Finally, the Roaming Eye landed on the sand of Earth in from of the Beach House, away from Homeworld and Pink Diamond at last.

Connie and Doug immediately ran out in joy, happy to be home. The girl kicked off her pink shoes that had clearly not been made for her comfort rather her appearance.

"Connie! You're back!" Steven yelled, running out of the house and leaping into a hug. Connie giggled as her twirled her around in his arms. He then blushed, seeing her flushed and the pretty pink dress. "You look… you look beautiful!"

"Thank you." Connie whispered with a blush of her own.

"Yeah! She sure does!" Doug suddenly said loudly, stepping between them.

"What happened up there?! You gotta tell me!" Steven creid, running up to Doug to hug him as well. "I got so worried when I realized my human bud was gone!"

Doug held back a grimace, knowing that Steven couldn't help but be so loving.

"Oh Steven, so much! There was this terrifying chase between us and a crazy gem, and I was locked up in this weird room, and we met this amazing fusion who…!" The twinkle in her eyes faded. She looked down at the sand and then smiled weakly. "Never mind, I'll tell you later. What all did you do?"

"Oh, uh, nothing much!" Steven laughed nervously.

"What did you do? No one keeps secrets from me! You're a terrible liar!" Jasper cried suddenly. Connie shushed her.

"Okay! You got me! Things happened…"

The day before, Steven had gotten the call on his phone while procrastinating on homework with tv. He glanced at it and picked it up. "Hi Con-!"

"Steven!" Her voice was full of pain and Steven's smile fell at once.

"What's wrong?!"

"It's my dad, he was taken into space by Pink Diamond!"

"WHAT?!" He rushed to his shield and put it on his back. "Okay! Send Lion over, and I'll-!"

"In just a moment!" Connie suddenly yelled to someone. She then sighed. ""No, no, you can't come with, I'm sorry! We have to go, now, before Pink Diamond does something horrible to my dad! Protect the town while I'm gone, please! Be safe!"

"Okay! You won't get hurt, right?"

"Yeah…"

"You better say you'll stay safe!"

A sad sigh came. "Yeah, I'll try my best."

The phone suddenly hung up and Steven looked out to the town, putting his hands on his hips. "Don't worry, Connie! I'll make you proud!"

Steven had packed his cheeseburger backpack with everything he'd need for at least three nights and dropped it to the floor when he reached Connie's place. It was rather eerie without his friend or the Temps to greet him…

Suddenly, he heard a flush from the toilet and gasped in shock. He took out his shield and ran up, rapping his shield on the door. "Who's there?! I'm not coming in because that would be ru-!"

Amethyst opened the door and looked confused. "Uh, Pearl, who is this little dude?"

Pearl opened the door wider, glancing out and then allowing him to walk in. "This is Steven, Connie's friend."

"Amethyst! Pearl! It's nice to see you guys! We never really met before!" Steven smiled happily. "I've always really wanted to know more about you and Garnet!" He then looked at Amethyst. "Do you not remember me? You… kinda tried to strangle me a while back."

"I tried to strangle you?" Amethyst asked in surprise. She then thought for a good half a minute. "Oh yeah, guess I did... Welp, sorry 'bout that, no hard feelings, right?"

"No hard feelings!" Steven giggled.

"Uh-huh…" Pearl muttered, looking him up and down. She suddenly stuck out her hand. "Well, it's nice to officially meet you, Steven."

They shook firmly.

Suddenly, the gems' little mellon kitten leapt out of the hamper and into Steven's arms.

He gasped with stars in his eyes. "Magic fruit cat!"

"You're so cute!" Steven cooed, cuddling up the kitten on the couch as they all sat down. He then glanced up. "Connie said you two live in her barn, so, may I ask why you're here?"

"Jasper gave us a task of great importance!" Pearl said pridefully.

Steven gasped. "Connie gave me a task of great importance too!"

"You?" Pearl asked suspiciously. "What did she ask you to do? Feed her lion? Wash the dishes?"

"Nope! I'm gonna protect Beach City for her!" The human boy exclaimed.

Amethyst frowned. "Sorry to burst your bubble little man, but that's our job. They trusted us with protecting the town, not you."

"Wait, the Temps trusted all of us?" Steven gasped in surprise. He then suddenly gave a huge breath in excitement. "Ooh! I have an idea!"

Pearl looked at Steven with doubt. He certainly looked like a slightly mature human with his tall build, but she wondered if he acted more childish than Connie because he hadn't gone through all the pain that she already had. He was strange.

"We could be a team! Us four!" Steven creid, leaping up from the couch. "Like the Temps!"

"Steven, please, we aren't anything like them." Pearl laughed.

Steven barely heard her, already caught up in his thoughts. "Ever since I met Connie and the Temps, I've always wanted to be in a team like them! It could be like… like a different universe! ...Steven Universe!"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"The last name actually suits you more than Connie." Amethyst smirked suddenly.

"You think?" Steven blushed. He then turned to Pearl. "Please, can't we just pretend to be the Temps for one day? I've already a theme song in the five seconds we've talked about it, we can all harmonize together and bond!"

"Harmonize?" Pearl asked flatly, debating whether or not the human even could sing.

"Come on, P, look at him." Amethyst laughed, gesturing to Steven's pinched up face in begging.

"Okay, fine!" Pearl groaned. "But we have to be exactly like them if we want to protect the town! Steven, you'll be Connie, naturally. Amethyst, you can be Lapis."

"What? Why Lapis? Why can't I be Jasper?" Amethyst pouted.

"Jasper's a leader, and you're not!" Pearl said matter-of-factly. "I'll be her."

"You?! Seriously?!" The young Quartz nearly burst out laughing. "Okay, I'll let you only to see this happen."

"What about Meowlon?" Steven asked suddenly, picking up the cat.

"Hm. She'll have to be Peridot." Pearl answered.

"Okay, cool! I'll go get changed!" Steven suddenly cried.

"Changed?" Both asked.

The gems couldn't help but stare as Steven walked out in one of Connie's bright yellow dresses and a flower behind his ear. He looked up at them with a happy smile.

"Well, how do I look?" Steven asked joyfully, turning around once. "Just like Connie, right?"

Pearl opened her mouth and then closed it.

Steven took out binoculars and scanned the town for any peculiarness. The arcade was fine, so was the fry shop, and the pizza place. He managed to catch sight of Ronaldo who was also using his binoculars. He turned happily to his new allies. "Everything looks normal to me!"

"Good." Pearl grunted as deep as her voice could go. She heard Amethyst give a snort and glared at her while Meowlon was batting the party hat that was supposed to be Peridot's nose back and forth.

"Oh, uh, I mean… yeah. Totally awesome, great job Steven!" Amethyst gushed with a high voice, making the boy laugh.

"That was your impression of Lapis?" Pearl scoffed. "Please. She has more character to her than just that! She's funny, not only motherly!"

Amethyst looked annoyed and made a fart noise with her mouth.

Pearl smiled. "Much better!"

"Oh my gosh! Someone help us!" They suddenly heard a familiar voice scream.

"Someone needs us! The Crystal Temps to the rescue!" Steven yelled happily, running off.

On the beach, Pearl, Meowlon, Amethyst, and Steven all ran to the voice, Steven singing at the top of his lungs: "We, are the Crystal Temps! We'll always save the day! And if you think we can't-"

Steven slid to a stop in shock, seeing the pizza place packed with customers, and knowing the voice had come from Jenny.

The new Crystal Temps slid into the crowd of people, navigating all the way to the counter.

"Kiki, are you okay?! I've never seen it so busy!" Steven yelled as the teen tried her best to take down three separate orders at once.

"Yeah! I really could use some help from a few more people!"

Steven gasped with stars in his eyes, turning to the gems. "Guys! This is such a wacky situation! Con- I mean I deal with random stuff like this all the time, unless it's a two or three day thing, then it's usually about my mom or my powers, or meeting new people, like you guys!"

"This is not what we Temps do, Connie. This is boring and useless!" Pearl huffed angrily, glaring at a person who nearly trampled Meowlon before nuzzling the kitten.

Amethyst could tell Pearl wasn't trying to be like Jasper, she just didn't want to do something so small. She gave a groan, glancing down at Steven. "Since I'm the Lapis, I'm gonna say we need to help these guys because… um… Connie just looks cute. That's usually why they do stuff."

"Aw shucks. I'm not that charming, am I?" Steven blushed.

Pearl looked at Steven who gave her an adorable begging face.

After a few minutes, the new Crystal Temps has practically done all the work for the little shop. Amethyst and Pearl helped the owning family to make orders, the gems being able to crank up the heat all the way to put the pizzas in raw one second and out cooked the next safely with their immunity from burns. Steven took orders with a happy smile, never getting too stressed because Meowlon was busy entertaining all the waiting guests with tricks and cute sounds.

Amethyst took to the sky for deliveries while Jenny took the car, them making record time while Pearl and Kiki finally got to close the place for the day and clean up.

The Pizzas were very grateful but the new Crystal Temps wouldn't accept their praise, saying that it was their duty as saviors of Earth.

Steven slept in Connie's bed, her having told him a while back that if the Temps were ever gone and the house needed his protection, he could sleep there. He slumbered peacefully, dreaming about saving the day with Connie by his side, together, like he wished they could be.

"HELP!"

Steven's eyes shot open in shock.

The phony Temps saw the residents of Beach City were crowded around a tree near the woods. They then noticed a scared little kitten was meowing for help up in the branches.

"That cat's stuck up there, Steven!" Kiki told him worriedly, she along with her twin sister trying to watch so the kitten didn't try to jump down by itself. "Mr. Universe usually comes up by now!"

"Huh. Guess they leave the small things to Doug when he doesn't have security detail." Steven muttered while stroking his chin, looking up at the scared cat.

"Don't worry, human!" Pearl replied proudly, her team around her. "I'll save the feline, for I am the strong Jasper!"

"Can I save her?" Amethyst asked suddenly, making Pearl chuckle at her. "What? Lapis has wings, she'd be the one to save it!"

"Oh no, no, no! You should go protect Connie, that's what Lapis would do. I'm going to save the kitten, I'm Jasper. Besides, you aren't as strong as she is."

"What do you mean by that?!" Amethyst asked sharply.

"Well, you're overcooked, of course." Pearl then covered her mouth in shock. "Wait, I didn't-!"

"Shut up! You're just a Pearl! Did that hurt at all?!" Amethyst yelled, shoving her away from the tree. "You're not fit to be the leader! I wanna be Jasper!" She threw her whip around the tree top and shapeshifted into her wrestling form, trying the branch to where the kitten could leap out.

"Amethyst, stop!" Steven creid, seeing the kitten whimpering in fear and panic. "You're gonna hurt her!"

"I'm not that runt, I'm Jasper!" Amethyst yelled in anger, shoving him back. "Now, get away!"

"I'm not just an accessory, how could you say that?! You better let go! I'm saving it because I'm a warrior!" Pearl squaked.

The citizens of Beach City along with Steven and Meowlon watched the two women fight over the whip.

"Stop being so emotional!" Pearl creid, tugging away from the tree, hard.

"Stop being a stick in the mud!" Amethyst retaliated, giving a yank.

"Guys, stop!"

A sharp cracking filled their ears and they both looked to see the tree fall to the ground, it's roots completely bare. The kitten was safe, but it ran to Kiki who hurriedly picked it up.

The Beach City residents left quickly, muttering and whispering about the fight.

"Oh no!" Steven gasped, falling to his knees. "Poor tree! We're so sorry!" He then looked at them, thinking of a way to be like Connie. He stood as tears pooled to his eyes. "You two should be ashamed! You're acting like children! Look what you did! You hurt the planet, and this is not what Crystal Temps do! Man, this is my fault because… I always blame it on me! But it's not, really." He went out of character, whispering. "Connie always blames herself for stuff, it's sad."

"Was that your Connie lecture?" Pearl scoffed. "Connie would have made us feel horrible about ourselves!"

"Yeah! And are you… crying?" Amethyst asked, seeing the tears. "Connie never cries, weirdo!"

The next day, Amethyst and Steven were sitting on the couch while Pearl paced in front of them.

"We did horrible yesterday! So, I need Amethyst to switch places with Meowlon and be the Peridot, since she yells 24/7!" The gem hissed.

"Ugh! You be the Peridot, you won't shut up!" Amethyst yelled. "And just like the Peridot, you had a hard time liking Connie because she took you away from your giant space dictator!"

"Guys…"

"How dare you! I am nothing like that!" Pearl gasped in horror. "You are such a… turd!"

"Hey, guys, I need-!"

"You're the turd!"

"Well, it seems your Pearl impression is awful too!"

"HEY!"

They turned to Steven who stood up.

"I know I'm not gonna be strong and confident and get you guys to realize how silly you're being like Connie would, but that's because I'm not her! I'm Steven! And I say that you guys need to make up! You both know you didn't mean what you said yesterday, those things that made you guys so angry! But… you guys are friends! You can make it up! I know it! We all got obsessed playing parts, when we should just be playing ourselves, our amazing and wonderful selves that we should love!"

The two were silent but then looked at each other with regret. They had been just awful.

"Sorry, Pearl…"

"Sorry, Amethyst. I… still want to be in our team."

"That's more like it!" Steven creid, hugging them both. He then sighed slightly. "I'm sorry that we can't be Crystal Temps…"

Amethyst whispered something into Pearl's ear that made her look surprised, and then look down at Steven.

"Are you sure?" Pearl asked softly. "It is ours."

Steven looked up in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, P. We've been wanting more company than just us! And he'd love it."

Pearl then bent down to Steven after finally deciding something. "Um, since you'd like us to be ourselves, how would you like to be a part of our private team?"

"Your team?"

"Yes. Amethyst and I agreed on the third day together that we would be our own team, just the two of us, with the same name as our old to show others that the Temps didn't take away anything. Today, you managed to calm us and keep us together, we need you, Steven."

Steven had stars in his eyes and tears came. "You need me? I've always wanted to feel needed…"

"Welp, welcome to the Crystal Gems, bud! It's for all friends of the Crystal Temps now, all who want to feel important and not just a side person." Amethyst said, rufffling his hair.

"Well, what should our first mission be?" Steven asked with a grin.

"Hm…"

Steven pulled Connie, Doug, and the Temps to the grassy area in front of the woods to a hole in the ground which had a small wire fence around it.

The two gems of the Crystal Gems smiled weakly, Pearl holding a tree sapling.

"We wanted to wait for you to come back." Pearl explained, giving Doug the tree. "We're sorry we damaged the town, and we wanted you not to be punished for what we did, so we made up this! It's a baby tree to plant all of us to plant as a welcome home. It will be a permanent symbol that all of us, gems and humans alike, were here, all ourselves and equal."

"It's a birch tree! My favorite kind!" Doug smiled. "How did you know?"

"Oh! Well, we picked it out because it symbolizes new beginnings, actually." Steven shrugged sheepishly.

"Guys, this is beautiful!" Connie whispered, hugging them all. She then smiled at Steven and whispered, "Hope you didn't mind babysitting those two."

"Not at all." Steven laughed.

The gems and humans then bent down to the ground and Doug gently placed the sapling in the hole.

They all took turns shoveling in dirt until it was firmly in the ground.

They looked upon the little tree happily, Steven holding Meowlon so she wouldn't try to scratch it. He then looked to Pearl and Amethyst who each had wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "We.. are the Crystal Gems,"

Connie smiled, leaning back to have Jasper hug her. The nightmares were all over, for now.

"We'll always save the day! And if you think we can't, we'll always find a way.. That's why the people of this world… believe in, Meowlon, Amethyst, and Pearl…and Steven!"