Steven dropped Connie off at her house and, before he left, gave her a long, meaningful hug. He was glad that he and Connie had kissed but it also bored a deep hole of sadness in him. If he were to die when his mom returned then Connie would be sadder than ever. Not only losing a friend but a… boyfriend? Could he call himself that?

Steven climbed onto Lion, pondering that question. He got back to his house and left Lion on the beach. He made his way up the stairs and paused when he heard the gems talking, well, more like yelling.

"Do not sugar coat this Garnet! I want to know what will really happen to Steven. You've explained his situation well enough. Now what will happen to him?!" Pearl shouted, but Steven swore she was on the brink of tears. "I need to know what will happen to my baby."

"Pearl, please stop yelling," Garnet spoke gently.

"How can you be s-so calm?" Amethyst asked Garnet.

"We need to be strong… for Steven," she said.

"I know but-" Pearl placed her hands on her face and began to cry. "My baby, my baby, my baby," she mumbled to herself.

The three Crystal Gems gathered into a hug. Steven felt his gut wrench. How could he be the cause of such pain? 'No,' he said to himself, 'I can't think like that. I've got to be positive, if only to help my family.' He stood up straight and put on his best fake smile. He hoped it was convincing, but he knew it wasn't. Steven opened the door.

"Hey guys!" he said with, what he thought was, audibly forced happiness.

"What's up little man?" Amethyst asked as she let go of Pearl and Garnet and approached Steven with open arms. Steven gladly accepted the kind gesture and hugged her. By this time Pearl and Garnet had stopped hugging as well and Pearl ran over to her baby.

"Steven! It's wonderful to see you," she too had a fake smile, but Steven didn't mind. Even if it was only a charade it still brought him the slightest bit of comfort. Pearl joined the hug and not long after that Garnet had her entire arm span wrapped around the tight bunch. Steven was content. In the embrace of his protectors he felt safe. This was the safest place in the world. He was sad that even this place couldn't protect him from what was coming.

Steven said in the quietest of whispers,"I'll miss you guys." He immediately regretted it.

Pearl gasped, Amethyst clenched her teeth to keep from crying, and Garnet shut her eyes and tightened her grip.

"We won't lose you," Garnet said firmly."I won't let it happen."

Steven felt his heart warm at the thought of Garnet fighting for his life. She did that often but it always gave him happy thoughts. He never thought about it too often. On the occasions when he would think about it he'd realize how much his family really does value his life. Of course they risked their lives daily for all of humanity but knowing that he had three nigh-immortal guardians never failed to lift his spirits. Steve's happy thoughts ground to a halt. What about his mom?

"You can't do that," Steven mumbled. He regretted saying that too. It was like these words were coming out of his mouth. He knew he meant well, but what he said didn't help at all.

Garnet released herself from the hug and looked at Steven intently. "What do you mean?"

"You'd be better off with her," Steven replied.

Pearl pulled away from the hug almost immediately. "What?!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, let me finish." Pearl was surprised with how mature Steven was acting. "Homeworld is coming to Earth, you guys need a leader and my mom is just that. It might seem like I'm being a little crazy but I've thought about this before. Peridot sent out a message to Homeworld. If they come you guys might get hurt, you might even die. I think my mom has the ability to stop that. So, maybe her coming back is a good thing."

"Don't you ever say that," Amethyst said from behind Steven."Don't you EVER say that you dying might be a good thing!"

"I didn't mean it that way," Steven said.

"Rose chose to leave us. Rose knew that good would come after her death. Rose had a choice! And… and you don't." Amethyst's shoulder fell and she looked down at the ground."I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to yell."

Pearl placed a gentle hand on Amethyst's shoulder and Steven's mind rushed. Amethyst was right. Rose chose to leave them, Rose had a plan for Steven, Rose did what she did for love, and Steven had none of those things. Steven didn't control his fate. He had no choice in the matter and he felt like a pawn.

"I never thought about that," Steven said sadly.

Garnet reached out and placed a hand on Steven's shoulder. He turned around to look at her. He was expecting a reassuring smile, but all he saw was Garnet staring emptily at a wall. He was about to speak when Garnet's lips twitched and she said five words that seemed to stop everything around them.

"I won't let it happen," Garnet repeated.

A Few Hours Later

Steven sat on the couch with Lion at his side. Lion had been remarkably clingy since he'd dropped Connie off at her house. He didn't mind though. Having a big furball to hug on wasn't a bad thing when you were feeling sad. Steven wondered if Lion knew what was happening to him. How could he? Although he found comfort in Lion knowing about his… situation, he knew how unlikely that was.

Since his talk with the gems things had been quiet around the house. He assumed Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl wanted to spend time with him, like he did with them, but things were too awkward. He wanted to act as if none of this had ever happened. Like how things were before. Steven's stomach grumped and Lion's ears perked.

Steven spoke in a gentle voice,"It's alright that was only my stomach."

Steven smiled when Lion seemed to visibly calm at the sound of his voice. Lion yawned and placed his head back down onto his paws. Steven scooted off of the couch and made his way towards the fridge. When he was about halfway there he heard the temple door open. He glanced to the side a saw Pearl step out of her water laden room. He would've liked to start a conversation but didn't. He was too emotionally exhausted. That's why he hadn't gone to talk to his dad either.

"Where are you going?" Pearl's voice wasn't as elegant as it usually was. It sounded more hoarse, like she'd been crying.

"Nowhere," Steven stopped walking and faced her. "Where are you going?" he added quizzically.

"Oh, just… out."

Steven didn't want to press her but he was still eager to know where she was going. He contemplated the different places she might go. A few places he quickly dashed off of his list where places like the kindergarten, the communication hub, the geode, and other obvious ones. After a short period of contemplation he thought he'd come up with a reasonable answer. Maybe the gem battlefield?

A silence had settled upon the gem and the half-gem and Pearl didn't seem to enjoy it. She asked a question that Steven dreaded.

"How has it been?"

"About as good as it seems, I guess," after the day he's had he didn't want to talk about his feelings. The silence crept back but Steven thought of a genius way to counteract it. He wrung his hands and bit his lip. Should he really tell her? Maybe not, maybe the silence would be better. No she should know. She deserves to know.

"Connie and I kissed," Steven said with the slightest smile.

A/N: I hope all you wonderful people liked this chapter. I want to give a special thanks to JangoHarrison, who helped me a lot. This chapter wouldn't be written, much less posted with out their help. I can't make any excuses but I'd still like to apologize for keeping you guys waiting. You're all really awesome for reading my story. I don't want to press any of you, but a review would be great. Feedback is what keeps me going. Anyways, I'm just blabbering now. Stay fabulous. Until the next chapter, bye!