Connie gasped as she came to and looked around in a cold sweat. She was still in White Diamond's vessel. As she took in her surroundings, she saw White Diamond on the ground. Beside her where and unconscious Yellow and Blue Diamond returned to their original colors. White's pearl was no longer a pale gray anymore, but a rosy pink instead. She looked up, rubbed her shattered eye, and spoke, "What… what happened? Where am I?"

The thirteen-year-old girl looked back to where the Crystal Gems were. She saw that the equally unconscious Garnet's, Amethyst's and Pearl's original colors had fully returned as well. The latter Gem had her spear clutched in her right hand, but the spiral head-blade was dark red. In addition, there was no sign of the Pink Steven anywhere in the room. Connie's expression brightened that they put a stop to White Diamond, rescued their friends, and reunited Steven with his gem. However, a black cloud was then cast over her mood as she found her Jam Bud still on the ground and a deathly pale.

"Steven!" Connie cried out as she forced herself on to her feet. She wobbled for a moment and experienced a sharp ache in her abdomen that threatened to drop her to her knees. However, she ignored the pain long enough to get to her friend. "Steven!" She turned her dying friend over and was shocked to see his gemstone wasn't where it should be.

Steven's lips struggled to move, and his eyes could barely stay open. However, he was able to grunt out, "C… Connie…"

"Steven. Where's your gem?" Connie asked as emotional tears welled in her eyes.

"You… you're okay…"

"I don't care about me! Where's your gem?

Steven's breathing became heavier as he coerced his hand onto the girl's stomach. Connie laid her hand there and felt something unnatural. It was doused. She instinctively removed her hand only to find her palm was painted a deep crimson. Then arrived at the horrifying realization that it was blood. Her blood.

"Steven! Connie!" Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all cried out as they scrambled over to him.

"What happened to him?" Amethyst asked as she looked at the frail-looking boy she always saw as a little brother.

"Is he okay?" An equally distraught Pearl asked her pupil. The pale Gem looked over at the devastated Connie and gasped as soon as she noticed the red on her shirt. "What happened to you?" Pearl then noticed she unwittingly brought her spear with her, and her whole form trembled as soon as she saw the same shade of red on her weapon. "N… no…" Pearl flung her spear across the room with tears in her eyes. "What… what did I do? What have I done?"

"It… it was White…" Steven spoke up. His tone was even hollower than before. "She… she… ma… made you…"

"Where is his gem?" Garnet questioned Connie. "His gem will heal him. Where is it?"

"I don't know!" Connie cried out in emotional frustration. "I don't know…" The girl then clutched her abdomen as she felt the pain return. As her palms moved up and down her stomach to ease her discomfort, she felt something. It wasn't flesh. It had to smooth a surface. She carefully lifted her shirt just enough to bare her stomach. And right there, implanted into her navel, was Rose Quartz's… Pink Diamond's gemstone.

"He… could on… only save… one…" Steven confessed to his dearest friend and his family. "I… I… couldn't… imagine my… my life… with… without you… Connie."

"Take it back, Steven!" Connie pleaded as tears welled up in hers, Garnet's, Amethyst's and Pearl's sorrowful eyes. "Please, take it back!"

"I… can't…"

"Steven, you have to!" Garnet cried.

"But… Connie…"

"She doesn't want to lose you, too." Amethyst tearfully said.

"She'll…"

"She knows what will happen," Pearl stated.

"But I'll do it anyway!" Connie added in.

"No…"

"You have to." "Please, Steven." "It can't end like this." "Let me do this for you." The four of them all pleaded at once.

As they all begged for Steven to take his gem back, the young Half-Gem mustered all the strength he could to scream one final, "No!" Connie and the Crystal Gems were taken aback by that. Steven looked over at Connie. "We… both can't exist, Connie. But… I'm not going… going to be gone. You told me once that… that I made your life be… better. But you also… made mine… better t… too. My mom told me… that every moment I loved being me, it… it was her loving being me."

"I don't understand," Connie voiced.

"Every moment you… you live. Every moment you… you love yourself." Steven gently gripped Connie's hand. "A part of me… will… will be with you. Lo… loving you b… back. I… love you… Connie Maheswaran."

Connie choked as she tried to muster the words she's always wanted to say, "I love you too, Steven."

Steven looked back to the Crystal Gems. His family. His time was almost up, as he told the three who raised him, "We had a good run, huh?"

"Yes… we did." Garnet quietly spoke as the young Half-Gem flashed them all a smile before his eyes shut for the last time.

Blue and Yellow, and White Diamond regained consciousness. With the first thing, they come to perceive is the Crystal Gems gathered around Steven's body. "Steven!" Yellow and Blue cried out as they crawled on their hands and knees over to their fellow Diamond. The pink pearl also rushed over to him as well.

"What's… what's…" Blue stuttered.

"He's gone." Connie somberly told the monarchs as she stood up and brushed the tears from her sorrowful eyes.

"No." Yellow sobbed with the others. "No. Not again."

Cynical laughter was then heard as Connie, the Crystal Gems, Pink Pearl, and the Diamonds turned to the source: White Diamond. Her amusement dimmed as she stated, "My point, proven."

"What did you say?" An infuriated Yellow asked.

"Even in death, she brings out the worst in others. And continues to encourage your deficiencies. Always hindering my white light from sparkling through. She really is… was the best of the worst."

Lightning proceeded to envelop Yellow Diamond's entire body. With a mighty cry, she launched both of her hands forward and discharged it at the leader of the Great Diamond Authority. White Diamond screamed in agony as the electricity surged throughout her physical form. Emphasized by the yellow veins of energy. Yellow's shriek grew louder as she poured more of her energy into her attack. With one last roar and aggressive push of raw power, the electricity enveloped White Diamond's being and concluded with a poof as potent as a near-unstoppable gale that almost blew away all non-Diamonds. All that was left of White was nothing but her gemstone, as it hit the ground with a harsh thud. Yellow walked over to and collected the gem up from the ground, then bubbled it.

After reading "Pink Scars" by danphantomnarutofan (a comic I recommend you check out on DeviantArt), it made me think about "What if White Diamond attacked Connie while trying to reunite Steven with his gem?" I know there'll be reviews saying that "Steven could've just used his healing tears on her." While that is true, I wanted to do something a little different.

Now, this is currently going to remain a One-Shot. I already have plenty of ongoing stories as it is, and I'm not interested in starting another unless it's by popular demand. Please review and critique.

If you liked this story, could you do me a favor and check out the Tumblr artist wowthwtslame for making fanart of my story. We would both appreciate it.