Connie sat in her car in a quiet daze, unsure if she actually wanted to leave the Mahaeshwaran driveway. A few stray, dead leaves floated by, scraping the windshield. Sucking in a deep breath, she turned the keys into the ignition and backed away.

Driving through Beach City for the first time in five years was like trying on something that you hadn't worn in years - it fits, familiarly, but still feels new and foreign. A few buildings she didn't recognize were sprinkled on the main strip. The Big Donut still had its giant donut, even if it had turned to a rusty, sun-bleached disk. Fish Stew Pizza looked unchanged in the slightest, even though there was a new girl she didn't recognize sweeping the sidewalk in front.

Five minutes away from the pier. Her pulse idled and she took a few shaky breaths. Would they even still be there?

"I could walk… to take my time," she thought. She parked at the end of the main strip, taking a quick look in the mirror to brush her hands through her hair.

As she walked down the empty street towards the beach, she stopped to take a look at the small building that had a pole sticking up from it, displaying a neon-light elephant. It's A Wash was there, but clearly vacant. No banged up van in sight. The emotions that crept through her only made the twisting in her stomach worse.

She still continued onward. At the edge of the beach, she was afraid to look for the giant, stoic outline of a graceful goddess protruding from the side of the cliff. The image of the figure flashed in her mind from long ago - a beautiful, dark figure with fire running through its hair jumping through the air, weapon in hand. She had blocked many of these memories out. They created pangs in her heart that yearned for adventures, excitement, and most importantly, him.

The chilly wind blew through her dark hair and she had been standing on the edge of the sand with her eyes wrenched shut.

"I can go tomorrow. Yes. No. NO. Now. Tomorrow… no, now." She hoped no one was listening to her argue with herself. "Don't be a coward. Do it." She opened her eyes.

The temple was, in fact, still there, and still beautiful. She could have sword the cold gust of wind was trying to push her to start the walk down the beach and up the stairs. The urge to throw up had settled itself in her stomach and wasn't going away any time soon.

She was at the bottom of the small flight of steps before she knew it. Making herself out of view of the windows, she still found time to stall. Past conversations of the last time they saw each other started to bounce around in her head.

"I can't do this anymore."

"Why can't we work this out?"

"We both have too much going on! You're never here and I'm going away to school, and… and I can't live this way anymore!"

"We can fix it! I'll be here more, I promise! Don't you want to? Don't you want to fix this with me?"

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I just need some time to myself. You don't need me around here anyways! I love you, but I'm sorry!"

She winced, remembering how that was the last time they had seen each other. She was gone the next week, and even though they had talked a few times after, it had fallen apart. Days without talking bled into weeks, which had now permeated into five years.

"He probably doesn't want to see you, idiot." She scolded herself mentally. "This is your fault."

The wind blew again, this time colder, seemingly scolding her as well. "Forget it," she hissed through her teeth. She pulled her jacket closer to her body and started back in the direction of pier. Just before she was far enough away to be out of sight, she faintly heard the screen door fly open. Her eyes widened and she froze, too scared to turn around.

"Wait!" A deep voice called out.

Oh no.

"Connie! Is that you? Wait!"

She turned around and there he was, running towards her. A seven-foot giant, with long black curls tied back that were bouncing as he made his way up to her.

"Steven! I-"

In what seemed like an instant, he had scooped her up into a strong embrace. The smell of fresh earth with a hint of strawberry filled her nose as his hair tickled her face and she couldn't help but smile for a moment. She couldn't resist hugging him back. His toned body felt strong and comforting as it enveloped hers. Tears flowed freely from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I was gone for so long and…" he set her down. "...And I… I don't know what to say." She sniffled and used her sleeve to smear the tears away from her face. "Hi."

His eyes were red and wet as well, but he couldn't help but laugh. "Hi."

They both giggled for a moment, giving them a chance to calm down. "Would you… I mean, if you want to, that is," Steven motioned towards the temple.

"Oh, of course, I mean, that's why… I came here to speak to you. To apologize. But if you don't want to, I know it's getting late in the evening, I would understand. I can come back tomorrow." She was looking down at her sneakers, one hand grabbing the back of her neck.

"No, please, I'd like to… I'd like to spend some time with you. I definitely wouldn't ask if I didn't want you to!" His classic, innocent smile could be heard through his invitation. "If you're not comfortable with coming inside, we could go somewhere else, or we could go sit at the pier, or-"

Without thinking, she touched his arm. "I'd love to spend some time with you."

They headed towards the temple, silently, as waves washed in and out of the shore.

Reunions can be awkward, but there is often something special when someone gets to revisit places and people they knew. For Connie, the urge to throw up never left her stomach as she tried to cheerfully greet Steven's guardians as if there were no looming questions to be answered or conflicts to resolve. The special part, however, was how warm it felt to be sitting in Steven Universe's living room, holding a cup of hot tea. The still hot cup felt like an old friend and the salty, wooden smell of their home brought back a rush of happy feelings. His family treated her no different than how they would have treated her before she left.

"...and by the end of our fencing match, her foil was broken!" Laughs filled the room.

"Well, it sounds like many of the things you learned came in handy!" Pearl's elegant voice was very comforting to hear, as well as the snorting and psssh's that came out of Amethyst. Garnet's presence was quiet, but still well known.

Connie smiled and nodded. "Absolutely!"

Pleasantries had been exchanged, but friendly conversation didn't leave much room for serious talk. It was now dark, and Connie hadn't had a chance to talk to Steven alone.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her. She pulled it out and glanced quickly. "Crap. I didn't even tell my parents I'd be out this late. Ugh. I should probably get back… they haven't spent much time with me since I got here. Still overprotective as ever…" She got up, thanking them for the welcome and the tea.

Steven jumped up immediately. "Let me walk you back to your car. It's super dark now."

Connie opened up her mouth to protest, but thought better of it. She agreed and they were, again, walking silently towards her parking spot. As soon as they were out the door, all three of his guardians crowded around the window to watch.

"Sorry, I didn't think we'd spend the entire time with everyone," Steven said as they walked up off the beach and onto the road. "We didn't really get a chance to talk."

"Oh, it's fine. It was nice to see them again."

They passed the empty car wash. "Hey, where's...?" She stopped walking and motioned towards it.

Steven looked down and sighed. "He passed away last year."

"What?! Oh my God, I'm so sorry. How did I not know? Couldn't you have… you know…" She found herself touching his arm again.

"You couldn't have known, it's ok. He had a heart attack, and I didn't get to him in time. I guess… I guess I can't save people if too long has passed."

"If I would have known, I would have been here. I'm so sorry." She found herself tearing up again.

"It's ok. I'm at peace with it. I promise." He flashed that smile again, putting her at ease. "I'm at peace with a lot of things."

"God, I've been gone for so long that I wasn't even there for you. I'm an awful person. I shouldn't have left. I should have stayed here, and-"

"And not pursued your dreams? Connie, you had to leave for school. We were so young. We weren't thinking about things long term."

She didn't argue with him as they began to approach her car, but she wanted to break down and tell him how much she regretted leaving.

"I guess this is me," she stood beside her car with him under the pale glow of a street light. She didn't want to leave yet.

"...So how long are you in town for?"

"I'm, uh, taking the semester off. I have too many credits and it was cheaper for me to take a break rather than pay the fall tuition. The rest of the classes I need don't happen until spring."

"Well, that's… good," he said.

Silence was there again, hanging between the two like a thick blanket. Many things were processing in both of their heads. Connie still had many things to say, but couldn't find a way to say them. She turned to face him, unsure of what could come out of her mouth.

Their eyes met, and she knew that nothing needed to be said right now. His hand gently touched the side of her face, sending shivers from her face and down her back. Their faces inched closer together, and her knees felt like they could buckle at any second.

When their lips met, it felt like her body was being brought back from the dead. She leaned in as one hand snaked around her waist, pressing their bodies together. She reached up, locking her arms around his neck.

After a few blissful moments, he pulled back with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have asked! Connie, I don't know why I did that, I'm sorry. Connie?"

She had to shake her head out of the daze she was in. "No, it's ok!" She held her hand to her mouth for a second and gave a small smile. "I promise, it's fine. I… I should probably go. It's really late."

"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry. I kept you super late, too. Your parents must be throwing a fit."

She got into the car, unsure of the next time they would meet, but leaned out the window. They still had many things to catch up on.

"I have some things to do tomorrow, but… want to get something with me after?"

His face lit up as he agreed, and as she drove away, he didn't move from that spot until he could no longer see her.