1 The Bonds of Family

by ReneeLouvier

Kermit encounters two small frogs, who tell of danger to his family. 1st story in Sadie's Stories

The Bonds of Family

Prologue

The crickets made noises, in the tall marsh grass. Then the soft plops of flippers through the mud. A dragonfly buzzes by, until a long, stretchy tongue nabbed it in mid-flight. The frog yanked it backwards, smirking.

"That sis, is how you catch a dragonfly." The older frog replied as she stuck her tongue out at her little sister, the dragonfly stuck onto it. "It's that easy!" She swallowed the dragonfly, and pointed out a couple more a few feet away. "Now you try it!"

The little frog shot her tongue out, and missed. She tried one more time, and hit something. It wasn't a dragonfly though, it was something much larger...

She walked forwards, following her tongue, until she found out just what she had snagged. "Sowwy, Kermiee..." She mumbled, as she pulled her tongue off of his back.

"Oh..that's fine. What are you two doing out so late though?" He looked back at them, and the smaller one ducked behind her sister. The older one sighed softly, and looked away.

"We were hoping to find you, Kermit. We've been wanting to talk to you for a little while now." She gently pulled her sister out from behind her, and she kept a tight grip on her sister's leg. "Sara, would you let go of me!"

Sara let go of her sister's leg, and looked at Kermit for a second. "I'm sorry Beth...I...I just didn't want to get in trouble."

"Get you in trouble? I wouldn't put you two in trouble. Unless you're doing something you shouldn't be doing.." Kermit said, his voice a little hard, making sure he got his point across.

"Oh, no Kermit! We're not doing anything wrong at all! We were trying to find you, just we thought your friends would be here...that's all." Beth started to move back towards the main part of the swamp, when Kermit reached out and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Kermit smiled at her. "You want to meet my friends?" Beth and Sara both nodded vigroiously. "Okay then, my friends are in their hotel room in town. Let's go."

Chapter One

Kermit went and woke up Wilson, who begrudingly got into his red truck. The three of them hopped into the back of the vehicle, and they went off towards town. Kermit normally walked, but with those two, he knew they wouldn't want to walk for that long. Sara was fiddling around with the tire, a little worried. She'd never been in a moving vehicle before.

"...Sara...would you quit that?" Beth tapped at the large tire, and frowned a little. "We're going to the hotel right?"

"Right, Beth." He watched as they inspected the tire a little bit more. It seemed odd for them. "Have you two ever left the swamp before?"

"No...we haven't. We don't normally live in that swamp, Kermit. We're...from another swamp. Crystal Springs Swamp. It's...about 2 days swim from Leland." Sara remarked, setting the large tire down on the truck bed, then she sat on it.

"2 days swim!" He frowned, looking at them both. Beth was fully-grown, though she didn't look as big as Kermit did, she was still a kid; but it didnt' even look like Sara was barely out of a tadpole's age. She was only a tiny bit bigger then Robin, his own nephew. "Where are your parents?" He asked softly.

Sara didn't say anything, but she clambered off of the tire, and hopped over to her sister. Beth just frowned, and closed her eyes, and gave her sister a hug. "Our parents were captured, just when she was still a tadpole, Kermit. Some people in a huge truck were capturing all the frogs in our swamp. We were some of the few left. Our entire family, what was left of us, we split ways. And no other swamp would let us stay, except for your family. We finally found a home with your family, Kermit."

Kermit said nothing, but he wondered, what did those two think of humans? How would they react to seeing his friends?

-----------------

"I bet you, three dollars, that he's going to eat the raw egg, guys!" Gonzo exclaimed, as they watched a TV show, where you could bet on the outcomes of various things.

"That's gross, Gonzo! He's going to eat the fried egg!" Scooter yelled, as he slapped down five dollars on the bed.

"I trump your fried, and your raw. I'm betting on boiled!" Rizzo said happily, as he set down a twenty.

"No, no, no. I say, he's gonna eat the scrambled heuvos!" Pepe said smoothly, setting down a five on the bed.

Clifford watched from the head of the bed, and he smirked. He wasn't gonna get in on this stupid betting.

"Hey, what's your bet, Clifford?" Scooter asked, looking back up at him.

"Me? Naw, man. I ain't betting on that stupid stuff. Let ya'll have your fun. I'll join in when it's a real man's game." Clifford replied, turning up the TV's volume, smirking.

"He ate...THE RAW EGG!" The TV yelled, with a weird sounding fanfare. Gonzo reaped in about thirty three dollars, and he smiled.

Clifford was laughing up a storm when the door opened, and Kermit walked inside.

"Hey there Kerm! What's happening down at the old swamp nowadays?" Clifford asked, smiling. He noticed something, or rather, someone shivering behind Kermit. "Who's that behind you?"

Kermit turned around, and the two little frogs leaped out of the doorway, and against the wall in the hallway. They crouched down low, ready to hop away if they had too. Sara was absolutely shaking with fear, while Beth held her close, ready to take flight. Kermit frowned softly, and he walked out beside Beth, and knelt down in front of her.

"There's no need to be afraid, guys. They won't hurt you." Kermit said softly. "They're my friends. Frog's honor." He crossed his fingers over his heart, and smiled at them.

"Uncle Kermit? What's going on out here?" Robin walked outside of the room, and yawned. "You were...yawn...more late then you said you would be..."

Kermit chuckled softly, then sat down on the ground between the two of them. Sara wriggled her head out from Beth's grip and she smiled a little bit. Robin looked up at the two of them, and he smiled.

"Hi there! Who're you?" Robin said excitiedly.

Sara got out of her sister's grip, and she hopped down onto the floor. She and Robin were about the same in size. "Uh...I...I'm Sara..." Her voice was tiny, and soft, and incredibly cutesy sounding, like Robins.

Beth was a little worried, when she saw a tall orange skinned man walk slowly outside, and look down at them. Her eyes seemed to get bigger, and she snatched up Sara and hopped away down the hallway. They stopped when they were beside a large fountain, and they softly hopped inside of it, taking refuge in the cool water.

"...that was a human, Sara...we...we know we can't trust them..." Beth was rambling a little bit, hugging her sister tightly. She had seen things, no frog should ever see in their lifetime.

Chapter Two

The frogs slept on the stone chaurb in the fountain, snoring softly. Beth was sprawled completely on top of the statue, as Sara crawled down from it. She hopped across the floor, and down to the room. She sat in front of the door, looking at it closely. She hadn't seen many doors before. Especially in her short small life.

"Hello there. Who are you?" A large brown thing asked her. She squeezed underneath the door, getting away from the large thing. It followed her. She kept running until she hit something soft. The soft thing woke up.

"..wha?" Scooter turned over from his spot on the floor, and saw the tiny green frog in front of him. "Robin? What's...your not Robin..." He sat up, and put his glasses on smiling.

"...n-no...I'm not Robin at all...I..." She turned around and saw who was talking to her. "You..you're..."

Scooter gently grabbed the little frog in his hands, and picked her up. "Come on now, you don't have to run away from us...we're not going to hurt you."

"You'll...you'll take our family though...what's left of them." She looked around, and tried to get out from his gentle grip, but she couldnt' move. She sighed, and sat in his hand.

"See? I'm not hurting you at all.." He saw as she snuggled down into his warm hand, and hugged it gently. He could also see that she was very tired, so he went back to sleep on the floor, and sat her in his jacket, and she snuggled into it, and fell asleep.

The moon shone down into the room, through the open window, and it cast an odd look everywhere. The little frog slumbered peacefully, awaiting the new day.

---------------

The fountains water stopped running sometime during the early morning hours and the contracption started to rumble some. Beth hopped off of it, and reached down to grab Sara, but she was no where to be found.

"Oh no...Sara? SARA!" She looked around frantically. She was worried something had taken her in the night. She hopped down to the room they were at before, slowly cautiously she opened the door, peeking inside.

She saw two small frogs sitting in the middle of the floor, with a rat and a shrimp sitting beside them.

"I got noting...go fishing." Pepe looked around, as Sara reached forward and grabbed a card from the small pile.

"Ooh, ooh...I got a pair of mosquitoes!" She slapped down the pair of cards, and smiled.

"Do you have any...lobster, Sara?" Robin asked.

"Nope. Go fish." She replied, smiling.

Beth walked into the room, and stood beside them, and looked down at the game they were playing. She sat down between Pepe and Sara, and watched again.

"What is this?" She asked. "It looks like Fish game."

"It is Fish, but with cards...not real fish." Sara said, smiling. She showed Beth her cards, and she looked at them smiling.

"This is kinda neat." She handed the cards back to Sara and she kept playing.

"We would'a played poker, but them to are too little." Rizzo stated, as he set down a pair of mackerel. "Go fish, shrimp!"

"Ritzo...I am not a shrimp...I am a King Prawn, jou rat. Know it, hokay?" He smirked, as he picked up another card.

The others were starting to wake up slowly, as the sun finally finished peeking through the clouds.

Chapter Three

Kermit woke up, and immediately went to the small table, picking up a stack of stapled papers, and he walked around the room reading them off, wondering how to do the certain scenes.

"Kermie...what...it's nearly 6 am in the morning!" Piggy snapped awake from her somewhat peaceful slumber, and glared at him from the bed. The only other person in the bed was a few of the female rats and Annie Sue. The females shared one bed, the males shared another bed and also the floor. It was cheaper that way.

"Just going over the script Piggy..." He picked up a small pencil and started jotting some things down. At Piggy's exclamation, the others started waking up.

Clifford looked over at Scooter. He seemed to be the main pillow for Sara, Beth, and Robin. Beth was curled up against the small of his back, and Sara was against his chest, her tiny head tucked underneath his chin. Robin was curled up in Scooter's jacket, in the crook of his slightly bent knees. Clifford chuckled a little bit, and softly tapped Scooter on his shoulder.

"Hey man, wake up." Scooter started to move, and Clifford made him pause. "Don't move, Scoot...you're a frog magnet ya know?"

Scooter glanced over the top of his glasses and he saw the three frogs against him. He laughed softly, and gently moved himself away from Robin and Beth, and he picked up Sara gently. She yawned and opened one of her eyes, looking up at him. She gasped, and nearly fell out of his hands.

"What's the matter now? You know who I am, Sara." He said softly, frowning.

"...I...I'm just not used...to you yet." The tiny frog stammered, as she calmed down.

"What happened to you two, that you're so afraid of humans...or for that matter anything other then frogs?" Scooter asked, setting her down on the floor. She started to hop over towards her big sister, and she looked down sadly, as Beth, who was now awake, gave her a big hug.

"Get sissy to tell you more..." She mumbled, burying her face into her sister's smooth, slick chest. Beth sighed softly, and looked over at Kermit. He was busy making changes to the script while Piggy was fussing over it.

"You can't make me do that scene Kermie! I will not degrade myself as I am a wonderful star! Not some...halfwit ninny who can't even speak on national television!" She said exuberantly, glaring at Kermit hard.

"It will be funny, Piggy." Kermit reassured her, she just scoffed at it, tapping one of her high heels on the floor in a fast motion.

"What will the fans think, Kermie?" She pleaded, her expression going soft towards her beloved frog. "They want to see a head strong pig! Not some blathering idiot!" Her voice got deeper, as she reached across the table, one hand gripping the script tightly by the top edge now. "And this SCENE is making me out to BE a blathering idiot!"

"The fans will think, because you've only been on stage, and not live tv, it will be different. Plus, I think it's a cute scene." He said simply.

Her voice became flat and toneless, as she stared directly at him. "You think it will be cute? A cute little scene, where all I do...is this long drawn out..." She grabbed the script, and her eyes flew open. "Action: Piggy - Stares at camera, mouth agape, a strained cry/sigh coming forth." She was silent, staring at the script.

'She'll think it's funny I hope. I thought it was, when I wrote it in.' Kermit thought, smiling at her. He thought it was a cute funny scene. 'I mean...it's just stage fright, everyone gets it.."

He saw the blue fire, and he couldn't even react fast enough. She threw the script at him like a ninja star, and huffed; standing up in a split-second. "THIS IS FUNNY TO YOU FROG!"

He blanched, turning about three shades lighter now. "Uh...uh...Piggy, sweetie!"

"Don't 'Piggy sweetie' me, frog. Take it out, or I walk on this paltry film! I'm going to see if there's a salon in this halfwit town!" She grabbed her purse and stormed out of the hotel room. Everyone was silent now.

"You just gonna give her a fun fight scene with a cute guy, right? And keep that one in?" Clifford stated, as if it was nothing at all.

Kermit nodded, and started to pencil in the scene right after the stage fright one.

Beth's eyes were goggling, watching this strangeness happening before her eyes. She turned to Scooter, and gasped softly.

"She...she tried to HURT him! He's a frog...oh...no...it's more then humans..." She started to worry again, and Sara was sitting in her lap now, she saw Kermit walking over to them, and he sat down.

"What's the matter?" He asked, he could tell something was up, and they needed to say something about it. Keeping it bottled up wasn't good for you, and he knew it too well.

"Sissy! Tell them what happened...with...the hoppy guy..." She mumbled, her face still halfway buried in her sister's chest.

"..It's Hopper, Sara." She said sadly. "Kermit, we don't know who this person is, but a lot of humans came to our swamps a few months back, and they were catching all of us frogs! Mom...she...she had taught us to read and to write, and I read what was on the...moving...the trucks. It read "Doc Hopper's...French Fried Frog Legs."

Kermit's expression became dark at hearing this old coot was up to his old tricks again. Now, Kermit never wished death on anyone, but he had thought by this time, Doc Hopper would surely be dead.

Chapter Four

Old Doc sat in his office, smirking. He had the layouts in front of him, and he couldn't help but smile. He was ready to make a full comeback in the area of specialty fast food. He would wipe out those fast food chicken and pizza chains in no time. He had the fried, the healthy, and the sugar lovers all covered in one in his stores. It was heaven to that old codger for what he knew what he would be making.

"We'll get right back on top, Max! This is our ticket, to getting Kermit the Frog...I know he'll BEG to be our spokesfrog now!" He chuckled and leaned back in his tall chair. Max, his longtime lackey just sat back in a chair opposite the moghany desk, and he frowned softly.

"Are you sure, Doc? He turned us down once before, what if he does it again?" Max asked, wondering if Doc would want to do another wild chase like last time. He would definately leave for good if he did that again. But...he figured he would come crawling back, he was family after all.

"Because this fine young gentlemen here showed us the ticket to getting him. It was just the frogs that made him a little wary about us...now we've made it...personal." Doc said with a sneer, his intentions truely showing as pure evil now. The other man, that Doc spoke of hadn't arrived yet, Max was a little worried about him.

He'd heard this man had power. Literally and finacally. He was the richest man in all of the US, and possibly even Europe. He was known by two things: His love of the darkness. And his ever-present lit cigarette.

Doc heard the doorknob turn, and he stood up from his seat. Max didn't budge.

"Come on, Max! Stand up...it's Mr. Takasi...Takashe...It's Mr. Eli, now show him some respect!" He snapped at Max, as he reluctanly stood up. Eli looked from man to man, and he sat down in the other seat beside Max.

"Pleasure to finally meet you face to face, Mr. Hooper." Eli said silkly, as he settled into the seat.

"His name's Hopper, Mr. Eli." Max interjected before Eli could speak anymore.

"Shush, Max! He can call me Mr. Looper, for all I care!" Doc turned his attention to the black clothed man, and he immediately pulled out a slim bronzed cigarette case and extended it to Eli. He waved it away.

"I have my own, but...thank you." He then pulled out his own case, and got one cigarette out, he extended the case out the Doc then, who took one out from it, then over to Max. Max started to shake his head no, until he saw Doc glaring at him, like he would kill him. He took one out, and smiled falsely at Eli.

"I take it you don't smoke, Mr. Max?" He said simply, shutting the case, and slipping it back inside his black business blazer. Max shook his head. "That's fine with me." He flicked out a lighter and lit the cigarette. "Doc. I have some requirements of you, before I can give you the full loan you asked for." His eyes were blazing bright red now, he was getting anxious, he knew he was close. He couldn't reveal it totally though.

"Oh, certainly, Mr. Eli. What is it then?" He asked, quite sweetly, as he lit the cigarette. He perferred cigars, but he didn't mind this.

"You get Kermit. I'll have his friends." He said, with a evil smile playing across his face now.

"What about his little friends. Those stupid little things stood up for him a long time ago..." He was starting to ramble and Eli held up a hand sharply.

"I don't care about past adventures you had with that pitiful frog, Hopper. I want one of his friends. The orange boy muppet." Eli smirked when he said that, he took a long drag on his cigarette, and leaned over on the chair, placing one hand on his desk. "Get me this boy, get Snake on it. I want that boy, alive, and delivered to me."

Doc looked a little bit worried. He wondered just where or what this man was going to do to that boy, but he shook it off. "It's a deal, Eli. But...what about that loan you promised?"

Eli laughed, it was a hollow, cruel and chillingly cold laugh. Max was staring at him then, he could see he had fangs. Clear fangs. Max wondered if Eli was infact a vampire of some sorts. He shook his head softly.

'Too many comic books, Max ol' boy..' He thought, watching the two.

Eli stared at Doc, and smiled widely. "Oh, you'll get the loan, Hopper."

Doc started to say something, but he frowned a little, watching Eli's expression turn from merry laughter, to a cruel and calcuating hardened face.

"As soon as I get the boy, you get your loan. I will pay for whatever expenses come up, but; until I have the boy in my hands, you will not see ever penny of it. Understood?"

Doc nodded, and smiled. He just had to capture that boy, and that will bring Kermit to him, as well as he'll get his loan. A double whammy Doc thought. It was the perfect plan...

Chapter Five

"Why don't we go and visit your swamp, Beth? Maybe we can figure out exactly what's happened there..." Kermit pondered aloud, smiling down at the two frogs. Beth's expression went from sadness to astonishment.

"You...You don't believe me!" She yelled, backing up a little bit. "You're just like every other frog I...I talked to. They NEVER believed me!"

"It's not that bad, I do believe you Beth. I..I'm just really suprised that Hopper is still alive after all these years." He looked down at his hands, and frowned deeply. Robin walked over to his uncle and gave him a hug. "Thanks. We need to figure out what's going on with him. Why has he come back with such a vengence?"

Kermit looked at Sara, and sighed softly. "You said your swamp wasn't...too far away from mine, right?"

Sara simply nodded, her arms around her big sister's arm, hugging tightly. Kermit went softly pale, a much lighter green. He had a feeling he knew what the old codger was aiming for.

His family.

------------------

Doc was standing on the old rickety dock, overlooking Leland's biggest swamp, Starry Bay. He chuckled, as he saw the men setting out traps, and nets. He was going to get 'em all.

"Uh...Doc?" Max asked, sitting on top of one of the now-empty crates, going over the numbers on his laptop. "Don't you think this is a little over the top? If you want Kermit's attention, you should just capture a few of the frogs, maybe find out where his family is, then just hold them hostage. Only threaten the others with capture, but not...actually...do...it." His speaking slowed down, as he saw Mr. Eli glaring at Max from beside Doc Hopper. Max blinked a few times, and figured it was the bright Florida sun that was baking his brain.

He swore Eli wasn't there a second ago. But he just shook his head, as Doc walked over to him. He clamped a hand on Max's shoulder and he smiled.

"Now there, Max. See what I've been tellin' ya for years? You're thinking tiny, small, insignificant! Ya need to think big, and large! If this don't get that frogs attention, I don't know what will!" He exclaimed, quite happy with himself over the plan he had devised. Eli merely frowned, and sat on another crate, his ever-present cigarette smoldering away.

"I'd rather be back in Manhattan...this place reeks of slime and wildlife.." Eli mumbled, as he pulled out a small phone, tapping a few keys on it. It rang on the other end, and he smiled devilishly. "Hello, Jerry." He laughed softly, continuing his one-sided conversation. "I expect the money by tommorrow, Grosse. Or I will have your nephew. Ah, pleading will not help this case. Money or the nephew, understood? Good. See you in a few weeks, when I get back from this...accursed place. What? I'm in Florida, in some backwater swamp. Another client, if you will. Right, right. The money, by tommorrow 5pm." He shut the phone, and turned his attention back to the two incompentents that had gotten a loan from him.

"Well, now. Who was that you were talking to Mr. Eli?" Doc inquired, curious about this man. He wanted to know more about him, his mind boggled at how he felt like this man was otherworldly, strange and untouchable.

"It was another client of mine, Hopper. Keep your nose to the grindstone, or I'll put it there for you!" The end of the sentence was in a snarl, as he stood up, then walked over to a tree. He quickly lit up into the branches, and settled into a large overhanging branch, watching the chaos of the men unloading equipment and supplies in and around the swamp.

Max shivered when he saw Eli moving about. That man's presense just drove chills down his spine in the weirdest way. He decided he'd go and check up on some of their frog prisoners. He stopped when he saw the large cage, holding about 20 or so frogs. He saw most of the male frogs, those that didn't have a mate, were milling around a corner speaking amongst themselves, they were worried but didn't show it. Then there was the married couples, they clung together, especially the younger newer couples, they were scared. Some of them had tadpoles, or eggs, and they were scared for their children's safety. Then there was two couples of frogs that caught Max's attention the most. Two couples, one was younger then the other. Sitting against the far most edge of the cage, the part that was not underwater, sat Annette Bullfrog, and her husband, Don Bullfrog. Beside them sat the older couple of James and Jane the Frog.

"You're a terrible man, Mr. Max!" The younger female frog spat on his shoes as he walked closer. Max ignored it and kneeled down into the soft murky mud beside them.

"I'm not terrible...I'm just following my uncle's orders that's all." He frowned a little, as he saw the older female seeming to agree with him.

"Although what you're doing is dispisable, I understand that you're following him." She said softly, looking straight at him. "But perhaps you should follow what you believe, you know."

Max looked down for a moment...he never expected the frogs to be wise like she was. He felt a small slippery hand grab his sleeve and yank him towards the cage. Suddenly he was looking up into the face of a very angry male bullfrog. His color was a deep dark forest green with dark yellow spots on his back, his eyes were clear, and were focused strongly on Max now. The frog was easily the size of his chest, and could pose quite a problem if he wasn't careful.

"Where are our little girls?" He said softly, glaring into Max's face.

"D-Don't frogs have lots of children? Er...tadpoles?" He asked, he was wondering why the bullfrog just said 'little girls' usually frogs have more then just a few children. But he shook his head softly, and listened to the female frog beside him.

She was a beautiful green color, she almost looked like the older female frog. She had no hair, and she wore thick rimmed glasses. Max wondered how a frog could wear glasses, but he didn't let him bother him long. She looked like she was on the verge of tears already.

"Our swamp is near this...fun park, or something...the girls have seen it, but I haven't. When the two of them were just eggs, amongst their siblings underneath the leaf where they hung...something...cousin Kermit called it a 'chemical'. It attacked the eggs, many died then, and only the two of them survived even past tadpole age." She sniffled softly, as the bullfrog wrapped his arm around her, and she started to sob. She glared at Max. "Because of you, our daughters fled the swamp, looking for others to bring help...but...knowing what you do, you've probably already gotten the whole marshland captured now!"

Max sighed, he wasn't sure what to tell them. He knew it was bad that because of them two little girls were now lost. With all the other frogs, even though they were captured, they at least had their family with them.

-----------------

"Let's get to the swamp guys!" Kermit shouted happily, standing like a general in Scooter's jeep. Piggy, Scooter, Gonzo, Kermit, Fozzie, and the two little frogs were going down to the swamp to see what was going on with Hopper now.

Scooter just laughed, and cranked the engine up as he barreled down the highway, going towards the swamp. Piggy had tagged along, because she knew if it was Hopper again, she wouldn't want to leave his side. They were getting nearer to the swamp now, she'd fight tooth to nail to keep Kermit with her. She kept that in mind as dirt was being kicked up along the sides of the jeep, and she had a tight grip on her head scarve, her teeth gritted.

"This is for Kermie...and I will endure this. I am a strong pig...AHH! WHAT'S THAT!" She yelled seeing Arnie the Aligator as they got deeper into the swamp. Kermit laughed softly, and saluted Arnie.

"Stop the jeep Scooter." Kermit said, tapping Scooter's shoulder.

"Right Chief!" He stopped it suddenly, nearly sending Piggy snout first into the backseat. Gonzo went flying out of the backseat and landed in a tree. He laughed as he slid down the tree's trunk, and did a backflip landing perfectly on the ground.

"That was awesome! We should do it again!" He yelled, as he hopped back into the backseat. He was muddy and dirty and he was getting everyone around him absolutely groady.

"Shut up Bananabeak! Kermie's trying to talk to that aligator.." Piggy snapped at him. She turned her attention to the two of them.

"...so you said that all of the frogs in Crystal Springs...AND Starry Bay were captured?" Kermit said, getting more and more worried by the moment about this. This was more then just hundreds of frogs on tiny crutches.

This was his family. And his friends. He was not going to take this sitting down on the lilypad.

Chapter Six

James set to pacing a little bit in that small cage, sighing. He knew they were after his son again, and he just simply wished that he would stay away. He wanted to be free, but he would sacrifice himself to save his son, or for that matter, any of his children. In the plastic-bottomed cage, he leaned against his cane, looking out over the swamps. They were his home, and even though he was merely a simple hop away, he missed them. He knew this might be the last time he saw his old hopping grounds.

"James...Kermit will come, I know it." Jane said, wrapping one of her arms around her elderly husband. He sighed and tilted his head over towards her.

"That's what I'm afraid of..." He said softly, looking at his wife with tired eyes. "He's told me what that Hopper fellow had done to him, or tried to do. I wouldn't want to put my boy in that kind of danger again."

It was Jane's turn to sigh then. She didn't know what to think lately. They had been in that cage for nearly 4 days by then. Or was it a week? She'd already lost track of time it had seemed. She worried over her friends, and their children, as well as her own children. But she never let it show. She had to be strong for everyone. She was Great-Grandmother, and Grandma. And she especially was...

"MOM!" Kermit shouted over the roar of the jeep. His eyes were boggling when he saw his mother and his father in the cage with his family, and seemingly everyone else from Starry Bay Swamp. He hopped over the lilypads and the logs, with Sara and Beth not too far behind him, Sara kept slipping on the logs and Beth just grabbed her and kept on going. "Mom...Dad...are you alright? This is Hopper's doing isn't it?"

James frowned, and nodded his head. Annette's attention was on the van. Piggy was slowly getting out of it, after having put on knee-heighth rubber boots, while wearing black pants underneath them. She did not want to get dirty, but she hurried over to Kermit's side. Fozzie and Gonzo followed Piggy, not caring about the muck and the mud. Scooter had stayed in the jeep, he had figured they might need a quick getaway.

What was drawing Annette's attention, was the blackened figure behind the jeep. A black hand wrapped around Scooter's mouth and neck, and dragged him away from the still-running jeep. No one noticed it at all, it was so silent and quick. Annette opened her mouth to yell, but nothing seemed to come out, she was terrified for the boy. But her gaze settled downwards hearing no struggling, and she saw her children.

"Mom..." Beth whispered, getting as close the cage as she dared. Sara was wriggling through her hands, and squeezed through one of the holes in the fences mesh, and hopped over to Don. She clambered up into his arms. Such a tiny frog in the huge bullfrogs arms.

"Daddy! Momma!" Sara squealed, she was happy to be with them again. Beth was too large to do what she had done, so Annette reached through the cage, and gave her the best hug she could give her.

"..We thought you were dead...we did what Dad taught us too...we found help." Beth stated, smiling softly. Annette's smile turned to a soft frown.

"Tell Kermit that his friend, the orange thing...he was just captured a few minutes ago! Something black took him! I saw it, but I was too scared to make a noise about it." She whispered quickly to Beth, who hopped off to tell Kermit.

It didn't look like she'd be able to talk to him soon though. He was arguing with Max and Doc Hopper was coming in close, towards him.

Kermit glared at Max, and frowned. "I can't believe you, Max. You had...you had said you would leave him!" He was furious with Max. His temper was past the calm eye of the storm now. He now realized just how Piggy could get so angry so quick. Max flinched, when he felt Hopper's hand light on his shoulder.

"Now, now Max. You just tell Mr. the Frog here, why you chose to stay with me after all?" He said, a malicious smile playing across his old fat face. Eli was gone for the moment, but no one paid attention to it.

"I..I stayed...because he's family..." He stammered, he didn't want to be put out like last time. He was penniless and broke, and he hated staying with that terror of a man.

"What else, Max? Tell Kermit everything, he'd like to hear it, I think." Hopper slapped Max on the back happily, smirking widely.

"..and because I support him in his cause to make Hopper's stores the most popular in the entire US." He said that last sentence so deadpan, and toneless, that if it wern't for Doc Hopper being so thickheaded, and deaf in one ear...old Hopper would have realized that Max didn't care a lick about what happens to those stores, and that he wanted out of there.

Kermit just fumed, watching Hopper laugh loudly, he had figured he had Kermit where he wanted him. About to be caught, and made into a green frogburger.

----------------

Scooter's vision was double, and he smelled slime, and mud; and he felt murky, thick water lapping at his feet. He looked around dazed, then sighed. Nothing was near him, so he stepped off of the rock he was on.

But it ended up, he couldn't. He was stuck tight to that tree, in a mummy position, wrapped up to his neck and down to his ankles in thick dripping wet vines. He could smell blood, and he looked around. Then he realized it was his own blood he smelled. As if it all came back to him, he remembered. The thing that caught him, clocked him over the head with a rock to get him to shut up, and quit yelling. His head was throbbing so badly, that his double vision wasn't going away.

He felt like puking right then, with his oncoming vertigo, and double vision it was becoming a daunting task to stay coherent and consious. He heard the shouting about 10 yards away from him, he started to shout, but something in his throat prevented him from speaking. So, he did what came to him, he closed his eyes, and just tried to sleep. Perhaps he could build up some energy and attempt escape later that evening.

Chapter Seven

Scooter was unconsious, against the tree. His glasses had fallen off, he couldn't see very well just then, but it didn't honestly matter because he was still unresponsive to the outside world.

"Well, hello there young man...a fancy meeting you here in these putrid swamps.." Eli said, while grabbing Scooter's chin and hauling his face up towards his own. "A pitiful excuse for a boy. Unless your Uncle pays up, you won't get to see the light of day you scrawny excuse for a GOFER!" Eli screamed at Scooter, jerking him awake.

The poor muppet tried to lash out at Eli, but it wasn't possible. He was held tight by the vines that incircled him tightly. He wished he was back home, at the boarding house. He closed his eyes, and looked away. Eli grinned maliciously at him.

"I take it you can't stand the sight of me?" He chuckled, a smirk playing across his face.

Scooter merely kept looking down, as Eli pulled off one of his thin red leather gloves, and traced his finger down along Scooter's chin, down to his neck. He stopped when he reached the boy's yellow shirt, and ripped the shirt down to it's base. He took his clawed hand, and streaked it quickly across his stomach, causing red welts to rise immediately on contact with his claws. Scooter whinced, and tried to pull away, but although his stomach was completely exposed, his ankles, knees, and wrists were still bound to the tree. His head flopped forward onto his chest, and he let out of a soft moan of pain.

"I've grown fond of you boy." Eli stated simply, looking down at the boy with an odd endearing expression. "...I'll see to it, that you will suffer slowly, dearest Scooter. Something...that no one will even detect..."

He laughed, as he pulled out a syringe, and looked at the clear liquid inside of it. Scooter looked up at Eli, and he saw the syringe in his hands, and he blanched.

"W-What is that!" He managed to stammer out, while Eli was smiling down at the needle.

"Oh, don't worry...your...family already has this. It's just a booster shot!" He said, as he drove the needle straight into Scooter's abdomen.

Scooter's anguished yell could be heard ringing throughout the entire swamp.

-----------

"I can't believe you, Hopper." Kermit spat out, glaring at him. "You've sunk so low as to capture...my family?"

"Well, ain't all frogs your family, Kermit? These ain't no different then before...ain't I right Max?" Doc stated, glaring over at Max.

Max just nodded absentmindly, his thoughts were towards that scream he had heard coming from deep in the forested shade. He wondered what poor animal was being tortured back there.

"Right! You're not just messing with me, frog. You're messing with quite a formidable person. Moneywise is what I'm getting at here...he can sue your shoddy little theatre, and those...dreams you spoke of." He laughed and got right in Kermit's face then. "Your singing and dancing...and making millions of people happy...will be all out the window in a flash, should you cross me, Kermit."

Kermit frowned, and got a little worried. He had to help his family, but he didn't want to give in so easily. He also didn't want to lose the theatre, to this horrendous man...he turned away, worry and fear evident in his eyes and expression.

"Kermit?" A lone soft voice asked. It was Jane, she was standing at the edge of the cage, the part that was still on land. She extended her hand outside of it, and motioned him to come over.

"..." Kermit didn't know what to say just then. He worried about the theatre, about the station in San Fransisco...it was all almost too much for him to bear now.

"Kermit...just do what your heart tells you to do. It's lead you before, let it lead you now." His mother said softly, placing one arm around her son's shoulders. "It makes things worse to worry so much, just follow what you believe. That's what got you where you are today. You and your friends following that one dream."

"...making people happy..." Kermit mumbled, as he looked at the few friends who were gathered. He noticed one face was missing. It was Scooter's. Then he remembered Scooter said he would stay in the Jeep, incase they had to...run.

Piggy stepped forward and gave Kermit a hug, she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek then, and looked at him. "Your mother's right Kermie. Your heart has never failed us before. Don't fail us now."

"But...but Piggy...what about the theatre and..and KMUP?" He asked softly.

"As long as moi has vous, I'll follow you wherever we end up...even...even if we live here, in the swamp with your family." Piggy said that from her heart, normally she detested the swamp, but she cast those petty excuses aside and let her heart lead her for what she said.

"Just...follow my heart?" Kermit seemed to ask to both his mother and Miss Piggy. They nodded, and Fozzie and Gonzo agreed as well.

"You can do this Kermit." Gonzo affirmed, smiling.

"Go get 'em, Kermit. We're behind you all the way!" Fozzie said, smiling widely.

Kermit nodded, feeling more brave then he had all day today, and he turned to Doc Hopper, and he smiled with an air of confidence that none of them had seen in quite sometime in that frog of theirs.

Chapter Eight

Kermit stared Doc Hopper straight in the face, and grimaced. He didn't want to say this, but he felt he had too. Otherwise his family may never be heard from again...

"What do you want me to do, Hopper?" He said, with a harsh undertone, no one normally heard the frog speak with. It was unlike him at best.

Hopper laughed happily, glaring down at the frog. "All you have to do, my little froggy friend, is do what I asked you to do nearly 15 years ago...sell my frog legs."

Kermit's face blanched slightly, even though he knew exactly what Hopper was going to say, it still shocked him somewhat. It was almost as if his worst nightmares were coming true.

He looked down, feeling defeated. Someone had just punched him in the gut and was rearing to punch again, right in the same spot. It was sickening to him. He wished he could just run to that jeep, and escape his clutches, taking his family with him. He was right in his eariler thoughts...bring his family to Manhattan with him. Tell them to leave the swamps they grew up in...but he knew, even then, they wouldn't leave for the world. The farthest they ever went was into Hensonville, when his mother had her treatments...and that was it.

Nothing farther then that was ever taken. It was a sad fact that slammed into Kermit's mind, very well his soul. He finally looked up at Hopper, and sighed.

"If I agree...you'll...let them go right?" He asked, frowning all the while. Hopper smiled, and sat down on another empty crate, one of the many littering the sides of the swamp.

"Well of course, Kermit. I'll let them go, just as soon as you sign this." Hopper then took a thick stack of papers from Max's hands and handed them to Kermit, indicating another empty crate which he could sit and read them on. Kermit skimmed through it quickly. He grabbed the pen from Hopper's hand, and after reading though it one more time, he reluctantly signed his name on the last page.

He handed the stack of papers to Hopper, who snatched them up from him with lighting quick reflexes.

"You are going to let them go now, right?" He demanded, as he noticed just how smug Hopper was looking now. Beth was clinging to Kermit's side, she couldn't wait to hug her parents again.

"I'll let them go..." Hopper said, quite sweetly. Then he looked over to the side of the swamp, and he smirked. "I'll let them go, into the PRESSURE COOKER! REEL 'EM UP HORACE!" He shouted, jumping to his feet and running towards that same place he had been looking at eariler.

"WHAT?" Kermit screamed, as he saw the large cage being hauled into the air quickly. Beth wailed, as she saw it being lifted higher and higher now. Kermit shook his head, and took a mightly leap upwards. He hung onto the bottom edge of the cage as it was now nearly 20 feet up in the air. It was attached to a large crane, which eariler had been hidden in the deep marshy bushes to the side.

"HOPPER! You let them go, or I'll go with them!" He yelled, after he had clambered up ontop of the cage, sitting on it's top. Hopper's face blanched, as he saw the frog inch it's way towards the release cable.

"Kermit! Don't do anything rash, son!" James shouted, seeing his son risk his life like that.

Beth was clinging onto Piggy now, who was getting madder by the minute. She gently pushed Beth towards Fozzie, who wrapped his arms around her protectively. She pushed her sleeves upwards and snorted loudly.

"DOC! HOPPER!" She shrieked, glaring at him. Her fists were balled, and she was ready to charge. Gonzo was even getting worried now, neither he nor Fozzie had ever seen her that mad before.

"I'll make you into bacon next you boar!" He yelled back at her. He didn't remember the fight that she had, when it was him, his lackeys and Professor Crassman. It was just a fuzzy memory to his old mind.

She stormed at him, her boots flying off, till she was bare feet in the mud. Her hair was flying wildly, as she catapulted herself through the air, onto his chest. She landed with a satifying thud ontop of him.

"LET. KERMIT'S. FAMILY. GO!" She shouted, inbetween punches to his face and upper chest. His white suit was muddied now, his hat had flown off, and he was getting bruises on his face now from her punches.

"MAX! Get this wild pig offa me! DO SOMETHIN'!" He was yelling, between her punches, he glared back at Max, who did nothing but stood there, dumbfounded. He had believed that Hopper would let his family and friends go...but...he had gone back on his word. He truely was horrendous.

"NO! You take care of her, I'll take care of Kermit and his family!" He shouted, with determination, as he ran towards the crane operator. He pushed the man off of the seat, and tried to operate the controls, but he didn't know how to do it properly.

Then...the pin slipped out. The tiny pin, that held crane to cage, fell out with a tiny splash into the swamps murky waters.

Kermit wasn't sure what happened next...one moment he was on top of the cage, trying to open it up...the next moment...

Muddied blackness.

Chapter Nine

Scooter felt the syringe depress, the liquid searing through his stomach. He felt like throwing up from all the stress that was on his body now. His vision was still double, and he felt hungover.

The bonds loosened on him, and he fell forward into the swamps waters. He gurgled a few times, until he managed to raise himself up from the depths of the thin murky pool. Coughing out the nasty water, he looked around, he saw no one he thought.

A heavy boot came crashing down next to his hand. It was that man again. The man in black...who...had tortured him to within an inch of his life.

"Dear Scooter...I must take my leave." He sneered, looking down at the pitiful gofer, who was nearly covered from head to toe with thin, dripping muddy water now. "I hope I get to you see you once more...before you meet the fate of your family."

He coughed a few times, and looked upwards into the black clothed man's face. "Wha...what do you mean...by that? My family...my...uncle?" His speech was slightly slurred, the throbbing in his head would not subside for a second, and he felt like he was going to pass out, but he fought it valiantly.

Eli crouched down, and put his face right beside Scooter's. He turned to whisper into his ear.

"I mean...you will meet the same fate...as your father did..." He whispered softly to him, a sweet tone making it all the worse to Scooter's hearing.

Scooter bolted up, and looked directly at the man...but he was gone in an instant. Almost like he vanished out of thin air. He sat back in the water, which was lapping against his knees now, and he heard the cries and shouts across the way.

His friends were in trouble. He stood up, and zipped his jacket up, so they would not see his wounds, he had to help them as best he could.

-------------

Fozzie gently lifted Kermit off of the cage, while Gonzo opened the cage, with the key Max had handed to him. Hopper was still pinned underneath Piggy's weight, protesting.

"MY FROGS! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU SIGNED A CONTRACT FROG!" He was screaming. Piggy frowned at him, then slipped one of her gloves off.

"Oh shut up, Hopper!" She then shoved the glove into his mouth, where it muffled his cries. She turned her attention to Kermit, who was still unconsious in Fozzie's arms. "Is Kermie going to be okay?"

Fozzie gently cradled Kermit in his arms, and patted his face. "Come on Kermit...wake up..."

The fall had caused Kermit to black out. When that pin had come loose, the crane's holding latch had swung back and clocked the poor frog with all it's tensile stength. He had a nice red welt forming right behind his left eye now, and although he was breathing, he was pretty much out for the count.

Gonzo made sure all the frogs were alright, as they hopped out of the cages, those that lived in Crystal Springs swamp didn't stay for long, after they collectively wished Kermit well, they left. Except for the Bullfrog family.

Fozzie laid Kermit down on the ground, and his family gathered around him, worried. His sister, Maggie reached down and grabbed his shoulders, tears forming in her eyes.

"Come on, Mit...get up! You've had worse done to you!" She was about to break down crying. His friends worried for him so much...Croaker wrapped his arms around Maggie's and gently led her back towards the main throng.

"Kermit'll be fine, Maggie...I..I hope." He said softly, as she shook her head. He looked really bad, she thought.

Piggy slugged Hopper solidly, and he passed out then. She checked him one last time, across the cheek, then walked over to Kermit. She sat down and gently picked him up into her lap. Tears were already flowing from her eyes, and she closed her eyes, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

'I've heard that kissing a frog, causes them to turn into a prince...so...my prince of frogs...please...please wake up!' Her mind screamed as she silently kissed him again.

Nothing happened to the leader of frogs, as she kissed him once, twice, then the third time. She felt no movement in his limbs, not even his lips moved an inch to kiss her back. She thought him for dead now. She sobbed, holding him close to her, without smothering him.

"Oh Kermie! Please...please come back to me...please!" Her ungloved hand, stroked up and down his back with some light pressure, she hoped that something, just a simple touch would bring him back to the consious world.

Sara was crying, as was many of the frogs in that large circle that surrounded Kermit and Miss Piggy. The frog they looked up too, that many of them modeled after, and had hailed as the bravest frog of the swamp...was dead.

Chapter Ten

Kermit was limp, in Piggy's arms. She was wailing that he was dead, sobbing over his cold body. Fozzie took off his hat, and looked down at Beth, who was dug tight into his fur. He gave her a hug, and she started sobbing as well. Gonzo turned away from them for a moment, he never really liked to have anyone see him cry. He saw some movement through the bushes, and he looked up, wiping his eyes.

Scooter was stumbling through the underbrush, picking his way carefully. He had fallen twice already, and he thought his left wrist might have been broken on that last spill that he took. He heard the sobbing and wailing, and made his way towards it. He could only rely on sound, as he was pretty much blind from the double vision which still plagued him, and having no glasses never helped at all.

Gonzo rushed over to Scooter's side, and gently grabbed his right arm, balancing him.

"Who...who is this!" Scooter exclaimed, as he tried to focus on the thing that had his arm. He could see it was blue, but couldnt' make out the details.

"It's just me, Scooter. Gonzo." Gonzo stated simply, as he led Scooter nearer to the throng of frogs that stayed in their circle around Piggy and Kermit.

"What's happened, Gonzo...did everything go well?" He asked, as Gonzo brought him to the front of the group now. For what Scooter could see, he recoginized Piggy's large form, her purple sequined shirt reflected off the noonday sun like a glittering jewel now. He saw the green in her arms...he realized that was Kermit.

He let go of Gonzo's arm, and stumbled forward, kneeling down on the soft ground in front of them. Piggy was sniffling then, softly stroking Kermit's head.

"Piggy..." It was all Scooter could manage to say, before she turned on him, blue fire blazing in her eyes.

"WHERE WERE YOU! You were supposed to be HELPING US, you stupid GOFER!" She lashed out at him, anger quite evident in her voice. If it wasn't for her beloved Kermie in her arms, she would have drop-kicked him right then and there.

He leaned back a little bit, feeling quite hurt for what she had said to him. He looked down, and closed his eyes. "I..I'm sorry, Miss Piggy. I couldn't help it..." He mumbled, he felt responsible somehow now.

"You couldn't help it..." Piggy said with a sneer. She gently laid Kermit on the ground after giving him another quick kiss on his cheek, then turned to Scooter. In her pain and anguish, she never realized Scooter was badly hurt as well. "...you couldn't help it...I can't BELIEVE YOU! We needed extra help...and YOU'RE OFF DOING GOD KNOWS WHAT!"

She stood up, and picked up the gofer by his jacket, and wanted to hurl him across the swamp. Normally she wasn't this angry, but what had happened just pushed her over the edge into a blind rage. She didn't care who she hurt or stepped on just then...she wanted revenge for Kermit, and she chose Scooter as her target.

She was about to just punch him square across his face, when she stopped. Dead cold stopped. Her expression turned from blind rage...to pity. Scooter was openly crying in her hand, himself lifted nearly 4 inches off of the ground now. He was hurting so badly, and her screaming at him did not help it anymore. He just broke down, sobbing.

"I...I'm sorry...Miss Pig--Piggy...I just...something came at me...and it dragged me...away from the car...I was going to...help...but...but..." He kept stammering on, until Piggy set him down on the ground. She saw him curl up tightly, still crying. And she just stood there, looking down at him.

Sara walked slowly over to Kermit, and she sat on Kermit's chest, looking at him. He was laid on the ground, with his mouth closed, leaning towards his chest. She gently snuggled herself underneath one of his hands, which were folded on his chest in the funeral position. She was still crying, watching her...her hero, who was dead now.

All because of her and her sister, begging for help. It was their...no...her fault. She was the one who begged Beth to go find Kermit for help. She was the one who convinced her big sister to lead her over to Starry Bay, so they could find him.

"I'm sorry, Kermit." She said softly, while hugging his hand. Beth was moving towards her little sister, to pick her up off of Kermits' body, she did not think it was right for her to be there.

--------------

It was dark and it was light. Eternal timelessness and a single second. It was...what it was. And Kermit was trapped within it.

"Where am I?" He asked, to the nothingness that surrounded him. He saw nothing and everything. He wondered if he was dead.

He was dead, he remembered. The last thing he saw was the crane's hook coming down towards his face. He thought he had ducked it, apperently he hadn't.

"You're not ready yet, Kermit." A voice said in the darkness.

"Not ready for what?" He asked it back. "What or who are you?"

"I am your star, Kermit." It replied.

"My...star?" He pondered, looking around him for a glimmer of anything. He saw nothing but the alternating dark and light. White and black. Black and white. It scared him.

"You need not be scared, Kermit. Your friends wish you well, you are not ready yet." It said back.

"But you said...you're my star..." He whispered. Suddenly, in an instant a being of pure white appeared before him. She had the most beautiful face he had ever seen in his life...or death for that matter.

"I am everyone's star. I am the guiding voice for those lost, and I am the lover of all. Your cause is great, Kermit. You are not ready yet." The beautiful being said to him, voice soft as a melody of the sweetest music, the breeze on a summer's day, the lapping of ocean waves...that was her voice.

Kermit got a little perturbed. He wasn't one for riddles at all. "I'm not ready for WHAT?" He yelled, glaring at the being.

The being's smile dropped, and the light around her cracked like a mirror. He glared down her slender and small nose at him, outright frowning now.

"Beware, Kermit. It is not your time to leave that plane of existance. Stay true to your dreams. For you are loved by all, and they are amiss without your guidence. You are an entertainer, a hero, a lover, and most of all...a son."

With that, Kermit felt himself being sucked through something. He wasn't sure what, and to this day, he still isn't sure, but he would never forget the sweet smile on the womans' face, as he left her presence.

"Stay true to your dreams, Kermit...making millions of people happy!" Her voice faded to nothingness, as he was hurled back into his own mind.

--------------

Sara noticed something odd. He was moving. Not much, but his chest was moving softly, up and down. She did not move an inch, but looked back at her sister, who was standing beside Kermit's body.

"He's movin'..." She whispered to Beth, as she looked down at Kermit's face. He opened his eyes softly, and without moving his head, he looked upwards to see why there was pressure on his chest.

"Hi ho there." He barely managed to whisper to her, as he patted Sara softly.

Piggy was still frozen in place, looking down at the crying Scooter. She heard something, almost too soft for a normal human to hear. She thought it was merely her mind playing a cruel trick on her.

'It can't be him...he's dead...dead and gone...I'll never see my beloved frog again!' Her mind screamed cruelly at her own consiousness.

"P..Piggy?" Kermit asked, slowly sitting up behind her. Fozzie and Gonzo were so excited, they couldn't speak then, so Piggy never heard them at all.

Just that one word. Her name. Spoken by her beloved.

She whirled around, and looked at him, she wanted to speak, but her throat was choked by a sob.

"Piggy...what happened?" He asked her. By then, he had completely forgotten about the lady in white, and his time in that seemingly endless void. He remembered though, what she had said, though to him...it was like a dream playing about in his head.

"Stay true to your dreams, Kermit...making millions of people happy!" Those words rang clear in his head, as he looked at Piggy with a look of pure love.

"K...K...Kermie..." She managed to whisper, choking back another sob. She fell to the ground on her knees, and hugged him tightly, nearly smothering him with kisses.

Scooter sat up, and watched them, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket. He felt like he had betrayed them horribly now. He had not been around to help them...and Kermit nearly had died because of it. While the others rushed around Kermit to hug him, the gofer stayed where he was, his back turned to them, trying hard to remember the black clothed man.

And why he did that to him.

Chapter Eleven

Eli sat in the trees, watching as the policemen were swarming around Doc Hopper and Max. He laughed, seeing as Max ratted out on Hopper completely.

"I knew the man wouldn't hold his mouth shut...he was like that the first time I met him. Always keeping his mouth open and yapping." He smirked, and lit another cigarette, the smoke curling around his head like the wisps of swamp gas that was curling around the frogs and muppets.

Kermit was shakily walking beside Piggy, who had a firm grip on his arm now, keeping him supported. Gonzo was supporting Scooter, as he walked as well. Fozzie was standing back with the frogs, as Beth and Sara did not want to let go of him.

"You're so soft..Mr. Bear..." Beth said, smiling; as she hugged him tightly. "You have to go now?"

"Yeah, we've got to get back to Manhattan, so we can get our movie done, Beth." He said softly, as he hugged both her and Sara.

"Thank you so much for watching over our children, Kermit." Annette said to him, as he was now sitting down on a log in the main area around the swamp.

"Your welcome, Mrs. Bullfrog. I'm..glad I could help." Kermit was still a little out of it, going through a near-death experience was something not to be taken lightly.

"Kermie...what happened?" Piggy asked, as she sat beside him on the log. She looked horrible and disheveled, but at that moment, she did not care. She kept one hand on her frog's arm, and her eyes on him.

"I think I died, but I'm not sure...I remember hearing somebody telling me to not give up my dreams...the dream of making millions of people happy." He said, with a softened tone to his voice.

Scooter stayed where he sat, then he stood up, and started to walk towards the jeep, with Gonzo walking beside him. He kept his head low, and his line of sight no where else but towards the jeep.

"Scooter...what happened to you?" Gonzo finally asked, as Scooter was slowly climbing into the backseat of the jeep. Scooter closed his eyes, and tilted himself backwards a little bit in the seat, trying to relax.

"..something attacked me, Gonzo. Something came up behind this jeep, and grabbed from behind." He managed to say. He opened his eyes, and found he was looking upwards into the tree tops. "...it tortured me, Gonzo."

He unzipped his jacket, revealing his wounded stomach, and the large red welt that belied the injection site. Gonzo gasped softly, about to reach forward to touch it, before Scooter grabbed his hand in mid-reach.

"Please...don't touch me...I'm suprised I'm consious right now, and I'm in a lot of pain. Something...like a demon got to me, he attacked me, then he injected...something into me..." He pointed to the welt on his stomach, and he winced a little bit, as he shifted down further into the seat.

Kermit, Piggy, and Fozzie made their way back towards the jeep. Piggy was actually carrying Kermit across the swamps waters. Her purple sequined shirt was getting more and more ruined with every step she took, bare foot through those waters. She did this for her love, she didn't care what happened. She stopped mid-swamp, and tapped forward with one foot. She felt it drop off into the main waters. She knew she would have to swim then.

"Kermie, can you swim?" She asked him, looking down at her love in her arms.

"I'm not sure Piggy." He still felt very weak from what happened before. She nodded, and took a deep breath, as he did as well, and she dove underneath the water, swimming for the shore ahead.

Her feet touched bottom, only a few moments afterwards, and she lifted Kermit topside of the water, and set him on the shore. Then she herself rose from the swamps murky, ice cold depths, and pulled herself up beside him. She coughed a few times, and then she smiled at him.

"Are you okay, Kermie?" She asked softly, looking down at the frog of her dreams. He nodded absentmindly, and stood up slowly. She stood up as well, and climbed into the jeep.

Fozzie was still on the other side of the swamp, with little Sara still on him. "I really have to go now." He said. He didn't want to be mean, or brush off quickly. He knew the little frogs liked him a lot. Sara sadly nodded, and climbed down from him.

He looked around, and found a fallen tree, then he walked across the swamps length across that. Piggy saw what he was doing then, and she silently cursed herself for not thinking of it before.

'Ruined a perfectly good shirt going through that swamp...' She thought for only a moment, until Kermit laid a hand on her's. She then smiled, and another thought surfaced.

'What's a shirt, when you've saved your love?' She thought, smiling sweetly.

Chapter Twelve

"What do you think is taking Kermit so long, Clifford?" Rizzo asked, sitting against the bed. Clifford, Pepe, and himself were playing poker, with the TV blaring in the background.

"I don't know man. Maybe he just got caught up in family or something...man, I fold, this game is whack." He set his cards down, and remembered why Kermit went to the swamp in the first place. But he kept his mouth shut, he had a feeling that he would be alright.

"Like...maybe that Hopper guy got to him..." Janice pondered, tuning up her guitar, while sitting on the females bed. "I mean...rully...he was such a sourpuss last time we saw him.."

"That guys ancient, babe! He couldn't be around now." Floyd interjected, while Dr. Teeth was rewriting some of the melody to a song they were gonna play, while sitting at the table.

"That guy had spunk, Floyd. Nary to think that he'd not be around, would be uncool. He was tough then, and he's tough now." Dr. Teeth absentmindly said, his mind still at his work at hand.

"BAD MAN! Hopper bad man!" Animal said, while going towards the door at a fast pace. Floyd bolted up and grabbed Animal's chain.

"Hey man, cool it! We ain't gonna go looking for Hopper, Animal!" He yelled, pulling Animal back with all his might, until the beasty muppet calmed down and sat with both drumsticks in his hands.

"Huh...what? What's going on?" Zoot said, lifting his head from where he was sleeping. He was up against the wall, beside Dr. Teeth. Dr. Teeth looked down and smiled a little.

"It's nothing, Zoot. Just go back on to dreamland, man.." He said, laughing. Zoot nodded, and went back to sleep.

"The froggy man needs saving from him!" Pepe stood up suddenly, worried for Kermit and his friends for some reason. "...uh...but jou right gold mouth! He's still tough...and...who was he?"

Clifford raised an eyebrow, as the band looked at him oddly. Rizzo started laughing, and set his cards down for a moment, still laughing.

"You-You've never heard of what happened to Kermit and the thing with him and that Hopper guy?" He said incrediously, he was suprised that Pepe never heard about it before.

"No. Nothing about this...Hopper man. Tell me, Ritzo.." Pepe said, very curious now.

"Maybe one of the band should tell ya...I wasn't really around for it, neither was Clifford here." He said, stammering a little. "I mean, they'd know it better then I would, ya know.."

"I'll tell the little shrimp about it." Janice said, smiling.

"I am a King Prawn, but coming from the sexy woman, that is fine, hokay!" He said, climbing up onto the bed. Floyd heard this and he leaned over to Pepe, and frowned.

"Any moves, shrimpy, and you'll be on the barbeque for this movie!" Floyd said, smirking at Pepe. Pepe gulped a little bit, and nodded at Floyd.

"She is your's. I know dat. Just...um...she issexy, hokay?" He couldn't help it, and Janice was blushing a little bit.

"Like...fur shure...just...okay, like here's how it went, Pepe..." She started to tell him about what had happened during the movie, and all that she knew of it. About an hour later, Janice was all talked out, and she leaned back against the bed, holding her guitar, and smiling. "...and that's how it all went down, little shimpy guy...like it was a rully huge life-changing experience for all of us, fur shure..."

Pepe's mouth was hanging open, after she had finished speaking. He was astonished about what 'the froggy man' had gone through. He hopped off of the bed, and started pacing.

"He...threatened to...kill Kermin? That...that is horrible!" He shook his head a few times, and looked down, speaking under his breath, worried about Kermit a whole lot now. "¡Él debe ser golpeado con el pie en su extremo! ¡Golpeado sobre la cabeza con una piedra! ¡Él debe haber sido tiro, no Kermin! Eso es absolutamente horrible!"

Rizzo was watching the prawn pace up and down the room's length, apperently cursing under his breath in spanish, so he thought. Pepe struck a pose, and shouted at the top of his little crustacean's lungs just then.

"¡Necesitamos rescatar al hombre del froggy!" He shouted, running towards the door.

The door flung open just then, smacking Pepe into the wall with a hard thud. Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, and Scooter walked inside just then. Pepe slid off the wall, mumbling.

"Oh..dios mios..." He said, just before he hit the floor.

Piggy took one glance at him, and frowned. She then made sure Kermit was okay, and she went and sat down beside Janice on the women's bed. Janice was covering her mouth, about to laugh out loud at what had happened to Pepe just then.

"That little shrimp got it alright...rully got messed up huh?" Janice said, smirking. She saw how ragged Scooter and Kermit looked and she scooted off of the bed, and then sat down on the men's bed. "Like...Scooter, are you alright?"

Scooter nodded softly, and laid his head back against the bed. "I'll be fine Janice, thank you though."

"Hey green stuff...what happened down there? Did you get that Hopper dude again?" Floyd asked, also worried for his friends wellbeing. In fact, everyone in the room was worried about them.

"Yeah, we got him Floyd. He won't be bothering us anytime soon.." Kermit said, smiling, as he leaned against Piggy. He felt like he could go to sleep against her soft form, and he in fact did.

Chapter Thirteen

It was the next morning, bright and early; when the gang all decided they should head back to Manhattan to start filming. Scooter had his clipboard in hand, and was checking off things left and right as they were hauled into the bus.

"Okay, I think that's everything, guys!" Scooter said, as he saw the last piece of equipment being set up on the bus.

"Wait, man. Where's Animal's drum set?" Floyd asked, looking around a little bit. Then suddenly Animal let loose this huge burp, and laughed.

"Sorr-eee" Animal stated, after another small burp came forth.

"Little dude, like, must've eaten it, hun." Janice laughed, smiling.

"To true. Wild thing can't keep a drum set for more then 2 days before he eats it..." Dr. Teeth said, smirking.

Piggy was sitting on the bus already, she wanted to get back to the peace of the Boarding house as soon as possible. Although she made it a habit to get to know Kermit's family and all, she never really was fond of the swamp, as he was. There was nothing more that she liked then to just be with her Kermie...in the theatre, or in the house. But not at the swamp. It was too murky and icky, and just plain out nasty in her opinion.

"Uncle Kermit?" Robin asked, as Kermit was looking over the clipboard with Scooter. Kermit kneeled down and smiled.

"Yes, Robin? What is it?" He said, a soft smile still evident on his face.

"You're different." He said. Just a small statement, and Kermit really was made to think long and hard about it.

"Well...um...uh..." Kermit stammered, trying to find the right words to tell his 5 year old nephew. "I died back there, Robin."

"More like almost died, Chief." Scooter noted, looking down at them. Robin gasped softly, then he saw the white peeking out from under Scooter's yellow shirt, and he tugged at the small white scrap the poked out from it.

"What happened to you, Scooter?" He asked then, his eyes getting larger then ever.

"Doc Hopper attacked me, Robin. He's a very bad man you know." Scooter said, looking towards the bus then, as Janice lifted her guitar into the back, leaning it against Dr. Teeth's portable keyboard. Kermit gave Scooter an odd look, and he shook his head. Kermit knew what he meant then, better to let Robin think Doc Hopper was truely a cruel man, and had attacked them, then try to explain that a demon of sorts attacked Scooter.

Robin nodded, and frowned a little bit. "Never trust him, right Uncle Kermit?"

"R-Right Robin. He's a very bad man. And know that he knows I have a very large family...we need to be very careful. Especially if he ever gets out of jail again.." Kermit said, standing up. He picked Robin up, and carried him over to the bus. "We need to get going guys, or we're going to miss the train to Hensonville."

"Like...I still don't appreciate the idea of jacking our bus up on...like that stupid train, Kermit." Janice said both hands on her hips. She was frowning, looking at him.

"Janice, you know it's the only way to get from Leland to Hensonville, and we can't leave the bus behind. Remember what happened last time?" Kermit said, with a firm tone on his voice.

"Yeah, I know what happened green stuff. Someone stole it, and it was on eBay!" Floyd said with a smirk. "At least they gave it back to us, once we showed them the papers and all."

"Rully...our bus was worth more then that, Floyd baby..." Janice said, smiling once more. She and the others were piling onto the bus, and settling down. "I liked the records more then these cds that are rully everywhere."

"Let's just get going..." Kermit said, exhasperated. "I'd rather just get back to Manhattan as soon as possible..." He slumped down into the seat, with Piggy beside him, and he frowned softly.

"What's wrong, moi cherie?" Piggy asked softly, as she stroked his head thoughtfully. "Is it because what happened back there? He's in jail now...he won't be bothering us anymore you know."

Kermit nodded softly, then he leaned back against the seat, as the bus rumbled down the dusty old road heading out from Leland, to the train station. He sighed, and looked up at Miss Piggy for a moment. Nodding his head, he closed his eyes, and settled down for the trip on the bus, on the train.

Scooter was checking stuff off on his clipboard, and he smiled, doodling a picture underneath all the checks and marks. It was of a girl, with red hair. The girl wasn't particularly beautiful, but she didn't look ugly either. She was wearing a pretty dress, her arms extended upwards. He smiled, looking at the picture again. Then he started to draw a stage around the girl, who in his picture, was dancing alone. He reached into his backpack, and pulled out some colored pencils, and started coloring it in. It was a beautiful picture, he thought. Gonzo and Fozzie were silently watching Scooter, from across the bus, as he colored and drew the picture on the paper.

"He must have a girlfriend, Gonzo." Fozzie whispered to Gonzo, who just smiled.

"I guess he does. Or...that's someone he likes at least." Gonzo whispered back. Scooter heard the whispering, and looked over. He saw them staring at him, and a bright blush crept along his cheeks.

"Guys...it's...it's just a picture...she's...she's our guest for next week, that's all. This is just a set layout...of...uh...the song she's going to be doing." He stammered, he felt his face was hot, and he tried not to look directly at his friends. He knew they would mess around with him over it for awhile now.

"But Kermit said we weren't doing any shows right now. It's the start of fall you know." Fozzie said, a slight naieve smile creeping across his face. "Too many people in school and everything."

Scooter's face got hotter just then, and he knew he was blushing to beat a tomato now. "Oh...well...um..."

Gonzo just laughed softly, and waved his hand at Scooter. "We're not gonna rib you just because you have a girlfriend, Scooter."

"Guys! Don't say that!" He protested. It wasn't that he didnt' mind them knowing it, but he didn't want the world to know it...and he knew what was about to happen.

"Rully now! You've got...like a girlfriend?" Janice said, popping up from behind Scooter's seat.

"Gofer's got a girlfriend! Bout time!" Floyd said, laughing and smirking. He turned in his seat beside Janice and announced to the whole bus. "The gofer's got a girlfriend, guys!"

Scooter sank his seat, grumbling to himself. "...I've not even asked her out yet..and they're all saying she's my girlfriend now...just great..."

The bus ride to the train station was light, and filled with happiness. And many ribs and praises to Scooter for finally getting the gusto to get a girlfriend. He tried to shut them up, but he figured it was no use in trying.

Chapter Fourteen

The bus rolled off of the train easily, and they started down the road towards Hensonville. The first stop was the theatre, as they made their way into town. Another smaller car, dark blue in color, was right behind them, chugging along. The windows were up and tinted heavily. No one seemed to recoginze the car, as it kept right behind them.

"Someone's following us, Kermit." Rowlf said, as he was looking out the back window, with Clifford beside him.

"Yeah, they're really close, Kerm. Something's not right here. Should we stop?" He asked, turning back to look at Kermit. Kermit made his way to the back of bus, and even the windshield was tinted, so they couldn't see who was driving it.

"No. Let's just get to the theatre. It'll be safer there." He said, as Dr. Teeth kept driving along, till they pulled into the theatre. Kermit was the first one off of the bus. The dark blue car pulled into the parking spot next to the bus, and stayed there, until the person driving cut their engine. It sounded like they were shuffling around inside, seemed like they were looking for something.

Scooter followed Kermit, and was smiling in his mind. He had a good idea who it was, but he wasn't sure just yet. Kermit rapped on the window to the car, and was frowning.

"Why have you been following us?" He asked to the person inside. The edge of the window cracked a little bit, and they could hear the person's voice clearly. It was female, but somewhat husky sounding.

"You don't know who I am, Kermit?" The voice asked him.

"No, I don't know who you are. Please, get out of that car, and tell us why you've followed us since we've gotten into town, or start that car up, and leave us." Kermit usually wasn't this forceful, but after what had happened eariler, he wasn't taking any chances at all.

"Kermit..." The voice laughed a little, and then reached over to the other seat, and picked up a small bag of sorts. It opened the door to the car, causing both Kermit and Scooter to back up quickly. It...or rather, she stepped out of the car, and smiled. "You still don't know who I am?"

Kermit looked at the woman. She was wearing black pants, and a black tshirt, which had the Muppets on the front of it. Her long brown hair was most of the way wrapped up in a black turban of sorts, and she had large sunglasses on. She had a deep tan as well, with no makeup on. Kermit frowned, looking at her from head to toe. He still didn't recoginize her.

"I still don't know you. Who are you!" He said, shouting then. The woman took off her turban, and her long brown hair, with chunks of burgandy red at the ends settled down across her shoulders. She smiled, and took off her sunglasses. She smiled at them, and laughed softly.

Kermit's mouth gaped for a second, then he smiled. "..Sara? What...you're definately different..."

Piggy saw Kermit checking Sara, or so she thought, and she stormed off of the bus, frowning. "Keep away from my Kermie, you hussie!" She stomped over to Sara and got between her and Kermit. "Keep away from him, or you'll meet my fist, darling."

"I don't have any interest in vous frog, okay?" Sara said a bit haughtily, imitating Piggy, which just made her more mad, but only for a moment. When Piggy realized what she said, she smiled, and grasped Kermit in a crushing hug.

"That's right. And let's keep it that way!" Piggy stated, smirking. Sara rolled her eyes, and looked over at Scooter. She placed her hands on her hips and huffed softly.

Scooter looked at her for a moment, then tilted his head. "What?"

"Don't 'what' what me buster! You forgot our date!" She exclaimed, to which the bus just roared with cheers and laughter. Sara's head snapped to their direction, and they were still laughing happily. Scooter was turning red again. She looked at him, and her mouth fell open. "You never told them?"

"I...I just...I couldn't help it okay!" He said, shaking his head a little. "I'm...sorry, hun."

Sara immediately dropped the false mad act with him. She knew if something had happened that he couldn't help, that was something big. Because he never forgot when they were going to do something together. "What happened Scooter? You weren't even at the boarding house...I called there, and they told me you had gone off to the swamps with Kermit!"

"Yeah...I...it was only supposed to be for a couple of...days...but..." He wasn't sure what else to say. Sara just shook her head, smiling.

"Don't worry 'bout it. You free right now?" She asked, smiling.

"Um...yeah, I am...at least I think I am..." Scooter said, turning to Kermit, who had just wriggled out from Piggy's crushing hug. Kermit nodded for him to go ahead. "Yeah! I am. Where to?"

"The coffee shop. Just get a cup of coffee and chat about what's happened to you. Come on, get in." Sara said, as she opened the driver's side to the car. Scooter got into the passengers' side, and they both closed their doors. Sara leaned out of the driver's side window, and smirked at Kermit.

"When do you need him back, Boss?" Sara said, giggling. Scooter laughed at her saying that. "Hush, Scoot. Any time you need him back?"

"No, take your time. We're not doing anything for at least another week." He said, smiling.

"Oh, cool. Okay." She said, then she rolled up the windows, and started to back up, leaving the parking lot.

Everyone was filing off of the bus then, and Rowlf turned to Kermit as they were walking into the theatre. "Scooter left his clipboard on the bus, Kermit."

Kermit picked it out of Rowlf's paws, and looked at it. He saw the picture and he smiled. Fozzie walked over to Kermit and was frowning softly. "Kermit?" He asked.

"Yeah, Fozzie?" He replied.

"Do you think she's nice?" He asked softly.

"Do I think who's nice, Fozzie?" Kermit said, a little absentmindly. He was already thinking about the skits and sets for the Winter Splendor show, which was going to be in a few months or so.

"Sara. Do you think she's nice? I mean...for Scooter and all..." He said, sitting down on a chair beside Kermit, who was sitting on his stool.

"Why would I think she's not nice, Fozzie? She's good for him I think. They like a lot of the same things too." He said, his mind still a little bit away from what they were talking about.

"She followed us all the way here, in that...dark car and everything. And she let us think she was a bad person until you yelled at her, a second time...that's not nice." He said, remembering what she did only a few minutes before in the parking lot.

Kermit stopped, and thought for a moment. It wasn't really nice, but then again, it was a little funny. To him at least. "She's big on pratical jokes, I guess. She loves comedy, so I guess she just decided she'd mess with us."

"Oh." Fozzie stood up, and smiled. "I guess I should go praticate my monologue for the Winter Show, huh?"

"If you want. You know it's not for a few months still." Kermit said, smiling as well.

"Well, praticate makes perfect!" Fozzie said, as he went back to the dressing rooms to pick up his papers, to start praticating for it.

Kermit just smiled, as he was looking at Scooter's clipboard. He wasn't really reading it, but rather looking at all the pictures. He really smiled, as he saw the last picture that the gofer had drawn, on the last page. It was a beautiful illustration of him and Sara, on what apperently was their wedding day. Kermit laughed softly.

"He's got big dreams." He flipped the pages down, smiling. "They'll do great together, I know it."

Chapter Fifteen

The car pulled up to the coffeehouse, and Sara and Scooter both stepped out. They found a corner of the shoppe near the counter, and away from most of the human and muppet patrons. Where they could have a little privacy to themselves. The owner, Jim came over and handed them two cups of coffee, and smiled.

"Been a long time since I've seen you Sara." Jim stated, grabbing a chair. Sara smiled weakly, and turned her attention to her coffee cup, as she added some cream to it.

"Yeah...it has been awhile, hasn't it Jim?" She said plainly, as he smiled again, and left a black pot of coffee for the two of them on the table. Then he left them alone to themselves.

"It's been awhile? What is he talking about, Sara?" Scooter asked, sipping his black coffee. Sara raised an eyebrow, and took a sip of her own coffee, smiling softly.

"Since when did you like strong black coffee, hun?" She said around her coffee cup, smirking.

"Huh?" He looked down, and indeed, it was black and strong, no sugar or creamer. He hadn't noticed it at all. "Oh...I guess I'm just not all here lately.."

"You really aren't all here. You've not said a word to me the entire trip over here...what's the matter, gofer?" She said his nickname in such a sweet way, that he smiled again, and leaned back in the seat across from her.

"Well...I can kill two items up for question with one answer, Sara: A demon was helping Doc Hopper, and that demon tortured me." He said plainly.

"I keep telling you...too much X-Men and Superman will rot your brain, Scoot." She said shaking her head a little, as she picked up her spoon and started to stir at her cup of coffee.

"It's not...it's true, Sara! A man clothed in black, completely in black from head to toe. He took off a red glove, and hurt me. Then he pulled out a syringe and injected something into me...I'm still hurting over it." He said, staring down into his coffee cup. "That's why I've not called you in over two weeks."

It was Sara's turn to sit back in her seat. Tears were welling in her eyes, and she glared down at the seat she was in. She stood up, and glared over at him.

"That's why you've not spoken to me in over a month? And you've not called me in over two weeks!" She said, to him she looked like she knew what he was going through, that she understood.

But that understanding was shattering quickly, like a crystal ball.

"Your...excuse, is that some demon tortured you, and that he was in league with Doc Hopper? Doc Hopper is dead, Scooter...what were you really doing out there in Leland that was so darned important you couldn't call me!" Sara hissed in his face, gripping the sides of the table and the seat at once.

"Sara...I...I couldn't help it! There arn't any phones in the swamp! You know that! And I was so hurt and dazed...I forgot to call you..." He said, trying to get her to understand what he had gone through.

The crystal ball was cracked, and was about to shatter now. He could see it in her eyes. Her green eyes were blazing brightly now, she was furious.

"...You were probably out with another woman, weren't you!" Her emotions were running so high, she wasn't even thinking about what she was saying now.

"I would never cheat on you, and you know that!" Scooter said, standing up in the seat. The patrons of Jim's Coffee Shoppe were starting to watch now, after Sara had yelled out that before.

Sara's shoulder's slumped, and she turned around to him, looking defeated. The crystal ball was shattered completely now. He knew it would take awhile to gain her trust back...she would never believe the story of the human demon who tortured him. He just knew it.

"Just go out with Kim...or someone else at Three Candles...they seem to really love you..." Sara mumbled as she started to walk out of the store, staring at the floor.

"Sara..." Scooter ran after her. She was now sitting in her car, crying. Her mind had shut down for all rational thought, and it was stuck in her head, that he had probably found another woman that he loved. It was simply the problem of a woman going insane with anger. He pounded on the window a couple of times, until she rolled it down finally.

"What?" She said flatly, wiping her eyes. She wasn't looking at him at all.

"Let me in." He said, quite simply.

"No. I'm not going to let you in...you...you broke my heart." Sara said, about to cry again.

"How could I have broken your heart? I've done nothing wrong!" He said, getting a little angry himself.

"You lied, telling me that tall tale about some stupid demon just to cover the fact you found someone else while in Leland!" Sara snapped back at him.

Scooter growled back at her. "You want to see proof, Sara?"

She lunged herself out nearer to the window, and was snarling herself. "YES I WANT TO SEE SOME GOD GIVEN PROOF THAT YOU WERE MAULED BY A DEMON!"

"FINE!" He yelled back, then he quickly unzipped his coat, and lifted up his yellow shirt. Sara was glaring at him, hot tears in her eyes. Then he gently took off the bandages that wound around his chest.

His claw marked chest was there for the world to see. Where the injection site had been, was a small open wound, pitting and was oozing slightly. He cringed when the cold wind hit his chest at full force. In fact it was merely a breeze, but it felt like knives to him.

"Are you happy, Sara? Is that enough proof for you? I still love you, and I would never leave you for another woman, and I would never lie to you. And you should know that." He said, solidly, while still holding his yellow shirt upwards.

Sara was silent, staring at his chest now. He didn't lie. It may not have been a demon, perhaps...because in her mind, demons arn't real...but the wounds he had...were the same as claw marks. She unlocked the car, and sat back in her seat.

"...get in..." She managed to choke out through her tears, she was trying hard not to sob just then. Scooter put his shirt down, and whinced getting into her car, then he settled into the passanger's seat. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and rubbed it.

"That was kind of a tall tale to take in, huh?" He said finally, after a few minutes of silence.

Sara merely nodded, and she started up the car, and went off, towards her house. "The...the least I can do sweetie...is help rebandage you..." She said softly, her voice merely a whisper over the car's noise.

"You don't have to you know." Scooter said, looking over at her, a smile on his face.

"I want to. I'm...I'm so sorry for what happened eariler, gofer...I mean...I guess I just got jealous, and scared..."

"Scared? Why would you get scared?"

"That you would really leave me.."

"Oh. I see...well you know that I would never leave you."

Sara smiled, as she pulled into her driveway. The two got out from her car, and they walked inside her small house. He sat on the dingy tiny couch, which was more of a loveseat then a couch actually, and waited while she brought the first aid kit down. It was this huge, suitcase type deal; and she set this massive thing on the coffee table and opened it.

"Wow, hon. You're prepared for...everything arn't you?" Scooter said, astonished at the size of the first aid kit.

Sara nodded, and pulled out rolls of gauze, ointment, and a bottle of achelol and a small plastic-baggied washrag. "Okay, rinse it with this, then I'll put ointment on, and wrap you in gauze like a mummy."

"...you really want me to do that." He said, staring at the bottle of achelol on the table.

"Yes, I really want you to do that. Better to be in pain again for a short while, then to have it turn gangreous and have half of the skin on your chest falling off or get infected. Now, soak it in achelol, and pat yourself with it. Here's a dry one to clamp down on." She handed him another washrag which was wrapped around a clean solid rubber dog toy.

"...what is in this thing?" He asked, looking now at the washrag wrapped rubber dog toy. "Is this a dog toy?"

"It's clean! Put it in your mouth, clamp down and hold on!" She said, as she had gloves on, and was starting to go towards his chest with the achelol soaked washrag. He quickly put the toy into his mouth, and clamped down.

-----------

From the window outside, it was quite an interesting sight. A woman, and a man on a couch together. The woman had a rag in her hand, and gloves on, and the man looked like he was in extreme pain of some sort.

"Weird sort of people in this town, eh, Dave?" The man said, smiling. The other man walking with him, just shook his head, and smirked a little.

-----------

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Sara said, smiling down at Scooter.

"Ooww...that really hurt. It's still burning!" He said, frowning.

"That's good though, it's getting all those nasty germs. With that kind of a wound I want you to be perfectly fine okay?" Sara smirked a little, then she slathered him up with the antibacterial ointment, and gently wrapped him in gauze.

"That actually feels better. Thanks." He said smiling.

"Not implying anything rude here, but maybe you should just stay for the night. It would be easier, and you would really be able to rest and everything you know?" Sara said, as they sat on the couch together. Scooter was shirtless, and laying across Sara's lap as the tv was blaring in the background softly.

"Really? ...in the same room?" He asked, a quizzical look crossing his face. A bright blush crept across Sara's cheeks and she frowned playfully.

"Of course not! I have a guest bedroom you can stay in." She said, pointing towards a closed door.

"Well, if you don't mind it, I'm going to go ahead and turn in. I'm really tired after today." He then gently stood up, and started towards the door that was the guest bedroom. "Good night, Sara!"

"Good night, my gofer!" She said smiling. As the door shut tight, she smiled, and stretched out across the sofa.

"I hope he dosn't notice that that's actually my room..." She said to herself, and she cut off the tv, and turned over, going to sleep herself.

Chapter Sixteen

The house was filled with rattles and crashs and bangs, when Scooter woke up. He wondered why Chef was up this early. He turned over and saw the silvery black clock sitting on a dark mahagony table. That wasn't his table. He blinked, and sat up. Putting on his glasses he backed up in the bed. This wasn't his room!

"Oh...where am I?" He asked himself softly, then he stepped out of the bed, and saw he was still halfway dressed. He still had his jeans on, but no shirt or shoes. He saw himself in the large mirror across the room. Then it hit him where he had been for the night.

He felt like his heart was going to stop just then. "I'm never going to live this down." He said to himself once more. Someone knocked on the door. "Uh, yeah?"

"Comeon, get decent. Breakfast." Sara stated from outside the door. She walked back into the kitchen, just in time to pull the toast out before it burned. "Ah..ah...crap...good...it's okay." She sat the hot pan of toast on the sink, letting it cool off before plating it up. It was eggs, toast, sausage, and coffee.

Scooter yawned and walked inside the kitchen, still without a shirt and shoes, and Sara snickered. "Feeling already natural in here, huh?" She smirked at him, then sat down. "It's not a whole lot, but it's something."

"Looks great." Scooter said smiling. He sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee, and just looked over at her. She was wearing a long yellow shirt, over a pair of black pants, and wasn't wearing shoes right now. Her hair was a mess, she looked like she just rolled out of bed and made breakfast.

"After breakfast, I'll drop you off at the boarding house, okay?" Sara said, as they were eating.

"Why can't I just spend the day with you?" He then asked her.

"I don't really have the time today. I've got to get these articles done for the paper, hun. And I've gotta go get pictures of the new grocery store, and also help break ground for new park. Got a lot on my plate today, Scoot." She said, frowning for a moment. "I really wish you could tag along, but as I'm already in their way enough, having someone else hanging on me would just infuriate them more."

"Them?"

"Yes. The people who funded the new park and grocery store. Some new company called 'Denays'. Sounds like some high power company and all." Sara shook her head, taking another sip of her coffee, and frowning into it. "I wish they'd get out of Hensonville. They've threatened Kim with eviction twice."

"They've threatened Kim? That's the bookstore though, she and Lisa live there..." Scooter said, quite astonished.

"I know. And I used to live there myself. And can't believe what they're trying to do to my sisters. I've told them, if they couldn't win the fight with them, they could come and stay with me. Don't have much room, but they are my sisters." She nodded, and frowned a little bit.

"That's just horrible. What do you intend to do about it?"

Sara nearly coughed on her coffee then. "Me? I'm just one person, I can't do anything about it, hon. I've heard horror stories about people who try to go against them. They sue them within an inch of their lives, and they end up homeless and an outcast!"

"You can live with me, at the boarding house then." Scooter said, with a finality she had never really heard before in his voice.

"...Really?"

"Really. I mean...I would never want to see you, or your sisters out on the streets. All of you can come and live at the boarding house. We've always got rooms open." He said, trying to hide the fact that he really loved her, and that he would do anything for her.

Sara smiled, nodding. "Thanks...before I try to do anything with them though...I'd want to be a bit more finachally secure then I am now. I'm barely making ends meet as it is. Kim is taking care of Lisa, and I'm watching out for them both as well."

"Kinda tough being the middle sister, huh?" He said, smiling.

"Sorta. Kim's hardly ever there though, she's usually off somewhere getting more books for the store, or she's holed away in her room, doing research. Last time I saw her actually, was when I was moving my last stuff out of the bookstore, a couple of months ago."

"What about Lisa?"

"She's usually asleep. Poor thing wears herself out all the time. She's usually asleep, snoring into her Jewish studies book, or into one of her own books or notebooks. Either that or she's so deep into a book, you can't pull her out of it." Sara laughed a little, remembering this one time Lisa was just raving over one of her articles. "Or she's yelling in happiness over some book or article she's reading. I know she's reading something she loves when I started hearing 'Holy Mosqutioes!' all over that old libary!"

Scooter started laughing a little bit, then he sighed, looking at his watch. "I guess you need to get going huh? It's nearly 9 am."

"Huh?" Sara turned around and saw the clock on the wall, and she gasped. "Oh no! I was supposed to be there at 8:55am!"

Sara jumped up, and ran to her bedroom, to get dressed in a flash. She took a quick shower, washed her hair, brushed her teeth, got dressed in a stylish pantsuit, and grabbed her Press Badge. She bolted back outside to the kitchen, and gulped down the rest of her coffee. She saw Scooter standing by the door, completely dressed now, ready to go.

"Let's get going, Scoot! You are coming with me today, cause I don't have time now to drop you off at the boarding house or the theatre!" Sara said, as the two ran out the door to her car, and they nearly sped off towards the new grocery store.

Chapter Seventeen

They pulled up to the new grocery store, and Sara stepped out from her car, and checked her watch. She was only 5 minutes late, good. Back in the car, Scooter was still tightly gripping the door handle, he felt like his eyes were gonna bug out of his head.

'I'm never letting her drive again with me in her car...' He thought over and over, but after a few minutes of not moving period, he got a bit more relaxed. He looked over to where Sara was now arguing with a thin man, who was bald.

"I have told you Ms. Vines. Late again, and you're fired." The thin man spat at her, she glared back at him, her own temper flaring now.

"Mr. Wonkins! I was only late by 5 minutes! For that matter, no one else is here yet! What would it matter anyways! I would have been standing around in the lot, just waiting for someone to show up!" She said quite forcefully back at him.

"I'm sorry Ms. Vines. You are fired. Give me your press badge, and I do not expect to see you at the opening of the new park today either. Understand?" Mr. Wonkins said icily, his hand extended to take Sara's press badge.

"FINE!" She slammed the badge down into his hands, frowning deeply. "I'd like to see you find someone who can replace me, you old disagreeing skinflint!"

Sara stormed back to her car, in tears now. She opened the car door and sat down heavily, staring at the steering wheel. Without a word, she got back out of her car, and walked over to the passenger's seat, and looked down at Scooter for a moment.

"Can you drive?" She barely managed to whisper. He nodded and got out of the car, then walked around to the driver's seat, and got in. He didn't start the car though, but he looked over at her for a moment.

"What happened? I saw the fight...but I couldn't hear what happened.." He said softly.

"I got fired." She said, trying her hardest not to cry. She looked over at Scooter, her eyes stinging, her cheeks hot. "...I got fired from the state newspaper..." She then broke down in the car. She didn't have a job now.

Scooter reached over, and then shimmied over to where she was, and she leaned against his shoulder, crying. He gave her a tight hug, and comforted her. Usually when people lost their job, it really wasn't a huge thing most times. But for her, she had had this job, ever since she was out of high school. She had crawled and clawed her way, honestly, up to Senior Reporter status.

Another, shorter man walked over to Mr. Wontkins and looked towards the car for a moment. He saw that she was crying, and he frowned. "Why did you fire our best reporter, Wonkins?"

"She had too many ideas in her head." He said, simply, looking over the new grocery store. He was looking over some papers, trying to find another reporter who could come in for her. "Wilkins...she was a changer. She went against the grain of how we do things here at The State."

"She was our top reporter, Wonkins! Now who will we find to replace her?" Wilkins said incredously. Wonkins expression got a bit horrifed then.

"I have no clue, Wilkins." Wonkins said, frowning. Wilkins poured himself a cup of coffee, then handed one to Wonkins, who waved it away. "Don't drink the stuff, Wilkins, too much caffienee."

"Well, you should. It's really good." Wilkins said, walking back to the truck.

----------------------

Scooter pulled the dark car up into the driveway of the boarding house, and they just sat there for a moment. Sara had stopped crying a long time ago, but the memory was still fresh and painful.

"Let's just go inside, okay? Relax some, and then we'll figure out how to deal with this later today." He said softly, as the two of them opened the doors to the car.

Kermit was sitting in the windowseat, watching them. A small smile was across his face. He looked out to the living room for a moment. Nearly everyone was sitting in the living room, waiting for Scooter to come home. Most of them didn't notice that Sara was with him. "Oh, good." Kermit said softly, when she saw both of them walk out from the car. "They're safe."

"Who's safe, green stuff?" Floyd asked, from his perch on the couch.

"Like, who's in the driveway?" Janice then asked, curious, as she couldn't see out the window properly from her vantage point.

"Scooter's back, with Sara. They're both safe...but something's wrong." Kermit said finally, when he got a good look at Sara's face. He saw that she had been crying for sometime now.

"Go Scooter!" Clifford yelled, as the front door opened, and the two of them walked inside. It also didnt' help that Scooter had his arm around Sara's waist as well.

"When are you two getting hitched?" Dr. Teeth asked, to which Scooter did a double take.

"Married? What? No!" He said, as the two then slowly made their way into the kitchen. "Can we please have some privacy please!"

"Sure, the bedroom's up there, gofer!" Floyd said laughing.

Scooter frowned. "Not THAT type of privacy...geez, guys! We're not going to get married, yes she's my girlfriend, quit bugging me about it please! She's had a really rough day, and I when I said privacy, I just mean I don't want everyone following us into the kitchen! We just want to talk alone!" He yelled out, over the clamor that had already started in the living room.

"Oh." Janice said finally, through the silence that had fallen over the entire group just then. "Well...uh...like I guess we'd honor that. Rully, just wanting some time alone with your gurlfriend ain't that bad, right?" She said softly, knowing the many times she and Floyd had wanted privacy from the rest of the band, just to talk.

Everyone agreed with Janice, and with that, Sara and Scooter made their way into the kitchen. They sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen, and Sara frowned softly. She laid her head down in her hands, and sighed.

"I can't believe Mr. Wonkins fired me, Scooter!" Sara said, exhausted.

"She got fired, guys!" Robin said, his head pressed to the door, while telling Janice who told Clifford, who told Gonzo, who told Fozzie, and Fozzie told everyone else in the room.

"It can't be that bad you know. I mean, you're a really great reporter honey...you're bound to find another job somewhere." Scooter said, smiling taking her hands in his.

"Scooter just said she's a great reporter, and she could probably get another job somewhere. He called her honey!" Robin relayed yet again, down the telegraph line of muppets that were crowded around the kitchen door.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Fozzie said softly, smiling.

"Yeah...I guess so. I mean...I just..." Sara paused for a moment, and looked at him, smiling. Then she frowned for a moment. "You're not looking too good, Scooter."

"She just stammered...and...I think she just said that Scooter wasn't looking good." Robin said once more.

"It was probably just so much time in the swamps. I don't really like it when Kermit just up and decides in the middle of shooting to go and visit his family..." Scooter said, a slight frown playing across his face.

"Scooter said he dosnt' like when Uncle Kermit decides to go to the swamp in the middle of shooting." Robin said, frowning slightly. He loved it when they went to the swamp, and hearing his friend say that made him a little bit sad.

Sara perked up a little bit, and heard Robin talking outside the kitchen door, and she smirked a little. Scooter didn't notice it at all. "Yeah, I guess so. But, I mean...what are we going to do?"

"I don't know, Sara. Um...I do have something to...to ask you though..." Scooter said, smiling quite widely then.

"Sara just asked him, 'What are we going to do?' then Scooter said he had something to ask her." Robin said, straining to hear them. The dishwasher that Chef had loaded, just started up in it's rinsing cycle, so it was harder to hear through the door now.

Scooter got up from the table, and walked over to sit beside Sara. He reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a small box. Then he took a couple of large breaths, and looked her straight in the eyes. "S-Sara?" He then opened the box, inside was a small diamond ring, beautifully set in a silver band, settled on a small bit of crushed red velvet. The velvet was heavy, and somewhat old. It looked like it had been taken from the velvet curtains of the theatre in fact.

He gulped deeply, and looked at her, he was sweating bullets just then. "Would you...marry me?"

Robin started hopping up and down just then, forgetting that he was supposed to stay quiet then. "He just popped the question to her, guys! He just popped the question!"

Janice started yelling happily, as did everyone else. As they were right outside the door, the sudden noise of cheering and yelling caught Scooter in suprise, and he fell off of the chair he was balancing on. He coughed a bit, and got back up, then was leaning on one knee, looking up at her. Before he was just sitting on the seat itself. Everyone crowded into the kitchen, awaiting Sara's response. They were waiting with bated breath.

"Wow." She was as pale as a sheet then, staring at Scooter, trying to not see all the other muppets that crowded around her. "Um...uh..."

Scooter smiled up at her. He focused on her, and he didn't see anyone else but her just then. It was the only thing keeping him from fainting. Sara then nodded, smiling sweetly.

"Yes...I will." She said softly, as the was silent room erupted into cheers and celebration. Scooter placed the ring gently on her left ring finger, and gave her a huge hug, then a kiss on the lips. Sara laughed happily, and then leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"After the Winter Splendor show, of course, right?" She said softly.

"Right. You need to get everything ready anyways, right?" He whispered back into her ear. They pulled away from each other, and gave each other another kiss, and smiled. Everyone was congratulating them on their to-be marriage. Sara was laughing and smiling, as was Scooter. As they were able to walk out of the kitchen, Sara turned to Scooter, and smiled again.

"I don't want to miss a moment of this, honey. I'll be writing everything down that happens to us." She said smiling.

"Sounds great, Sara. I can't wait to read it when we're finished with it." He said, nodding his head in agreement. "But...when will it be finished?"

"On our wedding day. That will be my last entry." Sara said, as they walked back outside to go and sit on the porch.

"Great. Anything you write is a real treat." Scooter said as he settled down onto the porch.

After a few hours, everyone finally stopped bothering them. They finally had real peace out on that porch, slowly swinging together, while chatting away. Little did they know, that their lives would be changed drastically so soon...

-The End-