"AAARRRGGGHHHH! G-G-GARNE... GARNET!!! AMETHYST! PEARL--"

It was Steven.

"SOMEBODY!!"

His voice thundered through the Temple in a way that Pearl knew was disturbingly out of character. "I ca... can't... I CAN'T... CONTROL IT!" He whaled over and over again. He could be heard thundering loudly up the stairs and onto the balcony. "GET CONNIE!! She's HURT OUT THERE!"

Pearl headed out of her room immediately, abandoning her sword collection. They could always be arranged from shortest to longest later. She was sure of the desperation in Steven's strangled cry and was filled with concern as she sprinted gracefully through the portal. Pearl materialized her staff and saw Garnet all ready on the scene, restraining a fiercely struggling Steven. Amethyst was heading outside and onto the Beach. She could hear sobs emininating from the bottom of the stairwell.

Her eyes fell on Steven and she gasped.

He was elongated, mangled. She immediately searched his abdomen, scanning his Gem for cracks. No, it wasn't cracked. His hair had grown at least four inches. He almost looked like Greg... but this made no sense! She had seen him less than six hours ago and he had been fine! Steven was eighteen but looked no older than thirteen or fourteen... Normally. Now he looked... bizarre and... HUGE. She shook her head fiercely.

No. No no no. Pearl wouldn't accept this. This wasn't going to be be how he would mature.

No.

He had become scruffy and animalistic. At least Greg hadn't looked like a damn animal! His eyes were wild and his star shirt had been torn into an unrecognizable strip of scarlet fabric. Most frightening of all was the threatening and demanding manner in which his Gem was rapidly pulsating. As though mimicking his racing human heart. For a split second, Pearl feared corruption. But no... there had been no corrupting light.

Connie was screaming from outside at her loudest, "NO NO!" She sobbed in between her screeched words. "PLEASE GO BACK!! Nevermind me!"

"Amethyst!" Garnet shouted in a commanding voice, holding Steven's hands up over his head by his wrists. "Connie will be fine!" Garnet sounded unsure whether or not she would be fine herself. The usually sturdy and unfaltering Fusion was jerking back and forth, seeming to have serious and troubling difficulty restraining Steven.

Amethyst appeared in the doorframe with excellent timing, materializing her whip from her Gem. Pearl trembled. "What on Earth is WRONG with him?!" She shouted demandingly, searching for an answer from Garnet in her despair. She couldn't believe her eyes. Steven... like this. Her eyes watered, "Steven!" She cried out to him.

His eyes darted toward her and Pearl's spine chilled in fear as his pupils found and fixated on hers. They looked so... hungry. They were dilated as they drilled into her. "Oh my stars..." she whispered breathlessly with a deep shudder. She took a step back.

All of them watched Steven in terror stricken horror. He seemed to be fighting for conscious and control over his actions. He snarled as he gasped for air, proving once again how exceptionally strong minded he was. "I..." he tried to speak. Pearl took another step back and Steven fell to his knees groaning in frustration. "WHAT- WHAT ARGH P-- Pearl... stop..."

Pearl made a strangled sound as she struggled to cool her form. Eyes fixed on Steven she took one final step backward, wishing desperately she had taken one of her swords along. She couldn't even focus enough to keep a Weapon solid. And what would she do then, anyway? It wasn't as though she could plausibly poof Steven!

Steven inhaled deeply, his fingernails digging into the hardwood floor, shaved pieces of wood spiralled up from beneath his nails. "Pearl! Stop retreating!" Garnet exclaimed, "You're only provoking him!"

It was too late. He seemed to defy gravity as he used his great, misshapen arms to throw the floor beneath him, fingers bent into claws as he lunged for Pearl. Amethyst did not need to be told when to act. Her whip silently cut through the air and encircled his contorted form. He then collapsed and shrunk a little after hitting the ground with a loud thunk. Her whip delivered a strong electric current. He twitched and squirmed a little more, though, while trying to fight it off of him but it only entangled him further. Pearl felt tears burning her cheeks as she watched him lose consciousness.

The silence thundered in their ears as Steven shrunk down into something more like himself and snored away peacefully. Pearl and the other Gems exchanged glances of relief.

"He needs to be restrained until we figure out what happened to him... What caused it?" Garnet said finally and frowned. "It looks like we have a job for Peridot."

Pearl fell to her knees, sobbing silently. She couldn't stand to look at him. Not like that. "What has he done to Connie?" She asked weakly. Garnet didn't respond, instead she turned a silent gaze toward the door. Pearl picked herself up and rushed outside, relieved when she saw Connie in tact but crying on the stoop. Pearl sat beside her and looked over her pupil seriously. "Connie..." She whispered. "What happened?"

Connie breathed and she gave Pearl a sideways glance, expression littered with shame. "I don't know... I was really confusing." She replied softly. "I... think it's my fault."

Pearl put a hand on her shoulder. "Why would you think that?"

"I..." She began, resting her forehead on her knees. She looked incredibly embarrassed. "Don't worry." She told her, "It's been a long 6000 years... very few things surprise me on this Planet anymore."

"I kissed him." She said meekly, dropping her head further. Pearl caught a glimpse of her blushing deep crimson as her dark hair curtained her face. "And stuff." Her voice quivered, "It was the first time I tried to kiss him that we didn't fuse into Stevonnie..." Connie gestured incredulously, seeming in disbelief herself. "Steven is always so sweet but he.." She gulped, "His Gem started to pulse. It was pulsing so hard I could actually feel it! It was warm..." She began, lifting the hem of her turquoise tank top and revealing a large, reddened circle on her stomach. In the centre was a gnarly looking blister. "And then it burned me." She dropped her shirt and clenched her fists.

Pearl was not only proud, but impressed with her student's strong heart. Perhaps there were surprises left on this Planet. "He was... Excited... he got a little rough. At first it was okay... then it was... Too rough." Her voice wavered as she turned her forearm upward, revealing a dark, swollen bruise. "It wasn't like him."

Pearl put an arm around Connie. "Steven loves you." She told her. "Otherwise the two of you could never have fused." Connie nodded as Pearl clutched her shoulder. "I'll call Greg. He will take you home. Steven will be himself again. I promise. I'll make sure of it."

Connie stood, "Thank you Ma'am. Don't bother Mr. Universe. My Dad is patrolling the Beach tonight. I'll go home with him." Pearl could see her father's security cruiser parked in the distance. "All right. Keep an eye on your communication device. You will soon receive an update."