A Gem and a Half

At first I was just going to have Steven and Ruby in this story. But after some reviews suggested it, I thought, you know what would be fun? Forcefully dragging Peridot and Lapis into the conflict! So, thank you reviewers for your suggestion! You get a cookie!

Chapter 4 – Dragging on the Ground

"I'm telling you, Steven, we don't need any help!" Ruby insisted, as the two of them walked towards the barn, "We can take those monsters easily, and I'm sure at least Amethyst will reform soon!"

"Yeah, but, you saw how many there were," Steven reasoned, "Even when all of us were fighting we couldn't take them all down at once. And if they decide to attack in a group again, and it's just the two of us, Beach City will be destroyed! We need Peridot and Lapis to help us."

Ruby grumbled to herself as Steven confidently approached the barn. He felt a little bad leaving Beach City completely unprotected, but hopefully this wouldn't take long.

As they got closer, Steven was relieved to see Lapis and Peridot, along with Pumpkin, sitting outside up in the truck, watching what Steven strongly guessed was Camp Pining Hearts (as that was the only show he ever saw them watch.)

"Lapis! Peridot!" Steven called to them happily. They both looked up at the sound of his voice.

"Steven!" they both greeted excitedly. Lapis picked up Pumpkin and flew down, while Peridot unceremoniously fell down the side. She quickly stood up and brushed herself off.

"Steven, it's nice to see you," Peridot said, trying to ignore her ungraceful fall, "What are you doing here? And who's this?"

"What? You know who this is," Steven replied, "It's Ruby. You know, one half of Garnet?"

"Oh, right!" Peridot remembered, "Where's the other half of her?"

Ruby grumbled something under her breath, but Steven ignored her. "That's why we're here" he told them, "You see, a bunch of monsters showed up on the beach, and poofed everyone except for Ruby and me. So, we need your help to defend Beach City until the others reform." He paused a moment. "And maybe even after they reform."

"Of course, we'll help you, Steven," Lapis replied before Peridot could open her mouth. "We would do anything for you."

"Yeah, sure," Peridot agreed, nonchalantly.

"Great!" Steven exclaimed, "Come on! Let's get back to Beach City before any of those monsters come back!" He grabbed Ruby's hand and lead the group to the nearby warp pad, and warped them back to the temple.

When they got back, Steven immediately ran outside to make sure Beach City was still safe. At the moment, everything seemed fine and Steven sighed with relief. He heard Ruby, Lapis, and Peridot come out behind him. There was a moment of silence.

"Wow! Look at all the monsters everywhere!" Peridot exclaimed sarcastically, "I can see why you needed our help!"

Ruby and Lapis gave her an annoyed look, and Lapis slapped her in the back of the head.

"I know there's nothing going on right now," Steven said, ignoring Peridot's snide tone, "But they've kind of been attacking on and off. That's why we need your help."

"I still don't think that," Ruby muttered under her breath.

Steven gave Ruby a sideways glare, but said nothing. He walked down the steps to the beach, deciding to keep a patrol of the area, just in case. He didn't stop to see if the others were following him or not.

About halfway across the beach, he heard footsteps and he was joined by Peridot and Pumpkin. Steven looked at them, then looked behind to see if Lapis and Ruby were following. He was a little surprised when they weren't.

"Why aren't Lapis and Ruby coming?" he asked Peridot. She shrugged her shoulders in a dismissive sort of way.

"Ruby said she had to watch over Sapphire, or something," she replied, "And Lapis just said she was bored and walked inside."

Steven cast a nervous glance over his shoulder at the beach house. "Are you sure it's ok to leave those two all alone?" he wondered.

"They'll be fine," Peridot assured him, "I don't really know about Ruby, but Lapis has the entire ocean at her fingertips! She can take care of herself."

"I guess," Steven muttered. Peridot looked at him, concerned.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm kind of worried about Ruby," he answered, "I've been trying to get her mind off of Sapphire, and to loosen up a little. But she just can't stop thinking back to Sapphire."

"I'm not surprised," Peridot replied, "Fusions who stay together a lot tend to become obsessed with each other. Um, not that I would know."

"Uh-huh," Steven said in a disbelieving tone.

"Anyway, as soon as Sapphire reforms I'm sure Ruby will feel better and they'll instantly re-fuse into Garnet," Peridot continued, "Nothing to worry about."

It was a little more complicated than that, but Steven didn't want to contradict her. He just wanted Ruby to have a little fun. What was wrong with that?

Steven was startled out of his thoughts by Pumpkin suddenly barking ferociously at the ocean. Confused, Steven and Peridot looked at what it was barking at and saw a strange shadow bubbling to the surface. Before they could react, three huge monsters erupted from the water, roaring and screeching.

"Gem monsters!" Steven exclaimed in fear. He quickly grabbed Peridot's arm and scooped up Pumpkin before running back towards the beach house. The monster roared and stomped after them, shaking the ground.

As Steven, Peridot, and Pumpkin raced towards the house, Steven saw Lapis and Ruby come out onto the porch in a panic.

"What's going on?" Lapis shouted.

"It's one of the gem monsters!" Steven exclaimed, "Come on! We have to stop it!"

Ruby and Lapis quickly joined the other three on the beach and the group faced the monster. Glaring, the monster roared again and lumbered forward.

Steven quickly summoned his shield, while Ruby summoned her gauntlet. Lapis cracked her knuckles, then summoned a giant hand of water. Using the water, she held the monster in place while the other three rushed in. Steven tossed his shield, hitting the monster in the face. It growled in anger and shook its head.

"Peridot, help me get up on its head!" Ruby ordered.

"You're not the boss of me!" Peridot muttered.

"Just do it!"

Grumbling, Peridot looped her arms around Ruby's waist and tossed her up towards the monster's head. It was quite startled when she landed on it, clinging to its skin. It roared and tried to shake her off, but Lapis held it tight with the water.

Ruby raised her fist and punched it square in the eye, causing it to roar in pain. It snapped its head back, making Ruby fly off. She cried out in fear as she flew towards the ocean, but Lapis quickly caught her with another water hand.

"Great catch, Lapis!" Steven called.

Lapis carefully let Ruby down before using the second had to squeeze the monster. It let out one final roar before exploding in a puff of smoke. Steven let out a sigh of relief before walking over and bubbling the gem that had fallen and sent it off.

"Well, that's one monster dealt with," he said, "Who knows how many more."

"What's the deal with these monsters, anyway?" Peridot asked, "Is someone sending them or something?"

"I have no idea," Steven replied, "We've just been fighting them and haven't the chance to figure anything else."

"And it's not like we can just wander off leaving Beach City unguarded," Ruby pointed out, folding her arms.

Lapis came over to them. "Well, the monsters are coming from the ocean, right?" she questioned, "Why don't we see exactly where they're coming from? Maybe we can stop whatever's causing this."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Peridot wondered.

Lapis gave her an "are-you-serious?" look before raising a hand and causing the ocean to part right in front of them. Peridot blinked at her.

"Oh yeah," she said, "I totally forgot you could do that."

Sighing, Lapis lead the way as she, Steven, Peridot, Ruby, and Pumpkin walked into the ocean, hoping to find the source of the monsters.

…And they were never seen again! The end!

Nah, I'm just kidding. Anyway, hope this chapter didn't revile you. Next chapter will continue the group's journey through the ocean! Please leave a review, and constructive criticism is always welcome!