Steven did not like how things were going for him so far. Now at twenty seven years old he still looked and sounded like he was when he was fourteen, albeit while looking a lot more fit. To top it off everyone was getting older and moving on with their lives for one reason or another. Lars whom had finally made it back to earth, found that he loved the adventure and left again not long after swearing to help the other off-colors of the Gem Empire. Sadie, Buck, Sour Cream and Jenny were off on a world tour since their band had made it big. Onion was currently enlisted in the navy and was serving his time in active duty.
Yes he new why they had gone and sure it hurt but he felt so out of place now. He never really noticed this until Connie had left. That one blow was what caused him to look at his life and finally notice how wrong it was. Him and Connie had been dating since she was sixteen and it was great. She had gotten so good with a sword and regularly help on mission. Him and Connie often stayed as Stevonnie like Garnet, only diffusing to go on dates. Sure they had their problems and fought but they always made up in the end. One thing that was a constant source of trouble was his size, which lead to Connie getting into trouble until that fact that he was small and not a child could be properly explained.
Connie put up with it and tried not to let him see how bad it hurt he but he did. On their fifth year anniversary and Connie's twenty second birthday A fight had broken out between Connie and an off duty cop that did not know what was really going on and ended with Connie in jail. The cop after seeing his I.D. did what she could to get Connie out faster but it was the final straw for her. Connie had ended their relationship and ran away crying before ever giving him a chance to make things right or see if they could keep going. A few months later Connie told him she was leaving for collage to become a doctor like her mom.
Less than a year later his dad was put into a coma because of an accident at the wash caused by a Gem-beast. The doctor's said there was nothing they could do for him, and that he just had to hope he would wake up. Since he had access to his dad's money he bought a small house in Beach City and hired a nurse to care for him. He would go see his dad every day and regal him of his latest adventure or just talk to him.
Steven then look at himself since Connie had left and his dad had been put into the coma he became more distant to everyone and all the more bitter when they could not see why he was the way he was now. The final nail in the coffin was when his dad die three years later just a month before his birthday. He had made sure is was a grand affair and everyone from Beach City came to say goodbye. Sadie and the band and even Lars had put their lives on hold to attend. Sadie and her band had asked him if they could play for the affair as well. Connie and they Gems tried their best for him but he just pushed them away.
For three long months He threw himself into his missions barely stopping to eat or sleep unless the gems forced him to. Connie would even come back and try to help as often as she could, but he would either run way from her or blow her off. Even the town began to worry for him him as he got worse. One such acurinse was when lion took him to the hospital where Connie's mom worked for he was in too much pain to even heal himself and passed out. After seeing how bad he had been hurt she quickly got ahold of the gems and had to have their help to force him to stay in the hospital. For as soon as he woke up and could think straight thanks to the numbing from the painkillers he healed himself and tried to leave. Even with the healing he was still suffering from extreme malnutrition and extreme lack of sleep though try as they could he still got away.
Now some three days after running away from the hospital he was hot on the trail of another Gem-beats. Deep in a shadowy desert canyon he had cornered it in a passage off to the side that came to a dead end. With a war cry he jumped from a high ledge onto the beast and gave it a few good strikes from his mom's sword before it shook him off. Once the beast runed to face him he instantly recognized the gem on its face, it was Jasper. Upon seeing the gem all his worst memories of her and all the pain she caused came flooding back only adding to his building rage. He attacked her in a frenzy never letting up and never giving her an opening to attack or run.
The other gems had split up trying to find him, looking everywhere they could with not luck. Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst and Peridot were currently sitting in the house watching the warp-pad to see if he would return, that was until Garnet had a vision. "Gems we need to move now Steven is in grave danger!" She yelled as she rushed to the portal. The others followed not caring what was going to happen, only wanting to get to him in time to save him. The warp pad had taken them to the beta kindergarten and they other gems were hot on Garnet's heels as she raced to where the vision had shown her where Steven was. They ran to the end of a deep crevasse of to the side of the main canyon and jumped into the dead end. As soon as they landed they watch as Steven finally poofed the Gem-beast. He was hurt and bleeding but he was safe. This didn't make any sense to Garnet as her vision showed him being impaled from behind but nothing was there.
"Steven we need to go now it's not safe here." Pearl called out as he bubbled and sent the gem away.
"What do you mean it's not safe it's only us here and i bubbled the only threat here." came his reply, but before anything else could be said the ground began to shake something fierce. Rocks began to fall as the gem rushed for Steven only to see a new Gem-beast burst from the ground and impale him upon its tusk from behind. With a roar it threw Steven from its tusk into the wall with a sickening crunch, splattering the wall with his blood.
Pearl and Peridot screamed in horror and rushed to where Steven had been thrown. Garnet and Amethyst lost in their rage at the sight fused into Sugilite and brutally shattered the offending Gem-beast. Despite the unstable nature of the fusion Sugilite deeply care for Steven as all the gems did. She quickly looked around to find out where he was only to see him in Pearl's arms as she and Peridot run as fast as they could. She quickly caught up to them because of her size and scooped all three up into her hands. All three gems were crying their eyes out at the state Steven was was coughing up large amounts of blood, not only from his damaged lungs but from trying to heal himself. He had a nice sized hole in him between his upper chest and the top of his gem, through which they could see the damage to his organs. A small bit of relief came from the fact his gem was not damaged. Peridot was hysterical, Pearl was screaming to gem to Rose's fountain. As for Sugilite she was beating herself up for not being quicker or doing more to get Steven away from there. Steven was growing paler but the second and moving and coughing a lot less. By the time they made it to the warp pad he was still.
After warping to the fountain Sugilite rushed to it jumping in with everyone and unfusing in the proses. The four gems hugged Steven close as they flouted there but the only thing that was happening was the water turning red with what little blood was left. After a good five minutes of nothing happening the gems began to worry and cry even harder. Garnet got out of the pool screaming at herself while punching a wall till her form fell apart. Ruby was still punching the wall but was not lighting the area around her feet on fire while burning the wall. Sapphire Began to freeze the area around her as she wepted.
The other cried and held onto Steven for dear life but got a shock as he began to glow. They called out to Ruby and Sapphire and all watch in shock as Steven's from retreated into his gem. It was slow and not how a gem normally poofed but it was something. Pearl, Peridot and Amethyst all cradled Stevens gem in their hands once his form was gone. After that they quickly left to the temple. Sapphire had taken Steven's gem and placed in on a nest she quickly made on his bed from his pillows and blankets. She sat there watching the lone gem not even able to bring herself to see the future of this. The others began to talk about what this could mean for Steven. Since he was half gem they didn't know if he could even poof, and they tried hard to never find out. Since it had now happened they weren't quit sure what would become of their loved one. Though distraught the gems all agreed they would not do a thing for a while unless it was dire and gathered around the gem silently watching it.
