Missing Moments

Piper and Finn's First Argument

A/N: The last handful of chapters diverged from canon, but starting with this chapter (Eight Crazy Dates episode), the story is back to following the canon of the show. The only difference here is that everyone crashes Amy and Henry's one-month anniversary instead of their first date.

7x17

"The picture's not even crooked!"

"Yes it is! Are you blind? The right corner is at least five centimeters higher than the left."

Piper had been having fun on the group date- until Kingston and Lily started arguing an hour in. It had started when Kingston tried to throw a sock they'd found on their table at Heath's head and somehow launched it into Lily's tea instead. His girlfriend had been in a sour mood ever since, nitpicking every little detail she could find. First, it was the flowers in the center of the table. Now, it was a picture hanging on the wall across from her.

Piper pursed her lips at their arguing, sharing a disgruntled look with Richelle. Cleo and Jude had enough sense to escape as soon as Lily and Kingston started arguing about the color of the table, and Amy and Henry had enough sense to ditch the group date altogether. Even though Piper had been disappointed when she'd realized that her best friend and her boyfriend had disappeared without a word to anyone, she certainly envied their decision now. From the looks on the others' faces, they appeared to be as well.

Heath cleared his throat awkwardly, having pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. "Oh. Darn. I have to get home. It's my curfew already."

"It's only 8:30," Richelle replied dryly.

"Yeah, my parents are pretty strict. Do you think you can give me a ride home?" He had turned his back to Kingston and Lily and raised his eyebrows in a way that screamed, 'Get me out of here.'

Catching on, Richelle nodded and pushed her chair away from the table. "Yep, better get you home then," she said in a sweeter voice, clearly relieved to have an excuse to leave the King and Queen of Arguing behind. Heath followed her lead, and as they went, she told him, "But you've seriously got to get your license. I know we live in the same neighborhood, but this can't become a habit."

"But I don't turn sixteen for another six months."

"You're only fifteen?"

"How old did you think I was?"

Their conversation faded away as they exited The Next Steep. Lily and Kingston had paused in their argument to watch them leave, but once they were gone, Kingston immediately turned back to his girlfriend. "Who cares if the picture's a little crooked? What difference does it make?"

"Um, I care because it's distracting. Isn't it distracting?" Her gaze snapped to Piper and Finn, and they both looked in opposite directions.

"It's a little distracting, but it's not that big a deal, is it? It's a picture," Piper answered, gesturing awkwardly with her hands.

Simultaneously, Finn said, "I have no clue what picture you're talking about."

Lily glared at both of them as Kingston grinned triumphantly. "See? They're on my side!" he bragged.

"They're not on your side! Did you not hear Finn? He doesn't even know what we're talking about."

Piper heard Finn exhale next to her, and she could tell from the way his lips had formed a firm line that he was fed up with Kingston and Lily's arguing. She snaked an arm around his back and squeezed his shoulder. When he turned to her, she subtly nodded her head towards the door, and he nodded just as subtly, already reaching into his pocket to pull out his car keys. Piper stood first, followed by Finn, and Kingston paused in his long-winded explanation of why the art of hanging pictures on a wall was subjective to look up at them.