Summary: Just like always, the A-Troupe highly regards Miss Kate as a hardworking yet independent woman, supporting them and the studio on her own; however, when an unexpected encounter at the bus leads her to a charming, lonely stranger who takes an instant liking to her, little do Phoebe and the dancers know that this could change her life for good and even for the better.
Rating: K+ (subject to change)
Genres: Romance & Drama
Pairing: Kate & OC (featuring other couples in further chapters, predominantly Jiley)
Author's Note: Hello readers! As you know, this is my first time stepping into "The Next Step" universe in fanfiction. I guess you could say that I'm taking "the next step" in creating one of my stories. All puns aside, I'm extremely excited to bring this multi-chapter story to you fellow TNS fans out there. After seeing quite a bunch of Micheldon, some Chloaniel and an endless list of Jiley (THE OTP of TNS that I confidently ship), as well as enjoying myself reading some of them, I decided to take on something a little different...something I haven't seen (and maybe you also haven't seen) in this category before. We all know how The Next Step's beloved studio owner, Miss Kate, is an independent woman doing her job just fine? I thought it would be interesting to see how an unexpected appearance of a man who's just as passionate about performing arts as she is could take her to "the next step" of her life-of course-with the involvement of her A-Troupe (and other various TNS members) and her eccentric sister Phoebe to bring the pair closer together. Who knows? How will she go about her daily life with a man by her side? Well, it looks like you're about to find out! Let's just say, I see this story as sort of a "Rom Com" type (if it'll turn out to be just like one). I hope this story works out as planned, but most importantly, I hope you enjoy it. As always, please remember to leave me a review at the end of the .chapter and constructive criticism and any suggestions are welcome, but please, as usual, do not send me any flames (or they will be immediately extinguished).
Without further ado, here's "Just Another Face in the Crowd."
Enjoy,
~ASianSuccessor2012
P.S. I own none of the characters from TNS; they are all born from the creativity of Frank Van Keeken and Temple Street Productions. I only own the OCs, especially the one you'll get to know the most. Also, this takes place a little bit after Season 3 or even Season 3.5 a little over Internationals (which hasn't aired in Canada or at the moment in that matter as I speak, so frankly I won't know what's going on until sometime in September, so I might as well leave out the parts where they win or lose. I'd rather not put even my best bet on that.), so please bear with my assumptions. Once the episodes depicting Internationals air in the future, I'll be sure to alter these uncertain parts of the story as soon as possible. If you're reading this later than I posted (like in September or beyond), if I haven't watched any episode involving these events, please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you so much!
Chapter 1: The Theory of a New Beginning
During after hours at The Next Step Studio, sitting upon the comfortable leather chair in her office chair after gathering and organizing a few files and folders on her desk, Kate leaned against the chair's leather board in a relaxed manner with a ponderous yet satisfied disposition about her as she stared through the office's slightly glass-stained windows across Studio A, the thoughts and memories rushing through her mind how fast time flew throughout the recent dance season, the ups, the downs, the experiences and even the most surreal of realities she could ever imagine…bringing the A-Troupe to Nationals. It wasn't that she never thought that in a million years it would be possible; it was simply because she couldn't fully grasp the reality that it would happen so soon. After all, she knew that of all her years owning the studio, every A-Troupe she has witnessed, watched, guided and mentored throughout only made it as far as Nationals. But for this generation of dancers to take everything to the next level-dare she think-the next step, Internationals was without a doubt, one of those surreal realities she and the team experienced for once in this lifetime. Either way, as she serenely pondered the reel and timeline of events crossing her mind, she was far beyond grateful for every opportunity that came across the studio's path and if it were up to her, no matter what happened, even if it meant enduring the schemes of a rivaling studio owner, numerous betrayals of her previous dancers which hit close to home to everyone and having to deal with in-troupe, in-studio drama, she still wouldn't have had anything any other way. With whatever challenge The Next Step would come across, she knew very well that the rest of the team would be prepared for anything, even if it meant last minute. As dampening and disheartening as some situations seemed, she tried her absolute best, no matter how difficult it was, to try and be as genuinely optimistic as possible without forcing a façade, in the end, she felt that as a team, The Next Step always seemed to pull through and succeed. That was how she felt about this generation of the A-Troupe. Although she herself was an independent woman running the studio on her own regulations, taking after her mother who founded it, she knew that they never would have made it this far without the love and support, not only from her sister and the new head choreographer, Phoebe, but The Next Step as a whole. In other words, she couldn't have been more proud; she couldn't have been more grateful; she couldn't be happier than she felt at this very moment.
As she finished gathering her last tidbits of thought together, Kate made one final scan across Studio A, making sure that everyone in A-Troupe headed home straightaway, and briskly stood up from her leather chair, glancing at the time on her watch that read 8:45 P.M.
"I suppose that's another late night for me," she thought to herself, looking away from her watch.
She then gently tucked her chair into her desk and grabbed her faded-brown velvet jacket and her thin magenta scarf that hung upon the rarely used coat-hanger, knowing that by the time September hit, Fall was upon them and in an environment like this, she and every citizen was no stranger to the almost biting cold waiting to catch them by surprise as soon as anyone stepped out of the building. Kate knew better than to leave the studio without a source of warmth along the way, even if it meant a few seconds walking to her car. That was just how the weather behaved in this area. The cold showed no mercy in times like these.
As she exited her office, shutting the lights off, she noticed that one more dancer was still present. Michelle, in her usual light-pink dance attire, was in the middle of packing up when Kate approached her, slight confusion apparent in her expression.
"Michelle, what are you doing here so late?"
The young dancer jumped upon hearing the studio owner's voice as she turned to meet her questioning gaze.
"Oh, Miss Kate, I was just practicing my solo for the new routine in the Music Room," Michelle answered modestly yet honestly, "I hope you don't mind."
"No, not at all. That's very good, actually," Kate replied with a nod, "That's just the ideal dancer we need in this studio; someone who is willing to sacrifice some spare time to improve themselves as a dancer. I've seen you've grown so much since you first came here and I have to say, never have I been more impressed with the group we have now."
"Thank you; I really appreciate it," Michelle smiled with a slight chuckle, "And I think Giselle's been doing so well as Dance Captain; don't you think so, Miss Kate?"
"Oh, very, very well, Michelle," the studio owner responded with wholehearted approval, "She just gets better and better every single day. To this day, I can't help but think that you and the team made the right decision in choosing a leader."
Michelle just smiled and gave a light and modest hint of laughter, slightly flattered by Kate's remark. Did she always have to be so proud of this particular group-let alone-this particular generation of A-Troupe? It was most definitely obvious, not only to Michelle, but to everyone else in the entire studio.
"It just seemed that making her the Dance Captain was what's best for the team," she smiled yet again.
"Believe me, Michelle, it was perfect for the team," Kate reinforced upon her statement with nothing but pride, "Couldn't have done it better myself."
With that, the former Dance Captain and the studio owner shared a smile as the young member of A-Troupe continued packing her remaining items and Kate suddenly remembering that it was already past 8:45-8:50-to be exact. Before the piercing chilly weather outside could get any stronger, she knew she had to leave the studio as soon as possible.
"Now Michelle, speaking of the Music Room, have you seen Phoebe anywhere? I haven't seen her all day since we choreographed the new routine. In fact, she hasn't said a word to me all day, except while you were rehearsing," she wondered with curiosity but an obvious hint of worry in her voice.
"I have, actually," Michelle nodded alertly, " She's been meditating in the Music Room since I got there. She let me rehearse since nothing seemed to distract her at all."
"Oh, thank goodness!" the slightly older woman sighed heavily in relief, "I was just getting worried."
"I guess there's no need to worry now," the young lady chuckled as she zipped her duffel bag closed and carried it upon her shoulders.
"Now before I worry all the more, don't forget to bring a jacket with you," Kate warned the young dancer sternly yet with gentle concern, "It's awfully cold out there tonight and I don't want you catching the flu or anything."
Seeing that Michelle looked around herself and knowing, and distinctly remembering that she had not brought a jacket of any kind with her to the studio, Kate quickly glanced at one of the shelves with a blue "The Next Step" tracksuit left behind and handed it over to her.
"I knew you might need this," she said with a knowing smile, Michelle gladly accepting the jacket, "You can bring it back to whoever left it here in the morning."
"Thank you, Miss Kate," Michelle smiled as she put the blue jacket on, "I know it belongs to Amanda, but I guess she won't mind until tomorrow."
"Good," the studio owner nodded once again, "Now go home before your dad worries about you."
Yet again, she stirred just a bit of laughter within the young A-Troupe member.
"I will," she laughed lightly, "I think it's you who's worried about me right now."
Kate, who was slightly embarrassed by the remark of Michelle's jest as well as the ability of the young lady being able to read her every expression, shook her head with a chuckle underneath, turning to Michelle with a sigh.
"Just go home safely, alright?" she sighed amidst her laughter.
"I will," Michelle repeated as she walked out of Studio A with a smile still on her face, "Good night."
"Good night, Michelle."
Yes, she seemed to worry too much about the young dancers, not only because she needed them to be at their best in terms of health and agility every single day they came into the studio, but because she truly and genuinely cared about their well-being as well. Perhaps that's why quite a few of them referred to her as a sort of "Mother Figure" to them, especially to Stephanie with neither of her parents supporting her career as a dancer and as a triple threat, leading her to depend on Kate as such. Also, especially since she had family with her in the studio, namely Phoebe, her sisterly intuition, most especially her authoritative side, seemed to kick in most of the time, as always, just to make sure that her sister remained on-task without having to meditate the entire time. At this moment, that was just what she was about to do: make sure her younger sister was doing all right.
Once Kate stepped into the Music Room, just as she expected, she spotted Phoebe sitting cross-legged, her arms spread out, still in her floral yoga outfit in the middle of the room, meditating. She wasn't surprised at all, however; that was just how her sister was and how she expected her to be whenever she was in plain sight. Knowing very well that Phoebe wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, she decided to give her an interruption to her sister's "inner-peace" by knocking against the Music Room's walls. To no avail, the noise still left her unshaken. Kate was left with no choice but to strike a chord on the old wooden piano, whether she liked it or not, whether she knew how to play it or not. Without a moment's hesitation, she looked straight down to Phoebe's level, allowing her right hand to freely slam the lower register of the piano's keys, suddenly awakening her from her stoic and seemingly unconscious state. Phoebe, without any agitation towards the interruption, simply looked up at her older sister nonchalantly, not surprised to see her standing before her.
"Phoebe, it's getting late; it's time to go."
"Oh, Kate; I didn't see you there," the younger of the siblings said as she stretched herself to get up off of the floor.
"Phoebe, don't you realize what time it is?" her sister asked, shaking her head.
"Well, I could sense that it's almost nine," Phoebe replied simply.
"Yes, well that means we better head off before the weather gets any worse," Kate stated matter-of-factly, her face now returning to concern and curiosity, "So, is this where you've been all day since the middle of rehearsals?"
"Yes, Kate," Phoebe answered peacefully yet with a hint of undiscovered nervousness in her tone of voice, "Is there anything wrong with that?"
"No, Phoebe, it's just that you missed the best moments of the A-Troupe's routine for the rest of the afternoon and I was hoping you would have seen it fall into place," she responded, still with the gleaming pride she had for her A-Troupe dancers.
"Well, there's no worries, Kate; at least I'll be able to catch it tomorrow."
"Good, because we need to head home right away if we don't want either of us to freeze up," she said as she pulled Phoebe's maroon felt coat from the coat-hanger by the door, "Now, tell me, where did you park the car this afternoon? I'm sure you took really good care of it while I was running late."
Now this was the conversation that Phoebe dreaded the most and perhaps most evidently, the reason why she had been avoiding her sister the whole day. The anxiety of knowing Kate's disapproval if she found out what happened to her car was slowly peeping through her eyes and was most definitely the last thing she wanted to reason with the whole day. However, whether she liked it or not, Phoebe knew she had to come clean, which was the primary interruption of the inner-peace she had been establishing since the beginning of the afternoon.
"Now about that…" Phoebe mumbled with a nervous grin, avoiding any form of eye contact with her sister.
"Yes?" Kate questioned, eagerly waiting her younger sister's reply.
"Promise me you won't flip out on me for anything, otherwise it will destroy my inner-peace, alright?" she said, her words whizzing past her lips briskly.
"I promise, Phoebe. Now tell me, what happened?" she said, this time with a reasonable amount of edge in her tone.
"You see, Kate, we…uhm…we can't use your car to drive to your home tonight," she stated simply, her eyes wandering to the smooth wooden ground.
"What do you mean we can't use my car to drive to my home tonight? Did you park next to a fire hydrant this time? You know that we talked about this before since the first day you started driving." Kate asked with a little more worry.
"Well, this time I had nothing to do with it, actually," Phoebe continued, mustering up the courage to be completely honest with her sister, "You see, I parked a few blocks away from the studio as if nothing would happen. And then, something happened. Just as I was about to pick up a few of the remaining costumes from the trunk, I was shocked to see a huge dent on its rear end, cracked headlights and half a flat tire. I didn't know what it was, but all I knew was that I saw another car with a dent on its front being towed away and that you wouldn't be pleased if you knew about this. Fortunately, the costumes remained unharmed. I hope you aren't upset with me."
At hearing this, Kate placed her hands upon her forehead, shaking her head disappointedly in the process and taking a deep sigh before turning her eyes to her sister. Even if she knew that handling vehicles wasn't Phoebe's forte, seeing how honest as possible she was, she most certainly couldn't blame her now, especially since there was nothing she could do about it.
"Oh I'm not upset with you, Phoebe, I'm just upset," she responded plainly, "We're going to have to get my car repaired as soon as possible, which will cost a lot of money, but for now, we're going to have to take another way home."
"That's the spirit, Kate," Phoebe smiled genuinely, "You always have a solution to every problem that comes along. Maybe all the meditation we've applied over the weekend had such a rewarding effect on you."
"Whether it had an effect on me or not, I had to find a quick solution; there's no other choice," Kate replied in a no-nonsense manner, "Now before the rainfall begins, we're going to have to get out of here."
"Yes, of course," Phoebe nodded in agreement, putting on her maroon felt jacket as she followed Kate out of the music room.
"This time, I suppose we'll have to find an alternative route home, let's say, the bus," her older sister said authoritatively and matter-of-factly as they both walked past the hallway and down the stairwell.
As the sisters exited the building, a few droplets of rain began to fall, much to Kate's surprise and Phoebe's sudden amazement, which her sister was perplexed about. What was it about the rainy weather that seemed to surprised Phoebe so? Whenever fall stepped into the picture of their environment, it was merely a predictable element of the weather.
"You see, Kate? I knew all these meditation methods worked on you after all, didn't they?" the younger woman exclaimed as she beamed, her eyes cast skyward toward the rapidly dropping raindrops.
"How so?" questioned a still perplexed Kate.
"It hasn't rained since the beginning of last week and just as you walked out of the building, it just started coming."
Phoebe's theory still didn't seem to convince or at least explain to her sister what was going on, barely aiding her slight confusion.
"Mhmm? And what exactly has the rain have to do with your meditation methods and me?" Kate questioned, more curiously this time.
"Don't you realize what's happening? All this rain has to do with you. Just as it's the beginning of fall and the beginning of the week, I sense that this rainfall signifies change or a new beginning, I believe. And seeing that it only started pouring when you walked out of the building, I can strongly sense that this change or new beginning is meant for you, Kate. It's meant for you."
Kate turned to her younger sister, wide-eyed at her theory, which surprisingly came out as words of wisdom. How was it possible that this rainfall signified a change for her? And of all people, why would it be her? She knew that The Next Step endured enough change already; perhaps this change would reach her in a certain way to a personal level. Right now, she could not comprehend but only wonder. What was this change or new beginning her sister could supposedly sense and relate to with the rain? Once again, just like she did before heading out of the studio, another reel of thoughts appeared and crossed Kate's mind yet again as she tried to the best of her ability to search for the very source that could trigger this change, whether it had to do with The Next Step or not. She didn't know when it would occur, but as she and Phoebe walked past the sidewalks and crossed the damp streets, this was a thought and a theory that would cloud her mind for the rest of the night, at least until they reached the bus where she knew the voices of strangers and the roaring of the engines would interrupt her supposedly unstoppable train of thought.
Author's Note: There you have it! Chapter One of "Just Another Face in the Crowd." I sure hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I promise that I'll get the second chapter up as soon as possible. I'm honestly really excited to move forward with this story and I hope that you all enjoyed this prologue. It also felt nice having to add a sister-to-sister communication between these two; Kate and Phoebe do make a great team, now don't they? Now here's a question for you…Do you have any suggestions? Comments? Questions? Anything? Are there any characters you want to see in particular in future chapters if not the next? Please leave me a review at the end of this chapter or simply send me a PM. Keep in mind; this story doesn't have any candles or matches, so please avoid the flames! I'm only open to constructive criticism if there's anything I need to improve on. Anyways, I do promise more appearances of the A-Troupe members and the rest of the TNS dancers as soon as possible and I also can't wait to introduce you to this story's OC who will be appearing very soon by the next update. I hope you enjoyed this and see you in Chapter Two!
Cheers!
~ASianSuccessor2012
P.S. In case any of your were wondering, the title is based off of an original song. It also plays an important part of the story, but it's something I just thought you all should know.