The last few months had been more than eventful for a certain human-gem.

There was the arrival of additional Homeworld gems and the fight that ensued between them and the Crystal Gems. And then there was that heart-stopping moment when Connie had gotten stabbed.

Steven sighed as he sat near the shore, drawing stick figures in the sand and replaying everything in his head. He thought of the last phone call he received from Connie.

"We're moving," she had said, and the conversation sort of died.

Ever since the incident, her parents forbade her from seeing him, but the two maintained contact via calls and texts whenever possible, which wasn't as often as they would have liked.

The news had come a couple weeks earlier, just before her mother caught on and confiscated her cell phone. She never even told him where they were moving. As far as he knew, she and her family were halfway across the country.

He looked down at the two figures in the sand, a skinny one with long hair and a shorter, chubbier one with curly hair, but they quickly disappeared with the tide as it came in and washed them away. Steven frowned, "Connie…"

"Steven!" he looked up and saw Lapis Lazuli out in the water. How long had she been there?

"Hey, Lapis! Whatcha doin'?"

"Whassit look like? C'mon the water's great!"

The boy cracked a weak smile, walking over to the water's edge where he was pulled in by a gentle wave. Once he was close enough, the blue gem attacked his sides.

"H-hey!" he laughed. "Stop, I'm t-ticklish!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"No fair! You're using the water!"

"Mwahaha! You'll never escape my clutches!" Lapis giggled.

"Oh? Guess again!" a pink spherical shield engulfed his form and floated atop the waves. When it dispersed, he landed back in the water, splashing Lapis in the process. She then proceeded to splash him back, which led to an all-out splash war.

They played like this until the sun began to disappear beneath the horizon, and with it went most of the summer heat.

Steven and Lapis huddled together on the beach, neither wanting to turn in for the evening. The blue gem manipulated the water into several human-like forms and made them dance. Steven thought they looked pretty swirling around each other and shimmering in the sun's waning light. It was like watching a ballet.

And for a moment, he forgot all his troubles. He forget the looming threat of Homeworld and how much he missed Connie. Right then, there was nothing but the cool ocean breeze blowing inland and the quiet sighs of the waves.

That, alongside Lapis' soft crooning, was beginning to make his eyelids heavier and heavier. She smiled down at him as he slept.

"Pleasant dreams, Beach Summer Fun Bud."