Chapter 4 I Think I Need A Little Help.

He was the worst father ever! His breathing was becoming rapid, and he sank onto his couch. Breathe, Greg, breathe he thought. He could check the donut place. If he wasn't there he could run to the temple, hopefully the gems weren't on a mission. They would tear this city down for Steven…maybe he shouldn't get them.

Whatever, he could figure that out if his son wasn't at the donut shop. Please be at the donut shop, Steven.

He ran the whole way there and was panting when he arrived at the big donut. "Steven! Steven!"

"Are you that boy's father?" The old man behind the counter asked.

"Yes? Do you know where he is?"

"Haven't seen him since yesterday. He's too young to be wandering around on his own, you know that right?"

"Ah…."

"You don't even know where he is?"

"No. I just…misplaced his babysitter. I'll tell you when I find him." He backed out quickly. "Steven!" He called desperately.

He ran down the boardwalk screaming his name.

"Hey, you! Are you looking for the boy?" Nanafua asked, sweeping outside Fish Stew Pizza.

"Steven, have you seen him?"

"He's playing with the girls." She said,

"Oh, thank you, thank you." Greg said. Panting in relief and exhaustion. He really needed to work out more.

"Come in." She said, waving him in. He followed her. Steven was sitting on the ground in a pink butterfly shirt. "I'm going to be the mom. You can be the dad." One girl, around 7 years old, said to the other girl.

"I don't wanna." Said the other one.

"Steven!" Greg said.

"Daddy!" Steven toddled over to him and threw his arms around Greg's leg. Greg picked him up and held him tightly. "Oh, you're all right."

Steven pushed him back a little and Greg realized he had been squeezing him too hard. "Sorry schtu-bal."

Kofi Pizza walked out and gave Greg a look of dislike.

"You are the boy's father, yes?"

"Yeah..that's me. Thanks for taking care of him."

"He's been here all night. Where were you?"

"Ah…I was…I didn't notice he had left." Greg said, knowing how bad it sounded.

"You didn't notice your child was gone? Is this a joke to you?" Kofi demanded.

"Kofi!" Nanafua snapped at him. "Leave the man be."

"Thanks-" Greg began but cut off when he realized she looked as happy as her son did.

"You stay." Nanafua told Greg and gestured for her son to follow her into the other room.

Greg sat at a table holding his son, the twins didn't seem to mind him being there. When the adults left, they returned to fighting over their game of house as though nothing had happened.

He could hear them fighting in the kitchen.

"Mother! He should have the police called on him! He's in no fit state to raise that boy!"

"Hush now. That boy belongs to the women in the won't care about our police or laws." Nanafua told him. "Besides, you weren't in any state to look after the girls two years ago."

"That's different! I lost Dofi, how was I supposed to have time for the girls when all my time was at the hospital?"

"Where do you think the mother is! Don't you think, Kofi? He was always with the big one with the pretty dress. Have you seen her lately?"

"No." Kofi admitted reluctantly. Greg was surprised they didn't know Rose's name; she'd lived here longer than any of the humans had. But he supposed it just showed why there had once been a fence around the temple.

"I'll give him a piece of my mind." Nanafua told her son. "But it's no time to call the police on the man."

"I'm being the mother!" Yelled one of the girls.

"Hey, kids." Greg said. "You could always just have a family with two moms."

The girls looked at each other and nodded, finding this an agreeable answer.

"Can we have the baby back then?" They asked.

"Uhhh…." Greg said. Luckily Nanafua and Kofi came out of the kitchen just then.

"Go play." Nanafua shooed off the children and they ran off giggling.

"Mr. Universe-"Kofi began.

"Do you want something to eat?" His mother cut him off.

"Uh, sure." Greg said.

They sat down with a pizza. "Tell me about yourself Mr. Universe." Nanafua said. "Tell us about your son."

"Well…ah…I moved here a few years back…several years back now. Wow. About 6 years ago and I started dating Rose Quartz…she was the leader of the Crystal Gems. Couple of years ago we decided to have Steven." He didn't know how to explain to them she had made the choice to give up her physical form before they conceived. "She…died in childbirth." He said trying to put it into human terms.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Nanafua said. "Do you have any help? Any family?"

"Her family. The Crystal Gems. Ruby and Pearl come over once a week, help out some."

"They changed after her death?" Kofi asked, "They used to look different."

"Ah…long story, but yeah. They had a lot happening too. Pearl stuck around, and uh…Ruby moved in. But…Garnet and Amethyst moved away." He tried to explain without explaining fusion, because, if he was being honest, he wasn't sure he even fully understood fusion to explain it.

"So, you don't even have her family, not fully." Nanafua said, and he nodded.

"Yeah…I guess that's right."

"Do you have any friends in this town Mr. Universe?" Nanafua asked.

"Vadalia and I used to be friends…guess we stopped hanging out a while ago…I just got busy with Steven and…Stuff." He wasn't wasn't going to tell them about Li'l Butler, he didn't know them and suddenly felt deeply ashamed of the show.

Kofi looked sympathetic for the first time. "My wife died two years ago, Mr. Universe. It was very hard, trying to care for her and the girls at the same time. So, I did what I had to do, I asked for help. My mother moved in to help me, and she's still living with us, because I still can't do it alone."

"I don't have anyone that can help." Greg said. "Steven and I are alone."

"No one?" Nanafua asked "You can't ask Vadalia if she could watch Steven while you went to the store? You couldn't ask Pearl and Ruby to come over more than once a week? Mr. Universe, you will never know if you can get help or not if you don't ask. And if they can't help you? You come right back here, and we will see what we can do. You understand Mr. Universe?"

Greg nodded.

It had been several months since he had last seen Vadalia, she had stopped visiting at some point, and much longer since he had last visited her. Her house had changed, it had been repainted and different children's toys littered her lawn now. He knocked on the door of her garage and she came out with paint-stained fingers "Greg!" She said, "Nice to see you out and about!...Why so glum, Greg?"

"I think I need help, Vadalia." He said.