A/N- Shout out to KND Operative Numbuh 227 for continuously reviewing, thank you! :D

Chapter XIV

At the Wash

Skidding around the make-shift office, Steven came to a halt on the desk chair as he almost ran over his Father.

"Woah buddy, slow down a little in here." Said Greg, who was carrying two mugs. He handed the one with hot chocolate in to Steven, and went to sit on another chair.

"So what are we gonna do today, Dad?" The five year old asked, sipping at his drink. It provided well needed warmth as the middle of October was rolling by, and with it, a crisp Fall.

"The best thing a man can do," He raised his finger dramatically, "Wash cars and wax them till they shine!"

Today Greg had to take care of Steven, as the gems had an important mission to go on that required all three of them. Not that he minded, he appreciated the company and extra help as work could sometimes be slow. With fewer tourists, it meant fewer cars to clean. He still managed to keep his regulars, and with his being the only car wash in town, they kept his business from being a complete disaster from his previous career.

It didn't take long for the bell to ring, and a woman with short blonde hair came through the door with her daughter.

"Hey Barb, what can I do for you?" Asked Greg, who greeted her at the counter. Steven could barely see over it, but listened intently.

"The mail van's looking a little shabby today, mind giving it a quick clean and wax? I can pick her up later on today if that's easier for you."

"That's fine, I'll get her looking new again. How are things anyway, and Sadie?" Greg peered over the counter to look at the girl who currently wore a softball outfit. He waved, and she smiled shyly.

"I didn't know you took softball." He tried to remember what club she did previously, but lost track almost immediately.

The pre-teen sighed and said rather despondently, "Neither did I."

Steven and Greg were already starting on the mail van when the next customer parked up next to the establishment. The man wore a suit and tie, and looked like the obnoxious head situated on top of his van. Steven was slightly unnerved, and hid behind his Dad's pant leg.

"Hello, Mr Universe!" The balding man took Greg's hand and shook it, whilst the latter raised an eyebrow.

"Hi, Mayor Dewey. What can I do for you?" He managed to unlatch his hand and discreetly wipe it on his shirt from the sweat.

"Wax her up will you? I need this van looking as eye catching as possible. Every Mayor needs their vehicle to draw the public in, y'know?" He gestured to the large, rotating head. "Needs to be shinier."

Greg nodded, "Of course, we'll have it done by this evening."

"We?" Mayor Dewey looked at him in puzzlement. "I thought you worked alone considering yo—" He stopped when he eventually looked down at Steven, and bent down to his eye level.

"Well hello there. Is this your son, Greg?"

"Heh, yeah, this is my Steven. He'll be helping me out at the wash today." Greg placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Just watch out for child labour laws, because as Mayor I completely resent them." He turned his attention to the shy boy in front of him. "Remember Stefano, vote Mayor Dewey and your days will never be brighter." He handed him a button that said "Vote 4 Dewey" and took his leave.

Steven looked quite confused, especially after hearing his name being butchered by some sweaty stranger.

"Not sure how I feel about propaganda on small kids." Muttered Greg, then chuckled as he continued to hose down the mail van.

After a small lunch break of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the two began to work on waxing the Mayor Dewey van. When Greg started it up to park it, he cringed at the "Mayor Dewey" voice that wouldn't shut off.

He set Steven off with a cloth to polish the trunk, and began to sing one of his old songs.

"Hey Dad?" Steven piped up, "Why did you stop being a rock star?"

Greg stopped and looked at his son, giving a small sigh.

"It was better off becoming a hobby, considering I needed a more stable job for when you were born. In such a small town like Beach City, there was no way I would be able to generate a large enough audience to pay me a decent wage, not to mention I wasn't going to leave your Mother's side just for some gig." He didn't realise how disappointed he sounded, when Steven hugged him.

The boy was quite surprised to hear his Mother mentioned, since nobody really talked about her much. The gems usually didn't want to upset Steven, so any mention of Rose Quartz was strictly in private conversations or whispers whilst he was out of earshot.

"Do you miss Mom?" He mumbled into his Dad's T-shirt, barely audible. He was scared to bring up the subject, since he didn't know much himself.

"Yeah, I sure do." Greg sniffed, and patted his son's back. "I'm sorry that you didn't get to meet her, but I'll tell you all about her someday."

"Can it be my bedtime story for tonight?" Steven gazed up, still hugging him tightly.

After a little hesitation, Greg smiled. "Yeah, yeah it can."

After a few minutes, he wiped his eyes. "We'd better finish off these vans if we're gonna get off early today, Schnu-ball."

The last customer of the day rolled in, just after the two prior picked up their newly cleaned vans.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" Greg asked the elderly woman, who had two girls in tow.

"Just vacuum out the inside." Her voice was sharp and firm, she gestured with her walking stick. "These two idiots decided to have a food fight in the back seat, so I want every bit of cheese puff removed from the upholstery, if you please."

Steven watched the two girls, who were almost identical, pushing and shoving eachother playfully. When they came nearer one exclaimed, "But Nanafua, it was all Jenny's fault!"

"I don't care whose fault it is, just know that you won't be having food in my car ever again." She tutted, "I don't know what I'm going to do with you girls."

The one who was presumably Jenny elbowed the other in the ribs. "Maybe ditch Kiki on the way home." This resulted in an all-out elbow fight between the duo, and a surprisingly swift intervention from Nanafua.

"If I see you girls fighting one more time, you'll both be ditched in the ocean. This only means more pizza for Nanafua." This made them stop, but they both glared daggers at eachother.

Greg had already begun to vacuum the vehicle, and the lady watched over his shoulder like a hawk.

"Mind my upholstery!" She tapped him with her walking stick, and Greg had to stifle the groan he had.

"Yes ma'am."

"And don't forget under the seat!"

Another tap.

"Yes ma'am."

This went on for what seemed like hours, before Greg crawled out, rubbing his arms.

"That's going to leave a bruise.." He muttered.

"What was that, young man?" Nanafua was already behind him, one hand on her hip.

"Nothing ma'am!" Although he was most shocked at being called 'young'.

Nanafua left a surprisingly good tip, perhaps due to the fact that Steven had provided the girls with lollypops to prevent anymore scuffles between them whilst their Grandmother commanded the cleaning process.

Late afternoon had come by, and Steven helped his Dad close up for the day. They were both quite tired, but still managed to have the energy to eat the miniature barbeque Greg put together on his portable stove.

"Bet you can't wait to be with the gems again, huh?" Asked his Father, putting a fried egg on Steven's plate.

"Yeah! And tell them all about our day today, it was fun!" Steven took another bite of his burger.

"Really? Today was just a normal day at the office for me, pretty much. Have you got lots to tell them then?"

"Yep! I've got to tell them to vote for Mayor Dewey, and how you got attacked by Nanafua!"

"You really know how to ruin a man's ego, son." Greg laughed, "and to advertise the Mayor's campaign."

"What can I say? I'm a man of many talents." Steven joined in on the laughter, when his Dad almost fell out of the truck.