Anyone else ever been in such a hurry to post that they completely forgot to do their usual intro and outro? Oh well, onto more story!

One full week had gone by since what was now known around the temple as the "Jasper Incident" and some things had begun picking up. Peridot and Bismuth were back to working in their respective fields and teaming up to collaborate. Pearl had resumed Rhodonite's training while Topaz spent more time learning the ins and outs of the Sun Incinerator. They all now had to share guard duty for the warp pad, feeling it was too much of a risk to leave it unsupervised lest Homeworld try something. All in all, despite the risk, life had begun picking up pace as the Crystal Gems moved past the Jasper Incident.

Their attitude was helped, however, as Steven also seemed to be healing. After Padparadscha's speech to him, he actually got out of bed the next day and talked to every single one of the Crystal Gems. He was noticeably quieter and more restrained, but they all took it as massive progress. He apologized for, of all things, worrying them with his depression and assuring he was better now. While they all took the news well, they could clearly tell something was still wrong with him. For one thing, he always found a way to avoid his training.

"Sorry Pearl, but I've got this really awful cramp in my back. I don't think I should stress it too much."

"Really? Right now? I just agreed to meet Dad, but I'll get to it when I'm back!"

"I really wanna, but Rutile and Rhodonite wanted to see the town a bit more and I agreed to show them around. I'd hate to let them down…"

It was so unlike him that it bothered the gems, especially Pearl and Garnet, to no end. They knew not only was he making flimsy excuses to get out of training but given how much time he spent letting his skills wane it would make the problem worse. They all knew that the Diamonds were not done with them, but he never brought that up either.

The other thing he was dead set on avoiding was seeing Connie in the hospital. Every day his Dad or the Maheswerans called him with the offer and much like with the gems he would always find some excuse to get out of it. He even used his training as a reason to skip, outright lying to them that Pearl wanted to practice some new technique or drill when he was instead lounging around or doing some menial task.

While he did at least get a decent amount of exercise and did help out with stuff like watching the warp pad or keeping everyone's spirits up with his usual personality, they all felt like he had regressed several months to a younger, far less active Steven. The only thing keeping any of them from snapping at him was two things - the fact that he at least was finding ways to contribute even now and the painfully obvious fact that he was clearly still dealing with the Jasper Incident.

He had also formed the habit of frequently going on walks around town and giving very little indication of when he would be back. It seemed to be a compromise between avoiding his actual training, yet also keeping some exercise in his routine. He was on one such walk in the early afternoon when he came across a pair of friends he had not seen in some time.

"Hey there, Steven!" said Sadie as she waved him down. She was standing next to Lars who opted for a simple peace sign.

"Oh, hey guys," he replied coolly, "What are you up to?"

"Well, we both just quit our jobs, so that's something."

"Wait, what?! Neither of you are working the Big Donut anymore?"

"Yeah, I had to work there all by myself while Lars was away. It was ridiculous, me trying to run an entire store all by myself, and they wouldn't send anyone to help!"

"Then I showed up again," spoke Lars, "And decided that even all my time in space was better than pushing donuts. Heck, I can bake better donuts myself whenever I want! I'm keeping the shirt, but I've decided I want to do something more with my life."

Steven had to admit they both had a point. He recalled seeing Sadie looking much less peppy than usual whenever he passed by and Lars had more than earned some freedom after spending weeks running from a homicidal gem police officer.

"Don't worry, though, they finally found someone else to work the store," assured Steven, "So there will be plenty of chocolate-glazed donuts for everyone."

"Heh, good to hear, but I've been staying away from stuff like that," admitted Steven, "Pearl usually keeps me away from sweets unless it's after my training."

The two older teenagers heard what he said but started noticing something was off with him. He lacked the usual energy and vibrancy he always showed. He barely even reacted to hearing his favorite donut shop would be briefly closed which normally would have devastated him.

"You okay, buddy?" asked Sadie, "You seem really down…"

"Huh? I'm just tired, that's all. I've got so much going on these days. In fact, I've got something to take care of right now…"

"Really?" asked Lars, "Like what?"

"Just some…important stuff. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

And with that, Steven turned away from them and headed to the nearest corner. As they melancholy half-gem left their sight, Lars immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?"

"Pearl, it's Lars."

"What the-?" started Sadie before being shushed silently by her friend.

"Oh, right, I did give you this number…Topaz is busy in her room right now so-"

"I don't need her right now, but thanks. I wanted to talk to you or one of the other gems who looks after Steven more."

The gem on the line let out a long series of stammers before finally admitting she was home and had some time to spare.

"Good, I'll be there in about ten minutes. Thanks again."

He hung up and immediately headed down the boardwalk and onto the sand with a very baffled Sadie tailing him.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down! What the heck was all that about? Why on Earth do you have Pearl's number?"

"Because in Topaz ever needed help with being a captain, I wanted to be there to give her advice and since she doesn't have a phone Pearl was the next best bet. Also, the Off-Colors sometimes want to chat. I did have to explain to Rutile how a phone works with two heads, but that was just funny."

"Okay then, but what are you doing again?"

"I just want to talk to Pearl about Steven is all. You want to come with me?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding. Soon they spotted the massive stone statue over the temple and made their way up to the front porch. They noticed a few cosmetic differences from the recent renovations but paid it little mind as they knocked on the door. Pearl was in front of them in a flash.

"Oh, hello Sadie. I wasn't expecting you."

"Sorry I didn't mention it, but do you mind her being here?"

"Oh no, that's perfectly fine. The two of you are rather close and I know you're both Steven's friends. Come in then, make yourselves at home," she offered, hospitable as ever, "Can I get either of you anything?"

"Thanks, but we're good," replied Sadie as they took two of the seats around the fire pit.

"Well then, if we're done with pleasantries, what's troubling you about Steven?"

"We just ran into him a few minutes ago and he seemed really unlike himself. Has something, I dunno, been happening with him?"

Hearing that, Pearl became much more fidgety and started flitting her eyes all over the room. "Oh, well, it's mostly his friend Connie. It's devastated him and he's just coping…"

"Well, we did hear something about that…"

"I'm not buying it," blurted Lars, much to the shock of his friend and Pearl.

"Excuse me? Are you insinuating that all of this is a lie?!"

"No, I know you're telling the truth because her parents are getting tons of sympathy online for their daughter. I've seen pictures of that girl hooked up to about half a dozen life support machines, so I know this is real. What I don't buy is you saying that's the only thing bugging Steven."

Hearing that, Pearl calmed down tremendously yet still seemed on edge. "Well, it is true that a lot's been happening around here and Steven… hasn't been taking it well. But he's showing definite progress! He used to be a total shut-in, but at least now he's out and about."

"Uh-huh. And let me guess what's he been like since then - he's been spending a ton of time by himself, been trying really hard to avoid you and has done everything he can to avoid his problems so he can keep moping."

"Lars, cool it," admonished Sadie, "You don't know all that!"

"Actually," admitted Pearl, "That's a pretty close guess to his behavior. Are you a psychologist?"

"No, but I am very experienced with how Steven is. He's just like I was for so long and the last thing he needs to be right now is a useless, whiny crybaby."

"Lars! Don't be so hard on yourself, that's not who you were!" encouraged Sadie, but the pink-skinned teenager laughed that off.

"You're giving me way too much credit. Sadie, I was a complete jerk to you and just about everyone else all because of one little thing that happened years ago. I wasted so much time brooding and complaining when I could've been doing something more productive."

Both listeners said nothing as they were both clearly surprised by his confession. Feeling he had no choice but to continue, Lars explained himself.

"I moved to Beach City when I was ten, right in the middle of summer vacation. That meant I was the new kid in school and since I didn't have any friends, I walked into my first day with a batch of cupcakes I baked myself. I started baking when I was seven after my mom showed me how to make my favorite brownies. I thought they tasted so great I wanted to make something like that myself. I was pretty much obsessed, and those cupcakes were the first time I ever showed my stuff to anyone besides my parents…"

"It didn't go well?" asked Sadie, already fearing the answer.

"The entire class laughed in my face. They called me a sissy, a weirdo, a loser and… several other things that I'd never call anyone. I cried all day when I got home, and they had to literally drag me school every day for the next two weeks. After I stopped bawling my eyes out, I pretty much became exactly like Steven. Not only did I never say or do anything remotely close to baking outside of my house ever again, I started ditching classes, I was a total jerk towards anyone, I tried sucking up to whoever the popular kids were and I just stopped caring about almost everything… including myself."

While Sadie was heartbroken to hear all of this, and personally amazed she never learned about any of this given how long she has known him, Pearl was just stunned. All she heard about from Topaz and the Off-Colors was the daring captain who outwitted for months on end in the name of getting back home and yet he looked about ready to cry from reliving a memory.

"All I could do for years was be afraid that anyone would do that again, so why even bother? Even around you, Sadie, I thought one day you'd just up and leave me."

"What?! But I'd never-"

"I know you'd never do that! You're a fantastic friend, but all I thought about was one wrong word would turn you on me just like all those kids did. It's stupid, it's ridiculous and it's absurd, but that's how I was."

"Um, as insightful as this is to you," asked Pearl, "And though I am certainly impressed that you've matured so much, what does this have to with Steven?"

"Oh yeah… The problem is Steven's going to head down the same path I did. If it's anything like what I went through, he won't get out of it until something forces him out."

"That sounds overly drastic, Lars. Not to be condescending, but it's only been a week so with some gentle encouragement-"

"Pearl look at me. I can pilot a spaceship better than I can drive a car, I had a killer robot explode in my face and blow my eye out and I came back from the dead! It took all of that to get my act together and I still have issues! My parents spent about six years trying to gently encourage me, and I blew them off! And you want to know why? Because I was a selfish, whiny, angsty, insecure jerk who thought that if he ran away from his problems long enough, they'd all go away and they NEVER DID!"

Sadie and Pearl were both stunned at the end of his tirade despite every hateful word being directed at himself. By the end of it all, the former captain looked halfway ready to explode and needed several minutes to regain his composure.

"Sorry about that… The point is him running away won't solve squat. One of you needs to get some sense into him before the next big problem happens. You and I both know Emerald will try a stunt like nearly blowing up the town again."

"Well, technically the attack was organized by White Diamond, but your point is valid nonetheless," spoke Pearl before standing up and offering a hand to both of her guests. The teenagers took the opportunity and headed for the door. Sadie simply waved goodbye and waltzed outside, but Lars turned around and said one final piece of advice.

"Pearl, I always wanted to say I'm sorry for being a tool to Steven for so long. He's a really good kid who doesn't deserve to be miserable like I was for so long. We all need him the way he was."

With that spoken, Pearl was left alone in the temple in a rare moment of solitude given how much more crowded the place was. Would a more direct approach would work, or would it drive Steven further away? She would have to consider this with the others before doing anything too drastic.

Another few days passed with little progress, much to the consternation of the Crystal Gems. After her meeting with Lars, Pearl brought the others together and got them on board with using a more direct approach to getting Steven back on his feet. The first and foremost was to stop him from spending so much of the day in isolation. Their best solution was to find ways to keep someone by his side, but that could be tricky. They could not be too forward with him or he would just find some way out of the house, but they managed to keep him occupied. Pearl asked for help tidying up the house, Amethyst kept finding new stuff in his room to check out, Bismuth and Peridot kept him updated on whatever new gadget they worked on and so on.

While at first resistant, there were signs of progress. While he would sometimes try to worm himself away from them, there were other times he accepted the company with little outcry. He even began smiling and resembling his old self in rare glimpses when they managed to get him to laugh and truly open up. It was those moments that made them feel as if they were making real progress. The problem, however, was something none of them could easily treat. His mind and conscience were constantly at war with each other and this dissonance hit him hardest when he was asleep.

Tonight's dream started like many of them did - Steven having a great time with the Crystal Gems and pretty much the entire town of Beach City. The scenario this time was a cookout as the sun began to set over the ocean, creating a dazzling backdrop to the wonderful festivities. Greg was manning a massive grill that Amethyst was constantly trying to pilfer hot dogs from, Topaz was entertaining the people by fire dancing with her pugil stick ignited by Cinnabar and Lapis was happily playing with Sadie and Lars in the ocean.

The one constant, though, was that he was always with Connie. Sometimes they talked and laughed about nothing, other times they just sat side by side taking in the scene, but every time it made him feel so peaceful and serene. The world had somehow crafted this one moment to be as absolutely perfect as possible.

Then, just when it seems like he could fully throw himself into the fun, something went horribly wrong. In this case it was a storm materializing right above them and quickly raining out the party. The humans quickly ran for cover back towards the town while the gems all ran inside the temple. The only one who stayed put was Connie who looked at him with worry, sensing something was amiss with the whole affair.

As usual, she was right and suddenly Connie was being dragged away from him by gale force winds that came from nowhere. She pushed with all her might, but soon she was swept off her feet and helplessly dragged into the sky. Steven chased after her as she flew farther and farther away, his usual superhuman resilience failing him. His lungs burned, he quickly wore his throat out screaming in fear and soon his legs gave up on him entirely. The Crystal Gems tried to call him back, urging him inside, but now he was too drained to even move.

As the pain of watching his best friend be captured by the storm intensified, he felt a wrenching pain in his gut. A blinding pink light consumed his vision and soon he became his other self once again. That bizarre crystalline form that he used on Jasper always showed up somehow, sometimes as a separate entity who terrorized the town. He had been the one to kidnap Connie three times now before slaughtering all of the Crystal Gems with a cruel smile on his face.

This time, however, Steven himself was becoming the monster as his body transformed into a living mass of pink crystal. Power coursed through him, the howling wind barely fazing him now. With one mighty leap he flew into the clouds, but his friend was gone. It seemed the clouds had somehow atomized her and left no trace of her existence. The transformed Steven felt an overwhelming anger pulse through him, and he let out a deafening roar that could be heard across the entire world.

He plummeted towards the ground, fire wreathing his body as if he was a living meteor. His landing, however, did far more damage than any falling star as a shockwave erupted from all sides of him and ravaged everything. Clouds of sand were sent miles high; a tidal wave went from the beach into the ocean and the temple was completely demolished from the blast. The destruction pleased him. It brought him a sick, sadistic pleasure to see his emotional pain given form and so he went into Beach City and started trashing the entire place.

The townspeople fled in fear as the rampaging alien effortlessly outpaced any vehicle, smashed through walls with his bare hands and delighted in causing as much collateral as possible. The only thing hampering his fun, though, was an irritating headache that kept distracting him. That headache was none other than the voice of Steven.

This was another of the constants the boy had with his nightmares. Whenever he ended up fighting his other self he pleaded and tried to reason with him, but nothing worked. It only made it easier for him to get pulverized until he finally woke up. When he was the monster, though, it was always worse. He could see and feel everything he was doing like this and it terrified him to no end. He would beg until his voice gave out and cry until even his eyes were exhausted, but nothing worked. Even worse is that on top of the smell of burning buildings and the sight of his town in ruins he could feel his joy at it all. It felt so completely wrong, so alien to him to take pleasure in other's suffering, that it made him want to leave his own skin.

Just when it looked like there was no stopping himself, the Crystal Gems ran in to confront him. By this point, however, Steven knew this would not help. Indeed, his outer self was elated at more things to break in half and urged them forward. His opponents all dogpiled him, but with one flick of his wrist he sent them all flying. The gems charging at him, trying different strategies and abilities until one by one they were beaten into submission. The crystalline boy then walked over to a barely conscious Pearl and sent a punch straight into her gem as the original watched in horror. He shut his eyes to try and avoid the image, until something got his attention.

"STEVEN, STOP!" cried an eerily familiar voice. The outer Steven was just as confused. Who was trying to ruin his fun?

Then something entirely new happened as Steven suddenly regained control of his body. The world around him began fading to black, the ruined city and battered gems completely disappearing until it was only him in an inky void. The new voice then spoke again.

"Steven, you need to stop running from this," it said with a gentle firmness, "This is something you need to face."

The boy was completely baffled. He knew that voice all too well, but it still made no sense. Why would he start dreaming about her?

"Steven, I'm not part of your dream," she said as if reading his mind, "But I am a part of you. I told I always would be…"

His vision was consumed by a gigantic flash of light that forced his eyes shut. When he opened them, his body was back to normal, but he barely even noticed. He was too busy looking at the woman in front of him. Her gigantic head of pink hair, her flowing white dress and a loving face that has forever been ingrained in his memory.

"M-Mom?" croaked Steven, barely able to believe his eyes.

"Hello, Steven…" replied Rose Quartz with a sorrowful smile as she stared at her son for the first time. The son was hopelessly confused, but logic did not matter to him now. He ran into her arms and relished the fact that, even if this was just a dream, his mother had chased away his nightmares and he could finally feel at peace if only for now.And so now, another new player has entered the field: Rose Quartz herself! How will Steven handle meeting his mother for real this time? Tune in next time to find out.

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