After telling Toddler Garnet the heartwarming tale of the very first time he and Baby Connie met, Baby Steven was very pleased with how Toddler Garnet approved of the story. However… in that story… there was 1 part that was NOT told… until now.
“And that is how Connie and I became best friends!” Baby Steven smiled proudly, finishing the first part of the story from earlier.
“That was beautiful, Steven.” Toddler Garnet approved with her smile.
“Aww!” Baby Steven blushed in awe. “Thank you!”
“Now, about that playdate?” Toddler Garnet wondered curiously.
“Well…” Baby Steven began, commencing the second part of the story.
(Memory Sequence)
It was the day after Connie and I met. Daddy was about to tell me some very pleasing news!
It all started the very next morning when Baby Steven woke up from his crib after a very heartwarming and sweet dream with him and his new best friend, Baby Connie, playing in an imaginative land in his mind. Baby Steven let out a tiny yawn as he rubbed his tiny eyes while his star-shaped pacifier was in his mouth. Not so long afterwards, Greg, his father, came into his room to see that his baby son was already awake.
“There’s my little schtu-ball!” Greg chuckled as he ruffled Baby Steven’s hair, causing a few giggles. “Morning, Steven!”
“Morning, daddy!” Baby Steven smiled.
“Are you excited about your playdate today?” Greg asked him.
But the thing was that Greg actually kept it as a surprise until that moment. Because of this, Baby Steven was very curious, intrigued, and most of all, excited.
“Ooh!” Baby Steven gasped excitedly, squishing his cheeks with his little hands. “Who's coming over? Peedee? Sadie? Sour Cream?”
“You’re gettin’ there, son!” Greg chuckled. “Someone that you’ll love to play with! For sure!”
“Well… who is coming over, daddy?” Baby Steven wondered.
“Remember that little girl you met on the beach yesterday?” Greg asked.
Baby Steven gasped upon realizing who he was talking about. “Connie?!”
“Yep! She’s coming over today!” Greg excitedly replied. “I talked to her parents and they're coming over to see how I handle looking after her and how you’ll handle playing with her. Because if everything works out, you’ll get to play with Connie everyday when her parents are at work!”
This made Baby Steven feel EVEN MORE excited! “Wow! She'll come here nearly every day?!”
“Well… except for weekends, of course.” Greg added. “But if it all goes well, you’ll get to have a new playmate! How awesome would THAT be?!”
“Very!” Baby Steven happily answered, standing up in his crib and bouncing up and down for joy. “I can't wait for Connie to get here!”
“Whoa-ho-ho there! Easy, schtu-ball!” Greg laughed at his son's bubbly energy. “You don't wanna break the crib!”
“Oh. Whoops!” Baby Steven giggled as he stopped and sat back down on his blanket. “Sorry, daddy.”
“Don't worry about it, son.” Greg understood. “Now, let's get you dressed, fed and washed up for your first playdate with Connie!”
“OKAY!” Baby Steven happily allowed before he got lifted up out of the crib to begin his morning routine.
After getting a warm and bubbly bath, being put in his favorite t-shirt, a new diaper, and eating a bowl of Tasty! oat cereal and a sippy-cup of low-fat milk for breakfast, Baby Steven was now all ready and looking good to have his very first playdate with Baby Connie!
“Daddy?” Baby Steven asked politely as he was sitting on the couch in the living room. “Do you know when Connie will get here?”
“Her mom just called me a couple minutes ago.” Greg answered. “She said that she and Connie will be here at 12:00.”
“Okay.” Baby Steven understood. “Can you get some snacks ready for us in the meantime?”
“I'm doing that right now, Steven.” Greg answered as he was searching through the cabinets. “Does cheese sticks, pretzels, baby carrots and durian juice sound good to you both?”
“Yeah! Those can work!” Baby Steven approved. “I'll go upstairs and get some toys set up for me and Connie to play with!”
“Good idea!” Greg agreed. “But I'll help you upstairs, kiddo. Don't want you falling and getting hurt.”
“Thanks, daddy.” Baby Steven appreciated as he was picked up and brought upstairs to prepare for Baby Connie's playdate.
For the next few minutes, the Universes decided to get a few toys and snacks ready for both Baby Steven and Baby Connie to play and eat during the duration of their playdate for the day. Baby Steven even grabbed his favorite dolls, being both M.C. Bear Bear and his Lion doll that was created by the late Rose Quartz. Greg was busy making sure all of the snacks and drinks were ready for Baby Connie.
“And… there!” Baby Steven smiled. “Everything is ready! Even this flower I made from construction paper and pipe-cleaners is ready. I just hope Connie likes it.”
“Maybe she will!” Greg nodded, placing some of the snacks down on the plastic table. “She should be here right about... now.”
And luckily, it was that precise time! After Greg finished his statement, they both heard a couple knocks at the front door! Everything was all ready and set up just in time!
“She's here!” Baby Steven cheered. “She's here! Come on, Daddy! Let's go let them in!”
And so, Greg proceeded to carry his son in one of his arms as he opened the door with the other arm. And sure enough, both Priyanka and Doug were at the porch, along with Baby Connie with them as well.
“Hello, Greg.” Priyanka greeted. “Hello there, Steven.”
“Hi, Steven!” Baby Connie smiled.
“Hi, Connie!” Baby Steven happily smiled back as they waved to each other. “I made this flower for you!”
Baby Connie gasped in surprise upon seeing such a lovely flower. “Aww! For me?!”
“Yep! For you!” Baby Steven happily replied as he handed it to her.
“Thank you!” Baby Connie smiled in awe.
“Ready for your playdate, Sweetie?” Doug asked his daughter.
“Yeah!” Baby Connie replied joyfully as they both were brought upstairs to Baby Steven's room.
“Have fun, kids.” Priyanka smiled to them both. “We'll be downstairs if you need us.”
“Okay.” they both understood.
After the adults left them alone to play together, Baby Steven and Baby Connie looked at each other again with their adorable smiles on their faces. The time for them had finally arrived. Their very first playdate was now ready to begin. Understandably, Baby Connie was amazed upon seeing Baby Steven's playroom.
“Whoa!” Baby Connie gasped. “This is your room?!”
“Yeah!” Baby Steven joyfully replied. “You like it?”
“I LOVE it!” Baby Connie happily answered. “Mind if I looked around for a bit?”
“Sure!” Baby Steven applied. “Go right ahead!”
And so, Baby Connie curiously explored Baby Steven’s colossal room and was amazed by each and every single thing that was around her! As she was looking around, Baby Steven started to think about something to himself.
“Connie really seems to like it here…” He thought. “I just hope that this playdate is perfect for her! I've got to do whatever it takes to make sure she's having the most fun time she'd ever have! So, daddy can be her babysitter and we can play together every week! I can’t fail her!”
So, he began to think about what he can do to make sure that Baby Connie would have the BEST time she’d ever have with someone, which was a very big first… for BOTH of them! As he was doing that, Baby Connie was trying to reach for a book to read that was put in the bookshelf.
“Hmm…” Baby Connie wondered. “I can’t… reach…”
Baby Steven continued to look around the room until he came across his Lion plush toy and remembered.
“Oh yeah!” Baby Steven said in remembrance. “Connie! Wanna check out one of my plush toys?”
“Really?” Baby Connie wondered curiously.
“Sure!” Baby Steven smiled as his new friend waddled over to him. “I think you will like this!”
And at that moment, he revealed his stuffed Lion plush doll, to which Baby Connie was quite surprised about.
“Ooh!” Baby Connie gasped in surprise.
“This is Lion!” Baby Steven explained. “My mommy made this for me before I was born!”
“Aww! How sweet!” Baby Connie blushed in awe. “I love that pink color she gave him! It looks beautiful!”
“Thank you!” Baby Steven appreciated with a smile. “You wanna feel his mane?”
“Sure!” Baby Connie approved as she gently placed her little hand on the bright-pink fur and started to ruffle her fingers through it. “Ooh! It's really soft! It’s like that feeling I get when the grass is beneath my toes!”
“It is!” Baby Steven nodded in agreement.
“Hey, Steven?” Baby Connie wondered. “Where Is your mom anyway? I would love to meet her!”
But that was the tragic part. Only Baby Steven could frown sadly, knowing what Greg had told him. He didn’t even have the heart to tell her the sad news, but he couldn't just leave her question unanswered, so he decided to explain what his dad told him.
“Well…” Baby Steven sadly sighed. “My… mom… is gone.”
“Oh…” Baby Connie gasped in surprise. “I’m… I’m sorry that she died.”
“No, no, no. She didn't die exactly.” Baby Steven explained further. “It’s because… of this.”
And for the very first time… the secret was revealed. Baby Steven revealed his special part, that being his gorgeous and shiny quartz gemstone on his belly button.
“Whoa!” Baby Connie gasped. “Is that… some kind of gem?!”
“My mommy had this.” Baby Steven said. “But I was told that her and I… can’t exist together. So, she became me. So… I'm kinda a magical baby. Well... half magic on my mom's side.”
“You mean… she was magical or something?!” Baby Connie gasped in complete surprise.
“Well…” Baby Steven explained even further. “My mom was a member of this team she made called the Crystal Gems. They fought monsters and protected humanity from space threats and stuff.”
“Oh!” Baby Connie smiled. “That's kinda like my daddy! He's a cop! Well... more like a private security guard.”
“That’s cool!” Baby Steven approved before returning his focus to their playdate. “Anywho, what do you wanna play, Connie? Blocks? Pass the Ball? Draw? Pretend?”
“Actually…” Baby Connie thought. “I was wondering if I could…”
“Oh, wait!” Baby Steven paused. “I think I have the perfect idea for what we can do together. Follow me!”
Baby Connie was a little surprised to see Baby Steven in quite an ecstatic mood, but understood how happy he was to be by her side. So, she proceeded to follow him to figure out what he wanted to play.
“How about we do blocks first?” Baby Steven suggested. “Then play Pass the Ball, do some drawing after that, and so on and so on!”
“Okay!” Baby Connie understood as they both sat down on the floor and started building a bunch of towers together with their blocks.
Meanwhile downstairs in the living room, Greg was still having a conversation with Doug and Priyanka about how they manage time with their kids and their jobs.
“For quite some time, after Connie was born, I was given permission to look after her for the first few weeks we had her.” Priyanka explained while sipping some tea from her cup. “Even Doug helped me out from time to time.”
“She had a few surprises for us!” Doug admitted. “Before my wife went back to work, Connie walked to her!”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful!” Greg smiled. “I remember when Steven took HIS first steps! Man… time goes by fast.”
“I wonder how the kids are getting along…” Doug wondered.
“I’m sure Steven’s doing very well.” Greg replied. “He was quite pleased to see Connie!”
Back upstairs, both Baby Steven and Baby Connie were playing to their heart's content! After they spent a few minutes building and knocking down their towers of blocks, they then proceeded to start playing a game of Pass the Ball, where Baby Steven would pass the ball to Baby Connie, who would pass it back to him, like a pattern! However, a few minutes afterwards, Baby Steven soon thought that it was a boring game. So, he insisted that they should do some coloring instead, which surprised Baby Connie, who actually thought that Pass the Ball was a fun game.
“Are you… sure about that?” Baby Connie wondered with slight concern.
“I want to make sure that you're having fun, Connie.” Baby Steven explained in a slightly-anxious tone. “Come on!”
“Okay…?” Baby Connie nervously agreed as she joined him.
They both colored and drew with their crayons together for a while, but Baby Connie was a bit concerned about how Baby Steven was feeling. Especially since he was quickly drinking his box of juice while drawing pretty fast.
“Uhh… Steven…?” Baby Connie asked. “Are you… okay?”
“Yeah!” Baby Steven answered as he continued to draw until he broke one of his crayons into two pieces hanging on the wrapper. “Whoops! Better get a new crayon!”
But when he got up out of his chair to find a replacement crayon and continued to drink his juice, Baby Steven suddenly tripped over his plush lion's tail and squeezed his juice box when he almost fell. However, that squeeze caused the sticky sugary liquid to squirt all over him and his shirt, much to his surprise… and complete disappointment.
“Oh no!” Baby Steven sadly gasped. “My shirt! It’s ruined!”
“Steven!” Baby Connie noticed as she got out of her chair to see if he needed any help. “Are you okay?!”
“I'm fine.” Baby Steven replied sadly. “But I got juice on my shirt now!”
“That's not good.” Baby Connie said nervously.
“This isn't working out the way I wanted it to be.” Baby Steven sadly sighed as he sat down on the floor. “I wanted to make sure that you would have a really fun time with me. That way, your parents could consider having my dad babysit you every week while they're at work. But... I've been getting a little carried away.
“Aww!” Baby Connie understood. “Is that way you've been acting so jittery, Steven?”
Baby Steven slowly and sadly nodded. “Yes…”
“Aww, it's okay.” Baby Connie said calmly. “I don't really care about what we play, honestly. Because whatever we do together, I want to do it with you. I really like you, Steven.”
“I like you too, Connie.” Baby Steven smiled a little.
But Baby Connie really didn’t like Baby Steven being in a terrible state. “Do you… need help getting out of that shirt?”
“Yes, please.” Baby Steven replied politely, reaching his arms out to his friend.
After a few minutes passed by, Baby Steven was helped into his favorite one-piece pajamas, which was perfect because that's what Baby Connie had on since she arrived. Baby Steven was sitting on the floor, sucking on his pacifier and looked at Baby Connie, sitting next to him.
“Thank you, Connie.” Baby Steven tried to say with his pacifier still in his mouth.
“You're welcome, Steven.” Baby Connie smiled. “And thank you for making our first playdate a lot of fun.”
And to top this heartwarming moment between them off… They slowly held each other's little hands while sharing a little smile together again. Their cheeks even started to blush in awe! But a few minutes later, Greg and the Maheswarans came upstairs to take Baby Connie home.
“Connie!” Doug called. “It's time to go ho…”
But the next thing that they would all see would be both Baby Steven and Baby Connie snuggling up together for a heartwarming nap. They even shared a little hug while in their little onesies, with their arms and feet being touched for sweetness, warmth, and comfort.
“AWWW!!!” Everyone smiled in awe.
“Mr. Universe. I think we made our decision.” Priyanka smiled as she turned to him. “You can start babysitting Connie tomorrow morning. We can even help pay you $5.00 per hour. I can drop her off or you can pick her up.”
“Whatever works for me!” Greg agreed. “Steven will be very happy to hear this when he wakes up.”
“But maybe we should tell them both after their nap.” Doug suggested.
And they agreed to do just that while also allowing both babies to sleep very peacefully, complete with their heartwarming sight… and smiles.
(End of Memory Sequence)
“And because of how we slept together, Connie became a brand new friend to come over to this house!” Baby Steven finished.
“That was very sweet.” Toddler Garnet smiled in approval. “I’m very sure she’s still proud to have someone like you.”
“She sure does!” Baby Steven heartily agreed as he let out a happy sigh. “Now, come on, Garnet. Let's go upstairs and play together before dinner.”
And so, they both proceeded to go up the slide and back into their playroom to share even more wonderful playtime memories, now that Baby Steven had even more friends by his side than just one. But the reality was that deep down inside his heart… even though he had even more than a single friend… his heart was allowed to share love… for everyone.