Chapter Two: I'll see you later, my Friend

Having left the backstage area carting the wheelbarrow along, Steven found that this was far more nerve wracking then he anticipated. He couldn't remember how to act in public. He wasn't even sure at what pace he should be walking. If he went too fast, people might get suspicious. Or maybe he was over thinking it.

All he had to do is make sure to avoid Mr. Smiley and those sailors. They were the only people that knew he was supposed to be guarding the Mermaid. Hopefully, no one would notice she was gone until it was too late.

No one was giving him a second glance as Steven weaved through the crowds, trying to reach the water. He'd have to find a spot where no one was watching and he certainly couldn't release her at the docks where all those sailors were. This plan was not thought out enough. He might have been angry at himself for that had it not been for the time crunch they were under.

Then, a thought occurred to him. Once they saw her missing, the first place they would look is around the water. If they assumed that Steven was trying to help her escape, they would guard the shores. She might just end up getting caught again.

"Okay, okay," he muttered to himself in an attempt to calm his nerves. Pushing the wheelbarrow quickly behind a tent that was being set up, Steven lifted the curtain slightly to peek in on the mermaid. She didn't look good. Not that he was surprised. He had placed her under very heavy velvet curtains and it was already so hot that day.

If he couldn't take her to the water right away, he had to at least get her out of the sun and fast. Taking a couple of deep breath, Steven tightened his grip on the wheelbarrows handles and turned on his heel, rushing the mermaid the back way to his home. It took a little longer, but it was out of sight. Thank goodness his father valued his privacy and enjoyed living away from the town.

Steven's home was a small wooden cottage on the other side of a large hill, standing just walking distance from the forests entrance that led out towards the neighboring town. Steven didn't realize how fast he had been running until he finally stopped in front of his door, panting for breath. The pressure of avoiding detection had him more panicked than he thought it would. Without missing a beat, Steven burst open his front door and wheeled her inside, swiftly removing the junk and curtains he had stacked on top of her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, trying to keep up with her haggard, fast gasps for breath.

He didn't have the time to be too careful with her. Reaching down, he lifted her into his arms and hurried into the washroom. Placing the mermaid into the bathtub, he turned the nozzle up as far as it would go. She had been deprived of water for who knows how long. Hopefully this would help to ease her pain. Once the tub was full, Steven felt a bit more relaxed.

"...why are you doing this...?" The mermaid asked now, barely glancing at him, her head resting against the edge of the tub, still too weak to do much of anything.

Steven was taken aback once again. She had been silent for so long that he kept forgetting she could speak.

"Ah-um—-I couldn't just leave you there." He answered, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. It was the truth. His reasoning didn't run much deeper than wanting to help someone in need.

"You're an idiot," she stated simply, looking away from him and staring at the wall absently. The water felt so nice. She could already feel her energy returning to her.

"...once they figure out you took me, they'll put you on trial for treason."

"I...am aware of that." Replied Steven with a sad smile. "...but I've never been able to watch as someone suffers. You're not some sideshow."

The mermaid shifted herself in the tub, leaning her chin in her hand as she stared up at Steven from the side of the tub. "If this is a trick, it's a dumb one. I don't trust humans."

"Well, I've never been good at tricking people," he joked, trying to lighten the mood. He didn't blame her at all for her distrust. Humans hunted mermaids for status after all. Why should she trust anyone on land?

"Still, it doesn't matter if you trust me. I'm still going to help," Steven said with a smile, reaching over and taking the mermaids hand, sadly looking down at her swollen, bruised wrists. He then walked to a small cabinet silently and pulled out a first-aid kit. Without saying another word, he sat himself down beside the bath and began to treat her wounds with a soothing salve to start.

The mermaid watched in cautious silence, allowing him to help her, even though it would have healed if she stayed in the water long enough. So maybe this human wasn't trying to trick her, but that didn't erase everything his people had done.

"...what was your name again?"

"Steven, Steven Universe. What's yours?"

For a moment, she wasn't sure about answering him, but with everything he was doing, he deserved at least that much, right?

"...Spinel." she answered finally.

"Spinel? That's a really pretty name," Steven replied with a grin, just finishing up the wrappings around her wrist to keep the cuts from bleeding out. With her wounds cleaned and bandaged, he took her hand and brought her wrist to his lips, kissing over the bandage very carefully. "All done," he announced happily.

Spinel felt her cheeks start to burn. Slowly, she pulled her arms back to herself, staring suspiciously at Steven the entire time. This human was strange. Did he really just want to help her?

"...thanks..." she mumbled begrudgingly, sinking into the water slightly to hide her bashful expression.

Steven stood up and smiled, finding it rather cute how confused and embarrassed she was.

However, the two didn't get a lot of time to relax before a loud banging came from the front door, startling the both of them.

Spinel readied herself, summoning a large Scythe into her hands, causing Steven to jump.

"Wh-how? Put that away!" Steven stammered in a hushed voice. "We're not fighting anyone!"

"Speak for yourself!" Spinel hissed. "I'm not letting them take me again."

Steven knew he couldn't argue with her over defending herself, but he would prefer to solve this peacefully.

"Just-just don't do anything yet," he pleaded quietly as he edged towards the the door. "I'll go see who it is first."

Spinel growled in her throat. It's not like she had much choice. The reason mermaids had a hard time escaping once caught, was because they were all but useless on land. It's why many of her friends never came home.

Steven stood in front of his homes entrance now, trying to calm himself with some deep breaths. It was a good sign that the visitor wasn't continuously knocking or trying to break the door down. Finally, he creaked open the door and was extremely relieved when he saw Connie standing there. "Oh, it's you, Connie," he greeted, allowing himself to exhale the breath he had been holding.

Connie didn't greet him in return. Instead, she pushed her way past him into the house and started looking around with purpose.

"uh…C-Connie?" he began, shutting the door quickly.

"Where is she?" demanded the young girl.

Steven wasn't sure how Connie could have possibly known what he had done.
"How…?"

"My dad is head of security for the town! He got word that someone took the mermaid, but they are trying to keep it quiet. I also heard that you were the last one to be seen with her. I'd have to be an idiot to not connect the dots! I had to lie to my father and tell him that I saw you near the beach."

He felt bad that she had to lie for him, but it bought them more time.
"Thank—"

"We don't have time for that," Connie insisted. Though she was proud of Steven for what he had done, she couldn't help but feel a painful pit form in her stomach. She knew what this meant. Steven had to leave. If they caught him, he'd be seen as a traitor and taken away.
"Since everyone is looking for you by the water, I was able to sneak a few things out of my mother's clinic. You'll stand out too much with that wheelbarrow. I brought you a wheelchair and few of my old dresses. You can try to disguise her, but…"

"Connie…I'm sorry. I couldn't just leave her there." Steven said quietly, knowing this was the last time they would see one another.

Connie stifled her tears and smiled instead. "Hey, justice is more important than a peaceful life," she insisted, doing her best to be brave about this.
"Look, I heard rumors about a woman a few towns over. They say she helps mermaids that end up on land. I don't know how she helps or if it's even true, but it's your best bet. Once they decide to announce this publicly, there will be guards near every shore to try and catch you."

"R-right." Steven nodded, trying to take this all in. His impulsive decision was derailing his entire life, but what was he supposed to do?

Connie could see that Steven was a little frozen, no doubt overwhelmed by the situation now. She couldn't exactly blame him. However, if they didn't hurry, she would lose her best friend and his efforts would come to nothing. "Steven!" she called out abruptly to get his attention. "Go pack a bag and some food. I'll keep watch until you gather your things."

"Okay, yeah, I'll be right back!" he replied hastily, dashing away for his bedroom to get his things together.

Connie glanced towards the washroom. Surely the mermaid was in there. Where else would you put someone that needed to sit in water? Walking into the bathroom, Connie was met with a rather hostile looking Mermaid holding a large pink Scythe. She certainly didn't expect the weapon, but she still couldn't help but smile. This was her first time seeing a mermaid and she was gorgeous.
"My gosh! You're even prettier than the pictures in my books!" Connie exclaimed.

Spinel raised a brow. Another strange human, huh?
"…You're…?"

"I'm Steven's friend, Connie. I'm here to help." She greeted, looking the mermaid over carefully. Steven rushed in with his pack strapped to his back. Glad to see that Spinel had not cut Connie up. "Good. I'll go and get everything; you get her out of the bath." Connie stated as she headed for the door once more.

"What's going on?" Spinel asked, dismissing her scythe in a brief stream of light as Steven approached the tub.

"We have to get out of here. I know I said I would get you to the water, but that's the first place they will be looking for us. We have to get as far from the water as possible now." Steven explained while he scooped her from the water and carried her towards the front door where Connie was waiting with the wheelchair.

"Wait, even further from the water?" Spinel asked in a panic. She didn't want to go through that again.

"If you go through the forest, there are lakes and ponds. You won't have to go completely without, but the last thing they will suspect is a mermaid traveling away from the water. It's the safest route for the two of you." Connie added as she pulled a blanket from her bag. Once Steven placed Spinel in the chair, Connie set to work on concealing Spinel as best she could. She placed the blanket over her lap and handed her a black cloak wear over her shoulders. "Put this on for now, but when you two get a moment to rest, put this dress on. The more you can cover your scales the better."

Spinel was little lost in the flow of this. These humans seemed determined to help her escape, which simply threw her for a loop. This Steven boy was essentially becoming a traitor. He'd never be welcome by humans again. Why go so far for someone you didn't know? She watched in stunned silence as Connie handed Steven an old book with several loose papers sticking out from its pages.

"I drew a small map and wrote down a few things you might need to know, I'm sorry it was so rushed, but when I heard about this, I didn't have a lot of time…" Connie's voice trailed off as tears began to slip from her eyes. Now that it was that much closer to goodbye, she couldn't stop them. Steven was important to her and now…she might never see him again.

Steven placed his hands on Connie's shoulders and did his best to smile for her.
"You've done more than enough. Thank you…"

Letting her tears flow freely now, Connie leaned in against Steven's chest and hugged him tight.
"Don't get caught," she choked out. "…I'll do everything I can to buy you a little more time. Make sure to rest and eat properly. I know how you push yourself…"

Steven returned her embrace, his own tears threatening to escape. He never thought he would be leaving like this.
"…Goodbye, Connie…" he said softly despite the lump in his throat.

"No." Connie insisted, pulling back and wiping her eyes. "I'll see you later, Steven Universe."

With a tearful smile, Steven nodded his head, rubbing the tears from his eyes as well.
"Yeah, I'll see you later."

Not wanting to drag this out any further, Connie urged Steven to hurry along. With one last glance, he pushed Spinel forward and left the house he had grown up in, heading quickly for the forests entrance. Connie watched his back get further and further away until it was gone completely, vanishing from her sight into the maze of trees. Her vision blurred terribly as she stared off into the distance, her tears flooding her eyes once they were gone. Standing in his doorway, Connie allowed herself to sob openly now. Her tears gushed down her cheeks to puddle at her feet as she recalled when she and Steven had first met. There were so many other things she had wanted to say to him, but now she'd have to keep those words bottled away.
"…You did a good thing…" Connie sobbed as she smiled through her tears. "You always do good things…"

A/N: Well, Steven and Spinel are off and on the run now. Hopefully you will stick with them as they try to get Spinel home. However, the mention of another Mermaid might set the two a little off track. Hmmmm...