Bogen County Farewell

The Count

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I is up late with partial insomnia or not being able to fall asleep when I want to or whatever you call that. And I is also lacking in the midnight snacks category, will ask that in the next groceries run.

But thanks for posting this, there's a lot there that explains the family past and present dynamic between the various clashes of the main a-trio. *Gives points for knowing the difference between a p-sychiatrist and psychologist.

Look forward to whatever's next. Thanks for posting as always.
 

WebMistressGina

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I is up late with partial insomnia or not being able to fall asleep when I want to or whatever you call that. And I is also lacking in the midnight snacks category, will ask that in the next groceries run.
*Hands Counters some midnight snacks*

But thanks for posting this, there's a lot there that explains the family past and present dynamic between the various clashes of the main a-trio. *Gives points for knowing the difference between a p-sychiatrist and psychologist.

Look forward to whatever's next. Thanks for posting as always.
That was pretty much my point with this. It's been proven that what you experience in your childhood directly affects you in your adult life, especially when you experience dysfuntionality or trauma in childhood.

Of course Muppet "canon" is fast and loose, but it's been shown that Piggy is pretty much tightlipped on her past and family, with little pieces coming out on occasion. She's gone back and forth between really a love/hate relationship with her mother, which would make sense considering if Hortense was making at least two of her daughters go through pageants (I had/have an idea that this was a 'living vicariously' from a past failure).

I've only seen the 'hate' conflict on Piggy's father, so it was all me that was thinking she viewed him a lot more favorably. But again, I think all of the Hogglesworths have a love/hate relationship with their parents - they love them, but hate the choices they made that have lead them to this point.

I think Nate has more of a 'hate' relationship with his father, as he essentially ended up being the 'man of the house', which colored his young adult years. We'll go into the 'sacrifice' Ham made in the next section, section after.

This whole thing of course gave me spin off ideas, so there may be a Miss Piggy's Family Adventures, which would bring in her sisters Virgi and Ro, showing that remaining siblings and their relationships with each other; as stated, they had use to be close, but time, rivalry, jealousy, and others have kept them apart until now.

We'll see with that.
 

The Count

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Yeah... And it doesn't get any better when you're older, always new daily dramas to keep family life "interesting" (if that's even the word for it).
Thanks for the snacks. :insatiable:

Not surprised if that's why Hortense was putting two of her girls through the pageant life, reminds me of Amy's mom from Buffy, the former cheerleader using witchcraft to force her daughter down the same path.

Intrigued to read what's next from you, LMK if you need ideas for 2-Ball as well. :wink:
 

WebMistressGina

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Okay gang! Let's do another section here. I have a few more, but then we can cross a Mupp Adventure off; we're actually coming to the near end for 2 Ball and we can cross that off; AND there's maybe one more section on Desert Delay and I can cross THAT one off!

I still have Wedding Day Blues part I to finish, however it means we can head into the holidays (or next year) with a new Monday fic, which IIRC is...a Monday Marriage? Would you like to see that next? For the moment, let's get this puppy up and running! We have now caught up to where I'm at in writing!




Saturday morning, Kermit was surprised to wake up alone, especially seeing as it was still a little before 7:30am in the morning. Stretching, he sat up in bed, fully expecting to see the light on in the bathroom, but not seeing anything; he tried not to be worried, but of course he was. The last few days had proven Piggy was not acting like herself and the longer they stayed, the worse it seemed to be getting; he had always tried to get the diva to confide in him, with varying success, and she always seemed to want to hold things in rather than let them out.

Not that he could say anything – there were times he felt it was better for him to shoulder whatever doubts, stresses, or issues he came across so he wouldn’t be a burden; that of course never worked out well.

Kermit was afraid Piggy hadn’t truly accepted not only her mother’s death, but the sudden and surprising death of her youngest sister. He couldn’t imagine what might be going through her mind, but he just hoped she knew he – and the others – were there for her. That was why they were here in the first place.

Figuring he needed to find out where she was exactly, he left the warmth of the sheets and room and went to go find the diva. He didn’t need to look far because as soon as he walked out into the hallway, he could hear the muted voices and laughter coming from the kitchen, proving that at least a few of the house’s occupants were awake and moving around. Pushing open the door, Kermit was surprised, happily though, at the scene before him –

Nate, Ham, and Piggy were seated around the kitchen island, laughing at something the younger pig had said; there were plates sitting in front of each of them, with forks and the remnants of pie, if what the foil tin sitting there was any indication. “Hey Mitt,” came the greeting, coming from Ham who had seen him walk into the kitchen first.

“Morning,” he replied, sending them each a smile. “You three are up early.”

The trio looked at each other, small smiles on their faces. The hours had gone by so quickly it seemed, they hadn’t really thought to head back to bed after they were up; it had been several years since they had spent the night up with each other.

“Are we having pie for breakfast then?”

The siblings looked at the frog, who was in the midst of brewing a pot of coffee, before they looked down at their plates. That’s when the fun, jovial feeling in the kitchen turned to horror and dread.

“Oh no.”

Nate cursed.

“What?” Kermit asked, slightly alarmed at the way the group was acting. Seemingly going from laughing and joking with each other, the peace and calm of the morning had clearly been broken and it was distressing because the frog had no idea why or what had happened.

“Oh my God,” Ham moaned, as he quickly went to clean up their mess. “This is so bad.”

“Don’t panic, don’t panic,” Piggy was saying, helping her brothers clean up.

“What is going on!?”

“We just sat here and ate most…” Nate began, showing Kermit the near empty pie pan. “All of Grandma’s prize winning rhubarb pie.”

“She’s gonna kill us,” Ham said, grabbing the pie pan and heading to the trash can in order to dump it out. Piggy immediately stopped him, however.

“Are you crazy?” she asked, snatching the pan back. “You can’t throw this away. We have to take this with us, we have to destroy evidence!”

“How?”

Here, Piggy was at a loss for words, turning to look at her twin in panic. “Okay, okay, listen,” he told them. “We can fix this. We take the pan, we take my truck, and we head down to Roshenbach’s and we get a new pie.”

“Grandma is totally going to know that’s not her pie,” Ham said, giving his brother a look.

“But no one else will,” Nate commented. "And you’re assuming Grandma’s gonna have some pie. We’ll just pile her up with food and drink and she’ll be too stuffed to eat to pie. Everyone else is gonna rave about the pie and she’ll never know the difference. Or OR…we tell her everyone ate the pie yesterday and as her three favorite grandchildren, we went out and bought a new one.”

Pointing at her brother, Piggy replied, “I like that. Let’s go with that one.” Turning to look at the frog, she said, “Kermit, Kermit, I’m about to ask a really big favor from you.”

“You want me to cover for you,” he answered immediately.

“Please?” she asked, a desperate look on her face. “I’ll love you forever.”

“You’re gonna love me forever anyways,” he said, with a smile on his face. “Go and do your operative thing. I don’t know anything about this; I got up, made coffee, and was reading the paper. I know nothing about a pie.”

“You are the awesome!” Ham exclaimed, finishing up the dish cleaning with Nate and following his brother out of the kitchen. Piggy was right behind them, though she did pause to give the frog a kiss on the cheek as she passed him. The three quickly went about trying to get out of the house, even with Piggy grabbing some jeans and being told to just put them on in the car.

They would be having more company over that morning, with the idea that they might start to pack up some of Hortense’s belongings, as well as giving out the items she had left people in their will. The official reading wouldn’t be until much later, but Ida had already seen most of what would go to whom and in the time, she felt it was better to just address it when emotions weren’t so raw.

It was already near 8am when the three left, knowing that people would start arriving around ten, though they weren’t planning on serving anyone breakfast; it was to be the same time of gathering they had held yesterday, with a few snacks and treats, including that of Ida’s pie, which was the reason that eating the entirety of it was a very bad thing.

Within the time of the three siblings leaving, activity in the house began, with various members of the family returning. Sarah had asked Kermit if he had happened to have seen her husband, which he replied that yes, he had seen him and that he and his younger siblings had gone out to get a pie, which he knew nothing about.

“Which means to say, you know something about it,” she deduced, sending a smirk his way.

The frog went back to his paper, though he couldn’t lose the smile on his lips. “I don’t know anything about it.”

Just when the first hints of people were starting to show, around 9:30, the trio returned, walking through the door as though they hadn’t been planning on deceiving their grandmother about her pie. Piggy, who had only left in her sleepwear and with a pair of jeans, was now decked out in those jeans, as well as a University of Iowa Panthers sweatshirt that she had stolen from the back seat of Nate’s truck.

Ida saw them almost immediately and with grandmother-fu skills, knew instantly that something was up. “Where’ve you three been?” she asked, eyes narrowing as she took in their appearance. It was clear that Ham was still wearing the suit he had worn yesterday, while at least Nate looked as though he had gone home and changed. Maybe.

“And what’re you up to?”

“Nothing!” the three of them chorused.

“We just wanted to enjoy the crisp morning air, Grandma,” Nate replied, sending the elder pig a huge smile.

“Bull,” she retorted. “None of you have ever liked the cold and I know for sure you aren’t getting snow storms in that sunny state of yours, Piggy Lee.”

“Don’t you know the cold is good for your skin, Grandmama?” the diva said. “I was merely just introducing the concept to the boys, I figured…I dunno. Couldn’t hurt. It wouldn’t help, but it couldn’t hurt.”

“Ha, she’s all laughs, folks,” Ham said, chuckling while also giving his sister a slight elbow in the ribs. “Well, I think I’ll go into the kitchen and get some coffee. Why don’t you two come with me and I’ll make you each a cup.”

“Capital idea, little brother,” Nate said, hurrying both siblings into the kitchen. “Coffee is just what is needed on this cold, blistery day.”

Ida kept her eyes narrowed as she watched three of her grandchildren hurry into the kitchen, obviously hiding something between them. If she knew her grandchildren – and regardless of age, she definitely knew them – they’d manage to tip their hand before or during lunch; all she had to do was wait.

Saturday’s lunch was much more jovial than the day before, now that whatever issues were between the trio had seemingly been resolved. Some of the same guests from the day before came for lunch that day – these were mostly people who had been friends or who had known for Hortense and the family for a long time. For such a small town, it was surprising to see just how many people managed to come to both the funeral and both of these memorials and it seemed the Malines and Hogglesworths weren’t as tinged with the rage and anger that had been apparent the day before.

The crowd wasn’t as big this morning as it was yesterday, with at most twelve to fifteen people, along with the added seventeen family members. As before, the group discussed Hortense and what she had meant to them, with sympathies for those she had left behind, especially her children. It was clear that most knew Nate, who knew most of those assembled, while Piggy and Ham tried to remember some of the people that were coming up to them.

For the non-members of the family – not counting those who had known the sow before her death – it was interesting to learn more about this Hortense Maline Hogglesworth that wasn’t tinged with anger or resentment.

Hortense was the oldest of seven, the oldest girl out of six; unbeknownst to apparently her children, especially Piggy, Hortense had been a beauty queen in her past, winning several local pageants before becoming the runner up to Miss Iowa. Afterwards, she had met Pignatius Hogglesworth and the rest seemed to be history. However, it didn’t seem that was the complete history. Despite any animosity the elder Maline had between her siblings or children, her friends regarded her as a wonderful and giving woman.

Even Ida had nothing but praise for her eldest, though that did seem to ruffle the feathers of her other three children. But never let it be said that the elderly Maline didn’t see the reactions of her children, because for every praise she had for Hortense, she had an equal one for Hattie, Millie, and Ricky Lane. Lunch was spent laughing and trading stories about Hortense, though none of her children still couldn’t come up with any stories they wanted to share.

Of course lunch wouldn’t have been complete without Ida’s award winning pie, which unknown to her, was actually a replacement from her grandchildren. No one else seemed to notice the difference, but the pie’s original maker did and she was pretty sure she knew who the culprits were. After taking a bite, she turned her gaze on three of her eldest daughter’s children and asked, “Did you three eat my prize winning rhubarb pie?”

“No!”

“Cause this pie tastes like something you’d get from Roshenbach’s.”

Kermit had known Piggy had some acting ability, but he had always assumed she had taken classes; over the years he had known her, it was clear she had internal talent right from the beginning and now, he knew where she had gotten the training. Despite the fact that he himself had seen the aftermath of whatever late night snack meeting had happened between her and her brothers, the three of them actually looked as though they literally had no idea what Ida was talking about.

All three of their faces were blank, clearly stating that they neither of the pie or this place in which they thought a pie may have come. In fact, Ham even asked, “What is that?”

“Like a store or something, Grandma?” Piggy added.

Pointing her fork at each of them, Ida growled, “I can’t prove it, but when I do, you three aren’t gonna be able to sit down for a week. Mark my words.”

Maybe it was because they were adults or perhaps they didn’t think their grandmother had the ability or speed to catch all three of them, but the siblings continued to pretend they knew nothing about it and as far as they were concerned, there was nothing to trace anything back to them; they had even recreated the wrapping so it would look exactly as Piggy had found it earlier that morning.

The mystery of the missing pie notwithstanding, Saturday was a very quiet time within the home. Mourners made their way home in small chunks, with some staying to help with the clean up or to continue reminiscing; at some point, Ida had pulled out one of the photo albums that sat under the coffee table and began showing off some of their past photos. The intrigue of getting a look at their diva’s past was too much to ignore, so Gonzo, Kermit, and Fozzie found themselves on either side of Ida as she sat on the couch, looking over at the pictures from Piggy’s past.

Nate sat in the arm in the corner to their right, holding a now asleep Ellie, who had been the belle of the ball in terms of having most of the attention towards her. Sarah sat in the accompanying chair, listening to a story that Ricky Lane and John were in the middle of telling, while Eli was doing what most teens did when the excitement settled down; he had taken a seat on the floor and was currently either playing a video game or chatting with someone on his phone.

Piggy, who had been playing hostess towards the end, had finally settled herself to leaning on the back of the couch, looking over her grandmother’s shoulder.

Ham had occupied himself by gathering up some of the knickknacks that he had been his mother’s and were packing some things for both of his aunts and grandmother; he had set up a little area on the coffee table in front of Ida, seemingly trying not to pay attention to the walk down memory lane. “I haven’t seen some of these in years,” Ida replied, taking out a few images, glancing at them, and placing them back. “Oh, look at this!”

Handing the picture over to Gonzo, who sat next to her left, she pointed to the six younger piglets who stood in a variety of poses.

The image had been taken during the day, on the front porch, though it was clear that the house had been fairly new back then. Starting on the left, there was a teenaged pig who sat on the railing, brownish locks hung about her shoulders as she smiled at the camera; the next teen was clearly Nate, – sans beard - as he leaned against the rail post, dressed in a light blue football jersey; a younger Piggy was next, dressed in a light blue cheerleading uniform, her then brownish curls tied in a ponytail and also with a charming smile for the camera; another teen girl, though obviously younger than the previous two, stood next to her with a rather sweet and shy glance outward; Ham was next, though he stood on the porch proper, dressed up with a light blue bow tie and matching vest, and what appeared to be a tenor saxophone hanging from his neck; last was another brown eyed girl, this time dressed in the familiar light blue uniform for basketball, even holding one under her arm.

“That’s Virginia,” Ida continued, pointing to the girl on the far left. “There’s Nate in his football uniform. What did you play again, Junior?”

“I was the quarterback, Grandma,” came the response.

“That’s right,” Ida nodded. “And there’s Piggy -” Leaning over to look past Gonzo to Kermit, who sat on his other side, the matron tossed out, “Get a chance to see the cheerleader uniform, Frog?”

Attempting to hold down a blush at such a direct question, Kermit quipped, “I didn’t even know there was a uniform.”

“I don’t have it,” Piggy retorted, giving the frog – and weirdo – a look. “Before you ask.”

“More’s the pity.”

“That’s Roseleen,” Ida continued, pointing to the shy sister that stood in the middle with Piggy. “There’s Hammy. You always did look so good in your little concert suit.”

“I didn’t know you played,” Kermit said, looking at the younger male Hogglesworth, causing him to look up.

Startled by the comment, Ham awkwardly shrugged. “It was a long time ago,” he said. “I was okay at it.”

“Ham, I remember you being very good at it,” Piggy insisted. “In fact, didn’t you go to Des Moines for the state competition or something? In like, two different bands?”

“I…I did do the regional competition…”

“And state,” Nate piped up. “You were one of the best jazz sax players in the state, little brother.”

“Dude,” Gonzo chuckled. “How the heck do you go from brilliant musician to psychologist?”

It was a seemingly simple question but it just went about unsettling Ham, who began to fidget with the items he was going through. “Just…” he stumbled. “Just did.”

“Yeah but…”

Seeing her younger brother’s distress, Piggy laid a hand on Gonzo’s shoulder, preventing him from finishing his question. “Leave it,” she whispered.

“Sorry Ham,” the writer apologized. “Didn’t mean to get so personal on you.”

Sending him an embarrassed smile, the psychologist shook his head. “No worries.”

Hoping to bring the conversation back on track, though it wouldn’t be a happy one, Kermit pointed to the last figure in the picture. “I take it that’s Marjorie then?” he asked.

Ida smiled, sadly. “Yes,” she whispered. “Always full of energy, that girl. Loved her sports. Do you kids remember how many she did?”

It took a moment for the siblings to think, with Piggy coming up with, “Three? She had softball in the spring and then basketball in the fall…”

“And track,” Nate provided.

“That replaced tennis,” Ham added. “But that was during the summer, wasn’t it?”

“Hortense always complained she could barely keep up with you kids,” Ida chuckled, taking the picture and placing it back in its previous spot. “Between Nate’s football, Piggy’s cheerleading, Virgi’s own pageant wishes, Ro Ro’s science fairs, Marjie’s sports, and Ham’s music, it was a wonder she found any time to herself. Help would have been nice…”

The warmth that was there cooled by ten degrees as all three siblings turned annoyed or seething looks to their grandmother. It seemed clear that Ida Maline held no love for one Pignatius Hogglesworth, however it was unclear as to which sibling fell in to which camp on the matter. Ida suddenly made an amused snort before pulling out another image. “Speak of the devil…”

This image was in black and white, but the attractiveness of the male pig that looked back at them was undeniable - suave smile, with dark hair, and bright eyes staring back. The resemblance to the current Hogglesworth children was clear, though more with the boys in facial structure, such as the jaw, but that smile was one Kermit had seen nearly every day for several decades previously and saw on a daily basis now.

“Is that Pignatius, Senior?” Fozzie asked, leaning over to get a closer look.

“That’s Lee alright,” Ida said. “Everyone called him Lee; you can see we love our nicknames around here. Hold on, let me see if there’s a color one in here. Ah, here we are!”

Pulling out another image, this one in color, the three Muppets on the couch could better see the resemblance between father and children, especially with this particular picture. Lee was sitting down, handsome smile for the camera, while familiar blue eyes twinkled back; those same blue eyes were showcased in a younger, smaller Piggy, who stood by her father’s side. Both were dressed well, Lee in a dark suit with blue tie that matched his eyes, while Piggy was dressed in an adorable pink skirt.

“You can see where Nate and Piggy get those baby blues from,” Ida was saying, throwing another knowing look at Kermit. “I’d say beware those eyes, Mitt, but I got a feeling you know the trouble they cause.”

“There’s a reason she’s our entire marketing department,” Gonzo quipped.

“She’s the person we send in when we have executive meetings,” Fozzie added.

Piggy smirked at the joking, but her eyes were glued to that image. She had nearly forgotten how handsome her father had been; no wonder he always got attention from the opposite sex and those looks had certainly been inherited by her and the rest of her siblings. It wasn’t to say that Hortense hadn’t been a looker in her day – because she was! - and those genes had combined to produce attractive and probably deeply insecure children.

“You certainly were his little girl,” Ida sighed, glancing at the image. “You two were pretty young when he died, weren’t you?” The question was supposed to encompass the older set of twins, but it was noticeable by the set of Nate’s jaw and dark look on his face that he didn’t want to be a part of this conversation.

Clearing her throat, Piggy whispered, “We were seven, Grandma.”

Ham, whose interest had turned once the topic had turned to his father, reached over to view the image everyone was looking at. While he vaguely recognized his eldest sister, the man in the photo was a near stranger to him. “I don’t remember him,” he whispered, staring intently at the pig that was said to be his father.

“That’s because you were little more than a baby when he died,” Nate stated, though he didn’t make a move to take a look at the photo.

“You don’t have many pictures of your father, do you, Piggy Lee?”

She didn’t have any images of her father, but the diva was hard pressed to admit that. She wasn’t going to admit that after her father’s death, her mother had been so devastated that any picture of him at all had been taken down and put away. This was actually the first time in a very long time, probably since she was a child, that Piggy had seen her father’s face. “No I don’t,” she said, inwardly praising herself for keeping her voice as steady as it was.

Taking that very image back from Ham, Ida handed it over to her granddaughter. “Now you do,” she stated. “Nate, do you want one? I’m sure there’s in one in here of the two of you…”

“No,” came the reply and it was only tempered with a “No thank you, Grandma” after Sarah gave his hand a harsh squeeze.

Holding it up, Piggy announced, “I’m going to go put this away.” before heading towards the hall to her room.

She wasn’t sure what was happening, only that she needed to get out of there and she needed to get out of there fast. The sight of her father’s face, after so long, seemed to squeeze her heart like a vice and her grandmother’s comment just kept coming to mind – You certainly were his little girl.

With Mother gone, I’m no one’s little girl anymore.

And that’s when she started to cry. And not the crocodile tears she would sometimes use to get Kermit to agree to something nor was it the minimal crying when something hit her, but she was able to overcome it; no, these were tears of sorrow, which quickly turned into body wracking sobs. With both of her parents dead, she was quite literally an orphan; despite all the heartache they had caused, they were still her parents and she had loved them as much as any daughter could.

They were gone. And there was so much left unsaid between them. Piggy had only been a child when her father left and then was shortly killed in that ‘tractor incident’ that no one ever talked about or wanted to remember; even now, her adult mind could handle the actual story – her father had been run over by a tractor because of his inability to keep his hands off sows and piglets who weren’t his wife – but it didn’t mean she wanted to handle the actual story. The actual story meant her father was dead and never coming back.

What was the last thing she had said to him? Had it been something nice? Had it been “I love you, Daddy”? She couldn’t remember.

She knew the last words to her mother were said in anger; said being a relative term, as they had been shouted as she was storming off to her room. Her note, her runaway note, hadn’t been any been any better, calling Hortense a ‘conniving, uncaring, unfeeling manipulator who had driven her eldest daughter away the way she had driven away her husband’. In hindsight, that had been cruel, really really cruel, but she was eighteen and she had spent eleven years blaming her mother in part not only for her father leaving, but for his death too.

And now she would never have the chance to apologize, to say all the things she wanted, to try and understand why her mother did some of the things she did.

And then there was Marjie.

She had younger sisters, yes, but she only had one baby sister and that had been Marjie. Marjie had been energy and sun and laughter; if Marjie had been here, things might not have been so contentious, but she wasn’t and she wouldn’t ever. Just like her father, Piggy couldn’t remember the last conversation she had even had with her; had it been a positive or negative one? Had her baby sister felt the same way her baby brother did? Had she been hiding the pain of their childhood and other issues behind an outward mask?

What about Virgi and Ro? Were they even aware of their mother’s death, much less their sister’s? Piggy had just assumed they hadn’t wanted to be there, but she hadn’t exactly gotten a straight answer from Nate. What if, God forbid, something had happened to the two of them and next year, she would be summoned back here to stand over the grave of another sister?

It was very much her custom to keep everything bottled up and on occasion, lash out at the nearest target - usually Kermit - but she had never been so emotionally taxed like this before! Not even in the aftermath of breaking up with the frog and watching him date another woman so soon after; until this moment, she was sure that had been the worse things could possibly get, but this.

This was torture.

She didn’t know how long she had just stood by her bed, sobbing uncontrollably by herself, before she felt the familiar, slim arms of Kermit slip around her middle and just hold her while she cried.
 

WebMistressGina

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Happy New Year, Mupps!

Totally sorry for the lack of updates, especially when I actually had something to post here and apparently, did not post it for you. So, let's start your new year right with more of this and hopefully in the next coming week (or weeks), we'll get some conclusions here so I can give you more stories, yes?

Your summary so far - Piggy, at the behest of Kermit, has traveled back to Bogen County, Iowa to attend her mother's funeral. While there, she is confronted with the pains of the past, not only with her parents, but her siblings as well. When we last left off, things seemed to have finally settled down between our diva and her brothers until a picture trip down memory lane finally breaks the dam brewing inside.




She didn’t know how long she had just stood by her bed, sobbing uncontrollably by herself, before she felt the familiar, slim arms of Kermit slip around her middle and just hold her while she cried. When her tears started to subside, Kermit gently directed her to sit down on the bed, while he fetched some tissues from the bathroom. She was at least coherent when he returned, calming herself down slightly, entirely embarrassed for the breakdown that came out of nowhere.

“I’m okay,” she said, blowing her nose and wiping her tears away. “I’m okay now.”

“No, you’re not,” Kermit insisted, putting his arm around her. “Oh sweetheart, it’s okay if you’re not.”

Kermit had been expecting – hoping – that something like this would happen. Not that he looked forward to seeing Piggy cry, he’d done enough of that in their time together, only that he wanted her to finally come to terms with the deaths of her mother and sister; and it was clear, from her reaction, she may not have actually dealt with the death of her father all those years ago.

While it was certainly interesting to hear more about Piggy’s parents, especially when she pretty much knew all there was to know about his, it was apparent that there was still lingering pain that the diva hadn’t clearly addressed. He could tell by the way she had cleared her throat and seemed to take a moment to respond to her grandmother’s question about her father’s image; as he had done earlier in their trip, Kermit gave her a five-minute head start before he excused himself to go check on her.

He wasn’t sure what he was going to find, though finding her sobbing in the middle of the room was something he hadn’t considered.

Piggy was probably the strongest woman he knew, it was one of the things that had – and still did – attracted him to her from the start, and while he knew she could handle anything she put her mind to, there were some things even Miss Piggy couldn’t handle. He may have joked, said that she was an emotional powder keg just waiting for a spark, but the truth was when something hurt Piggy deeply, she felt it deeply. She may have tried to act as though she was tough as nails, but his diva wore her emotions on her sleeve like a jacket.

Another round of crying and Piggy felt she was much calmer, probably calm enough to rejoin the others in the living room. Giving the frog a squeeze around his middle where she had wrapped her arms, Piggy sat up straight and took a deep breath, settling herself. “I’m alright,” she whispered. “I’m fine now, Kermit. I’m fine. I’m okay.”

“Piggy…”

“No, I mean it this time,” she said, giving him a watery smile. Wiping her face quickly, she gave a rough chuckle. “I must look a fright.”

“You’re gorgeous,” Kermit whispered, wiping a few more tears from the corner of her eye. “Even when a fright.”

That elicited a chuckle. “Always a charmer, Frog,” she sniffed.

“Takes one to know one.” Giving her a look of concern, he asked, “Sure you’re okay?”

“That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” she asked, sadly. “I don’t know, Kermit. I don’t…do you think I ever will be?”

“Aw honey,” Kermit sighed, giving her arm a sympathetic squeeze. “Eventually. But not now; now you just have to…you have to do what you think and feel is best. Just know that I’m with you whatever you decide.”

It was times like this that Piggy fell more in love with this frog than she ever had before. Taking his face in her hands, she brought him close to deliver a kiss to his lips. “Never doubt that I love you,” she whispered.

“Never,” he responded, kissing her again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“No,” she chuckled. “But I…I think I will be. Tonight at least; we’ll have to see for the rest.” Giving him a friendly pat on the cheek, she said, “I’m okay, Kermit, honestly. You can go back out, I’ll be there in a minute.”

Nodding, the frog gave her cheek one last kiss before heading back out into the living room.

Piggy gave herself another ten minutes, calming herself down and reflecting on her outburst. She certainly understood why her younger brother had picked up drinking, in fact the very idea sounded great right now. Taking a deep breath, the diva stood and made herself presentable, opening the door and heading out into the hallway.

Ida still sat on the couch, looking over more pictures of times past, while Fozzie and Gonzo held on to every word; Ham had taken a seat on the coffee table, splitting his time between organizing and listening to his grandmother’s stories. At Piggy’s return, Ida looked up briefly before going back to the album. “Wondered where you were,” she said, not bothering to mention her granddaughter’s hasty retreat. She didn’t have to – with Nate’s cold shoulder and Ham’s innocent declaration, the matron didn’t need to shine a spotlight on one of her eldest grandchildren.

Piggy had her cry and she was back, which highlighted just how strong that line of Maline women were.

“Hey! That was our premiere!”

Fozzie’s exclamation caused Gonzo to look over to see what he was talking about.

“Oh,” Ida smiled. “We must be in the awards and stuff. Hortense always liked keeping all of her children’s achievements in one place.”

“Say what now?” asked Piggy, looking at her grandmother in confusion.

Interrupting the elder Maline, Fozzie pointed down at the album. “She’s got all our clippings in here!”

“What?” the diva asked, looking at the group incredulously. “Gimme that.”

Reaching for the photo album, Piggy began to flip through the pages, stunned at what she was seeing; it was true. There were news clippings and other highlight moments not only of The Muppets and Piggy in particular, but of all her siblings. Her sister Virgi had actually managed to win a few of the local pageants, while there was a clipping about Ro receiving a prestigious award during college; actually, it seemed that Ham had also received the same award when he went to college, being the youngest member to do so. “You received the Hyelman award as a freshman?” she asked, looking at her younger brother, who was also looking at the album.

“You have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?” was his return question. He had to admit that he didn’t put much stock into his sister’s career, but even he knew that having a star was the highest pinnacle an actor or actress could reach.

Piggy huffed. “It’s not like it’s my star,” she said. “I have to share it with these yahoos.”

Despite the comment, there was a slight smile on her face when she said it, an indication that she wasn’t all that upset with having to share a star on the boulevard; even if she went out on her own – again – she would always be a Muppet and that meant that she would always be a part of the group that earned the honor.

“You may have had your problems,” Ida whispered, glancing at the two before her. “But your mother loved you kids and she was proud of everything you ever did. I know it was wrong of her to never have said, but she was proud and she did love you. All of you.”

It was a heartfelt sentiment and yes, one that should have come from Hortense herself, but if the sentiment was true, it might make it easier to forgive. The pain was too raw now – Piggy just having spent twenty minutes crying, Ham was trying to keep his mind occupied, and Nate, whom all the world thought wasn’t paying a bit of attention to anything by the couch, still had his ear tuned to what his grandmother was saying. It was too little, too late for the three of them and maybe the same could be said for the sisters that weren’t there, but perhaps, at some point, the children of Hortense Hogglesworth would need to let go of their hurt that was so deeply ingrained.


[hr]


Sunday morning dawned like the others in the house, with the sun starting to shine brightly through the open windows and the smell of breakfast starting to waft from the kitchen to the rest of the house. Nate, as was his custom, had taken it upon himself to arrive early and make breakfast; it had been something he had done when they were smaller, after their father had officially left and then had died.

It had started out as his way to help his mother, now a single parent with six young children, with two of them just babies recently weened. After a time, it became clear that this was now something that Nate was tasked with, just as Piggy was tasked with official caretaker of the younger children, while the others were allowed to pretty much be their typical child selves; it wasn’t to say that the younger children didn’t have their own roles.

Ham would have – and had done on numerous occasions – classified his older brother as the hero type, the child who came to the rescue whenever the family was in crisis and perhaps that was true. It helped explain a lot of the reasons Nate stayed in Bogen County, despite having plans on attending UNI after high school and playing football for their beloved Panthers. His eldest sister was also a hero, taking on the role of caretaker, before finally rebelling to the point of being the brunt of everything that could go wrong.

Virgi, being the manipulator and doer, discovered ways that could take attention away from her older sister and on to herself, often painting it as though she was the angel while Piggy was the reason their family was in such constraints. Marjie, the typical baby of the family, got her attention with comedy, keeping everyone laughing at the class clown; ironic in that the clown is always the saddest member of the bunch. Then Ham himself, the self-professed saint and lonely child, who would do anything – even give up his choice career and dreams – to make his mother happy.

Out of all of them, Ro was the only one who avoided confrontations as much as possible, burying herself in her love of science; she was literally the only family member that hated any aspect of an argument.

Nate would never – out loud at least – admit that anything his shrink brother proposed was spot on, but he knew there was some truth in his statements. For a long time, he hadn’t stepped anywhere near this house, despite still living in the same town, not until BlackJack had called him to say that his mother was sick. Even then, Nate had purposely stayed away; his children had never known their grandmother and now, they would only have stories to tide them over to adulthood. The elder male Hogglesworth would be lying if there was a part, a strong part, of him that didn’t want that same thing to happen to the rest of his family.

Despite being the one family member she actually talked to, he didn’t actually speak to his sister – his own twin! – more than a few times every few years; arriving here was the first time she had even met or known about his wife and it was only the power of technology that she’d be able to meet Sarah by phone, much in the same way he had met Mitt. The night before had reminded him that they hadn’t always been so polarized, that they had been a very close group at one time; he wasn’t sure when it shattered or when their inner resentments and jealousies had started to come between them, but he had wondered if maybe…if maybe they were just too broken, too jaded to be the siblings he remembered.

The real reason he liked going back, especially recently, was to clear the troubled thoughts and try and bury himself in the good memories he could remember – the six of them sitting around the island together, having breakfast; rare times in which their mother would bring home paws paws and they could sit around to eat them.

A touch on his arm brought him back to the present, where he was about one second from burning the steak he was trying to prepare. Turning to his side, he was met by the smiling face of his wife – Nate would never in a million years understand how someone so screwed up as he was could land someone so understanding and compassionate as Sarah. Oh, she had her moments – she certainly didn’t put up with his brooding or petty arguments, oh no! Despite being a few heads shorter, she had no problems getting right up in his face if she thought he was on the wrong side of an argument.

He had fallen in love with her on first sight.

This time Sarah had been insistent on getting both children up and out the door along with her husband, not taking no for an answer. How long she had been aware of his late night and early morning wanderings he didn’t know, but the fact that she wanted to join him this time – and maybe any other times – seemed to warm him instead of causing him to retreat away like he wanted to.

Speaking of children, Eli had decided not to waste the comfort of the couch, falling upon it and falling right back to sleep before the rest of his family had even gotten inside; Ellie Mae had been content to watch her parents for a while before she had gotten bored and decided to explore. Exploring for a three-year-old consisted of entering closed rooms and seeing what was in there; she had gotten in trouble for that before, so now, she only went into rooms that had people she would most likely know.

The first room was the one by the stairs and she knew that room was where her Aunt Piggy was, however she was equally excited at seeing Mitt there with her. Her cousins, Andy and Randy, had told her the frog was like her uncle cause he loved Piggy and one day, they would probably get married; she had also heard her Grammy saying these two were as good as married and that they probably were and were just hiding it very well. Well, for a three-year-old, it didn’t really matter the relationship because they were her Aunt Piggy and Uncle Mitt and that was how it was going to be!

From her vantage point, it looked like the two were still sleeping, her aunt laying on her back while her uncle was draped across her. It took a bit of time before she was able to get on the bed, but once she was there, she investigated whether or not they were actually sleeping. Sometimes, when she went to see Mama and Daddy, Daddy would play being asleep so he could tickle her. Crawling on the frog, she whispered, “Mitt? Unca’ Mitt, you sleepin’?”

Kermit had been having a wonderful dream, if he did say so himself – he and Piggy were on a honeymoon in Paris, finishing off a European tour that had included England, Germany, and Spain. It had been Piggy’s suggestion and he had been hard pressed to tell her no. She had been shopping in the city and was about to show him some of the colorful underthings he had caught a small glimpse of when he heard the voice of a child. Still in the midst of dream land, the frog ultimately assumed this was Christmas 1986 again, where his own nephew had woken him at four in the morning, wondering if it was time to open presents.

“Robin,” the frog sighed, sleepily. “I told you it was too early to open presents.”

“Presents?” the toddler asked, now interested more than ever in her sleeping relatives. “Mitt, you has presents?”

Something in Kermit’s brain told him this wasn’t his nephew, especially when his nephew was now a teenager and the voice was that of a little girl, but for the life of him, he could not remember why exactly he was in Leland or why one of his nieces would be in Hollywood. Finally, when wakefulness took a hold of him, the frog remembered that he wasn’t in Leland, but in Bogen County and the voice wasn’t from his niece, though this toddler had no issues with pegging the frog as her uncle.

Rolling over slightly, Kermit was surprised to see the grey-blue eyes of Ellie Mae looking closely at him, a wide smile on her face for the great accomplishment of waking up her unofficial uncle. “Ellie?” he asked. “Sweetie, what’re you doing here?”

Sitting up and throwing her arms in the air, the child proudly announced, “I wake myself!”

Chuckling, Kermit replied, “I can see that.”

Throwing herself back onto the frog, she again asked, “You wake? You n’ Piggy wake?”

“We are now,” came the low murmur from Piggy.

Never let it be said a sleeping adult would deter a child because as soon as the sentence left her mouth, Ellie was climbing over Kermit to get to Piggy, kneeing the frog in the lower back before nearly crushing his arm once she was on top of the diva, and planting her knee in said diva’s stomach. “Sorry!” the little girl exclaimed, throwing all of her weight and then some into a hug. “Kay? Piggy, you kay?”

“Yes, darling girl,” the diva grimaced, cracking one of her eyes in order to look at her niece. “Sweetling, where is your father?”

“He cooking.”

Taking pity on both his sleeping diva and excitable toddler, Kermit sat up before grabbing the toddler about the waist, tickling her before setting her on his lap. “Would you tell him we’re awake now?” he asked, keeping his own thoughts to himself. A change of eye color and the frog felt he could be looking at his future…

“Yay!” the girl cried, throwing her arms around the frog’s neck. “Mitt, Mitt…”

“Yes?”

“Can…can I wake Fozzie and Zo?”

Of all the new people Ellie had met that weekend, by far her favorite people had to be the three Muppets her aunt Piggy had brought with her. It didn’t help that the three already had a fondness for children, but being Piggy’s adorable relation didn’t hurt either; she had pretty much adopted Fozzie as her larger and more alive teddy bear, even going as far as insisting he come live with her so she could go to sleep at night. Hearing no had been hard and created a tantrum that luckily, only the comic had been able to solve.

Gonzo, being the daredevil that he was, of course gave in to her demands to be swung around or showed her basic magic tricks that would entice anyone under the age of seven – with exception to Fozzie, who had been just as in awe.

From his side, Kermit heard Piggy chuckle at the request. “Oh, please do,” she said, giving the child her next happy mission.

“Kay!”

Given permission to basically wake the bear and weirdo up in the same manner she did the previous bedroom, Ellie slid off the bed and hurried to the next room in order to wake the comic. Still under some of the effects from sleep, Kermit yawned and stretched, before feeling a familiar arm drape itself along his waist.

“You should come back to bed.”

“Firstly,” the frog replied. “I’m still in bed and secondly, I’m already awake.”

“But I need my cuddle bunny,” came the whine, causing her to snuggle closer to his side.

“Buddy,” he corrected. “It’s cuddle buddy. It is not my fault you misinterpret what I say in my sleep.”

Smiling against him, she said, “I like cuddle bunny” before nipping him playfully on his side, causing his surprised gasp.

“If you’re biting me,” he said, sliding away from her and out of bed. “It means you’re awake and in a good mood.”

“I haven’t heard any complaints so far,” she retorted, commenting on the love bite she was trying to give him and not the fact that she was, at this point, awake and alert.

“Why would I complain?” he asked, as he leaned over to deliver a kiss to her exposed neck before dropping one on her cheek. “You gonna join me?”

“So many ways to take that,” she smirked. Opening her eyes fully to view him, she whispered, “I’ll be up in a minute.”

Nodding in acquiescence, Kermit rose and headed out into the hallway. It was clear someone was up and moving around in the kitchen, as he could hear the sounds of faint laughter, as well as smell the deliciousness of breakfast. Hearing a familiar laugh and giggle coming from his left, Kermit turned to see Fozzie and Ellie leaving Gonzo’s room at the back of the hall, the bear carrying the little piglet in his arms, as they shared in whatever mischief had befallen the head writer.

The duo passed him, with a ‘good morning’ from the bear and a little wave from the piglet as they headed towards the kitchen. Gonzo appeared soon after, obviously having been awoken and still in his t-shirt and plaid sleep pants, as he stumbled down the hall to the frog.

“We’ve given him a cohort,” came the complaint. “Why did we give him a cohort?”

“Rough morning, hot shot?” quipped Piggy, coming out of the room behind them to see what the holdup was. “You don’t look too out of sorts.”

“Says the girl who looks great morning, noon, and night,” was the retort.

“Aw, thank you, Gonzie,” the diva cooed. “That’s actually very sweet.”

Giving the pig a smile, Gonzo turned to the frog and smirked. “See that?” he asked. “Awesome boyfriend material, says I.”

Returning the smirk, Kermit crossed his arms. This was a reoccurring argument that had luckily gone from hostile to hilarious – the two always had an unofficial rivalry when it came to Piggy, though it didn’t really seem to take on realistic proportions until the power couple had broken up. There actually had been a point where Gonzo did take the initiative and pursued the star on a serious level, which had a gotten a surprising and positive response. It hadn’t been the whirlwind that literally defined Kermit and Piggy, but it had been a casual and fun affair that seemed to bring the two together better as friends than anything else.

“Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“So how come you slept way down there,” Kermit began, pointing to the location of Gonzo’s room before pointing behind himself to the room he was sharing with Piggy. “And I slept in there?”

Smiling playfully, the writer answered, “Because the two of you refuse to be adventurous.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Piggy replied, pushing her way past both. “While Moi enjoys you fighting over me, there’s not enough caffeine for me to go down that road, this early in the morning.”
 
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The Count

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Thank you. Finally, I get to post something that's not a spambot alert.

Really good stuff going on with this fic, what with the elder trio of pigs coming to terms with the after-effects of their mother's death. Hope to read more from you for this as well as your other fics.

Oh, and a small FLI update, your fics when finished will go into a new second bookcase post cause the original from two years ago has gotten overcrowded. :wink:
 

WebMistressGina

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Thank you. Finally, I get to post something that's not a spambot alert.

Really good stuff going on with this fic, what with the elder trio of pigs coming to terms with the after-effects of their mother's death. Hope to read more from you for this as well as your other fics.

Oh, and a small FLI update, your fics when finished will go into a new second bookcase post cause the original from two years ago has gotten overcrowded. :wink:
You're quite welcome! In fact, I has ANOTHER section that just came out of nowhere just now.
 

WebMistressGina

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The second half of this literally came out of nowhere just now and I will freely admit that it hit a little too close to home for me, so that means it'll hit you guys too. Should probably issue the tissue warning cause it's gonna be teary.



Chuckling at her retreat, the two playfully nudged each other forward, with Gonzo finally gripping the frog in a bear hug from behind before letting him go as they headed towards the kitchen. Just as Ellie had announced, Nate stood at the stove making breakfast, while Sarah was setting up plates on the kitchen island, much to the excitement of Fozzie and Ellie, who was sitting patiently – for a three-year-old – on the comic’s lap until a plate of steak, eggs, and toast appeared before them.

“Zo!” the toddler shouted, seeing the target of her wake up alarm walk in. Patting the stool next to her, she said, “Here! Here!”

“You want me to sit there?” he asked.

“Right here,” she insisted, patting the stool awkwardly and barely being able to stay on Fozzie’s lap.

“It’s almost like we don’t exist anymore,” Sarah chuckled, handing a plate to Piggy.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if she managed to kidnap them both,” the diva joked. “Normally I’d say ‘go ahead’, but I actually do need them for the show. I could replace them though…”

“No, you can’t,” Kermit shot back, taking his own plate and taking a seat next to Gonzo at the island.

“He says that, but…”

“You always seem to forget who the boss is,” he said, turning to look at his comic and writer. They of course both pointed to Piggy, as if they had been asked who the actual boss was. “No loyalty,” came the mutter, though Kermit was hard pressed to wipe the smirk off his face. Getting his own plate, the frog couldn’t help to ask, “So, what’s the plan for today?”

“The plan…” Nate began, slowly, making a stop at the kitchen island to drop off the main dish of steak and eggs to the group. “Is probably going through our mother’s things. I’m sure Grandma has some idea of what stuff is going where, assuming Mama actually made a will.”

“Even if she had,” Ham replied, coming in during Nate’s last sentence. His twins followed behind, though they immediately made a beeline for seats closest to the food. “There’s a probable guarantee that none of it is for us.”

“Still,” Nate amended. “Let’s be somewhat helpful and give the others a hand; you know, make up for our stellar behavior this weekend.”

Both of his younger siblings nodded at that, inwardly knowing that any blowback was due to their own behavior. “Where do you think we should start?” Piggy asked.

Here, Nate shrugged. “I dunno,” he whispered. “The others will be here soon, so maybe they can direct or supervise. Hey, I mean it this time – let’s give Grandma a break, okay? We’re one mark away from getting our own switches and I don’t know about you, but being spanked by my grandmother, as an adult, and in front of my own family is not on my list of life choices.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Sarah smirked. “I’m sure I’d be amused to see that.”

Though that did get the adults the chuckle, it didn’t alleviate some of the tension in the kitchen. “We’ll fly right, Nate,” Piggy stated.

“You have our word,” Ham added.

It was on Nate’s tongue to state that he wouldn’t take their word for anything today, but they had all been at fault and he wouldn’t be very good of a brother if he didn’t show some trust in his younger siblings. Instead, he nodded, knowing that they would at least try this time around, some of the harshness from earlier seemingly dissipating during their all night pie feast.

As predicted, within the hour, the house was again full, this time with the Maline family. The stresses of the weekend seemed to have finally drained out of everyone, even Ida, who seemed to be even more frail and withered than anyone had seen. As executor of her daughter’s will, Ida had the sad task of gathering the family together to state her daughter’s last wishes – in normal times, this would have been done within their lawyer’s office, with only immediate family being involved.

However, these were not normal times as far as Ida was concerned.

She hadn’t shown it or even said it, but being there for the last moments of her daughter’s life had literally drained her of her own. While the matriarch had preached solidarity to the other members of the family, she herself held the most guilt – like the others, it had been years since she had spoken to her children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren and in this time, she wasn’t proud of the fact.

Who was she to tell the others to come together, when she hadn’t been there when her own daughter needed her?

As with everything else, Ida had let Hortense’s one life decision color their relationship. Ida had been wary of Lee Hogglesworth since the word go and it didn’t matter his slick words or big blue eyes, nothing he would ever do would change her mind about him. And it only got worse the more he seemed to not only break Hortense’s heart, but break her down as well. Hortense had been a beautiful girl, lovely, and something seemed to snap and die after she married that braggart.

Finally, Ida couldn’t take hearing the pain in her eldest daughter’s voice anymore, so she gave her a choice – Lee or them. And she had chosen Lee and it had all gone down from there. Just as Ida let her children slip away, so did Hortense slip away from hers; Ida’s last three daughters had been no shows at just about every family event for the last twenty-seven years and Ida would probably never know what it was she had done to cause that rift. Oh, she knew the seven of them had their own issues with each other, but she had hoped – really hoped – that learning about their sister’s death would cause them to bury whatever issues there were.

That wasn’t to be the case. Ida had personally called, only to have Vivian hang up on her as soon as she spoke, Mimi offering indifference to her elder sister’s death, and Faye Raye empathically stating that it would be a cold day in **** before she would ever step foot in the state of Iowa again.

The elder swine didn’t want to believe in the finality of this, but it was clear that her three youngest were lost to her and to the family. Letters written were either sent back or never answered and it hurt more than she could say; the worse was she could see the same happening to her other children and her grandchildren. This was the first time Hattie and Millie had talked and seen each other in years and even her son – her only son, her little boy – had been away from home for just as long.

She had meant what she had said in the car – no parent should ever outlive their children and as long as she was still living, Ida would make sure that she made the best of her life. And that meant getting her fractured family back together again.

So she had gone to see her eldest daughter, had sat with her for that last year and watched as the life drained from her body. Hortense hadn’t said what was killing her, but she had been more honest in her last moments than she probably ever had been – she cried with her mother in telling her about Marjie, how the rest of her children hated her and that she was sure they wouldn’t come. She had been surprised to see Ham, looking so much like Lee it startled her upon seeing him since the last time she had.

Hortense had made a modest will, nothing fancy and nothing elaborate. She had known her time was coming and even more, she had known that nothing she could give her children would make up for the years that she hadn’t been there for them; Ida had listened, keeping her own sorrow inside as Hortense read her the letter Piggy had left all those years ago, striking her to the core when the then teen had stated that Hortense had driven her away, the same way she had driven away Lee and the same way she was driving away her other children.

Only then could she see that in her wish to push and yes, protect her little brood, she had made choices that were what she had wanted for them – she didn’t want Nate to go off to college and return with a broken neck or worse because of football; she didn’t want Piggy to think that only her beauty would get her ahead in life; she didn’t want Virgi to see the harshness that pageants could do to a girl her age; she hadn’t wanted Rosie to bury herself in her books and miss out on life; she hadn’t wanted Marjie to take so many risks, especially not with her own life.

And she hadn’t wanted Ham to get hurt in a business that was known for the growing undercurrents of dangerous behavior.

But she had gone about it wrong. Hortense thought she was showing them the dark sides of their pursuits, but instead – in their effort to get as far away from her as they could – they had thrown themselves even deeper into their own rabbit holes. Oh, Nate had given up his dream of going to UNI only because Hortense needed him, especially after Piggy’s sudden departure; he hadn’t seen his mother’s sadness or fear or even depression, only that he had done what he always had – been the man of the house and taken care of things at the expense of his own hopes.

Even Ham, who had so wanted to go into music, had declared he would go into psychology and become a doctor, all because Hortense had asked. She had never said she didn’t want him to stop playing, only that he have something to fall back on, that he didn’t get caught up in the drugs, sex, and rock and roll that the music industry was growing to stand for. She didn’t want that kind of life for him, her talented little boy, but he had only heard her unhappiness at his dream and in order to make her happy, he took her suggestion of doctor.

“I’ve made a mess of things,” she had sobbed. “And now…now, I don’t have any way to change it.”

“Sweetheart, don’t say that,” Ida stressed, hating to see such sorrow in the eyes of her oldest. “Things will turn out for the best. I know it will.”

Hortense smiled sadly at her mother, shaking her head as she did. “No,” she whispered. “It won’t. Not for me. I lost my children a long time ago and now, I’ve lost my baby girl. They won’t come, Mama, they won’t. If they do, it’s only to make sure I’m not around to interfere anymore. I love them and I lost them.”

That last conversation still tore at Ida and even as she gathered everyone together, it still rang in her ears and head. She had called everyone into the living room, even non-family members because, as she put it “You’re family to those here, so you’re family to us.” That of course had been mainly addressed to Kermit, Fozzie, and Gonzo, but she had included Sarah in that as well.

“Ordinarily,” she began, taking one of the dining chairs and sitting, that way she was able to face the others in the living room. “This would be done at a lawyer’s office or the like, however I think this is more important, more…personal. Hortense…Hortense only had a modest will, nothing fancy, basically stating what’s originally yours is yours, if you want it. She left it up to me on how to divide everything, if there’s gonna be a fight over it…”

“No more fighting, Grandma,” Nate spoke up, looking at his grandmother earnestly.

“We’re done,” Ricky Lane added. “We’re settled.” The others nodded in agreement.

Ida smiled, slightly, nodding at this new show of togetherness. “Good,” she whispered. “I’m glad. Mind, I know we’re fighters – we’re Malines, after all and no one picks a better fight than us – but it’s important we know who we’re fighting and that we’re not fighting each other every chance we get. Hortense didn’t want that and she wouldn’t want it now; despite everything, she loved us -” Here, she looked directly at three of her grandchildren. “All of us, even if she didn’t or couldn’t show it; too much of her father in her sometimes.” Ida trailed off, seemingly thinking of something else.

“And maybe a little too much of me,” she finally whispered. “Her mother’s daughter, all right.” Soberly, she turned steely eyes upon those assembled before her. “I’ve lost one of my daughters and one of my granddaughters; I don’t intend to lose anymore, through separation or otherwise. And that goes for my son and grandsons. And my great-grandchildren.”

For the first time since they had arrived and maybe the first time ever, Ida Maline looked her age, maybe older and her words, which always had a reason and an affect, were not lost on the others. They had broken apart from each other, in more ways than one, and it had taken a death to bring them all back again, only to reveal another death underneath. There was hurt on all sides, every side, for everyone and maybe it would take years to get over it, but it was something they at least wanted to approach; they could never get their time with Hortense or Marjie back, but they had now and that couldn’t be wasted.

Not again.

“You won’t, Grandma,” Piggy said, doing what she did best and that was picking up the pieces when the leader was down.

“You have our word,” echoed Hattie, looking expectantly at her mother.

Again, Ida nodded. “So I do,” she whispered, wiping a few tears from her eyes. Taking a deep breath, the brick that was Ida Rose Maline settled back into place and she said, “Alright, enough with the tears. We all have work to do.”
 
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The Count

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Already said my piece, it's tough on the rest of the family when a parent or fellow loved one dies. Rully powerful stuff you're writing here, keep it coming, we'll be here till the end.
*Leaves mug of hot chocolate cause it sounds like Gina could use it, instead of the tinsel or mistletoe that other Muppets prefer to chew on at this time of year.
 

WebMistressGina

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OMG, this took FOREVER! I literally had the next section started and then just couldn't execute. Even this section, despite having it mapped out, took way longer to put on paper for some reason. You get an abridged section here, but we are coming to a close on this and that's another one down, and another one down!



With a house load of people, going through a house full of memories was extremely easy, despite the fact that those memories belonged to a recently deceased family member. The quiet of the process pretty much dictated how everyone felt about needing to do this – they had split up, with Hortense’s siblings taking the living room, dining room, and kitchen, while her children took to their former rooms to take any mementos they wanted. Piggy had started to tell her cohorts that they didn’t need to help in this effort, only to get three identical looks for her suggestion.

“You guys don’t need to -” Seeing their look, the diva held up her hands in surrender. “Right. Moral support.”

“By jove!” Fozzie exclaimed. “I think she’s got it.”

The peace and quiet of the house allowed for reflection for the majority of the family, which was a good thing. As Ida had alluded earlier, there were many past hurts and indiscretions that hurt those involved and now was as good a time as any for them to confront and make peace with it. Fozzie had taken a quick snack break, making his way to the kitchen, and was in the midst of making a sandwich when he heard the muffled sounds coming from the back porch. Curious, and a bit worried, the comic had taken a look out the window to investigate.

He couldn’t hear the words being said, but it was clear that Ricky Lane was upset, very upset. Luckily, however it seemed as though both of his sisters were there to comfort him, standing on either side of him and consoling him as he continued to cry. Realizing he was intruding on a private moment, the comic took a step back and went about his business; he didn’t even bother to tell anyone else what he saw.

It wasn’t his place to do so.

While the others were downstairs, Ham took it upon himself to start going through his own things, before thinking it was better to start with the room Andy and Randy were in first. He was actually just starting to go through the trunk that sat at the end of one of the beds, when he came upon his older sister’s belongings, suddenly realizing that he had put them in his sisters’ room. It had never dawned on him that his sons were staying in the room of his departed sister – at the time, he had been so incensed with Piggy that he had stormed off to his own childhood room and had put the boys in the room next to him.

When they had been kids, his sisters Ro and Marjie had shared the room next door, having two twin sized beds in the room and pretty much being separated into two sides dedicated to each individual girl accordingly. Once Piggy, then Virgi, and finally Nate had left the house to go on their own, the ultimate idea had been for the younger three children to move downstairs into their own rooms, however that had never come about.

By the time Ham was entering college, he had really been the only child left and that didn’t last long – as soon as he had gotten his acceptance letter from UNI, he quickly moved out without even a ‘by your leave’ to his mother.

And now, standing in a room that not only held memories but probably the last remnants of his sister, a wave of emotions seemed to hit Ham harder than he expected. Most of the objects in the room were mostly hers – various sports trophies, pictures of herself and friends, stuffed animals; a few of Ro’s items seemed to be left, like a few beakers she used for some of her science fairs, but from Ham’s memory, Ro had taken most of her belongings when she left.

There wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to stop Ham in his tracks as he began to examine items slowly.

His attention once again turned towards the trunk, now knowing what this room could possibly hold. There were several notebooks in the trunk, many of them from her classes – mostly English – but there at least two that showcased the younger pig’s thoughts and mindset, each labeled by the subject matter; one was called ‘Happy Home’ and as he flipped through, these were the thoughts of a baby girl growing up in a home with four older siblings and a younger brother. As titled, these were the happy moments Marjie had – whether it be getting ice cream with Nate or getting make up lessons from her older sisters, Marjie had described the happiness that seemed to be so fickle in her brother’s memory.

The second notebook was titled ‘Sad Clown’ and though much of it was just drawings, there were a few thoughts scattered throughout, thoughts that Ham had never sensed or knew had been in his older sister’s heart. As with all of them, Marjie had kept her inner feelings to herself, projecting the outward image of a happy teenager, when in reality, Marjie seemed to be turmoil. She had written that she often felt invisible until she did something that caused a laugh, whether it was a joke or prat fall; she’d been envious of her eldest sisters’ beauty and her older sister’s intelligence, leaving her insecure and taking the only other option left for her – sports. It was something she shared with her older brother and Ham was surprised to discover that Marjie felt that she was closer to Nate because of their shared interest.

Many of her ‘Happy Home’ entries were about Nate helping her learn how to throw a football – something the other girls, other than Piggy, had a remote interest in – and how he had been her protector whenever she had a nightmare. Her relationship with her other siblings seemed to mired in respect, admiration, envy, and jealousy - while she had fond memories of Piggy and Virgi helping her pick out a dress for her first dance, she also felt that their mother loved them more because of their looks and ultimately, their pageant participations. Ro had always been helpful when it came to teaching her things and helping explain the world to her, but her older sister’s intelligence and non-confrontational attitude irked the younger girl, especially when that intelligence overshadowed Marjie’s own accomplishments.

Ham was happy to learn that Marjie had taken it upon herself to be the older sister he needed after Piggy’s departure and Virgi’s subsequent indifference to anything and everyone around her afterwards, but she also resented his natural musical abilities and that she had taken on a role that should have been shared with the other three girls. Even Nate, whom it seemed Marjie adored, wasn’t spared – his athletic talents in football seemed natural, while she had struggled to find her talent, shifting from one sport to another.

This was more about his sister than Ham had ever known and he was ashamed to realize and admit that he had no idea his sister had felt this way.

Ham wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there, going over both journals, but the point when he realized he had started to cry was the point he knew he couldn’t continue do this by himself, he couldn’t keep this side of his sister to himself. Getting shakily to his feet - he hadn’t even been aware that he had taken a seat on the ground as he went through the trunk - Ham stumbled his way to the cracked door, taking a step on the landing. He opened his mouth in order to call out to his brother when he surprised himself with a sob.

Whether it was the sob or the fact that his older siblings were just in proximity, Ham immediately had their attention as they started heading back to their own rooms. “Hammy?” Nate questioned, catching sight of his younger brother. A little under an hour had gone by, with both siblings going through their own rooms, with Kermit and Fozzie giving Piggy a hand in her room, while Gonzo had volunteered to help Nate.

Both siblings had also been going through Virgi’s room, deciding to leave her things in the hopes that one day she would return to choose what she wanted to keep or get rid of, when they decided to take a break, both heading and returning back from the kitchen when Nate saw Ham on the landing.

Alarm bells suddenly went off for both older siblings, easily seeing that something didn’t seem to adding up. “Ham,” Piggy asked, sharing a look of concern with her twin before turning back to their younger brother. “What is it?”

The younger pig hadn’t realized just how upset he had gotten until he realized he wasn’t able to actually tell his siblings what was wrong. Shaking his head, he gulped, saying, “Just come up here.”

Again, his older siblings glanced at each other in concern, however it didn’t stop the two of them from heading upstairs and entering the room he had started on. Much like the rest of the house, the twins were a little taken aback at the familiar feelings that came when walking through the door – Ro working on homework or some science project, while Marjie was bouncing a basketball or a tennis ball around the room, driving those on the first floor crazy.

If the two had thought their brother would explain his behavior once they arrived upstairs, they were sorely disappointed; instead, Ham had taken a seat on the nearest bed – which had been Marjie’s – grabbed one of the notebooks he had been reading and held it out to both of them. Piggy took the initiative, taking a hold of the journal and flipping through a few pages; as luck would have it, the journal happened to be the ‘happy home’ and Piggy had ended up stopping on an entry that described one of their few family trips.

It had been a trip when Marjie had been very young, two years old at the very least, but it was a memory she apparently remembered vividly. It had been a state fair trip, one of those treats that Piggy, Nate, and Virgi had gotten to do with their father from time to time and the entry did spark a memory of a family trip before the births of Marjie and Ham; in Marjie’s recollection, it was the first and sadly, the last time, they had gone out together as a family. They had split up into ‘teams’ as their father had coined it – Lee had taken her, Piggy, and Virgi to one side of the fair, while Hortense had taken Nate, Ro, and then baby Ham on the other side.

Lee, like many of fathers of daughters, had spoiled them rotten – each of the girls had gotten to share a large cotton candy, while their father had played all the games they wanted so he could win them prizes. Piggy remembered that trip and was surprised to discover that she actually still had that stuffed purple panda, in fact, she had recently seen it sitting on the dresser in her room. It was also one of the rare times that she and Virgi hadn’t been at each other’s throats; there hadn’t always been such animosity between the two, however things are never harmonious when dealing with four teen and pre-teen girls in one house.

Nate had taken the other notebook and was heartsick to learn about his baby sister’s feelings, especially in the aftermath of her older siblings leaving. From the looks of it, home life had gotten worse, with Ro retreating deeper into her interests, Ham’s personality changing once he switched from music to psychology, and Marjie’s ultimate defeat at trying to keep everyone together. The further along he went, the darker his sister got, with a few entries admitting that perhaps she would be better off not being around, at all.

That hurt, knowing that his sister felt her life was forfeit and that none of them would twice about not having her in their lives. He still didn’t know what had caused her death, but the very thought that she may have taken it herself or done something that would crushed him. Keeping his rolling emotions in check, he hastily tossed the notebook back into the trunk, before turning on his heel and heading for the door.

“Come on,” he said.

“Where’re we going?” Piggy asked, placing the notebook on the bed next to Ham.

Turning to glance at his siblings, saying, “You know where” before walking out and heading down the stairs. Nate was nearly at the front door before the other two had finished coming down the stairs, tossing Piggy the sweatshirt she had borrowed earlier and had taken off.

“Piggy?”

The sudden departure of the trio, for the second time that day, drew eyebrows, especially when there was no explanation given as to why they were leaving and where they were going. It was clear, however, that the three were upset about something – though it seemed Nate was the one more affected than the other two; had there been a fight or disagreement? Since breakfast, the house had been quiet as each person began to sort through household items; the tell-tale sounds of an argument hadn’t been heard, at least not since yesterday afternoon, so to see the three newly aligned siblings just head out left the others with a bit of head scratching.

The siblings didn’t say anything, only followed the eldest as quickly as they could as he stormed off and got into the truck. As soon as the doors closed, Nate was pulling out of the driveway and down the road, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. The drive was silent, with Ham and Piggy still not exactly sure where their brother was headed and he wasn’t offering up any ideas as he drove with tightly controlled and unnerving determination.

It wasn’t until they were turning to the corner and heading into Holland Creek Ceremony, before pulling into the parking lot. Only when they reached their destination did Nate seem to come to himself, almost surprising himself as well as his siblings. “This made more sense in my head earlier,” he mumbled, turning off the ignition and leaning back against the seat.

“Well…” Piggy sighed. “As long as we’re here…”

That seemed to motivate the three to leave the car and take the familiar path to where a growing number of their family members seemed to be gathering. Five members, that they were aware of, were buried in this area, however it was the three headstones that sat together which drew the trio’s attention. Mother, father, and sister were here, while their grandfather and great uncle rested in the row behind them; it still seemed very unreal to be standing here and looking down at the newest additions that now graced the ground.

“It doesn’t seem real,” Ham murmured, his eyes moving from the graves of his sister and mother. “I don’t think I’ve ever imagined myself standing here like this, not with Mama and especially not over Marjie.”

Throwing a quick glance towards her brother, Piggy asked, “Is it true? Did you really give up music to be a doctor?”

The younger pig shuffled his feet a bit, before putting his hands in his pockets. “It was what she wanted,” he whispered, nodding his head towards their mother’s grave. “After you, Nate, and Virgi left…it was easier to do what she wanted than what she didn’t. Don’t get me wrong!” he insisted, turning to look at them both. “I love being a psychologist, I do! Ironically, it’s very therapeutic; it’s…been helpful.”

“But are you happy?”

Ham thought about it for a second before responding, “I’m as happy as I can be. For now, that’s enough.”

“Is it?” Nate whispered, causing his siblings to look over at him. He had been the last one out of the car and now he stood in front of their father’s grave, glaring at it as though it was the boar himself. “Is this the life you saw yourself having? Was this the way things were supposed to be?”

“Nate?”

“This all started,” he growled, before pointing at the grave. “With that pig’s death. Before that even.” Again, glaring at the name on the headstone, hating the fact that he had to share it with someone who had never thought twice about him or them or anyone but himself.

Nate had never outwardly stated – at least until their confrontation in the barn – that he held such animosity towards their father, resentment and anger only building as the years continued to roll by and then combining into the bitterness that he began to hold for their mother. Worse yet, after reading what he had in Marjie’s journal, his feelings on the matter were boiling. Their parents had a duty to them, a duty to make sure they were loved and cherished and…and that was not what Lee and Hortense Hogglesworth had done for their children.

“I hate you, Daddy,” he spat, not even aware he had said anything until he heard the groan from his sister.

“Nate,” she replied. “You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, glaring at her. Turning back to the graves of his parents, he said, “I hate you both. You were the worst excuses for parents ever and in a few short years, I’ve proven that I’m better than both of you. I am a good father, Daddy; seventeen years later and I’m still with the woman I married. Unlike you, I’ve never felt the need to hitch my cart to the first moving thing that comes my way.”

“Nate!” his siblings exclaimed, both of them looking around the cemetery as though a horde of mourners or worse, pastors and priests, were just sitting around and waiting for someone to say something blasphemous.

“I have always strived to be the good son,” he continued, heedless of his siblings’ comments. He seemed to be in his own moment, decades of hurt and pain bubbling to the surface without his permission. “I did everything you wanted me to and for what? I gave up my childhood for you, I gave up football for you, and not once did I ever ask for anything in return. I was the parent to you two should’ve been and I wasn’t the brother my siblings needed.”

“That’s not true,” Piggy defended, looking at Ham in surprise. Out of all of them, Nate was the person she considered to have the healthier mindset, only topping Ro and only because she managed to bury herself in school work.

“You’ve always been a good brother,” Ham added.

“Have I?” he asked, turning to face them both. “A better brother would’ve kept in better touch with each of his siblings. A better brother would’ve been able to keep his family together, not apart. A better brother would’ve known about the death of his baby sister before her name in the family plot! If I had been a better brother, Marjie wouldn’t have done something to cause her own death!”

“What’re you talking about?” Piggy gasped.

“Is that true?” Ham asked, shocked.

Nate shook his head, sadly. “I don’t know,” he whispered, his voice hitching on the last syllable. “God, I hope not,” he moaned. “How could I have not known? Not see what was going on? I did everything I could…”

Watching her twin brother break down and cry was like watching her father cry – it was a scene she had truly never witnessed in her life and quite frankly, it was disturbing. After her father, Nate was the strongest male influence she knew – before she had met Kermit and the others – so to see him so broken, in both heart and spirit, hurt her heart and spirit. Like Ham, she had no idea Nate had felt such a weight on his shoulders after their father’s departure; they had both stepped up to watch and take care of their younger siblings, effectively taking on parental roles that they had been ill equipped to take on at such a young age.

It wasn’t to say that Hortense just let her children run around without supervision or that anything sinister had happened, however it had been very clear that the oldest were responsible for the youngest, a clear chain of command that continued until their teens when their sense of rebellion had kicked in and started the shift they now found themselves.

Nate had done everything he could, even give up his own dreams, to ensure his siblings were able to achieve theirs; Piggy had cut all ties when she left, putting her past in a locked trunk, before sticking it in a locked closet and burying it deep down into another locked around that she wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. She suspected Virgi and Ro had done the same thing, seeing as she hadn’t had any contact with them since her leave and it was clear that Ham had given up his own dreams in order to make their mother happy.

They really did put dysfunction into ‘dysfunctional’, didn’t they?


[hr]


Kermit the Frog was a worrier.

Maybe it was born out of being the eldest of so many younger siblings or overseeing the antics of a troupe of troublemakers, but Kermit had the innate sense of concern whenever he couldn’t pinpoint where someone was. That sense was especially attuned to one Miss Piggy.

It had been nearly lunch when Piggy and her brothers had quickly stormed out the front door and drove off. While he was worried, he knew at some point Piggy would just send him a message or call to let him know that the three of them were alright; that is, she would have if she had bothered to take her phone. Sometimes, he thought she was glued to the thing, so when she would leave it behind, his worry scale would move from zero to ten in the blink of an eye.

His worrying had started getting on the nerves of Gonzo and Fozzie that they had kicked him out of Piggy’s room, relegating him to the kitchen while they helped Ida and Millie go through items in the living room. Kermit was at least happy to not be alone in the kitchen – Hattie and Sarah had been making lunch for everyone and afterwards, he had volunteered to help the two go through kitchen items. By the time Hattie had begun to gather ingredients for dinner, Kermit’s worry meter was at an all-time high of 18, which was increasingly to 20 within the next few minutes if Piggy didn’t walk through the door.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Hattie replied, preparing pots and pans for dinner. “The boys wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”

Kermit smirked. “I’d be more afraid for the boys, actually,” he joked. Looking at the nearby window, he murmured, “I wouldn’t be worried if she hadn’t forgotten her phone. She never goes anywhere without it.”

Hattie hummed an agreement. She only had a cell phone to keep in touch with people when she traveled, however she wasn’t like her nieces or nephews when it came to being connected at all times, but she could understand the worry that had taken the frog. She had of course heard about Kermit the Frog, was aware that her niece had been involved with him at some point and had then broken up. Hattie enjoyed her gossip rags, but she instinctively knew that those stories were just that, stories. So it was interesting to see that the stories about the frog weren’t true – he didn’t seem to be the uncaring sort, in fact it was the complete opposite.

His restlessness and anxiety clearly showed he cared enough about her niece to wonder where she and her brothers could be and where they had held up for several hours.

“You really care about her, don’t you?”

Kermit looked up in surprise. “Of course I do,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Hattie turned to gaze at him from the corner of her eye. “From what I understand,” she said, turning to actually look at him. “You two aren’t exactly involved anymore.”

A slight blush rose to his green cheeks, but he had the good grace to look at her when he answered her. “Does that matter?” he asked. “She’s still my friend and I’d be concerned either way.”

“I bet it’s a little different when you’re in love with that person.”

The frog actually smirked. “That does go without saying,” he admitted. “I won’t lie; we’ve discussed about trying it again, making sure we don’t do the same things we did before.”

“I’m sure this experience hasn’t exactly made things easy,” she mentioned, facing him head on.

What seemed like a simple question didn’t seem as such to the frog; in fact, it almost sounded as though Hattie though his opinion of her niece had suddenly changed. “I’ve always known who Piggy was,” he said, matter of factly. “I wouldn’t be a good friend, or otherwise, if I let something as simple as this change the way I feel about her.”

Hattie couldn’t help the small smile that lit her face. Most men, in all honesty, couldn’t handle the very frank nature of a Maline woman and it was only worse when their various skeletons came out of the closet unannounced, but it seemed clear – and hopeful – that Kermit’s feelings on the matter were genuine. “Just how many arguments do you get into where you think this is simple?” she questioned, though that familiar twinkle in her eye signaled she was teasing him.

“Have you never watched anything we’ve ever done?” was his response.
 
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