《Missing Moments》Piper Tells Finn About Her Dream

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The Christmas Special

Finn felt horrible for Piper. Everyone on the team had gotten a Secret Santa gift except for her. When he turned to ask if she was okay, however, she had disappeared. He contemplated going after her but knew she liked to be alone when she was upset. He would give her some time to herself and then go find her. Just because Piper liked to be alone when she was upset didn't mean that was always best for her. She got so trapped in her own thoughts sometimes that Finn often found himself pulling her out of the negativity she drowned herself in.

Seriously though, how could Kingston have let Piper fall through the cracks like that? He'd had one job- to make sure everyone was assigned a Secret Santa. In hindsight, they really should have put someone more detail-oriented, like Piper or Richelle, in charge of the Secret Santa exchange, but Kingston had been the first to volunteer. At least now they knew to never put Kingston in charge of anything ever again.

The A-Troupers chattered excitedly about their gifts, cherishing their time alone before the former A-Troupe members returned from The Next Steep. Ozzy was enthusing about his game controller to Henry and Richelle while Summer sniffed the candle Piper had gotten her with a content smile.

"Oh, this is perfect! Exactly what I wanted."

She held the candle out for Amy to sniff when she noticed the way her friend was eying it as Finn told her, "Oh good 'cause Piper spent forever at that candle place in the mall picking it out." At least their half hour at Wicks Corner the other day hadn't been spent in vain.

Summer aww'ed at that, holding the candle close to her heart. "She's the sweetest. Hey, where'd she go anyway?"

"I don't know," Finn said, reluctantly meeting Amy's eye from Summer's other side.

"I'm sure she'll be right back," Amy said, glancing around Studio A and seeming a little too unconcerned for Finn's liking. He had thought the same thing when Piper had said she wanted to be alone before the (first) finals round at Regionals. He hadn't forgotten the feeling of panic that had surged through him when he realized Piper was missing right before A-Troupe was about to go onstage, and that was why he intended to go find her if she didn't return to Studio A soon.

"What do you think about your hat, Finn?" Amy asked, changing the subject.

Finn perked up at that as he enthused about his own Secret Santa gift. "It's awesome! Were you my Secret Santa?" Amy smiled and nodded, and he grinned. "How'd you know I like fish?"

"Um, I didn't? It's supposed to be a fin. You know, a fin hat?"

"Oh! Because my name's Finn!" he exclaimed gleefully as the dots connected in his brain.

Summer appeared to be holding back a laugh, her eyes shining with amusement as her lips formed a tight line. Amy didn't bother as a short giggle escaped her lips. "Yeah!"

"That's so cool! Very clever, Amy." Finn had pulled his hat off of his head to examine the fin on top of it again. He hadn't been excited about Amy re-joining the team, but who else would have thought to get him a fin hat just because his name was Finn?

Amy shrugged at that, tilting her head to the side proudly. "Well, it was actually Piper's idea, but I'm happy to take credit," she joked.

"Hey, Piper's not here. You might as well," Summer joked as well, tossing a hand dismissively and nudging Amy's shoulder with hers. Finn ignored them, smiling fondly at the hat. Somehow, it was even more special if it was Piper's idea.

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Eventually, the girls moved to the snack table, leaving the boys on the benches to themselves. Ozzy was admiring his game controller for the tenth time with an expression that was the human equivalent to the heart-eyes emoji.

"I can't believe Summer got me a game controller," he commented to no one in particular. Tearing his gaze away from his new prized possession, he said seriously, "Whoever gets her next year better treat her well."

"I'll make you her Secret Santa next year so you can repay her," Kingston promised, going as far as pulling his phone out of his pocket to make a note.

"No way. There's no way you're in charge of this next year," Henry retorted with a shake of the head.

"What? Why not?"

"You literally forgot Piper," Finn pointed out with a frown.

"Hey, you try making sure everyone gets accounted for. It's way harder than it seems."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Man, there's only eight of us. How hard can it be?"

"Well, I had to redo it to include Amy."

"It's obvious Finn was supposed to have Piper," Ozzy interjected, not bothering to look up as his eyes scanned over the features listed on his game controller's box.

"Yeah." Finn agreed automatically at the mention of his name before pausing as he comprehended what Ozzy had actually said. His brows knit together as he sat up straighter, his shoulders tensing. "Wait, what?"

Ozzy sighed as if he couldn't believe he was having to explain this. "Kingston made you Santa; therefore, you didn't get anyone a gift; therefore, Piper was left without a gift that you were supposed to get her, but you didn't because you were Santa."

An uncomfortable feeling was forming in the pit of Finn's stomach as he realized that Ozzy was right. Hadn't Piper said essentially the same thing at the mall earlier that week? He'd blown her off at the time because he was so sure there was supposed to be a Santa. That was what Kingston had told him.

Dammit, Kingston.

Kingston held up his hands defensively as Finn glared at him. "It's a Secret Santa. There obviously has to be a Santa!"

"That's just the name! It doesn't mean there's an actual Santa," Ozzy snapped exasperatedly.

Finn heaved a sigh as Kingston continued arguing with Ozzy. This was just great. Piper was upset because he had failed to realize that she was right about someone not getting a gift if he was Santa. (She had probably never imagined that someone would be her.)

That was the last time he ever told her she was wrong.

Glancing around the studio, Finn realized that Piper had yet to return from wherever she had disappeared to. He wasn't sure how long she had been gone, but it had to be close to twenty minutes now. It was probably time to go find her. She was going to have to come back to get ready for their Nutcracker performance anyway.

As Finn stood, wordlessly leaving the other boys to continue debating the role of Santa in a Secret Santa exchange, Amy noticed him slipping away and stopped him on his way out. "Hey, do you think we should go find Piper? I'm starting to get a little worried about her," she said.

"Yeah, I'm already on it."

"Oh cool. I'll go with you."

Figuring she shouldn't have to leave her first party back on A-Troupe, Finn quickly shook his head. "That's okay. I've got it. I'm kind of a pro at cheering her up."

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Amy's eyebrows shot up, clearly taken aback by that, but Finn barely noticed. She cleared her throat, crossing her arms and turning her gaze upward as she gestured at him resignedly. "Okay, sure, whatever."

Finn gave her a grin that she didn't return as he continued on his way out of Studio A. He wasn't exactly sure where Piper would have gone, but he knew it would be somewhere she could be alone. That ruled out The Next Steep since that was where the older dancers had gone to catch up. That only left two other places she could be. When he didn't find her in Studio One, he continued down the hall to the locker room.

There he found her, curled up on the couch and sound asleep. He paused, leaning against the door frame for a moment with a fond smile pulling at his lips. Piper looked so at peace while asleep. He almost hated to wake her up, but they had a dance to put on soon. He had no choice.

He muttered her name as he stepped into the room, but she didn't stir. Taking a seat on the coffee table, he gently shook leg. "Piper. Piper, wake up."

Her nose scrunched up as she finally stirred and groggily sat up. Finn simply watched her, still smiling softly as she blearily took in her surroundings. Blinking and her eyebrows knitting together, she finally mumbled, "You're not wearing Miss Angela's TNS uniform."

Finn glanced down uncertainly at his Christmas sweater. "Why would I wear that?"

A smile lit up her face, and she laughed. "It doesn't matter!"

She started to jump up to wrap her arms around him, and he met her halfway, catching her in his arms as she hugged him tightly. She pulled away from him just as quickly and practically ran out of the room, leaving Finn to follow after, completely bewildered. He had honestly expected to find her sulking. Taking a nap must have raised her spirits.

Finn jogged down the hall to catch up with Piper's excited strides and fell into step next to her. "James and Riley are still together!" she exclaimed as they passed The Next Steep on their way to Studio A.

Finn glanced back toward the new café. "Were they ever not?"

Piper ignored him, practically sprinting toward the doors of Studio A. "The decorations are still here!" she exclaimed in the same amazed voice before noticing Amy and throwing her arms around her best friend. "Amy, you're not on Gemini!"

Amy laughed in bewilderment as Piper pulled away and ran over to Richelle, exclaiming about the fact that she wasn't on B-Troupe (as if Richelle would ever be on B-Troupe). Finn had absolutely no idea what had gotten into his best friend, but he kind of liked it, whatever it was.

"What's gotten into her?" Amy asked Finn, watching Piper with the same bewildered look as he was.

"I have no idea."

They stood together, watching their best friend fondly until the older dancers and Miss Kate returned to Studio A. Emily clapped her hands, raising her voice over all of the chattering to get her dancers' attention. They all fell quiet and looked to her as she raised her eyebrows. "I think you all have a performance to get ready for."

Nodding, the dancers hurried out of Studio A to change into their costumes. Finn was excited to perform for Piper's brother and his former teammates. To think he'd almost missed this party. He was so glad he got to be here for this and was determined to be the best Nutcracker Prince The Next Step had ever seen.

-----

Despite the rocky start to her day, Piper felt like she was on cloud 9 as her friends interacted with her brother's friends. It felt like two worlds colliding in the best way. She couldn't even be bothered (too much) by the fact that Alfie had come.

Many of the original A-Troupers were only able to stay for a little while due to their busy schedules. Even still, Piper enjoyed getting to talk to them. West made a huge show of praising her for her solo and for winning Regionals with her team, complete with ruffling her hair in the way he knew she hated and overdramatic exclamations that greatly amused Finn. Even though it was incredibly embarrassing to have her brother's best friend doting on her, Piper took it all in stride.

As the party began to wind down, Piper retreated to the locker room with Amy to change out of their costumes. When she returned to Studio A feeling much more comfortable in her leggings and a hoodie, James and Riley met her at the door.

"Yo, we're heading out," James told her, swinging his car keys around in his hand and narrowly missing Riley, who didn't even flinch. She was used to this habit of his by now and was pointedly standing a step behind him for that reason. "Come on. I'll give you a ride home."

"Oh, that's okay. I'll get one from Finn," Piper replied, gesturing to where Finn was talking animatedly with Henry and Alfie about who knew what.

"Finn?" A frown formed on her brother's face, and he scoffed. "Can he even drive?"

"Yes, he just got his license a couple of weeks ago," Piper told him as patiently as she could manage (which wasn't very). James had been obviously steering her away from Finn throughout the entire Christmas party, and quite frankly, she was sick of his poor attitude towards her best friend. He was only acting that way because Finn was a guy. He would never try to keep her away from Amy.

"Oh, so he's a new driver. Does Mom know you're riding around town with him?" James asked suspiciously.

Grinning triumphantly, Piper told him, "She does actually. He's already got the stamp of approval from Mom and Dad."

Riley smiled as she glanced up at James, who simply sighed. "Fine. Whatever. But he better keep his hands to himself."

"We're just friends," Piper reminded him through gritted teeth. What was it that made her entire family collectively assume that she and Finn were dating? They weren't.

"Okay, that's enough interrogation," Riley cut in while laying a hand on James' arm. "Come on. We can't be late for dinner with my parents this week."

James sighed and reluctantly nodded, pulling Piper in for a hug. "See ya, Pipes. Good job today, I guess."

"Thanks, I guess."

Riley pulled her in for a hug after James and told her, "You were amazing today. I'm so proud of how far you've come."

Piper thanked her as they pulled apart. "Hey, maybe we can go get coffee or something one day? Catch up?"

Riley smiled and nodded as she steered James towards the door. "That'd be great. I'll text you."

Piper waved as they left, James grumbling to Riley about how Emily's boyfriend Hunter didn't have to go to dinner tonight and Riley pointing out that he'd just returned from a long tour in Spain. Once they were gone, she glanced around the studio. Most of the dancers were gradually starting to leave. Amy had already left with Summer to go to an indie concert downtown, so Piper made her way over to Finn.

As she approached the boys, they were deep in discussion of Switzerland and its customs. Alfie noticed Piper approaching and grinned. She gave a tight smile in return. James had long since forgiven Alfie for what had happened with Riley over a year ago now, but Piper couldn't let go of what had happened as easily as her brother. Alfie would always be the guy who had hurt James, and she didn't know that she would ever be able to see him any other way.

Alfie didn't seem to think anything of Piper's role in the past drama, however, as he gave her a hug and exclaimed, "You were awesome today, Piper!"

Her hands hovered over his back awkwardly as she replied stiffly, "Thank you."

When Alfie let go of her, she let out breath of relief and planted herself next to Finn. He was as oblivious as ever to who Alfie was and what he had done as he asked if they had cheeses other than Swiss cheese in Switzerland. Piper quirked an endearing eyebrow as Alfie simply laughed and nodded.

"We have an assortment of cheese in Switzerland, yes."

"Okay, cool, because I don't like Swiss cheese, but Switzerland's on my list of places to travel," Finn replied excitedly.

"It is?" Piper asked curiously, looking up at him.

He nodded enthusiastically. He had changed back into his Christmas sweater and was wearing the fin hat Amy had bought him proudly. Considering Finn was the human equivalent of a giant teddy bear on a normal day and was even more so when adorned in a tacky Christmas sweater and fin hat, Piper really didn't understand why James was so concerned about her friendship with him.

Meanwhile, Alfie was saying, "Well, if you ever visit, I can arrange some good travel deals for you."

"That'd be great!"

It was too weird to hear Finn talking about future travel plans with Alfie. Perhaps not-so-subtly, Piper wrapped her hands around Finn's arm and started to tug him away from the Swiss prince while making up an excuse about how they really needed to get going. Finn gave her a bewildered look as she pulled him away from the conversation.

"Woah, what's up with you?" He stumbled over his own feet as she yanked him out into the hallway and quickly caught himself as she released his arm.

"Long story," Piper mumbled with a huff. She set off for The Next Steep without thinking about it, and Finn fell into step next to her.

"That Alfie guy seems really cool. I can't believe you danced with a prince all last year. Why don't you ever talk about that? I'd bring that up every chance I got if I were you. You're friends with a prince, Pipes!"

"We're not exactly friends," Piper responded cryptically, her nails digging into her palms tensely, and Finn frowned on her.

"What? Do you have some kind of beef with him or something?"

"Well, yeah, Riley cheated on James with him, and they almost broke up for good because of him, so he's not exactly my favorite person in the world."

There was a long pause from Finn then he said awkwardly, "Oh."

"Yeah."

"So I guess when we take a trip to Switzerland in a few years, he's not the person to contact for good travel deals?"

Piper cracked a smile, looking up at him as they walked into the new café together. "We? You're taking me to Switzerland with you?"

Despite the fact that he was perpetually late for everything and could be incredibly disorganized, something about the idea of traveling with Finn was actually very appealing to her. She had never thought about traveling the world with Finn, but it would certainly be an adventure.

"I mean, yeah. Who else would I take?" Finn responded as if the thought of traveling with anyone but her had never crossed his mind.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe your family?"

He grinned at that and shook his head. "No way. Every trip my family takes ends in disaster."

Piper was still smiling. This conversation was effectively taking her mind off of Alfie, which she was thankful for. "Well, I guess we better start saving now if we're going so soon."

"We've got plenty of time," Finn said, leaning against the counter as they waited for the barista to finish working on the order he was currently filling.

At first, Piper had assumed Finn was probably joking about going to Switzerland, but now he actually sounded serious about it.

"Plane tickets are expensive," she pointed out reasonably.

"But we have to be at least 18 before any of our parents would let us travel around the world by ourselves, so that's at least two years away," he responded just as reasonably.

Piper quirked an eyebrow. "You've seriously thought about this," she noted, impressed.

He simply shrugged and straightened up as Steve the barista finally turned to take their order. As Finn ordered his drink, Piper searched in her wallet for cash. She was starting to run low thanks to her three trips to the mall with Finn, Amy, and Julia, respectively, in the last week, but she thought she should have just enough to pay for her tea. When she looked up, however, money clutched in hand, it was to find that Finn was already paying for her.

"Wait, what are you doing?" she asked as the barista handed him his change.

"Paying for our drinks," Finn replied, sliding her iced green raspberry tea to her as he slipped the change into his pocket.

"You didn't have to do that," she told him seriously, frowning at him.

"Pipes, it was four dollars. It's not that big a deal." He grabbed his own iced tea and took a sip as he made his way over to the couches against the wall. Piper sighed and followed after him, her drink in hand, as he continued. "Besides, I owe you way more than that."

"What do you mean?"

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