A Monday Return

[The Count]

So, hey moderator Count Guy, could you, would you, pretty please, change something in the above for me?

Seeing as 'Jane' is the established mom name in the ficverse here, can you change the Jean's to Jane's? I'll go with the 'her full name is Darla Jane and everyone calls her Jane' and then will go with a grandkid being Darla Jean, this way I can still have the name and keep within the establishment.

Many tanks!

This has been just taken care of, hope it helps and hope to read more when it's ready before I leave on my vacation next week. If not, it'll be here when I return.

 

[WebMistressGina]

COUNT! I needs your help!

Who 'owns' James and Jane, Kermit's parents? Gonna on a hunt for the story that I remember reading they were in, but I seriously don't remember which one that could possibly be? Do you, oh counter of knowing stuff, know the answer?

Help me, Ed Kenobi, you're my only hope! For finishing this chapter I'm working on

 

[The Count]

Well Princess Gina Organa... Thankfully, you don't have to go into the cantina in search for someone who can point you in the right direction. Unless you want to listen to Floyd Rebo and the rest of the band play that one song one more time, which is incredibly square, and doesn't do square.
What was I saying? Oh yeah, James and Jane The Frog. theprawncracker and TogetherAgain introduced them as "Dad" and "Mom" in their fics, especially the Muppet Wedding Trilogy by the former. You can always check Getting Swamped by Empress Ru, or KG as well, I think the former is where that started. Or Robin's Story by Beauregard since you're also bringing in some of the frogling's parentals into play here.

Hope this helps, sorry I didn't reply sooner. *Phases out in Force ghost fashion.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Well Princess Gina Organa... Thankfully, you don't have to go into the cantina in search for someone who can point you in the right direction. Unless you want to listen to Floyd Rebo and the rest of the band play that one song one more time, which is incredibly square, and doesn't do square.

What was I saying? Oh yeah, James and Jane The Frog. theprawncracker and TogetherAgain introduced them as "Dad" and "Mom" in their fics, especially the Muppet Wedding Trilogy by the former. You can always check Getting Swamped by Empress Ru, or KG as well, I think the former is where that started. Or Robin's Story by Beauregard since you're also bringing in some of the frogling's parentals into play here.

Hope this helps, sorry I didn't reply sooner. *Phases out in Force ghost fashion.

*glomp hug* I remembered Aunt Ru's, so I did indeed check that out, and tried remembering which ToGa fic that introduced them and couldn't find it, so you sir, are the awesome cause I didn't even think of Prawnie.

So everyone thank Sir Count for today's update!!

 

[WebMistressGina]

Hey kids! Been on a roll on this, so I may just give you a two for one today, depending on when I finish. If that's the case, expect a new chap of the Great Impostors next week!


Chapter II

Long flight travel could sometimes throw off someone’s set time schedule. Kermit was used to traveling, certainly, and while he preferred flying to say driving cross country, it wasn’t to say he didn’t enjoy these long trips back home. Oh, he loved going back home, that much was true, but flying from one coast to another was tiring; if he was lucky, he could catch a flight and be at the airport within five hours, with about a two hour drive from Jackson to Leland. That was the best route he had discovered, as it got him there in seven hours, versus the nine or more if he went directly to Greenville and then to Leland. Kermit was a fairly patient frog, so for these long hour flights he’d go over different aspects of the show or finally get around to reading the books he kept picking up and not actually reading.

On this trip however, Kermit was unsettled. His mind kept going over the recent news he had gotten earlier from his girlfriend, the news that his sister in law – his beloved nephew’s mother, his little brother’s wife – was dead. He didn’t know more than that and it was the hope that once he arrived home, he’d be able to find out what exactly had happened. But he had six hours to think and stew about it and it was making him fidgety and restless, behavior that didn’t escape the eye of the diva that sat on his other side. Twice now, she had steadied the random and urgent tapping he kept making on the arm rest or his leg; finally, she had handed him the book she was reading and ‘asked’ that he explain the very intricate plot and love triangle that made up the book and the only way he could do that was if he read it.

He had taken the book relunctantly, knowing he was trying her – and the other passengers – patience with his restlessness; even babies and small children were giving him funny looks that caused him to just sink down in his seat and bury his head in his book. He didn’t get very far though, as his mind kept going over what was happening in his small neck of the woods. While he would always count the Muppets as his extended family and loved a good majority like the adopted brothers they were, Kermit was still very much a country boy and still very much a frog associated with his kinfolk back home. From the time his little brother had broken out of that egg, Jimmy had been his sibling that he watched over; it wasn’t to say that he didn’t look after his other siblings because he certainly did, but Jimmy seemed the sibling that understood him the best.

All of The Frogs had some talent, even if they didn’t think they did or if they hadn’t achieved the type of fame that the oldest had; Jimmy had shown he had the same type of musical inclination that his older brother and father had and could be found listening to his father play, on those special nights when he took down the guitar and started to mindlessly strum across the strings; or sitting next to his brother as he learned to play the banjo with the same accuracy that his father had. Jimmy had been the frog Kermit had gone to when that crazy idea of going to Hollywood first took hold.

He had told Jimmy first, above everyone else, what he had wanted to do.

He couldn’t imagine how devastated his brother was; while they hadn’t been together, Jimmy was still in love with Leaper and the decision to break up had been something he had accepted and granted, just to make her happy. Kermit, on the other hand, had a tenuous relationship with his sister in law; he certainly didn’t hate her, but he couldn’t exactly said he liked her either and that was something that had gnawed at him for years. Kermit, like his mother, always liked to look for the best in people and not the worst and the elder frog had wracked his brain for years trying to come up with positive traits for Leaper and they were few and far between. The biggest descent between them was Robin – both Kermit and Jimmy had wanted the best for the young frog and that meant letting him choose what his heart wanted; Leaper also wanted the best for her son, that was never in doubt, however she was more concerned about the fact that her son was spending more and more time away from his actual parents in Leland and spending more and more time in Hollywood with his uncle and some pig who may or may not have been his uncle’s girlfriend or mistress.

Leaper wasn’t one for the lifestyle of Hollywood and certainly not one for the lifestyle that Kermit was leading and the lifestyle that she was sure Jimmy wanted. There was resentment, bitterness probably, a lot of hurt feelings and angry words had been exchanged from everyone involved; Piggy and Leaper hated each other and it was one of the main reasons that Piggy usually didn’t accompany Kermit when he did go back home, despite the fact that the others loved her. Piggy usually never made a point to hold her tongue, but for harmony, she kept her thoughts to herself least Leaper come at her with the accusation that she had no right to assume the thoughts of a mother when she wasn’t one.

That last time hadn’t been good.

But as much as there was harshness between them, the power couple had never and would never wish harm her and they certainly had never wanted her death and maybe that was the issue bothering Kermit; his relationship with his former sister in law was non-existent, thanks to the break between her and his brother, and the only thing that held Leaper to the family was Robin and Jimmy’s never ending love. Kermit didn’t know what the relationship was between Leaper and the rest of the family, but Jimmy had once told him that she didn’t think she was really welcomed into the family, despite never having an indication that she was an issue.

Despite any issues that may have been, that may have lingered over time, it was too late to rectify them; Leaper was gone and she wasn’t coming back.

And it seemed to be leaving a feeling of incompleteness.


[hr]


The sun was just going down when Kermit and Piggy drove up towards the small little home that sat nestled within the tall grass of the Leland country side. In many cases when Kermit visited home, he could sometimes get a ride from the airport if people knew he was coming; in this case, Piggy not only rented a car, but drove the route from Jackson to Leland, giving Kermit the extra time to continue to fidget or sleep. The diva was used to international traveling by plane, so these long flights coast to coast didn’t bother her as much as the long flights from the states to Europe, so while she was wide awake for the hour, Kermit was starting to fade, heaviness on his mind weighting him down more than normal.

Piggy always enjoyed going to Kermit’s home in Leland; despite their numerous arguments and picking at each other, the two actually did a number of things in common. While Kermit was more down home country than she was, Piggy was a small town county girl from Iowa, who also had stars in her eyes for the big, bright lights of Hollywood; they had both been talented at an early age, dreams of stardom nestled in their hearts and minds.

There was a down home feel to being in Leland, especially when at The Frogs, where everyone was always welcomed. From day one, Kermit’s family had welcomed the diva, the bear, the dog, and some of the others whenever they visited or when Kermit’s parents were able to come out; Piggy was especially grateful that the elder frogs saw her as the romantic interest for their son and were happy when the two had reconciled. Even in this difficult time, there was still the sounds of children playing outside, the joyful laughter of Kermit’s nieces and nephews playing outside; those that were too young to understand what was going on and why the older frogs were so upset.

One such niece was that of Darla Jean, part namesake of the oldest of Kermit’s sisters and that of their mother. She was the youngest of Jean’s children, just turning a precocious three years old earlier that year. Kermit and the others would never admit that they had favorites among their siblings or children or relatives, but if Robin was Kermit’s favorite nephew, Darla Jean was his favorite niece; watching their interactions convinced Piggy that, should they ever have a daughter, she would very much be the apple of Kermit’s eye, the proverbial daddy’s girl. Darla Jean immediately spotted her uncle from afar and was in the middle of running towards him as soon as they got out of the car.

“Unca ‘Mit!”

Kermit caught her right as she jumped and hugged her tightly, probably tighter than he normally would have. “Hey sweetheart,” he whispered. “How are you?”

“Fine!” she exclaimed, smiling at her favorite uncle before turning her gaze towards the pig that accompanied him. As far as Darla Jean was concerned, Piggy was her favorite aunt; she was always so nice and played with her, even when her siblings didn’t want to and she was her most supportive of critics when it came to her art projects, cooing and marveling over the varied aspects of interpretation of what the little tadpole thought of the world. “Piggy! You play me?”

“Of course,” the diva replied, ruffling the girl’s hair and causing her to giggle.

“Down! Down, Mit.”

Kermit let the girl drop to the ground, where she immediately grabbed the hands of both adults and started to lead them towards her grandparents’ house. “Piggy, I drew’d a picture!”

“You did?” Piggy asked. “What did you draw?”

“A pony!" the girl exclaimed. "I drew’d it for Robin! He’s sad.”

“That was very nice of you, Darla J,” Kermit replied, smiling down at the girl. “Is he in the house with Gramps?”

“Nooooo,” she said, drawing at the ‘o’ as only a three year old could. “He’s in his spots.”

Like his uncle, Robin often found himself seeking out solace in a quiet place in the swamp, in order to gather his thoughts and contemplate what his next move would be. While this had never been an issue before, as Robin usually came back after an hour or two, no one – other than Kermit – knew where this particular spot was. “Mit, you know…Robin at?”

“I do.”

“Can I go?”

Kermit sighed, knowing that the last thing his nephew wanted was to have his three year old cousin bother him, or else he wouldn’t have taken off in the first place. “Not this time, darlin’. Robin’s…”

“Robin’s having a very bad day,” Piggy took over. “But Uncle Mit knows where Robin is and will bring him back. So until then, you and I can play.”

That of course got the little frog excited. “We have tea?”

“We can definitely have tea,” the pig replied. “It’s been a very long time since we had tea, hasn’t it?”

“Yep.”

“And we can draw, because everyone knows girls make the best artists.”

“Bestest!” echoed the little girl. “Huh, Unca Mit?”

“Sure are.”

The carefree conversation enabled them to reach the home of James and Jane Frog, a quaint three bedroom home that had been redesigned and rebuilt as more and more of their children moved out; the first renovation had been thanks to Kermit, part of the first born brood of children, who was able to do something that he had always wanted and that was take care of the two people he loved more than the whole universe. His work on Sesame Street, his direction with The Muppets with both their show and their movies, had given him the finances to get his family anything they wanted and he had wanted to get his parents the house they deserved to be in.

It was still a relatively small home, which was what the elder frogs wanted, seeing as they weren’t taking care of small children full time any more. The thought of just having two bedrooms had been discussed, but they still had children that lived in the area and it wasn’t unheard of for some of their grandchildren to stop by and spend the night, as long as their parents knew where they were; that was why they had three bedrooms. It also worked out well when said children and their spouses came to stay and may have been at odds with each other. That was certainly the case whenever Kermit and Piggy had come to stay; while they tried to keep their normal arguments under a certain level of decorum, they had certainly utilized the two separate rooms to keep away from each other, least they get to the point of murder.

It was a balmy night in the county, so the door to the kitchen was wide open, with just the screen holding the heat at bay, while trying to get some cooler air into the house. Kermit sent his young niece off to find her older siblings, who would need to take her home in order to put her to bed, while he and Piggy quickly looked inside to see what was going on. The lights were on and it was clear that food was being made, if the smells coming through were any indication, and there was a lone figure sitting quietly at the table; Kermit would’ve recognized the coloring of his little brother anywhere.

Opening the door confirmed what he knew, as the figure turned to see who the intruder is, sagging in relief when he saw it was his hero walking through.

“Kermit.”

“Hey Jimmy,” the oldest whispered, his hand gripping his brother’s shoulder in comfort. In response, Jimmy patted the hand on his shoulder, the weight of the world suddenly not as bad as before, not when his big brother and girlfriend were there.

“So glad you’re here,” the younger frog whispered, glancing at the diva that stood next to his brother. “You’re both here. Mit, I don’t know where Robin is.”

“Don’t worry, Jimmy,” Kermit said, patting his brother on the shoulder. “I’ll find him. I have a pretty good idea where he's at.”

It was clear Jimmy was in a bit of shock and that was causing him to be nervous and paranoid when it came to his only son; in any other case, he wouldn’t have thought anything of Robin going out by himself. It was something many of them did, especially in this stage when they were reaching maturity, to go off by themselves in order to think, but in this case not knowing where the boy was was causing extra stress for Jimmy. The sound of people in the kitchen brought forth James, who smiled at the reunion of his two boys.

“Wondered what was going on out here.”

“Hey Daddy.”

James walked over to his oldest and clapped him on the upper arm. “How are you, son?”

“I’m good,” the frog nodded, looking back to his brother. “Dad, I’m gonna go and find Robin before it gets dark. I mean, I’m sure he can find his way back, but…”

“Go and bring him home,” James said, patting him again, a sure sign that he wanted Kermit to head out now, least Robin be caught out after dark. It wasn’t as if the younger frogs couldn’t find their way home in the dark, but James hadn’t seen his grandson all day and that was troubling in itself.

Kermit nodded to his father and brother, while giving Piggy a quick smile to let her know he was okay, for the moment at least. Turning, Kermit headed out of the house and towards the spot he was positive his nephew would be.

“And how you doing, Sassy?”

James had liked Piggy almost immediately upon meeting her, liking her spirit, her determination, and the way she liked to speak her mind when asked and even when she wasn’t asked. She was a strong willed woman, who didn’t take any guff from anyone, including his son; most had probably thought a nice frog like Kermit shouldn’t have been with such a strong personality, but James was under the impression that she was exactly what his oldest needed. With too much of his father’s temperament in him, Kermit needed someone who would stand up to him when needed and wouldn’t just let him get his way when he wanted.

Just as James had been impressed with the pig on meeting, Piggy had been equally gleeful at meeting both Kermit’s parents. She had actually been more than a little surprised at just how much Kermit looked like his father, just as she had been startled at how much Robin bore some of his uncle’s personality. It had been a statement of just how much of James she could see in her boyfriend – same coloring notwithstanding, Kermit had the same smile his father did and the same personality traits; Kermit’s very strong patience came from his mother, but when pushed to the edge too far, that arm waving, loud yelling, and short fuse was all James.

The first time she had ever seen James Frog get upset was when he had given some of his boys a good talking to. Though he was an elder frog, James still carried himself like the young frog he had been and he gave off the same type of importance and strength Piggy could clearly see as though the days had been turned back; his voice, deeper than Kermit’s, still resounded and was loud enough to get the point across that he had not been happy with his sons at the moment. So used to years of hitting those same buttons on Kermit’s short list, the image of James yelling at the boys had easily been replaced by Kermit yelling at them for some infraction.

Smiling at the nickname he had given her, she replied, “I’m good, under the circumstances.”

James gave her a sad smile, knowing exactly what she meant. “Well,” he said, patting her on the arm. “Important thing is we’re all here and family needs to be together right now.” At that, Jimmy made an audible groan, causing Piggy to grip his shoulder in concern. “Give it a few minutes, Jimmy,” James continued. “Kermit will be back with your boy in no time.”


[hr]


Robin sat on the log and peered out into the dark Mississippi night; he’d been sitting there for several hours now, not that he had noticed. Things seemed to stand still after he had fled from his home that morning, inconsolable after speaking to his honorary aunt. He couldn’t remember the conversation they’d had, only that he had desperately needed his uncle there, to help him get over the pain he was feeling. It wasn’t to say that the young frog couldn’t talk to his parents or any of his cousins or even his grandparents, but Robin had always felt the closest to Kermit and when things got really bad, it was his uncle he turned to in his times of need.

And it was his uncle he needed now.

And it was his uncle that found him.

It hadn’t taken Kermit long to find his nephew, instinctively knowing where the young frog would be and easily spotting him through the dark. Dressed in a red sweatshirt and jeans, the young frog was hunched over, arms hugging his knees and his head resting on his arms; the sight reminded Kermit of how small Robin used to be and how he wasn’t as small anymore. While he hadn’t seen his nephew in a few months, the times he did Kermit was always surprised at how much the frog was growing up. No longer the small little tadpole who used to hug him around the knees, the last time he had seen the teen, Robin was nearly the same height and it looked as though he would eventually be taller than his uncle one day.

Not wanting to startle the teen, Kermit made sure his footsteps made noise, but not so much that he was clomping through the swamp. It didn’t matter though, as Robin didn’t make a move to see who had disturbed his quiet time, his only movement was that of turning his head in order to settle it better. Seeing his uncle out of the corner of his eye however, the teen lifted his head as the elder frog sat down.

“You came.”

“Of course, I did,” Kermit whispered, putting an arm around his nephew. “I’ll always come when you call.”

Proving he still had tears within, Robin didn’t stop the tears that came, burying his head in his uncle’s shoulder, the same way he had done when he was a small child and he been afraid of the things to come and what he didn’t understand. He didn’t have his mother anymore, but he still had his uncle and for the moment, that was all he needed.


Little did he know, he would lose his father in a matter of days.

 

[The Count]

Aw, idn't she cute folks?

Maybe it's your fic and the question of researching the naming of Kermit's mom as Jane versus Jean, and now the introduction of Darla Jean as Kermit's niece, that probably influenced the nice dream I had about a character named Bunny Jean.

This entire fic is wonderful. It brings back such emotions and memories of when we went through the same thing, losing a parent more than twenty years ago. I applaud your excellence in storytelling here.

Wait, Robin will lose his father too? You evil Gina. *Wicked smile at her embracing of the Dark side.
Hope to read more next week.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Aw, idn't she cute folks?

Maybe it's your fic and the question of researching the naming of Kermit's mom as Jane versus Jean, and now the introduction of Darla Jean as Kermit's niece, that probably influenced the nice dream I had about a character named Bunny Jean.

Yeah, I seriously didn't want to give up the name cause I liked it. And, if you couldn't tell, she is of course based off of the Muppet that I watched way back two years ago.

Bunny Jean?? That is cute

This entire fic is wonderful. It brings back such emotions and memories of when we went through the same thing, losing a parent more than twenty years ago. I applaud your excellence in storytelling here.

Wait, Robin will lose his father too? You evil Gina. *Wicked smile at her embracing of the Dark side.

Hope to read more next week.

Aw, thanks a lot. I really am using this series as a more 'serious' Muppet piece, obviously. The last two films, while very Muppet-esque, are kinda heavy when you think about it. I mean, the group splits and Kermit's in a position to lose everyone - including his girl - after just getting them back? Heavy.

And....I can't say what will happen to Jimmy, but I did mention his fate in 5 Ball. Obviously, you can think of this as the prelude to that fic, even though it's technically not in the same series universe. And you KNOW I always embrace the dark side; they have cookies.

So while there's shock and comfort going on Southbound and down, back in Hollywood proper, Scooter now has the task of telling the others what's happening. Stay tuned, you may get a double feature!

 

[The Count]

Yep, the image I have/keep of Bunny Jean is as a cute hottie, cause as I've said elsewheres I have perfect sight when immersed in my subconscious sleep realm. It was just one of those nice dreams I occasionally get, though other times it's dreams that I want to have ended but they don't and I wake up in the middle of the night to log on to forget about it. Sorry for the mini-rambling rant.

I'm looking forward to what Scooter has to deal with what with Zany, Zany's sister, Cheesy, and that sandwich.
And you're rully doing a good job with the Frogs down in Leland. Keep it coming, we've got plenty of teddy bears from Toga's bin for these heart-stabbing fics.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Running behind, of course. Have to get some stuff done before work tomorrow, so here's you half chap for the night. This section - Scooter has to announce what's going on to the rest of hte guys; next section - a little bit about Jimmy, Leaper, and the final straw.

Enjoy



Chapter III

Monday morning


Scooter Grosse was not unfamiliar with the inner workings of the business world. He was a child of business, growing up in the shadow of his uncle, his path had pretty much been set out for him to pursue that career, even if he hadn’t wanted to. It was what the Grosse family did - his uncle had a head for business and from what he was told, so did his father, his uncle’s brother; when JP Grosse died, all that managed and maintained went to Scooter and it had scared him to death with the vast knowledge and responsibility that he would need to take over.

If anyone had told a teenaged Scooter that he would one day not only approach, but appreciate the business side of things, he would’ve said you were crazy and would’ve walked away. A lot of things had happened since he had been a teen – the death of his uncle, the sudden break of the Muppets, the split of the power couple, and the entrance into Google’s inner offices had changed a lot of things about Scooter; after the break, he turned into Andrew Grosse – youngest intern at the time for Google, an up and comer in the tech world, a feat very few Muppets – if any – had ever achieved. If not for their getting back together, Scooter probably would have continued his tech climb, probably reaching the same heights his uncle had within the technological business world.

There were very few times in which Scooter had to be Andrew, usually when giving some sort of presentation to their stock holders or other business managers; today however, the red head was trying to decide if being Andrew Grosse was better for his current situation. Today was Monday and on most Mondays, they held the weekly meeting, in which a few of them discussed aspects of the last show, went over some business stats, and contemplated what the next move would be. These were usually short meetings, as only about seven of them showed up on a weekly basis, and at most, they were there for an hour, unless they got sidetracked and went off on tangents.

Today however, Scooter would need to tell the others that the power couple was gone and would be gone for a time, which severely put them in a bind, especially when they had a show coming up within the week. This should have been a day off for the group, but Scooter felt it was his duty as second in command to least notify the others about their leaders being gone; he knew the others would support him and stand behind him, but there was always the tinge of fear that Scooter wouldn’t be able to measure up or worse, everyone thought him still the glorified gofer and not the assistant and manager that Kermit has ascended him to.

But he made a promise and it was a promise he was planning on keeping. As soon as they had left Piggy’s dressing room, Scooter was on the phone, calling the other four and asking them to meet him tomorrow for a quick announcement. He hoped they weren’t upset about having to come in, knowing it must be important for them to need to come in after being told they had it off; as expected, there was some grumbling – Gonzo complained that Camilla had her heart set on having breakfast with him (or rather, Gonzo stated that Camilla wanted to have him for breakfast, which caused Scooter to block the image from his mind) and Dr. Teeth said that his sleep would be sorely missed.

The Monday meetings were normally held on the studio lot, in an area they affectionately called office row, as it held a good majority of the offices for the group in the area. The offices were also the start of the studio tour, before groups were led towards the Muppet Theater where they could be treated to a special show, depending on the day and time; the offices were hardly used during their show run as most of their equipment was within the theater, however when production for a movie began, the offices were used as a quick way to go over the scripts, set design, arguments, and make ups if the rumors were correct (they were). Their meetings were usually held in one of the larger offices within the production building that sat just slightly behind the other offices, in a room that held a rectangular table ironically known as ‘The Muppet Round Table’, with a large icon that announced the nickname in an equally colorful way.

Monday meetings normally started around eight in the morning, with most if not all, of the normal suspects hanging around the closed door or inside waiting for the start. Scooter was usually one of the first, but today he was the last to arrive, something that was surprising to the others, who were already seated around their customary positions at the table. On the left, stuntman Gonzo the Great and comedian Fozzie Bear, while musicians Dr. Teeth and Rowlf the Dog sat on the right; Scooter’s usual position was to the right of Fozzie, taking his place near the head and to the left of Kermit, who usually sat at the head of the table.

Piggy normally sat to his right, just across from Scooter.

“Hey guys,” he stumbled, entering the room and quickly closing the door behind him.

From the start, before he had even entered the room, the other four knew something was wrong. Scooter was hardly ever late, nor did they ever have meetings with Kermit at least. Add to the fact that Scooter was without his normal laptop bag and the fact that he halted at Kermit’s chair, as though he meant to sit in it and thought better of it, taking his normal seat instead.

“Where’re the big bosses?” asked Teeth, pointing towards the absence of the group’s power couple.

“They aren’t coming,” Scooter began, running a hand over his face. He had tried coming up with a good way of explaining everything, but hadn’t come up with anything other than, ‘the bosses are gone and will be for a while’. He still wasn’t sure why they had gone, other than it involved Robin somehow and there had been a death in the family. Scooter wouldn’t state he was a nosey person by any means, but he had always been highly in tuned with the power couple, wanting to make sure their relationship stayed solid as rock, if only to avoid the heartache he had experienced when they split. And not knowing was driving him to distraction.

“We can’t have a meeting without Kermit and Piggy,” Fozzie stated. “That’s just…unheard of.”

Not knowing what exactly he was going to say, Scooter’s train of thought was broken by his phone going off. So distracted on what he had planned, he had forgotten to put his phone on vibrate, like he normally did, so the strains of a pop song managed to startle everyone in the room. Quickly recognizing who was calling, Scooter immediately grabbed and answered his phone. “Hey,” he answered, sitting up straighter in his seat. “Yeah, the guys are sitting right here. Well, I haven’t…oh no. Is he okay? I mean…yeah. Yeah, I got it. Okay.” Hanging up, the redhead sighed, before turning to look at the others.

“Okay,” he began. “Listen you guys, Kermit and Piggy left yesterday for Mississippi, which is where they are right now.”

That triggered alarm bells. Everyone knew Kermit’s family lived in Mississippi and for him to suddenly head out without telling anyone was troubling.

“Why’re they in Mississippi?” asked Rowlf.

The moment of truth was here, yet Scooter still found it hard to make the announcement. “There…there was a death in the family.”

Just as Scooter’s mind had immediately drifted to their former co-star, it was clear in the eyes of the others that they all were thinking the same thing. “It’s not Robin,” Scooter answered, quickly, watching as relief was visible for everyone.

“So he’s okay?” Fozzie asked.

There was a slight hesitation before Scooter answered, not sure how to actually answer. “He’s…” he started. “Physically fine. Physically, Robin is fine.” Another hesitation and Scooter whispered, “It was his mom. Robin’s mom…that’s the…” He trailed off, but the finish of the sentence was clear; Robin’s mother was the death that had occurred and it made complete sense that Kermit would head out as quickly as he could.

“Poor kid,” Gonzo whispered. “Anything we can do?”

“Yeah,” the redhead said. “Cover the show in case they aren’t back. We have a week, but…”

“No worries, my redhead compadre,” Dr. Teeth said. “I, of the melodious Mayhem, offer my and the band’s support.”

“Thanks, Doc,” the manager sighed. “That’s perfect, in fact, the Mayhem’s cleared for a musical act. That takes care of at least one act. I know the penguins were pestering Kermit about an act, I can check to see what they want…”

“The two of us can sit down and see what we go before the show,” Rowlf suggested.

“Depending on what they got,” Gonzo began. “Put the penguins on first. Then we can segway to an actual show.”

“Right,” Scooter nodded. “At least we have an idea and I’d rather that than nothing at all.”

“At least we’re not flying blind,” Fozzie commented, chuckling slightly.

“It’s not that bad,” Gonzo said. “Didn’t even hurt the first time.”

From there, the conversation flowed like it normally would, from joking about Gonzo’s failed blind flying experiment that nearly killed him to that of Fozzie’s new routine that he was looking forward to trying out. It of course did nothing to minimize the worry the quintet still held in regards to their leader and their youngest cast member; supporting Scooter was easy, just as it was to be worried about Kermit and Piggy and Robin and the whole Frog family. The hardest part was trying to continue doing what they normally did, while three of their own were gone.


[hr]


“Hey, the frog around?”

Fozzie was able to be patient and calm for about thirty minutes after the morning meeting before he had immediately dialed Kermit on his cell phone. Twice. Not getting an answer had of course alarmed the comic, who had instantly called his comrade in arms, Gonzo, to see what could have happened to their best friend. Gonzo had spent about ten minutes calming the bear down, used to having Fozzie get into a tithers about things he couldn’t control, especially when it came to the people he cared about. Assuring the comic that he would get a hold of Kermit, Gonzo actually did the opposite and got a hold of Piggy instead. Knowing that the diva always kept an ear out for her phone, he called her up, hoping that Kermit would be in the general vicinity. She answered on the second ring, with her usual, “Talk to me.”

“Hey,” he began in greeting. “The frog around?”

“Just left,” Piggy replied, leaning against the small dresser that sat within the room she was sharing with said frog. “Why?”

“The bear just tried calling him.”

Gonzo could hear rummaging in the background before he could almost literally her the sounds of Piggy huffing and rolling her eyes. “He left his phone in his bag, of course,” she stated. “I will have him call Fozzie when he gets back, least the bear has a heart attack if he doesn’t.”

“Where’s Kermit off to?”

“Jane sent them on an errand in order to keep Jimmy occupied.”

“How’s he doing?” Gonzo asked. "Jimmy, I mean."

“Not good,” she whispered. “He’s devastated, you’d have to be blind not to see it.”

“And Robin?”

“That I haven’t been able to tell,” she said. “But he’s a lot quieter than he normally would be.”

Piggy had only seen the teenager when Kermit had brought him back, nearly thirty minutes after the elder frog had gone out to find him in the first place. The atmosphere seemed to have changed almost immediately when the two frogs walked in, Robin still visibly shaken from his earlier discovery; almost no words were exchanged, just quiet nods and long hugs passing through between Piggy and the teen, as well as the teen and his grandmother. Ironically, the most tension seemed to be between Jimmy and his only son, as neither seemed to acknowledge each other and they were both standoffish as well.

Knowing that all four of their guests were tired from the stresses of the day or just traveling, Jane suggested they all just go to bed. It had been Kermit’s suggestion that the four split into the two bedrooms that were empty – Jimmy and Robin in one, with him and Piggy in the other; it was a testament of just how much Kermit had on his mind that he wasn’t the least bit shy at the prospect of sharing a room with Piggy while in his parents’ house. But Kermit’s restlessness had followed him off the plane, into the house, and into the bedroom, where she had found him standing by the window and looking out of it.

A depressive pall had come over the house that was usually so full of life and fun.

“How’re you?”

Piggy sighed, thinking about the night before. “As well as to be expected,” she said. “Things alright there?”

“So far, so good,” Gonzo replied. “Boy wonder’s got it under control and we got his back. We should be good to go.”

“Gonzo, listen,” she said, quickly closing the bedroom door and walking away from it. “I need you guys to come up with at least two weeks’ worth of shows.”

“Two weeks?” the weirdo asked.

“Memorial for Leaper will be later in the week,” she began. “But I know Kermit’s not going to leave Jimmy and Robin like this and I’m not leaving without Kermit.”

Gonzo nodded, though he knew Piggy couldn’t see him. “Don’t worry, Princess,” he said. “We got it, we’ll take care of it. You take care of the frog and we’ll take care of the show.”

“Thank you, Gonzo. You’re a life saver.”


“I should’ve recorded that.”

 

[The Count]

Oookay... At least now the main Muppet gang knows about Kermit's whereabouts and they'll have to plan some shows on their own. The good thing is that Scooter is in control to rein in their creative freedoms a little. If you're going to do an indoor running of the bulls Gonzo, you should rully do it right, with a track pen so they don't run roughshot on the entire theater like a running gag.

Love what's taking place in the swamps and how you described Kermit's parents' home. Also... I feel that there's a connection between Darla Jean and Robin that mirrors The Santa Clause 2. Darla, as the younger cousin/sibling, with her innocent wisdom is able to get through to Robin, the older family member, in his moment of anger/sadness/frustration similar to that scene when Lucy talks to Charlie when he's outside shoveling snow out of the driveway.

Thanks for this, have a good day. *Leaves some choc chip brownies.