Snapshots

7. James

Of all of his siblings, James is the only boy, meaning he's the only brother to three sisters. It's a role he takes seriously, not that any of his sisters seem to care.

It's not that his sisters can't take care of themselves. They can, and James knows that. It's more just the principle of the thing. He's their brother, and he's a naturally protective person. His family always comes first, and he'll be damned if some careless asshole breaks one of their hearts.

It's happened before- on more than one occasion- and it hurts him when they're hurting. He can't help it when his protective instincts kick in, and there may be a few times where he takes it a little too far. Lauren always tells him she appreciates the thought but doesn't need him to fight her battles for her. Julia, ever the outspoken sister and James' dearest partner in crime, has no reservations in telling him when something's not his business and butt out of my love life, please and thank you.

His older sisters are the definitions of strong, successful women, and none of them have any doubts that Piper will grow up to be just as strong and successful. She's well on her way already, but at 16, she's still got a lot to learn. Didn't they all?

And that brings him to Piper- the baby of the family, his only sister who can't rub being older and having more life experience in James' face. She's been through some stuff. A cruel group of girls at her old school and dance studio bullied her relentlessly for years. She had some scares with an irregular heartbeat that almost took her out of dance as a child. And then, of course, just as she hit a turning point in her life where things began to look up for her, she was unwittingly dragged into James' relationship drama, which he still regrets her involvement in to this day.

He was on tour with the band when she got her heart broken by some dolt named Josh. It was tough not to be there for her, but James thanks his lucky stars that Lauren and Julia were both at home for the summer to get her through it.

And as protective as James is of his sisters, they're equally as protective of him. When Riley cheated on him with Alfie (and dragged Piper into the middle of it all), Lauren and Julia cut her off completely. Blocked her on social media. Deleted her number from their phones. It was kind of a big deal because Riley was the only girlfriend that they ever really welcomed into the family. She was practically another sister to them.

Even after all was forgiven, his older sisters still weren't as quick to welcome Riley back with open arms. They made her squirm, made her earn their trust again. Piper, on the other hand, kind of had to forgive her because Riley was still her studio head, and it was too awkward otherwise, what with Regionals approaching and all.

But that's the thing about the Gardiner siblings. They drive each other up the highest walls and grate on every single last nerve, but they hold each other up when they're down. They support each other fiercely. They're ride or die to the very end.

Maybe it's not cool or whatever, but James loves his sisters, and he's not ashamed to admit it. They were his first friends (and also his first rivals). They're the ones who will always have his back until the very end.

And so it's that love that kicks his brotherly instincts into overdrive when Finn comes into the picture.

Of all his sisters, Piper has always been the least interested in dating and romance in general. She must have really liked Josh if she was willing to tell him how she felt and risk getting rejected. But it's because she's gotten her heart broken in the past that James is especially wary when she starts talking about Finn all the time.

Okay, so maybe the kid doesn't actually sound that bad. Apparently, he brought Piper cake one time when she wasn't feeling well, and because of that one incident, Julia's given him the stamp of approval and is convinced that Piper's going to marry this kid someday.