A/N – Hey guys! Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter – I'm currently finding different ways to survive the extended hiatus till September…I don't know if I'll make it XD Anyway, please enjoy and don't forget to review!

Chapter V

Amethyst's Turn

"You're really picking up this food thing aren't you Ste-man?" Amethyst cooed, spooning more carrot babyfood in his mouth. The seven-month old eagerly babbled to the purple gem.

"I guess human kids really do like to eat garbage" She grimaced at the substance, "What the heck is a vegetable anyway?"

After feeding him, and cleaning up the colossal mess that was Steven's face, she picked him up and swung him onto her shoulders. Arms supporting him, the tot began to play with her long hair.

"So what'd 'you wanna do today, huh?" She hesitated, trying to think of something non-dangerous to do in the temple. She was going solo with Steven today, much to Pearl's scepticism. Greg had to work, and the others had an important mission regarding a monster loose near the Strawberry Battlefields. Considering Amethyst was unfamiliar in that area, she had decided to sit back and babysit.

"As if she'd be responsible enough to care for a child on her own!" Pearl protested, looking incredulously at Garnet and Greg. Although it was a risk, Greg felt as though he should give Amethyst a chance to bond with Steven better, considering Pearl took up the bulk of his care the majority of the time he came over.

"What do you know Pearl, you've never given me the chance!" Amethyst developed a deep blush on her face, and she gritted her teeth impatiently.

"Like I would give you the chance! You can barely look after yourself without getting into some sort of mischief!" A steaming Pearl turned to Greg, who shrank nervously. "Do you really want those traits rubbing off on Steven?"

"I-I uhhh" He stuttered and turned to Garnet for help.

"Pearl, it's important for all of us to bond with Steven. Today is Amethyst's turn. She would never let anything harm him – and it's also important I have you on this mission today." Garnet's word meant law, and even Pearl wouldn't dare argue with her.

"Grrrr – fine!" She huffed, and then pointed her finger to a smirking Amethyst. "Don't you dare let him out of your sight for a single second" Garnet pulled her by her shoulder to the warp pad.

"Obviously" Amethyst muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Hmmm" The gem pondered, "Ah! I know, I'll take you to my room, there's tons of fun stuff do do in there!" She took Steven to her door and opened it, smiling when he immediately wanted to get down and explore. "This is my crib, pretty much the most awesome place you'll ever set foot in" She placed Steven down, "Or in your case, face" she laughed as he faceplanted the floor and then rolled over. He still had not progressed to crawling, but getting places was no problem considering he was now advanced in rolling. Steven made his way to the nearest junk pile, only to slam into a broken fridge. Robust as he was, the black-haired boy only giggled.

"I knew you'd like it in here" Amethyst said proudly. She jumped up on the fridge, probably creating a dent in the process. Rummaging around in the nearby pile, she burrowed to find something that might interest Steven. The child in turn held out his arms to the objects she threw over her shoulder, fortunately missing him. Steven rolled over to an item that took his fancy, attempting to put it in his mouth.

"Steven!" Amethyst leapt over to him, yanking the rusty car part from him, "You could break your teeth on that" She stopped when Steven began to cry. "Don't be upset! I'll, uh, I'll find you something better!" She looked around, eyeing something on another pile.

Handing Steven a disused telephone with the wire snapped off, she grinned as his wailing ceased. Fortunately, the phone had a tough, plastic outer shell, which kept all the hazardous parts inside.

"You are so weird" Amethyst laughed, as she went back to dig for something better.

About a minute passed when Amethyst turned around to show Steven what she had found in the pile next to him. However, when she did look she found nothing.

Panic flooded her body, as she frantically threw stuff around to find him.

"Steven? Steven!" She called, slapping her hand hard on her forehead. "How I could be so stupid, Pearl and Garnet are gonna kill me!"

She gazed around the trash-jungle that was her room, piles like skyscrapers looming precariously in every direction.

"He could be anywhere!" Amethyst's mind flashed images of Steven getting hurt, falling, or getting lost forever. "How many of Pearl's swords are in here? What if he finds one?" Her eyes started to glaze with tears, until she blinked them away. "I have to find him"

Shapeshifting into an eagle, Amethyst flew to the top of her room and began scouting out for the boy. After a few minutes and no luck, she went back to her original form to search on land.

She began to frantically throw things out of her way, creating sea of trash and lost treasures. Soon, the majority of her piles had been reduced to practically nothing.

Thinking of something else, Amethyst took the form of a bloodhound to sniff out a trail. She managed to catch a familiar scent and followed it as quickly as she could.

The trail led to a broken sofa turned on its side, and a rustling of a chip bag from behind confirmed that something or someone was there.

"Steven?" Amethyst shapeshifted back, and peered over the couch, "Steven!" She reacted, and the young boy in turn looked up an gave her a gummy smile. He was lying on an old chip packet, still clinging to the telephone which was clutched to his chest.

Amethyst dived over the sofa and picked him up, swinging him around and giving the tot an almost suffocating hug. Steven nuzzled into her shoulder.

The gem began to make her way back to her door, which proved to be more difficult after the near decimation of her room.

"To be honest" She jumped over a rusty car, "It looks a lot better like this" Steven replied with a rub to his eyes, dropping the phone he held. Amethyst picked it up and carried it for him the rest of the way.

When Garnet and Pearl warped back to the temple, they were met with quite an unexpected sight. Garnet chuckled and worked on inspecting the object she had bubbled, whilst Pearl crept over to where the sofa was.

Before her lay both Amethyst and Steven who had fallen asleep, with the latter curled up against the chest of the former.

"He's filthy!" Hissed Pearl to Garnet, who nodded distractedly.

"Not to mention – what is that he's holding?" She inspected the sight from a distance, careful not wake them. Pearl could see the telephone that Steven hugged to his chest, and raised an eyebrow.

Sighing, she walked to the basket that held Steven's essentials and plucked out a blanket. As gently as possible, she put in both of them and tucked them in a little.

"Two babies" She said quietly, half to herself.