Kermit and Miss Piggy got to Lily's apartment as fast as they could. The sound of Walter's panicked voice on the phone after Lily had received a horrifying package was enough for them to jump to their feet and get in the car.
The police made it over quickly, too. They studied the content that Lily had found in the box. Walter still felt the ringing in his ears from when his girlfriend let out an ear piercing scream when she looked in the delivered package.
A heart. An organ heart was in the box. Plump, and just there.
Lily sat on the couch, still trembling. Walter did all his best to comfort his girlfriend. Kermit and Piggy sat near them, also shook by the situation. The police and a medic professional studied the heart, that still remained in the box.
The medic professional took off his rubber gloves, and turned towards the others.
"Well?" The chief officer asked.
"A human heart." The medic said. "No doubt about it."
The four that sat on the couch all shook with fear. The police looked towards them.
"Lily." The head officer said. "With everything that has happened with Walter, we just wanna ask a few questions."
Lily nodded. The chief pulled out a notepad.
"Who delivered this package to you?"
"The doorman brought it." Lily responded. "He said someone brought it directly to the building."
"Did he say who?"
"No."
Walter shook his head, a bit angered. "Constantine's fugitives..." The boy mumbled under his breath. Kermit looked towards him.
"Walter." The frog plainly said, trying to keep him calm. He could sense the boy's frustration.
"There's no return address on it, boss." One of the officers said, looking at the box. "Only the note."
"Was there any recognition of the handwriting?" The chief asked Lily. She shook her head.
"Sir, this is obviously a part of the whole Constantine situation. With his goons trying to kill Walter, it would make sense."
"I'm so tired of this..." Walter said, his voice full of anger. "I don't understand why they don't just find me, instead of trying to scare us."
"They ripped someone's heart out, and said you're next..." Lily said, her voice shaky with worry. "They want to rip your heart out for goodness sake!"
Walter ran a hand through his hair. He put his elbows on his knees, and just rested in place.
"Do we know...who's it might be?" Kermit asked the police, reffering to the heart.
"We're not certain." The chief responded. "We've got others on the case right now."
"I don't understand." Walter said. "How did those goons even know where Lily's apartment is?"
"They could have seen you come here." Kermit shrugged.
"Or Lily." Piggy said. The chief looked back towards Lily.
"Did you at one point possibly walk from the Muppets' studios, back to your apartment?" The chief asked Lily. She thought about it for a moment.
"Well, a walk from there to here would be way too long." She said, quietly. "But there was that time I took the subway-"
Lily stopped when realization struck her. She remembered when she met up with Walter at one point in the morning before he had to go to the studios for work. She walked him there, and took the subway back to her apartment.
"Oh my gosh..." Lily said, putting a hand over her eyes. "They followed me home, didn't they?"
"They're waiting around the studios." The chief concluded. "Trying to get close to Walter. They must have saw you, and took the opportunity."
Walter felt his anger and anxiety just take over him. He jumped to his feet, and stormed out of the room. Kermit followed him, as did Piggy. The boy went into Lily's kitchen, fuming with anger.
"Walter." Kermit said, him and Piggy following. "I know this is bad, but you need to take a breath."
"I'm sick of all of this." Walter said. "But those guys have gone too far, now. The last thing I want them to do is bring Lily into this."
"I promise, we won't let anything happen to her."
"They hit me with a car!" Walter said, finally yelling. He looked at Piggy and Kermit with frustration. "They put me in a coma, I almost died, and now they're sending human hearts to Lily!?"
"Walter, please calm down." Piggy said, gently.
"No, the last thing I need is for them to scare Lily." Walter said. "If they want to kill me so bad, they should just pop out already AND DO IT!"
"Walter!" Kermit said, a bit angered himself. "Don't say that! Can't you see that they're getting to you? That's what they want. Don't fall for it."
Walter stayed quiet for a moment. He tried to get his anger under control. Kermit was right, they were getting in his head on purpose. He couldn't give in.
"Okay, okay..." Walter agreed. His phone then began to ring. Fozzie was calling from the other end. Walter picked it up, and put it on speaker.
"Fozzie?" Walter asked. Kermit and Piggy both put their attention towards the phone.
"Walter, how close to the police are you?" Fozzie asked. Walter arched an eyebrow, and looked towards the living room.
"Uh...pretty close." Walter said.
"Okay, because they might need to come here."
"Why? What's going on?" Kermit spoke up.
"Kermit? Wait, where are you guys?"
"We're at Lily's apartment. She got a package, and we called the police." Walter explained.
"What kind of package?" The bear asked. Walter exchanged a look with Kermit and Piggy.
"We'll...tell you later. Why do you need the police?" The boy asked.
"I got a weird letter." Fozzie said.
"From?"
"I dunno, it doesn't say."
"What's on the letter?"
"It says..." The bear drifted off.
"Fozzie?" Kermit asked, nervously.
"Hold on, I'm not done reading." Fozzie responded. Kermit sighed.
"It says...'Give us the boy, or we take his girl.'"
Walter felt his heart drop, and his arms go loose. Take his girl. They were talking about Lily.
"That's why they sent that...thing to her." Walter said. "Oh man, they're gonna take her if I don't give myself in!"
"What?" Fozzie said from the other end. "No, they can't do that!"
"Okay, nobody panic!" Kermit said. "Not now, we just need to think."
"I'll got tell the police." Piggy said, leaving the kitchen.
"Man." Fozzie said. "This really sucks to have happened the day Walter is offered heir of being Muppet leader."
"Tell me about it..." Walter mumbled.
"So what're we gonna do?" Fozzie asked. Walter looked towards Kermit, hoping for answers. He always seemed to have them when it was needed.
"I mean, I have a basic solution." Kermit said. "But, she's you girlfriend..."
Walter nodded, and thought about it for a moment. "I think, she needs to stay in hiding for a while. If the police do a major investigation, I'm sure this could get solved sooner."
Kermit nodded, as though Walter read his mind. His leadership really did remind the frog of Jim.
Just then, many of the police officers passed by the kitchen. Lily and Piggy followed behind.
"What's going on?" Kermit asked.
"They're going to go investigate Fozzie's note." Lily said. "But, we've still got some staying here looking at the...heart." Piggy and Lily continued to lead the officers to Lily's front door. Kermit and Walter were once again left alone.
"Did they just say they're coming?" Fozzie's voice asked through the phone.
"Yeah Fozzie, they're on their way." Walter said.
"Great! Could you ask them to bring a churro?" The bear asked. Even in a dark situation, Walter couldn't help but let out a chuckle. It felt good to laugh. Kermit shook his head, being use to the bear's behaviour.
"Fozzie, now's the time." Kermit said.
"Okay, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing on opportunity." Fozzie said. "I'll see you guys later."
Fozzie hung up the phone, and Kermit and Walter both relaxed a bit. They were both tired, and overwhelmed. But, Kermit still wanted to make the best of things.
"I know this is probably a bad time. But, tomorrow we're all just going to take day to reconnect with each other at the studios. After everything that happened, I think we need it."
Walter gave a small smile, and nodded. "Okay." He said. "As long as I know Lily is safe, I'll be fine. Anything to get my mind off of this."
Kermit couldn't help but sigh with relief. "Oh, good. I thought this would end up being the same fiasco that happened before your accident."
"Nah." Walter said. "I don't need the title of being irrational. That's not who I am."
"Yeah...you've got a new title, right Muppet Boy?" Kermit joked, smirking and walking away. Walter's eyes widened.
"Hey!" Walter called back to the frog. "Yeah, yeah. Very funny."
Kermit left the kitchen, laughing.
/~/~/~/
"Hey, Walter?" Fozzie asked the young Muppet. The Muppets all sat on the floor on the stage, just talking. It's been a while since they did something like that. "Did Gary and Mary hire a band for the wedding yet?"
Walter thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think so."
"Well, did they ever think that comedic bits from a professional might be a better alternative?" The bear asked, hopefully.
"Fozzie, it's a wedding." Scooter said. "I think they'd rather celebrate to music, not unbearable comedy."
"Maybe we could perform for the wedding." Kermit suggested to Walter. "Electric Mayhem could play."
Many of the band members nodded excitedly, waiting for Walter to answer.
"I mean, I'll have to ask. But, I'm sure they'd say yes." Walter answered.
"Yeah, y'all!" Dr. Teeth said. "We're gonna rock it, wedding style!"
Walter smiled, and relaxed a bit. It felt good to just talk with his Muppet family.
"I'll work up an agreement and suggest it to Gary and Mary." Kermit said.
"And someday," Fozzie said. "Walter will be in charge of doing that. Right, buddy?"
No one said anything. It was all of a sudden awkward. Walter didn't respond and just stayed still, uncomfortably.
"I...uh..." Fozzie tried to take his words back. "I-I mean-! That is...if you take it. But, no pressure! Heh, heh..."
The tension was really bad, it could be cut through so easily. Many looked towards Kermit hoping he would fix it. He seemed just as uncomfortable.
"I don't think it's pressure." Walter finally said. "Not if I've already agreed to do it."
All the Muppets did a double take at Walter's answer. They all felt their jaw drops. Including Kermit.
"Wait." Kermit said. "Really?" Walter nodded.
"You're gonna take it...?" Gonzo asked.
"I think I'd be crazy not to." Walter shrugged. All the Muppets immediately jumped to their feet, all running towards Walter. Gonzo was the first to reach him, and tackle him into a friendly hug. All the others came around, turning it into a big group hug. They all talked happily amongst each other.
Walter agreed to be the new heir.
"Muppets!" Someone said, interrupting the happy moment. They all turned, and saw Sam the eagle standing there. He held a telephone, that was rining. "The urgent phone is rining."
"Huh. Must be urgent." Fozzie said, pointing out the obvious. Sam put it down on a nearby prop table, and the Muppets all surrounded it. Kermit came the closest, Walter right near him.
"Hello?" Kermit answered, putting it on speaker. It was quiet for a moment.
"We want to speak to Walter..." A deep, Russian voice asked. All the Muppets felt their hearts drop. Oh no.
"You..." Walter said.
"That's right, Muppet Boy..." Another Russian man voice said.
"What do you want..." Kermit stated, rather than questioned. It was again quiet for a brief few seconds.
"We've got your girl."
The Muppets all let out silent gasps and whispers. Many looked towards Walter, who had a frozen expression on his face. He clenched his fists, and felt his heart boom inside his chest.
"You're lying..." Walter said through gritted teeth.
"Ha. Don't believe us?" One of the men said.
"...Walter..." A familiar female voice said, very quietly. Walter couldn't believe it.
"Lily?" Walter asked.
"Believe us, now?" One of the men asked.
"Let her go. This has nothing to do with her." Kermit said, trying to protect the young girl.
"Oh, but it does." The man said. "You want her, Walter? Come and see us."
"The Southwest Marine. One hour." The other said.
"We'll finally settle this face to face, Muppet Boy."
The Muppets all shuttered with fear. Walter wouldn't agree to this. There was no way.
"Okay." Walter said. "I'll see you then."
Kermit looked at Walter with shock. The other line hung up. As soon as the call was done, Walter stormed pass the rest of the Muppets. He began to walk towards the back entrance of the studios. The rest of the Muppets followed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Kermit said, grabbing Walter's shoulder. Walter turned to look at him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"What am I doing? I'm going to stop them!" The boy said.
"You can't, they'll kill you." Kermit said. "You know that's their plan."
"I know, but what choice do I have?"
"We won't let you do this!" Piggy said.
"Yeah, let us come!" Gonzo said.
"It's too dangerous." Walter said. "I don't want them hurting you guys."
"Sorry boy, we're coming." Dr. Teeth said. Kermit walked closer to Walter.
"As soon as you became a part of this family, your problems became ours." The frog said. Walter sighed.
"I don't know..." he said, unsure.
"Come on, we have a better chance if we all go." Scooter said.
"We can call the police on the way. Rowlf suggested.
"No, they'll be expecting that." Walter said. "We can call, but they can't come with us. They'll have to find a way to sneak up."
"Okay." Kermit said. "Let's go. I've got 80s Robot on speed dial."
"No, we don't have time." Floyd said. "We'll take the band's bus."
"Come on guys. We're stopping Constantine's wrath once and for all." Kermit said, leading the way.
The Muppets all piled out of the studios from the back door. They all walked towards the Electric Mayhem bus, ready to go save Lily. Kermit and Walter were both leading the way. The frog could sense that Walter was freaking out. He was worried for his girlfriend. But, Kermit wouldn't say anything. Now wasn't the time for consolation. They just needed to get his girlfriend back.
I'm coming, Lily. Walter thought to himself.
Come back for the next part! (I know the urgent phone part with Sam was kind of weird, but I needed a way for Kermit to put it on speaker so everyone could hear)