A Heart of Gold

[The Count]

You get back ere Prawn and post more of...!
*Ryan trips over the last step in his mad dash out of the thread.
Maybe that'll teach you to Look Before You Leap and post more of Don't Trip.

 

[TogetherAgain]

I bet you guys thought the scene ended there.

 

[Beauregard]

As if you would end an UshyGushy scene before they went to bed.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Thirty-Six

She pulled him close into the cradle of her arms and kissed his cheek. "Tell me what you're thinking?" she whispered.

He sighed. "Geraldson," he said simply.

"Memphis?" she whispered.

He nodded.

She cuddled against him. "Tell me why, Kermie," she whispered.

He was quiet. "We have to talk to Craig," he said softly.

"Why?" she prompted softly, fearing the answer, but trying to hide it.

His voice wobbled and wouldn't quite obey him. "We- we have to tell him... in person..."

"Kermie..."

"Piggy." He squeezed her hand lightly. "Bob's going back," he whispered.

She thought of Ms. Geraldson and frowned. "Why?" she asked. She watched him, and her frown deepened.

He was frowning, too. His face skewed itself into an awkward look and his head began to turn away.

"Kermie-" She caught his face in her glove. "Kermie, no, don't- please don't hide your pain-"

"Then stop hiding yours!" he said bitterly.

He kicked himself mentally. He hadn't meant to sound angry, especially when she had been so tender...

She stared at him for a moment. Just stared. Then her arms slid around his shoulders and her eyes bent down into his collar, and she stayed there.

He wrapped his arms around her and felt that something inside of her had just broken and was now pouring out onto him, silent and motionless but undeniably there. He touched his cheek to hers. "I'm sorry, Piggy," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

She held still, forcing her breathing to remain steady.

Her breaths slowly grew quiet. Kermit stood firm, holding her, silent.

"Come lie down, Piggy," he murmured softly. "We need the rest."

She straightened up and they slowly, gently, pulled each other into bed and curled up under the covers.

"Tell me, Kermie," she whispered. "Tell me why."

The part he had feared telling her the most was the part that tumbled out first. "I'm almost jealous of him," he said. "He's going back- he can go back, he can stop feeling like there's nothing he can do and he can stop that feeling that he has more to do and he can just do it, or at least figure out what it is, and I can't. I can't go back. I can't fight any more. I can't stop feeling like I still owe them something."

"Kermie," she whimpered, "You do so much-"

"But it's not enough!" he said. "It's not enough to make the feeling go away, Piggy. It's always in the back of my mind somewhere."

She squeezed him tight and pressed her lips hard against his cheek.

He put his hand on her arm. "And there's more," he said weakly, almost begging her to listen.

"Tell me," she whispered, and she pushed her lips firmly against his cheek.

"I'm worried," he said. "I'm worried he's going to get hurt, and I don't just mean physically. Piggy- Craig was sent home because he couldn't fight- he emotionally couldn’t fight. He's not the only one. Every month, someone else in the unit went home because of it. Usually they- they'd seen..." He gulped. "They'd seen a kid die. Some of them had seen more than one kid die. You can only take so much of it, Piggy, and then you just have to get away. You have to. I don't know if that ever leaves a guy. I don't think it does. I- I wake up every morning and I..." He shook his head. His voice cracked. "I'm so scared for him, Piggy. I'm scared he'll come home and he- it'll haunt him forever."

She pulled him closer. "Every morning?" she whispered, hating the weakness in her voice. "Even with me?"

He tightly gripped her arm. "Piggy," he whispered miserably, "When I first wake up, I don't even know you're here."

She squeezed him tight and pressed against him firmly.

He squeezed her as well, and his hands tightly gripped her soft, cozy pajamas.

"There's more," he whispered faintly. "Most of the guys have a girl back home. I have you. Craig has Sally. Even Major D. has a wife. It helps. It helps so much..." He nuzzled against her. "But Bob doesn't have anybody. The girl he loved dumped him four months before he enlisted for some guy she met in a bar."

She gasped softly and clutched him near. "But... but he has his mother..."

"That's not the same," he said. "We've all got parents, Piggy. We've all got family. But Bob... his mother is all he has. He's hated her for most of his life. And I think- I think the only reason they get along now is that... he really didn't have anywhere else to go home to."

She pressed her face close to his. "Kermie..."

"I'll write to him while he's there," Kermit whispered. "It helps so much to have a picture in your pocket, or a letter tucked away... something you can touch, and smile at, and know... there's somebody waiting for you." He was quiet for a long moment. "I had so much of that," he whispered. "You know what I had, Piggy?"

"Tell me," she whispered.

"You know those pictures on my wall at home?" he said. "I got them all printed in wallet size and brought them with. And I had the picture of Robin and I reading, and I had a picture he drew, and I had all of Fozzie's letters, and your letters, and a little stone from the swamp. It was wonderful, Piggy. No matter who I missed, I had something to hold from them." He nuzzled closer and tightened his arms around her. "It's good to be able to hold," he said.

She smiled and wrapped her arms more firmly around him. "Yes," she whispered. "It is."

He sighed. "How will we tell Craig," he said, not really asking the question or expecting an answer.

She nuzzled closer to him.

He brushed his lips with hers, and they kissed tenderly. His arms slid further around her and his hands took up a new, tight grip on her pajamas.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he murmured.

They drifted off to sleep, exhausted with tenderness and emotion.

 

[Beauregard]

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he murmured.

I could say more...and I know you'd love that...but I want to just say this...

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he murmured.

It's so...it's just...it's...

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he murmured.

Sad/happy/squeee/bittersweet/painful/ushygushy/glad

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he murmured.

 

[Leyla]

<mumbles something unintelligible>

<spends several minutes translating gibberish into english>

Ooooohhh, Lisa... well. I can't remember how I originally reacted to this one, but I'm rather stunned now... mostly because of the eyes... Piggy's eyes, actually, being opened to what kermit goes through every morning...gosh... how scary it would be for her to find out he doesn't even know she's there... and how awful that there's really nothing that she can do about it.

But the love between them in this scene is just so... palpable... reach out and touchable... and it's just so lovely and vivid and vibrant and real.

The pain is there.. it's huge and dark and utterly overwhelming. Bigger, so much bigger than Kermit... bigger than Piggy too..... but... it's not bigger than all of them together... it's not bigger than the love, and that feels good and right.

You're gonna be okay, Kermie... someday.

 

[The Count]

Ooh... Now that's both powerful and moving all in one blow. Great stuff Lisa, post more when you can, I'm loving this.

You know what I liked most of all? The fact that Kermit has all those momentos to remind him of everyone he has back home waiting for him. An we're waiting for him too, along with more story of course.

 

[redBoobergurl]

So much pain...but he's opening up more and he's sharing it with someone who's very important to him and that's so good. He can't deal with it alone. Poor Bob...and now they gotta go tell Craig and oh my. The hits just keep on coming from you my dear. But of course, I must ask for more.

 

[theprawncracker]

Ow... Wow... That was... So incredibly powerful. *glomp* *hugs* More please.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Miss Piggy pulled the blanket up closer to Kermit’s neck. She was content to lie here beside him and watch him sleep. Her hand slipped under his collar, a new favorite place to touch when they were undeniably alone. He was so peaceful in his sleep. She gave him a soft kiss between his eyes.

It was good that he had been honest last night. He would stay honest with her. She was sure of it, glad of it. On stage, on talk shows, in public, and even in the Boarding House, there were things he needed to hide. But he didn’t have to hide from her.

Which, of course, meant that she didn’t have to hide from him, either. If he was going to show her his pain, then he wanted to see her pain, too.

That was the trouble. She had to show her pain; she wasn’t sure she knew how.

He stirred and looked up at the ceiling.

He was awake now, then. But he had just woken up, which meant… It meant he didn’t even know she was here.

He stared up at the ceiling, his face taught with grief and guilt and regret.

“Kermie?” she whispered.

He stared up at the ceiling, his face taught with grief and guilt and regret, staring very pointedly at something that wasn’t there.

“Kermie?” she whimpered.

He stared up at the ceiling, carefully taking deep, controlled breaths.

She curled closer to him, watching.

Deep, controlled breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. After a long moment, his face filled with cautious relief. He nuzzled closer to her. “Morning,” he mumbled.

“Morning,” she breathed.

He looked up at her and saw that her cheeks were wet. "Oh Piggy..." He held her protectively.

She curled into his embrace, her head settling on his chest. "Mon Capitan!" her voice cracked, and tears continued to roll. "Every morning?"

He nodded. "Every morning." He gently rubbed her arm. "I love you, Piggy."

"I love you too," she whimpered.

He kissed her ear. "It's okay now, Piggy," he murmured. "It's okay..." He kissed her ear again. "I'm glad you're here... Right here with me..."

Her tears had stopped. "We belong here," she whispered.

"Well, not in New York, per say, bu-"

She put a finger over his lips. "Together," she whispered.

He was filled with something that he couldn't quite recognize. "Yes," he whispered.

They let that sit for a moment.

She propped her head up in her hand and looked at him. "Kermie?"

"Hm?"

"What were vous and Scooter talking about last night?" she asked.

He gave her a passionate kiss.

She returned the favor and eased onto her back. "That's not going to distract moi," she said.

"Hm?" he said, kissing her neck. Apparently, it was distraction enough for him.

There was a knock on the door. "Room service!" a man's voice announced.

"Not interested!" Miss Piggy called.

"You will be soon!" the voice answered.

Miss Piggy frowned.

Kermit was laughing. "Just a minute, Geraldson!"

"I'm timing ya, Frog!"

"Oh," Miss Piggy said. "I'd better change."

"Okay," Kermit said, "But I like you just the way you are."

"Cute." She snatched something from her suitcase. "Cute joke." She went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Kermit shook his head and opened the door to the hallway.

Bob beeped a button on his watch and checked. "Forty-nine point two three seconds."

"Oh, I've still got time." Kermit started to close the door.

"FROG!"

He laughed and opened the door wide. "Come on in, Bob. All packed and ready, I see."

"Ready and anxious," Bob said as he stepped in with a small suitcase at his side. "I actually wish the train left earlier."

Kermit closed and latched his own suitcase. "Bob," he said gently, "Should you be doing something you're that nervous about?"

Bob quietly put his suitcase down, stood at attention, and gazed out the window. "I'm not nervous about going," he said quietly. "I'm nervous about telling Rivers."

Kermit nodded and set his suitcase by the door. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet," Bob said, "But we've got plenty of time."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

Craig Rivers was tense as he closed and locked the front door of the small, yellow house. Beside him on the porch stood an average-sized thirteen-year-old girl with a long braid of sandy hair down her back and a tennis racket over each shoulder. Craig plastered a reassuring smile on his face before he looked at her. "Ready?"

She rolled her eyes. "Duh," she said, "I'm always ready!"

His smile turned genuine, and he would have hugged her, but he knew she wouldn't allow it. "Let's go, then." He turned to go, and stopped.

A frog and a pig were approaching the house arm-in-arm, walking beside a tall, dark-haired man. "Where ya goin' Rivers?" the man called out. "Can we come, too?"

Craig's face filled with something akin to relief. He leaped down the steps to them. "Well, golly!" he said. "Another minute, an' we woulda missed y'all!" He gave the man a slap-on-the-back sort of hug. "Howdy do, Geraldson!"

"Howdy," Bob laughed.

Craig gave the frog a similar slap on the back. "Good to see you, sir!"

"Rivers!" Kermit whined, scrunching his face.

Craig laughed. "I can't help it, Frog"! He shook Miss Piggy's hand. "Pleasure to see you, ma'am!"

"Hello, Craig," she said warmly.

Craig turned and waved to the girl on the porch. "Well come on, dolly, they don't bite!"

The girl came and stood beside him. "Hi Bob," she said shyly. Butterflies conquered her stomach as her eyes shifted to Kermit, then to Miss Piggy, and then back and forth between them.

Craig took one of the rackets and put his arm around her shoulders. "This is Betty Sue," he said proudly.

"Oh, hi Betty Sue!" Kermit said, shaking her hand. "Nice to finally meet you. Your brother's told a lot about you!"

Betty Sue blushed. "Thank you, Mr. Kermit, pleasure meetin' you," she said quietly.

"We was jest headin' down for a little tennis, if you folks wanna come?" Craig said. His eyes had a rare hint of urgency

"Sure!" Bob said.

"Oh Piggy's great at tennis," Kermit said quickly.

Betty Sue's jaw locked half-open and her face turned white, then red.

"Kermie's good at watching," Miss Piggy added smugly. Kermit sheepishly shrugged.

"Oh, terrific!" Craig said. "I'm no match for Betty Sue.”

Betty Sue looked at her feet. "I ain't that good..." she mumbled.

"She's an ace at it," Craig said.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Kermit said. "Lead on, Craig."

"Yes sir!"

"Stop calling me sir..."