Amazon? Moi?

[The Count]

Good job. And hey, you got one of my milestone posts... #199H. Look forward to more, you've got a good spirit captured here in this tale. Now post more before we aim those penguin cannons at the author.

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Alright, I've only read the first three chapters of this story so far, and I'm getting up really early tomorrow, so I need to go to bed now, but I love this so far! Gosh, she really could use a friend out there... Anyway, can't wait to read more, and of course Lisa, it's great to have you back!

 

[Fragglemuppet]

Well, I'm finally up-to-date, and I'm enjoying it very much! Well, at least that article was posative... I wonder how the muppets will react to it.

More please!

 

[Muppetfan44]

Very cute article! Definitely liked seeing the situation from a outsider perspecitve

Please post more soon. I can't wait to hear more!

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Nineteen

Kermit sat out on the front porch, waiting.

It was... It was unbelievable, really, how well Miss Piggy was doing now... That tiny little intermittent sliver of a sparkle was getting a little more frequent, and while she did still flinch, it was... Well, she flinched when anyone would flinch. She was still quiet...

Oh, but she laughed. She laughed! She laughed with them, and shook her head at them, and she smiled...

And every day, she would rest in his arms.

She seemed to need the rest each day. She often napped there on the couch, leaning against him. She slept soundly at night, too... still in the fetal position...

But she was getting better. That mattered most.

Kermit straightened up. There was Sweetums, coming this way. Robin would be in his hand...

...Robin was barely in the monster's hand, trying to hop on the big fingers. "UNCLE KERMIT! UNCLE KERMIT!"

Kermit chuckled as Sweetums tried to set the little frog on the ground, which didn't work very well, since the little frog seemed absolutely determined to defy gravity.

"UNCLE KERMIT! UNCLE KERMIT! UNCLE KERMIT! IS IT TRUE? IS SHE BACK? IS SHE BACK? IS SHE? IS SHE?" Robin hopped right into his uncle's lap.

Kermit laughed and hugged his nephew tight. "Yes, Robin. It's true."

"SHE CAME BACK!" Robin hugged his uncle. "She came back, Uncle Kermit!"

"...She sure did," Kermit said softly.

"Is she inside?" Robin asked excitedly.

Kermit took a deep breath. "Yes, but--"

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet."

Enthusiasm vanished from Robin like air leaves a popped balloon. "...Well, when can I see her?" he asked, looking up at his uncle with sad but hopeful eyes.

Kermit couldn't help but smile at that. "Soon," he said gently. "But we need to talk a little first."

At this, Robin's spirits lifted considerably. "Okay!"

Kermit and Sweetums nodded to each other, and the hulking beast slipped past them and went inside the house, firmly closing the door behind him.

Kermit took a deep breath. "...Robin?"

"Yeah, Uncle Kermit?"

Kermit shifted his weight. It was a difficult subject to discuss. "...I-- ...I want you to be ready, when you see Piggy, y'see. She-- ...Well, she-- ...She's not exactly... the same, as she was before."

Robin frowned. "...She isn't?"

"Well-- ...not exactly," Kermit said.

"Why not?"

"Well--" Kermit took a deep breath. "She was gone, for-- a long time..."

"A whole year," Robin nodded solemnly.

Kermit nodded. "That's right. One year. And-- and she was in a lot of danger, Robin, for-- for almost all of that time."

Robin frowned. "...Bad danger?" he asked softly.

Kermit nodded. "Very bad danger, Robin. And scary danger."

Robin looked down at his flippers. "...For a whole year?"

"For a whole year," Kermit said softly, hugging his nephew a little tighter.

"...Uncle Kermit?" Robin looked up at him. "Is she still scared?"

Kermit swallowed hard. "Sometimes," he said softly. "She hasn't been as scared lately, Robin... But sometimes, she's still scared."

"...Oh," Robin whispered.

Kermit took a deep breath. "Robin?" he said softly. "There's something else I want you to know, too."

Robin looked up at him with curious eyes.

Kermit hesitated, trying to think this through. "...Robin?" he said. "What do you do when you're hungry?"

Robin stared up at him. "...At the swamp, or here?"

"Um... Either," Kermit said.

"Well-- if I'm in the swamp, I eat a fly, or another bug, unless Grandma's cooking, and then I wait for the next meal. If we're here, I find an adult other than the Chef to help me get food from the kitchen."

Kermit nodded, another corner of his mind pleased that Robin knew better than to go into the kitchen on his own. "But either way, you eat. Right?"

"Of course. That's what you're supposed to do when you're hungry. It means your tummy's empty, and you should put something in it."

Kermit nodded. "Well, when Miss Piggy was gone... she didn't have a kitchen to go to for food, Robin. Or a restaurant. She-- ...She didn't have much to eat."

Robin frowned. "Well then, what'd she do when she was hungry?"

Kermit took a deep breath. "Well, she... she ate leaves, mostly."

Robin considered this. "...Like salad leaves?"

Salad? That was what Miss Piggy had called her jungle diet, but... "Well, I-- ...Not exactly, I don't think, but... I don't really know, Robin. She doesn't-- ...doesn't talk very much, especially about that."

"Oh..."

"But, y'see, Robin, leaves... Well, they-- they aren't very good for you, if-- if that's all you eat," Kermit explained.

"...Like junk food?" Robin asked.

Kermit sighed. This was getting hard to explain. "Well, um... not-- not exactly, but uh... sort of," he said. "See, leaves, um... don't-- really have much in them. Junk food, and-- and candy, at least, has a lot of sugar, but... I'm not sure leaves even have that, see, and um... So Piggy, um..." He took a deep breath. "She isn't-- very healthy right now, Robin."

Robin frowned. "...So... she's sick?"

"Uh-- kind of," Kermit said.

"So she's in bed? And getting lots of soup, and sleeping a lot?" Robin asked. "And… and not feeling good?"

"Well-- ...Not that kind of sick," Kermit said gently.

"Oh..." Robin looked at his flippers, absorbed this, and very sadly looked up at his uncle. "Is she in the hospital?" he asked softly.

Kermit swallowed hard and shook his head. "No. She-- she's home, Robin. She just..." He took a deep breath. "...She's-- very, very skinny."

"...But isn't it good to be skinny?" Robin asked, confused.

Kermit frowned. "Well-- ...To a point, Robin, but-- Miss Piggy is-- ...She's too skinny now."

"...Too skinny?" Robin frowned.

Kermit nodded and took a deep breath. "Y'see, Robin... she- ...She's so skinny, that... you can-- you can see-- where her bones are..." He shook his head. "It's not healthy. But-- but she's gonna get better."

Robin was quiet for a long time. "...Oh," he whispered.

Kermit gave his nephew a firm hug. "She'll be okay, Robin," he whispered assuringly. "It'll be okay soon."

Robin settled against him. "...Can I see her now?" he asked softly.

Kermit took a deep breath. "Are you ready to?"

Robin hesitated, pressed closer to his uncle, and then nodded.

"Okay." Kermit gently lifted the little frog and carried him inside.

Miss Piggy was standing at the piano, her arms folded on top of it, cradling her chin as she listened to Rowlf play.

Kermit held his nephew in his arms and stood beside her. "Piggy?" he said softly, and she lifted her head. "Someone wants to see you..."

Her eyes settled on the little frog, and she smiled a small, soft smile.

Robin straightened up a little in his uncle's arms, slowly starting to refill with enthusiasm. "Welcome home, Miss Piggy!" he said, quiet and happy.

"...Thank you, Robin," she said softly.

He climbed out of his uncle's arms and onto the piano to achieve a better angle from which to hug her. "Uncle Kermit said you're gonna be all better soon," he said.

She slowly, gently, returned the little frog's hug, her eyes casting a glance to Kermit that was both inquisitive and heart-stoppingly filled with trust. "He's a very wise frog," she whispered.

Kermit gulped, suddenly tossed and lost between her words and her eyes... There was... meaning, there, and…

He found himself smiling a little as he watched her smile at his nephew, who was quietly and excitedly telling her how very happy he was that she was back. Inside, though, Kermit was deep in thought.

Among the more amazing things about her return, he decided, was that she seemed to be-- at least temporarily-- stripped of her armor of diva-glamour and fiery, cross-her-only-if-you-have-a-death-wish temper... and she was all the more mysterious for it.

 

[theprawncracker]

MYSTERIOUS! LAUGHING! ROBIN! SWEETUMS! KERMIT! LEAVES! GRANDMA'S COOKING! CHEF! KITCHEN! WHAHAHAHA!

MAN this is good. I'm so very impressed by all of this Lisa, seriously. It's very, very impressive and I really want to see more! So... maybe you could help in that department?

(((HUGS))) MORE PLEASE!

 

[Muppetfan44]

I totally agree with Prawnie.

I'm loving this story as always and can't wait to see how Kermit and Piggy's relationship keeps growing. I am especially curious to see when Piggy will feel good enough to tell Kermit what happened and what will ensue.

Please post more soon! Pretty, pretty, pretty please?
PLEASE!

Many thanks!

 

[TogetherAgain]

Chapter Twenty

Not long after the movie had wrapped, the Muppets had started the show again out of necessity. They had needed to keep moving, keep working, keep living... They had needed to know that they could.

It hadn't been easy, but week after week, they had pushed through, turning out performance after lack-luster performance, just... trying.

In the end, it had been their need to perform, and their need to perform well, that had finally helped them to rise above the grief and mourning.

And so, they had started out weak, but had gotten back up on their feet-- or flippers, or paws, or hooves, or talons, or whatever other appendages on which they tended to stand-- and had packed a well-earned full house for their last show before they had taken a break. They had scheduled to start the show up again around the same time as the movie would come out on DVD.

Then Miss Piggy had returned.

At first, when Kermit wasn't looking, the Muppets had whispered that it would be like the old days again, that Miss Piggy could and would bring in the crowds every week, that she would reclaim the spotlight, and that they would all once again fade to their usual places in the background.

Then, on her first visit back to the theater, she hadn't even gone anywhere near the stage.

The Muppets scratched their heads and furrowed their brows and propped their chins in their hands. ...Wasn't she... Miss Piggy? Didn't she belong on the stage, in the spotlight, at the center of attention?

They puzzled over it for quite some time, but before any of them could figure out anything, the answer came from the same place the answer usually came from.

Kermit.

He had tucked in Robin, and had checked on Miss Piggy, as he was in a habit of doing now. He had seen that she was-- as usual-- in bed, sleeping, curled up tight in the fetal position. He came most of the way down the stairs before he stopped and sat down on a step with a heavy sigh, cradling his chin in his hands.

Scooter came and sat next to the frog. "...Well, Chief?"

"...It'll be nice when she's herself again, won't it, Scooter," Kermit mused.

Scooter sighed and nodded. "When she gets there..."

"Oh, she will," Kermit said. "She just needs our help, that's all."

"...Our help?" Scooter repeated, more than a little aware that a few of the other Muppets in the room were starting to pay attention.

"Of course," Kermit said. "She's family. We’re family. She needs us." It was as simple as that. Apparently.

"Well-- ...Of course, we're family, but-- ...What do we do, Boss?"

"We help her," Kermit said simply.

"How?" Gonzo asked.

Kermit looked up. "We support her," he said. "We-- ...We remind her. She already knows that home is safe. We just... need to extend home to the theater. When she's comfortable in the theater, then we'll start working on the stage. It-- it's not gonna happen overnight, y'know, guys."

"That's true," Rowlf said softly. "She has a lot of recovering to do, physically and emotionally."

"That's right," Kermit said, and he nodded. "She needs our help."

"...So... should we go to the theater tomorrow, and start convincing her that it's home?" Scooter asked.

Kermit hesitated. "...Maybe not tomorrow," he said softly. "Maybe... the day after tomorrow."

"Why not tomorrow?" Gonzo asked.

Kermit hesitated, thinking, and then began to smile. "...Because tomorrow..."

The Muppets gathered closer and listened carefully as Kermit quietly shared with them a plan for the next day.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~​

When Miss Piggy came down for breakfast the next morning, most of the activity was not centered around the breakfast table.

Activity was centered around the piano.

There was laughter, and music, and playful, failed attempts at starting some musical number or another.

She crept down the stairs, listening to their laughter.

"Come on, Kermit."

"Pleeeease?"

"No, no, guys- it's way too early to tap. Let's do, um-- another number."

There was a collection of disappointed moans, and then Rowlf struck up a familiar tune on the piano. "How 'bout this one?"

"Oh, good! FOZZIE!"

"Right here!"

"Moving right along in search of good times and good news..."

"With good friends you can't lose..."

"This could become a habit!"

More voices than the usual pair began jumping in. The song was something of a favorite.

Miss Piggy quietly crept closer. Music... She had forgotten to miss music in the jungle, but... It was so much a part of everything here, and… Listening to them was so... wonderful...

When she was noticed, she was greeted with smiles and jumbled, overlapping explanations to the effect of something about the kitchen being temporarily out of order and plans to pick up some breakfast on the way to the theater.

Then they merrily sang, parting to allow her to move closer to the center, closer to the piano, closer to Kermit... if she so chose.

She was hesitant, but Kermit spotted her, grinned, and waved her over, so...

She came closer and stood beside him, suddenly in the middle of it all, all the music and merriment and…

"What should we sing next?" Kermit asked when they laughingly finished the song. He casually slipped a comforting arm around her waist.

He was answered with a slew of requests. Whether or not Rowlf actually understood any of them was questionable, but he started playing anyway. They quieted to let Kermit start, and the frog in question grinned broadly.

"It starts when we're kids," he sang rather simply. "A show off at school... Makin' faces at friends... You're a clown and a fool!"

Rowlf made a small flourish with the ivories.

"Doin' prat falls, and bird calls, and bad imitations! Ignoring your homework-- now THAT'S dedication! You work to the mirror-- ...You're getting standing ovations!"

The frog's enthusiasm for the song was contagious, and someone in the back of the group whispered that he'd been pulling their legs in claiming that he wasn't awake enough to tap yet.

"You're burning with hope..."

"You're building up steam..."

"What was once juvenilish..."

It was time for Miss Piggy's line. The other Muppets had been watching, had seen that she was getting into it a little, and stopped singing, hoping she would jump in and take her rightful line.

"Is grown-up and stylish--"

It came out all by itself, though without the usual flair, and she immediately stopped and looked around.

"You're close to your dream!" the Muppets surged on, giving her a proud, approving grin.

"Then somebody out there LOVES you, stands up, and hollers for more!"

"MORE!" Fozzie shouted out.

"YOU'VE found a home at the magic store!"

They grinned at each other and talked as the music took over for a while, occasionally trying to remember a little dialogue from the movie and laughing at themselves for forgetting.

When the time came, though, they returned to attention, once again quieting for Kermit to start.

He sang softly, tenderly. "Why are there so many... songs, about rainbows..."

"That's part of what rainbows do," Fozzie sang.

"Rainbows, are memories..." Gonzo sang.

Miss Piggy shifted her weight, but Kermit was giving her a patient, hopeful look, and-- "Sweet dream reminders," she sang shakily. "What is it you'd like to do?"

Everyone's voices swelled together. "All of us watching and wishing we'd find it..."

"I've noticed, YOU'RE watching, too," Kermit sang sweetly, giving her waist a significant squeeze that made her heart flutter.

"Someday you'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and--"

"Blame Gonzo!" Rowlf said as the ivories took over again.

"That was a fun stunt," the Whatever said fondly.

"Sure, if ya weren't in danger of gettin' crushed!" Rizzo protested.

"You weren't even on set that day!"

"Of course I was! I jus' wasn't on da payroll yet."

The other rats grumbled their agreement with this statement, but soon the Muppets were growing quiet again as Rowlf's piano keys took on a slower, more magical quality.

Again, all eyes turned to Kermit and his soft, sweet voice...

"Life's like a movie. Write your own ending..."

"Keep believing; keep pretending; we've done just what we set out to do!" they slowly joined in.

Miss Piggy's voice was soft and faint as she sang along, but she did, in fact, sing along.

"Thanks to the lovers...
The dreamers...
And, YOU..."

Miss Piggy could feel herself struggling for air-- or at least, requiring a conscious effort to breathe-- as the notes faded away.

She was not as aware of Kermit's eyes on her, nor did she notice-- as Kermit did-- that for a moment, the sparkle was there in her eyes again, not as bright as it had been once upon a time, but... there. For now.

She wasn't the only one in the room on whom the song had quite an effect. Rowlf nodded with a certain fondness as he neatly closed up the tune with a few little notes. "Hard to top that one, isn't it?" he said softly.

The Muppets nodded in agreement.

"Think we should get some breakfast, Boss?" Scooter asked.

Kermit nodded thoughtfully. "Sure."

"And then we'll go to the theater, right?" said one of the rats.

Kermit frowned, looking confused. "No… We've got today off at the theater. Remember?"

"Oh yeah..."

Miss Piggy looked at Kermit, vaguely confused. Hadn't the others said…

He looked at her and shrugged. "No harm in a little rest, hm?" he said. "It's been a long year."

She nodded. A year. A whole year. She'd been in that jungle for one whole year... She looked away to try to brush the overwhelming thought aside.

Kermit kept his arm around her painfully thin waist as they selected somewhere to order in for breakfast, or-- to carry-out, anyway. Eating a meal in public was difficult enough for all of them, but with Miss Piggy in her present state... not that anyone discussed that aspect of the decision.

Then he sat with her on the couch while someone else went out to get the food. When the food arrived, they ate in the family room, insisting that the kitchen was 'out of order.' But then, wasn't it always?

When breakfast was done, the singing soon resumed...

They mostly sang together. Occasionally, they pulled out an old favorite in which Miss Piggy had one or two or a few solo lines, and she always found herself singing them... alone...

...And when she sang... her eyes, very briefly, sometimes faintly... sparkled...

As the day wore on, it was only natural that they eventually goaded Kermit into a little bit of tap dancing. As he tapped, he gave her an inviting smile. Do you want to try, too? his eyes asked.

She didn't answer, and she didn't tap, but she very faintly smiled back at his smile.

As dinner time approached that evening, Kermit was goaded-- with considerably more ease-- into singing an old favorite.

Rainbow Connection.

Naturally.

And when he sang that song, her eyes sparkled a little bit brighter, for a little bit longer, than any other point in the day.

Dreams...

Sometimes, in that jungle, in the dark of the floor of the jungle, she'd had to remind herself that there were dreams, that there was hope... That she'd seen the sun and moon and stars, that there was a life out here waiting for her with dreams...

...And love...

...She'd forgotten to remind herself of love... Now it seemed... foreign, somehow... But this was her family, and she trusted them, and this was home...

...Love...

...Some of the differences between home and there were... rather strange to adjust to.

 

[The Count]

*Glomps der Lisa heartily. Needed a good bit of fanfic to brighten the cloudy day. Please... Post more soon

 

[theprawncracker]

HOLY SWEET MOTHER OF MARY TODD LINCOLN THIS IS THE BEST CHAPTER OF THE WHOLE STORY SO FAR! ! ! ! I love it! I love it! I LOVE IT! SO much fun to imagine! So EASY to imagine because it was SO wonderfully written! The song choices--WOW! Perfect. Tap dancing... wonderful. Rowlf, Gonzo, Rizzo, Fozzie, random rat... I LOVE IT! Sparkle! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! ! ! I love this SO much, your majesty. Please grace us with more soon.