, they managed to get in just in time when the film started.

A while later, the gang were seated and finally watching the film. So far, it was looking good. They were at the halfway point for the film and despite Connie pointing out a few problems with the film here and there, she still liked it. "Man, I can't believe how brilliant this looks. Sure, it's a bit flawed...but so far, it's good." Connie said, amazed at how the film was going so far. "You're telling me, girl, this film is totally amazing. I think Archimicarus is definitely my fave character." Rogue responded as she put her two feet on the seat in front of her.

Steven was so amazed at all the action and magic that the film had to offer, in fact he was about to turn towards Connie to ask how she found the action...only to see her looking a bit agitated in her seat. The young boy assumed that Connie wasn't enjoying herself, when in truth, Connie could've sworn she had seen a pair of long ears sticking out three seating rows in front of her.

Afterwards when the film ended...

Steven and the gang decided to have a bit of fun for themselves in a nearby carnival. "Talk about nice timing, Z-man. I think this carnival just started." Rogue said with excitement, dragging her own boyfriend into the carnival by the hand. Then after looking at each other, Steven and Connie followed soon afterwards. It wasn't what they had planned, but the two of them went along with it anyway.

And...I was also beginning to feel like I was leaving Connie out...

The first thing they did was try the gang did was try the house of mysteries. It was an attraction which had all sorts of stuff, like props on mythology and even fortune tellers who could see someone's future, but none of them could ever be a match for Sapphire. Despite them being fake, Rouge insisted that Steven try getting his future read, and the young boy didn't refuse.

Steven ended up getting a card that said a strange prediction much to his own concern, but thankfully Zach and Rogue were there to reassure him, saying that the prediction was possibly fake. Looking at Connie, Steven wanted to show her what his prediction was, however...Steven saw that she looked a little more agitated than before, making him quite concerned.

The next thing Steven and the gang did was the Zero Gravity ride. Unlike the one at Funland in Beach City, that Steven, Connie and Zach had trouble with, this ride was actually pretty thrilling. Zach nearly felt like he was going to lose his lunch and the girls were absolutely thrilled, but unfortunately for Steven, Peridot was on the opposite side of the side and actually saw the gang. When the ride was over, she tried walking to the gang, but couldn't because of her dizziness afterwards.

The third thing they did was try the fun house, which was full of mazes and puzzles and even, how it was described, the possible impossible things. The place was pretty amazing, and Rogue and Connie, especially Zach too when he came across a statue of an anthropomorphic white fox. Steven then came across a huge golem animatronic which people seemed to like. However, Steven discovered that Topaz was in the funhouse after people mistook her for a mascot. Thankfully, the young boy was able to exit the funhouse with the others before Topaz could reach them.

They then went on the bumper cars, having a ball, especially when Rogue and Connie were paired together against Zach and Steven. It was all fun for the moment, until Steven immediately noticed Amethyst, who shapeshifted into a bumper car with Ruby and Sapphire driving her. Fearing as if they were going to wreck Connie and Rogue's bumper car, Steven used the Hive Mind to chuck them out of the ride.

Steven wanted to let Connie try the High Striker, unfortunately...he saw Bismuth and Pearl were already there. The rainbow gem apparently used another failed version of the Star Slicer on the striker, thus causing both the bell to fall off and the failed version to break. Steven narrowly dodged running into them as the gang made their way to another part of the carnival.

Zach and Rogue then dragged Steven and Connie to a huge rollercoaster, which looked scary to Connie. Rogue noticed this, and sat her next to Steven behind her and Zach when they were on the ride itself. After some reassurance, Connie was able to relax and enjoy the rollercoaster with Steven. The young boy was glad that the other gems weren't able to get on the ride, though he could've sworn he saw a figure with a tail and big ears on the station roof at the end.

After the rollercoaster.

It was all too stressful until eventually...

Steven and the gang were sitting on a bench "Man, that ride gave me butterflies. Let's do it again!" Rogue said with excitement, the adrenaline getting the better of her positive emotions. "Chill Rogue, we'll get that chance after the water ride next." Zach said after a laugh of agreement with the hive mind glowing a yellow light. "Yeah, man that ride's supposed to give us a 360 of absolute fun! Whaddya say, Ste-man?!" Rogue then said, not hesitating to try the ride before looking at Steven. "Well, I...I..." Steven began, only to stop when he looked at Connie.

I couldn't take it anymore.

The young girl looked like she was getting upset over the whole day not being like he planned. Steven was worried more than he was after thinking that Connie wasn't having fun anymore and suddenly...he completely lost it. "Ohhh, I can't do this anymore!" He yelped in panic, and before he knew it, the young lad just rushed away from his friends in absolute embarrassment. The others suddenly saw this and were immediately concerned, especially when they saw the Hive Mind glowing a mixture of red, blue and purple, indicating that Steven was scared, sad and irritated. "S-Steven...?" Connie began with worry, thinking she did something wrong.

Zach on the other hand, noticed that the hive mind was glowing with a mixture of red, blue and purple, stating that he was both angry, sad and anxious, though it was more on the sad side than red. "Oh man...I think we'd better go after him." He immediately said, and the neither of the girls disagreed with him. "I'm way ahead of you, Z-man." Rogue said, immediately getting up from her seat and going after Steven. "Woah...you could actually tell Steven had a problem from the way he acted?" Zach asked with an impressed tone.

"Well that...and I saw that necklace of yours glowing red, blue and purple, giving us the impression that Steven's got a mixture of negative emotions." Rogue said, pointing to the Hive Mind glowing in the three colours. "Uh guys, are we going after Steven or are you just going to stand there?" Connie asked rhetorically in annoyance before the trio went after Steven. All the while, Garnet and the other gems saw this from a distance and looked at each other in concern. "Hmm...I figured this would happen." Garnet said, feeling responsible for putting stress on Steven.

Over by the pier's end...

Steven leaned on the railing at the edge of the pier, looking at the night sky reflecting the stars like a mirror. On edge about what might happen next and fearing that he might have ruined the day entirely, not just for her, but for the others too. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he never heard Zach or the other girls coming towards him. "Steven, what's the matter, bro?" Zach asked with worry as he leaned on the railing in front of him. "I've just gotten back to being with Connie since that party Kevin threw. I've been so worried about ruining the day or even leaving her out." Steven stressfully admitted after holding it in since the film.

Hearing this, Connie was surprised that Steven was even afraid of ruining everything. "Wait...Steven, did you think I wasn't having a good time?" She asked, seeing as how the young boy was mentioning it. "Yeah...that's what I thought. I had everything planned out for us, but...things didn't seem to go as planned, especially since the gems were following me everywhere. Man, this whole night I've been worried that I did something wrong." Steven said stressfully before leaning back on the railing. Nobody said anything for a moment, until Zach finally decided to break the silence.

But then...Zach was the one to help bring me to my senses...

"I know how you feel, bro..." He spoke after a sigh, immediately catching Steven's attention. "W-Wait...you do?" The young boy asked in shock. "Yeah. I've felt it before. Remember when I said about not being who I am now before?" Zach then asked, and the young boy nodded in confusion. "Y-Yes, why?" Steven then asked, cocking his head to one side. "Well...before I met Rogue, I was, wat people called, a rich boy. A pretty dumb, egotistical and selfish rich boy." Zach revealed much to his own worries.

Steven and Connie were stunned at hearing Zach's life before Rogue showed up. The gang then went onto the Ferris Wheel where Zach explained more about his life. And it was there that the teenager told Steven and Connie more about himself, and Rogue was even there to back him up too. "I used to be obsessed with expensive stuff and everything being perfect, but I never felt satisfied with anything no matter how many things went my way. But when I met Rogue, she pretty much annoyed me at first...however, after a mystery during a school lockdown, that's when the two of us really got to know each other." Zach said, his smile soon returning.

"After a while...we decided to go on a date together...and I was totally nervous about messing it up. Rogue noticed and...let's just say, she was more concerned for me instead of disliking our first date." Zach sheepishly pointed out much to Connie's surprise. "Still being a rich boy back then, Z-man looked really terrified about ruining our date. But when he admitted his issue, I decided to help show him how other kids lived our age had fun, and Zach ended up changing for the better." Rogue said, recalling a pretty wild party she and Zach attended together.

And after telling me about his life, I realised that the two of us weren't so different.

"That's when I became less obsessive with perfection and expensive stuff and...I began hanging with Rogue more often. Learned a few things from her, was introduced to videogames, we went to junior prom and went on quite a few mysteries together." Zach said, placing his arm around Rogue to her cheerfulness. "But then...why'd you break up with Rogue...? You guys had everything together." Connie asked, remembering when Zach's life was originally falling apart. "It's...complicated..." Zach then admitted, unsure on how to explain the whole thing. "It's because of Darren's dad." Rogue then pointed out sheepishly.

"Wait...as in, Ian Galaxy? The guy who tried to kill us after we made him lose the election for Beach City?" Steven said in shock. Sure, it could've been anyone else, but nope, it just had to be Ian. "Little cliché, I know...but it's true." Rogue said, the memories of Darren's father burning into her mind exceedingly. "Basically...he and my dad made a deal, then that buffoon decided Rogue was a bad influence on me. He wanted me to cut my ties with her and said that he'd do it himself if I didn't. My dad said it was best for the business...and I did so...man, I was a wreck afterwards." Zach explained, the way he spoke was nearly like he wished it never happened in the first place.

Steven felt sorry for Zach, hearing all the stuff he had to endure after breaking up with Rogue. "I didn't want to let Ian get away with that stunt, so after I got back from that Mansion Darren dragged me, Connie and Nora into, I sabotaged one of his products, and ruined the deal between him and my dad." Zach said much to Steven's shock. The young boy never knew Zach would even have the nerve to do something like that, but he couldn't blame him at the same time. "When Ian found out, boy was he furious. In fact, so furious, he wanted to ruin my life...and you guys probably know who he got to do all of that..." Zach went on, and to Steven and Connie, the two kids knew exactly who would want to ruin their friend's life.

"Darren..." They both said in unison, causing Zach to nod, confirmation their answer. "Man, Darren framed me for things I never even did in my life, I got into trouble with my family and nearly got expelled...so I ran away, believing my family wouldn't want me anymore...but then I met you, Steven. And you helped get my life back, and even better." Zach said, turning to Steven gratefully, gesturing Rogue and the Hive Mind. "Glad I was able to help, Zach. And for the record, I didn't think you were some rich boy when we first met." Steven said, glad that he met Zach.

But then, I realised that Connie was just as nervous as I was.

"Glad to hear...being rich just really isn't my thing." Zach said, and if anything, he was glad he ended up in the young boy's life. "Also, Steven, just so you know...I was having a good time. The pizzeria, the film and even the carnival too. I was just a bit nervous, that's all. Going on a date is pretty new to me as well as being new to you." Connie said, reassuring Steven and causing the young boy to calm down. "Glad to know...man, this has been one heck of a double date." Steven then responded said with a light chuckle.

"Actually, the date's not over yet. There's...actually one last place left to go." Zach mentioned after hearing Steven speak. "There is? Where?" The young boy asked, even Connie was curious to know too. "Well, how about when we get off the wheel, I'll take you guys there, how's that?" Zach suggested. To his amazement, Steven and the girls agreed to go.

When they got off the Ferris wheel...

Steven and the gang were ready to leave the carnival, feeling like nothing could ruin the night now. On the way out however, Steven and Zach were suddenly grabbed and shoved up against the wall. The two boys looked, and were even shocked, to see a furious-looking Darren, looking like he was hellbent on taking his anger out on his enemies. "What? You surprised to see me, you backstabbing weasels?!" Darren growled rhetorically, seeming to have a lot of rage after being released from prison. Connie and Rogue tried to help the boys, but were suddenly grabbed by his half-brother Kevin, and his two minions Doof and Lump.

"D-Darren?! What are you doing here?!" Steven asked nervously, worried about his friends' safety. "You got me put in Ocean Town Juvenile Detention for a whole two weeks, ruined my brother's party and made a joke out of my family! You're seriously asking why we're here?!" Darren spoke angrily, still grabbing Steven's and Zach's shirts tightly. "Oh right...Kevin's failed party. Y-You guys aren't still ticked off about that, are you...?" Zach then asked with a hint of nervousness, but knew, from his former gang's faces, that they were still furious with him and Steven for ruining the party.

"Kev, take care of the girls...I'll deal with Uselessverse and the dumb loser." Darren said firmly to Kevin, who was a little concerned at first. "Well go on then...this is between me and these backstabbers." Darren then said, clenching his first tightly. Without hesitation, Kevin, Doof and Lump dragged the girls away much to their resistance. Steven was worried that Kevin might hurt Connie, but Zach, knowing Rogue, figured she had a plan. "Darren...we don't have to fight..." Steven said, trying to speak some sense into Darren, but so far, it wasn't working.

"Ugh, is this how you get by like this, Steven?" Darren groaned in annoyance, feeling like Steven was such a wimp. "I'm just saying...fighting isn't always the answer." Steven insisted, trying to change Darren's mind if he could. "Well fighting is everything to me! To my family! Besides, I wouldn't expect a useless porkchop like you to understand!" Darren growled, clenching his fists tightly as his eyes strangely glowed a orange a little. "Hey, back off, D-man! At least Steven's got more manners than you ever did!" Zach spoke defensively, preparing to use the hive mind if he needed to.

"Rgh! You've ticked me off for the last time, you dumb loser!" Darren growled, charging towards his ex-friend. Then thinking fast, Steven rushed to Zach's side and pulled up his shield for the two of them, instantly shielding them from Darren's strong punch. to Steven's shock, the impact from the punch was enough to crack Steven's shield slightly. "Woah...was Darren always this strong when you were with him?!" The young boy asked Zach, who was just as shocked. "Bro...you have no idea." He responded before the shield was then kicked out of Steven's hand.

Zach tried to use the hive mind, but it was suddenly grabbed by Darren, who then used it's telekinetic abilities to send Zach flying into the wall. Steven tried to help his friend but Darren then used the Hive Mind to grab Steven and lift him into the air. "Why are you like this tonight?!" Steven asked, sure it was obvious why, but he had never seen Darren this furious since he met him. "Because Cadence and I broke up. She said my life was too dangerous whenever I run into stuff that your family does! So I figured I'd take my anger out on you!" Darren growled and, without hesitation, he threw Steven to the ground.

The two boys were about to fight each other, when Pearl suddenly appeared from behind Steven. "What do you think you're doing with out Steven?!" She asked firmly with her arms crossed. "Hey beat it, lady! This doesn't concern you." Darren said firmly, telling Pearl to go away. However, Garnet, Amethyst, Citrine, Bismuth, Topaz, Purity and Peridot appeared from either behind her or behind one of the carnival tents. The teenager was stunned to see he was outnumbered at least nine to one. "Make your move...it won't end well." Garnet said with her arms still folded.

Darren had the urge to fight...but then switched off the hive mind out of annoyance. "You're lucky you've got those guys, Uslessverse. But don't think you're getting off this lightly. Because next time...I won't be going easy." Darren spoke to Steven with a growl before running off to the carnival's exit. The last thing the rough teenager did was, when he reached Zach, throw the Hive Mind back to his ex-friend. "Here, take back your stupid jewel, you dumb loser! I've no use for it!" And with that, Darren ran off, assuming to be the last time Steven or Zach would encounter him, at least for now.

"Oh my stars, Steven are you alright?!" Pearl asked frantically, checking to see if Steven was hurt. "Pearl, chill. Ste-man's fine." Amethyst insisted after shoving Pearl to one side. "She eez right, pairl. Coul yur jets!" Citrine added in agreement with her sister. "I'm fine, really...at least now I am thanks to you guys. Also...sorry about avoiding you guys earlier." Steven said gratefully before apologising. "Eh, it's no biggie. Still, you could've given us a bit of a hello." Amethyst said with a cool attitude. "That's kinda what Connie was suggesting to him." Zach said awkwardly as he walked over to Steven with the Hive Mind in his hand.

"I simply can't understand why Darren and his own family can't leave us alone! Is he trying to turn us into weapons against humans?!" Peridot then exclaimed in frustration before being calmed down by Purity. "Calm yourself, Peridot. It's not worth getting stressed over." Purity spoke in a calm manner. "Besides, the night ain't about us, it's for Steven and his other friends." Bismuth pointed out as she stroked Steven's hair. Hearing Bismuth's words immediately made Steven realise something important. "Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about Connie, c'mon, Zach, let's go!" He yelped before rushing off to where Kevin had taken the girls.

"See you at home, guys!" Steven said, waving at the gems before rushing off with Zach to find the girls. Garnet waved with a smile, as did Amethyst, Citrine, Bismuth and Peridot. All the while though, Purity had noticed the Hive Mind in Zach's hand and was stunned. "That rock...it couldn't be..." She spoke quietly in shock. "Hey, you alright there Pure?" Bismuth asked, snapping Purity back to reality. "Y-Yes...I'm quite fine thank you. But I must ask...has Zach's necklace, the blue object, has it been glowing different colours...?" The Omni Diamond asked with concern whilst leading the gems away.

Meanwhile...

The boys, or rather Steven, frantically searched for Connie and Rogue for about a few seconds before seeing her. To Steven's shock, and Zach's expectance, Rogue was sitting on Kevin, Doof and Lump, all groaning and in a pile, with a smirk on her face. "What kept you boys? You missed out on the fun." She asked with a chuckle, getting off Kevin and landing on the ground. "You ok?" Zach asked, wanting to make sure Rogue was alright. "Z-man, you know I can handle myself." Rogue pointed out with a bit of a chuckle.

"Of course I know that. I just wanted to make sure Kevin didn't scratch you." Zach said before he and his girlfriend noticed a shocked Steven, staring at the female detective in disbelief. "You actually took on Kevin and Darren's bozos by yourself? That's amazing!" Steven said, surprised to hear that Rogue was tougher than she looked, especially against Kevin and Darren's goons. "Yep, though it was mostly Kevin for me, then Connie had a bit of a hand taking down those other bozos from that girl over there." Rogue responded before pointing to Connie behind her.

Steven then looked behind Rogue and was immediately shocked once more. Connie was there, talking to what looked to be an anthropomorphic fox. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but Connie looked like she was getting along with the girl fairly well. When Steven tried to approach the fox, she looked at the young boy and then vanished after saying goodbye to Connie. The young girl then went to Steven and hugged him. "Connie! A-Are you ok? Y-You're not hurt, are you?" Steven then asked frantically, his concern for Connie returning immediately. "Steven, relax. I'm fine. Really..." Connie insisted to Steven's relief.

"Oh thank goodness. Who was that anyway?" Steven asked out of curiosity about the figure. "Well, crazy thing. I didn't believe them at first, but do you remember when G.U.A.R.D mentioned discovered a vigilante called the Lunar Fox? Well that was her." Connie explained, sounding surprisingly excited about telling Steven that for once, the agents proved to be somewhat reliable at times. "Woah...so they weren't lying. There's actually someone else protecting Earth too. Did she say who she was or anything else?" Steven then asked, curious to know a little more about the Lunar Fox.

"Well she mentioned she only goes after criminals and anyone hostile, which Kevin wasn't...but she mentioned making an exception because of tonight." Connie said, recalling what the fox told her. "Sounds like someone the gems could work with." Steven said while thinking of a brilliant possibility. "Actually...she also said she works alone because she doesn't trust anyone else." Connie said, which made Steven a little sad. "But...she did mention wanting to meet you sometime soon. She didn't say when, she just said to expect her when you see her." The young girl then pointed out much to her own confusion.

"Yeah, at least that's what she said. She never spoke to me that much." Rogue confirmed with a solid nod. "Well, at least you're ok now." Steven then said, putting his hand on Connie's in relief. "True point. Anyway...I know this was probably crazy but...did you still wanna see that spot I was telling you about?" Zach then asked. At first he figured the gang weren't in any mood to go after what happened, but to his relief, they still wanted to check out the spot.

One short drive later...

Then the last place we went was somewhere that only Zach and Rogue knew about...

The gang ended up at what looked to be a lookout over all of Ocean Town. Then lying on the bonnet of the car, they saw the night sky, which looked absolutely phenomenal with no clouds about. "Wow..." Connie said, amazed at the twinkling stars that lay above the world. "I know...the night looks absolutely beautiful. You picked a really good spot, Zach." Steven said, leaning against Connie gently. "Thanks...it's actually the only spot I could think of." Zach said sheepishly, catching Steven's attention. "Really? Why's that?" Connie asked in surprise.

"Rogue and I would occasionally come up here when we were a bit younger. The after we broke up, and whenever I was in a mood, I'd often come up here myself to take my mind off things." Zach explained in further detail. "Oh...well either way, you've really picked a good spot." Connie pointed out with a relaxing sigh afterwards. "She's right you know. Hey...I think I can see Beach City from here." Steven said after spotting Beach City in the distance.

Man, if ever there was a way to end the double date, it had to be looking up at the stars. I think Connie even saw a shooting star too.

For a long while, the four kids sat on the car, looking up at the night sky and looking at the stars above. Connie even saw a shooting star. However, somehow the night sky reminded Steven that there was someone else missing out on the night. "Man, I wish Nora was here..." Steven said. He knew Nora was still in space somewhere, but he still wished she was still on Earth. "Yeah, you and me both... But don't worry, Steven. She'll be home in no time." Connie said reassuringly.

"Yeah, though I know how you feel there...I think she would've loved the day if she was here." Zach said, agreeing with Steven as he placed his arm around Rogue. "Next time, when she's on Earth, we'll definitely let her join in." Rogue said while leaning into Zach. After that, Steven had a thought about writing everything he and his friends did today in a letter he was currently writing for his dear sister.

Soon afterwards

Steven brought Connie home, finally relaxed and relieved that everything went perfect for them after all. "Thanks for the day out, Steven. I had a wonderful time." Connie said, rubbing her arm gently while thinking about how brilliant the day had gone. "It's no big deal, really. If anything, I'm glad I was able to spend a lot of time with you again." Steven responded despite blushing. "Same..." Connie answered back. The whole day was amazing, and Connie was definitely excited to go on another date sometime soon.

"Connie, if you wanna do something like this again soon...Lars suggested that I bring you guys to one of his and Sadie's concerts." Zach then suggested. "Well, I don't think I'm one to pass up anything like that." Connie said, eager to accept an invitation to his cousin's concerts much to Zach's excitement. "Yeah, that's the spirit, girl." Rogue said with excitement, suddenly putting her arm around her childhood friend with excitement and tousling her hair.

So, to conclude the letter: That was one of the best days I've ever had with my friends. I really wish you were with us.

"Well, I'd better get going. My parents would probably kill me if I stayed out here any longer." Connie said before walking up to her home, or at least, she began to. After a few steps, she then stopped, and, with a bit of courage, went back and kissed Steven on the cheek, taking the young lad completely by surprise. much to his and Connie's blushes. "See you guys soon." She said to her friends before walking off to her home. Steven, after Connie went inside, then felt his cheeks where he had been kissed, then smiled. That was actually the first time Connie had ever kissed him since they knew each other, and wow did it feel amazing.

He then turned to see Zach and Rogue looking at him with amused looks on their faces. "What...? It was only our first date. We're not rushing into anything." Steven said with a bit of embarrassment. "Oh come on, Ste-man. We've all had our first kiss. Though...it definitely wasn't on the lips or anything." Rogue said as she and the boys got into Kevin's car. "By the way, Z-man. Did you ever tell your dad about what you've been through?" Rogue then asked Zach, who suddenly froze at the mention of his own father. "Let's...not go into that for a while." Zach responded sheepishly before driving back to Beach City.

Present Day, on the Sun Incinerator.

Nora was finishing off the letter that her brother had sent her, nearing the end.

Anyway, I hope this letter was enough to lift your spirits a bit if you're feeling down...

"Forever your brother, Steven." Steven then said, appearing from his own sister's hair as she finished reading the letter. "Steven, I know you mean well, but what was the point of writing this letter if you were just gonna say that in person?" Nora then asked in confusion. "Sometimes it's nice to be read to." Steven said, and he wasn't wrong on that part. "You know I haven't met some kind of Lunar Fox, do you? I mean, who was she anyway?" Nora asked, curious to know about the girl that Connie had met a couple of times. "Let's just say, she's someone looking out for your own brother." Steven said soothingly, making Nora slightly smile a little bit. "Aw, thanks for the letter, Steven." She then said, stroking her brother's hair as best as she could, causing him to smile.

Meanwhile on Earth...

The Lunar Fox climbed from tree to tree, having stopped a bunch of jewel thieves from making off into the highway with all their loot. She was on her way back to the store to return all the jewellery, having left the thieves on literal ice before the sheriff caught them, when she was suddenly ambushed by a bunch of black cars. Agents Sterling, Pottz and Thompson then got out of their cars, making the fox believe they were hostile. "Woah, woah, woah...easy there foxy loxy, we come in peace." Travis spoke, stopping the fox from attacking in just seconds before she did.

The Lunar Fox responded with a growl of defence, prepared to pounce on the agents in an instant. "Take it easy, Miss. Our director just wants to have a word with you, nobody's attacking you." Agent Thompson said with reassurance, making the fox get to her two feet after a few moments. As soon as this happened, Agent Thompson activated his holographic communicator device, revealing Barak Wrath. "Are you what the locals call...The Lunar Fox?" Director Wrath asked, looking upon the creature in front of him. "Depends on who's asking..." She spoke up with a deadpanned expression.

"We've heard a great deal about you, and many would even call you a hero as well. G.U.A.R.D could certainly use someone with your talents." Barak said, sounding fairly fascinated about the Lunar Fox, who then glared at the director. "I work alone..." She spoke defensively, attempting to reach for one of her gadgets, only to stop after hearing Barak's voice once more. "At least hear us out first." Barak insisted, and the fox then listened. "We're trying to assemble a team of elite heroes to protect Earth, and so far, we've found three, including you." As the head of G.U.A.R.D spoke, the Lunar Fox seemed quite interested in the idea.

"You don't have to tell us if you're in now. We'll be in touch with if anything come up, if you are interested." Barak then said, giving the fox a chance to either accept the offer or not. "Sounds cool. I might consider that offer soon enough." She then spoke up, somewhat eager to accept the offer. "That's good to hear. Also...I take it the Lunar Fox is isn't your real name, right?" Lance then asked with approval. Upon hearing his question, The Lunar Fox shook her head. "Ah, I didn't think so. In that case...what is your real name?" Lance asked, for a moment the fox was silent, until she spoke up once more. "It's Rivet." The Lunar Fox responded, thus revealing her own name.

Phew... ^^

That too me long enough

Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter (Side note: Rivet's story is one for another time)

Also, be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter and I'll see you guys next time

Negaboss2000 out ^^