Where Your Heart Leads You - A Rowlf Story

[TogetherAgain]

Heh, I know that feeling. Do you have any idea how hard it is to focus on Huck Finn when you have a snaffu of a breakfast scene in your head?!?
...er, not that I do, or anything... um... uh... Great story, Beth, and I can't wait for more!

 

[redBoobergurl]

Chapter Eight:

Jim led the Muppets to Margaret’s apartment.

“Margaret lives in apartment six and that’s where Rowlf was going the last time I saw him. If he’s not there, maybe Margaret knows where he went,” said Jim.

“Thank you so much Jim! I hope we see you again sometime,” said Kermit.

“Oh, I have a feeling our paths will cross again,” said Jim and waved goodbye.

Kermit went over and opened the door to the bus.

“Hey, would you guys all wait here? I want to talk to Rowlf alone first. I’ll be right back,” said Kermit.

He walked up to the door and rang the buzzer.

Upstairs, Margaret and Beth were still giving Rowlf some space when they heard the buzzer.

“Now I wonder who that could be,” said Margaret and walked over to the intercom.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“Excuse me; I’m looking for a friend of mine who might be there. His name is Rowlf the dog?” said Kermit.

“Well yes, Rowlf is here, but who are you?” asked Margaret.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Kermit the Frog,” said Kermit.

“Oh my god! Kermit the Frog is downstairs!” shouted Beth excitedly forgetting for a moment about Rowlf in the other room.

“All right Kermit, come on up,” said Margaret buzzing him in.

“I wonder why he’s here,” said Beth.

A moment later Kermit came into the apartment.

“Wow, Mr. The Frog, it’s such an honor to meet you!” exclaimed Beth.

“Thanks, it’s nice to meet you too. Where is Rowlf?” asked Kermit.

“Well Kermit, he is in the other room, he needed some time alone,” said Margaret.

“What happened? Do you know where his family is?” asked Kermit.

“Well, it’s a long story,” said Margaret.

The three of them sat down in the living room and Margaret told Kermit more or less what she had just told Rowlf. Then Kermit told them about how Rowlf had been so depressed and that he took off without telling anyone where he was going.

“Oh my. Poor Rowlf,” said Margaret.

“I know. If you don’t mind, I’d really like to talk to him,” said Kermit.

“I’ll see how he’s feeling,” said Beth.

Meanwhile, Rowlf had stopped crying and was just staring out the window in the kitchen trying to decide what to do. He had no idea Kermit was there. In fact, he didn’t even see the Electric Mayhem bus and Beau’s taxi even though they were right below him.

“Hey Rowlf?” asked Beth softly walking into the kitchen.

“Yeah?” he said without turning around.

“There’s someone here to see you,” said Beth. Kermit walked into the kitchen behind her.

“Hey there old buddy,” said Kermit.

“Kermit?” asked Rowlf and then turned around to see him standing there. Beth left the two of them alone.

“Kermit! How on earth did you find me?” asked Rowlf.

“That doesn’t matter right this second. I need to do something first,” said Kermit. Then without saying a word he walked over and gave his old friend a much needed hug.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Down in the bus, the other Muppets were beginning to get worried. Kermit had been upstairs for quite sometime.

“Gee, what if Rowlf isn’t there?” asked Fozzie.

“I’m sure Kermie will figure something out. He’s done a good job getting us this far,” said Piggy.

“Well, if he hasn’t come back down yet I would assume they know something about Rowlf at least,” said Floyd.

“Like, fer sure,” said Janice.

“Or maybe the people in that apartment have taken Kermit hostage and are going to make him join their international swim team!” said Gonzo.

“GONZO!” shouted everyone on board.

“What? You guys have no imagination, geeze,” said Gonzo.

“I’m sure Uncle Kermit will be back any minute,” said Robin. With that everyone turned to look at the apartment door again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kermit and Rowlf sat down.

“Kermit, I’m really sorry I just took off like that,” said Rowlf.

“It’s ok, I understand now. I really do,” said Kermit.

“Do you know the whole story?” asked Rowlf.

“Yes I do. I’m sorry Rowlf,” said Kermit.

“Now that Margaret told me why I left in the first place, I can totally remember everything,” said Rowlf.

“What do you want to do now?” asked Kermit.

“I think since you guys are here, I just want to go home. I found what I came looking for, I know where I came from, that’s enough,” said Rowlf.

“I think you should go see them,” said Kermit quietly.

“Why, it’s just going to bring back more bad memories,” said Rowlf.

“But if you don’t, you’ll always wonder about them. This is your chance to go and make peace with them,” said Kermit.

“Well, I guess that could be ok,” said Rowlf.

“Besides, how do you know that they didn’t miss you and regret the way they treated you?” said Kermit.

“That’s true,” said Rowlf.

“So?” asked Kermit.

“I’ll go,” said Rowlf.

“Good,” said Kermit.

“And, I want you guys to come with me. I should’ve done that in the first place,” said Rowlf.

“All right let’s do it,” said Kermit.

“I’m assuming this means that they know everything?” asked Rowlf.

“Not the part about why you left your family in the first place,” said Kermit.

“Can we keep that between us?” asked Rowlf.

“Sure. Come on, let’s go,” said Kermit.

The two friends walked back out to the living room where Margaret and Beth were sitting.

“Well, I’ve decided I’d like to go and see my family anyway. Maybe I can make peace with them,” said Rowlf.

“I figured you would want to. Here’s a map to the area where the restaurant was,” said Margaret.

“I’ll take that down to Dr. Teeth,” said Kermit, “It was nice meeting both of you.” He walked out the door to give Rowlf some privacy to say goodbye.

First Rowlf walked over to Beth. “I didn’t know Margaret would have a grown granddaughter by now, but it sure was nice to meet you. Thanks for all your help,” he said.

“No problem,” said Beth reaching down to give him a hug.

“Hey! This might be a little awkward, but can I write a story about this? I belong to this online forum that is a fan club of sorts for the Muppets and they’d love to hear a story about you. I won’t tell them that it’s real,” asked Beth.

“Sure you can. And you know what? Go ahead and tell them it is real. Make them all jealous that you met me!” laughed Rowlf.

“Ok!” exclaimed Beth.

Then Rowlf walked over to Margaret.

“It was so good to see you after all this time,” said Margaret.

“Thank you so much for telling me about my history. It might not have been easy to hear, but I needed to know. I do look back fondly on the time I spent with you. I promise I’ll keep in touch better this time,” said Rowlf.

They embraced and then Rowlf headed for the door.

“Goodbye Rowlf, good luck!” said Beth and Margaret.

“Thanks, I’ll let you know how it turns out,” said Rowlf and went down to the bus.

“Rowlf!!!” exclaimed Robin and ran off the bus to give him a hug.

“Hey little buddy! It’s good to see you,” said Rowlf patting him on the head. They boarded the bus together.

“Hi Rowlf!” said Fozzie.

“Good to see you man,” said Floyd.

“DOGGIE! DOGGIE!” said Animal.

“Thanks guys, it’s good to see you too,” said Rowlf.

“So Rowlf, are you ready to go look for your family?” asked Dr. Teeth.

“Yeah, let’s do it!” said Rowlf.

“Then away we go!” said Dr. Teeth and fired up the bus.

Rowlf sat down next to Kermit.

“Hey Kermit?” asked Rowlf.

“Yeah?” asked Kermit.

“Thanks,” said Rowlf putting his paw on Kermit’s hand.

“Anytime!” said Kermit.

The bus pulled away and started driving with Beauregard close in tow. The next part of the adventure was about to begin.

 

[luvtosr]

Oooh, It's another good'un.

Poor Rowlf, I hope meeting up with his family again has a happy ending.

 

[redBoobergurl]

Of course, all stories have happy endings, but that's all I'm going to tell you! Sorry again for the delay in updating, I had a busy weekend! I hope to have more up in the next day or so!

 

[TogetherAgain]

<hugs> for that chapter, Beth! Oh, a zillion <hugs>! I'd love to be specific about what I love about it, but considering I have to get up way too early tomorrow morning (darn school... grr...) I'll save it for tomorrow, and leave you with more <hugs>

 

[minor muppetz]

I liked how you made it seem like this is a true story. uh, I'm assuming that this isn't a true story.

 

[redBoobergurl]

I liked how you made it seem like this is a true story. uh, I'm assuming that this isn't a true story.

Oh didn't you know? I'm that redhead that Rowlf dances with in season one of the Muppet Show....

Just kidding, it would be neat if it was a true story, but of course, it's not.

Or is it?

 

[redBoobergurl]

All right, here's another chapter to enjoy! It's a shorter one, but we're getting closer to...well I can't tell you that, but I just felt the need to drag this out a bit! Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Nine:

As Dr. Teeth drove, the surroundings began to get a little familiar to Rowlf.

“It’s another left up here Dr. Teeth,” said Kermit following the directions that Margaret had given them. They had only been driving about 20 minutes heading back into Minneapolis. Rowlf had a feeling he knew where they were going to end up.

Sure enough after they took the left, Rowlf saw a sign that said “Jazzmines.”

“Hey! I ate at that place! I’ve been here before!” said Rowlf.

“Well, according to Margaret, this is the restaurant she found you and your family behind. Of course, it was years ago so things have changed,” said Kermit.

“Kermit? Will we be able to stop and eat? I’m hungry,” said Fozzie.

“Ditto,” said Bunsen.

“Meep-meep!” said Beaker.

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” said Gonzo, “Not that I actually would,” he added after getting dirty looks from Camilla.

“Well, I don’t know if we have time,” said Kermit.

“Kermit, it’s ok. They don’t have to all go with me. Besides, I know someone who works here that might be able to help get everyone some food. She was real nice to me,” said Rowlf.

“All right, you heard the dog, all out for Jazzmines!” said Kermit.

One by one they began filing into the jazz club. Rowlf looked around for Wanda. He hadn’t really stopped thinking about her after he had left, especially because of Crusher. Crusher. He was going to have to face him.

Each of the Muppets began sitting down at the various tables down by the stage. Wanda came down the stairs.

“Wanda!” exclaimed Rowlf.

“Hey! Rowlf, right?” said Wanda.

“Yes ma’am! That’s me,” said Rowlf.

“Did you find your family?” asked Wanda.

“Not yet, but I guess I’m not too far away from them,” said Rowlf.

“Oh, well that’s good!” said Wanda.

“Hey, these are my friends, they came to help me, and well, they’re hungry,” said Rowlf.

“Ain’t no thing, I’ll go see what I can come up with!” said Wanda.

“Then when everyone’s done I want you to sing for them, they gotta hear your voice!” said Rowlf.

“Sure,” said Wanda and walked away into the kitchen.

“Well, it’s now or never,” said Rowlf and started walking for the door.

“Wait! Rowlf, are you sure you don’t want someone to go with you?” asked Kermit.

“No, I gotta do this for myself. It’ll be ok,” said Rowlf.

“Well Rowlf, just remember, we’re still your friends and we’re here for you no matter what. We’ll always be here for you,” said Kermit.

“I know,” said Rowlf and walked out the door. He headed around the corner and down to the dark alley. There weren’t really any signs of Crusher, so he relaxed a little bit. He walked a little further and actually recognized the dumpster where he found his first piano.

“We lived in a garage not too far down from here I think,” thought Rowlf to himself. He kept going and found a small garage door. It was closed, but a small hole had been cut in the wall next to it. He decided to walk through it.

Inside the garage were taxi cabs up on hoists and with hoods open.

“I remember this!” said Rowlf out loud.

“Who’s there?” came an older female voice.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just, um…” said Rowlf wondering if he had made a mistake.

From behind one of the cabs, an older female dog emerged.

“Mom?” said Rowlf.

“Rowlf?” said Rowlf’s mom.

“Yeah, it’s me,” said Rowlf.

“Oh my stars! Come into the light where I can see you!” said Rowlf’s mom.

“Hi Mom,” said Rowlf walking closer to her.

“Rowlf! I just can’t believe it’s you! I thought we’d never see you again!” said Rowlf’s mom.

“Well, I wanted to find you guys so I came looking for you. I’m surprised you haven’t forgotten me by now,” said Rowlf.

“Forgotten you? Rowlf, do you know how I worried for years about you? I never knew what happened to you. Your brothers told me you went away with some lady, so I figured you were safe somewhere, but I didn’t know. I didn’t know you were ok until I saw you on TV.” said Rowlf’s mom.

“You saw me on TV?” said Rowlf.

“Of course, we’re big fans of the Muppet Show! We watch the TV in the mechanic’s office at night. The first time I saw you, I cried. I was so glad you were ok! And I was so proud of you!” said Rowlf’s mom.

“Mom, I really thought no one cared about me. The boys were always picking on me. I figured it would be better if I was gone. I’m sorry I left and never told you. I’ve really missed you all these years,” said Rowlf.

“Rowlf, I missed you too. I’m just so glad you’re home!” said Rowlf’s mom walking over and embracing Rowlf. Rowlf finally felt whole inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Inside the nightclub, the Muppets were dining on various items Wanda was able to get them from the kitchen.

“Uncle Kermit?” asked Robin.

“Yes Robin?” said Kermit.

“What if Rowlf decides he likes it better with his family and doesn’t want to come back with us?” said Robin.

“I don’t think we have to worry about that,” said Kermit.

Everyone had pretty much finished eating when Wanda took the stage.

“Well, I guess Rowlf would like me to sing for all of you, so I hope you like jazz!” said Wanda and began singing “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

Like Rowlf, Kermit was captivated by her performance. Miss Piggy caught his gaze and decided to move a little closer to him and grabbed his hand. Kermit squeezed it for reassurance; he was just so amazed by Wanda’s voice, not her beauty. Although she was quite beautiful.

When she had finished singing, Dr. Teeth asked if she would be willing to jam a little with the Electric Mayhem. Soon the place was really wailing away as they played “Jump Jive and Wail.” The other Muppets got up and began dancing with each other and having a great time.

Kermit never forgot the real reason they were there and hoped that Rowlf was ok. If he didn’t come back soon, he thought he might have to go look for him. He walked over and looked out the window again.

“Just remember we love you too Rowlf,” he said to himself while the party continued on behind him.

 

[luvtosr]

<wipes teary eyes>

That was so sweet. poor Rowlf's Mum..er Mom. And poor Kermit, Rowlf looks for his family and the frog worries, Rowlf finds his family and the frog worries. And yay for the assurance of a happy ending.

 

[redBoobergurl]

Ack! I let my story get to page two of the fan fic section! I really didn't mean to leave it hanging this long! First I did this vacation thing...and now, well I won't lie, I've got a little writers block going again. I hate making excuses and I hate leaving this story hanging where it is. I am going to work through my writers block so I can get an update posted before the end of the weekend! So, I'm just letting you all know, I haven't forgotten this story and I'll write more soon!