It had become a tradition, really. Ever since their first winter as friends, Steven and Connie would go spend the first snow of the year together.

It was much easier after Connie had told her mother everything about her training with Pearl and about all of the "magic stuff". She was still leery of Connie spending so much time with Steven, but, as long as there was a chaperone, she figured there was no harm in them spending time together.

Connie had just turned 18 and Steven was only a couple months away when the first snow arrived. It was earlier than usual and a much harsher blizzard than most of Delmarva was used to. Schools were closed and drivers were advised not to go out onto the roads.

It had taken a lot of convincing by both Priyanka and Connie to keep Doug from driving out to "rescue" his daughter. The gems assured that everything would be alright (save for Peridot who had never seen this much snow in all of her time on Earth and was convinced that the end was near).

Pearl watched from the window as Connie and Steven played in the snow, lobbing snowballs at each other (Connie having improved her aim drastically with Steven practicing summoning his shield on occasion). She smiled, holding a cup of tea that Lapis had made for her. She had begun to enjoy the camaraderie that she had with Lapis, and of course enjoyed the relationship that was blossoming with Peridot and Amethyst. Garnet had been right when she consulted her years before. She was always right.

"I'll be right about this too," Pearl heard voice chuckle from behind her.

Pearl jumped slightly before turning to see Garnet's amused face.

"Enjoying the snow?" Pearl asked.

"Mmm ... something like that."

Pearl stared out, watching as the two teens had turned their attention from the snowball fight to building a snowman. They were talking about something that Pearl couldn't hear, but the peal of laughter rang through the air.

"You saw something," Pearl started.

"Mmm," Garnet nodded.

A shriek interrupted the pair. They turned to see Steven hopping around, swatting at his back, Connie laughing behind him. Snow fell from the back of Steven's coat. He turned to Connie after he had removed most of the snow from his jacket and lunged, Connie trying to escape.

Her escape was unsuccessful as she was tackled into the snow. The teens laughed and laid back, side by side.

Steven looked over at Connie and watched as she threw her head back, laughing. Her brown cheeks had a red glow from the cold. She would probably end up with a cold after this. Now that she was older, her parents weren't as easily upset if she came home with a sniffle.

A thought came to him as he watched her laughter fade, a blissful expression on her face.

He could always try to heal her if she had a cold.

He hoped she didn't see him blush at the thought.

Connie watched the snow fall as the light began to fade from the sky. The heavy flakes landed on her eyelashes, occasionally blurring the world for her before melting away. She mused on her past, remembering the years before she could see clearly. The years before Steven.

She looked over at him and caught his soft smile.

Time froze. She wondered if she should move closer. Maybe grab his hand ... maybe -

"Hey kids! It's getting dark out and Pearl is getting twitchy!" The pair heard a voice call from the Beach House.

Amethyst. The mood killer.

The teens stood up and brushed themselves off before looking at each other again. Steven blushed some more before offering his hand to Connie.

"The stairs might be icy. I can help you up if you like."

The stairs looked clear, but Connie smiled and took his hand regardless. It was a good excuse.

Steven had let Connie use the shower first, enduring the constant teasing from Amethyst as he waited with warm clothes. He was fully aware of the meaning of her jokes now and, while he was certainly tempted, it was not going to happen. Not any time soon, at least.

Soon, Connie was out of the shower and it was Steven's turn. She sat near the fireplace and was soon joined by Peridot who clung to her side, staring out at the snow.

"You're certain that the snow was safe?"

"Of course!"

"But, I heard Steven emit a noise of displeasure while he was out there with you. Surely the snow became dangerous-"

"Oh! No, that was because I stuck snow down his shirt," Connie laughed.

Peridot quirked an eyebrow.

"Why on earth would you do that?" She asked. "The snow is so cold and wet! It had to be uncomfortable!"

Connie blushed.

"Sometimes, humans like to tease each other if they like them ..." She started.

Peridot looked to Amethyst who was busy switching her mug of hot cocoa (and motor oil) with Pearl's mug of tea. It was a bit of a ritual, Amethyst doing something to irritate the taller gem just to toy with her. She had done similar to Peridot on occasion.

She was starting to understand now.

"So ... You feel for Steven in the same way that I feel about Pearl and Amethyst."

Connie blushed deeper. She was about to answer when Steven came out wearing a set of yellow pajamas. His hair was still wet, clinging to the sides of his face.

She smiled at him.

Yes, she did feel that way about him.

He looked at her and grinned before coming over to sit next to her at the fireplace. Lapis handed Steven a mug of cocoa and returned to sit next to Garnet who was seemingly staring at them. She longed for something like this again. She had it once, many millenia ago. She had seen what became of it, however, and she wondered if she would ever have it again. There had to be a glimmer of hope. She wondered if she even remembered her.

"Is everything going to be alright?" She found herself asking the fusion.

Garnet's face fell for moment. She was silent for what felt like an eternity. She bit her lip and then returned her attention to the ocean gem that sat next to her.

"There are millions of possibilities," she began, "but ... there's a chance."

Lapis smiled, sadly. She watched as Steven and Connie popped marshmallows into their mouths, giggling and reminiscing.

It was late before Connie and Steven had to head to bed. Pearl had made a spot on the couch for Connie at the insistence of Priyanka from the last time the two had a sleepover. Pearl knew that they wouldn't do anything, but she still honored her wishes. She wished the two teens goodnight and retreated to her room with Amethyst and Peridot (who insisted she needed to study the pair that night for research on human behavior) in tow. Lapis had gone to the roof to enjoy the snow and Garnet had retreated to the burning room where she could observe and ponder.

Steven had started to fall asleep when he felt a weight on the bed. He froze, not sure what was going on. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Connie sitting at the end of his bed, staring out the window.

She looked at him and smiled shyly before returning her attention out the window.

Maybe, in the future, he would gently grab her hand and intertwine his fingers with hers.

Maybe, in the future, they would rest their heads on each other's shoulders, enjoying the closeness and intimacy.

Maybe, in the future, he would tell her.

Right now, they were both content to just sit and watch the snow like they had so many years ago during their first winter.