The gentle hum of the warp pad sounded, but was ignored by the girl resting on the floor nearby, book in hand and earbuds intact while she turned the page.

A boy, around 5'9 inches with dark curly hair and peach tanned skin appeared from the glowing blue circular platform with his arms spread out.

Opening his eyes, he gazed at the girl curled up, unknowing of his arrival and beamed at her. His pink organic jacket hung around her shoulders, and complemented her honey brown skin quite nicely.

"Connie...Hello? Anyone Home?" He asked, a cheeky smile on his face. When no response was received, he merely tapped her on the shoulder and was shocked by the reaction. He was flipped over and laid on his back, groaning.

"Oh My Stars! Steven! I'm so sorry!" She helped him off the floor and removed her earbuds. He merely chuckled and smiled at her slightly panicked expression.

"It's okay NiNi, I could tell you were lost in a good book."

"If you can call Calculus a good book." She grimaced, picking up the book where she had discarded it from the floor. She sighed and stuffed it into her duffel bag, placing his jackets overtop through the straps.

"What's Up? Junior Year not as easy as you predicted?" He inquired, hands in his pockets as he shrugged.

"Eh. Not so bad when I get to see My "Magical Space Boyfriend" as some have referred to you as." She joked, giving him a teasing smile when his cheeks grew a blushed pink.

"Boyfriend? I like the sound of that." He leaned towards her, and she took his hand in hers as the two got closer and closer before her ringtone sounded off.

"Ugh!" She groaned, grabbing her phone from her pocket and replying to the message. "It was my mom, Sorry about that Biscuit."

"No problem Berry, Get Going. Want me to walk you out?" He asked, to which she shook her head and gestured to the sword sticking out of the bag, sheathed just in case.

"I'll be fine Steven. Besides, it's not that far from here to the edge of the beach, I thank you for your kind offer." She gave a quick bow, and he returned with a similar gesture, rising her hand to his lips and placing a kiss on the back.

"Your company is exquisite as always My Knight." He watched her face flush a deep rouge color, and chortled at her.

"My My, Is My Fearless Knight a little flustered by my advances?" He asked, a flirty undertone as she bit her lip and clutched her duffel bag a little tighter.

"May...Maybe...I'm not used to you being so...forward..." Connie responded, her eyes casted down at the floor. He gently pulled her into an embrace and squeezed her.

"If I made you uncomfortable then you can tell me. Your Feelings are important to me Connie..."

"No You didn't. I'm just not as good at schmaltzy stuff as you are." They pulled away and Connie crossed her arms, looking away in embarrassment for a moment before whirling around and kissing his cheek, hand pressed against his chest.

A large grin filled her features and she raced down the stairs, shouting a goodbye as she left. The boy stood stunned for a moment until a similar expression came onto his face and he raced to the open window, shouting down to her.

"Tell Everyone at Your School that Space used to be really scary and dangerous but it's great now!" It came out rushed and his blush grew prominent in response but her own response made his heart swell.

"I Will!"

As Connie made her way past the rock, turning a corner, she was lost in thought as she realized what she did. She had kissed Steven Quartz Universe on the cheek. A text lit up her phone and she smiled at the message.

Biscuit: hey Strawberry! Meet me at a skating rink in a few hours?

She replied back, her mom's car in view as she typed her response.

BerryBaby: Yeah! It's a date!

~~~

Steven bounced off his heels anxiously as he held his arms behind his back. He had his jacket on and replaced his blue shirt for a black one with his iconic yellow star in the middle and sneakers replaced his normal red flip flops.

"Steven!"

He turned to see Connie running towards him, her eyes lighting up as she got closer to him. Her outfit was breathtaking, as was anything she wore, but the combination of her dark teal sleeveless turtleneck with high waisted jean shorts made him feel like he was floating without even leaving the ground.

"Connie!" He embraced her as she jumped into his arms. The softness of her hair was prominent, as was the hint of some type of scent he couldn't identify for a moment before smiling a sly smile. "Lavender Tonight, Love?"

She giggled, "Yep." Steven took her arm in his and lead her to the door, opening it. Once they were inside, they spent the next hour enjoying each other's company while being blissfully unaware of the dangers before them.

Something akin to a blast happened outside and the wall bursted open, showcasing a new gem that Steven hadn't encountered before until now.

"Um, you could've used the door?" He asked them, and the gem, a rusty orange with splotchy patches of black and gray along their form with a gemstone the same way on the back of their hand, growled at him.

"So this is where the fabled "Steven Universe" hides from his mistakes. Shame you reveal your weaknesses so easily that it's not even hard to determine what they are."

"And you are?" Steven inquired, standing from where he had been sitting with Connie by his side.

"Unakite. I was a general under Yellow Diamond's court system until you stole it all away! And that's what I'm talking about! You care more about those fragile humans and defective off-colors! I wonder how everyone will react once they find out just how weak you really are..." Unakite threatened, and Steven was taken off guard by the bipedal robo-noids that spilled through the hole and he engaged in combat with them, drawing his shield.

As Connie lead everyone to safety, she didn't notice the gem until they pounced on her and slammed their mace in front of her, knocking the girl onto her back. The mace was placed against her chest and they leaned down near her face.

"Heh...Look at you...Your Steven's...what would Earthlings describe it...oh Right, His Princess...Is that what you are? Steven's Princess?"

Connie grunted, her hand gripping the weapon and trying to pry it off her chest. She glared up at them before replying, "I'm His Knight." She proclaimed, and Unakite chortled at her declaration.

"Doesn't matter to me...You're His. Which means you're coming with me..."

Steven had been dog piled by a few of the robo-noids and under the cluster of them came a pink light and he shot out from them, shoving them away with his shield as he spun it around and sliced through at least five of their heads, sparks flying from the electric wiring.

In a flash and flick of his wrist, his shield was gone and he held his hands in a passive manner, though his expression showed one of rare anger and frustration.

And with that, Steven was left alone, dismantled robo-noids scattered about and a heavy heart residing in his chest. He lowered his arms, clenching his hands into fists as his anger grew.

He didn't register the neon pink glow of his skin, nor the arrival of the Gems, but he acknowledged them once someone spoke to him.

"Steven! What happened? Where's Connie? Are you alright?" The frantic worrying tone of Pearl shocked him from his stupor and he looked up at her. She had her hands on his face, checking him over for injuries as he replied.

"I...I don't know..."

Garnet, who had been clearing debris left by the battle, walked over, a grim expression on her face. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady him as Pearl moved to the side, letting Garnet had Steven's full attention.

"Steven..." She began, and the hybrid noticed the tear streaks down her face behind her golden visor. "I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner...If I had I would've suggested you both to stay home."

"What did you see?"

"It's Connie...It was completely inconceivable until now Steven I promise you. But She's hurt and in a lot of trouble. All we can do right now is hope to find her soon before they do something."

"I've Got To Help Her!" Steven was about to run past them to look for her, but was stopped by Garnet's tight grip. There was no way she was letting him go like this. Not against them of all gems.

"YOU CAN'T-" Garnet cut herself off and took a deep breath. "Steven if you rush off now it'll put Connie in more danger than she already is."

"I- Garnet What did you see?!" He demanded, he could feel the heat signaling his skin was that pink glow until he took a shaky breath to fade it away for the moment.

"I- I saw..." She stopped, Steven noting that she got choked up. He took another breath, reminding himself that Connie was important to the Gems too.

"Garnet, What did you see? Garnet! Where's Connie? I Need To Find Her!"

"Steven!" Pearl scolded, but the hybrid kept his gaze fixated on the taller square headed fusion. "Garnet is doing her best! This is a stressful situation for all of us!"

"No No Pearl. It's alright. Steven has a right to be upset with me. The blame falls squarely on me. I have Future Vision! I'm supposed to prevent these things from happening but I couldn't prevent them when they count."

Garnet gestured to him and spoke with a grim tone. "It's time we tell you about Black Onyx and The Remnants."

~~~

Far away, in a fortress hidden from the knowledge of the galaxy on a planet just as hidden trudged in Unakite with a knocked out Connie being dragged behind her.

Unakite threw Connie in front of her, the light from the windows extenuating her features as a figure shrouded in darkness sat on top a throne.

"As Requested."

"You've served your purpose Unakite, Join Your Division until further instruction."

"What of the human?"

The figure peered down at Connie, a sphere of black replacing the gem's left eye. Three more figures had emerged from the shadows, only their silhouettes and eyes showing as the figure responded.

"We'll deal with her. Dismissed."

~~~