Chapter Fifty
Kermit and Miss Piggy trudged up the stairs, each with an arm around the other.
"I don't want to leave," Kermit whispered.
Miss Piggy nodded. "I know," she whispered.
They reached her bedroom and turned to each other, with Kermit's arms pulling her tight. "Piggy," he murmured, setting his head on her chest. "I love you," he whispered. "I'll be your husband." There was a promise in his voice, and his arms told her he refused to let go.
"Oui Kermie," she whispered, with a kiss on his head. "I'll be your wife," she breathed.
He squeezed her for a long moment, kissed her cheek, and reluctantly ushered her towards her door. "Sleep well, Piggy," he murmured.
She touched his cheek. "Sweet dreams, Mon Capitan," she whispered. She hesitated, cupped his face in her hands, kissed him once, and vanished into her room.
For a long moment, longer than she could have known, Kermit stood there and looked at her door. Then he turned and slowly walked towards his own room, aware of many stares but acknowledging none of them. He had just reached his door when-
"HI-YA!"
Crash!
The entire house snapped to attention at the sound of loud wails echoing from Miss Piggy's room. Bedroom doors opened and heads peered out.
Kermit bolted to her door and opened it without knocking and her lights were off and her vanity was broken in half and she had collapsed on the floor in front of it, bawling, and he dropped to his knees beside her and scooped her into his arms, hushing, comforting, calming, soothing, as best he could- which, in his mind, considering her state of distress, was not very well at all.
The Muppets crowded by her doorway, trying to peek in.
"I WANT TO
HELP!" she sobbed against his shoulder. "I WANT TO... TAKE WHAT'S HURTING YOU, AND
DESTROY IT! ...But I
CAN'T..." She whimpered against him. "It's INSIDE of you..."
He held her close and rubbed her back, and when the light from the hallway hit him just right, those in the hallway could see that Miss Piggy was not the only one in that room who was crying.
Her wails settled into whimpers, and she pressed her face into him. "It's your heart, Kermie," she whispered. "Your heart..."
He squeezed her tighter, but pulled back to look at her. "My... heart?"
She nodded, sprinkling tears onto his chest. "Your heart!" she whimpered. "You have- a heart of
gold, Kermie. Of purest... solid..." Her tears interrupted her for a brief moment. "...And you can't stand to have it tarnished," she finally whispered.
He slowly pressed his lips firmly against her cheek and held her there.
"That's why it hurts you so," she whispered. "That's why it haunts you! You just..." She sighed out a few more tears. "It's because you're so wonderful," she breathed, "And it's nothing any of us can change..."
He pulled her even tighter and tucked his face down towards her neck, burying himself in her hair.
She squeezed him. "Mon Capitan," she whispered under her breath. She could feel his tears against her skin, and her own tears against his. "The only one who can't forgive you is you," she breathed. "...And it's not fair!"
He slowly pulled her to her feet, guided her to her bed, and laid her down. He gave her one soft, tender kiss, and gently brushed away her tears. "Piggy," he murmured. "I love you..." He kissed her cheek twice. "We're going to be married, Piggy. I promise." He set his cheek against hers. "I promise..."
She whimpered and kissed his cheek. "I know, Kermie," she whispered, and then her tears began again.
He urgently wiped the tears away. "Piggy..."
She kissed him and held him close. "Kermie," she whispered. "I want you to be happy..."
He pressed his cheek against hers. "I will be, Piggy," he whispered earnestly.
"Promise?" she whispered.
He pressed his cheek even more firmly against hers. "Promise," he breathed.
She took his face in her hands and lifted it, so she could look into his eyes. "Do what it takes, Kermie," she whispered. "Promise me?"
He nodded solemnly. "I promise, Piggy," he whispered. "I will."
She kissed him softly and gently rubbed his back. "I'm okay now, Kermie," she whispered.
"You're sure?"
She nodded.
He pressed his face into her neck, seeking truth. "Piggy."
"For the night," she whispered quickly. "And you need to sleep, too."
He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Now that, I won't promise," he whispered.
"I didn't ask," she whispered. She kissed his cheek.
He kissed her cheek. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she whispered.
He kissed her forehead. "Sleep well, darling..."
"I'll try," she sighed.
"So will I," he murmured. He brushed his hand over her cheek once more, just to make sure she had really stopped crying, and reluctantly slipped away.
He turned to the door and was suddenly reminded, the hard way, exactly how many people lived in the house.
One face in the crowd stood out to him, maybe because it was the closest, or maybe because it was the shortest, or maybe because he had all ready tucked it into bed an hour ago.
Kermit scooped his nephew into his arms and, without a word to anyone, took the young frog back to his bedroom, where both of them stayed for the rest of the night.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kermit woke up for the sixth or seventh time since first falling asleep on his nephew's bed.
The Eyes.
Oh, he thought to himself lamely.
It must be morning.
The Eyes were struck with fear. The Eyes began to crystallize with a basic, dreaded understanding.
He took his slow, deep breaths, and slowly pushed The Eyes away, but The Eyes were a little more resistant today. The Eyes were watching him, waiting, waiting for him to decide.
He firmly pushed The Eyes away.
He looked at the sleeping little frog beside him, sighed, gave him a light kiss on the top of his head, and went to his bedroom to retrieve the flag. He brought it outside, raised it, and came back into the family room.
"You don't look like you've slept much," Rowlf said quietly from his place at the piano.
Kermit sighed. "I haven't," he said. He stood at the window near the piano. "I don't know what to do, Rowlf," he said quietly.
Rowlf nodded. "Well," he said quietly, "Like the Major said, Kermit... It's your choice. I can tell you what I'd like, and what everyone in this house would like... But it might not be the right thing."
"But how can I just leave?" Kermit turned to face him. "How can I... Propose to Piggy, and then just leave? How can I miss another day of Robin's life? I... I need you guys."
Rowlf solemnly held his gaze for a moment, looked down at the keys, and sighed. "We'd be here when you got back, Kermit," he whispered huskily.
Kermit gulped and looked away. "If," he whispered.
"You know..." Rowlf looked up. "If you look at it proportionally, we really haven't had too many casualties. You've got better chances of coming home than not."
Kermit gulped and forced himself to nod.
Rowlf looked at the keys for a long time. "I probably won't like the outcome of me saying this," he whispered.
Kermit turned and looked at him. "Saying what?" he asked quietly.
Rowlf looked up. "Think about it long-term," he said quietly. "Think of ten, twenty years from now."
Kermit frowned and began to think.
Rowlf turned back to the keys. "It'll... probably be different for... if we win or not..."
Kermit gulped and frowned at the window for a very long time.
Finally, as the house was beginning to buzz with activity, he whispered, "How would I tell my Mom?"
Rowlf looked up.
"How would I tell anyone in the swamp?" Kermit said. "Or Rivers? I'd hate to leave him-" He stopped. "I mean-" He turned to Rowlf. "The three of us were together when..." He sighed and shook his head. "He'd be the only one home."
"Maybe you should talk to Bob," Rowlf quietly suggested.
Kermit nodded. "Maybe I should." He turned, took a few steps, stopped, and came back. "I can't tell him over the phone," he said. "He told me in person. I should do the same."
"Well then," Rowlf said, "I guess you should arrange that." He was quiet for a moment. "Does that mean you've decided?" he whispered.
Kermit gulped. "I don't know," he whispered. "...But I promised Piggy I would be happy."
"She give you any time specifications on that?" Rowlf asked.
Kermit scrunched his face up. "Why do you ask?"
Rowlf said nothing, but nodded towards the Christmas tree they had put up a week ago.
Kermit frowned.
"There's a sudden lack in the spirit of it in this house," Rowlf explained. "So I was just wondering if she wants you to be happy for the sake of Christmas, or if she meant forever."
Kermit thought about it. "I think she meant forever," he whispered. "But I wouldn't mind being happy for Christmas, too."
"Most people wouldn't," Rowlf said.
"I'm glad I didn't wait until Christmas morning to ask her," Kermit said. "It would've felt like I was ducking out." Something dawned on him, and he turned to the dog. "Rowlf," he whispered. "That's what the press will think."
Rowlf looked up, and realized that his amphibian friend was right.
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