So, it took me longer than I wanted, but here is the conclusion to out story above. And cause I only have tomorrow off, you'll get the other half of the Mondays cause I work on Monday.
Enjoy!
Finding Piggy wasn’t hard at all, especially when you knew where to look. As with anything, the diva had stationed herself in one of the largest cabins, which was only a few rooms down from his, and it seemed to be the prime location for looking at the scenery as they passed through most of Europe. Knocking as was his custom, Kermit didn’t bother to wait for the welcome – as was his custom – and instead opened the door and peaked in.
Given the luxury train they had been given, Piggy had of course taken it upon herself to get the luxury cabin, that featured the small dinette set table with the private bathroom and shower; currently, she was using the table as magazine holder, with various different wedding and bridal magazines heaped on one side and a few scripts sitting next to them. Ironically, Kermit hadn’t heard another peep out of her about their upcoming nuptials or honeymoon after her disastrous near wedding to Constantine; as with many things, the incident brought them together and also manage to create distance between them as well.
Kermit wouldn’t lie – of all the people he thought would have spotted the fictitious fake, he thought it would’ve been her, out of everyone, it should’ve been her; but to his discredit, hearing the story from both her and the others, Constantine had literally offered her everything that she had wanted – where Kermit had given her maybe a tablespoon or a cup, Constantine had heaped on quarts. He was ashamed to say it, but his pride and ego were hurt; he wasn’t a great boyfriend, by any means, but he thought he had some loyalty with her. Maybe there was still a ways for them to go, maybe coming back after their long separation would take time, he didn’t know.
He just knew it hurt more knowing that she hadn’t seen the difference and that his own actions had driven her into the arms of another frog.
“You busy?”
Looking up from the script she was reading, Piggy smiled sweetly at her visitor. “Never for you, Mon Capitan,” she said. Her smile faded slightly when she saw his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” he said, stepping in and closing the door behind him. “Why do you think something’s wrong?”
“Because you have that look.”
“Fresh,” he joked. “What look?”
Rolling her eyes, Piggy tried her best not to huff. Her frog! Honestly! “That look you get when something’s wrong.”
He had half a mind to turn around and not even bother her; of course she’d be behind him, she supported him! Didn’t she? Years ago, Kermit wouldn’t have hesitated to say that he knew Miss Piggy – knew how she worked, what she wanted, and how to handle/control her; fast forward to now and Kermit wasn’t sure. After all, when he had gotten everyone back together, he had been sure she would’ve said yes to saving their name and their studios, just as he had been sure Gonzo would’ve jumped to the sky on coming back.
The two people he thought would’ve been on board, didn’t come on until the last minute, and while they had, they had given Kermit palpitations in wondering if maybe he had burned too many bridges, soiled too many friendships.
And this time, that same assurance he thought he had with her, with all of them, had failed him again. Shaking his head free from his own insecurities and worries, he sighed and said, “It’s nothing. Just…thinking.”
“About…?”
“Stuff,” was his vague answer.
Piggy knew that look and knew that tone; it was Kermit's weight of the world, weariness look and tone, the one where they had just exasperated him to the point of a nervous breakdown. She had actually been concerned that one day, he really would have a nervous breakdown, though in hindsight she wondered if their break had been that very thing. Knowing that the last few days and weeks had been worse on him – having them all turn on him, spending weeks in a Siberian prison, and her headed to the alter with another frog – Piggy wondered if maybe the stuff he was thinking was related to them.
“Us stuff?” she asked, concern etched in her voice.
“Us stuff, Muppet stuff, business stuff, world stuff…” he rattled off, letting her know just how much he managed to cram within his brain and on his shoulders. “Just…stuff.”
Knowing that he was about to sag under the amount of weight that he always managed to carry, Piggy stood, walked to him, before dragging him to take a seat at the dinette. “You work too hard, you know that?” she asked, starting a light shoulder massage. “Not that we don’t appreciate it, because we do, but you do work harder than you should, Mon Cher. You really need to relax.”
“Well, I’m in here, aren’t I?” he quipped.
“I wasn’t aware bickering with me was what you considered relaxing.”
“That all depends on how the bickering ends.”
Slapping him on the shoulder, she retorted, “Fresh.”
The rub continue, though the diva wasn’t feeling any of the tension fade away as she worked. In fact, if she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought he got more uptight the more she massaged.
“Hey Piggy?”
“Hey Kermit?”
“If we get married…”
“If?”
Feeling the way her fingers dug slightly into his shoulder blades, Kermit quickly reversed course with, “When! When we get married…what…what would we do?”
“Uh,” she began, giving him a strange look. “We’d go to a church, get a priest, and get married.”
“I mean, after that.”
“Go on a honeymoon, have children, grow old together.” At that point, Kermit couldn’t help but turn to glare at her. “You’re the one asking ridiculous questions,” she countered.
Turning back around, the frog sighed, trying to keep his annoyance under control. He never could get through a simple conversation with her… “I mean,” he stressed. “What would we do after we got married? With the guys?”
“They aren’t coming on the honeymoon, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Piggy…”
“Again,” she said. “Asking crazy questions. Use your big boy voice.”
“If we got married -” And again, with the nails. “When we get married, would you still want to do this? Be in the Muppets, be in the business, the whole nine yards?”
“Why would I want to stop?” Piggy asked, again giving him a strange look. “Moi is at the top of her game, adoring fans patiently await our arrival where ever we go, the studios are gangbusters, the mouse and his crew are happy with us, what reason would there be to stop?” The oddity of the question and the fact that he would bring it up triggered something in the diva and she moved to look at Kermit.
“Why?” she asked, concern clear in her voice. “Do you want to stop?”
He had gotten this way before, when their mentor and number one cheerleader had died. Kermit had been all set to just hang everything up and go about just being a regular frog, who used to be famous. That had been a low point and at the time, his decision would’ve made sense. Now, however, they were at the top of the game; the renewed success had all but brought their old fans back, bringing along with them their children or friends (she wasn’t about to think their fans had grandchildren), there should’ve been no reason why he’d want to give everything up.
Unless the recent events hurt him more than he was letting on.
“No!” he exclaimed, looking at her. “I just…that’s why I’m asking because…” Taking a breath, he continued with, “I missed you. I missed everyone. I don’t…I don’t want to stop again. But…I’d…I’d support you and any decision that you’d make. You gotta know that.”
Again, Piggy looked at him in confusion. What in the world…? “Wait,” she asked, giving him a look. “You think I’d want you to stop? Kermit, I know how much you love doing this! You do everything under the sun to keep us in line and keep us afloat when we should’ve sank years ago! I’d never stop you from doing what you so clearly love.” And then it hit her.
She hadn’t exactly held back in letting Kermit know that his impostor had literally given them and her everything they had asked for, even when it obviously spelled disaster and they were surrounded by a ring of fire and either weren’t paying attention or didn’t care. It was only when the fake – and she wasn’t about to say his name, out loud, ever – had announced that Walter and Fozzie had up and quit then they all started realizing something was not right in their kingdom.
Maybe some of her gushing had hit closer to his heart than she realized. Did he think because she may moan and groan about the others that she wanted him to ditch them completely?
“Kermit,” she whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer he would give. “Is that what you think?”
“No!” he insisted. “I just…I didn’t know what you’d want to do, that’s all.”
And just like that, Kermit knew he’d made a big mistake in coming here and spouting off. His mouth and feelings always got him in trouble with Piggy; wasn’t it their argument and his own melancholy that led him to take Dominic’s suggestion for a walk down a dark alley? Who takes advice like that? If he had been thinking clearly, he would’ve seen the ambush and could’ve come back and…continued being the wet noodle everyone thought he was.
If Constantine hadn’t tried to kill her, maybe he would’ve made a better partner than he.
“Kermit,” Piggy said, already seeing where the wheels were turning in that head of his. He always worried the most, took on more than his share, and took the brunt of any and all hard feelings; that’s just who Kermit was and it was one of the reasons she had fallen for him in the first place.
“Regardless of whatever argument the two of us get into, I have never liked the way it bleeds into the others. Never! Sometimes, we can’t help it, it is in our nature to argue with each other and unfortunately, it splits a line down the middle, but I’ve never wanted you to have to choose between me and them.”
“You just wanted top billing,” he joked.
“No,” she said, not rising to the bait. “I wanted equal billing. Top billing is nice, it always is, but I know everyone is equally important to you, I have never disputed that. Kermit, I have never and will never make you give up the Muppets because of me. I love those idiots as much as you do and if you tell them that, I will destroy you.”
Kermit couldn’t help it. He chuckled at that last part. Once again, he had severely underestimated Piggy and it had come to bite him back; he had always known that Piggy’s outward persona was different from the actual person that she was. The diva was the Hollywood façade, what she put on for celebrity meet and greets, the show, red carpet appearances, etc; Piggy wasn’t completely high maintenance and he had certainly seen sides to her that would justify the fact that she was still the small town girl at heart.
Truth be told, Rowlf’s question had thrown him and he had immediately thought the worse – thought that Piggy would abandon them, him, like she had before; that she would want him all to herself and couldn’t share him with the rest of the group or even the world and as before, he was so off base, he wondered what she saw in him. Piggy had always wanted to be in his life, but she was smart enough to know he was the kind of frog that belonged to everyone he ever met.
That had never been her problem; the problem had been he had never been frog enough to make time for her when he should’ve. What was wrong with him? He never would’ve gotten away with this back home and certainly in the entertainment business, he would’ve been dropped like a rock in a pond, but not Piggy. Piggy had always stood by him and it was only when he had sent her away – twice now – that she had gone. What was it going to take to make him realize what he had?
The first time she had come back, only out of a sense of duty for the others; this time, she had nearly been stolen away by a suave international thief. He had gotten lucky, really, extremely lucky, because next time, he may not be.
“Piggy,” he sighed. “I love you.”
As with anytime he ever let his heart do the talking, Piggy smiled sweetly at him. Why did he always try to avoid this? Was it really that hard to tell the person he loved most in the whole universe that he did indeed love her?
“Aw Kermie,” she cooed, cupping his cheek in her hand. “I love you, too. Always.”
With that business out of the way, Piggy was assured that she had solved whatever problem her frog came in there for. And problem solving always meant a reward. “See?” she said, patting that very same cheek. “Relaxation suits you.” An idea quickly formed in her head and she snapped her fingers. “Spa day!” she exclaimed. “That’s perfect, that’s exactly what we need. A spa day. You’re stressed, I’m stressed…nothing stresses people out like nearing been blown up. Or…being thrown out of helicopter. What was that thing about the spa…?”
Kermit watched her as she went hunting about some spa that may have been on the train itself or in an upcoming location, but he ended up letting his mind drift. He loved her; that was that. He had hemmed and hawed for years, decades even; Gonzo had once joked that they were well past the requirements for common law and they should just be getting all the benefits of that. Relationships had broken under less time and those that had gone past their mark…well, they were far and few; many relationships didn’t make it to the mark they were at and yet Kermit couldn’t seem to put the car in gear on this.
In the past, he’d been afraid that a relationship would ruin their professional relationship; that had never happened until he had literally pushed her away. After her return, he was afraid to just jump back where they had left off; they hadn’t ended well and to start from there would only led to disaster. Well…that was a few years ago.
What was the excuse now?
He didn’t have one. Professionally, as she had noted, they were back on top. Personally, they had started from scratch and until this little bump, things had been going fine. They had and lived in a house together. And it wasn’t as if they hadn’t broached the subject of children, because they had, and Kermit would be lying if the idea didn’t appeal to him, so…what was his excuse?
“I bet there’s a group deal,” Piggy was saying, still looking around for whatever pamphlet she had seen about a spa. “There probably is, but that depends on who we invite, cause…we are not inviting everyone. Scooter, sure, Rowlfie definitely, Fozzie’s a possibility…Gonzo’s only coming if he behaves…”
“Marry me.”
Piggy wasn’t sure she heard correctly. Her ears picked up a series of words that sounded like a proposal, but they didn’t register in her brain, until she turned quickly to look at him. “Say what?”
If Piggy was confused by the declaration, Kermit was equally surprised by it. True, he had been planning on it, eventually, and he even had a ring that screamed Piggy, but he had also been planning a romantic dinner, fireworks, maybe proposing to her on stage (which would now never, ever happen. Ever). He had half a mind to backtrack and say he meant something else, but for once, he was gonna let his heart led this conversation.
“I said, marry me,” he said, staring at her. “Marry me, Piggy.”
“A…are you serious?” she stammered.
“I’m very serious.” Kermit stood from the chair and walked to her, taking her hands in his. “Piggy, I’m not gonna lie to you,” he continued. “I can’t give you everything you want, in fact there will be times where I will most definitely say no to the things that you’d want or need. I’m not gonna pull a unicorn out of thin air, I’m not getting you an armadillo, I most certainly am not buying you a cockatoo or bird of any kind and we’re never moving Malibu, so…I hope you have no plans for that, cause that won’t happen.
“What I can give you is…is…well…years of constant bickering and arguing, stubbornness that could outrank a bull, a company of bears, chickens, dogs, and Gonzo who will no doubt pester us every day and invite themselves over to the house, but they’ll be the best aunts and uncles our kids could ask for and…you’ll get this hopeless, devoted, and insane frog who is hopelessly, devotedly, and insanely in love with you and I could never stop loving you even if I tried and I have tried.
“Don’t you see, Piggy?” he whispered. “You’re everything I need and everything I want. And if that’s not what you want then…then, that’s just too bad because I’m never letting you go again.”
Just when Piggy thought Kermit couldn’t surprise her, after all this time, he’d go and do something like this. It was everything she expected from him – straight to the point, laying down the law as what would and wouldn’t work, and then the cherry on the top: the declaration of how he really felt. Kermit didn’t often express his feelings, especially with her, but when he did the expressions were from the heart and he always did tend to wear it on his sleeve.
“Oh Kermie,” she cooed, her eyes tearing up slightly. “You had me at hello.”
“The first time?”
Laughing quietly, she said, “Every time.” Taking a deep breath, the diva none the less stared down the frog. “You’re a little too late though.”
“Pardon?”
“Not that Moi didn’t appreciate the speech,” she amended. “Because it was truly lovely, no doubt, but Moi's beaten you to the punch.”
“Really?” he asked, slightly confused.
“Oh really,” she said. “Moi asked vous, remember?”
Kermit looked at her as though she was mad, until a recent scene came to his mind. After it had been discovered that there were two Kermits and that they had basically crashed her wedding, Piggy asked the only question she knew would identify the real frog – she asked both of them to marry her, knowing that the real Kermit would probably hem and haw with his answer and that was the one that had revealed himself as the true leader.
“I thought that was to find out which one of us was the real me,” he said.
“Who’s to say that question didn’t have two purposes?” she retorted.
She had him there, because that’s exactly what Piggy would’ve done. Yes, the question was to see which one of these frogs was truly Kermit, but underlining that was the very thing that he had been afraid to admit, afraid to do, and what had doomed them the last time. And as before, Kermit had to ask himself – one last time – if this was what he wanted, if he really wanted to give up his freedom as a bachelor, if he wanted to sacrifice what he had built, what they had built, by getting this deeply involved.
And before he had even finished the questions, he had already answered them – yes. Yes, he really wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, yes he wanted everything that marriage entailed, and yes, he very much wanted it with Piggy. Nodding, Kermit immediately headed towards the dresser before opening the second drawer and pulling something out, something that clearly looked like a jewelry box.
“Are you hiding jewelry in my room?” she asked, incredulously. The frog could have nerve at times.
“Of course,” Kermit replied, walking to her and stopping in front of her. “Where else would I hide something where you won’t find it?”
Piggy thought about it and decided that, once again, Kermit was right. She loved presents and when she thought there was one around for her, she would hunt it down; however, it would never occur to her to search her own room for one.
“Touché.”
Holding the box up, Kermit asked, “What was that question you asked me?”
The diva wasn’t sure if she should be thrilled or irritated; of course she would be the one to ask, but she had to give him credit. She hadn’t thought he would’ve had a ring all ready, that maybe he had been thinking about this longer than she had given him credit for. Looking him in the eye, Piggy asked the question she had always hoped he’d ask her and she now she had to hope that he’d give her the answer she always hoped to give.
“Will you marry me?”
Opening the velvet box, Piggy was stunned to see the diamond ring that was nestled inside. It wasn’t a ring that Kermit had just picked up the day before; he had put thought into the purchase, the way the diamond caught the light when he held it, he had bought that ring for her and her alone.
“Yes.”