As soon as Connie swam to shore, she immediately got to her feet and ran to town. It didn't cross anyone's mind where she was going, especially considering how fast everything around them was happening. She sprinted south down the boardwalk, before going up a street and breaking off at a colorful building, labeled in neon "It's A Wash."

"Connie! Wait! Stop!" shouted Pearl in the distance.

Connie froze, and turned around, looking at Pearl running towards her with tear-stained eyes.

"Not right now, he's not ready for it."

The van doors in the back opened up, revealing a sleep deprived Greg, "Alright, I've been alive long enough to know that when I hear Pearl yelling and see a spaceship, something's gone haywire," he looked around, "where is Steven?"

Pearl looked at Greg, looked at the ground, then to Connie.

Connie stepped forward and attempted to explain, "Two gems came and kidnapped everyone, they were looking for you but they took Steven instead. He sacrificed himself to save us by telling them that he was Rose Quartz."

"You mean he turned himself in?"

"Yes." Connie sighed.

"Well? What are you doing? Get him back!"

"I… I'm sorry…"

Greg's face shook in disbelief, "what do you mean you're sorry?"

"Sorry Greg, we were going to tell you sooner," Pearl said.

"No, he… he didn't… he didn't… die, did he?" he asked, his words refusing to come out.

"I'm so sorry Greg, I just…" Pearl said, trying to comfort him.

"No, I… I felt like this would happen someday… I knew I'd find myself outgrowing my kids."

Connie wiped the tears off of her face, her hands shaking from both the cold ocean water and the anxiety. She was usually calm and levelheaded until now.

"Mr. Universe, I'm sorry…"

Greg sighed, "Don't beat yourself up about it Connie, Rose and Steven had a lot in common, I just… you should go, try to relax, and I'm not just saying that for you, I need my space too."

"I understand, sorry Mr. Universe," Connie said, running away.

Pearl stayed and stared at Greg, "you… she… she… she tried to drown herself…"

"I'd do the same thing honestly…"

"Greg… I know you do this all the time but, please don't do anything stupid…"

"Like what? Expect my half human half gem son not to die in some old gem war?"

"No… I just… Connie is young, and she seems like she has a lot more to live for than… you… no, but you, Greg, you're old, you…"

"Telling the man he's too old when his son died? I get it…"

"No! I meant to say that you might think you don't have anything to live for, but you do!"

"What do I have Pearl? I put everything in music, and then into Rose when I met her, and then my son, and now he's gone. I insist you tell me what I fucking have."

Pearl looked at the ground, "you have your… car wash… your money…"

Greg's eyes filled with tears, "you can't… you can't just replace your son with money…"

"I'm sorry Greg, I just… I understand but I don't…"

"I understand Pearl, that's why I'm politely asking you to leave and not waving a gun at you."

"Damn it Greg! I meant, I meant don't shoot yourself!"

"Why?"

"Because even though Steven isn't my son, I loved him too, and you loved him. I just…"

Greg's face drooped, he scratched the back of his head, "I get it Pearl. I just need a break."

"I… I understand. I'll go."

"Good night Pearl."

Pearl slowly waved back before walking away. Greg reached out and closed the van doors, before sitting down and looking at the floor. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead, buried his face into his hands, and started to cry.

Meanwhile, Pearl caught up to Connie and the two walked together, still grief stricken.

"He's never coming back, is he?" Connie asked.

Pearl ignored her.

"Pearl, is he coming back?"

"I don't know," Pearl replied.

"Well, it is a little late, can I stay at your place?" Connie asked.

"Fine," she replied, "nobody is going to even be using that house anyways."

"Thank you Pearl."

When the two were halfway to the beach house, they heard a familiar voice.

"Lars!? Lars!" shouted Sadie.

Connie rushed over to Sadie, "What's going on now?"

"I haven't seen Lars anywhere since we got off."

Pearl looked at Connie, "come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing him jump out."

"Oh no… he's still on the ship!" Sadie cried, "what am I going to tell his parents!?"

"What are Peridot and Lapis going to think of all this." Connie asked.

Pearl's eyes widened, "I think I know how we can get him back."

"You mean, Lapis can fly us to Homeworld?"

"Only us, Connie, you wouldn't survive space."

"What about Lion?"

"This is all great, guys, seriously, keep up the good work," Sadie said, awkwardly stepping into their conversation, "and, Connie, if you ever need anything, I'll be there for you, you can find me at the Big Donut when it's open."

"Thank you, Sadie." Connie said.

"Bye," Sadie said, nervously laughing, "I hope I don't get abducted… again…"

"Too soon…"

"I know, sorry… I'll just go." Sadie said, before walking off to conclude her search for Lars.

The two continued walking to the beach house, completely silent. It never struck them as to how attached they were to Steven. Pearl felt a sense of mourning with Steven's loss, she thought of him almost like a son, while Connie was best friends with Steven.

Connie remembered her last moments seeing Steven. She was screaming so loudly at that time that she never heard what he said, but she regardless, she knew what he said. I love you, he said, so many times, louder and louder, he told her to believe him, believe in his return.

Was it all a big lie to keep her happy?

How long before Steven can find his own way back?

Is he even coming back?

What will happen if I finally move on and he just returns.

How long has he felt this way about me?

I wish I knew how much he felt about me, maybe then I'd…

I've spent the last two years, liking him, and I was too stupid to see he liked me back.

I wish I told him how much I loved him.

How does he feel now? How does he feel about me?

I should have told him how much I needed him, how much I didn't want him to go.

I wanted to let him know that I would die for him.

I wish I told him that before he left.

All the questions, wishes, and regrets overwhelmed Connie's mind to the breaking point, she fell to the ground, looking at the sky, screaming at the top of her lungs, the acoustics of the mountain temple bouncing the noise off, making it audible for miles. It was so loud it would have woken everyone in the town from their sleep, including her parents.

"What was that?" her mother asked while erecting herself from bed.

"Doug?" she asked, "What was that? It sounded like Connie?"

"She's with Steven…"

"Doing… gem things?"

The two made no effort to get themselves ready, Priyanka was already in her nightgown and Doug quickly put on an old shirt and straightened out his briefs before running outside and getting into the car. They backed out of the driveway and sped off to the beach.

Meanwhile, at the temple, Pearl sat with Connie, trying her best to comfort her. Amethyst had heard the commotion and came down, and it wasn't long until Greg's van drove towards them and Lapis flew overhead with Peridot riding her shoulders.

"I hear Connie! Is she alright!" Priyanka said as she bolted out of her husband's car. Doug quickly followed, in a stained white shirt and briefs.

Priyanka shoved Amethyst and Pearl to the side, "out of my way!"

She stopped and quickly examined Connie who was still yelling, "Connie?" she called out, her voice shaking with fear, "can you hear me?"

"Calm down! She's just having a breakdown!" Greg explained as he left the van.

"What's going on? Where's Steven?" Peridot asked, looking for him.

Greg put his hands over his face again, knowing Peridot and Lapis were only going to make the situation worse with their naivety.

"Why is she having a breakdown? What happened here?" Priyanka asked frantically.

Doug cradled Connie, attempting to calm her down, but she continued to scream, tears running down her face. Finally, her voice cracked, flickered, and then died, she began to cough and hack up, and then looked around, seemingly confused.

Pearl stood up, "alright, since everyone's here, I best explain what's happening."

"You better! Or she'll never see Steven again!"

"Where is Steven!?" Peridot and Lapis asked in unison.

"Steven is… well…"

"He's dead!" Connie shouted, her voice dry and forced.

"No!"

"What do you mean he's dead?"

"He sacrificed himself to save us, Homeworld is now taking him back so he can face the crimes that his mother committed against the Diamonds."

"I'll save you Steven!" Lapis exclaimed poetically, before bolting into the sky, her water wings materializing, propelling her further in the air.

"Lapis! Hey Lapis! Wait up!" Peridot shouted.

Pearl started shaking her head in disbelief.

"Connie, you're coming home with us," Priyanka said, "we'll get you a therapist tomorrow."

"No!" Connie shouted, "I'm staying here!"

"You will not!"

"Yes I will!"

"Since Lapis and Steven are gone and I'm all alone, can I be the new Steven?" Peridot asked.

"No! I'm the new Steven!" Connie shouted, looking down, "but I'll never be as good as him."

What was originally an attempt at comforting Connie now became an enormous argument debating Peridot's likelihood of replacing Steven, Connie's mental state, letting Connie or Peridot stay for the night, and tearing down the beach house. It was in the heat of this argument, that finally, Garnet stepped out of the door.

"Everyone be quiet!" Garnet shouted from afar.

Everyone immediately quieted down.

"Connie and Peridot will be staying with us for now, nobody is going to be replacing Steven, and no Pearl, we are not tearing down the beach house!"

"But she's my daughter!" detested Priyanka.

"Your daughter is grieving over the loss of a loved one, she'll return when she's ready."

Pearl tried to make a statement, but was deterred when Garnet gave her a glare.

"Look, this is all great," Greg said, "but what about the bigger issue here, what is going to happen to Steven when he arrives on Homeworld, and how long will it be?"

Everyone looked at Peridot.

"I don't know, I'm a Kindergartener, ask Lapis."

Everyone looked at the sky.

Peridot sighed, "assuming the ship is using its gravity drive, Steven could already be there by now, if not, I would imagine it would take somewhere near a century to get there."

"A century!?" Greg and Connie shouted.

"Yes, but knowing how much the Diamonds will want him, they'll be using the gravity drive."

"What happens when he gets there?"

"Right, I'm not Lapis, but I'm pretty sure the Diamonds would want to hold trial immediately after they verify that this is the real Rose Quartz, they'll ask for gem facet and cut, but since Steven doesn't know that…"

"He won't be executed!" Connie screamed excitedly.

"Right… well, the problem is, you can still find that information, just not explicitly from the gem itself, most reverse gemetics aren't accurate, so they'd probably go back to the exit hole Rose Quartz was created in."

"Peridot, please." Greg stammered.

"Right," Peridot said, sighing, "since the Rebellion, all Rose Quartzes are shattered upon discovery, there are trials, but they are usually unanimous given the Diamond's opinion."

"You mean he could be dead by now?" Connie asked.

"Well, no, they have to verify he is a Rose Quartz, but since he said so, yes, he probably is."

"How long before Lapis gets to Homeworld?" Pearl asked.

"Five months."

Connie curled into a ball and buried her face into her knees. Doug and Priyanka looked at each other, then to Garnet, "we trust you, she can stay, but, we want to check on her when we can."

Garnet nodded, "of course, give her a week and she'll be back."

"A week? But she has school tomorrow!"

"Pearl and I will handle that if necessary."

Doug and Priyanka looked at each other again, "alright then."

The two waved at their daughter, who was still cradling herself, before going into their car and leaving. Greg waved them goodbye, and then continued listening to the discussion.

"Is there any way to get to Homeworld directly?" Garnet asked.

"The Galaxy Warp, but only Steven can fix that."

"The Diamonds still think the Cluster is active, could they send her back?" she asked again.

"No, they'd hold a public shattering, or worse."

"What's worse than shattering?" Connie asked.

"I don't know, but the Diamonds will do it."

Pearl paced around, "there needs to be some way we can intercept that ship…"