Hey, didn't I bring up Connie being upset in Chapter 2? Some grade-A jack-hole I was to leave you all on a cliffhanger! You go ahead and read while I scold myself for leaving you all in suspense.

When Garnet and Amethyst reunited with Steven and Pearl, they were impressed to find the monster already defeated and bubbled. They were also shocked to see the two looking so bewildered, despite their victory with what appeared to be no serious casualties. It was answered when they caught sight of Steven holding his own spear. Amethyst, of course, thought this could only be a positive.

"Dude that is AWESOME!" she cheered as they all marched through the snow. "Does this mean you can do ANY gem weapon? Can you do fusion weapons?! Ooh, I can't wait to teach you how to use my whip!" Pearl just put her face in her hands and groaned at that last statement.

Steven was glad to see Amethyst was so eager because he was beyond perplexed. He never had a brand-new ability show up in the middle of a fight. Of course, they all sprung up at some point, but at least his shield, his bubble, his healing tears, and his floating happened when he was not fighting for his life. It did not help that with the mission complete, his mind turned back to Connie. The only thought stopping him from checking his phone was the complete lack of cell service in the Arctic.

Eventually the group all made it back to the temple and sent the corrupted gem bubble to be stored with the others. Before anyone could comment on their latest mission, Steven's cell phone rang. The young boy finally dissipated his spear and answered the call as fast as he could.

"Hello? Connie?"

"No, Steven, it's your dad."

Steven deflated slightly but kept his voice high. "Oh, hey Dad. What's up?"

"It's just a weird thing is happening at the car wash. When was the last time you talked to Connie?"

"I haven't heard from her in over a week. I've been trying to call her for days, but she never picks up. What's the problem?" He was not liking where this was going.

"Well, the weird thing happening here? Connie and her family are having their car washed and there's a moving truck following them."

"WHAT?! CONNIE'S MOVING AWAY?!" The other Gems were instantly on high alert.

"Well, it looks like they have everything all packed up. I talked to Doug and he said he just asked to change locations at his job. Dr. Mahesweran just said they needed a change in scenery and Connie has been silent the entire time. All I know for sure is Connie was pretty depressed when I dropped her off after you got back."

Steven was only half-listening as he was already racing out to meet Lion, the large feline sunbathing on the patio, heading out to stop his best friend.

"Just keep them there as long as you can! I'll be right there." He hung up the phone and looked ready to go only for the Gems to follow him outside.

"Steven, what's this about Connie leaving?" asked Pearl.

"She's moving out of Beach City and she won't say why. I need to get over there and stop her!"

"Go. You need to resolve this now," affirmed Garnet. With that, Lion leapt off the porch and dashed across the sands as fast as he could. Pearl could not help but wonder something.

"Should we go with him? Maybe we could say something to clear all this up…"

"No, he definitely needs to handle this himself. But while he's gone, I need something from you."

"Yes?"

"Tell me exactly what happened on your mission." Garnet led Pearl back inside to hear the whole story while Amethyst followed, excited about the exploits that led to Steven's new power.

Steven was dashing past the boardwalk at a breakneck pace. In his haste Steven forgot he could have Lion summon a portal straight to the car wash, but there was also the matter if Lion felt like obeying. It did not matter either way as after several tense minutes and scaring the living daylights out of some Beach City inhabitants, Steven could spot the Mahesweran car and the moving truck still parked. Greg had held up his end of the bargain by offering Doug a free car waxing, which the latter simply could not refuse.

Connie and her mother were just sitting in the car waiting for Greg to finish his work and idly passing the time by observing the suburban scenery one last time before they left for Keystone. For the past week, Connie's parents could not get her to open up about her qualms with Steven to the point where when they tried taking away her dinner, she just refused to eat. And now it, along with her anxiety, seemed to be finally getting to her. When Connie saw a pink blip on the horizon, she noticed Steven riding Lion. The young girl panicked and shook her mother's shoulders.

"Come on, Mom! We have to go!"

"Connie, what's the rush? We don't have to be at our new house until the evening and it's a long drive."

"Because…" Fortunately her stomach began rumbling due to her skipping breakfast that morning. "I'm starving! If I don't eat something soon, I might get sick." She made sure to sound extra pained and unwell for effect. It worked flawlessly as Priyanka's maternal instincts and doctor's intuition kicked in simultaneously. She quickly got in the passenger's seat and yelled for Doug to join her.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"We need to get Connie something to eat. All this stress is finally getting to her."

This left Doug little choice but to get in the driver's seat and head out to the nearest restaurant. The car pulled out and the truck holding their belongings followed as they left the suburbs to start towards the freeway out of Delmarva. Greg tried in vain to delay them, but they were set and took off just as Steven and Lion charged up behind them. Since they were still in the suburbs, the caravan was moving slowly at first and allowed Steven to move right alongside the car much to the surprise of the driver.

"Hi, Mr. Mahesweran!"

Doug had to clamp the wheel with all his might to avoid driving onto a sidewalk, but before long he and the moving truck were out of the suburbs and pushing the higher speed limit of the two-lane road out of Beach City. Lion was doing his best but eventually the car passed him.

"Come on Lion! We need to keep up!" encouraged Steven, clinging for dear life as the two followed the road onto the highway. The pink feline was trying his hardest, but it seems he had hit his max speed. As they trounced along the busier road, they also had to contend with traffic and several stupefied drivers nearly crashing into them. Steven began dreading the worst, not only for his and his pet's safety, that Connie would simply leave his life.

The entrance to the highway was only a few miles away. Lion was keeping pace with the moving truck, but the Mahesweran car was gaining speed as it neared the highway. All at once Steven felt a jumble of emotions erupt in him: anguish over ruining his friendship, outrage that Connie could just throw away everything they've been through, and passion that no matter what he would NOT let it end like this. The car was changing lanes to get on the highway. Steven had to end this now.

"Lion, keep running. I'm about to do something stupid." Steven stood up on his own two legs and mustered all the strength he had into one massive jump. Before long he was hundreds of feet into the air which did not go unnoticed by the now frantic parents.

"What on Earth are those Gems feeding him?!" shouted an incredulous Priyanka. Doug was forced to keep his eyes on the road while his wife and daughter stared in shock.

Steven was not done yet, though. Now that he was in the air, he began forcing himself to fall at a rapid rate. He angled his body downward and forced himself to rocket towards the asphalt as fast he could. The car just barely made it onto the ramp before Steven crashed down in front of them, flipping just before impact to land feet first, and faced the vehicle head on. Doug slammed on the brakes, but Steven was ready. He held out his hands and caught the skidding car with enough give to prevent a full-on crash, but still left his handprint dents in the grill. Steven was pushed back, but he managed to bring the car to a standstill only a few feet away from where the acceleration lane started. The Maheswerans were all too astonished to say a word. Their terror quickly turned to disbelief as Steven simply walked up to the back door and knocked on the window where Connie was seated. At first, she refused to budge and ignored him, only for her mother to have other ideas.

"Connie Prisha Mahesweran, you get out of this car and talk to your friend THIS INSTANT!" she screamed.

Thanks to the dreaded middle-name reflex, Connie obeyed and undid her seatbelt. Steven, his face a grimace ever since he stopped the car, opened her door like a gentleman before laying into her.

"What the heck has gotten into you, Connie?! First you act mad at me, but won't explain why, then you try to skip town without even saying goodbye? What gives?!"

Connie looked her best friend in the eyes with a scowl on her face. "What gives is that you made it obvious you don't care about me."

Steven was taken aback by her answer, and all the madder for it. "What are you talking about? Of course, I care about you! What made you think something like that?"

Connie turned away from her as she answered his question with her own. "Do you remember when Pearl first started teaching me sword fighting?" He nodded.

"She instilled this belief in me that your life is more important than mine. I was to be your knight and face any danger that threatened you no matter how great. When I started to believe it, you talked me out of it and told me we would face danger together. As a team, you and me. Guess you didn't really mean it, after all…"

Steven was startled by how cold and callous Connie was acting, her hands trembling and her voice cutting into him. He quickly put together where her anger was stemming from.

"This is about me giving myself up to the Diamonds…"

"OF COURSE IT IS, YOU IDIOT!" She proceeded to slap him before continuing her tirade.

"You told me months ago that we would face anything together! You always said we'd have each other's back, no matter what happens! When I was willing to sacrifice myself for you, it was wrong and had to be stopped! But when you do it for me, it's not a problem?!"

"I… I did it protect everyone, not just you…" That only increased Connie's wrath and got Steven another slap to the face.

"That's not the point! The point is you lied to me, Steven! You went off and tried to be the hero even though that's exactly what you talked me out of doing! And you didn't just scare me. You freaked out the Gems, your father, and the rest of the city! That's not brave, Steven, that's being stupid AND a hypocrite!"

Once her outburst was done, Connie felt all the energy drain out of her system and she had to lean against the idle car to remain standing. Steven, despite his face still stinging, moved in closer as his friend began weeping.

"Steven… I thought you were dead. When you got on that ship, it felt like you signed your own death warrant." She began shuddering as all the heartbreak and horror of that night came out at once.

"For all I knew… they would just fly their ship straight into the sun or kill you as soon as you landed. And the worst part about it all? All that training I went through? It was all for nothing. My best friend was as good as dead and there was nothing I could do about it…"

Steven fully understood how badly he hurt his best friend. He could not find an adequate response to all her woes, so he settled on simply holding arms and letting her vent. Connie finally broke down completely in his arms as she bawled and screamed as all the pain left her at long last. Her body shook violently, and her breathing was erratic, but she returned his hug with her own embrace. The two clung to each other as if they would be ripped apart at any moment. As Connie began to calm down, Steven made sure to assuage any remaining guilt.

"Connie, I'm sorry I abandoned you. I will never throw myself away again. If I ever get abducted again, I'll be sure to bring you with me…" At long last, Connie smiled for the first time in days and laughed at his ever-present optimism.

"Thank you, Steven. I'll look forward to the day we get abducted."

Priyanka and Doug were relieved to hear their daughter happy once again. The latter of the two, however, was also wrapping up a phone call with his employer about his new assignment. He sighed in annoyance but smiled nonetheless.

"I just told my boss to move me back to Beach City. He wasn't happy about how sudden it is, but some late shifts and a few boxes of donuts ought to clear it all up. Guess we should tell the movers to turn around."

"In a minute, Doug. Let the two have a moment. Although I still have one question for Steven when they're done."

"Really? What's that?"

The mother's eyes suddenly bolted open and grabbed her husband by the shoulders. "What are those Gems feeding him?!"

After helping the Maheswerans move everything back into their townhouse, which involved explaining to the mayor where a certain new pothole came from, Steven and Connie returned to the beach house on Lion to show that everything was back to normal. The two walked in the front door just as the sun began to set and found the Crystal Gems ruminating on the couch, still deep in thought over the last mission. All three looked up to see Connie and were all instantly uplifted, Pearl especially so.

"Oh, thank goodness you're still here!" She proceeded to hug long-time student before continuing. "We were all worried that you'd do something you regret. So, is there anything you need to tell us?" The young girl nodded.

"I'm really sorry, everyone. I should have told Steven how I felt instead of doing something so reckless. I was just confused and angry about this whole mess."

"Connie, it's not your fault," professed Steven, "This never would have happened if I didn't do something so outrageous. I never should've played the hero and gone to Homeworld."

All of them were taken aback by his words. "It's okay, Steven. You were just trying to keep us all safe," assured Garnet, but the young boy was not done.

"No, it's not okay! I made you all go crazy over something I never even did! I never thought of how badly you'd all feel if I got hurt or worse…" Pearl had heard enough and hunched down to meet Steven's gaze.

"Steven don't degrade yourself. Yes, what you did was beyond headlong and idiotic, but your intentions still meant well. Of course, we were all terrified, but we know you weren't doing it because you wanted to. You did it because you had little other choice and wanted to stop innocent humans from being dragged into space. We've all done ridiculous things for less noble reasons, Steven. You should never hate yourself for wanting to protect people."

"She's right, Steven," Connie pitched in, "I know you meant well, but all I could think about was being angry. When Pearl was teaching me at first, she only thought about doing the right thing. You just to need to think about both."

Steven's anguish and remorse faded away as he realized there was a middle ground in all this. Amethyst and Garnet looked on with grins as Steven, Connie and Pearl all came together for one last hug before Garnet made one matter clear.

"Steven, just remember if you ever do something like that again, you will never see a television again."

"Yes Garnet…" Even with that threat hanging over him, Steven was still in high spirits and everyone seemed to be at peace once again.

And now that I've sufficiently scolded myself, it's time to bring this little arc to an end. But wait, the story's not over yet! What will happen now that everything seems all hunky-dory with the gems? Tune in next time to find out!

Thank you all so much for reading! Please feel free to leave a review!