The Next Step: The Fifth and Final Rowlf Story

The Count

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Think I spotted her earlier. Loved the chapter Beth and all the refurences to Prawny and Lisa's conversations and the injokes. But I rully want to know more about this girl who's arrived at town staying at the Fuzzy Feet. So... Post more please! Soon? Ish?
 

redBoobergurl

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Chapter Two:

Rowlf went in after he and Kermit had finished their drinks and went to find his wife.

He found her moving things into his bedroom; they would share now that they were married.

“I’m so sorry, I should’ve been here helping you!” exclaimed Rowlf.

“It’s no problem; I figured you needed to catch up with Kermit. The girls and I got most of it moved ourselves. Just a few small things left,” said Wanda.

“I’m glad you’re finally getting to move in here with me,” said Rowlf.

“Me too, although there is one thing, is there something we can do to make it a little more girly in here?” asked Wanda.

“What, you don’t like my bachelor pad?” asked Rowlf.

“Well, that’s just it; it’s nice for a bachelor. You’re not a bachelor anymore,” teased Wanda.

Rowlf helped her unpack some of her things.

“You think this room would be big enough with a little bambino sleeping in the corner?” asked Rowlf.

“Boy I don’t know. Would we stay here if we had kids?” asked Wanda.

“Good question. Well, Kermit’s made it work with Robin. We’d have tons of built in babysitters,” said Rowlf.

“So, I take it you’re feeling ok about possibly having kids?” asked Wanda.

“Yeah, I talked to Kermit about it and you know something, I think it feels right. There’s a lot to consider though. I don’t know if we could, um, you know, do it ourselves,” said Rowlf.

“I know what you mean. I suppose we could go see a doctor and ask them. Otherwise there’s adoption which is a wonderful thing,” said Wanda.

“Would we adopt a cat or a dog or some other little creature?” asked Rowlf.

“I know, I know, there’s so much to consider here. I don’t know. What if we adopted one of each?” asked Wanda.

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Rowlf.

“Quite frankly, I’m scared of doing it any other way, as much as it would be wonderful to have a child of our own, I just don’t know,” said Wanda.

“It’s ok, I understand, it scares me too. But hey, we’d love our adopted kids as much as if they were our own. And there’s so many kids who need a home,” said Rowlf.

“Sounds like we’ve made our decision,” said Wanda.

“Only if it feels right for both of us. Does it feel right to you?” asked Rowlf.

“Well, I think it feels right to go talk to an adoption agency and see how the process begins,” said Wanda.

“Me too. Besides, your health and well being is a little more important to me than having kids and if having our own put you at risk in anyway, well, I don’t think I could deal with it,” said Rowlf.

“Could you imagine how wonderful it would be to raise a little cat and dog side by side? We’d really be breaking down some barriers,” said Wanda.

“I think we did that already just by getting married,” laughed Rowlf.

“Ok, well, nothing is going to get done tonight, let’s get settled in for the night and maybe look for some adoption agencies in the morning,” said Wanda.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” said Rowlf

* * * * *

It was morning in Hensonville and the young girl set out to figure out the next part of her plan.

“If I’m going to blend in here for awhile I should find a more permanent place to stay and a job,” she thought to herself.

She was able to accomplish both rather quickly. They were hiring at the Three Candles bookstore and she was able to sublet an apartment just at the edge of town.

More than once she passed by the place she knew would ultimately lead her to her destiny but it was still too soon.

She scratched her side and smiled though when she thought of how wonderful her life would be once she was ready. She would wait until she was good and ready though.

* * * * *

Rowlf joined Kermit at the breakfast table and grabbed part of the paper as he always did.

“Did you talk with Wanda last night?” asked Kermit through sips of coffee.

“Yeah, I think we’re going to look into adoption,” said Rowlf.

“That’s great! I think that is an excellent option for the both of you,” said Kermit.

“We thought we’d try to adopt a little cat and dog,” said Rowlf.

“Even better,” said Kermit.

“Hey Kermit?” asked Rowlf after a few minutes had gone by.

“Yeah?” asked Kermit.

“Let’s keep it on the down low for now. I don’t know how long it’s going to take us and I’m sure Wanda will want to make a big announcement,” said Rowlf.

“No problem,” said Kermit.

* * * * * *

Later that morning Rowlf and Wanda found an adoption agency in town and met with a nice woman named Kate who was happy to help them start the process.

“There’s some paperwork to fill out, we’ll need to complete a background check on you guys, do some evaluations to see if you’d be good parents. It’s not that we don’t think you will be, it’s standard procedure,” said Kate.

“Of course,” said Rowlf.

“How long before we get put on a list?” asked Wanda.

“Well, it depends on how long it takes to get all of the elements in place. I want to warn you to, even after going on a waiting list, it could take up to a year before you’re selected to become parents,” said Kate.

“We kind of anticipated that,” said Rowlf.

“These evaluations, do you have to come out to our house?” asked Wanda looking a little worried.

“Yes, that’s standard procedure,” said Kate.

“Uh-oh,” said Wanda.

“What’s wrong?” asked Kate.

“My wife is concerned because you see, we are part of the Muppets and we live with most of them in a large house. They are wonderful, well meaning people, but things get crazy sometimes,” said Rowlf.

“Oh don’t worry, everyone in Hensonville is familiar with the Muppets. They may be crazy but as far as I can tell no child will ever be loved more or better cared for than one placed in the presence of your group,” said Kate smiling.

Wanda relaxed and smiled back.

“So then, do you wish to start the process today?” asked Kate.

Rowlf and Wanda looked at each other and communicated silently as they often did.

“Yes,” they said in unison.
 

The Count

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Yaey! This is great Beth. Is it wrong for me to be drawn in more to the journey of this unnamed human girl in town? Sorry, but my batty radar and catlike senses are a smidge suspicious and I wanna know more.
Rowlf and Wanda adopting... It's a good premise, would've liked it if you explored them giving birth naturally, sort of how Melissa did it in one of her suspended fics, The Great Desire. Not to such heartshattering extreme of course though.
And... Kate??? The same Kate we know to be bunking out with a trio of Fraggles? Oh man, I wonder what she'll say. After talking to her for Hensonville Histories, she said she wanted a nice quiet information booth in the center of town or nearby, but if she's OK with this nod things will definitely have to be changed for my own story.

Keep it coming... Post more soon Ish!
 

redBoobergurl

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Ah yes, it is that Kate. I named her for that part because she was in favor of the adoption idea. Certainly does not have to be that way if she doesn't wish it to be.

As for the unnamed girl, time will tell.

In fact, time will tell for the whole story, many twists and turns to come. But not until the weekend is over. Sorry. This will have to hold you over. :smile:
 

theprawncracker

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WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! ADOPTION! Oh Beth, that is SUCH a perfect thing for the two of them! Just what I thought would happen! I LOVED Kate's explanation of how kids would be cared for with the Muppets. SO great! MORE PLEASE!
 

The Count

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Aw rats... What if we got an autographed campaign poster and a huge box of cookies? Would that sway you to vote for us? And get some more story posted too?
Pweetty pwease?
 

The Count

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Hi... Just a friendly, or furiendly nag reminder for more story please. Lisa updated Heart of Gold, so I hexpect others to follow suit and update their stories as well. At least, I hope such a wonderful story like this one gets another installment posted soon.
That is all. We now return you to your regularly scheduled fanfic, already in progress.
*Leaving post... Hmmm, that's a good line, should use it in Prawny's latest fictional tale.
 

redBoobergurl

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Ask and ye shall receive!

Chapter Three:

Wanda and Rowlf finished up everything with Kate who said they’d hear from her in a couple of days to set up the evaluation. She reassured them again that the craziness that is the Muppets would not affect their chances.

“Does anyone know about this yet?” asked Wanda.

“Just Kermit, I’m sorry, I had already talked to him last night so I told him what was going on this morning,” said Rowlf.

“Oh that’s ok, I trust Kermit, I know he won’t tell anyone,” said Wanda.

“When are we telling everyone? It might be nice to clue them in about the evaluation and some of that stuff,” said Rowlf.

“Oh, I thought maybe at dinner tonight? I didn’t think it needed to be a secret forever,” said Wanda.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Rowlf.

“Hey, do you mind if we stop into the bookstore? I want to see if there are any good books on adopting and also on parenting,” said Wanda.

“Sure,” said Rowlf.

They walked in the bookstore and waved hello to Nora who worked at the bookstore.

Wanda headed for the parenting section while Rowlf gravitated towards music books. He grabbed an autobiography on Elton John and started to page through it as he walked towards the lounge to wait for Wanda. He nearly tripped over a young girl wearing a headscarf stacking books on a low shelf.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?” asked Rowlf.

“Um, no, not at all, excuse me,” said the girl quickly standing up and beginning to walk away.

“Wait a minute, you don’t look familiar. Are you new in town?” asked Rowlf.

“Yeah, I’m new here. I have to go now, I’m really busy,” said the girl. She hurried away to a storage room.

“Um, welcome,” said Rowlf finding it odd that she disappeared so quickly. He shook his head and went to sit down.

Wanda found a couple of books that satisfied her, paid for them and met up with Rowlf.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“Sure,” said Rowlf.

As they were walking he brought up the strange young girl.

“There was this new girl working in the store, I’ve never seen her before and when I talked to her she got really flustered and ran away,” said Rowlf.

“Maybe she’s a fan! You know how tongue tied they can get,” said Wanda.

“That’s true, I’m sure that’s what it was,” said Rowlf. Still, he felt a little strange after the encounter. For the moment he put it out of his head.

* * * * * *

Back at the bookstore the girl was shaking in the storage room.

“That was too close! It’s not time yet, I’ve really got to watch that. The plan was to blend in! I hope this works out,” she said to herself.

When enough time had passed she poked her head out to see if he was gone thankful Nora hadn’t come looking for her yet. That was all she’d need, to be fired on her first day. When she saw that he was gone she came back out and went back to stocking.

“Just keep a low profile for now, that’s all you have to do,” she thought to herself and was hopeful this incident wouldn’t repeat itself anytime soon.

* * * * * *

That evening as all of their friends gathered for dinner as they always did Rowlf and Wanda attempted to make their big announcement.

“Guys? We’ve got something to tell you,” said Rowlf.

No one heard him. Instead, bits of conversation could be heard.

“Kermit, can I tell the banana joke at the next show?”

“Where’s the food, I’m hungry.”

“Johnny Fiama says he’s hungry.”

“So I told the little tramp to stop looking at my frog or she’d be getting a karate chop into the next county.”

“Did she listen?”

“Of course, everyone always listens to moi.”

“What would be so bad about rollerblading through a flaming vat of French silk pie? Where is everyone’s sense of adventure?”

“FOOD! HUNGRY!”

Rowlf looked at Wanda helplessly.

“Did you think we’d actually be able to get a word in?” asked Rowlf.

“I know a few tricks,” said Wanda. She stood up on the chair, put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly.

“And I said look man, you might think posing with mud all over is connecting to nature, but like, I don’t need to be one with Mother Earth,” said Janice.
Everyone looked at her.

“What?” she said.

“I think Wanda has something to say,” said Fozzie.

Rowlf stood up and took her hand.

“Actually we both do,” said Rowlf.

“Oh my gosh, Wanda’s withchild!” exclaimed Scooter.

“Already? Man, can’t you guys keep your hands off each other?” said Clifford.

“Way to go Rowlf you dog,” said Floyd.

“BABY! BABY!” yelled Animal.

“Is that true? I thought you guys were using a different option,” said Kermit.

“Dats or Cuppies? Wocka wocka!” exclaimed Fozzie.

“Maybe Wanda is pregnant with a mutant polka dotted sea monkey!” said Gonzo.

“HOLD IT!” Rowlf yelled finally breaking up the insanity.

“Guys, I’m not pregnant,” said Wanda.

“You’re not? What’s the big deal then?” asked Piggy.

“We’re going to adopt a baby, possibly two. That’s all. So yes, we’re trying to become parents, but not that way,” said Rowlf.

“What kind of babies?” asked Robin.

“Hopefully a baby kitten and a baby puppy,” said Wanda.

Rowlf and Wanda explained how they went to the adoption agency and what the process involved. Now the room was abuzz with excitement.

“Aww, ain’t nothing cuter than a couple of little guys running around,” said Clifford.

“You guys will make great parents,” said Fozzie.

“Like congratulations!” said Janice.

“Will I get to babysit?” asked Robin.

“Maybe when you get a little older,” said Kermit smiling.

“We’ll let you hold them though,” said Rowlf.

“All right!” exclaimed Robin.

The chatter continued and Rowlf and Wanda smiled, thankful they had a family like this to share in their joy but who would also help raise their children.

As everyone raised a glass to toast them Rowlf thought to himself, “Life is good.”

He would remember this night a few weeks later when suddenly, life wasn’t so good, and instead, it was turned all upside down.
 

The Count

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Mmm... Delish. Thanks for the new chapter Beth.
Although... There's something to point out. You say Rowlf and Wanda went to the bookstore where Kim, one of the sisters worked. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Kim's place of employment the Three Candles Library? And the bookstore in town, isn't that the Coming Unbound where Nora, Erin's roomy, works along with Mrs. Farley (normal human)?
Mayhaps a quick rewrite's in order. Or then again, maybe this is something that I've not heard of, being cooped up in my room at the dorms and absorbed in all the wonderful fanfics.
Just checking, it's a great story nevertheless... And I'm looking forward to this strange girl and just how she turns Rowlf's life topsy-turvy and all which way but upside-down.
Thanks, post more please!
 

redBoobergurl

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Mmm... Delish. Thanks for the new chapter Beth.
Although... There's something to point out. You say Rowlf and Wanda went to the bookstore where Kim, one of the sisters worked. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Kim's place of employment the Three Candles Library? And the bookstore in town, isn't that the Coming Unbound where Nora, Erin's roomy, works along with Mrs. Farley (normal human)?
Mayhaps a quick rewrite's in order. Or then again, maybe this is something that I've not heard of, being cooped up in my room at the dorms and absorbed in all the wonderful fanfics.
Just checking, it's a great story nevertheless... And I'm looking forward to this strange girl and just how she turns Rowlf's life topsy-turvy and all which way but upside-down.
Thanks, post more please!
Actually I was unclear about what the Three Candles was. So, you're right, that's the library, Coming Unbound is the bookstore. I fixed this chapter but I can't fix the first chapter where our strange young girl takes the job, so I'll just leave it as is. But, I mean for her to work at Coming Unbound not Three Candles. From here on out that is how it will be referred to. Thanks for clearing that up for me Ed, I actually had no idea. :smile:
 
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