Connie was still staring at the ground. Her eye was swollen from Garnet's swift punch to her head and she only then noticed. Steven was still on the phone.

"That.. was horrifying… We're so shattered once Homeworld finds out about this." Peridot whispered dryly.

"P, Homeworld already wants us shattered." Jasper shrugged. "It went pretty well for my standards, I mean, I beat Garnet, right?"

"Ugh, and I thought the fusion was the only one still wanting revenge."

"So, magical destiny stuff happened, right?" Steven asked Connie over the phone. "What was it? What was the hand? Are you okay?"

"We won! Oh! We're safe!" Lapis cried, twirling Connie around. She laughed.

"Is that Lapis?" Steven asked.

Lion put a paw on Connie and she grinned. "Ah man, Steven, it was so cool! Where do I even start?! It's been a ton of magical destiny stuff!"

She then heard someone calling for her. She gasped. "Dad!" She held the phone closer and said, "Steven, gotta go, talk to you later!" She hung up and ran to her father. "Dad! Dad!"

"Oh! Thank the heavens you're okay!" They hugged and Doug kissed her forehead. " I saw the spaceship start to leave and then it crashed so I came back and... ohhh" He saw Connue's eye. "We should put ice on that straight
awar… So, I guess those criminals were no match for the Crystal Temps, huh?"

"No way, they were super strong and amazing at fighting!"

"But you were able to beat them back?"

"I'm afraid not. They totally won this. This fusion, Garnet, was super tall and evil and knocked me unconscious. Then they abducted me onto the ship because they wanted to take me away forever. And then they tried to kill the Temps,
and we crashed the ship and I almost was killed in the process!" Connie cried.

"What did they want from you?!" Doug gasped.

Connie sighed. "Well, they wanted to pry mother's gem off my body, forcing her out of me and destroying me because I'm human, and then they would have their leader examine my dead body and shatter mom…"

Doug was breathing heavily, picturing them ripping the life out of his baby girl. "W-will more Homeworld gems come after for you?!"

Connie paused then whispered, "I… don't know."

Doug gave a worried sigh, then quickly said, "Connie. I-I'm supportive and very proud of you. And I'll be right back." He then ran to his car and scrambled through his CDs. "Got to calm down. Where's my… Where's my relaxing
music CD?" Her picked one up and put it in. Loud rock music played and he yelled, "Wrong one!" He repitly slammed the eject button. "Stop! Eject!"

Connie winched watching him and her phone started to ring. She looked down at it and saw it was Steven. She glanced back at her father who tried to relax but clearly couldn't.

A few minutes later, Connie was walking down a street in town. She held her phone, rehearsing what she would tell Steven. "So Steven. Please don't cry or be concerned about me. But that ship… it tried to take me into space forever. But
it didn't, it didn't. I'm back and everything is," She felt her hand go through where a window should've been. She looked up and saw the bookstore's windows were all shattered. She looked around and saw ruble from the ship everywhere. She ran
away, trying again. "Steven, um, it turns out, there's a lot more Gems out there than we thought and they know about my mom. And I think they wanna... rip the life out of me?" Connie gave a nervous laugh."Hey Steven that... that message
I left you was— was just a dream!" She gave a laugh and then murmered, "He can just check his inbox…" Connie walked up a hill that was above the beach and gave a sigh. She looked down and saw the destroyed ship still on the beach. "Yooo!"
She suddenly heard. She turned to see Ronaldo running up.

"Hey Ronaldo." Connie smiled weakly.

"Didn't you hear? Mayor Dewey is calling everyone back into the city. We can go home now." Ronaldo said, looking up. Connie looked sad and he noticed, "Oh! I see... you come up here to brood too."

"Brood?" Connie said with a face that looked like she had eaten something odd.

"Yes, Connie. That's just what people like us do. Suffer quietly, shouldering the knowledge no one else can bear." Ronaldo whispered.

Connie gave a small nod.

"As an aficionado of the weird yourself, you've probably noticed ordinary people fear the cold, leaded anchor of the truth. The abyss is no Sunday swan drive."

"Yeah… My dad flipped out when I told him." Connie whispered.

"Sounds typical." The teen said, looking to the distance. "But it's a good reminder. This is no easy path we've chosen here. There are... sacrifices. Look at them all down there, Connie." She looked down and saw Beach City.
"It's our duty to let those simple people live out their simple lives, without ever knowing the burden of being friends with us."

Connie gave a weak grin and whispered, "At least we can be there for each other."

The teen suddenly gasped. "Is that giant hand from the sky sitting right in the middle of the beach?! I gotta get some of this for my blog!" He ran down the hill, leaving Connie alone once more.

Connie heard waves hitting the cliff. "Everybody told me Gem stuff's dangerous, I guess I didn't believe it. Until now, Dad always seemed apprehensive, and now he's really freaking out, what do I do?" She glanced down at the phone in
her hands. "I don't want that for you." Suddenly, her phone rang and Connie slid to the ground, dropping it. She covered her ears. When the ringing ceased, Connie looked at it with sadness. "Everybody tells me life is precious on the
planet Earth," She sang, picking the phone up.

She scrolled through pictures. One was of her making a funny face and Steven laughing. Another was of them at a restaurant. Once, Connie had taken a picture of Steven making a sand castle. Then, in another, he noticed. In the next, he was making
a funny face. Connie smiled wistfully but it faded away. "and that means you, and I have to protect you. What if somehow you get hurt? What do I do? I don't want that for you." She put it down and started singing along with the ringtone
which continued. She closed her eyes with gritted teeth, remembering the horrors she had faced. "What am I going to tell you?" She remembered the ship coming, Jasper getting poofed, Lapis with a blade to her back on her gem, "You're
better off not knowing the trouble I'm in, I don't want you to worry, about what I've just seen, about where I've just been. You don't have to be a part of this, I don't think I want you to be. You don't need this. You don't need me…" She shutter
remembering the ship exploding, Ruby, Sapphire, how Garnet and Amethyst had fused into Sugilite. She kept singing, and looked to the sky. The girl grabbed her phone, and looked at the beach. She felt her heart break but slid the call to ignore. She
gave a sigh and walked away.

A while later, the Temps were talking.

"Why can't I just wash it away?" Lapis groaned.

"Because the pepole will notice it floating in the water, Lapis." Jasper grunted. "It will eventually come back."

"Would you two stop bickering? Humans are going to return soon!" Peridot cried.

Connie looked out the window, whispering, "We've got to keep them off the beach. If any humans got access to gem technology, they could really hurt themselves. Maybe we should shut them out," Connie pulled down the blinds and narrowed
her eyes. "For good."

"Oh! We did have that fence once!" Peridot squealed excitedly. "We should make a new one! With barbed wire!"

"We should make a moat this time, and then I can raise the water, do some trick, and I'll be the crocodile!" Lapis shapeshifted her head into a alligator's.

"Ugh, no." Jasper groaned.

Lapis gave a pout. "Why not? It'd be fun?"

"You always say you'll be a crocodile but end up never doing it, clod!" Peridot huffed.

"Um, we're not putting up a fence either." Jasper said.

"But-"

"Kids like Connie need to see thier parents and thier friends often or they might isolate themselves." Jasper exsplained. Lapis gave a tiny smile and Jasper moaned, "Don't gave me that look, you're the one who made me
read parenting books. Ugh, I can't believe I'm this sappy."

"No, I don't!" Connie cried, walking away. " I can't keep clinging to the vestiges of my humanity. It's time I got serious."

"What's a ves-teeges?" Jasper whispered, trying to pronounce it as well as Connie had. Lapis shrugged.

Suddenly, Connie's phone started to ring. She flinched and gave a sigh.

"Connie, is your device trying to explode again?" Peridot whispered.

"For the last time," Connie gave a sigh in defeat. She couldn't win this battle. "It's Steven, trying to call me, but I can't face him anymore." Lapis peeked out the window while Peridot walked up, "So you're just
going to ignore him, forever?"

"It's the responsible thing to do." Connie sighed.

"YES!" They turned to Jasper and she shrugged, "What? I don't like him."

"Huh, well would you look here, he's coming up the steps right now." Lapis whispered.

"What?!" Connie cried.

Suddenly, Steven knocked on the door. Peridot answered. "Oh! Steven! Steven, Connie's friend! Steven… what's your last name?"

"Demayo." Steven laughed. He then looked concerned, "Is Connie home?"

Peridot watched Connie sneak out the window and past Steven. "Um… No…."

"Is she okay? I'm just really worried. She hasn't been answering her phone, I don't know if her healing spit works on herself, and also… that space hand was awesome and I wanna hear more about it." Steven explained. Connie inched behind
him. "Uh... I- I don't know. I don't understand your human relationships." Peridot chuckled. "So... uhm... goodbye!" She shut the door. Steven gave a sigh and turned around. Jasper pulled Peridot away from the door behind him.
Steven then saw Connie running on the beach. "Connie?! Connie, it's me, Steven!"

When she kept running, he ran after her. "Connie! Wait for me, please!" Connie ran into a corridor of ship and Steven followed. He looked at the technology with surprise. What had happened? He ran out and found Connie had vanished. He
looked around. "Connie! Connie? Are you in trouble? Is something wrong?" Steven cried, tears in his eyes. "What happened?! Did I do something wrong?"

Connie was hiding behind part of the thumb. She gave a tiny moan, of course it wasn't him!

"Please, don't be mad at me!" Steven whispered. "Is that why you're avoiding me?"

Connie moaned again.

Steven wiped away a tear and took out his phone. He dialed Connie's number.

Her phone started to ring but she immediately hung up.

Steven looked around, "Connie, I know you're here! Why are you hiding from me?"

Connie sighed and texted him.

Steven looked at it and read out loud, "I don't want to be… friends anymore?" Steven gave a sniff. "But… why?" He called her and she answered this time.

"Connie?" Steven whispered.

"I can't be with you anymore," Connie sighed. "I have a destiny."

"I know!" Steven cried. "Because of that, I have no idea why you hang out with me…. But, can you at least tell it to my face? I don't believe you. Tell it to my face, and I'll… I'll leave you alone, and never… never see you again
or hang out or… Please, just tell me, why?!" Steven gasped when Connie climbed up the thumb. She leapt down with a grunt. The girl walked up to him wordless but suddenly hugged him.

"W-What's happening?" Steven whispered.

Connie gave a laugh, a single tear rolling down her face. "I'm so sorry. I still want to be friends, don't ever think different…" They parted and Connie sighed.

Steven gasped, "Your eye! Connie, are you okay?! W-what happened to you?!"

"I didn't want you to worry about it." Connie whispered.

"I've been worried sick all day, Connie! What do you think I'm doing here?" Steven cried.

"I just wanted to protect you."

"Please, just tell me everything." Steven sighed.

Connie and Steven sat on the beach, Connie had explained everything.

"So, the gem from the mirror and a big gem made out of two little gems… made a giant woman and went underground?"

"Pretty much, and... Pearl escaped while the ship was coming down. She could be anywhere." Connie whispered.

"Whoa..."

"Are you okay?"

"Are you okay? You're the one that's been through everything. The least I could do is just listen." Steven smiled.

"I can't ask you to do that." Connie sighed.

"I want to, Connie. I want to be a part of your universe!" Steven cried. Connie blushed and giggled. Suddenly, her father drove up behind him.

"Pumkin! There you are! Oh good evening Steven, do you need a ride home?" Doug asked.

Steven waved and Connie smiled, "Dad, are you doing okay?"

"I got it out of my system. I'm back to being your amazing dad." Doug grinned. The car drove through the rest of Beach City, and Connie saw everyone was home, everyone was getting better. For a moment… perhaps Connie could have a break.

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