Connie's fist hovered over the wooden door. She sighed and pulled it away after a moment. The door was the only thing separating her from Steven, but she couldn't bring herself to knock. Steven's fever had lowered to the point where her mom had felt comfortable with the idea of him having visitors, but his reaction to the gems had been… mixed.

From what she'd been told, he wasn't outwardly hostile towards any of them, but seemed uneasy and went quiet when any of the gems were around. Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst were all crushed by his distant behavior and now quietly brooded together in the living room.

Would Steven treat her in a similar manner? Would he even remember her? If her mom was to be believed then, no, he wouldn't have any memories past the age of six. Still, a small part of her held onto the hope that Steven would recognize her and as long as she stayed on this side of the door then that hope could live on. However, she knew that she couldn't avoid Steven forever so she raised her fist and gave the door a gentle knock.

"Come in," Mr. Universe answered, his voice slightly muffled by the door.

She took a deep breath and opened the door. Mr. Universe was seated on the bed in the same position he had been when she first arrived, except this time he wasn't desperately clutching a small bundle of blankets against his chest and he had a more relaxed aura about him.

Beside him, and what captured most of her attention, was a young child in loose fitting clothing. He wore a small red shirt that still managed to be too big for him and a pair of jeans which were rolled up to his knees. He clung to the side of his dad, but tilted his head as she approached them.

She bent forward slightly so that she would be at eye level with him. "Hi, Steven," she greeted, ignoring the way her heart hammered nervously against her chest. "My name is Connie. Do you… remember me?"

He gave a small shake of his head. Even though she had been expecting such an answer, Connie couldn't help but feel saddened by the loss of his memories. All the laughs they shared, the quiet moments between the two of them, the challenges they overcame together—all of it, gone.

"I'm Steven," he said, brows scrunched up in suspicion. "Are you a doctor too?"

Connie smiled softly at him. "No," she said. "I'm not a doctor."

He nodded, relieved. "Good," he said, offering her a smile of his own. "Doctors are mean."

"He wasn't a fan of the medicine your mom made him drink," Mr. Universe said, lips quirking upward in amusement.

Steven's nose wrinkled. "It was yucky."

Connie chuckled. "Medicine is pretty yucky," she agreed. "Maybe you'd like something sweet instead. Are you feeling hungry?"

Steven's eyes twinkled. "Do you have Cookie Cats?" he detached himself from his dad and moved closer to her. "They're the best!"

She smiled at his enthusiasm. "No, but I have something else in mind that I think you'll like."

"Are we just supposed to do nothing then?" Amethyst asked, crossing her arms.

She pulled her gaze away from Dr. Maheswaran's face, the pity in her eyes making her uncomfortable, and watched as Connie busied herself in the kitchen. She pulled out a jar of jam from the fridge. She was smiling. Her meeting with Steven must have gone well then.

"Not nothing," Dr. Maheswaran said. "It's very important that Steven feel safe and cared for. In time, his memories may return on their own."

Pearl frowned. "And if they don't?" she asked, voice rising an octave. She had not been handling the situation well. She shifted in her seat and wrung her hands together. "There must be something we can do, maybe some kind of medicine we can give him, or maybe—"

"There are no medications specifically meant to treat amnesia," Dr. Maheswaran said. "I understand how stressful the situation is, but the best thing for Steven right now is stability."

"So, doing nothing," Amethyst summarized. She almost wished Steven had been attacked by some corrupted gem instead, at least then she would know what to do. She would just beat it into a cloud of smoke and everything would be fine, but human brains were so much more complicated than that.

Dr. Maheswaran sighed. "Exposing Steven to familiar places and people may trigger some of his memories, but there's no guaran—"

"I know!" Pearl snapped her fingers and rose from the couch. "If we bring Steven to Rose's founta—"

"It won't work," Garnet said, adjusting her visor. "It'll just make Steven uncomfortable."

"But, Garne—"

"Pearl."

Pearl sat back down and went silent.

"I can come visit Steven again tomorrow," Dr. Maheswaran said. "I'll make sure to bring some pamphlets and books regarding his condition. Until then, I suggest you give Steven some space and allow him to adjust to his surroundings."

"We'll be sure to give him all the space he needs," Garnet said, giving Pearl a pointed look. "We are all grateful for your help."

Amethyst nodded, shifting under Garnet's intense gaze. "Yeah, super grateful."

Having nothing left she could do for Steven, her mom had collected her things and headed back home. Connie had stayed behind to watch over Steven for a while longer while Mr. Universe discussed living arrangements with the gems. Steven wasn't comfortable enough around the gems to live alone with them and a heated debate raged downstairs on what should be done.

Greg wanted Steven to go live with him in his van while the Crystal Gems (mostly Pearl) argued that Steven would be safer and better cared for in the beach house. Connie did her best to tune out the argument and focused her attention on Steven who had been temporarily left in her care.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" Connie asked, gesturing to the plate of food in her hand. Jam and biscuits weren't exactly a healthy snack, but she figured that Steven deserved something sweet after everything he had gone through. "Aren't you hungry?"

Without his dad around to make him feel safe Steven had retreated into himself, his toothy grins had turned into hesitant smiles and his bright eyes had turned fearful. He had burrowed himself in a mountain of blankets with only his tuft of hair and eyes poking out.

He gave his head a small shake.

Connie frowned. It was strange seeing him so reserved. In all the time she had known Steven, he had always been outgoing and approachable. Is this how he treated the gems? No wonder they were so distraught. Steven barely acknowledged her presence and had not spoken a single word since his dad had left.

The silence was oppressive, a reminder of everything that Steven had lost. Connie hated it, so, in an attempt to fill the void, she began to talk. She talked about anything that popped into her mind; her favorite color, what colleges she was considering applying for, the extended lore of the Dogcopter movies.

As time went on, Steven slowly started to peek out of his makeshift blanket cocoon. He inched his way closer to her, stopping and glancing away whenever Connie looked at him. Soon he was pressed up next to her, eagerly listening to her recount the plot of her favorite Spirit Morph Saga book. His stomach growled and a light dusting of pink dusted his cheeks. Wordlessly, she offered him some food.

"Thank you," he said, taking a small bite of jam and biscuit snack. His eyes sparkled as he chewed. He then took a much larger bite, then another, and another. He eagerly devoured the sweet snack, stopping only to lick the strawberry jam off his fingers. Steven grinned up at her, all of his previous anxiety gone. "It's amazing," he said, in between bites. "Strawberry is my favorite."

"I know," she said. "We used to eat these all the time. You'd grab your ukulele, I'd bring my violin…" she smiled, memories of their afternoons together flooding back to her. "We even had this silly song we used to sing together. I was the strawberry, you were the biscuit and together we wer—"

"Jam buds," Steven finished, eyes wide.

Connie's breath caught in her throat. She had never told him that.

"We're friends," Steven continued, bringing a shaky hand to his head. His eyes brows squished together. "We… meet on the beach."

"That's right," she said, struggling to keep the excitement out of her voice. Steven remembered her! "You saved me. Do you… remember that?"

Steven pulled at his hair and squeezed his eyes shut. "N-no, that's—I don't know!"

She placed a worried hand on his shoulder. "Steven?"

He stilled. He was staring right at her, but there was a distant look in his eyes, as if he wasn't really there. Suddenly, he erupted in a blinding glow of white light. His body hovered above the bed and started to grow. Connie felt just like she had on that fateful day on the beach, speechless and in awe of the boy in a red shirt and jeans.

The light faded from his body and Steven collapsed onto the bed. His once baggy clothes now fit perfectly. A peaceful expression adorned his face. Connie rushed over to him, sighing in relief at the slow rise and fall of his chest.

A strong gust of wind threw the blue tarp off of the broken sliding door, exposing the swirling group of clouds in the sky. The clouds parted and an enormous multi-colored ship descended onto the shore, bringing with it a pair of booming voices.

"Yoo-hoo! Steven!"

"Is this a bad time?"