". . .Now I can turn into a bunch of stuff, I'm still not as good as Amethyst but it's not as hard for me anymore." Connie bounced on her knees as he finished his story. She swallowed the last few bites of her sandwich and tried to wash it down with her juice box, only to find it empty. Steven held his own out shaking it a little.

"Don't worry, I'm careful not to backwash." Connie shrugged.

"I don't mind either way, thanks!" She took it gladly and drank down the rest of his juice. So, there hasn't been anything else weird with Rose?" She leaned back on her hands as a light breeze rustled the corners of the blanket on which they sat. Steven shook his head and laid himself down trying not to look worried.

"No, nothing that I can remember at least, but she made me forget that night, so in theory I guess it could have happened a bunch of times since then. Amethyst has been checking in with me though so I'm probably okay." He stared up at the slowly drifting clouds. "Everything's just gotten so complicated lately." That actually made him smile. "Honestly I kind of like that about it, is that weird?" Connie laughed and crawled up to look down at him. "Oh no, I totally get it, like before I met you my life was the same day in day out, I knew exactly where I was going and how I was going to get there. Now it's like anything could happen!" Steven smiled up at her.

"That's it exactly, like I knew I was safe and even happy before, but now everything changes so fast and I'm learning so much, getting so much stronger it makes the danger and the secrets kind of worth it." He reached up taking her face in both his hands. "Connie! You should come on missions with us!" Connie's eyes turned to stars and she sputtered out a response.

"B-but I'm not, magic like you, I don't know how to fight." Steven didn't even skip a beat.

"I could teach you, just like my mom's hologram taught me, I've got a ton of extra swords in my gem, and I bet Amethyst would let you spar with us, I bet you'd be amazing!" For a moment, thoughts of her parents ran through her head, how there was no way they would let her do anything so dangerous. But as she looked down at him the joy in his eyes at the idea of fighting beside her. He was so different than how he'd been when they'd first met, shy, unsure of himself, now he was open confident. She saw herself reflected in those eyes, and realized she was different too, in the same ways, just being around him, hearing his stories. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. She didn't even realize what she was doing before a bright opalescent light was engulfing her.

They looked around groggily for a moment, the world a blur as they swung their head side to side. Then their hand alighted on something familiar, rounded, delicate.

"My glasses. . .Connie's glasses?" They slid the frames onto their face, the metal clinking against the gem in their forehead and everything came into focus, they rested slightly odd on the tip of that larger nose but fit well enough. Looking down they saw the shirt they wore was a light pink with Steven's usual star pattern in the center. Lower they wore denim shorts that came only up to mid thigh. They tried Connie's sandals and Steven's loafers only for their feet to prove far too large for either.

As they stood their legs wobbled unsurely, the effect magnified by the significant weight that pulled behind their head. Once they were standing stably, they looked back, finding a mass of mostly straight black hair that curled in ringlets in certain places, and feathered out at the ends which were no more than a few inches off the ground, making them look almost as if they wore a long cape.

They reached up touching the gem above their glasses and understood. "Steven, Connie they. . .we fused?! Steven didn't even know if that was possible, he hasn't even considered trying yet. Omigosh I gotta tell the gems." Giggling with they ran down the hill, nearly tripping over their new legs again as they raced towards the temple door. They burst in to find all three of the other gems chatting in the kitchen. They all turned and the new fusion smiled wide. "Garnet, Amethyst, Rose it's me, it's us, it's Steven and Connie, we fused."

Roses eyes went wide, Garnet's mouth fell open and Amethyst rushed up to greet them.

"Dudes, you look amazing! How does it feel? What are you gonna call yourself?" They felt overwhelmed for a moment but then suddenly that feeling was gone and they laughed.

"It feels Amazing! And I mean we're Steven and Connie, Conven? Stevonnie? Yeah, definitely Stevonnie." Stevonnie beamed at their new name. Rose was on them next, lifting their arms, circling around them like a judge inspecting a dog at a dog show.

"I didn't think this was possible, I mean your mother. . .half your mother? Pearl and Greg tried a couple times, even though I told them it couldn't be done. I guess you two proved me wrong." Rose laughed and the part of Stevonnie that was Steven felt at ease with her for the first time since that one night. Maybe it was the laugh, maybe it was just knowing he wasn't alone, couldn't be alone. Before they could process those feelings however Garnet had pushed to the front wearing the biggest smile they'd ever seen on her. Garnet dismissed her glasses and stared at them for a long moment.

"Stevonnie, you are not one person, you are not two people, you are an experience, make sure it's a good one. GO. HAVE. FUN." Stevonnie laughed and threw their arms around Garnet hugging her tight, lifting her from the ground without realizing what they were doing. Both of them laughed together for a long while moment before they set her back down, and nodded firmly.

"I will Garnet." Their smile was almost as wide as what they now realized was a slightly shorter gem. Then they were off, running down the beach, laughing as their long mane trailed behind like the tail of a kite. They produced a pair of Steven's swords, and found his knowledge was intact, they swung them in wide archs, thrusting and stabbing, and the part of them that was Connie could feel that knowledge being imparted to her. It felt as easy as making up a story in her head, except someone else was doing it for her, and it was all coming true in her hands. "This is amazing!" They laughed again, swinging one of the blades towards the ocean. As they did an arch of white energy surged from the weapon, slashing it's way and slicing along the surface of the water.

Stevonnie held the sword up, marveling at it. "I can shoot lasers out of my sword!" They repeated the action several more times with careless ease before laughing, and falling back into the sand, making the swords vanish as they did. "This is so cool, it feels so amazing, sharing everything, being so different, but so familiar." They reached upward as if to grasp at the stars. "We. . .I should do what Garnet said and have some fun."

From there, the night went much as it did in the universe we all know. A trip to the big Donut, the invitation from sour cream. . .Kevin. Until finally they unfused.

"My dad's gonna be coming to pick me up any minute." Connie said through a shining grin as they walked from the warehouse back to the road near the temple. "Tonight was. . .it was the best night of my life!" She threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged tight. "You're still gonna train me right?" She asked pulling back from him, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll teach you to use a sword, and we can figure out other cool moves for Stevonnie!" She returned his nod with even more enthusiasm. Looking back she saw her father's car rolling towards them.

"I can't wait to get started." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before turning to meet up with her dad. Steven brushed the hair from his face and laughed, rubbing his cheek. "I think we already have."

He was stroking his cheek again as lay in bed later that night, just on the edge of sleep when suddenly something came crashing through the ceiling. Without thinking his sword was in his hand and he was leaping over the edge of his loft ready to fight. The Gems emerged from the temple a moment later. All four of them stared at the small spherical object making it's way towards the warp pad. . .