"Hey Steven," Connie calls as she walks into his house. She looks around but sees no one. "Steeeven!" she calls out again. Pulling out her phone she decides to give him a ring.
It's several moments before the ringing stops but when it does, it's just his answering machine. Hanging up, she dials his number again and repeats for several times.
On the fifth time she calls, he answers, but she doesn't give him a chance to speak.
"Steven where are you? I've been calling you all day! Is everything okay? Are you okay? Where are you? I'm standing in your house, but you're not here? Steven, talk to me!"
She hears a sniffle in the phone before he speaks. "I'm fine Connie, I just needed time to think."
"Think about what? Steven, please, tell me where you are and we can talk," she begs.
"I really just want to be alone." Another sniffle is heard through the phone.
"Steven, please. You're my only friend and I want to be here for you, I told you I want to be here for you, why won't you let me?"
Steven sighs into the phone and follows it with another sniffle. "I'm on the hill across from the lighthouse," he says and the phone goes dead.
"Is it me?" he questions as he sits with tears streaming down his face.
"Steven!" Connie calls and tackles him into a hug. "Are you okay? Why are you crying? What happened?" She pulls back to sit next him.
He looks away from her and she too drops her face.
"You really don't want to talk about it," she lets out softly and Steven picks up his head.
"C-Connie, I'm sorry. Don't be sad, it's just, a lot has been happening."
"Like what Steven?"
He sighs. "Pearl and Garnet haven't exactly been on speaking terms," he pauses, "but it's more than that."
Connie nods. "Well, start with why Pearl and Garnet aren't speaking."
Steven takes in a big breath. "Peridot rebuild the communication hub hence her on the t.v. and so we all went out there and Garnet and Pearl fused to make Sardonyx. Then the hub was rebuilt again and Amethyst and I found out it was Pearl and that she only did it because she missed fusing with Garnet. So, they haven't been talking and it's been a while since they have."
Connie nods, "Do you think they will?"
Steven sighs, "I don't know."
"Well, what else is bothering you?"
Steven looks away. "We went to the Keystone Motel, my dad and me and Garnet. Garnet split into Ruby and Sapphire."
"That had to be fun, getting to see Ruby and Sapphire again."
"No, Not really. They split a part because of what Pearl did. Ruby couldn't forgive Pearl, but Sapphire could. They just kept arguing, Ruby flipped the dinning table over with our breakfast," Steven stops and more tears fall down his face. "I mean, is it me? Everywhere I went was awful; home and there. Was it me?" He starts crying even more.
Connie's heart breaks a little for her best friend and she quickly moves to hug him. "Oh Steven, it's not you," she tries to sooth him.
"It feels like that." He squeezes Connie back before she pulls away. "They miss my mom so much. I can see that. I can feel it." He looks away. "They try to hide it, but they can't. I mean, Pearl; everyday, she stares at my mom's picture. She freaks out the most about my mom and I can tell she misses her the most. Sometime, she can't tell the difference between me and my mom. It's like, I'm not even here." He sniffles again.
"They all just miss her so much. Amethyst tries her best to not show it, but I can tell she misses her. My mom was the only person to make her feel like .. like she had a home here with the Crystal Gems. I try too, but there's so much about her that I don't know or understand. They keep so much from me." He again looks away but turns his attention to the temple.
"Steven," Connie starts, but he shakes his head.
"And Garnet," he pauses, "I don't, she's not open about missing my mom, but I think half the reasons she be going on missions by herself is so that she doesn't show that she misses her. Garnet tries her best, she believes in me the most, but I know she misses my mom. My mom was the first person to accept her for who she wanted to be and who she is." He turns from the temple to look down at his hands. "I believe they love me, but I also know they miss my mom and they resent me a little bit because I am here and she is not."
"Steven, you don't really believe that, do you? About all of them?" Connie questions.
"How can I not? You saw Pearl when she was teaching you sword fighting. She called me my mom."
"I saw, but she goes out of her way to protect you. They all do."
"But who are they protecting; me or my mom?"