A Heart of Gold

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Forty

That night, Betty Sue shared her room with, and sacrificed her bed to, Miss Piggy, while Craig shared his room with Bob and Kermit. The boys decided that, since they could not all fit on the bed, none of them would.

"Jest like in the unit," Craig said as they rolled sleeping bags out side by side.

"Except that we're inside," Kermit said.

"With carpet," Bob said.

"And heat," Kermit said.

"And running water," Bob said.

"And four solid walls."

"And a roof."

"And good food."

"And a real toilet."

"And a real shower."

"And privacy."

"And-"

"Okay, okay," Craig said with a chuckle. "So it ain't exactly like it, but we're all sleepin' in these lil' bags, an' we ain't done that together since we was there."

They lay on their backs and stared up at the ceiling. They were quiet for a moment.

"This is when it gets to me," Bob whispered.

"What we done?" Craig whispered.

"Yeah," Bob whispered. "Right before I fall asleep... I can hear him fall down."

Kermit sighed. "For me it's morning," he whispered. "The first thing I see when I wake up is his eyes. They just stare at me. I have to force myself to make them go away."

They were quiet for a moment.

"It's both fer me," Craig whispered. "Mornin' an' night. I jest see his gun... an' my finger... jest pointin' at it."

"I hope I don't have to do it again," Bob whispered. "I hope I don't have to see it. But if I do... We've gotta stop them, that's all. No matter what."

"No matter what," Craig repeated.

"Mm-hm," Kermit said.

With the three of them together, the night passed with far less pain than it usually brought any one of them. The next morning was the only time that The Eyes faded without Kermit's persuasion.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Miss Piggy was about to fall asleep when she saw a small light moving in the middle of the room, which she quickly recognized as the screen of a cell phone. The light itself vanished, but still reflected against Betty Sue's cheek.

"Hey Stacey," Betty Sue whispered. "Yeah, I know it's later, but I had to wait... Yeah. You'll never guess who I played tennis against today..."

If pigs had eyebrows, Miss Piggy might have raised one. So never mind that she was sleeping in the girl's bed, because apparently the lousy tennis game was more important. She just wanted to sleep.

"I'll give ya some hints," Betty Sue whispered. "She's better at tennis than me, she got blonde hair and blue eyes, she been on stage an' screen... an' she's in love with Kermit the Frog."

Well that narrows the field a bit, Miss Piggy thought to herself.

"I am not kiddin' you," Betty Sue quietly insisted. "I swear it to you, Stacey. She's sleepin' in my bed right now. ...No, I am not in my bed with her. What do you take me for? I'm on my bedroom floor."

Miss Piggy pushed her head firmly into her pillow.

"No," Betty Sue whispered. "...No, Stacey, I ain't gunna do it. ...Stacey, come on. I am not gunna ask her fer an autograph."

At this, Miss Piggy perked up- discreetly, of course.

"...Because it's rude, you fool! She is a guest in my house." Betty Sue sighed and pulled her blanket up over her head. "Stacey, listen. If you ain't gunna believe me, you can come on over tomorrow mornin' an' pretend yer pickin' me up fer school. ...No, dun' tell her I called, 'cuz that's rude, too."

Clever little ruse for that age, Miss Piggy mused.

"Aw'right, Stacey. See ya tomorrow." Betty Sue sighed and settled down against her pillow.

Miss Piggy nuzzled into her pillow again.

She was about to fall asleep when she heard a light knock on the windowpane.

Betty Sue stirred.

There was another knock, the exact same pattern as the first.

Betty Sue jumped up and quietly opened the window. "It ain't tomorrow yet, Stacey," she whispered irritably.

"Well sure it is. Look at yer clock," another girl's voice whispered.

Miss Piggy winced at the thought.

Betty Sue turned, squinted at a wall, and turned back to the window. "Aw'right, but it sure ain't morning," she whispered.

"An' I bet Miss Piggy ain't gunna be here then, either," the second voice whispered smugly.

"Yer tellin' me you came over here jest to prove I was lyin' about her bein' here?" Betty Sue said. Miss Piggy could almost hear her roll her eyes.

"I knew you was lyin'!" the second voice said triumphantly.

"SHHH!" Betty Sue hushed. "Stacey Melissa Lee, have I ever lied to you?" she whispered.

"Nope!" the second voice whispered. "That's why I wanted ta catch ya! I figured it was a joke."

"It ain't a joke, Stacey," Betty Sue whispered. "She's 'bout five feet away."

The second voice giggled. "Then how come no autograph?" she whispered.

Miss Piggy took a deep breath. "Vous may have my autograph in the morning. Now let me sleep," she said, ending in a growl.

She waited. Silence.

After a long moment, Betty Sue spoke. "I told you so," she whispered pointedly. She gestured out the window. "Now go on an' git, a'fore ya faint in the rosebush an' stab yerself."

There was a soft shuffle, and then the window eased shut.

"I'm awful sorry 'bout that, Miss Piggy," Betty Sue whispered as she lay down again.

Miss Piggy sighed. "It's all right, Betty Sue," she said genuinely. "Vous tried."

Betty Sue pulled her blanket up and settled into her pillow. After the briefest of moments, she turned towards Miss Piggy again. "Did ya really mean it, about that autograph?" she whispered, meek but hopeful.

"Mm-hm," Miss Piggy hummed.

Betty Sue absorbed this for a moment. "Wow," she whispered. "Well- thank you muchly, Miss Piggy. I- I know Stacey would sure appreciate it. She's a- she's a really big fan..."

Miss Piggy smiled, despite her exhaustion. "Betty Sue?" she whispered. "Would vous like an autograph, too?"

She was almost certain she heard the girl's jaw drop. It took her a second to answer. "I... I would love one, Miss Piggy," she whispered.

"Then vous will have one," Miss Piggy said sweetly. "Would you like a picture with moi, too?"

"...I- I- ...Sure!"

Miss Piggy giggled. "And vous may wait until after moi leaves to tell Stacey about it," she said.

Betty Sue giggled. "Yes ma'am," she said happily.

Miss Piggy sighed. "Good night, Betty Sue."

"Good night, Miss Piggy," Betty Sue whispered.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Kermit stepped back and held her hands. "Are you sure you don't wanna come in?" he asked with the slightest nod towards the marsh grasses.

Miss Piggy caught her breath. "I- well, Kermie, I- I have to catch my train," she stumbled apologetically.

He nodded, looked her over, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her tenderly.

Her hands slid to his shoulders. "Mon Capitan," she whispered.

He settled his head on her shoulder. "Thank you for coming with me, Piggy," he said. "It means a lot to me."

"Any time, Kermie," she murmured.

He nuzzled closer. "I love you," he whispered.

Her heart jumped, the way it always did when he said those words. "I love you too," she whispered.

He gave her a tight squeeze and lifted his head to look in her eyes. "I should get in there," he said sheepishly.

"Mm-hm." She gave him a light kiss.

His hands slid to her elbows. "I'll be home soon," he said. "Say hi for me?"

"I will." Her eyes quickly darted to the marsh grasses and back to him. "Say hi for moi too," she said.

"Will do." He lightly kissed her cheek and stepped back. "See you soon," he said.

"Bye Kermie," she sighed.

"Bye Piggy." He turned, walked away, and smiled over his shoulder at her before disappearing into the marsh grasses completely. She listened for a moment and heard him call out, "HI-HO EVERYONE!"

"UNCLE KERMIT!" came the many-voiced reply.

Miss Piggy turned and walked back towards the town. After all, she did have a train to catch. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay; she was just very apprehensive of the swamp. And besides, Kermit needed this time with his family.

She needed this time, too.

 

[theprawncracker]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! AUTOGRAPHS!!! WHOO!! I LOVED it!! *bounces* SWAMP TIME!! WHOOOOOO!!

 

[The Count]

*Smacks Prawny with some of that lemon custard in his room.

Very good chapter Lisa. Liked the rousse between Betty Sue and Stacy Lee. And if her last trip there was any indication (Ru's Getting Swamped fanfic), Piggy has good reason to be apprehensive of the swamps where Kermit grew up. But I know you're getting to the part where you'd normally bounce and squee over, Kermit and Robin scenes of corse. Shame we havent gotten any more of those scenes or any scenes whatsoever in Flippersteps. Anyway, thanks and more please!

 

[redBoobergurl]

Wonderful! I loved the stuff with Betty Sue and her skeptical friend! Miss Piggy is so nice to her though which is nice to see. I liked the stuff with Kermit and Bob and Craig too. They have such an amazing bond of friendship, it's touching. And now Kermit's at the swamp! Yea! Great stuff all around, looking forward to more!

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Forty-One

Rowlf settled into the beanbag chair with a sigh. "Well, Piggy's home," he said. "Kermit and Robin will be home soon."

"Yeah," Fozzie sighed. He leaned against the wall beside the ladder to his bed. "I miss Kermit."

"Me too," Rowlf said. "I'll be glad when he's home. It's sort of weird to have him gone again."

"Yeah," Fozzie said. "I wonder-"

There was a knock on the door.

"It's open!" they both called.

The door opened, and Miss Piggy's head slid into the room. Her face revealed a trace of concern that had been hidden earlier. "May I come in?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Yeah."

She slid in, closed the door, and took her old usual post by the window and the low dresser. Fozzie plopped down into Rowlf's doggie bed.

"Been a while since y'came in to talk," Rowlf noticed.

Miss Piggy perched herself on the low dresser and looked at her feet. "Been a while since Kermie was gone," she murmured.

She quietly watched her feet wiggle. She had come with something to say, but now she wasn't sure if she should say it.

Fozzie watched her. "How is he?" he asked.

When she looked up, they knew they wouldn't like the answer.

"Well- in public, he's all right," she said. "As long as no one talks about the war too much. But-" She stopped, looked at her shoes, and touched the toes of one foot to the arch of the other. "He tries so hard to be okay," she whispered.

Fozzie straightened up. "And he isn't?" he asked gently.

She lifted her head, looked at him, and took a very deep breath, choosing her words very carefully. "He could be better," she said.

Dog and bear quickly looked at each other. Rowlf slowly turned to Miss Piggy. "He's worse than we think?" he whispered.

She lowered her eyes and whispered. "I don't know how much he's told you..."

Fozzie and Rowlf looked at each other, then stood up and approached her. She slid off of the dresser and took a few steps forward to meet them. They converged near the center of the room. Sometimes, physical closeness was necessary.

"We know that most of what he did- I mean- that actually hurt people- doesn't bother him as much," Fozzie said. "For some reason..."

"Mm-hm," Miss Piggy nodded.

"But- but there was one big thing, at the end..." The bear removed his hat and twisted it in his hands. "When he got hurt, he... He did something that-" He swallowed hard and looked at Miss Piggy with begging, sorrowful eyes. "He can't stand it."

Miss Piggy nodded.

"He's real sensitive about the Child's Corps," Rowlf murmured. "It's something with that. And if anyone even mentions the Child Corps Charge, well, he has some reason to leave the room." He nodded to himself. "I think it's gotta be something with that."

"It's anything with kids that gets to him," Fozzie said with a gulp. "Have you guys noticed? He- he always walks quicker past kids on the street, and- And he was in New York, and he still hasn't even mentioned visiting Sesame Street- And-" He gulped again. "The whole thing with Robin..."

They nodded. Rowlf sighed. "So that's what we know," he said. He turned to Miss Piggy. "You know more?" he asked quietly.

Miss Piggy took a deep breath, watching her feet again. "I know what happened," she whispered. "I- I might know more- than he knows I know." She fiddled with her hands.

They leaned forward slightly. "How?" Fozzie asked.

"I- I talked to Bob and Craig, when they were here," she said quickly. "I don't know if they told him that they told me."

They let this settle for a moment.

"He saved their lives," Rowlf murmured under his breath.

Miss Piggy looked up. "I think, that's the only reason he's doing as well as he is," she murmured quietly. "Knowing that the three of them are alive because of it."

"It's almost like he thinks he betrayed us, or Robin, or- everybody," Fozzie burst. "Like he thinks that whatever he did hurts us, especially Robin, just as much as-" He suddenly hesitated. "...Well... as- as much as... whoever he did hurt, I guess..."

Miss Piggy absorbed it. "I hadn't thought of that," she confessed in a whisper. She thought for a long moment. "I should have thought of that- I think..." She held herself stiffly. "I think that's it exactly," she said with tears in her voice but not her eyes.

Rowlf watched her. "Does it hurt us?" he asked. "What he did?"

She stepped back. Her eyes were searching something inside of her, watching something she had seen before but could not physically see right now. "He told me I would hate him," she whispered shakily. "Before he told me, he said- ...That if I knew it, I would hate him..." She began to pace. "He said that to me- I had forgotten it- Oh- He really thinks that..."

She was getting choked up, and pacing so quickly and fiercely and yet unconsciously that Rowlf and Fozzie each took one of her arms and gently stopped her, for fear she would hurt herself.

"I don't hate him!" she announced with a weak, cracked voice. "I love him, I love him so- I love him more- I-"

"He knows it," Fozzie said firmly, supporting the bulk of her body weight with Rowlf. "He's grateful for it. He's told us so."

"Multiple times," Rowlf added.

She pulled her hand up to her eyes and dried the tears that had not even begun to leak. She seemed to grab hold of her bearings once more. "It doesn't hurt us," she whispered. "What he did- doesn't hurt us. But of course he thinks- why didn't I realize..."

"It's okay, Piggy," Fozzie said simply. "That's why we’re here."

She nodded quickly.

Rowlf smiled at her gently and wondered if she had figured out yet that he and Fozzie were practically holding her up. "Think of it this way, Miss Piggy," he said quietly. "Kermit looks after all of us. It takes more than one person to look after a guy like that."

Upon hearing this, she also smiled a small smile. "Of course it does," she said softly. "It takes everyone he looks after."

"That's a lot of people," Fozzie said.

"Exactly," Rowlf said.

Miss Piggy sighed, eased her weight back onto her own feet, and slid her arms out of their hands. "Of course," she whispered.

Rowlf nodded. "Why don't you sleep on that," he said. "It's a nice thought, and you look exhausted."

"And you can always come in and talk," Fozzie whispered.

She nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. She took a deep breath and pushed herself out the door. "Good night, then," she whispered.

"Sleep tight, then," Rowlf said.

"Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Fozzie said. "...Then."

She stopped and looked back into the room. "Fozzie? Rowlfie?" she said. "Do either of vous know what Kermie and Scooter were talking about the other night?"

They quickly flashed a glance at each other and Fozzie shifted his weight.

"Something about a broken window," Rowlf said, almost stepping in front of Fozzie. "Why do you ask?"

Miss Piggy shifted her calculating eyes between them. Rowlf was cool and calm, as always, but Fozzie was exceptionally nervous. "Just wondering," she said suspiciously as she eased her way out the door. "He was awfully... protective of it." And with that, she was gone.

Fozzie heaved a sigh of relief.

Rowlf grinned at him. "She's clever," he said as he strolled to his doggie bed.

"Do you think she knows?" Fozzie gripped the ladder to his bed.

"Not yet," Rowlf said cheerfully.

Fozzie sighed and hauled himself up the ladder. "The sooner Kermit gets back, the better," he said. "I'm no good at keeping secrets."

"Day after tomorrow, Fozzie," Rowlf said. "He'll be home soon."

"But he won't do it then, will he?" Fozzie asked.

"I don't know," Rowlf said.

"How long will he wait?"

"As long as he wants," Rowlf said. "He probably wants to do it up big."

"Not in public, though."

"Naw, probably not. We'll ask him when he gets home." Rowlf reached up and clicked out the light. "Night, Fozzie."

"Night, Rowlf."

 

[theprawncracker]

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! *sreams* AWESOME chapter!! I LOVE that bear and that dog! And that poor pig! *hugs her!* *and vous!!* Very, very awesome half! Great job!

 

[The Count]

Still reading this wonderfully heart-wrenchng chapter... You know, only Kermie's Girl beats Heart of Gold, 42 to 41 chapters. And Heart of Gold with 41 beats Don't Trip with 30, from back when you and Prawny were competing with each other over Don't Trip and Say Cheese. Shame those other stories have gotten stuck in neutral. Oh well...
*Climbs into bed and clicks off the light. Night Lisa.

 

[redBoobergurl]

Such a nice chapter, Kermit is so lucky to have these people who care about him so much. Nice to see Piggy, Rowlf and Fozzie talking too. It's a combo you don't see much of. Anyway, looking forward to Kermit's arrival home and this thing you keep foreshadowing. In fact, I'm getting very excited for this thing you keep foreshadowing!

 

[TogetherAgain]

I missed the bus this morning, so internet is off-limits for me today. If anyone asks, I didn't make this post, either.

See ya tomorrow!

 

[redBoobergurl]

Bummer