A Heart of Gold

[TogetherAgain]

<Rimshot>

 

[theprawncracker]

Nurse Piggy: Dr. Bob, Dr. Bob! Rim has just been shot!
Dr. Bob: Send him in, I've operated on dead jokes before.
Nurse Janice: Rully.

 

[The Count]

Announcer: Tune in neeeeeeext time when you'll hear Dr. Bob say...
Dr. Bob: Has anybody seen the patient?
Nurse Janice: The story was just here a second ago.
Dr. Bob: It couldn't have gotten far, it was under the sheets.
Nurse Piggy: Did you check under the sheets?
Dr. Bob: Why would I do that... This sheet's already serving as my music paper.
Nurse Janice: Like that was a rully bad joke.
Dr. Bob: How's that any different than our regular jokes?
All: Groan as they go fetch Lisa to post more story.
Dr. Bob: Someone say fetch?

 

[green stuff]

Lovely, just lovely, Lisa. I'd ask for more, but right now, I don't really have room to, as I should be posting more story myself...so, let's just pretend I asked for more..

 

[The Count]

Ho-hum... Lisa? You know we're gonna nag you to post more until this story gets finished. So post more! Soon! Please!

 

[The Count]

Hey! Girl who doesn't exist on Wednesdays... We know that's a lie... They said you were online, and you're there all this time... No reply.
Post more story or... Um... We'll shoot you down with muffins? Need fanfic! Need fanfic!
Meep mee-mory? Si, we is wanting jur fabu ficshon hokay?
It's not nice to keep Piggy wating for an update, trust me. Ernie, why did you drag me here if there's no story?
Me hungry for story. As are ve all my blue furry fellow. I Grover can not wait for this cute story to be updated.
Hey chief, have you gotten word from Lisa? Naw man, just so long as that stupid light's taken care of.
Hee hee hee, Crazy Harry play with stupid lights.

Lisa, you've got us aching for more story, so post it soonerishkibbible! Please!

 

[TogetherAgain]

<Giggles>

I just want to clarify that the ONLY reason I exist on this particular Wednesday is that I'm a Senior in high school and thus get to laugh at the Juniors who are taking various forms of standardized tests today and tomorrow while the guy on the intercom asks all seniors to please not come to school. <Giggles!> I love being a senior.

 

[The Count]

Oh... Senior cut days, yeah I remember those.
You might want to do something to cheer up that little green frog though. Maybe a new chapter would do the trick.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Forty-Nine

"Think about it?" Fozzie burst as soon as the Major was gone. "But Kermit, what's there to think about? You don't want to leave! ...Do you?"

They had shifted to the family room, where Kermit was pacing and occasionally looking out the windows. "No Fozzie," he said. "I don't want to leave."

"Well then Boss, why not just tell him that?" Scooter asked.

Kermit sighed and leaned against the window, looking out at the neighbor’s shrubs.

"Kermit?" Johnny Fiama said. "I know you wouldn't be fighting, but- couldn't you still get hurt?"

"Johnny Fiama says ya might get hurt!" Sal announced.

"I might," Kermit said quietly.

"If you do go," Fozzie said. He came and stood next to Kermit. "But you probably won’t go. Right?"

"I don't know," Kermit said quietly. He was quiet for a moment. "The TV station is a good idea," he said. "People would support the war if they saw what's happening."

"Well yeah, but- but how come you gotta go?" Rizzo asked.

Kermit gulped. "Well I- I don’t, I guess-"

"Then don't go!"

"Yeah Kermit!"

"Why would you go?"

"It's dangerous!"

"STAY HOME! STAY HOME!"

"We need you here, Kermit!"

"Yaneesh ketoodle!"

"You just proposed to Piggy-"

"Moo mee mee mo!"

"Please don't go, Kermit," Fozzie said, protectively wrapping his pleading arms around the frog.

Kermit opened his mouth, then closed it, and lowered his head. He looked at his hand, took a deep breath, and lifted his head.

"I'm tired, guys," he said quietly. "I'm tired of waking up every morning and- ...and remembering what I did, and feeling like I'm just running from it. I'm tired of convincing myself every morning that I did the right thing before I even remember where I am."

He bit his lip.

"I'm tired of going to bed at night and thinking- and knowing- that there's something else I should be doing, but- not knowing what it is. Maybe this is it. I don't know. I- I'm tired of feeling like I've let someone down. And I'm tired of just knowing that I'm going to keep feeling those things for the rest of my life. ...I'm tired of wondering how to change it."

He shook his head.

"But I don't want to leave," he said weakly. "Not now. Everything's almost perfect now. I don't want to leave again..."

Fozzie hugged him instinctively.

Miss Piggy watched Kermit and twisted the ring on her finger. Everything was almost perfect... She didn't know what to do, except to hold him, and Fozzie was all ready doing that.

The other Muppets watched Kermit, not quite sure what to do. He had said he was tired, and yes, he now looked exhausted. But... He wouldn't leave them... Would he?

Robin sat curled up on the middle step of the stairs, the most confused of anyone. His uncle was upset again, that much he knew. And the uniformed man wanted his uncle to go away again. But beyond that... He didn't understand.

Kermit suddenly pushed himself away from Fozzie, bolted to the stairs, scooped Robin into his arms, and hugged him close. "My Robin," he mumbled. "Robin..."

Robin snuggled in close. "Uncle Kermit?" he whispered. "I don't get it."

"It's okay, Robin," Kermit murmured. "It's okay... Let's go for a walk, okay? ...Just me and you... Let's go for a walk..."

And so they did.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Kermit and Robin paused on their walk to look at the newsstand. The newspapers talked about a patriotic number at The Muppet Theater, with brief mention of a glimpse of an engagement ring. The tabloids talked about a glimpse of an engagement ring at The Muppet Theater, with brief mention of a patriotic number.

The two frogs walked on, quietly holding hands.

"Uncle Kermit?" Robin whispered.

Kermit looked down at him and gave him a sad smile. "Hi Robin," he said quietly.

Robin gave him the same smile, with a little added hope.

They went into the park and sat near the edge of the cold pond.

"Robin?" Kermit said, pulling the young frog close. "Do you know what guilt is?"

"Sort of," Robin said. "A little bit." He thought. "...Not really."

"Well, guilt is..." Kermit thought. "Guilt is feeling bad for something you did wrong."

Robin thought about it, and nodded. "Okay."

"And usually... Usually the worse the thing you did is, the more guilty you feel," Kermit explained.

Robin nodded.

"And you see, Robin..." Kermit took a deep breath. "Sometimes... Sometimes, in war, you... You have to do bad things."

Robin frowned. "Uncle Kermit?" he whispered. "Did you do bad things?"

Kermit bit his lip. "I did something very bad, Robin," he whispered.

Robin frowned. "Really bad?" he asked. "Like- worse than when Ziggy and I hid all the silverware from Grandma?"

Kermit looked at him. "That was you?"

Robin looked away. "Oops..."

"Robin," Kermit sighed. He shook his head. "But actually, I'm glad you mentioned it. So you hid the silverware- did you make it all better?"

"Well yeah," Robin said, "We put the silverware back. ...After lunch and dinner..."

Kermit chuckled. "But you did put it back," he pointed out.

"Yup," Robin said.

"Well," Kermit said, "What would you do if you did something wrong, but you didn't know how to fix it?"

Robin thought for a long moment. "Well... Gee, Uncle Kermit. I don't know. I guess I'd apologize to whoever I did something wrong to."

Kermit nodded. "That's good," he said. "But what if you couldn't apologize, for some reason? Or what if they wouldn't forgive you? Then what?"

Robin thought. "Well... I don't know. ...Try to make it up to them?"

Kermit nodded. "Y'see, Robin... I don't know if I can make it up to them," he said gently. "But if I'm even going to try, I have to leave again."

Robin looked down. "Oh," he said quietly.

"But if I leave," Kermit whispered, "I'll feel guilty for that."

Robin frowned up at him curiously.

Kermit pulled the young frog onto his chest and lay down, looking up at the sky. "So I don't know what to do," he whispered.

Robin settled against him. "Is that why you're upset?" he whispered.

Kermit rubbed his nephew's back. "Yeah," he sighed. "That's why."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Miss Piggy did not wait to reach the porch swing. The very second that she and Kermit were alone on the porch that night, she snatched him, clutched him to her, and held him close. She did not have the slightest inclination of letting go.

He pressed against her and held her, but when she hadn't budged for several long minutes, he sighed. "Piggy," he whispered, "I haven't even decided..."

She squeezed him. "I know," she breathed.

He pressed his cheek firmly against hers. "Love you," he whispered.

"You too," she whimpered.

He pulled away just enough as he needed to while mumbling, "Let me see you..." He looked into her deep blue eyes as long as he could bear to- which wasn't long- before surrendering to press a hard kiss on her lips.

They clung tightly to each other and eased their way down into the swing.

"Oh Kermie!" she whimpered as she clutched him tight. "Please don't leave me..."

He let his neck lie across her cheek. "My Piggy," he breathed.

She loosened her grip on him and kissed his shoulder. "Kermie," she breathed. She took a deep breath. "It's your choice, Kermie," she said quietly. "You... If it's better to go, then..."

He lifted himself and tenderly nursed her lips with his. "My Piggy," he murmured. "You're incredible..."

She pulled him back down, and they lay side by side in the swing, snuggled close together, silent and in love, until Fozzie called them in.

 

[The Count]

Yaey! New chapter! But it's so sad to see Kermit ambivalent about the guilt he has in the pit of his stomach, guilt over killing that child and guilt over leaving the family he has for a second time.
Robin's cuteness and concern over his uncle only helps accentuate the sadness. Sometimes I get depressed or feel bad cause I don't know what it is I want to do, regarding insatisfaction over unfulfilled character creations. Kermit's anx helps capture that feeling perfectly.

Lisa please... Post more... And don't take so loooooooooong to update next time.
Thanks. *Hugs batty bat plushy.