"Pearl!" Connie Maheswaran yelled in the seemingly empty house of the Crystal Gems. "I'm here for sword practice!" She said. She took out the sword in her bag and began swishing it around a few times, making sure she hadn't somehow forgotten her fighting moves overnight.

She had been a skilled fighter for quite some time, and it was no secret that she loved being taught by Pearl. She was a master swordsman-- err-- swordswoman. But the best practice was when she would fight alongside Steven, who was always excited to be by her side.

Thinking about Steven made Connie blush and smile to herself. Steven didn't know this, but Connie liked Steven. Not only as a friend and companion, but something more. Ever since they first met, something clicked inside her and she wanted to know more about him. As their friendship continued to blossom, all she could think about was hanging out with him. And they had been on plenty of adventures together. They were jam buds, best friends, and allies in the field of battle. What more could Connie want? Well, she could answer that question easily. She wanted Steven to be her partner.

"Pearl!" She called again, holding her hand up to her mouth to try and amplify her voice. Was she not home? And where were the other gems?

Suddenly, that question was answered when Garnet and Amethyst soon walked in, but something seemed off.

"Hey, guys! Have you seen Pearl? We were supposed to practice our fighting today. I was also planning to do some new techniques with Stevonnie." She said, her eyes lighting up with anticipation.

The two gems walked to the couch and sat down. Amethyst patted the spot next to her.

"Mind sitting down for a sec? We gotta tell ya something." The purple gem spoke.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Connie said awkwardly, putting the sword down and taking her seat on the couch.

"It's about Steven... and Pearl." Garnet said, pausing before uttering Pearl's name.

"Oh, it's alright if we can't practice right now. I understand. Are Pearl and Steven on a mission right now? When will they be coming back?" She asked.

"Connie," Garnet said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "They won't be coming back. I'm sorry to tell you this, but Steven is dead."

The two gems sat, awkwardly waiting for a response from Connie. Surprisingly, she didn't say a word, instead putting her head down and covering her face. She did not cry, somehow, and spoke softly.

"He's dead?" She asked.

They both nodded, and Amethyst spoke up.

"I know it's hard to realize but--"

"I know, I know." Connie said, now letting a sob pass from her mouth. "I'm never going to see him again. How did he... you know?"

"Do you want me to tell you the entire story? Or do you want me to be short and sweet?" Garnet inquired, passing her a box of tissues.

"Tell me everything. Maybe it'll help me understand and come to terms." She said. The two gems wondered how Connie was so calm. Sure she was crying, but she still had a normal voice.

"Alright. Pearl told us this. It is hard to believe, but she planned to kill Steven. She had taken him with her on a mission, and he was attacked by a gem beast. He was in bad condition, but instead of helping, she just left him to die. We never thought Pearl would do something like this." Garnet explained.

"Why did she do this?" Connie asked, looking up at the red gem with teary eyes.

"She wanted to get revenge, at least that's what she said." Amethyst spoke. "She missed Rose a lot and thought that Steven took Rose away from her. She knew killing him wouldn't make her return, but it made her feel better to know that he was gone."

Connie sat there in complete shock. Pearl, the gem who had been training her for so long, had killed her best friend just because she was attached to his mother. But hadn't she gotten over her? And what did his father think?

"Where is Pearl?" She then asked, not that she wanted to see her. She couldn't face her even if she had to.

"You're not going to see her for a while. We had to make sure she wouldn't do this again, so we made her retreat into her gem, and then we bubbled her. We couldn't do something like shatter her. It wouldn't be morally right."

"You know what isn't morally right? Not taking revenge on Steven's killer!" Connie said while standing up, the sadness dissipating and turning into a feeling of anger. Tears streamed down her face. "Pearl killed Steven, left him to die! And you think it was wrong not to end her once and for all?! I thought she was a nice gem, that she would never do something like this, and she goes and kills him!"

"We know Steven was your best friend, but--"

"Best friend?! Best friend?! Steven and I were very close, and even though he never knew it, I-- I--" Connie stuttered. " I loved him! And now he's gone! Gone forever! And now I'll never be able to tell him how I feel. It's all Pearl's fault! And it's not just my life she ruined. Steven was close with nearly everyone in Beach City, everyone knew him! What will they think when they realize he's been left for dead by someone who was so close to him. I just can't believe that." She ended her sentence with a loud yell of pain, followed by more crying. The noise filled the room. If gems ears could be damaged, they would be by now.

Of course, Connie's tantrum caused the two gems to start crying along with her. Amethyst got up from the couch to hug her, as well as Garnet.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Amethyst apologized, holding on to the shaken girl in her arms. Garnet removed her glasses and revealed a steady stream of tears. Everybody hugged each other in grief.

Even if their losses were separate, at this moment they were closer than ever.