I do not own Steven Universe or its characters, with the exception of the OC Odette. All rights go to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network.

The next day, Garnet, Amethyst and Steven were on the deck of the temple's beach house. As it turned out, the disturbance Garnet sensed yesterday was an infestation of Crystal Shrimp inside the Gems' rooms. So, the entire morning was spent carefully exterminating the troublesome shrimp. Currently, the aforementioned three Crystal Gemswere on break, while Pearl finished off the remaining Crystal Shrimp in the temple.

"Man, who knew Crystal Shrimp were so hard to get rid of," said Steven as he gazed out at the open beach before him. "They're not so tough," Amethyst said from her beach chair, "All you have to do is watch out for their spikes, flip them over, and strike them in the underbelly! No effort needed."

Just then, Pearl came out to the deck with a triumphant look on her face. "Well everybody, I am pleased to announce that I have gotten rid of the remaining shrimp. We are now pest free!" Garnet replied with a simple, "Finally."

"So, what do you think attracted those shrimp to the temple in the first place?" Amethyst asked, still sitting snug in her chair. "Gee, I don't know. You mind telling me?" Pearl responded, holding up a stale bagel.

"What's that?" asked Steven. "It's a month old bagel. I found a whole bag full of them in Amethyst's junk pile. The Crystal Shrimp must have caught the scent and traced it to the temple," Pearl responded, throwing an accusatory glance at Amethyst.

"Oh yeah, I remember those," said Amethyst, rising from her chair. "They were on sale, so of course I couldn't pass up that offer."

Pearl, scowling at the purple Gem, said, "Amethyst, you need to find a better place to put your food. I've warned time and time again about your hoarding habits!"

"Okay here we go," Amethyst shot back, hopping off her beach chair and walking up to Pearl, "First off, how would I ever fit all those bagels in that little pantry in Steven's kitchen?..."

As the two Gems squabbled with each other, Steven looked out to the beachand saw his father walking along the sand with Beach City's newest resident, Odette. "Is that the woman from yesterday?" Garnet said, also noticing the two humans on the beach. "I think so," said Steven, narrowing his eyes to get a better look.

Indeed, Greg and Odette were standing side by side, looking out to the sea. Pearl and Amethyst, who stopped their quarrelling to see what the other two Gems were looking at, were amused by the couple on the beach, especially Amethyst.

"Well look at this! It seems Greg got himself a girlfriend!" exclaimed the purple Gem, putting emphasis on the last word. "What do people see in that man? And I'm not even being mean by that; I'm genuinely curious," pondered Pearl earnestly.

"Ah, leave him alone guys. They could just be there as friends, you know," protested Steven with a chuckle. "Aw, but they look so cute together!" teased Amethyst as she made smooching noises. Steven merely rolled his eyes at Amethyst's joke, but smiled nonetheless.

"Hm. I wonder what they're doing down there," Garnet wondered quietly about the couple.

Meanwhile, Greg and Odette were on the sandy dunes, taking in the sight of the vast ocean before them.

"Wow, what an amazing view! And you get to see it every day?" asked Odette with wonder in her eyes.

"Yup. Just one of the many advantages of living in a beach town," Greg said. "So, is there anything else you want to do in Playa Ciudad?"

Odette chuckled at Greg's use of Spanish and said, "If you must know, I have a job interview later on today for a chef position at this popular restaurant."

"That's awesome!" congratulated Greg. "If you don't mind me asking, do you need to go to a special school for that?"

"I went to a culinary arts school during my college days," Odette replied. "I was really into cooking in my younger days."

Odette then let out a tense sigh. "If we're being honest here, I'm really nervous about this interview. Getting a job was my first priority coming to this city and…I haven't had a job in a while. And I mean a while. I'm worried it might play into this interview."

Noticing the worry forming on the woman's face, Greg responded, "Hey, don't sweat it. You'll do just fine. You already went to school for it, so if this is something you really love, you won't have any need to worry."

Odette gave Greg a wry smile. "Is that your philosophy for owning a carwash?"

Greg jerked a thumb towards him and boasted, "How do you think I got to be the best damn car washer in all of Beach City? You gotta love what you do!"

The two shared a good laugh, with Odette's earlier tension fading away.

"Thanks for the little pep talk Greg," said Odette.

"Just returning the favor," Greg replied with a smile.

Odette and Greg then turned their attention to the magnificent body of water before them, silently admiring the calm atmosphere it provided.

Later on that day, Steven was at home, carefully filling up his signature cheeseburger backpack with water balloons.

Taking notice of what the young boy was doing from the couch, Pearl asked, "Steven, what are you doing?"

"Oh. Well, I decided to go pay my dad a visit. And to make the visit extra special, I decided to bring some water balloons for a water balloon fight!"

Amethyst, lying down on the couch, let out a chuckle. "Oh Steven, I have taught you well." Pearl shot an angry glare at Amethyst with Amethyst paying no mind.

"Try not to get too wet," Garnet advised, looking up from a book she was reading. "And remember to come back before it gets dark."

"Will do," called back Steven, as he gently placed the last balloon into his backpack. With that, Steven ran out the front door and headed for the carwash.

While walking to his destination, Steven began to think about his father and Beach City's new resident, Odette. He remembered Amethyst's earlier remarks about Odette being Greg's girlfriend. 'Now that's just silly. They barely met; how could they be dating?' thought Steven. Yet, Steven noticed something; this was the second time Greg and Odette have been in each other's company. While Greg was a friendly fellow and quick start a conversation, he didn't have a circle of close friends, with the exception of Steven himself. It was a bit surprising to see Greg hang out with someone else.

Eventually, Steven arrived at It's A Wash. "Hey dad! Guess who decided to swing by?" shouted Steven, only to be met with silence. "Hm. Maybe he's napping."

Steven ran to the Mr. Universe van and opened the back doors, only to find the van empty. "Where is he? Dad? DAD!" Steven then noticed a light coming from the car wash's office. "Oh, there he is."

Steven walked to door and slowly entered, when he heard his father on the phone. Stopping in his tracks, Steven backed away and listened in on the conversation.

"You got the job? Great! I told you there wasn't anything to worry about, didn't I? You've landed your dream job!"

Steven heard the enthusiasm in Greg's voice, something he only heard when he and Greg hung out together. 'Who could he be talking to?' Steven wondered.

"Alright, talk to you later. Can't wait to hear more about it later. Bye." Greg hung up and turned to the sight of Steven. "Oh, hey there bud. What's up?"

"I just decided to swing by," Steven replied. "Uh, dad? If you don't mind me asking, who was that on the phone?"

Greg blushed and said, "Um…well, that was Odette, the new girl. She got a job she really wanted and she called to tell me the good news."

"Speaking of Odette, I saw you guys from the temple at the beach. Heh, you two seem to be getting close," Steven said, in a playful tone.

Greg smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, you could say that."

Seeing the way his father acted, Steven understood a little better; Greg had a companion in this new woman, someone he who could to talk to and be with, adult to adult. And on that note, Greg seemed to be enjoying it. Whether, they were just friends or actually dating didn't matter to Steven; he was just happy to see his father happy.

"Hey Steven, if I could ask a question, what's in your backpack?" said Greg, bringing Steven from his thoughts.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you asked. In here is a little surprise that I think you'll like. We have to be outside for me to show you though," Steven replied, an ornery look on his face.

"Sounds like an awesome surprise if we need space for it," stated Greg, stepping outside. "Trust me, it'll be worth it," Steven smiled mischievously.

Sorry for the wait. Dance lessons and Persona 4 have kept me occupied this summer. But thankfully, my schedule is under control now. Quick announcement, if you can take the time, I would like to ask people to vote in the poll on my profile to decide my new name. Otherwise, read and review the newest chapter of this little fic of mine. Peace out.