A/N: Here we are! The end of part one!

I'm so glad that you all like this one (and I hope that this chapter lives up to the last one)! It really made my week reading the reviews!

I also have started on the other fic, party as warm-up for this one and partly because my knee finally gave out completely (most likely my meniscus is buckled, but we will know after we go to a specialist) and since I now have a three day weekend where I can't do anything, I figured "why not write?".

Also, there are a couple major things that happen in this chapter. They may not seem major now (or they might), but they will be.

Thank you again for the favorites and reviews and I will hopefully have the next chapter up soonish! Clouds will be up this weekend for certain.

-FourFaces

The blinding light dimmed, revealing to the Crystal Gems the final form that had left Lion's mane. Lion purred and rubbed up against Unakite, proud and reassuring. There wasn't any movement from anyone else on the beach.

Awareness came slowly. It was like waking up from a dream after the shield was summoned.

He knew he had thrown his shield. He knew he had made that conscious decision. It had all moved in slow motion, his shield being summoned and flying at the gem. He had only seen her physical form a couple times, but he knew who he was fighting. He knew that it was not Yellow Diamond and that there was a chance that everyone would be alright.

As the glow faded from around him, he felt the adrenaline rush leave him. He fell to his knees and caught his breath. Save for the sand returning to the ground, there was silence around him. He looked up to see the dust clear, revealing the gems and Lion there. Garnet was grinning from ear to ear, Amethyst's mouth hung open. Pearl had tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she smiled. He looked next to them, expecting to see Connie or Peridot and instead saw a strange gem staring at him with disbelief. Her skin was a mottled green and reddish brown. A single gem was in the center of her forehead. She looked familiar and strange at the same time. The tears that formed in her eyes let him know that somehow she knew him and he should have known her, but somehow he wasn't sure how he knew her. Steven rose to his feet, and stared at this new gem.

She placed and hand to her mouth, choking back a sob. Steven was standing there, right in front of her. Yes, his hair was longer, he was sporting the start of a goatee, and he wasn't wearing his trademark shirt, but it was him. He was alive.

"Steven?" The gem asked in a voice that pierced his heart. She sounded so similar. Just like … but that's impossible!

"C-Connie? Peridot?" He asked. There was no way that they could have been able to fuse with Connie being a human, but there was the evidence right there. He thought back to a question he had asked Garnet, gripped with fear for the future. Does that mean …?

The gem's form shuddered and popped, leaving Connie and Peridot sitting on the ground. Connie rose to her feet, Peridot assisting her. She stared at Steven before walking to him, as if in a trance. When she reached him, she gently grabbed his hand.

For a moment, it was as if no one else was on the beach. They stared at each other for a moment, Connie slowly reaching her free hand up to touch his cheek. She was hesitant, worried that he would disappear the moment she touched him. That he would disappear like he had in one of her dreams.

Steven smiled, gently placing his free hand on the hand that touched his cheek. Tears began to form again in Connie's eyes and she sobbed, laughed, and hugged him tightly, Steven returning the embrace.

The energy from fusion and a successful battle wore off quickly and Connie was soon, wobbling, starting to fall to her knees. Steven helped her down, kneeling with her, still holding her close. Connie sobbed into his shoulder, happy that he was alive and letting all of her emotions flow out.

"Steven ..." Connie whispered, pressing his face into his hair. "I was so worried. I wasn't sure if you would ever come back ..."

"It's alright, Connie … I'm here," he smiled back, holding her tightly.

She sniffled and then looked up at him. He smiled and stroked her hair softly. They could talk now, if she wanted to. They pressed their foreheads together, both of them blushing furiously. She looked up into his eyes.

"Steven ..." She began.

"Connie, I ..."

"I've wanted to tell you for so long."

"I should have said something sooner ..."

Connie bridged the gap, kissing Steven gently. He deepened the kiss, running his fingers through her hair. When they pulled apart, Connie looked into Steven's eyes and then hugged him tightly again.

"You're real … You're here and you're real ..."

"I'm never leaving you, I promise," he whispered.

Amethyst started to move towards the couple before Garnet placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Give them some time alone," she smiled. "They need this right now. There will be a lot to do in the coming weeks."

As the gems worked to make sure the area was secure and that Desert Glass was safely bubbled away and Connie began to fill Steven in on the battle, Greg stood watching his son. A part of him wanted to run to his son and lift him up, just happy that he was still alive. He stayed back, however, not wanting to intrude on his son's moment with his childhood friend.

He turned to see Sour Cream, comforting Onion, showing him that Steven was back. Onion refused to look at Steven, whimpering something to Sour Cream. He was certain that Onion was ashamed or upset. He walked up to them and put a hand on Onion's shoulder.

"Hey bud, you didn't know that would happen. It's alright. And Steven did the same thing when he was younger too ..."

Onion shook his head and curled up tighter. Greg looked up at Sour Cream, apologetically, then turned back to see Connie and Steven walking over, an arm wrapped around each other for support. Steven smiled, placing a hand on Greg's shoulder when the pair reached him.

"Hey Schtu-ball," Greg smiled. "I knew you could do it."

Steven smiled back and hugged his father tight. He then turned his attention to Onion who was still curled up on himself.

"Hey Onion," he smiled. "I heard you poofed her all by yourself in the battle. That's way awesome!

Onion looked up at Steven. Tears ran down his cheeks, but he wiped them away with his sleeve. He stared, silently, at Steven before hugging him tightly, mumbling apologies and regrets to him. Steven hugged him back, just happy that one of his human friends that had found himself in the battle was alright.

Greg smiled at Connie. "So, I guess things will be alright for now?"

"Yeah ..." she smiled, "I think so ..."

After the beach had been cleaned up and Greg and the other humans were headed home after their reunion, the group made their way back to the temple, Connie and Steven occasionally brushing hands. They were blushing furiously and finally Connie grabbed Steven's hand, intertwining her fingers with his. There would be a lot to talk about soon. Steven gently squeezed her hand and smiled at her.

"So, Pierogi, what do we do now?" Amethyst finally asked, breaking the silence as they arrived at the door.

"Well, we should take some time to recuperate. This has been a very long day and we should probably talk about what to do next tomorrow," Pearl stated, gently placing a hand on her shoulder while opening the door with her free hand.

Garnet stayed back, watching as everyone filed into the temple. She was proud and worried at the same time. Most of the more positive outcomes had happened, but there was still the worry of healing the shattered gems. If Steven were to succeed, they could win the next battle against Homeworld and not have to worry about using them for weapons. Maybe Steven would even win over the former Homeworld Army that had been shattered on the beach.

There was also the very real possibility that nothing would happen. That Steven would lose faith in his healing power and that they would have to concede to using gem shards to power weapons.

Lapis and Chrysoprase would still be safe. That was part of the deal. Maybe they would find a better way to put them to rest if it didn't work.

She wanted to come apart for a moment, to not have to think about anything. Ruby and Sapphire held her together, however, and she pushed forward, walking in to find Steven and Connie on the couch, Connie's head resting on Steven's shoulder, his hand gently stroking her hair. It warmed her heart to see the two of them finally admitting their feelings for each other. She could sense something about Connie that made the moment even better.

Her energy was not too far off from Steven's. She was no longer radiating the energy of a regular human. There was something different about her. Something that excited Garnet and frightened her at the same time.

Gems weren't drawn to fight humans. Only other gems and any other race that was as advanced as they were put out an energy that gems would be drawn to and recognize as a friend or foe. When the battle on the beach had occurred, she had secretly known that their human allies would be safe, as long as they stayed out of the way of any flying debris. The gems wouldn't even recognize them as anything more than an ant. They wouldn't think to attack humans. The energy signature for humans was too foreign. Too different. It barely would register to a gem in the heat of battle.

Connie was not giving off that energy anymore.

She wasn't sure how long Connie would be safe.

After making a meal for Steven and Connie (and eventually Amethyst), Pearl went to retreat to her room and was stopped by a small hand grabbing hers. She turned to see Peridot, blushing green.

"You can stay out her a little longer, Pearl," she smiled. "Amethyst will be done with the pasta soon and then we can all go in."

Pearl smiled and kissed Peridot's forehead.

"I just needed to check on something. I'll be out soon."

Peridot watched as she disappeared into her room and sighed. She returned to sit next to Amethyst, absentmindedly stroking her hair. She looked over to see Garnet watching Connie intently. Her thoughts of a night with Amethyst and Pearl were suddenly erased by the curiosity of Garnet's stare.

She thought about following her into the Burning Room and interrogating her. The fusion knew the future and the way she was staring at her friend worried her a little.

She didn't have time to actually go into the room after Garnet when she left, as she was soon hoisted up by Amethyst.

"Come on, Peri! Let's go to Pearl's room and bug her!" Amethyst chuckled, knowingly.

Peridot blushed and relented, allowing Amethyst to carry her away, leaving Connie and Steven alone on the couch.

"So … I've mostly been sleeping on your bed," Connie started.

"That's OK."

"I don't want to go home yet."

"I don't want you to … We've had sleepovers before ..."

"Yeah ..."

"I can sleep down here if ..."

"No. Let's just …" Connie blushed. She wasn't sure if she should say anything yet. It was too soon, but they were tired and it wasn't like anything could happen. "The bed's big enough. It held me and a lion for a month," she finally smiled, gently squeezing Steven's hand.

Steven blushed furiously and followed Connie up to the loft.

Garnet stood under the Crystal Heart of the temple. She wanted to talk to someone about what she had seen. It had disturbed her so much that she couldn't stay in the Burning Room any longer. She walked to the vein that would lead to Pearl's room and grabbed onto it, sliding her way up. A happier vision had let her know not to go into the beach house to use the regular temple door. She found her way up and saw Lepidachrosite sitting peacefully at the topmost water column. She had all six of her arms wrapped around herself and was grinning from ear to ear. Garnet smiled, her mind eased a little more, before she approached.

"Hello, Lepidachrosite," she began. The fusion turned to see her and laughed.

"Hi Garnet. I wasn't expecting you," she started.

"I wasn't expecting to see you either," she grinned. "I guess I was too busy with other visions."

"Oh?"

Garnet smiled. She had the insatiable curiosity of Peridot and this would definitely be an advantage. She sighed and sat down in front of the fusion.

"Connie feels different," she began.

"Yeah. Peridot noticed that when she fused with her. We've all started noticing it."

"It's not just a change in personality … It's -"

"A change in energy."

"Right."

Lepidachrosite sighed, resting her chin on one of her hands.

"You're worried about the next battle."

"Yes. She doesn't feel like a human anymore. Perhaps she's getting some of Steven's energy and will be stronger for it, but she's still physically a human … mostly. She can still die. And now that she emanates Rose Quartz energy -"

"Jasper's forces will destroy her."

"Possibly."

"Possibly?"

Garnet sighed and removed her visor. She looked up at Lepidachrosite with all three eyes.

"She might be valuable to Homeworld. Both her and Steven. If what I saw occurs, it won't just be Jasper's forces. It will be the entire Diamond Authority. Jasper may want to destroy them, but Blue Diamond and White Diamond will want to experiment on them. Turn them into weapons. I don't know what to do. Almost every outcome feels like this is certain. I can't let them fight, but I know it is useless to stop them."

The taller fusion gently set one of her pale hands on Garnet's shoulder and smiled sadly.

"Whatever happens, we'll be together," she smiled.

Garnet smiled sadly.

She had not told the fusion of the other part of her horrifying vision. She knew it would tear the fusion apart if she did.

The outcome was inevitable. Only one vision had shown a good outcome and it hinged on so many different things. One of them was fading in possibility.

Lepidachrosite could sense the sadness from her fellow fusion and gently wrapped her arms around her. The pair of fusions sat in silence, Garnet beginning to sob into Lepidachrosite's chest. Tomorrow would be the day that would determine the final outcome, but Garnet could not say anything.

She didn't want to.

"So, they need me to try and heal the gems?"

"Yeah ..."

"And if they don't heal ..."

"... Yeah."

Steven held Connie close as they lay on top of the covers on his bed. Connie rested her head on his chest before lightly peppering him with kisses. He stroked her hair absentmindedly. Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the pair as they lay together.

"So … You were able to fuse with Peridot."

"Yeah. It was strange. We didn't even expect it to happen. We're not sure why either. I think it has something to do with my fusing with you all the time," she said, stroking his chest softly. "I think somehow I've got some sort of gem energy in me or something."

Steven smiled and kissed the top of her head. He then chuckled and Connie playfully tickled him. After a moment, they lay in silence again.

"We should have done this sooner," Steven smiled. "I don't know why I never said anything."

Connie smiled and hugged Steven tightly. She looked up at him and pressed her lips against his. He kissed her back softly before she deepened the kiss and pulled herself up to look into his eyes.

A warm, pink glow washed over the pair. Soon, Stevonnie sat on the bed and wrapped their arms around themselves, smiling and listening to their components talk.

I've always loved you.

I've loved you since the day we met.

I don't ever want this moment to end.

Stevonnie grinned and closed their eyes. Tomorrow would be another day, but they would face it together now. They had fallen asleep before Garnet returned to the living room of the beach house, a pair of bubbles in her hands. She stared at the gems inside.

"Please return … for Steven ..."

A shard of a memory.

She was formerly a warrior. She remembered that.

No. Not a warrior. She wasn't strong enough for front lines, like a Jasper or an Amethyst. She was more ranged with her ability. Like a human archer, but her weapon came from within. She was like other cryptocrystalline silicates, more specialized than the crystaline quartzes. She was proud proud of her weapon, having been trained by her commander to handle it better than any others of her type.

She remembered staring out on the battlefield with her one eye, watching as Homeworld's forces began to retreat. She was certain that they won. Perhaps her commander could negotiate for the release of those who had been on her side. Those who were imprisoned by Homeworld and scattered about the earth. She especially wanted to see one gem in particular. One who had been a messenger who had not completely agreed with her commander, but still helped her army, hoping for a peaceful solution where she and the warrior could return home safely. The warrior felt confident in her commander. She knew that she would do anything for those who were in her army.

That was what she loved about this army. Her commander valued her, even though she was not perfect, her gem being in the wrong place for her type. She was perfect in her commander's eyes and that was all that she cared about.

She watched as one remaining Homeworld Pearl stayed behind. How odd that one would remain when everyone else was fleeing.

"You are all traitors and abominations in the eyes of the Diamond Authority," The Pearl parroted. "This planet you have so vainly fought for will know you for what you all are! Enjoy this parting gift, courtesy of White Diamond herself!"

The Pearl produced something from her gem. A cylindrical device that beeped and flashed.

She looked to her commander who paled. Her commander had no time to think but summoned her shield and looked at her.

"Hurry! Come here!"

She didn't understand. She couldn't stop staring at the device. She wondered what the Pearl meant, but she was gone before there could be an explanation.

The beeping accelerated and then rang steady before the explosion of light.

All of her inner pain from killing her own kind was manifested physically. She felt her body begin to dissolve and fought vainly to stay alive. She looked and saw her commander's horrified face.

She was a monster. She knew this to be true. She had killed her own kind. She had not done all she could to defend Earth. She had not fulfilled her main purpose. She should have known that this was some sort of timed weapon, that this might happen.

She retreated into her gem but couldn't remember herself as anything but a monster. When she reformed, that was what she was.

Now though, she had learned she was not a monster. Something was trying to rewrite her memories. Something within her was trying to remember. She was fragmented and in pain, but she could almost remember who she was.

And she could still remember Steven.