The sun was setting as Steven packed up his cheeseburger backpack, which he was feeling sorta embarrassed about since Connie was watching. He really had to grow up in some areas.

"You made a perfect hero for the town, Steven!" Connie smiled, making her bed neatly while he packed up. "Pearl and Amethyst have never gotten out of such a big fight without landing at least one hit, you are a miracle-worker."

"Aw shucks." Steven blushed. He then stood up and put his backpack on. "Lady Universe, I shall surrender the bed to you, I am no match to one so skilled!"

"I accept your offer!" Connie said in a very distinctive voice.

They walked down the stairs and sat down on the couch.

"I hope I'll get to say bye to the Temps before I go!" Steven said sweetly.

Connie laughed. "It'll be a long while! Dad's teaching them how to take care of the tree, and they aren't the gentlest caretakers of plants."

"That's understandable." Steven chucked.

They heard a knock at the door and Connie opened it to see a blonde-haired woman about Greg's age.

"Hey Steven, ready to go home? Your dad got us burgers!"

"I'm ready, Sunshine." Steven grinned. He was friends with the woman who had been dating his father for many months. Sunshine made Greg happy, so she now finally made Steven happy too.

Sunshine laughed suddenly and ruffled his curly black hair. "Pssh, did you even brush this bush?"

"Hey, yeah I did!" Steven laughed, ducking out of her reach.

Connie watched the two with a small and solemn smile. Both she and Steven were coming around to the new women dating their fathers. Connie was sure Sunshine would make a good mom, and so would Priyanka, if it ever came to that, one to teach her about real human things a young woman would experience rather than how to save the world all the time. She looked up at the painting of her mother looking stern yet serene all at the same. She looked so brave and beautiful up there. Connie gave a sigh.

The girl gently took off the pink dress Pink Diamond had made especially for her and clutched it tightly in her hands. Pink Diamond may not have, but the girl knew the Diamond must've been not drawn in by her humanness alone, Connie wasn't just a emotional human like Pink thought she was. She was part Diamond, and knew that whether she knew it or not, Pink Diamond would always feel drawn to her because of it. She clearly had felt that Yellow Diamond was alive, in a way, she had felt her presence. In the museum though, the youngest full Diamond was too distracted to notice it.

Connie drew herself a hot bath and sunk into it before submerging herself in the bubbles.

Connie later undid her hair towel and let it fall onto her back before making herself a dinner of canned soup.

She blew on her spoon before slightly glancing up at the picture of her mother. Her heart sank.

Connie tried to eat outside where the painting wouldn't bother her, but it of course had to rain. The girl sulked inside just before lighting and thunder started up. She looked up at the painting. "I know you didn't want me to know about Blue Diamond, or Pink, or any of Homeworld, but the fact that you still the Temps wrapped around your finger, still insisting you were perfect, I can't handle it. It isn't fair to them, none of it was. I've been wondering for weeks, did you feel any remorse?"

The painting of course didn't respond.

"I wish I could just… just talk to you."

Suddenly, her gem glowed and the temple door opened for Connie to her room. She looked up at her mother who stared down at her with a slight coldness.

"Hello room." Connie called out, walking in. She stared around at the clouds before nodding to herself. She then looked up. "I know nothing's real here, but I need to see my mother."

The clouds obeyed and formed the tall and towering Yellow Diamond. She wore her armor as always and had a beautiful sternness about her. She stared down at Connie much like she had in the painting.

Connie was struck with terror. She shook herself out of it.

Connie felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment but bowed her head and placed her hands behind her back like a respectable young woman. "M-Mother…"

Yellow Diamond walked up to the trembling girl and gently lifted Connie's chin with a single finger. She wasn't smiling, but looked calm, looking down as if observing her creation. "Connie…. You're the spitting image of your father. And you are just as brave and strong as I always knew you would be. You are a part of me, you don't have to address me so formally, I'd prefer mom."

"T-Thank you, mot-mom." Connie whispered, backing away ever so slightly. She had always wanted to call her mom, but never felt it was right. But her mother had given permission, so she could, she supposed. "Before I ask my questions, could… could we do some things together?"

"If that's what you'd like, I'll go along with it."

"Apparently this is something mothers and daughters do together." Connie muttered softly, pulling Yellow Diamond through a shopping mall that she had made. "Go shopping, and stuff."

"Shopping, I always found it a waste of time. I perfectly made my form." Yellow Diamond growled. She then gazed down at Connie with a smile. "But I will do anything for you, Connie."

Connie blushed and turned to see a beautiful golden dress. "Mother! Look!"

"How do I look?" Connie asked, twirling around in the skirt.

"You look… nice." Yellow Diamond said slowly.

The girl smiled. She always thought her mother would be hard to get compliments out of, if she had existed. "Heh, Pink tried to dress me in this super tight and flouncy dress, so weird!"

Yellow Diamond's face suddenly seemed to glitch when her face suddenly went to a frown but then she forced out a hollow-sounding laugh. "You are so funny, Connie."

Connie's smile faded. That was weird…

"How long did it take you to beat this one?" Connie asked happily, playing a fake Legend of Zelda game. "It took me like… forever!"

"I took… an hour." Yellow Diamond smirked.

Her daughter scooted closer and very slowly let her head lean against her mother's body. "... You're incredible at this."

"And then, I took out the electricity of the whole house!" Connie cried, telling the story of how she had discovered a power.

They sat on the beach together, staring at the sunset.

"Once, I got so angry at your-" Yellow Diamond suddenly paused. She then smiled. "I'm sorry. I must've forgotten, I never get angry at people who love me! I should tell you how I made the town's annual fair such a success by creating a light show for them!"

"Oh… um, okay…" Connie muttered. She frowned. What was that? Her mother was not acting like what Connie expected, only what she wanted. She had come up with the story of the light show when she was six! It had actually happened? She found that hard to believe.

"Come on, mom! You gotta try and beat me!" Connie yelled over the sound of the blasters.

"I am!" Yellow Diamond laughed, winking at her.

Connie glanced at the game in the fake Funland. Yellow Diamond was supposed to be completely destroying the game, according to her father, her mother never missed any targets, but she was missing all of them.

"Heh… Dad said you were good at this game!" Connie smirked.

Her mother looked back at her with a matching smirk. "Is that right?"

"Yeah! You gotta hit the targets, remember?"

"Oh Connie," Her mother laughed. She then stared at Connie with hollow eyes. "I don't hurt anything."

Connie felt her body chill. She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? You were the leader of the rebellion-"

"All I am, Connie," Her mother said, walking up to her, making Connie slightly back away in fear. "is your loving mother."

"No…" Connie whispered, her teeth gritted. The Funland around them poofed away. "That's… That's just… what I want you to be. You're not really like that."

"Am I not?" Yellow Diamond asked with a sharpness to her voice. "Then what am I…?"

"This whole time that we've been doing things together just hasn't felt right, and now I know why…" The girl whispered softly. She then glared up at her. "It's because you're a fake. My mother's true self that I know is fighting behind what I want to be real."

She glared back at the puppet that looked so much like Yellow Diamond. "All the same, I'll still refer to you as such, because I have things to say…"

"Enough!"

Connie gave a surprised scream when Yellow Diamond suddenly drew a sword from seemingly nowhere and threw her aside.

"I know you don't want to say them, Connie." The room said through it's vessel. "You want to leave this alone, so you will. I'll make sure you never get to go through the pain!"

"Mother, you're a monster. You put Zircon in Lion's mane, and didn't even let her friends know, they thought she was shattered! But you know everything about shattering, don't you? Because instead of making peace with Blue and Pink Diamond, you waged a full-blown war! You sacrificed everyone you supposedly cared for! And now, Pink Diamond wants me, and the Earth, and the Temps! And you?! You just left us to die!"

Suddenly, a loud crack of lighting hit the ground nearby and Connie was thrown back by the winds. She gave a growl, struggling to hold on and glared up at Yellow Diamond, sweating, nearly in tears. She gave a weak laugh. "For 14 years, I thought you were some brave hero! One who fought for everyone! But no! You didn't fight for everyone, they fought for you! Jasper, Lapis, Peridot, … Dad, they don't know how to live their lives without you telling them how to! You left them just to make me, because you needed someone else to get punished, and all those people weren't enough for you! You never loved them, and YOU NEVER LOVED ME!" Connie fell to her knees then, tears pouring down her face and she held back a heavy sob, hugging herself tightly. "... why else would you want a failure like me...?"

The clouds finally parted and Yellow Diamond landed on the ground. She gently lifted up Connie's chin and bent down to her. "You know you're not a failure, and so do I. And I do love you and everyone who ever was by side, of course I do. The tape I left, I said had badly I wanted you to live, to be my daughter, not my subject. That's the truth, and you know it."

Connie shakily fell into a hug as it started to rain, it was like her mother was really here… "... So you have regret for what you did?"

"Yes." Was all Yellow Diamond whispered.

"... I know you didn't want me to suffer because of what you did, but… I have no choice. We are one person, I am you, and you are me… and I'll have to take on the burden of that."

The puppet then evaporated into clouds and flew away when Connie's tears hit it.

The girl sadly walked back into the living room, leaving the storm behind her. She looked at her soup that still was ruined from the rain and then curled up on the couch. She was about to fall asleep in exhaustion when the house door suddenly opened.

She turned around in shock to see her family smiling at her with her father holding a pizza.

"Guess who's wearing a tank top and gym shorts?!" Her dad cried, sitting down and wrapping his arm around her. "And brought you a pizza? If you guessed your father, you are correct!"

Connie laughed and then noticed the Temps, her real mothers, sit down beside her. "I… I really missed you guys."

"Uh, we missed you too?" Jasper chuckled in confusion. They hadn't been gone too long.

"I hope you don't mind that I got pizza instead of pasta, they were out." Doug laughed sheepishly.

Connie gently took a slice and smiled at her family. "... I couldn't ask for more."