A/N - Hey guys, hope you're enjoying the last week of August. I start college in September, so I'm eagerly awaiting that :P Please don't forget to review, I love your feedback *e-heart*~

Chapter VIII

Party Gems

A small breeze coursed through the sand, providing a well-needed break on a hot Summer's day at Beach City. The large cliff face that lay to the borders of the small town, played home to the ancient temple that currently resided there.

Steven knocked on the temple's walls, along with his Father.

"Hey gems" Greeted Greg, waving at the three in turn. His son copied him, getting an all too adorable squee out of Pearl.

"Hello Steven!" She said, obviously more preoccupied with the tot, not that Greg was used to it.

He coughed to gain her attention, as well as the others.

"Today is crunch time guys" He began. The three raised their eyebrows, "What do you mean?" Said Amethyst.

"Today is Steven's birthday, don't you remember yesterday? We planned to go shopping for his presents"

"Oh! Of course!" Pearl clapped her hands together, "To celebrate the day he was born"

"Yeah, that is the idea of a birthday, Pearl" Amethyst nudged Garnet, "You can tell she doesn't get out much"

Garnet hummed in reply and crossed her arms.

"We have to make tomorrow a special day for Steven. We should all get him a gift from one of us with the help of Greg. I expect you two to co-operate in public and not cause any unnecessary trouble" Garnet raised her hand when Pearl was about to defend herself, cutting the gem off.

In a huff, Pearl sighed but nonetheless was willing to do whatever it took to let Steven have a great birthday.

Situated comfortably in the shopping cart, Steven pumped his legs excitedly as they entered the large toy store. Even the gems proved to be surprised at the giant array of colourful items displayed on a seemingly endless maze of aisles.

"Woah, check it out!" Said Amethyst, dashing over to look at the shelves with Pearl tailing her.

"Amethyst stay close to us! You might get lost" She squawked.

Greg chuckled nervously. "Perhaps this was a bad idea" he thought.

Garnet was at hand pushing the cart, perhaps a little to enthusiastically as Greg had a hard time keeping up with her pace.

The group looked browsed for a bit, coming across many objects that took the gem's fancy.

Amethyst gasped at sighting something, and immediately began climbing the shelves. When the rest of her companions looked behind them, specifically Greg and Pearl began to panic.

"Amethyst, get down!" Pearl shouted hysterically after the gem, who was up extremely high and balancing precariously on her item on interest. She had a trouble picking it up due to its weight, but eventually called down, "What's that Pearl? You want me to come down?"

At the other's shrill response, the purple gem leaped.

Pearl frantically ran in circles, trying to find the right spot to catch her. They both ended up in a heap on the floor, with Amethyst on top laughing.

"So what did you get?" Said Garnet, "And it had better be good for all that trouble"

Amethyst stood up, and hauled Pearl with her who was blushing.

"Look! It's monster truck!" She held it up proudly, and then pushed the 'on' button.

When nothing happened, Amethyst angrily began to bash it with her fist. "Awww man, doesn't this junk come with batteries"

Garnet proved to be unimpressed. "You can do better than that" She said.

"Yeah I know" Amethyst then proceeded to chuck the device over the shoulder, "I'll find something bigger!"

Steven clapped and cooed at Pearl, who was playing a small tune of a toddler-sized keyboard.

"I think I'll get him this" She said to Greg, "He has such an appreciation for music already"

"I'm sure he'll love it" He said, laughing.

"Hey, isn't the point of a birthday that the presents are a surprise?" Commented Amethyst, already bored of the music section.

"Yeah, but the little Schnoo-ball is so young he won't remember all this stuff we're buying. Besides, I wanted you all to come along" He answered.

"I do apologise that you have to pay for all this, we don't exactly have any funds to buy things for humans" Pearl said sincerely, "But thank you"

"It's no problem, you guys help me all the time, so the least I can do is cover the money side of things"

The three reacted to hearing Garnet call them, and they hurried to meet her at the end of the aisle.

"I know what I'm getting for Steven" She said, and then held up a massive teddy bear wearing a t-shirt saying 'Biggest Cutie'.

"Oh boy" Said Greg, paling at the thought of its price.

"The bigger the better, right Amethyst?"

The one in turn snickered, "Right on Garnet!"

Greg's feet ached from just an hour in the store, even the gems felt a little tired. Shopping was draining, and everyone could admit to that.

Steven was set free from the cart after a little while to allow him to stretch his little legs. The almost 12-month old was entranced at the many things to explore in the labyrinth-like shop. He ran over to a small display shelf which contained a range of different plastic tools. Picking up the hammer, he toddled back to his Father and tapped him on the knee.

"Hey, my little handyman" He plucked the hammer from him and inspected it. Eyeing the display which also included the entire set of tools, he picked one up and checked the label.

"It says it's suitable for kids his age, and he seems pretty fond of it" Greg placed it into the cart, "Guess that's me sorted"

He had let the gems browse separately for a bit, but knew there was trouble when a large crash echoed throughout the store.

"AMETHYST!"

Greg raced around a corner, balancing Steven and controlling the cart as best he could. He froze when he saw the chaos in front of him.

Amethyst was racing a small children's car up and down the aisle at an impossible speed, whilst a panic-stricken Pearl dashed after her. Garnet was busy trying to clear up the mess of other small vehicles, but instead of placing them neatly where they were supposed to be, she had taken to piling them up. She tossed another one behind her, creating a loud bang.

"What is going on here?!"

It was a red-faced staff member, who looked about ready to blow.

Greg rushed to intervene.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir! These are my…kids, they can get a little wild sometimes"

At Amethyst hearing this, she practically fell out of the car laughing, with Pearl dragging her and the car back to the start.

"Then get your kids under control, before I suspend you from this store!" The staff member furiously stomped off, probably to get his clean-up crew.

"G-Garnet! You can stop that now!"

"Okay." She dropped the last toy from shoulder height, and Greg was sure he saw the bottom of it crack as it smashed into the floor.

Steven proved to be unfazed by this, and giggled.

"Hey Greg, I found my present!" Said Amethyst, snatching the light purple, peddle car from Pearl and throwing it into the cart with a bang.

"You mean Steven's present!" Pearl beseeched, giving a tug to the gem's hair.

"Y'owtch! Well, if he doesn't use it I will!"

Greg was as white as a sheet when he said "So I guess that's everything…let's leave, now. Before you guys break anything else." He was practically drenched in sweat because of the whole fiasco.

"Happy Birthday Steven!" Everyone chorused, circling the one who was seated in a highchair with a cake in front of him.

Greg blew out the one candle for him, and allowed is son to completely decimate the cake before him.

"Aw man! I wanted some cake!" Amethyst wailed, but proved to be delighted when Greg brought out a second one from the fridge.

"I knew you would, I always come prepared" Although he looked longingly at the one he held before it was eaten whole by the purple gem, plate included.

It had been a small birthday party, however Pearl had gone a little overboard on the decorating. The temple was cluttered with balloons, banners and streamers. She had even put out a small table containing a tiny bowl of chips for Greg, but they had seemingly 'disappeared'.

Amethyst wiped the crumbs from her mouth, looking around eagerly for more food to consume.

Steven had fallen asleep in the arms of the giant stuffed bear Garnet had gave him, proving to be utterly exhausted after attempting to ride Amethyst's car (which his legs didn't quite reach the peddles) and joyfully smashing the keys on Pearl's keyboard. Although he wasn't quite the musician, Pearl was patient and enjoyed seeing Steven playing with her gift. She sat to the right of the bear, absently playing a few keys on the colourful device. The gem liked the present more than she admitted.

Amethyst had fallen asleep atop of the bear's head, since it was that large, she could comfortably curl up without fear of falling. Every so often she regained consciousness, and smiled at the slight melody that Pearl was playing.

Garnet had leaned on the opposite of the toy, stroking Steven's hair gently. She smiled, relaxing in the peaceful atmosphere of the temple.

Greg was on the sofa. He had watched the gems for a while as they settled down, and he was glad they'd had a good day. He knew it was hard for them, considering it was the anniversary of Rose leaving, but the man appreciated that the attention had stayed on Steven and that the day had remained positive. As he lay there, he thought about how far he had come without his love, but also felt a slight pang of sorrow of her not being there. Greg directed his gaze to Pearl, and they looked at eachother for a second, both understanding the occasion. Their eyes diverted, but both pair glazed over with the thought of their beloved Rose Quartz. Nonetheless, even though there was pain in the memory, they both smiled at being able to celebrate this day with Steven. She had sacrificed everything for him, but everyone knew that she lived on in the little boy. They were devoted to him just like Rose was before he was even born.