Cracked- an evil Steven Universe au

He's Gone

Connie opened the screen door to Steven's house slowly. Her eyes were fixed to the floor, but she heard the gems rise to their feet. She looked up.
Pearl looked exhausted, confused and scared.
Amethyst couldn't even look up at her.
Garnet looked deeply upset.
All the gems looked a little hopeful when Connie had entered, but they realized He wasn't with her, and they went back to their exhausted and worried looks. Pearl was the first to speak.
"Did you check little Homeworld again? Did you call the diamonds?" Pearl began to blurt desperate questions. Garnet gently quieted her. Connie took a deep breath.
"I checked everywhere. No one in town has even seen him in a month." Connie almost whispered. She knew the gems were dissapointed; she could tell without even looking.
"Maybe it's time to accept he'll come back on his own." Connie continued. She had to be the one to say it. The gems wouldn't be able to admit it to themselves. Amethyst fell backwards onto the couch.
"At least Lapis is still looking." She commented, shifting slightly to look out the window. Lapis was a bright blue dot in the sky over little homeworld, searching where the others couldn't.
"We could still be looking. Where have we not checked? Connie may have missed a place or skimmed over him, and-" Pearl rambled on. Connie took a deep breath to keep from screaming.
"We've been over this," she took out her crumpled list, "i visited every place on this list you made for me. If anyone forgot something, it's you." She told Pearl bitterly. Amethyst frowned deeply.
"Didn't he crack his gem?"
The others nodded.
"So maybe he went to Rose's fountain." She said passively. The group stared at her, and then at Connie. Their eyes were alight with hope.
"Yes. We haven't checked there." Connie replied breathlessly.

Connie was out the back door before the gems could say anything else. Amethyst followed. Connie tried to insist going on her own, so Steven could see her first. Amethyst gave in.
"Look, fine. Here's a warp whistle. Stand on the warp and use it." Amethyst tossed it into the air. She was already walking away when Connie caught it. Connie moved it around in her hands, studying it for a brief second. Then she stood on the smooth blue circle, and played a little tune. She immediately closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she saw the once beautiful sanctuary in complete ruin. It was dull and gray.
"That's weird..." She said to herself, walking through a tangle of brambles torn open to about the size of a sixteen year old boy who was as tall as her.
"He's been here!" She exclaimed, running inside.

There was a stagnant pool of a strange gray-pink liquid. She saw a crack in the side of the pool, about the size of an angry fist slamming down. She was about to call out for Steven when she heard a shift of the brambles behind her. She turned around quickly, drawing her sword.
"Put it down, Connie." He said in a strange tone, his voice dry from dehydration. Connie dropped the sword in the blink of an eye and hugged him tightly. He didn't hug back.
"You've been gone since the fight! We have to get you to the gems, they'll want to-" Steven cut her off quickly.
"No."
"I... What?"
"I'm not going." He hissed a second time. Connie took a step back.
"Steven? This isn't like you. Let me see your gem." She reached out a hand, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Don't touch me." He growled. She tried to yank from his grip but he held her tightly.
"Come on." He pulled her towards the fountain. She gave Steven a confused look and stared into the water.
"Steven? I don't-" A hard shove cut her off as her face plunged into the filthy water. I must have tripped! She thought, trying to keep from swallowing the filthy water. She started to pull her head out, but there was a firm and steady hand on the back of her head. She began to scream, gargling water, to no avail. Steven was drowning her.
Steven was drowning her!
She heard a muffled voice, her lungs begging for air.
"Quit thrashing. I'm not going to kill you!" Steven snapped, scaring her. It didn't matter what he said, she already felt herself losing consciousness. The world went black.