(The star iris from "Jail Break" opens up, showing the Crystal Gems again, standing in front of the burning wreckage of the Gem Warship and looking out to sea, after Malachite dragged herself into the ocean. Steven is still on his phone with Connie from the previous episode.)

PEARL: That could have gone... a lot worse. smiles

GARNET: Could have gone a lot better too.

(Garnet looks at the burning broken pieces of the warship scattered all around the Lighthouse hill and the Crystal Temple.)

CONNIE: through Steven's phone Steven? I got your message. ...Steven? What happened?

AMETHYST: We won!

(Amethyst grabs Steven by surprise and twirls him around in joy. Lion inches in and nuzzles Steven.)

CONNIE: on phone, from her home Is that Amethyst? Ah... what's going on? You said that there's some kind of giant space hand and you
all may die?

AMETHYST: yells through the phone* Wooohooo! Ye-he-he-he! *noogies Steven

STEVEN: Connie! You're not going to believe what happened. Where do I even start?!

AMETHYST: off screen I see you, P!

STEVEN: It's been a madhouse over here.

(Lion walks away and leaps off. Amethyst hugs Pearl over-exaggeratedly)
PEARL: Amethyst! That's enough celebrating.

(Greg then arrives around the corner in his van.)

STEVEN: Huh?

GREG: STEVEN!

STEVEN: Dad! turns to Connie on the phone* Connie I-I have to go. I promise I'll call you back. *hangs up his phone Dad's back! Dad's
back! runs towards Greg

GREG: running to Steven* Oh! Thank goodness you're okay! *hugs Steven tightly Mmmmm! I saw the spaceship start to leave and then it
crashed so I came back and... sees Steven's black eye Ohhh... Your eye... But you're okay! I guess those jerks were no match for the
Crystal Gems!

STEVEN: No way, they were super strong!

GREG: But you were able to beat them back?

STEVEN: No. They totally stomped us! This warrior, Jasper, was super beefy and knocked me unconscious. Then they abducted me onto the
ship because they wanted to take me away forever. And then we crashed the ship and I almost died!

GREG: increasingly worried and panicked What did they want with you?!

STEVEN: They think I'm Mom.
GREG: stammering A-are more Homeworld Gems gonna come after you?

STEVEN: I... uh... I don't know. Maybe?

GREG: clearly distraught* Steven. I-I'm supportive and very proud of you. And I'll be right back. *runs back into his van Got to calm
down. Where's my... picks up lots of CDs from the back of the van* Where's my relaxing music CD? This one? puts a CD in the radio,
and death metal music starts to play Wrong one! Stop! Eject! *punches the radio and tries to calm down

(Steven watches the commotion as Greg tries to calm himself down, when his phone starts to ring again, realizing it is Connie. He looks
back at his clearly-panicking dad as his van breaks down.)

[Time Skip - Morning]

(Steven is walking along the beach, staring at Connie's contact on his phone and mumbling to himself.)

STEVEN: Now Connie. Please don't freak out. But a giant laser hand tried to steal me into space. But it didn't, it didn't. I'm back and
everything is fine... now...

(Steven approaches the Big Donut and realizes the glass door and windows are broken. He starts running away when his phone rings again.
He continues mumbling to him, not picking up the call.)

STEVEN: Um... Connie. Funny story. As it turns out, there's a lot more Gems out there than we thought. And I think they wanna... kill
me? Aghhh! Ughhh!

(Steven walks along the boardwalk when he accidentally trips over a broken parts of the Gem warship. He looks around and see the
boardwalk area littered in rubble and pieces of the warship. His phone rings again, startling him.)
STEVEN: chuckles nervously* Hey Connie that... that message I left you was— was just a dream. *chuckles Eh, she's too smart for
that...

(Steven runs away from the scene. He starts treading up a hill overlooking Beach City, panting heavily and irritated by his phone
constantly. He then looks around the hill and observes the broken wreckage of the Gem warship on the beach in discomfort.)

Ronaldo: appears from behind Yooo!

STEVEN: Oh! Hey Ronaldo.

Ronaldo: Didn't you hear? Mayor Dewey is calling everyone back into the city. We can go home now. looks at the sky

(Steven looks at Ronaldo sadly.)

Ronaldo: Oh! I see... you come up here to brood too.

STEVEN: Brood?

Ronaldo: Yes, Steven. That's just what people like us do. Suffer quietly, shouldering the knowledge no one else can bear.

STEVEN: Hm.

Ronaldo: As an aficionado of the weird yourself, you've probably noticed ordinary people fear the cold, leaded anchor of the truth. The
abyss is no Sunday swan drive.

STEVEN: I know! My dad flipped out when I told him.

Ronaldo: sternly Sounds typical. But it's a good reminder. This is no easy path we've chosen here. There are... sacrifices. Look at
them all down there, Steven. points towards Beach City It's our duty to let those simple people live out their simple lives, without
ever knowing the burden of being friends with us.

STEVEN: At least we can be there for each other.

Ronaldo: Is that giant hand from the sky sitting right in the middle of the beach?! I gotta get some of this for my blog!

(Ronaldo runs off. Steven continues staring out from the Brooding Hill and he starts to sing "Full Disclosure".)

STEVEN: Everybody told me Gem stuff's dangerous. / I guess I didn't believe it until now, / Dad always seemed apprehensive, / And now
he's really freaking out, / What do I do? / I don't want that for you. ♫

(Steven's phone then starts ringing again. Steven quickly retrieves it from his pocket and places it away, covering his ears. The phone
eventually stops ringing, and Steven keeps singing.)

STEVEN: ♫ Everybody tells me life is precious. / On the planet Earth, and that means you, / And I have to protect you. / What if
somehow you get hurt? / What do I do? / I don't want that for you. ♫

(Steven's phone rings again, and Steven, dropping his phone in panic, keeps singing to the tune of his ringtone.)

STEVEN: ♫ Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... ♫

(Steven keeps staring from the Brooding Hill in deep stress, as he thinks back about the events in "The Return" and "Jail Break".)

STEVEN: ♫ What am I gonna tell you? / You're better off not knowing the trouble I'm in. / I don't want you to worry about what I've
just seen, / About where I've just been. / You don't have to be a part of this, / I don't think I want you to be. / You don't need
this. / You don't need me... ♫

(Steven's phone starts ringing again.)

STEVEN: ♫ Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... / Wo-o-o-o-oh... /
Wo-o-o-o-oh... ♫

(As Steven's song concludes, Steven picks up his phone, stares out to the warship wreckage, and finally decides to swipe the "Decline"
icon on his phone, ignoring Connie's call. He then puts on a determined facade and walks off the Brooding Hill.)

[Trans. Int. Beach House.]

(The Crystal Gems are back inside Steven's home. The Gems are already discussing the next course of action, while Steven is staring out
the windows.)

AMETHYST: Oh, come on.

GARNET: No whining. We need to start cleaning up debris.

PEARL: Garnet's right. People are already coming back into town.

STEVEN: We've got to keep them off the beach. If any humans got access to gem technology, they could really hurt themselves. *closes
the window blinds* Maybe we should shut them out. For good.

PEARL: You know... We did once have a fence. Let's get a new one. With barbed wire!

AMETHYST: This time, let's build a moat. I could be... shapeshifts her head into a crocodile The crocodile! Jazz hands!

GARNET: No.

AMETHYST: Why not?

PEARL: You always say you'll be the crocodile, but you never commit!

(Amethyst shapeshifts her head back to normal.)

GARNET: No fence either.

Pearl & AMETHYST: Garnet!

GARNET: Steven needs to see his father and his friends.

STEVEN: No, I don't! I can't keep clinging to the vestiges of my humanity. It's time I got serious.

(Steven's phone rings again in his pocket, causing him to cringe and moan.)

PEARL: Steven? Why is your communication device making that sound?

STEVEN: It's Connie, trying to call me, but I can't face her anymore.

PEARL: So you're just going to ignore her, forever?

STEVEN: It's the responsible thing to do.

AMETHYST: peeking thorough the blinds It's gonna be hard, 'cause she's coming up the steps right now.

STEVEN: What?!

(Connie climbs up the stairs to the Beach House and knocks on the door. Pearl comes and opens it.)

PEARL: Oh! Hello, Connie...

CONNIE: Is Steven home?

(While Pearl and Connie are talking, Steven tries to sneak out the window and past behind Connie.)

PEARL: No...

CONNIE: Is he okay? I'm just really worried. He hasn't been answering his phone. What's going on?

PEARL: Uh... I-I don't know. I don't understand your human relationships. So... uhm... goodbye! shuts the door

(Connie moans in dismay as she walks to the porch, and sees Steven running on the beach.)

CONNIE: Steven!

(Connie gives chase as Steven runs towards the warship wreckage, panting heavily.)

CONNIE: Steven!

(Steven runs into a broken corridor of the Gem Warship, and Connie follows suit. When she emerges thought it, she cannot find Steven
anywhere, not knowing he is hiding behind a broken finger of the ship.)

CONNIE: Steven? Steven?! Are you in trouble? Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong? (Steven moans.) Why are you avoiding me?
(Steven moans and slouches even more.) Uuuuuhh...

(Connie takes out her phone and dials for Steven. Steven's phone then starts ringing but Steven immediately hangs it up. There is a
brief silence as Connie keeps looking around.)

CONNIE: Steven, I know you're here! Why are you hiding from me?

(Steven takes a deep breath and texts a message on his phone to Connie.)

CONNIE: reads from her phone "I don't wanna be friends anymore"?

(Connie, slightly dismayed, dials Steven again. Steven's phone rings again and Steven finally picks it up.)

CONNIE: Steven?

STEVEN: I can't be with you anymore, I have a destiny.

CONNIE: Say it to my face! Say you don't want to be friends anymore! If you can do that... If you can do that, I'll leave you alone.
And I'll just go back to having no friends. starts tearing up But I won't believe it until you say it to my face!

(Connie gasps as she sees Steven climbing atop the finger piece, with a shadow casted over his face. He grunts as he leaps off the
finger and stand in front of Connie.)

CONNIE: Well?

STEVEN: slowly lifts his face, crying heavily I still wanna be friends!

CONNIE: gasps Steven, your eye! What happened to you?

STEVEN: I didn't want you to worry about it.

CONNIE: I've been worried sick all day, what do you think I'm doing here?

STEVEN: I just wanted to protect you.

CONNIE: Stop. Just tell me everything.

[Steven sniffles as he receives a hug from Connie.]

[Time Skip — Later that day]

(Steven and Connie are sitting on the beach, discussing everything that had happened.)

CONNIE: So, Lapis and Jasper are somewhere underwater.

STEVEN: Yeah, and... Peridot escaped while the ship was coming down. She could be anywhere.

CONNIE: That is a lot to take in.

STEVEN: Are you okay?

CONNIE: Are you okay? You're the one that's been through everything. The least I could do is just listen.

STEVEN: I can't ask you to do that.

CONNIE: I want to, Steven. I want to be a part of your universe.

(Greg then comes driving in on his van.)

GREG: Kiddo! There you are! Oh hey Connie, do you need a ride home?

STEVEN: Oh, Dad, are you doing okay?

GREG: I got it out of my system. I'm back to being your cool dad.

(Greg begins driving Steven and Connie through Beach City, as life, as long with its citizens, is slowly returning back into town. Greg then drives out of the town, and the star iris zooms in on the back of the van, ending the episode.)

[END]