A/N: Well, here it is. Originally, this was Segment 6. And when I wrote it, for 2 years, I couldn't decide on what the hell I was going to put here. It made my brain hurt. I had thousands upon thousands of thousands of Ideas just swimming in my head about what to do to continue or conclude. Do I have Priyanka shoot him? Do I have her forgive Steven? Do they fuck?! WHO KNOWS?! Well I do, but that's beside the point. But in all honesty, I finally got what I felt was a solid idea on how I could address Priyanka's viewpoint on Steven while staying true to character. I'm also the biggest Priyanka Simp online so I just hope I did her justice. Plus, I felt we shoot focus on Steven's Past just bit more for this Segment. And yes, I will piss off at least half of yall. Anyway, let us explore Steven's mind as he sinks into the Abyss of his Guilt.

Steven watched himself dip further down into the sparkling seawater. This was it. This was the spot where they became friends. The light of shiny coral shone dimly below his sinking body. He let himself go, sinking deeper into the bright abyss. His eyes closed as his mind thought about the day they met.

{"It's not so bad. Uhhh. I-It's okay, I uh..." Steven said to Connie, trying to sound in control of the situation. They were trapped in the Pink Bubble at the bottom of the ocean, after being launched from the Roller Coaster. Connie held her tongue up to this point, and she felt like it was time she spoke up.

"It's NOT OKAY!" She shouted at the boy. Steven was surprised by the sudden outburst. "You keep saying that, but you don't know what you're doing! Now we're going to suffocate or starve at the bottom of the ocean and only my parents will notice because no one else cares about me!" Tears were fighting their way out as Connie continued to berate Steven. "I'm gonna disappear without ever making a single friend..." She broke down in front of him, sobbing at her predicament.

"We can be friends." Steven said, showing her the glow stick bracelet he was keeping. Connie blushed, seeing him kneel in front of her. "I saw you at the Boardwalk Parade last year. You dropped your bracelet. I picked it up, but then I couldn't find you. I saved it in the freezer so it would last longer, in case I saw you again."}

Steven now wished he hadn't seen her drop that cursed trinket. Maybe if he hadn't, he would have no reason to go out to see her when she was reading by the beach. Then she would… still died since the avalanche, caused by the Glow Worm, would have crushed her. Steven lay in the sand below the waves, surrounded by the ocean life moving around him. The clashing of natural and alien life that moved about reflected his mind.

'Who am I kidding? This is all her fault.' Steven said regarding his, sort of, late mother. The Corruption that befalls the planet was the doing of Pink Diamond's irrational decision making. Honestly, he found a lot of actions the Diamonds performed were just… mental. At least he made one of them pay. At times, he wondered if he couldn't have forgiven White if she hadn't murdered Connie. Maybe, considering that he was still a Starry-Eyed Child, thinking that there were truly no bad people in the world. But after seeing her kill his best friend, that philosophy was thrown out the window. Steven, since the incident, believed that there were just some people that couldn't be reasoned with. Some people just deserved to die. White, Aquamarine, even Eyeball and Navy, just casualties of War that were beyond their scope. But they made their choice when they targeted the town he called home, and the people that he called his friends. Jasper was lucky. Before he could put that Wild Animal of a Quartz down, Amethyst knocked him out of the way at the last second. She defended Jasper, standing between him and his target, even after acknowledging the fact that Jasper had attempted to shatter her many times in the past.

{"Enough is Enough, Steven! You can't just go around shattering Gems."

"...she more than deserves her own destruction!... Now Move!"

"Or What, you're going to shatter me too?!"

"Stay out of this! This has nothing to do with you."

" If you continue to go down this road, then you will be no better than her!"}

'I'm nothing like White Diamond, right?' Steven knew that his actions in the past were questionable. The young man remembered the year of training he did on Homeworld with his "Grandmother".

{"Never doubt yourself as a ruler, my young Diamond." He heard her preach as she sat behind him on her throne. Her innocent smile betrayed her intentions as she watched the scene she orchestrated below her. It was as if she was puppeteering small dolls. "Even when it comes to decisions that harm those you care about, or even love, you can't hesitate. Hesitation makes you vulnerable. Vulnerability leads to failure. And my protégé, we Diamonds never fail. And why is that?"

He could feel that cold, pink sword in his hand. Steven remembered the pleading eyes of the rebel Gemstone staring into his empty pink ones as he raised the blade over her head. Neither one's tears stopped flowing. "Because we are flawless. And flaws in our society must be removed."

She was beaten, and defenseless. Bismuth turned her head away not wanting to see him finish her. The blacksmith mouthed a short sentence. Maybe she said, "I forgive you…" in her last moments.}

In nightmares, the rainbow-haired Gem expressed her hatred. He wondered if she compared him to Rose. He never told the others about it. Not even Amethyst. Not even Pearl knew his secrets. 'Maybe I'm more like Pink Diamond after all.'

He knew he made the right decisions when it came to dealing with Aquamarine, Bluebird, and the like. But he couldn't lie, not even to himself, to justify what he did to Jasper. He knew she was just a product of his mother's design. Even though she was a constant antagonist for a few years before the White Diamond conflict, she was no longer a threat. After being successfully De-corrupted, minus a few remnants of her previous state that seemed permanent, she was more dormant and kept to herself. But, for whatever reason, Jasper's continued existence bothered him. Maybe it was just that she was a constant reminder of the responsibility and consequences that were forcefully placed on him by Pink Diamond. Its been about half a year since his failed execution of the orange Quartz, and he could tell that he damaged her more than she deserved. She was more skittish around everyone, especially him. She didn't speak unless spoken to and she would actively avoid any form of confrontation. All because of him. Jasper was the perfect example of how his Mother royally screwed him over and how he was no better.

Plus, at the time, he was fresh off the execution of White Diamond and her sympathizers. What was another Quartz going to matter in wake of so many other Gems? 'Huh. Maybe I am just like Pink and White.'

'You shouldn't have hesitated with that Quartz.' He could hear the White Ghost berate him. 'Always too high and mighty off her perfection. She presented herself as if she was one of us. You should have put her in her place like I taught you. But you let another failure make you hesitate. Even now, you hesitate in committing to an action. Can't even die properly.'

Steven remembered why he was down here but knew that he couldn't go through it. He always got cold feet when it came to the thoughts that were constantly teasing his grief-stricken mind. He needed help. Someone that he knew understood his pain.

Priyanka laid awake in her bed. The raindrops pitter-pattered on her window. The room was cold, yet her body sweated profusely underneath the sheets. She felt constricted under the mess of linen that lay on top of her, but if she removed it, then her naked body would be exposed to the cold. Besides, being wrapped up in them gave her a sense of closure. The warmth they provided was like the kind that her husband provided. At least, Doug used to anyway. The doctor sometimes regretted the things she said to her husband. She didn't hate him; Priyanka loved her husband to death. He wasn't a weak man; He was her special bodyguard. Her husband wasn't a failure as a father; Doug was the best parent she had seen. She didn't mean to say hurtful things like that to her husband, she was just upset.

'We all say things we don't mean in the heat of the moment, right?' She wished that she just held her tongue. She had to act reserved when it came to her job, she had to be when you must deal with a plethora of illnesses, injuries, and creeps. She could hold a stone-cold look, and an indifferent demeanor in the face of her peers. However, whenever it came to her family, her walls would crumble around her. Her emotions took over her better judgment. She lost her temper easily with her husband and daughter, a personality trait she regretted too often nowadays.

*knock-knock knock* A faint tapping came from the front door. Priyanka sat up confused. She looked over at the clock that sat up on her nightstand. It read 01:30, not a time she was expecting anyone to be awake. Much less it being a time for someone to knock on her door. She was about to pass it off as her mind was playing tricks, and perhaps that she should go to sleep.

*knock-knock knock* Again, she heard the faint taps at her door, and she now became concerned. She shifted herself off the bed, letting her feet hit the hardwood floor. She shivered at the sudden sensation of the cold pinching her soles. She quickly made her way to her walk-in closet, pulling out a random bathrobe off the clothing hanger and slipped herself into a pair of purple loafers. She also was sure to grab the M9 Beretta hidden in her dresser drawer. It was something that Doug left her. Even after all that was said, he always kept his Wife's safety in mind. She wasn't as experienced in Firearms as he was, she would never have allowed such an item in her home if it weren't for Doug's insistence that she have something to protect herself and her daughter. Little did she know, the thing that she needed to protect Connie from was that friend of hers. Priyanka checked the magazine holder. With a deep sigh, she placed the weapon inside an interior pocket of her robe.

*knock-knock knock* She walked down the stairs of her home, she hit a light switch at the base of the step, illuminating the living room with the ceiling fan. Priyanka silently swore to herself that if whoever was at the door didn't have a life-or-death reason to be at her door, they can expect the police to have them removed. She carefully walked to the front door, trying to keep herself hidden from anyone trying to possibly peek inside through the windows, something that her ex taught her.

*knock-knock knock* Priyanka suppressed the urge to yell at the visitor, instead she looked through the peephole. She could see the dark silhouette of a young man, slightly shivering in the late-night shower. The shape was oddly familiar. 'It couldn't be…' Her suspicions were confirmed when she flipped on the porch light. It was him; the man that ruined her life.

"You have a lot of nerve to bother me at this time of the night, Universe." Priyanka stood in the doorway of her home, staring down at the drenched child with absolute disdain for his presence. Priyanka found it hard to contain her anger, but she told herself that he wasn't going to get the best of her. The smell of alcohol and seawater. He was clearly lucid. 'Great. Just my luck.' "Want to explain to me why exactly you find it necessary to come to my dwelling?"

"I-I need your help, Priyanka." His voice was slurred.

"That's Ms. Maheswaran, Universe." She corrected him. "And what exactly do you need my help with?"

"I need someone that I can talk to."

"Then call a shrink. I'm a medical doctor. Not a psychiatrist. Now, if that's all, I would like it if you left my property." Steven paused, looking down at his shoes. His body swayed from side to side, struggling to keep himself upright. Just when the older woman was going to close her door, he placed his fingers between the frames. His fingers were smashed between it and the door. Priyanka took a small pleasure in seeing him winch in pain. 'Serves you right.' "I believe this conversation is over. Please vacate my home at once or I will have to call the authorities."

"Please. It's about Connie." He pleaded. "You're the only one I can tell this to, Ms. Maheswaran."

Priyanka's heart skipped at the mention of her late daughter. "What about my daughter?"

"It's something I would rather discuss inside."

Priyanka thought it over for a minute. 'Damn it.' The caring side of her won't let him stay outside in the rain. "If I let you in, you're going to have to shower. You're not going to have my house smell like the port. Understand, young man?"

"Y-yes, ma'am." Steven said.

With that, Priyanka, begrudged, opened her door to him. "You've been here enough to know where to go. I expect you to only go where you've been authorized." Steven walked through the door, only to be stopped at the door. "Strip."

"W-what?!"

"Strip. Don't get the wrong idea. You got nothing that I want to see. But you're not going to track seawater in my home. So, you are going to turn around, and undress right where you stand. I'll take your clothes."

Steven sighed, as he removed his jacket.

{What do you mean that it is my fault?! I'm not the one who encourages her to go run off with that… freak of a child! If anyone is at fault, it's you, and you're enabling our daughter!"

"It's not like you are ever around long enough to understand her."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black. And I'm sure when you work long hours at the Hospital, that gives you exceedingly large pockets of time where you can just make sure she stays on track."

"I tried to keep her safe. I tried to make sure that she studied. I tried to make sure she had the best future possible, but she wasn't happy, Doug. She didn't have any friends. It's not like moving around helps in any way."

"Well, my bad for trying to help provide for my family. It's not like you're one to judge me. You're probably one of the most emotionally distant people I've met, Priyanka."

"Well, if you honestly think that, then you can just leave."

…

"Priyanka?"

"…"

"Priyanka? Please, look at me."

"…"

"I'm leaving you this. I know you don't like guns, but I can't leave you here without at least being sure that you can defend yourself, just in case. Although the divorce is being finalized, I couldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you."

"… Please, don't go…"

"*kiss* Take care, Priyanka..."}

Priyanka sat on her daughter's bed, holding her head in her hands, trying to stop herself from crying. This was the last place they were together, and the last time they ever spoke. She clutched the Beretta in her hands. She had to calm down. She needed to calm down. This was a safe place. He couldn't touch her here. Nobody could break her paradise. She preserved this place in plastic wrap. Everything from the Pillows and blankets to the pictures on the shelf. She kept them the same as it was the day she left home for the last time. And ran off with him. "He would pay." She said through labored breath. She looked across the hall, the steam from the shower crawling across the floor. Steven could wash away the filth on his skin, but he would never wash away the blood on his hands. "One way or another."

Meanwhile…

Steven stood under the warm water of the shower head, his head leaning on the wall in front of him. His eyes rested, and the intoxication was starting to wear off. He felt himself become more alert and aware of his surroundings. He had washed himself minutes ago, yet he just wasn't ready to leave the bathroom, not just yet. He needed to focus, plan how he was going to go about this. He knew one wrong word would put him back where he started. Steven could feel the hate emanating from his hostess when she stood at the door. 'This wasn't going to be easy.' Then again, nothing ever was. "I honestly get tired of this bullshit." He said turning off the water. The young adult walked out of the bathtub, grabbing a towel off the rack. He still didn't have his clothes yet, and after a short debate he grabbed a lime-green bathrobe that hung on the wooden door. Steven wiped the steam off the mirror so he could adjust the loose fit garment on his frame. As he was tying the knot, he noticed a name inscribed in cursive on the collar.

Doug Maheswaran

"She is going to kill me for this." Steven sighed. He really hoped he would just go out there, say what he had to say, drop off what he needed, and sit there awkwardly waiting for his clothes. He almost laughed aloud at that notion. Again, nothing ever came easy for him. There was always something, someone, out there waiting to catch him off guard. Pearl told him that he can't always keep his guard up.

"Eventually, you'll have to let yourself relax."

Steven remembered the time she let her guard down."Thrust!" *Poof*

"What a fool." Steven chuckled. It felt good to laugh. Maybe he could share one with the Misses. "Alright. Let's get this over with." He said as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Don't you move a fucking muscle, Universe." The cold tone of the homeowner said, pressing the icy metal to his wet hair. "Or I swear to Christ, We'll both see each other in Hell."

Steven's eyes shrunk as he tried his damndest not to even turn his head to face her.

Some Time Later…

"You know Ms. Maheswaran, this is an odd kink you seem to have." Steven said stoically as his wrist was tied to the bed with silk bedding. He stared blankly at his captor, as she pointed the barrel of the pistol at his naked body. 'Really shouldn't have put on Doug's bathrobe when I got out of the shower.' He thought to himself. Priyanka's hands trembled, unable to steady herself. A deep grimace was broken across her lips, and her eyes held a prominent scowl as her red eyes sent a pressure of malice to the hybrid. Tearstains burned into her cheeks as she stood at the edge of the bed in her robe. "But to be fair, I've seen and experienced weirder. So, I'm not one to judge."

"S-shut up, you bastard!" She forced through her teeth. "This isn't a game." The former physician was on the brink of tipping over. From her drunken rage leading her to this decision, to his nonchalant expression, She was ready to just end him. She was hoping to see him beg for his life, or at least put-up resistance when she began to strap him to her baseboard, but he said nothing while he was led to her room. He did nothing but lay there as she secured him. Even now as she had a gun raised at him, he could only quip with the most bored expression she had ever seen on a person. 'Does he not understand what is going on?' She wondered. It was obvious that she was going to kill him. Where was the fear? Where were the pleads for her to change her mind and let him go? "You should be begging for your life. Not making light of the situation."

"Eh." He casually replied. "I've been through worse. Between getting kidnapped multiple times, fighting for my life on an alien planet, and having witnessed multiple people die, having a weapon pointed at me isn't necessarily the worst thing to have happened to me. Besides, you're probably in a long line of people that want me dead." The Beretta dropped, slightly, in Priyanka's hands as she listened to him go on. He was silent for a few moments. Before a small grin appeared. "And honestly, I deserve it."

"W-wait, what?!" The ebony woman said, shocked by his tone shift. 'He almost seems… relieved to admit that.' In Priyanka's mind, he wasn't wrong about that. It is why she was doing this in the first place. But to hear him say that, and with a small hint of acceptance and joy sprinkled in, it caused her for a moment to forget why she was angry with him. Just for a moment though. "If you think making me pity you is going to stop me, then you are sorely mistaken, Universe."

Steven sighed in response to her outburst. "Please, call me Steven. Universe is my father's name."

"I could honestly care less about your father's terrible name." She spat.

"Hey!" The young man said in a stern tone, which surprised the woman. She saw his normal dark-colored eyes change into a vibrant pink, glowing in the dimly lit room. The lightning crashed outside, engulfing the room in a white flash, only having Steven's irises rival it in both strength and intensity. Priyanka could feel the pressure from his gaze and her grip on the gun left and it fell onto the mattress. She stood before him, frozen in fear. "I understand that you are upset with me, but my father has nothing to do with this. I asked you politely to not disrespect him by calling me by his last name, Priyanka. You may not have respect for me, but you better at least have respect for him." Steven's tone was dark, laced with anger as he glared at his hostess, however when he saw that she was frightened, the hybrid breathed slowly and calmed himself down before speaking again. "I'm sorry for my outburst. I shouldn't have done that. I sometimes lose myself when it comes to my family. But I guess you would understand that more than me." His pupils returned to normal, and his voice was soft and covered with shame. "You know, before I got here… I tried to end my life."

"…You what?!"

"I tried to drown myself in the ocean." He said bluntly. "For the longest time, I've been wanting to just end it. But, this body, this damn gem I've cursed with, it won't let me. I'm literally my own prison. I can't escape it; I can't run away from it. I can only live until the end of the universe, the end itself. Watching my friends pass on as the world continues, until it too ends. Honestly, when you did this, part of me was hoping it would work, and I can finally find peace in death."

"…" Priyanka developed a thousand-yard stare as she fell to her knees, completely bewildered by what she just heard. 'What… What exactly are you?!' She no longer had the anger she held for him. The one who she blamed for her life being ripped apart. She only sympathized with the boy. She never imagined he felt like this, never knew he was so damaged and held this weight on his mind. And the part that was still giving her trouble to understand was that he wasn't scared of dying but embraced the concept of death and wished for release from life. "My daughter…" The words left her lips without meaning to, but she continued. "… she meant that much to you, didn't she?"

"She meant the world to me, Ms. Maheswaran." Steven replied, a string of sadness cracked his voice. "I would have sold everything I could muster for her, Priyanka. My money, my home, my kingdom. Hell, I'd even sell my soul to take her place, if it meant she could just go on living. I wished I didn't let her come with us on that damned ship. I should have stopped her. I should have asked you to force her to stay home. But I didn't… I couldn't protect her like I should have. I let you down. I let her down." Steven somberly admitted. "I can't even begin to imagine what she meant to you, Ms. Maheswaran. So, I don't blame you for getting to this point. However, I doubt that you could kill me with a simple weapon like that."

The doctor just stared as he spoke casually about his suicidal tendencies, as if it was like a normal chat at the water-cooler. There were no emotions in the young man's voice. He was calm, collected as he just laid there, tied down to her bed. "Why me?" She questioned.

"What do you mean?" He quizzed.

"Why did you show up at my door, in the middle of the night? Why not go home? Why not be with your surrogate mothers? Why not your father? Why, of all people, did you choose me?"

"To be honest, I didn't plan on seeing them again." Steven admitted. "When you make… those types of decisions, you kinda come to terms with not being able to see the people closest to you again." Steven sighed for a moment. He looked over at the picture of Connie and her family on his captor's nightstand. A sad smile quivered on his face. "Why you? That I can't answer. Maybe I just wanted to see this house again. This was almost a happy place for me. Sacred even in my eyes. I love how you preserved her room in plastic. It's like it's stuck in time. A time where she was happy and living her best life…" A stream of tears poured from his left eye. "...before White Diamond took it away. Before I took it away from her."

Priyanka dropped to her knees, as she covered her mouth and began crying at the display. "Please… no more words…" This wasn't a heartless monster that killed her daughter. This was a broken, remorse-stricken boy that was more damaged than she could ever hope to be. "I'm sorry, Steven. I didn't know that you were in pain too. After all these years, I could never let myself believe that I wasn't the only one that was hurting. No one could ever understand the pain I am going through. I blamed myself for her. I blamed my Doug. I blamed you for it."

"You shouldn't feel bad about blaming me. It was my fault… "

"Shut Up!" She shouted at the younger man. Steven was shocked to hear her say that. "Don't you dare say that in front of me again. You shouldn't have to shoulder the blame alone. I could have stopped her too. No one deserves to carry that burden alone."

"Ms. Maheswaran…"

"I may not forgive you fully. Not yet at least, and I doubt I ever will." The doctor said before standing up and wiping her eyes as she walked over to the side of the bed. She looked down at her captive and gave him a tight hug across his torso. "But I can at least be here to share our pain together."

"So, does that mean you are letting me go?"

"Yes. I'm going to let you go. Here, let me untie you. Sorry for this whole mess."

"No worries. I got it."

"Got wha-" That was all she could get out before Steven pulled himself free from his binding effortlessly, while also ripping the bedding in the process, much to Priyanka's horror and amazement. The young man sat up and rubbed his wrists, noting the red bruising that was slowly healing.

"You mean… you could have escaped your bindings this entire time?" She frustratingly questioned.

"I mean… yeah. It's like I said, I've been through worse. I mean it's just silk after all."

"So why didn't you?"

"Because I didn't wish to upset you."

Priyanka stood there, amazed by his nonchalant response. 'So, you were going to just sit there and let me shoot you?'

"Anyway, I am going to head out, I guess. Where did you put my clothes-" Priyanka suddenly tackled him to the bed, pinning him down against the mattress. Steven stared into her eyes, which burned with a hot fury as she straddled him.

"So, did you stop to consider that ripping my precious silk linens might upset me as well?" She sternly asked the younger man.

"I-I did not, but I'm more than willing to pay for them to be replaced, Ms. Maheswaran." He nervously offered.

"I don't think you understand, young man. These were heirlooms from my great-grandmother, you fool. Those were priceless." A sinister grin appeared on her ebony face as her grips tightened around his wrists.

"I didn't mean it, I swear. I'll do whatever it takes to make things…" Suddenly, Priyanka's violet velvet robe slipped loose, exposing her naked body to her prisoner. "...right?"

A drunken giggle came from her lips as she looked loose over his body with dark intent. She was starting to scare him at this point. "Oh, I think I know a way to fix it." She said in a hushed tone. She let go of his left arm, before trailing her index finger down his neck. Steven could feel the sharp edges of her acrylic nail as it thinly scratched his skin as she inspected him, but he didn't dare move an inch. He could smell the alcohol in her breath as she pressed herself against him, sighing in what sounded like relief.

"Ma'am… I think you might be a bit too drunk. Perhaps you should lay down. I can grab a new set of bedding-" She plucked a finger over his lips, shushing him. She slowly shook her head. Taking the hint, Steven nodded. She then returned to exploring him.

"A young man like you, so full of energy and untapped strength. Testosterone pumping from these testicles, into your hybrid blood, and the rapid expansion of the muscular structure. While, for now, you aren't as impressive as my Doug, I can mold you into something suitable given enough time and training. There is so much I can learn. So many ways I can experiment with a body that never tires or can heal from any injury. Oh yes, I'm sure I can find a good use for you."

"Ms. Maheswaran…?" He nervously asked. His body shook with anticipation of her words. "What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is, I'm going to enjoy owning you for a good long while. And please, call me Priyanka for now on." She requested in a drunken slur. She leaned in close, taking a quick nib around his neck. Steven shivered as her hushed voice warmed the inside of his ear. "You could call me "Mommy" if that is your preference." Priyanka's eyes suddenly felt heavy before she fell on top of Steven's frame, The Sandman having finally taken her. Steven just stared at the ceiling, paralyzed in fear of what she said, and relief that she passed out before she could go through with anything. He didn't dare push her off, on the off chance she woke right back up. He had hoped that he would have been able to get out of bed after morning came and before she awakened. Hopefully, she didn't remember tonight's, less than comfortable, events and he could explain everything, excluding the last 3 minutes. He probably would get yelled at about the silk bedding, but hopefully she had a more reasonable form of repayment for him to do. He just needed to make sure he got his clothes back.

Priyanka sat down in her living room, holding her head in hands. Even the sound of the Alka-Seltzer dissolving was ear-splitting. "Ugh! I'm so ashamed."

"It's okay, Ms. Maheswaran." Steven placed a hand on her shoulder as he walked next to her. "It's a good thing that no one got hurt."

"True. But I just can't believe I would allow myself to do something so…"

"Brazen?"

"…idiotic."

"Oh. Well, you weren't exactly yourself when…"

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about last night. Trying to remember it all is painful enough. Between that and my silk covers, I am ready to just say to hell with it."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Like I said, I'm more than happy to pay for them to get fixed or replaced. If not, then I do whatever to make things right."

"I'll hold you to that, Steven." Priyanka said as she returned his earlier gesture. "I guess it's about time for you to head out?"

"Yeah. I've been a bit of a nuisance to you already. I hate to overstay my welcome. I'm just glad we were able to talk things out."

"As am I. You best run along now." The older woman sent him off towards the front door, a somber smile edged into her face.

Steven stood in the doorway of the townhouse. He smiled as the sunlight cascaded vividly through the cool air. His wavy black hair danced in the gentle breeze and the dew broke against the strands. He felt relieved. For the first time in a long time, he was looking forward to today and tomorrow. Just before he was about to step off, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait." Priyanka said, her voice held hints of concern.

"Is everything alright, Ms. Maheswaran?"

She was quiet for a few seconds. "You sure you want to leave, Steven?" Priyanka asked.

"What do you mean? You just-"

"I know what I said. It's just; Are you sure you are ready to leave? I know it's not necessarily my place to say, but I don't think you should head back to your home. Not when it's in such an environment where you've had… those thoughts. I'm sure the Gems do care for you, but I feel that you aren't getting the right type of attention." She breathed slowly for a moment before. "And part of me would be upset if something would ruin your vision of the progress you made."

Steven continued to stare into the morning sky. The light was warm and inviting. "And would you have an alternative? It's not like I can just not see them. And I don't think I could just travel to Keystone to pop in on my father. As kind as he is, I think he understands that I'm still needed here in the city."

"Stay here." Priyanka replied casually.

"What?!"

"Stay here, with me, for a couple of weeks, or until I'm sure that you aren't going to continue to try harming yourself."

"But why would you?"

"Because even though I'm still trying to focus my feelings on you, it would be a disservice to my profession if I turned away from someone in need. And it would be disrespectful to Connie if I didn't help you."

"…"

"Steven. I have seen your best qualities with my own eyes when your were but a child. I have seen you at your best, and right now, you are at your worst. But what I also see is your potential. You have a good heart. And I feel it's only right to try to at least help you see that as well."

A tear rolled down his obscured eye as his vision followed a stray leaf that fell from the canopy above.

"And if you feel like you're going to be intruding in my peace, then please don't. In all honesty, I've been finding it difficult as of late to handle some of my errands and chores now that I'm independent, so you can pay me back by helping me out. Sounds fair?"

"I... I don't see a problem with that, Ms. Maheswaran. Can I just… go home to grab my things and talk to the Gems? It wouldn't be right if I didn't at least let them know."

"Of course. I'll have a list of things I would like to have done by the time you get back."

"Understood. I'll be back as soon as I can. And Ms. Maheswaran? Thank you." Steven said, flashing a grin.

The doctor smiled back as the young adult ran down the walkway. "Oh, Steven?" She called out before he turned down onto the sidewalk. Steven paused. "Call me Priyanka."

Some Time Later…

"…call me "Mommy" if that is your preference…" Priyanka was speechless as she stared at her computer monitor. She wanted to yell at herself on the screen to stop, but she knew that what was done was done. She wondered why Steven didn't mention this part to her. He mustn't have known about the cameras peppered through the home. Shame once again covered her. Partly because it was such a horrible action she did, partly because she knew that there was that desire still swimming in the back of her mind.

"What is wrong with me?" She thought aloud. She looked over at the picture of her ex-husband on her desk. His smiling, confident, face only made her feel worse. She turned the portrait to face away from her. Hopefully, she wouldn't have brought this up to Steven while he was here.

Looking over at the empty magazine of her Beretta on her desk, Priyanka shook her head in disgrace before turning off her monitor.