Missing Moments

Piper and Finn Discuss the Future

But Finn was right too. A-Troupe had worked hard to win Regionals. Yes, they had chosen Dancemania over Nationals, but it wasn't like they had gone into the competition planning to disqualify themselves and revoke their status as professional dancers. That was just the way things had panned out. If they were indeed still eligible to compete at Nationals, then they should obviously be the team to do so since they were the team that had earned it in the first place.

As it turned out, Summer had every right to be concerned about B-Troupe. When A-Troupe returned to their studio, the recreational team was rehearsing a number that Piper hated to admit was really good. She was having serious flashbacks to the days of TNS East versus TNS West as Cleo and Summer had a showdown in the middle of Studio A that left Piper with a sick feeling in her stomach.

B-Troupe wasn't going to make this easy on A-Troupe, and one glance at Nick told Piper that they couldn't count on him to choose them even though they stood a much better chance at winning and taking the studio to Internationals.

Three days after Summer had declared, "Game on," to B-Troupe, Nick had yet to make an official decision about who would be going to Nationals. Any time anyone asked him about it, he gave a vague statement about how he was still thinking things through and locked himself in his office, and Piper was starting to feel the pressure. With Nationals just weeks away, Nick had to make a decision, and unfortunately, he seemed to be the last person to want to do so.

With the tension rising, A-Troupe had taken to Studio One, working on a new group number to prove to Nick that they were the right troupe to send to Nationals. They had never felt closer or more united as a team, and Piper hated to think that if Nick didn't choose them, they would never compete all together again.

What were they supposed to do if they didn't go to Nationals? They wouldn't be professional or competitive dancers. Piper didn't even know what she was supposed to do with herself if she didn't have a competition or something to work towards.

She was starting to think that they never should have bothered with Dancemania at all.

It was late when A-Troupe finally dispersed from their rehearsal three nights after returning home from Dancemania. Finn and Piper walked out to the parking lot with Henry and Amy. Piper was trying hard to focus on her friends' conversation, but her mind was racing with fears she couldn't silence no matter how hard she tried.

Fears about Nationals. Fears about the future. Fears of the uncertainty.

She had performed on live television in front of millions of viewers. It was completely ridiculous that pressure over B-Troupe and Nationals was getting to her like this.

When they reached the parking lot, Henry and Amy bid them goodnight, and the two couples went separate directions. As Piper and Finn approached his car, Piper said in a slightly higher voice than normal, "Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm starting to panic."

Finn immediately turned to face her, his eyes widening in concern as he placed a hand on her arm. "What? Why? What's wrong?"

His voice was so laced with concern that she sighed and looked away from him, suddenly feeling bad for worrying him. She probably could have chosen a better way to phrase that. Now he just thought she was on the verge of another panic attack.

"Piper, what's going on?" Finn asked again. He gave a weak smile as he said, "You can't just drop that on me, and then not say anything."

"No, I'm fine. It's just..." She sighed, stepping around him and moving to lean her back against his car. He followed her lead as she voiced out loud the one question that had been on her mind for days but that she was so afraid to voice out loud, as if doing so would be speaking it into existence and sealing their fate once and for all.