Finally able to enjoy a moment alone outside, Pearl and Garnet stood on the porch, locked in a gentle embrace. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, worry from the days past hanging in the air. Pearl's eyes were full of tears. She loved Garnet completely, but she still couldn't help but wonder if the people were right.

"You have such beautiful eyes." Garnet murmured, lightly rolling a strand of her hair between her fingertips. She took note of her expression, sighing softly, the corners of her lips turning downward. "You're not telling me something... What's wrong, love?"

"Garnet..." Pearl choked. "Maybe we shouldn't be together... M-Maybe all the people are right..." Tears began to stream down her face, and she looked away from the red gem's gaze.

Garnet gently kissed her tears away. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too.. I just-"

Garnet didn't let her finish. "Pearl... In all my thousands of years, I have never found another as lovely as you. Even though we're both the same, and society may frown upon us, my love for you will never fade. That's a promise I intend to keep."

Pearl hugged her tightly, crying into the crook of Garnet's shoulder, feeling terrible for even thinking of leaving Garnet . "I'm sorry..."

"It's alright." Garnet murmured. "I understand."

-The Next Day-

Yet another riot had taken place, this time even more violent than the previous.

And the Crystal Gems had had enough.

Julianna stormed out onto the porch, and the people slowly quieted down.

"You all need to stop this! If it weren't for Pearl and Garnet, non-Earthly forces would have destroyed your planet thousands of years ago! And this is how you repay them?! By attacking them over who they love?! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!" She went back inside, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Thank you, Julianna." Garnet said, glancing out the window. "You got them to leave. Hopefully they won't come back."

She nodded solemnly. "Yeah.. Hopefully."

Amethyst wrapped her arms around her. "That was awesome, Julianna."

Julianna blushed and returned her embrace. "Thanks, Amethyst."

"Yeah, no problem. You sure did tell them good."

She creased her eyebrows. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, of course not. It's a good thing."

A new dawn had risen, the events of the past day forgotten. It still was not safe to bring Steven home, no one having any idea if the rioters would return or not.

"What the hell are they doing?" Garnet mused, leaning against the way. She didn't dare to go out, in fear of losing her temper to their violence.

"They-They're leaving roses on the steps..." Julianna observed, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Does this mean it's finally over?"

"I don't think so. Everyone stays inside until midnight," Garnet advised. "Then we'll go and check it out."

-Midnight-

Garnet made her way down the stairs, followed by Pearl, Amethyst, and Julianna. Roses and scraps of paper littered the pathway.

"What is all of this?" Julianna questioned, picking up a scrap of paper. "I'm sorry." It read. Eyebrows scrunched, she picked up another one, each of them saying the same thing. The roses, although bent in the stem, were still fresh, not yet having started to deteriorate.

"I think we can bring Steven home."

-A Few Days Later-

"Connie, you can't see him anymore."

"What?!" Connie's eyes widened, filling with tears. "Mom, please-"

"It's not safe for you there. It's not negotiable." Doctor Maheswaran left the room, silently closing the door behind her. She hated to do this, but her daughter's safety came first.

Connie pulled her knees to her chest, rested her forehead on them. The wound on her head throbbed and ached, but she didn't care. She let her tears flow freely, an aching void in her chest. The pain quickly melted into anger, and she stood up off her her bed and picked up her backpack. She unzipped it, stashing her folders and textbooks into the drawer of her bedside table. She dug through her closet, only taking out the most warm and durable clothes, stuffing them into the backpack. She also picked up her wallet off the table and poured it's contents onto the bed. A pile of wadded up bills, loose change and forgotten sticks of gum collected on her blanket, and she dug through it, uncrinkling the papers and counting the coins. Only thirty dollars. She crammed it all back into the wallet and put it in her backpack, stashing the bag underneath her bed. For hours she stared at the clock, watching aimlessly as the seconds ticked by, impatiently waiting for midnight.

At last, the sky had fully darkened. Connie pulled out her backpack and slid on her coat, quietly opening the window and slipping out, landing on the bushes. She silently walked towards Steven's house, making sure to stay in the shadows. She heard footsteps and panicked, ducking into a nearby alley. She backed into the far corner, hoping that nobody would see her. There she hid until the sun rose, then she quickly made her way out, running towards Steven's house. She ran up the porch steps and knocked on the door, praying that he'd be awake.

"Connie!" Steven came out onto the deck, staring at her in disbelief.

"Steven!" She exclaimed, her breathing short and heavy, hardly enough to let the words form. "I- I-"

"Whoa. Calm down. Take a minute to breathe."

She stood there for a moment, chest heaving, then she burst. "My mom says I can't see you anymore!" Tears rushed down from her eyes, her face buried in her hands.

"Connie..." Steven gently rested his hand on her shoulder. "I know."

"I'm running away."

"What?! Connie, it's not safe-"

"I don't care! I just wanted to be happy, and she took that away from me! So I'm leaving."

"Where are you going? Please, you have to tell me!" Steven pleaded.

"I don't know! I'm just going to get on a bus in the next town, and go as far as it'll take me!"

"Let me come with you! I can-"

"No, Steven. The Crystal Gems are under enough pressure already, no need to add any more. You have to stay and protect Beach City.

"But the people-"

"They might have rioted, but humanity is still in danger. You need to look past the rioting, and see the good in their hearts. You are half human after all... You can't betray them."

"Right..." He looked down at the boards of the porch in shame.

"I'll come back someday, alright? I won't be gone forever."

"Are you sure you can't possibly find another way?"

"No, Steven. I can't tell you where I'm going either. It's too much of a risk."

"Alright..." He whispered, accepting his fate. "Stay safe, okay?"

She nodded, gently pressing her lips to his. "I love you, Steven." She whispered, then turned and ran off down the stairs.

"I love you too." He watched her leave, stomach twisting with worry.