Two Ball Waltz

The Count

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Thank you for posting. Sorry to cut a reply short, but since getting my computer back online after a two-day crash I'm playing the catch-up game again.

Liked the reference to :mad:'s clothier friend... Now who could that be? :coy:
And now your sig makes sense. Hope you have a good holiday weekend.
 

The Count

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*Blinks. Gina? Is she back from the depths of the dead? Please, post more good fic so we don't keep drowning in so much bad fluffpieces.

*Throws choc doughnut life preserver with lifeline to hook onto the Golden Gonzo's schnoz.
 

WebMistressGina

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I am! I came by last night to get some reading in before posting, but the site was being weird. But it loaded this morning and I figured, as long as I'm laid up for the next week, I'd get something productive done.

I am currently working on the next two chapters, so something new will actually be posted! Hopefully before I need to head back to work!
 

WebMistressGina

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Finally right!?

First, I'm totally for the complete lapse in both this and New York Minute. Had totally wanted to update both a few months ago and did start annnnnd life, of course. But I'm hanging out on the couch since my second wisdom extractions so I figured I would get some work done on at least 2 Ball, especially when I realized this fic covers not only the engagement and the wedding, so this will be long!

And cause it's been a while, I'm hopefully giving you guys two chapters tonight! If you've forgotten - Scooter is trying to propose to his girlfriend, Amanda Cosgrove. He's gone to Piggy to help with the ring, but as you'll soon see, he's been running into issues when it comes to actually finding the right moment...






Chapter III





Amanda Cosgrove was being paranoid.


At least she thought so. For the last month and a half, the Whatnot was getting the feeling that something was going on around her, but she couldn’t pinpoint what that was exactly. It started with her father; one day, he was his normal gruff, ex-military, ex-pool player self and then the next, he seemed to get all teary eyed when he saw her. Oh, he thought he was being clever, telling her it was just something in his eye or that he was getting allergies, but the fact that it only seemed to happen when she was around tipped the point for her.


It was making her a little concerned actually. Her dad seemed to get this strange look on his face, the same one he got when he was thinking about her mother and just realized that she was starting to look like her. But at the same time, this was a different kind of look, like the look he gave her when she announced that she and Scooter were moving in together; well, less angry and disgusted – what father wants to think about what goes on in his daughter’s bedroom – but it was a look as though he had finally come to the conclusion that she was a grown woman, making her own choices.


That she wasn’t his little girl anymore.


She had begun to discuss this with Scooter, until she realized that even he seemed to be nervous in her presence. That hadn’t happened since they had first discovered their mutual attraction to each other and certainly, with the two of them not only sharing a home, but a bed, she didn’t think he should be shy in anything when it came to them. But along with her father’s strange behavior, Amanda had begun to notice Scooter’s behavior as well.


While her father would look at her as though he was reliving memories that he couldn’t get back, Scooter seemed to be trying to tell her something. It wasn’t often, but there had been several times lately that they’d be gazing into each other’s eyes or he’d be just gazing at her, he’d opened his mouth to say something and then would close it with a snap. He always said it was nothing or that he wanted to say something like she was beautiful or that he couldn’t believe she was with him and while she always tried to take the compliment, for some reason his explanations never seemed to make sense to her.


If these two things had been separate or hadn’t occurred at the same time, the Whatnot wouldn’t have thought anything about it; of course her father was sentimental. She was his little girl and she was living with another male who was not him and doing things no father wanted to think his little girl was doing with disgusting, icky boys. That of course made sense.


And of course Scooter might be a little nervous around her; they had just started living together and it was new for both of them. While they had, at one point in time, lived with people of the opposite sex, it had never been like this. There had been nothing romantic in those situations, so this was new to the both of them. In fact, their whole relationship was something new – neither had been in such long term relationships, at least not any where the thought of future status was around them exclusively.


That all made sense.


If these incidences hadn’t happened around the same time. That’s what was making her paranoid.


In any other circumstance, Amanda would’ve turned to the two people she trusted with her concerns and suspicions, however seeing as her paranoia was centered around those exact people, she needed to seek an audience with someone else. The problem she had was she didn’t really have any close female friends to chat with. Being the proverbial geeky girl, the majority of her friends were guys or geeks, which pretty much stated that most of her friends were guys.


Not that she didn’t know any or had any female friends, but they were just acquaintances, people she may have gone to school with or whom she had worked with at some point in her life. Nothing like a best friend. And for this situation, she actually needed someone who knew both of the men in her life.


And suddenly, the answer came to her, though she was a little embarrassed to even have considered it an option. She was pretty sure they would accept her crazy ideas, just as they had accepted her, but there was still a lingering doubt. They were his friends after all and perhaps they also just saw her as his girlfriend and tolerated her as such, but she thought there was some friendliness and acceptance. Heaving a sigh, Amanda knew she didn’t have any other option but that – unless she just wanted to continue driving herself insane about the whole thing – so she picked up the phone and started a text.


Miss Mandy: Hey, it’s Amanda. I hate to bother you, but I have this problem that maybe you could help me with.





[hr]





Wednesday – lunch time




Despite being known for their wild and often unpredictable zaniness, the Muppets as a whole were actually quite good at keeping up a routine. Every Monday, for instance, there was a show meeting that everyone and anyone could attend (though in most aspects, only seven people actually did); every Thursday was the official last day for acts to get their names on the show roster; every Friday and Saturday were the show runs, where the group ran through the entire show for that weekend, cutting out acts or adding in them; and every Sunday, it was show time.


For smaller groups or individuals, they had their own special days. Wednesdays saw both Kermit and Scooter meet for their regular administrative meeting, while the same day also saw some of the lovely ladies of the troupe having lunch with each other. Piggy lead the group, of course, and while she had invited some of the stage girls to join her, only two had the guts enough to do so. Janice Bennington of the Electric Mayhem and Camilla Clücks, of the show chickens, would usually accompany the grand diva and, for the last few months, one Amanda Cosgrove.


So it shouldn’t have surprised Piggy upon receiving the text message from the Whatnot, however it was the context of the message that sent some alarm bells to go off. First, while Amanda had no qualms in telling people just what she thought, she had never actively contacted Piggy or anyone else unless it involved Scooter in some way. Second, the request to meet seemed so out of character for her that the diva wondered if maybe there was something going on that she was not privy too. The young couple had proven to be very private in the midst of the showy and tell all group they were often around, which sometimes caused trouble should either of them get into trouble.


Piggy wasn’t sure if she should be worried or not, but for better or worse, she wanted to find out if there was anything going on that she needed to be aware of. So that’s how Miss Piggy found herself at Snooze, a popular breakfast and lunch eatery that sat within the center of town. Always somewhat wary of being mobbed by her wonderful fans, Piggy half expected the very full restaurant to react once she stepped inside; luckily – somewhat – no one paid her much attention, which she couldn’t seem to decide if she should feel slighted or grateful.


Amanda was already inside and waiting at a table for her when the diva arrived, waving her over from the crowd. “Thanks for coming,” the Whatnot greeted, once the diva had sat down. “I wasn’t sure if you were having lunch with the others today.”


“Miss Amanda, you know that you will always be welcomed at one of our luncheons,” Piggy replied. “Besides, the others have their own assignments and you know how Kermit and Scooter love to sit and chat about ‘business’ on Wednesdays, so you calling me for lunch actually picks up a very slow and boring day.”


“Glad I could help.”


Their server came by to offer beverages and some of the specials for the day, allowing the two to order their drinks and look over the menu for a bit. “So,” the diva began. “Are vous going to explain what has you in such an uproar?”


Amanda looked a bit sheepish at that. “Well, I wouldn’t call it an uproar exactly…” she began, only being interrupted by their server returning and getting their orders.


Piggy only raised a slim eyebrow, leaving enough silence for the red head to explain what exactly was going on.


“You’re going to think I’m crazy…”


That’s how she started her tale, that she thought she was being paranoid, that she was convinced that her father and boyfriend were working on something that they were hiding from her and she had no idea what they could possibly be. She discussed their strange behavior and to her credit, not once did Piggy laugh at her or dismiss her worries; the problem was the porcine princess couldn’t exactly tell her young friend what was actually going on. She couldn’t really explain about Chase, but she did realize that Scooter’s own reluctance and nerves were easily explained by the upcoming proposal that he wanted to deliver.


Unfortunately, Piggy couldn’t exactly tell Amanda that.


“My darling girl,” she replied, instead. “If you’d like Moi’s advice, and Moi can only guess that’s the reason why we’re having lunch today, Moi can only assume that perhaps things are not as they seem. Yes, there is certainly something strange and while I can’t exactly speak about your father, but Scooter…well, Moi can safely say that anything negative you might be thinking is very far from the truth.”


This time, it was Amanda that rose an eyebrow. “Then you have some idea what Scooter might be up to.”


Knowing that Amanda was a bright and intelligent woman, Piggy didn’t do a thing to deny the question. Instead, she shrugged a shoulder and said, “Moi may have an inkling, however before you even ask, Moi is not at liberty to discuss anything that may or may not be going on.”


“Worth a shot at least,” Amanda sighed. “At least I’m not losing my mind.”


“That would be a terrible thing to waste, most certainly.”
 
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The Count

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Er, knowing that Amanda was a bright and intelligent "what"?
Definitely loving the update and the little tidbit of a luncheon date between Mandy and Piggy to clear the air about the conspiracy around her.

Waiting to read whatever you've got for us. :smile:
 

WebMistressGina

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Er, knowing that Amanda was a bright and intelligent "what"?
Grr...be a love and add in the word "woman" there cause that's what should be there. And hopefully I'll get this next chapter out for y'alls!
 

The Count

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Done, now to wait for that next update from da Gina cause I root for Scoots and Mandy. :dreamy:
 

WebMistressGina

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I was gonna do it tonight, but this is actually gonna be much longer than I originally thought, but I am planning on working it tomorrow. So tomorrow, darlins'!
 

WebMistressGina

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So this chapter went crazy long and I just couldn't see a way to break it up, so take it as your post Thanksgiving and Christmas present or your pre-Valentine's Day gift. In case you also didn't know, this fic is a long'un cause it's gonna cover both an engagement and a wedding. But for now...here ya go! The highlight here, basically what I should've posted in November, so here's your Turkey Day chapter!




Chapter IV



November


With Halloween well behind them, the country seemed to get into the holiday spirit almost before the night of candy and sugar had even descended. Thanksgiving would of course be the start of Christmas holiday shopping, but ironically enough, there were actually some people who wanted to dedicate their November to the celebration of Thanksgiving and no amount of holiday music would deter them.

The Muppets were such people, banning the singing of Christmas songs until the first of December and sticking to that tradition even decades later. For Scooter, the month of November only reminded him of the fact that he still hadn’t found his perfect moment to propose; this month actually marked their one year anniversary and the closer the date of their very first outing together, the more nervous he got. He had wanted to wait until this month, just for the point of remembering their first gathering together, but in the time that he had begun this journey, there had been several times that Scooter had almost wanted to just ask her.

They had been having dinner the night after he had gotten the ring and she had looked so beautiful sitting there across from him, he had nearly dropped to bended knee and asked right then. Unfortunately, a backfiring car startled them both and broke his concentration, ruining the whole moment. The next week, as they had been watching a movie, all snuggled together on the couch, the urge to ask again was so strong, he nearly asked her then, but she had gotten a phone call from work, again interrupting what Scooter had hoped would be the moment.

Then of course there were moments that he just seemed to miss, that he thought would have been perfect if he had just gotten the courage to ask. But now that November was here, he wanted – needed – to be able to propose to her before the year was out. Why he wanted to do so, he didn’t know, only that he wanted to start the new year as an engaged, and hopefully, a newly married man. But in order for that to happen, he needed to actually ask for Amanda’s hand in marriage; it was the only thing he needed to do – he had her father’s permission, he had the ring, now he just needed to ask.

If only he could do that.

He wasn’t sure what was wrong with him! He normally was never nervous around Amanda, especially now that they were living together, but for some reason when he opened his mouth to propose, he got all tongue tied. He couldn’t explain it. So while his girlfriend was seeking advice about him, he went and sought advice about her.

Wednesdays were always the days he and Kermit got together to go over the administrative duties for the show and just to hang out. It was always a perfect excuse to go over any of their life’s worries, which in many cases were thankfully far and few in between, but there were times that Scooter, as the youngest of the pair, needed advice; especially when it came to romance and he didn’t know anyone who had dated longer than Kermit had. The usual hangout spot for the two was at the little coffee shop that was near the theater, giving them close access should they need to stop by for whatever reason needed.

Sometimes they would switch it up, especially if Kermit was home alone and needed company or if the frog just decided he didn’t want to leave the comforts of his house to venture out into the fast paced whirlwind that was California. Today, the two were once again sitting inside their favorite coffee shop, at their regular booth, with two empty plates sitting in front of them.

Having finished breakfast, but still not wanting to particularly leave or having any particular pressing business, the two decided to just hang back and continue drinking coffee until the hour had reached lunch, so they decided to hang around for that too.

Kermit would be a liar if he didn’t know his friends well enough to know that Scooter was obviously trying to tell or ask him something all morning. It had been covered by talk of the budget, admin tasks, new programs and shows they could look at for inspiration, but the frog could tell that something was bothering his friend.

He couldn’t pretend that hearing about his hopeful engagement to Amanda hadn’t distracted him for the last few months, because it certainly had. Worrying about Robin was one thing, but his mind had not only focused on Scooter’s engagement, but his own upcoming proposal had also been weighing in his thoughts.

“So, for the rest of the month, it looks like we’ve got some high projections cause of the holiday, but I was thinking…”

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” the frog interrupted, giving his assistant a knowing look.

“Wrong?” the red head questioned. “Something wrong? Why would you think something’s wrong, Boss?”

“Because we’ve talked about financial projections three times now,” Kermit chuckled. “I know I’m not as excited about this as you are, but I’m sure I got the gist the first time we discussed it. So really, what’s wrong?”

Scooter opened his mouth to once again deny anything was happening, but he quickly closed it and sighed. “I can’t seem to find the perfect moment to propose,” he admitted.

“What?” Kermit asked, a little taken aback. That’s what was worrying him? “Scooter, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that trying to find the perfect moment is never easy and sometimes you have to make your own special moment.”

“I know that,” Scooter groused. “But I was hoping it would just come naturally, you know? I mean, you know the moment you plan on asking Piggy don’t you?”

“Shh!” Kermit said, looking around nervously. “Don’t say that out loud! You know the pig has eyes and ears everywhere; the last thing I want is for her to find out I’m up to something.”

“Boss,” Scooter chuckled. “She already thinks you’re up to something.”

“Yeah, well,” he sighed. “There’s a difference between thinking I’m up to something and knowing that I truly am up to something. Besides, proposing to…you know who…is simple. I just need a stage and an audience and I’m good to go.”

“You’d really do that?” the assistant asked. “Propose in the middle of the stage, with an audience in front of you?”

Kermit shrugged. “It’s what she’d want,” he whispered. “And you know I’ve truly never denied her what she’s ever wanted, except…well. Anyway, it would spur me on too. Don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I tend to get cold feet whenever she’s around.”

“Something we both have in common now,” the red head sighed.

Kermit snickered good-naturedly. Giving his friend a pat on his arm, he said, “I think you’ll be just fine, Scooter. Don’t worry about the perfect moment; you’ll know it when it happens.”

Weeks later, Scooter still didn’t know when or where his proposal was going to happen. He’d bee fretting about it since his talk with Kermit and now, a week before Thanksgiving, he was still trying to get that perfect moment.

It didn’t help that Amanda had a fluctuating schedule the last couple of weeks, with everyone trying to hurry and head out before needing to spend a weekend with family. It also seemed as though she may have been angry with him; he wasn’t sure why and it was making him a little uneasy.

Maybe she had changed her mind about him, about them. It could be conceivable; women changed their minds all the time, as Floyd Pepper once told him, maybe she had decided he was taking too long or maybe he hadn’t taken enough time. They had moved in after a misunderstanding had led to their first fight; maybe they had moved too fast.

Those thoughts kept swirling around in his mind, made worse when he had the time to sit and think about it. That week, the week before Thanksgiving and on a Tuesday to be precise, that Scooter had actually been home at the same time his intended fiancée was; not that it really mattered, as he had been so caught up in his own thoughts, he had barely registered her all morning.

“I had hoped our relationship would get boring and stale around the 40 year mark, not the near one year mark.”

“The day I find you stale and boring,” he quipped, turning around to watch her walk into the kitchen. “Is the day I hand in my male card.”

“They actually give those out?”

“At the onset of puberty,” he nodded. “Every guy gets one.”

The smile he got from her warmed his heart and he couldn’t help but reach for her, pulling her close until she was sitting on his lap. “Hello.”

“Hello,” she murmured, nuzzling his nose.

“In case I haven’t said it,” he whispered, pulling her even closer. “I’ve missed you terribly.”

“You seem to be very distracted as of late.”

“It’s for a good cause,” he said, before claiming her lips in a soft kiss. Releasing her lips, he trailed kisses along her jaw before he looked at her. “Promise. It’s for a good thing, I just…I…”

“What?”

Smiling, he said, “Nerves. I’ve just been very nervous about it. Just…overthinking I’m sure.”

“But you’re sexy when you’re thinking,” she giggled.

“Only you,” he huffed, giving her a squeeze around the middle. “I promise it’ll all make sense at some point. When that point will be, I don’t know, but it’ll happen.”

“What’ll happen?” she asked, looking at him.

It was on his lips to tell her that he wanted to marry her, on his very tongue to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him, but once again, he stumbled over his own words and thoughts before shaking his head. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

Amanda just rose one eyebrow.

“I mean it!” he insisted, before realizing the implications. “Well, I mean, I would totally not kill you, cause that would be horribly wrong and I certainly wouldn’t do that because I love you to pieces, Mandy! You know that, right?”

“I know that, baby,” the Whatnot giggled, planting a sizable kiss on his lips. “I know I haven’t been around these last few weeks…”

“S’okay,” he whispered. “It’s the holidays. Speaking of which, um…I wasn’t sure what you and your dad had planned for Thanksgiving, but…well, if you aren’t doing anything…my boss and his live in wife throw a pretty mean dinner. If you think you and your dad would be willing to come by.”

“Are you inviting me to spend the holiday with you?”

“Well…” Scooter said, shrugging in embarrassment. “I figure…why not spend time with your future in-laws for the holiday?”

It was the closest thing he could get to actually proposing, but at least it reconfirmed their recent talks on taking their relationship to a more permanent status. And it was nice to know that she was still in agreement with that, especially when she kissed him with such vigor it nearly took his breath away. “Are you doing anything today?” she whispered, her voice huskier than normal.

“Nothing I can think of,” he murmured, dreamily.

“Cause I don’t have to be back at work until six,” she continued, leading a trail of kisses from his lips to his ear. “And it’s only a little after nine.”

“Oh dear,” he sighed. “Whatever shall we do?”

Without a word, Amanda stood and with a look, took him by the hand and led them both back to bed.



[hr]



Thanksgiving


Chaos.

That was usually a good word to describe anything the Muppets did on a large scale. At most, many could handle maybe five of them; on a really bad day, they would have to handle nearly all one hundred twenty and wasn’t even counting any extras or blessedly, the rats.

Every year, Kermit and Piggy threw what should have been a small affair for dinner. At some point, the small affair became every one for themselves and everyone that could make it was more than welcomed – despite Piggy’s all day complaints of people trashing her beautiful house, which they never did and the few times they did, it was cleaned up upon pain of death – and it had been a tradition ever since.

Their holiday actually started weeks in advance, when Piggy would call up her star caterers and set up the meal and the day for dinner – turkey and duck, with heavy amounts of stuffing (because there were fights over the stuffing), heavy amounts of mashed potatoes (the second dish that was fought over), asparagus with bacon bits, cranberries, and cranberry sauce. That of course was just the main fixings, as people tended to bring over their own offerings, like Janice’s homemade pumpkin pie, that usually battled alongside Gonzo’s mincemeat pie.

Around that same time, Piggy called some of her favorite famous chefs and asked them what the good wine or champagne pairings would match for the evening; why she did that, Kermit never knew, especially when more often than not Gonzo and Floyd usually tended the bar and both usually brought their own booze, along with Rowlf and Dr. Teeth.

But, as with any party that his diva put on, Piggy never left anything to chance and even if this was a party that would have three people in it, she would give it the star treatment regardless. Kermit had to smirk, even as he watched her rush back and forth in front of him. She really did go overboard sometimes, but that’s what he truly loved about her, the fact that she threw herself into whatever she did and she never gave half a performance.

They already had the big banquet table dragged in the living room, with another large table set next to it for any stragglers that should turn up, as they always did. Their guest list always seemed larger than needed, but Kermit knew without a doubt the usual suspects would show up and this year, they had the extra special treat of having Amanda and Chase there for the holiday. He knew this was a special day for Scooter and he hoped beyond anything that everyone could be on their best behavior for this one night.

“Doing alright there, darlin’?” he asked, as Piggy walked past him to the coffee pot. She had been busy all morning, trying to prepare for everything and quite frankly, Kermit was getting a little worried.

“Why do we do this to ourselves every year?” she complained.

“Because we enjoy spending time with our friends,” he replied, standing and going over to their kitchen island. Leaning against it, he gave her a smile. “You always overdo, every year, sweetheart. Who exactly are you trying to impress?”

Piggy huffed, pushing her empty mug away from her. “Maybe Moi is trying to impress vous, have you thought about that?”

“No,” he chuckled. “Cause you’ve already impressed me, from the word ‘hello’ if I remember correctly.”

“You’re very sentimental today.”

“It’s Thanksgiving, sweet pea,” he said, coming around the island and kissing her cheek. “And I’m mostly thankful for you.”

Piggy gave a satisfied hum, running a hand up and down the side of his face. “You’re trying to distract me,” she whispered.

“Who? Moi?” he asked, pulling her closer. “I would never.”

“You would always,” she giggled. “But I like you, so I guess you’re forgiven.”

“What I’ve always wanted,” he smirked, stealing a quick kiss. “Tell me the plan for today. What time should we both start drinking?”

“I’m thinking right around the time Floyd or Gonzo gets here,” she said, a bit of amusement on her pretty face. Every year, the bassist and the weirdo tried showing up earlier and earlier to make sure the diva had some helpers and minders as chaos began to reign down on the house; and every year, they managed to make it just in time for the gaggle of people to show up.

“The plan,” the diva replied, putting one of her arms through his and leading him out to the living room. “Begins in the afternoon. Moi has informed everyone that dinner begins promptly at 5 and it’s you snooze, you lose if they aren’t in their seats at that time. That of course means all those invited should be here about an hour to two hours before hand…”

“So the guys should be here around two o’clock then?” Kermit asked. He knew Fozzie was always early, but Rowlf, Scooter, and Gonzo usually came over around the same time to help with setup and drinks.

“Exactly.”

“Any stragglers coming?”

“To my knowledge, none,” Piggy said. “But it’s gonna be a full house. Besides the holiday regulars, Amanda and her father will be joining us and Robin invited a few of his friends as well.”

“Oh yeah?” the frog asked, turning to look at her. “I didn’t know that. When did that happen?”

“A little last moment, actually,” Piggy replied, rearranging some of the magazines that were on the coffee table. Once the caterers arrived, it would be the place of appetizers and snacks. “A couple of his friends got stranded for the holidays, either their plans fell through or their flights got cancelled. Moi didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Mind?” he questioned. Of course he didn’t mind; Robin was his nephew and he loved the kid. Why would he ever mind? “Of course not. Besides, this is your party, darlin’; whatever you say goes.”

“I’ll remember you said that.”

That was the last decent conversation the two were able to have until the clock struck noon. At noon, Robin and his friends returned home for lunch, having spent the day playing around at someone’s house before lunch.

Robin’s friends made another five extra people for dinner and Kermit hoped for his nephew’s sake, he had warned them all about the chaos beforehand. His friends were a mix of personalities and dispositions – two boys and three girls, with one of those the power couple were sure felt something more for their nephew than she was letting on.

All five were supposed to have gone out of town for Thanksgiving, but as Piggy mentioned earlier, plans had fallen through. Spence, a blonde haired Whatnot with light grey eyes, was supposed to fly up to Seattle to spend the holiday with his father’s family, but his flight had gotten delayed and then cancelled; Gavin, a young billy goat with a slight accent, also was supposed to be flying home for the holiday, but like Spence, his flight was also one that had gotten cancelled.

The girls – Lyndsey, Mallory, and RJ (which stood for Rebecca Joanne) – were all supposed to spend Thanksgiving together, but Mallory’s mother had gotten a call about a dear friend being in the hospital and wanted the girls to at least spend time with friends if they couldn’t be together with family. It was RJ that Kermit and Piggy were sure had a small crush on Robin, especially when he seemed to be the only one who was able to get away with calling her ‘Becky Jo’ and her calling him Robbie, a nickname that they had only heard each other call him.

The five teens were naturally ecstatic to have been invited to a Muppet holiday dinner, each having been fans of the show and the movies since they were kids; all five seemed to gush over the light lunch Piggy served, not wanting them to be too full when dinner came and like any warm blooded male, both Spence and Gavin were eager to please and help when the diva requested it.

Robin gave the group the ‘grand tour’ of the house, stopping at the affectionately named Peanut Gallery to show them the pictures that lined the hall. Kermit could hear the cooing of the girls, meaning they must’ve gotten to the one of a teenaged Scooter and a young Robin.

The afternoon went by fairly quickly, with Piggy putting the teens to good use as they brought in the chairs and began taking out some of the food for dinner. The caterers showed up a little after lunch to officially set up the tables and heat the food for dinner; an hour later, as expected, Fozzie rang the doorbell to announce his presence. “Wocka wocka wocka!” he greeted, as Robin opened the door. “Robin! Happy Thanksgiving!”

“Hey Fozzie,” the teen grinned, accepting the bear hug with a laughter, before standing aside and letting the comedian through the door.

“Fozzington,” Piggy called from the kitchen doorway. “Tell me you brought that egg salad you promised.”

“Of course, Miss Piggy!” he said, cheerfully, holding up a large container that held said egg salad. “What kind of bear would I be if I didn’t?”

“A dead one,” Kermit quipped, taking the container and patting him on the arm.

The bear gave a nervous chuckle. “Don’t I know it? Hi ho, Kermit! Happy Thanksgiving!”

“Hi ho, Fozzie,” the frog smiled. “Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. Piggy’s got snacks on the table…”

“You’re allowed one of each, Bear!”

“…Of which you can have a few, apparently,” Kermit finished. “Robin, show Fozzie to the snacks and play host for a bit. I’m gonna go check and see what mayhem your aunt’s getting up to in the kitchen.”

“I heard that, Frog!”

“There’s certainly nothing wrong with your hearing then…”

“Wow,” Mallory whispered. “Do they always do that?”

“Do what?” asked Robin.

“Argue like that?”

“Oh that?” Fozzie said, throwing a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the kitchen. “That’s nothing.”

“In response,” Robin said, giving the girl a smile. “Yes, they always do that. Hey, have you guys met Fozzie yet?”



[hr]



One hour until dinner and the madhouse had begun. It was all big as they had all expected, with just about everyone showing up and if they didn’t or couldn’t, the others had friends that were also unable to head home for the holidays. And true to form, Gonzo and Floyd tended bar to stave off the more hyper of the group; that of course went double for the host and hostess should they partake, which Piggy did on the occasion that she passed by.

“Here ya go, mama,” Floyd Pepper replied, handing her a Cosmo. “On the house.”

“Careful, Floyd,” she cooed, grabbing the glass and taking a small sip. “Keep that up and people will think we’re in love.”

“Was that all I had to do?” asked Gonzo the Great, who poured his own Mai Tai into a nearby glass. “I’ve been doing it wrong for years.”

“Moi has tried to tell you.”

For Chase, the atmosphere was almost what he expected from the group, however he was struck at the actual…normalcy of it all. The television was on, flipping back and forth between different football games, where there were about three groups hanging about the set and yelling at their perspective teams; he noticed the younger frog that had been introduced as Kermit’s nephew hanging out with a pretty little raven haired turtle of some sort – making Chase wonder just how many frogs, pigs, and chickens there were in California – while his other teenage friends seemed to be making friends with some of the other crazies that were in the house.

He had been quite surprised that the dinner invitation had been extended to him, as well as his daughter; he had figured the boy would want to spend the holiday with his hopefully soon to be intended, so he had just made plans to have a quiet dinner at home or maybe at the Country Buffet, but he was taken aback when Amanda had hugged him and asked if he wanted to go to dinner with Scooter’s people. Chase had almost turned her down, knowing that the dinner would be celebrated with the other Muppets and he wasn’t sure what kind of zaniness would greet him while eating.

But now that he was actually here, it wasn’t as bad as he thought. It actually reminded him of being in the Marines, back when they would have holiday dinners when they couldn’t get back home or if they had been deployed. It was a nice sense of home for people who may not have anywhere else but here to come; he had asked about Kermit’s nephew, wondering why he wasn’t back home or why Kermit wasn’t spending time with his own family. While Amanda didn’t know all the particulars, she did state that the teen was going to be living there for a while, as the death of his mother threw his father for a loop.

Chase knew how that went; his Lily had been everything to him and when she had died, the ex-Marine didn’t think he could go on. It was only the fact that he had to watch over their daughter that brought him back to reality, that reminded him that he would always have a piece of Lily with him, no matter what.

Even if looking at their daughter pulled at his heart, because she looked so much like her mother sometimes, it was hard to take. But that’s why Thanksgiving always meant something to him – he was thankful that his beautiful wife had given him one of their greatest gifts and he was thankful that she was with him still.

And if things worked out, next year he’d be thankful that he would be getting a son-in-law by this time and – here, Chase shivered – maybe a grandchild. That was a jolt, but not an unpleasant one; it was an odd feeling, knowing that at some point in the future, he would become a grandfather and he couldn’t help wonder what his grandchild or grandchildren would look like before he shook his head clear. He’d worry about that later. For all he knew, he wouldn’t be an in-law for another few months or even a year.



[hr]



For the first time since everyone had arrived, there was a quiet murmur as everyone finally found their seats and got settled in for dinner. As always, Kermit was seated at the head of the larger table, with Piggy to his right and Scooter to his left; it had never escaped the frog’s notice that the first seven seats seemed arranged by the way they sat during their Monday morning meetings, something he found comically ironic. Taking a spoon and clinking it against his wine glass, Kermit stood to address everyone in front of him.

“Alright, alright,” he said, trying to calm down a few people. “Normally, I’d skip over the speech, but we have new people joining us, so the rest of you will just have to sit tight and muddle through.”

“We always do!” shouted Rowlf on his right.

“Well, good, then you know what to do,” the frog quipped back. Turning back to his audience, he began with, “So, as always, thank you all for being with us, on this day of thanks. I know some of you may have had other places you wanted to be, but for whatever reason, fate decided you would spend it with us, so either lucky you or fate has a horrible sense of humor.” A few at the table chuckled.

“For those of you that new,” he continued. “We have this little tradition where we go around and say what we’re thankful for. For obvious reasons, we don’t all go around doing it -” Another burst of chuckles and laughter happened around the table. “But just a few of us and by great demand, I always seem to go first. So, I’m always thankful that I’ve got you guys around me, even though you drive me crazy and if I had hair, I’d be bald right now.”

“It’s a good thing you’re bald already!” chuckled Floyd.

“I’m thankful for Floyd Pepper cause of his delightful quips,” Kermit retorted. “I am of course thankful for my lovely partner, for whom I am nothing without.” It was clear to those neat the front of the table that Piggy hadn’t been expecting the sentiment, especially not when Kermit flat out admitted that Piggy was his partner in more than just business.

“And for my right hand man, who always makes sure I get something productive done. I’m thankful for my best friends in the world, for my nephew Robin, who I love more than words could begin to say; and I’m thankful for the friends and family who can’t be here today and who are always in my thoughts.”

With a wistful smile Kermit sat down to a round of applause before Piggy stood up next. “As lady of the house, Moi will go next.”

“There was never a doubt,” Gonzo giggled.

“Well, Moi was going to be thankful for you, but now I’m not,” she huffed, though the slight smile on her face gave away her true feelings. “Alright, Moi is thankful for all you losers, because without you, I wouldn’t be able to throw such awesome parties? Am I right?” The table laughed and clapped, as there was no party like a diva party. Turning to Kermit, she said, “I am also thankful to my wonderful captain, whom I love very very much.”

“Hey I came here to eat,” groused Dr. Teeth. “Not be romanced, but thank you for the sentiment.”

More laughter came, even from Piggy, who stated, “And I’m thankful for my dear John, who I am secretly in love with.”

“I thought that was me!” Scooter huffed.

“Oh really?” Amanda asked, elbowing him comically.

After Piggy, they heard from a few more people, including Fozzie, Gonzo, Janice, Lew Zealand, and even Sam the Eagle, who was thankful for the great nation of America and that he was grateful that no one important knew he was there. Amanda decided to say a few words, thankful that her father had watched over her after her mother’s death, thankful that she could still remember the woman she knew as her mother, she was thankful that this crazy group of performers had accepted her, and she was of course thankful for meeting Scooter, someone she never thought she’d meet.

Just when it seemed all the thanks had been given, Scooter decided at the last minute that he wanted to give thanks too. “I’ll try not to take too long,” he chuckled. “Fozzie’s been eyeing the mashed potatoes and I think he may jump Janice for them. Anyway…I just…I just want to say that I’m thankful I have you guys. Decades ago, I was a nerdy teenager that got pushed off on you during the summer and…I’ve never looked back.

“You guys were…are…everything to me. You’re my family.”

He would’ve left it there, would’ve just let it stand as he looked over at everyone. The couple he literally considered his first, second, and third set of parents, the people he considered the older siblings he never got, and next to him, the woman he wanted to create a family with. And suddenly, it hit him. This was it; this was the perfect moment and he wasn’t going to let it pass him by.

“And well…” he continued, turning to look down at Amanda. “It makes sense that…that I have Amanda and Chase here, cause they’re like family too, only…only they aren’t. And…and…” He stumbled, hand fishing around in his pocket for the little black box that he’d taken to just carrying around with him in the case he ever found the time or the moment he could ask. And that moment was here.

Finding it and wrapping his hand around it as he pulled it from his pocket, Scooter took a deep breath. “And I think I should rectify that,” he whispered, pushing back his chair and sinking down to one knee in front of the Whatnot, looking her straight in the eye.

“Words can’t begin to say just how much I love you,” he said, taking her left hand in his. “I am thankful however that you managed to come into my life and make it even better than I thought it could get and I’d be ever grateful if you’d see your way to spending the rest of your life with me. Mandy, will you marry me?”

When they’d think about this years later, the couple would state that minutes, hours seemed to go by, however those around them would note it took about two seconds before Amanda cried out a watery yes, before hugging and kissing her now fiancée.
 
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The Count

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Fixed a few typos. Oh boy, this was just perfect!

Rebecca Joanne, is she the raven-haired turtle? *Wonders who or what Lindsey and Mallory are.
Very nice reading Chase's thoughts on the goings-on and his past after Lily departed.
T-Day chaos, that's hexactly the way to describe it. And then there's Christmas... And New Year's, which is sometimes a day-long buffet at my family's home thanks to a tradition started by my dad years ago.

The "thank-yous" were well written, especially with the couple of shots fired off in between.
This was well worth waiting for, thanks and hope to read whatever's next.
*Leaves big brownies for Gina.
 
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