Hey Mupps, what it is! Merry post Christmas to everyone, Happy post Hannakuh, Happy Kwanza, and all of the holidays! So I was a little sick this week, but I really wanted to find something holiday related to post and lo and behold, this bad boy came back to me and I realized that 1. I actually wrote the next section and 2. this thing is almost done.
So, like the others, it's been a hot minute since we got here, let's summarize, yeah?
SUMMARY: On the last show of a Muppet Show Special held in New York, Kermit the Frog dropped all pretenses and dropped to one knee to propose to Miss Piggy in front of a live audience. Flashbacking, we see the lead up to this all began with the special Valentine's Day show they had done the night before (from the Pool Hall Series story, Five Ball Cha-Cha), where Kermit - after learning some truth bombs - finally puts his head and heart on the same table.
From there, thanks to his crackerjack team of cohorts, Kermit makes plans to surprise Piggy with a proposal. When we last left off, those not in the know, come to Piggy before Thanksgiving to state that they are starting to get worried, while during Thanksgiving, Kermit apologizes for his increased stress levels, all the while realizing that he likes and wants the diva in his home permanently. We pick up in the month of December, where the beginning of our story...well...begins!
VII.
December
It was here. Finally!
After all the planning, scheming, and sneaking around, it was finally December and they were finally in New York. The big Muppet to do had been promoted the month before and from what Scooter had told them, ticket sales were through the roof; needless to say, it was going to be a great month of shows, which meant they needed to make sure that the actual shows were equally good.
The holidays always seemed to bring out the best – and worst – of the group, a combination of good Christmas cheer and stage fright preparations that could cause them to wish each other happy holidays in the same breath they cursed one of the acts that had just come off or was on stage. Kermit loved this time of year, even when it meant the extra stress that came with both putting on a show and dealing with the prospect of presents for literally a thousand and one people. The holidays were always an issue with Kermit, the knowledge that his very large family wouldn’t be able to help celebrate the season with him; often times he had to go back and forth between California and Mississippi in order to make sure he could see everyone he knew.
This year, his nephew Robin would start living with them for an undetermined amount of time. Robin, who was his younger brother Jimmy’s son, was going through the normal teenage angst, which was compounded by the recent death of his mother and the depression that it caused within his father. When Kermit and Piggy had gone down to Leland, Jimmy had been understandably inconsolable on the death of his wife; despite no longer being together, the younger frog had never stopped loving her and to lose her had hurt him deeply, to the point that he wasn’t sure he could care for his teenage son the way he should.
The decision hurt not only Robin, but Kermit as well; it had been a surprise that his brother wanted to turn over his parental rights for his son over to his older brother, but Kermit had never denied his little brother very much when they were kids and he certainly wouldn’t deny him this now, especially with Robin, whom Kermit felt was like his own tadpole. To Kermit’s great surprise, Jimmy had included Piggy in that global plan, admitting that he had wanted to make Piggy Robin’s godmother until he had been overridden by his then wife. But now that she was gone, Jimmy was able to go ahead and make good on the wishes that he had wanted to do, including allowing Robin to do what he had wanted to do since he had been a child – wanting to go into show business just like his uncle.
While being able to see Robin was a great treat, especially when he would be helping with this big show, it wasn’t the same as having his whole brood around. Getting tickets for his family to fly to California was a massive undertaking, both emotionally and financially and Kermit had never really been able to do it. Oh, he knew they all understood and every once in a while, he could get one sibling to come out, but that was about it. He would’ve loved for his parents to be able to see him on stage at least once in their lives.
He was a sensible frog, if not sentimental, and he knew his parents were getting up there in years. Frogs only lived so long, of course, and Kermit felt – as the oldest – it was his duty to make sure his parents had everything they needed and he would certainly do everything he could to make sure of that. That was also one of the reasons he wanted to make good on promising his father that he wasn’t going to let his leading lady go again; his parents – and family in general – all loved Piggy and there was never a time in which he was down Leland way that someone wasn’t asking about her or about them.
If everything worked out well, he’d be able to take Piggy down to Leland for the new year, giving his family the long awaited announcement they had been begging, pleading, and threatening to hear for years.
Being in New York was equal parts business and pleasure; during the day, the Muppets went through their rehearsals, while the nighttime was spent enjoying one of their favorite cities. Though the majority of them would end up hanging out, Piggy was surprised that she and Kermit had been relatively left alone, allowing for her frog to literally wine and dine her, using his adorable looks and undeniable charm to make her fall even more in love with him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a moment alone with the frog, their living situation notwithstanding, and the fact that the others had been more than happy to allow the two this moment should’ve raised suspicions, but the atmosphere, the drinks, and the company had lulled the diva into a wonderfully false sense of security.
If Piggy had paid any attention, she would’ve seen Gonzo and Rowlf put off any lingering conversations that Fozzie or Scooter wanted to have with the frog, lest they interrupt the very romantic gestures both members of the power couple were putting out towards each other. If Piggy had been paying attention, she would’ve taken note that some of their musical acts had been moved and switched, in order to make room for the last show’s surprise.
On the other side, if Kermit had been paying attention, he would’ve noticed that Piggy had been sending a variety of text messages to a number of people, though the majority were going to Rowlf, Scooter, and unknown to Kermit, his nephew Robin. If Kermit had paid attention, so distracted by the beautiful image that was Miss Piggy in the big lights of New York, he would’ve noticed that Piggy seemed to be steering him away from their hotel and any area that was even remotely near Madison Square Garden, where they would be performing.
Those little rascals…
[hr]
T’was the season of sneaky surprises,
With various Muppets displaying guises.
A week of shows and special guests,
But also the final in a group of tests.
With Kermit planning for a permanent home,
Piggy’s got a surprise of her own…
A week before Christmas and two shows before their finale, Kermit the Frog was in a literal and figurative tizzy. So far, their first few shows had been a roaring success, both in terms of stage presence, guests, and audience participation; the minor mishaps they’d manage to encounter, they did what they normally did, which was roll with the punches and act as though whatever was going on – including the small fire that broke out on stage – as a normal part of the act.
Because of this, one would think that the frog would be less stressed, not more, however as every successful show finished, it meant that he was getting ever closer to the moment where he would get down on one knee and propose and it was, quite frankly, terrifying. It wasn’t that he was getting cold feet, he wasn’t, but his mind had been giving its own proposals, such as reasons as to why Piggy was most certainly going to say no. He really needed some advice and for some reason, whenever he called his parents’ house, no one was answering, which managed to get him even more upset because where in the world could they possibly be??
Worse, whenever he tried calling his nephew, Robin seemed to rush him off the phone, an almost certain indication of his growing teen independence. While that was fine and certainly expected, it still managed to put Kermit off his own game; with everything else going on, it dawned on the frog that they hadn’t actually gotten ready for his nephew’s stay. In fact, he couldn’t even remember Piggy bringing it up or even him bringing it up to her.
This was not good.
It was show night and of course, he couldn’t find the people he needed to find. He honestly couldn’t remember seeing Rowlf or Scooter since last night and it was never a good sign when he couldn’t find Gonzo anywhere; Fozzie he had at least seen coming into the theater, but after that, he had no idea where the bear could’ve gotten to.
And where in the heck was Piggy??
So consumed with concern, Kermit hadn’t been aware of the special guests that had been escorted backstage, at least until something had bumped into him. Or rather, someone, who was squeezing him around the waist. Looking down, Kermit saw the top of a small head, clearly attached to a toddler, who quickly looked up and smiled widely at him. “Unca Kermit!”
“Darla Jean?”
Darla Jean Frog was the namesake of both his sister and mother, respectively, was newly turned five years and was on her very first adventure outside of Leland. This place was so big, with pretty lights, and giant colorful signs…she wasn’t sure who got to draw them all, but that’s what she wanted to do when she was bigger. “Is big!” The girl continued, assuming that her uncle wasn’t aware of just how big this entire place was.
“Sweetheart, what…what’re you doing here?” Kermit stumbled, trying to wrap his head around why his youngest niece would be here in New York.
“Hey Uncle Kermit!”
If seeing his youngest niece in New York was a surprise, seeing his nephew was an even bigger one. Especially when he was accompanied by Rowlf and his parents. “What…is…happening, right now?” he asked.
“Visiting!” Darla Jean shouted, bringing Kermit’s attention back to her. “We visited you!”
Kermit chuckled, still stunned by everything that was happening. “I can see that.” Looking over to his parents, who were reaching him, just as Robin was slinging an arm around his shoulders. “What…how…?”
“Uncle Rowlf picked us up,” Robin grinned. “From the airport, I mean.”
“Scooter’s getting everyone else,” Rowlf stated, sending Kermit a smile.
“Everyone…?”
Darla Jean would’ve been content just to continue hugging her favorite uncle, if she hadn’t seen a new arrival coming down the hall towards them. “Aunt Piggy!” she screamed, rushing towards the diva as she approached. Piggy, seeing the small family gathered in the hallway, was ready for the little tadpole as she came running at her, picking her up in her arms as she caught her and placed her on her hip. “Hello, sweetling,” she cooed, watching as the little girl swung her arm to show her something. “What’ve you got there?”
“It’s wings!” the girl crowed. “We was on a plane and the lady gave me them. From the fly guy!”
“The pilot, huh?” Piggy asked, bumping her other hip against her honorary nephew. “What about you, Robbie? You get a set of wings too?”
“Nah,” the pre-teen replied. “I’m too cool for school.”
“I bet.” Turning to face Kermit’s parents, she returned their smiles. “You guys get in okay?”
“Just waiting on your boy to get here with the others,” James Frog said. “How you doin’, sassy?”
“Oh, much better now that I get to see your handsome face, James.”
“I am so confused,” Kermit murmured, shaking his head. “And deeply disturbed. What is happening right now? What is this?”
“This, my darling frog, is your Christmas present,” Piggy said, smiling shyly. “Supposed to be a surprise.”
“Oh, I think he’s sufficiently surprised,” Jane Frog giggled. “It’s so good to see you again, Piggy.”
“You did this?”
Piggy shrugged a shoulder. “They were supposed to come in next week,” she whispered. “But then you had this grand idea for a show and I couldn’t remember the last time your parents had seen us perform, so…”
“It’s perfect,” he whispered, gazing at her. “You’re perfect.”
Piggy couldn’t stop the blush from raising on her face. Kermit rarely spoke his feelings out loud, especially about her and especially in front of others, and certainly had never heard him say such things in front of his parents. She hadn’t thought anything about this, just that Kermit had wanted to see his family and very often got to, especially when he came from such a large one that rivaled even hers. But this was the best present she could think of, even when her plans had been slightly derailed thanks to his impromptu New York shows.
She couldn’t get everyone, but she had tried – both James and Jane, his parents, Robin of course, Darla Jean and her parents, and his brothers Bobby Lee and Wade. It was a small amount compared to spending time in Leland, but she had wanted to give him something he could enjoy. Sending him a shy smile, Piggy turned her attention back to the five year old in her arms.
“Hey sweets, you wanna go exploring?”
“Yes!”
“Hey Robbie McCool,” she teased, looking at Robin. “You wanna come with?”
The teen shrugged. “Sure,” he said. “Gives me ample places to hide and jump out at Scooter when he least expects it.”
“If he smacks you, Moi is not protecting you this time.”
“Robin,” Kermit sighed. “Do not antagonize Scooter when he gets here.”
“Fine.”
The power couple shared an annoyed, if not amused, look with each other before Piggy turned and headed back down the way she came, Robin and Darla Jean both trying to clamor for her attention. Kermit watched them go, a stray but ever more persistent thought bouncing around his head as he did. “You got that look about you, son.”
“And what look is that, Daddy?”
James leaned closer to his eldest. “The same look I had when I first saw your mother holding you,” he whispered, not at all surprised that he didn’t receive the usual blustering or sputtering whenever he or anyone for that matter mentioned the prospect of Kermit being the father to Piggy’s children.
“She’s certainly had the practice,” Kermit quipped, though he wasn’t too far from the truth. Her disastrous turn babysitting had convinced the diva that she wasn’t very good with kids, but anyone with eyes could see how well she handled the various tantrums that went on backstage at the theater. She was a natural and all it took was watching her interactions with Scooter or Robin or any one of his other nieces and nephews.
Surprised at the wistful tone, James studied his eldest. “You got something planned, boy?”
“Moi?” questioned Kermit, turning to view his father. “Nothing other than spending time with my wonderful parents and siblings. Why do you ask?”
James chuckled. “Okay,” he said. “I hazard to guess the less I know, the less Piggy knows.”
Kermit nodded, a smile on his face. He hadn’t expected this, but it was perfect – the fact that his two families would be there when he proposal seemed like a destined Christmas miracle, something he wouldn’t trade for anything. “So glad you’re here, Daddy,” he replied. “It’s good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too, Mitt.”
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