Two Ball Waltz

[WebMistressGina]

I am so terribly sorry, you have no idea! I started this last weekend and then got busy and wasn't able to finish until this weekend and even now, I only have a small section for you.

BUT! I have a vacation coming up and yes, this is on the top of my list, so expect more chapters and all that stuff! Here's the prologue to get you started!!

Two Ball Waltz​

July


Summers in California were the best known to man. The sun was always shining, the days were a nice and toasty eighty degrees, people were out and about enjoying their day, and in the heart of Mid-City West, the heir to the Grosse fortune and name was enjoying the outdoors with his girlfriend.

Andrew Martin Grosse – or Scooter, as many called him – was enjoying the summer weather with his girlfriend, Amanda Cosgrove. The couple was coming up on their first year together and for Scooter, he had been deep in thought about where this relationship was headed and for months now, he was convinced they were headed to the final step in terms of a loving relationship.

Marriage.

Back in February, the two celebrated their four month anniversary and it was the turning point, as they said I love you for the first time. A few months later, they took their first vacation together, though it was ultimately shared with Scooter’s boss and his girlfriend; soon afterwards, the two took their relationship to the more intimate and physical level. And now…the two were enjoying the perks of living together.

Two months ago, Scooter and Amanda had begun discussing living together before a misunderstanding caused their first fight; luckily, they were able to solve their differences and move forward on their living situation plans. Two months later, the two had gotten down the little quirks that all couples go through when living with someone that they are committed to.

Scooter could be a work-a-holic, with his work on the Muppet Show and as personal assistant to the power couple of the troupe. It wasn’t unheard of for him to take his work home, so to speak, nor was it unheard of for him to get wrapped up in a conversation with his boss or to concentrate on the finances for both the troupe and that of his own businesses; this didn’t even cover the work he would occasionally do for Google.

Amanda, as the office manager of his father’s pool hall, would also take her work home with her, using her mornings and afternoons to catch up on paperwork. But this also meant that she usually worked at nights and depending on the afterhours work, it wasn’t unheard of for her to arrive home in the late or even early morning hours.

Aside from their different work schedules, the two were learning what it was like living with other people. Both were only children, so they never had to fight for the bathroom or cater to the differences in meal and food types and while Scooter had certainly stayed with his fellow Muppets and understood the fight for getting attention or trying to get the last plate of pancakes, it wasn’t the same as living with someone, especially someone who was of the opposite gender. While the favorite of the ladies in the troupe, Scooter had never lived with any of them, so living with a woman was completely different.

The experience for both was certainly interesting, but gratifying and it seemed to signal to Scooter that despite the differences and new living learning curves, this was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life.

On this day, the two were lounging on the back porch, enjoying lunch outside on a Friday afternoon. Normally, Scooter would be at the theater, looking over the different acts that were trying to get on the show for Sunday, while Amanda would be at the pool hall working on managerial things before the hall would open; it was the summer however, so the Muppets were officially off, though they did make appearances for the studios tours, giving their audience small shows in the morning and afternoons.

Amanda’s father – the owner of Cosgrove’s Cool Pool – usually switched shifts with his daughter, especially when he could see that her feelings for the Muppets’ stage manager were growing day and day. Chase Cosgrove did approve of Scooter, however he was a father of a daughter and he was bound by fatherly love to make sure Grosse knew he could only go so far with his little girl. But it was nearly a year for the two and Chase would have been blind if he didn’t think the red head wasn’t considering taking this relationship to its logical conclusion.

Scooter had to be honest with himself – while he knew plenty of couples within the Muppets, he only knew of one married couple and one successful couple at that. It had been a shock to all when the knowledge that the Great Gonzo had married his longtime girlfriend during their long hiatus from each other, especially considering that it was Gonzo of all people who had made the plunge.

There was still a lot to consider, but Scooter was determined to push down his fears and proceed.

But like with his revelation about his love, Scooter knew he would need help in this matter and he could only think of a few people he could turn to.

 

[The Count]

*Explodes with the happies for the return of the Gina!

Er, Amanda was working for "his" father? Okay, I'll let you correct that before the wrong image has time to fester in my mind.

The recap flows much better in this installment's prologue. Absolutely love how you connected all the Pool Hall stories so far.
Please, post more!

Oh, and you might not have noticed KG C162 has been uploaded in your absence. *Flees off to other fics.

 

[WebMistressGina]

*Explodes with the happies for the return of the Gina!

Now sporting a new keyboard too! Tis the awesome!!!

Er, Amanda was working for "his" father? Okay, I'll let you correct that before the wrong image has time to fester in my mind.

*eye roll* Didn't touch the thing for days, re-read it and still missed something. Yeah. Counters....

The recap flows much better in this installment's prologue. Absolutely love how you connected all the Pool Hall stories so far.
Please, post more!

Oh, and you might not have noticed KG C162 has been uploaded in your absence. *Flees off to other fics.

I really struggled with this as I thought there should be more, but after rereading it, I figured it was just a prologue, so it should go right to the point, right?

And no, I did not see that the KG has been update, nor did the forum tell me! For shameth, forum. For shaaaaaaame.

But now I know and I know what needs to be done

 

[TheWeirdoGirl]

*looks up from school and rereading Kermie's Girl long enough to read the new story*

Yay, so happy to see you Gina! I missed your stories. Can't wait to see how this one will unfold!

 

[WebMistressGina]

And happy Saturday to you all! It's day two of a five day vacation and I've been productive! I wanted to post this for you last week, but decided I wanted an extra section in here; this is gonna be a long, long story cause we aren't just gonna do a proposal, but a wedding too! But first - in case you don't remember, our boy Scooter has been thinking of marriage to his lady love and in this chapter, Scooter starts the first steps.



Chapter I


August


The return back to school was in the sights for every parent and reluctant child, while things continued the way they always had for those in the Muppet Theatre. For young Robin the Frog, nephew of the troupe’s director and leader, he was looking forward to getting back to class; this was his first complete year living with his uncle and honorary aunt after the sudden death of his mother and the retreat of his father. It had been a hard few months, that was for sure, but he was making the best of it and that best was being shared with the people he loved the most.

For his guardians, this was the first time they had been in a position of, well…guardians. While they had certainly supervised some of the children that came past their doors and obviously, watching Scooter go through his own teen years should have prepared them for anything, but of course watching someone grow into a teenager and living with them was completely different. Much like Scooter and Amanda, the power couple were doing their own new living arrangement, but with a growing teenage frog.

And speaking of Scooter, he was at the theater fairly early, getting some external and internal work done while in his office on office row. However, once he noticed the time was nearly ten o’clock on a Tuesday morning, he made his way down to the theater in hopes of catching the esteemed diva that would be there. Scooter of course knew that Kermit the Frog, the troupe leader, would be in the theater around this time, working on his own paperwork; a chance to get some peace and quiet before the inevitable onslaught of wannabe acts that wanted to be on the show that week. And in many cases, where there was a frog, there was a pig that followed.

Sure enough, Scooter managed to find the diva in her dressing room, getting ready for something that Scooter wasn’t going to pretend he understood or wanted to understand.

“Piggy!” he exclaimed, startling said diva and causing her to turn from her vanity.

Miss Piggy, star extraordinaire, was not used to being barged in on; well, at least not by Scooter. It was on the tip of her tongue to give him a lecture about bursting in to a woman’s dressing room, but the fact that he looked quite excited and he had just started living with a woman gave her a bit of a pause.

“You’re a woman.”

The look she gave him conveyed how much of that statement was obvious. “Was it that obvious?” she asked, sarcastically.

Glancing down at the rather ample chest she had, the page retorted back, “It would be hard to miss you.”

“Eyes front.”

Taking a seat in the chair Piggy always kept next to the vanity, in case the frog ever stopped by, Scooter continued with, “I need your help.”

“For?”

Scooter knew this would be a touchy subject, especially in light of what he and Kermit had been doing and what Piggy thought the frog was doing. The slippery slope that was the topic he was about to broach could go either way and hopefully, that way would be in his favor. Taking a deep breath, he said, “I need a ring.”

That of course got the pig’s attention. If she knew men, and Piggy did know her share, they did not go out and buy rings just for the sake of buying a ring – unless they were the unscrupled types that did so in order to prey on a young girl’s heart – and Scooter was neither of the above. “A ring?” she asked, curiously. “Like a fancy ring?”

Taking another breath, he whispered, “Like an engagement ring.”

It was the first time he had mentioned his thoughts out loud, to anyone, and it was clear that the statement surprised Piggy too because she stopped her grooming in order to turn and look at the boy. Well, he’s not really a boy anymore, is he? she asked herself. Despite the fact that he was well into adulthood, Scooter was very much still a child to them all, the gangly teenaged spy turned trusted assistant had certainly earned his place in their hearts, especially hers.

No one schemed and planned as well as they did together, a testament that Kermit could certainly attest to, and it seemed like no one understood her more, besides the frog of course. However, there were things – Piggy’s words of wisdom, if you would – that she only shared with Scooter, helping him on his young way to being the very man that sat before her. And because he held such a place in her heart, Piggy had taken it upon herself to make sure that no one, not even the diva herself, would ever break his.

She was the leader of the group that sought to protect him at whatever cost and it meant she had run off some of his earlier girlfriends because of it. As far as she was concerned, no one could ever be good enough for him and if they thought they could toy with and break his young heart, they had another thing coming.

She had of course gone back on that when the group had made their split, but it was something that couldn’t be avoided and she had done her very best to make up for it.

Piggy could also admit when she was wrong; there apparently was someone who was good enough for her little Andrew and that person was a fellow redhead who held the same hopes, dreams, and tastes that the assistant did.

“Well,” she said, looking at him in surprise and a bit in wispy wonderment. “Look who’s all grown up. But why come to me? Wouldn’t this be a better task to have, say, Kermit help you with?”

“First of all,” Scooter said, sending her a look. “You’re a woman with remarkable taste and I’m someone who is complete rubbish when it comes to picking out something exquisite for my beautiful fiancé to be. And second, I don’t think Kermit wants to be shopping around for engagement rings.”

And right there, he said the wrong thing.

He had been doing quite well; Scooter knew what Piggy wanted to hear and he definitely wanted to be on her good side for this, but then he made the mistake of bringing Kermit into this. And he could see it by the narrowing of those baby blue eyes.

What Piggy didn’t know was that the page and the frog had been shopping for engagement rings, but not for Scooter. Around the time that Scooter had come to the realization that he was in love, Kermit had come to the realization that he had always been in love and always would be with the pig that drove him up the wall bonkers. A frog learns a lot about himself and about the people he loves when they are no longer in his life and Kermit had missed Piggy something rotten when the two had called it quits.

It had taken much longer for them to get back on the same page with each other, to the point where their constant bickering didn’t drive the other away again and it was around that time that Kermit discovered he no longer wanted to wait, that he could no longer wait to make an honest woman out of the diva. But as much as the Muppets were rather low key, mostly, when it came to their celebrity status, they were still celebrities and if the reporters or worse, the tabloids got wind that he was shopping for a ring, the entire plan that he was trying to put together would be ruined.

The problem that was presenting itself now was the fact that Piggy didn’t know any of that. “And why is that?” she asked, literally burning a hole in Scooter’s brain with her eyes.

The page took a second to consider his options and none of them were very good. He could of course tell her the truth, in that Kermit had already done his shopping for engagement rings or he could completely lie and pretend he had never said anything. None of those would work with her and he knew it.

The upside, however, to being both the assistant to the frog and being the pig’s favorite was that he didn’t have to offer up any information, especially if it managed to get him out of the situation.

“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” At Piggy’s look, he exclaimed, “I’m serious! I don’t know anything about it. But back to our current problem…”

“Yes, yes,” she said, waving him off. “Don’t think Moi will forget because I won’t, but yes, let’s discuss your current issue. An engagement ring. Now you know, dear Andrew, that you can’t just get any engagement ring…”

“Of course not,” he interrupted. “It has to be special. Amanda’s special.”

“Exactly,” Piggy replied. “And Moi was talking, dear. Yes, your sweet is delightful and with that, she should have a ring that reflects not only her personality, but the depths of your love for her.”

Letting out another deep sigh, Scooter remembered how long it took him to find the examples he had shown Kermit, who still ended up going with another choice, that took him two months to find. “This is going to be a process, isn’t it?”

“Good rings don’t just walk down the street and hello, darling,” she countered. “The question is…are you up for that challenge?”

Scooter turned a determined eye towards her. “Yes,” he said, with conviction. “Yes I am.”



[hr]



A few days later


Once Scooter had made his decision on the direction of his life, he began to take the steps to make that decision a reality. His quest for a ring would begin tomorrow morning with Piggy, but before he could get the ring, he needed permission to give it.

Despite being a very modern Muppet man, there were a few things that Scooter did hold dear, especially when it came to romance. Scooter wouldn’t say he was a ladies man by any means and certainly, his decision to be involved with theater as a whole did seem to put up barriers with most of the girls in his high school; there were of course those who realized that the bespectacled manager was near celebrities every week and if getting close to him meant they could get close to the stars, it was something they would definitely try.

At time, Scooter hadn’t seen it or understood it, being a teenaged boy and all, and certainly his heart and quite frankly, his libido, didn’t want to see anything past the pretty girl that wanted to hang out with him. Luckily for him and unfortunately for them, the red head had a rather good support system that always had his back, no matter what. While it hurt to know he was being used, it did help Scooter to know who and what it was he wanted in a girlfriend and future wife.

He had found the woman he wanted as his girlfriend and he knew without a shadow of a doubt, she was going to make the perfect wife, but he couldn’t invite her into his family unless he was invited into hers. And that meant talking to her dad.

Chase Cosgrove was a former United States Marine, a former lightweight boxer in both college and the service, and the current owner of Cosgrove’s Cool Pool. He was no nonsense and was like any father who had an attractive daughter – very protective.

Now Chase wasn’t the type that prevented his daughter from dating, quite the opposite, however he always made his displeasure known if he didn’t think a boy was going to treat his little girl the way that she should be treated. In the last few months that his baby girl had been seeing the Muppet stage manager, Chase had to admit he liked the boy. He was respectful, honest, and seemed to love his daughter as much as she loved him; so when the manager came to his business on a Thursday morning, knowing full well that Amanda wouldn’t be there for at least an hour, Chase was pretty sure something was up.

Thursday morning found Scooter stopping at Cool Pool, knowing full well that Amanda was home, working on spreadsheets and documents before needing to go in to work. It was a routine that the two had developed, knowing that both enjoyed getting work done before actually needing to be at work; while Scooter normally took Mondays and Wednesdays to discuss business with his boss, Amanda took her work days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Cool Pool usually didn’t open until the afternoon hours, which gave Amanda plenty of time before she needed to be there in the early evenings to get paperwork done.

Technically she still did managerial duties while in the office, she usually made a point to help out the wait staff and bartenders as much as she could, especially on a busy Friday and Saturday.

Using the excuse that he was heading to theater for a few hours, the usual excuse he gave in order to allow her the quiet of the house to work, Scooter actually was making his way down to her place of business, hoping that he would run into her father there. Because no customers would be hanging around at that time of day, Scooter had to knock on the door, thankfully getting one of the wait staff to see him; another stroke of luck was that it was someone that knew him and actually let him inside.

“Morning, Mr. Grosse!”

“Good morning, Richie,” Scooter replied, greeting the younger man. Richie was a recent grad who was taking a year before heading off to college, the brother of one of the bartenders that worked there. “And it’s Scooter; I’m not old enough to be Mister Grosse yet, despite my very adult responsibilities.”

“Hey,” Richie chuckled, closing the door after the Muppet had entered. “My parents always taught me to be respectful to my elders.”

“Elder?” Scooter exclaimed, putting a hand over his heart. “Saints preserve us, now you think I’m an elder!”

“Well, when you start saying things like ‘saints preserve us’, people will start thinking that.”

The red head couldn’t help but laugh. He liked Richie and he certainly had plans to help the boy out should he need it. “Hey, is Mr. Cosgrove around?”

“He’s in the back,” Richie responded. “Let me go get him for you. Be right back!”

Scooter waited at the bar, noticing the very quiet atmosphere that comes from a nearly empty building. He had certainly been here after hours, but there was still staff inside, doing their nightly clean up and he had certainly been there – once or twice – where the hall was about to be opened, but never this early, where there was only one or two people inside, accepting shipments or doing other work.

Soon, Chase Cosgrove came from the back office, not exactly surprised to see his daughter’s boyfriend standing at the bar. “Morning, Grosse,” he greeted, coming over and shaking the Muppet’s hand. “Bit early for you, isn’t it? Especially when you don’t exactly need to come ‘round anymore to see my little girl.” Chase gave the red head a look, one that made the Muppet’s cheeks nearly as red as his hair. “Come on back. Richie, make sure you get all those boxes put up.”

“Will do, Mr. Cosgrove!”

Chase nodded his head towards the back offices, a place Scooter was familiar with, though he had frequently been in Amanda’s office, not Chase’s. While Amanda’s office was rather modern, with oak furniture and a leather chair for her desk, Chase seemed to be more traditional, with a much smaller desk than that of his daughter. He also had more papers and ledgers, obviously preferring the non-technological method of handwriting than the desktop computer and laptop Amanda usually employed.

“Have a seat, Grosse.”

Scooter nodded, taking a seat in the chair that sat on the other side of the old metal desk, while Chase took the opposite chair, leaning across the desk slightly to look at his visitor. “I usually don’t see you on a Thursday,” he began. “At least, not without a reason.”

“That’s true,” Scooter agreed. “But I do have a reason and that reason was to see you actually.”

“I gathered as much,” Chase said. Leaning back in his chair, Chase asked, “What can I do you for?”

The moment had arrived and for some reason, Scooter felt even more nervous than when this idea had first come to him. “Well,” the assistant began. “Mr. Cosgrove…you know how I feel about your daughter…”

“I’ve gotten it on good authority, you’re quite fond of her.”

“It’s more than that,” he whispered, before clearing his throat and sitting up straighter in his chair. “I love Amanda, wholly and completely. I’ve…I’ve never been in love before, at least nothing like this. She’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever met, have ever known. She’s smart, funny, intelligent, savvy…nerdy, geeky, thoughtful, insightful…she’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman.

“Sir…I am deeply in love with your daughter and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to marry her and…and I’d like your permission and your blessing.”

Chase would be a liar if he hadn’t thought this next step would occur, but he had to admit that he didn’t think he would actually see it. “I gotta say, Grosse,” Chase whispered. “I didn’t think you were the kind of guy that believed in asking a father’s permission for marriage. I guess it is a bit old fashioned and certainly, Mandy would stand here and tell us it’s quite archaic to even do something so…”

“Primitive?”

Chase smiled. “Exactly,” the owner chuckled. “But as her father, I appreciate you coming here to ask. No father wants to let his littler girl, especially not to another man who would be essentially taking over the duties that you’d been doing since she was a baby, but if we have to do it, we like knowing that the next…permanent man is just that. Permanent, someone who will love her as much as you do. You’ve certainly proved that, at least to me. You’re a good man, Grosse, and I’d be proud to call you my son-in-law.”

Chase stood and made his way around to the other side of the desk, causing Scooter to stand as well. Holding out his hand for him to shake, Chase replied, “Welcome to the family.”

 

[The Count]

Now that made me smile. Good good schtuff in this chapter.

Robin's already acclamating himself to his uncle and "aunt"'s care in Hollywood.
Scooter manning up to ask Chase to marry Amanda.
The glimpses of backstage life what with Scooter getting Piggy's help in hunting down an engagement ring or Kermit's previous endeavors in the same field...

Is all wonderful, thanks for this, please post more.
*Leaves brownies from secret stash for Gina.

 

[The Count]

Does thish mean you're back? Did you miss us? Did you bring us any presents?
Peace on Earth! Gimme present!
Animal, back! Heel! Sit!
* breathes in and out waiting for fic update.

*Leaves choc chip brownies for Gina, after leaving some for Kim and Janken in the Fanfic Writing Rules/Thoughts thread.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Does thish mean you're back? Did you miss us? Did you bring us any presents?

Yes, I'm back and of course I missed you!

I did not bring presents, however I have brought the gift of myself on vacation, which means I bring the gift of fictions!

Peace on Earth! Gimme present!
Animal, back! Heel! Sit!
* breathes in and out waiting for fic update.

*Leaves choc chip brownies for Gina, after leaving some for Kim and Janken in the Fanfic Writing Rules/Thoughts thread.

Ironically enough, I'm working on two updates, so with any luck, you'll get both before I go back to work next week. Also, I think I may have caught a cold yesterday, so I'm battling that, but I feel better and again, I'm on vacation, so I only have to fight against disease and sleep.

Was also happy to get the next in the epic KG, so I've got that saved!

 

[The Count]

Yeah, though it's loaded with typos and font thingys I have to go in and clean up for Aunt Ru. At least it's the fact there's a new chapter of KG that makes me smile. Now to wait for the update to 2-Ball.

 

[WebMistressGina]

Hey kids! Happy post Turkey Day for everyone and boo if you had to go back to work today, but hey hey! It's Monday and you know what....I have a chapter update for you! So so so so very very very very very sorry that this was so late; I actually had the first part all done up with a bow, but couldn't think of the ending until like....earlier this morning. But an update it is! And cause it's been so long -

Summary: Scooter Grosse has decided he is going to marry his girlfriend, Amanda Cosgrove. He's made the first steps by asking her father's permission, as well as getting some helpful advice from the diva herself.


Chapter II

Friday morning


For most people, Friday mornings meant the beginning of a weekend start, the last day of the work week with the weekend around the corner. For those who belonged to the Muppet crew, Fridays were usually the start of the ‘weekend from heck’ – with shows premiering on Sundays, Fridays were the start of endless run throughs, switch ups and switch outs, last minute changes (that weren’t last minute, as those usually came on Sunday nights), and of course the constant insanity that came with trying to run a show and a bunch of lunatics that were a part of the show.

This Friday, however, was an actual day off for the group, if you ever considered the Muppets taking a day off. In this instance, the show was actually put together well enough that Kermit the Frog actually declared Friday a free day, with the following day being the full, nonstop performance for Sunday. Oh, the frog was a taskmaster sometimes, cracking the whip when needed, but he also knew the importance of downtime. As he did every morning, Kermit was up bright and early, standing by the kitchen island within his home, and making a pot of coffee.

He had already said goodbye for the day to his nephew, who headed off to school with a promise of being at the theater the next morning in order to do his part as a returned member to the Muppet Show. Kermit went through the normal rituals of making coffee, figuring the smells of caffeine would awaken his longtime companion and just waiting for her arrival. So far, he had the kitchen to himself, a time in which his thoughts would run through his mind, organizing themselves – usually – or just bouncing around his brain until one of the brain cells snatched it from out of the air.

Standing there, in the kitchen, and with his thoughts far away, Kermit didn’t notice the new arrival until she was whispering his ear. “Guess what Scooter told me yesterday.”

“Probably something unrepeatable and that I probably don’t want to hear,” he commented, continuing his coffee drinking and newspaper reading.

“He mentioned an engagement ring.”

Whether it was the heat of the coffee or the topic of her previous conversation, she wasn’t sure – though she was sure it was the engagement ring thing – but it was enough for Kermit to nearly choke and spit out his coffee. “An engagement ring?” he sputtered.

Piggy only nodded, reaching past him to grab the coffee mug he had sat out for her. “Hmmm,” she said, taking a quick sip. “For Amanda.”

“Oh,” Kermit whispered, his mind slowly catching up. “Oh! Right. Right, of course. I knew that.”

“So relieved,” Piggy purred, leaning towards the frog. “As though you’re hiding something. About a ring.”

Throwing her a look, Kermit said, “None of your business.” Picking up his coffee mug and his paper, Kermit tried to get as far away from her as possible, which for the area, was just sitting down at the kitchen table.

“Is it a pretty ring?” Piggy asked, following him to the table.

“It’s the most hideous thing you’ve ever laid your eyes on,” was his retort, which earned him a slight push, before she moved away from him and headed back to the kitchen island. “And just what makes you think I bought a ring for you?”

Leaning against the island, the diva threw Kermit a look. “Who else would you be buying rings for?” she asked, incredulously.

“Maybe I bought it for Fozzie,” he said, smugly. “Ever think of that? Huh?”

“Yes, actually,” she responded, surprising him. “Years ago, but I hadn’t found the two of you in bed together yet, so…”

The only thing Kermit could do was look at her in shock. “You had better be kidding,” he replied.

Piggy only shrugged. “It was fifty/fifty between him and Gonzo,” she said. “Actually, Gonzo had been the front runner for a rather long time.”

“Funny,” Kermit chuckled. “That was the same thing I thought about you and Gonzo.”

In an ironic sense, that had been what Kermit had thought at one point, especially when Gonzo had never been shy about his attraction to Piggy, or anyone for that matter. Kermit wasn’t sure what combination of events had pushed his heart into his head – or vice versa – but he was pretty sure Gonzo had played some part in the whole thing. Once again, Piggy interrupted his train of thought, this time by throwing a dish sponge at him for his last comment.

“Hey!” he cried, picking up the sponge and putting it on the table. For the first time that morning, Kermit managed to catch a look at what Piggy was wearing – a button down shirt, capri jeans, and her blonde locks hanging about her shoulders. “What’re you all dressed up for?” he asked. “And is that my shirt?”

“Moi is going out,” Piggy stated. Looking down at the shirt she wore, she glanced back at him and said, “Maybe.”

Rolling his eyes, Kermit went back to his coffee and his paper, all the while muttering, “Ask a simple question.”

Piggy chuckled, coming back to the table to deliver a kiss on top of his green head. “I bet it’s a pretty ring,” she whispered.

“I don’t know anything about it.”

“Fine,” she huffed. “Play coy. Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing. Anyway, Moi is off.”

“That would be my assessment,” came the comment, which received a smack on the back of his head. “This is why you can’t have nice things!”

[hr]

Miss Piggy didn’t waste any time heading out of her home with Kermit to her very nice sports car – his, of course – in order to drive herself into Hollywood proper. Hitting the pop station for some driving music, Piggy moved or sang along to the music that came from her car radio, car windows up in order to keep in the air conditioning that was filtering in on low, keeping the car cool on this particularly warm day.

While she had given the impression that she didn’t care if Kermit was hiding something from her or not, Piggy was more intrigued than actually angry. The very fact that Kermit and Scooter had been discussing engagement rings, far earlier than the gofer had admitted, was an interesting tidbit that the diva couldn’t shake. It certainly didn’t sound as though Scooter had been looking at engagement rings before coming to speak with her, which meant the person who’d been looking at rings had been her frog; despite the overall happiness in hearing that Kermit was finally taking the step to further this relationship, there was still some mystery as to what he was thinking and what he was preparing.

For the moment, however, Piggy needed to keep her own preparations in order. She was headed over to Scooter’s – the coffee shop by his townhome to be exact – in order to pick up the stage manager without his significant other being none the wiser. When the red head had come to her for help in choosing a ring, Piggy had a good place in mind for them to check – much like her clothing designer, the place was a hole in the wall, something that people wouldn’t suspect, but holding a considerable amount of high quality items that would work with what Scooter had in mind. She wasted no time in pulling up to the curb, easily spotting the manager as he sat at an outside table, drinking coffee and finishing up what looked like a late breakfast.

Scooter spotted her almost immediately, quickly popping in the rest of his scone into his mouth and grabbing his coffee before he stood and headed to her car, opening the passenger side door and hopping in. “What’s with all the secrecy?” he asked, the car moving giving him just enough time to close the door without slamming it on his leg.

“Can Moi not keep secrets?” she quipped, sending him a sidelong glance. “Seems to me, you’ve been keeping some of your own, Mr. Grosse.”

“If this is about Kermit, I don’t know anything about it.”

“Of course you don’t,” she sighed, rolling her eyes behind the shades she wore. Sometimes she forgot just how much of Scooter’s loyalty was split between her and the frog, but she never doubted that he could always be trusted with anything between them. “I did tell you, darling, that Moi was going to help you get the ring your little miss deserves and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

The two were comfortable in both silence and quiet chit chat while heading towards whatever destination Piggy had in mind. Once they had arrived, Piggy parked in a nondescript parking lot that seemed to be situated behind a series of what seemed like ordinary storefronts, nothing you would ever notice if you walked by them, unless of course you were looking for them.

Starting off the row was a quaint little bistro with both inside and outside seating, with large umbrellas connected to the outside tables in order to keep those that were dining out of the sun. Next to that were various shops which the duo passed by until they reached the fifth shop in, which appeared to be closed, though there was no sign of any kind to state the fact. “Why’re we here?” asked Scooter.

Piggy just gave him a look before opening the door, a little bell going off above the door as they entered. The shop was as small on the inside as it seemed to be on the outside, with only two glass counter pieces sat towards the back wall with another to the right of them; both were filled with jewelry, with several rings and watches showcased on the first shelf of the cabinets. At the sound of the bell, a middle aged man came from what looked like a store room in the back, just to the left of the front display case.

He was fairly short, though obviously taller than both Scooter and Piggy, with a thin moustache over his lip and a rather large pouch that constituted as his stomach. “Mademoiselle!” he exclaimed, seeing it was the diva and a companion who entered his shop.

“Monsieur Louis,” Piggy cooed, accepting both the hug and affectionate kisses to her cheek. “Comment allez-vous aujourd'hui?”

“Très bien!” was the response, the man – named Louis – nodding to Piggy before turning his attention to the red head. “Est ce qui lui?”


“Oui,” Piggy nodded, extending her hand to introduce Scooter. “Monsieur Louis, this is Andrew Grosse; Scooter dear, this is Monsieur Louis.”


Scooter nodded, taking the offered hand and shaking it. “A pleasure.”


“Is all mine,” Louis replied, his words hinting at a slight French accent. “Piggy has told me much about your search. You are looking for a ring, oui?”

“Oui,” Scooter agreed, before shaking his head. “I mean, yes. I’m looking for an engagement.”


“Ah, amour!” the Frenchman exclaimed. “That’s good, very good! Piggy says she’s very beautiful, so she should get a ring that highlights that, oui?”


“Certainly any help that you can provide is appreciative,” the stage manager replied, following the shop owner to the front display case. “I’ve never been ring shopping before.”


“First time is always better,” Louis nodded.


“First and last,” Piggy amended, sending a look to her friend.


“Of course.”


Monsieur Louis was a man of incredible taste and an obvious romantic when it came to making a couple’s dreams come true. The shop owner had the most cutting edge and popular diamond sets in the business – a fact Piggy mentioned that he was the only person she went to when it came to styling her with jewelry for any outing – and Scooter found himself slightly overwhelmed with all the choices he was presented with, but Monsieur Louis seemed to understand the male dilemma when it came to proposing and was able to direct Scooter to some select choices based on what little he knew of Amanda.


Perhaps it was the way Scooter described his girlfriend, from her looks to her dress to the fact that she tended to hum when making breakfast, but the way his voice took on that love sick tilt that every young man held when speaking about his love and Monsieur Louis heard it very clearly. It reminded the elder man of his own wife, rest her soul, a woman who he still felt was his soul mate in all things that mattered.


After an hour of looking, Scooter finally found the one, the ring he would propose with, the ring he hoped Amanda would say yes to and would place on her left hand. This was it; the final piece of the puzzle was set in place and all he needed to do now was find a time to ask her.


“So?”


Back in the car, Scooter couldn’t help the same sigh that escaped his lips, a happy and a relieved one at that. “So what?” he asked to her question.


“So how does it feel?” she asked, quietly. “About to take the big plunge into the world of the happily married.”


“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”


“Moi is not married.”


“On paper,” Scooter retorted. “Everyone knows that you and Kermit are a happily married couple that just not official yet. So I’m the one who should be asking how does it feel – how does it feel to be the same person in and out everyday for the rest of your life?”


At that, Piggy gave a slight chuckle. “My darling Andrew,” she whispered. “You have known us for how many years now? The answer to that question should be obvious – at the best times, it’s the most thrilling, wonderful thing in the world; at the worst times, it’s the most gut wrenching, horrible time in your life, where your best friend is your worst enemy. I’m sure that Kermit and I aren’t the best role models in that regard, but you probably won’t find a more passionate couple.”


“That’s for sure,” Scooter answered. Turning to look at her, he whispered, “Thank you. I would’ve been rubbish at this on my own.”


“You would’ve been fine,” the diva assured him. “You know you heart and it’s always taken you where you needed to be.”


“Well now, I need it to make sure I don’t ruin this.”


“You worry too much,” she laughed. “You and Kermit; peas in a pod, the both of you. Of course, she’ll say yes. As though she’d say anything else.”


Scooter hoped that was true and in his heart, he was fairly certain that Amanda would indeed say yes, but insecurity had always plagued him and there was that little bit of him that wondered if her answer would be a resounding no.