AKA Kermit ala Carte

Usually, on New Year's Eve, the Top of the Tower would have been swamped with a motley crew of city residents - college students, seniors, social ladder climbing snobs- all mingling together for the one time during the year. Especially on the New Year's Eve before the Millennium. But instead the famous hall was reserved for a select few, gathered to witness the marriage of Kermit Griffin and Karen Simms.

A wedding on New Year's Eve might have seemed unusual to most people, but the two participants were definitely not ordinary. As Karen Simms had laughingly pronounced to all and sundry, 'I'm no blushing bride and Kermit's certainly no rookie when it comes to marriage ceremonies himself. I think a church wedding would be a farce at this point in our lives. Besides, I don't think you could force Kermit into a tux.' So a small ceremony followed by a New Year's Eve blowout had seemed a fitting choice.

Family and the gang from the 101st were decked out in their party rags. Mary Margaret, in particular, stood out in a body hugging number that had made Kwai Chang Caine's eyebrows lift. She wasn't sure if she was going to try the relationship road with KCC again, but why not knock the socks off the man anyway?

Recently back from his doomed quest for his deceased wife (the picture was of a look-alike doppelganger), Caine was tapped to perform the ceremony. Conceivably, Peter Caine could have preformed the service but his skills were once again being used as best man. (Writer's note: Always a best man-never a groom. :-)

The pre-wedding mingling and kibitzing was in full swing by the time the first guest of honor arrived in a new Armani suit, subtlety patterned tie, and a flower in his front pocket. A new suit had been his one concession to the fashion police who had tried to get him to wear a tux. As heads turned in his direction, a wall of salutations and well-meaning jokes greeted his ears.

"Kermit! Nice suit."

"Nice tie."

"Nice smile."

He walked through the gauntlet of well-wishers to take up his place at the bower installed at the front of the room. Peter Caine, who for once wasn't off fighting terrorists during a ceremony, moved to his side and clouted him on the shoulder.

"Well, Kermit. You ready?"

"Yeah, Peter. I never thought I'd say this, but I am ready." He seemed as surprised as anyone at the statement.

"You and the Captain deserve to be happy. You know we're all pulling for you."

"I know, Peter." He shook Peter's hand. "Thanks."

*********************************

As she stared at her reflection in the mirror of her dressing room, Karen Simms knew she looked beautiful. But, more importantly, she felt beautiful. And loved. And wanted. Things she hadn't thought she'd ever feel again after her stormy first marriage. Then, of course, came the earthquake and the top of an elevator and a foundling child. The holes in her life had finally been filled.

"Penny for your thoughts." Karen's sister, Lauren, laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh. I was just thinking on what it took to get here."

"I'll say. Two kidnappings. Hostage situations. A baby as a Christmas present. ... You've never lived a boring life, big sister."

Karen smiled. "That's what happens when you hook up with Kermit Griffin. A rollercoaster ride."

"You wouldn't have it any other way."

"You're right." Karen smoothed down the skirt of her dress and turned around in front of the mirror. Not too bad for the mother of a 24 year old.

Or a three year old, Karen thought to herself as her rambunctious daughter Holly barreled into her leg. Karen picked up her pride and joy and nuzzled her nose. "Are you being a good girl for Aunt Kim? Hmm?" Holly laughed in her face.

"I guess that means no."

Karen gave Holly over to Lauren who was set to walk up the aisle as Matron of Honor and turned to see who had just spoken. She saw Marilyn, Kermit's sister, standing in the doorway.

"Marilyn. Is Kermit ready to bolt yet?" She laughed as she beckoned the woman with the sad eyes over to her.

"Actually, he looks pretty good. I just stopped by to give you something." Marilyn reached into her handbag and pulled out an antique box. "Open it. It was our mother's."

Karen opened the box and gasped. "Marilyn. It's beautiful." Inside the box lay a pearl and diamond watch with swirls of silver in the band and the name 'Griffin' on the face.

"Our father gave Mother that watch on the day they were married. She wore it always."

"Marilyn .... this is yours. I can't accept ..."

"Yes you can. It was made for the wife of a Griffin man." Marilyn saw the confusion bubbling up from Karen, but she held up her hand to forestall Karen's questions. "The women he married before were wrong for him. I knew that. He knew that. Vietnam, the mercenary trade, robbed Kermit of his soul. He wasn't ready to be married. He needed to heal. You've helped him do that. With you and Holly, he's found the first home he's had in over 20 years. Mother would want you to have it. I want you to have it."

Karen stared at her soon to be sister-in-law. Tears welling up in her eyes, she pulled Marilyn back into her embrace. "Thank you," she whispered.

************************************

In the main kitchen, hors d'oeuvres were being prepared and champagne readied to serve the wedding party and guests after the ceremony. But these waiters were different than the usual staff of the Towers. Hired for temporary duty by the Towers staff after a strange rash of no-shows among their regular staff, the new recruits packed more than salmon pâté. Underneath their jackets, they wore semi-automatic machine guns.

Usually this group of men would be smuggling drugs from the Caribbean or running guns to Mexico. Disrupting a wedding reception seemed tame in comparison. But thugs weren't hired to think. Their boss ordered them to this spot and they obeyed. What connection he had with the folks in the hall was his business. Their business was to take his money and follow his instructions.

*************************

Todd Simms peeped his head into Karen's dressing room. "Everyone decent?"

Karen smiled. "Everyone's gone but me." She stopped to analyze her son's attire, as all mothers do.

Dressed in his uniform with spit polished shoes and his cap underneath his arm, he looked at his mom in amusement and turned around in a circle. "So, do I pass muster?"

"You look so handsome." Karen reached for his hand. "Have I told you today how much I love you?" Since their new-found understanding on Parent's Day at his academy almost four years ago, Karen had made it a priority to tell Todd how much she loved him every time she saw him or talked to him on the phone. Now she was getting married and making a new family. She didn't want him to feel left behind. Not after all they'd been through.

She reached up and caressed his face. "You are so important to me. No matter what happens. No matter that I won't be Karen Simms anymore. I'll always be your mother and I want you to know that you can come to me anytime. That I expect you to come home and see me or I'll come up there to get you." She hugged him to her chest and then moved back, smoothing the wrinkles from his jacket.

"I will. I promise. I love you, Mom." He reached over to wipe a tear from her cheek and then laughed at their uncharacteristically sentimental binge. "You ready to go? I think Kermit's getting antsy. Of course, it's hard to tell with his glasses on."

Karen smiled at that and nodded an affirmative. "Let's get this show on the road." Taking his arm, she walked beside him to the door.

***************************

The jazz ensemble playing in the background shifted to the traditional strains of Bach as Lauren, as Matron of Honor, made her way down the aisle. Next, came Kim who made it a point to wink at Broderick as she passed by. Then came Holly, who dutifully tried to walk briskly down the aisle but got hung up as she was fascinated by the petals she was throwing to the floor and the pretty patterns they made. Giggling and merry, she was finally coaxed down the aisle by Kermit who wiggled his fingers at her.

All present stood as Bach gave way to Mendelssohn's Wedding March. Standing back up after giving his toddler over to Kim with a final pat to Holly's head, Kermit slowly slid off his glasses as he beheld his bride.

A kind of initial stunned enchantment flitted over his face, soon replaced by a soft smile of satisfaction as Karen glided down the aisle in a sheath of rose-beige. A bouquet of star lilies in her hand and diamonds at her throat, Karen approached her bridegroom with an air of luminous certainty. As she got closer, Kermit could see his mother's watch shining from her wrist. He glanced briefly at Marilyn, who smiled in confirmation. He'd thank her later.

Todd shook hands with Kermit sincerely then kissed his mother's cheek as he placed Karen's hand into the hand of her intended. After thanking Todd with his eyes, Kermit focused his gaze on Karen, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it. She mouthed the words 'I love you' in response. They stared at each other for a long moment before turning to their friend Caine.

Smiling benevolently at the gathered assembly, Caine bowed to the lovers and began the ceremony.

************************

"Karen, do you take Kermit to be your husband?" asked Caine in the traditional manner.

"I do." She smiled softly at Kermit who had her hand in his.

"And you, Kermit. Do you take Karen to be your wife?"

"Oh, yeah."

A ripple of laughter broke out through the wedding party and guests as Kermit used his favorite phrase. Karen laughed so hard tears rose in her eyes.

"I knew you were going to do that," Karen whispered to the man who had become her best friend.

"Didn't want to disappoint the crowd." He murmured quietly back at her.

Caine looked on at Kermit in amusement then went on with the ceremony as if Kermit had said the expected response.

"And the rings?" He looked over at his son who dutifully produced the carved ring of yellow and white gold from his pocket and gave it to his father. Lauren did the same with Kermit's matching ring while receiving the bouquet from Karen's hands. Caine then gave the smaller ring to Kermit who took Karen's left hand in his.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Kermit slid the ring on Karen's finger, his face suddenly serious. "With my body, I thee worship. With my mind, I thee honor. With all my heart and soul, I thee endow."

As Kermit spoke, tears flowed freely down Karen's cheeks as she responded to the unvarnished emotion in his voice. Hardly able to speak, she took Kermit's ring from Caine and slowly repeated Kermit's words as she slid the ring on his finger. Kermit reached up with his right hand to wipe the tears from her eyes. Karen took his hand in both her own and kissed it in return.

With satisfaction in his voice, Caine gave the benediction. "The love that has been forged here …no man may pull asunder. May the One who guides us all - guide you both on your journey together." He stood back and gestured with his hands to the couple. "You may kiss the bride."

Everyone stood and clapped as Karen and Kermit kissed a long first kiss as husband and wife.

*************************

The jazz ensemble shifted into big band with T.J. crooning a witty ditty to the guests seated at the tables surrounding the raised head table. Laughter ruled the evening as the fine food was eaten and the champagne flowed with the waiters milling around, filling everyone's glasses for the toast. After serving the guests, the twenty-or-so waiters stayed, taking up what seemed to be normal positions on the wall to the side of the festooned tables.

Peter Caine felt a bad vibe niggling at the back of his mind. He didn't see anything wrong but he looked around for his father. Caine was nowhere in sight. *Maybe he went to the bathroom* Scanning the room again, Peter's eyes caught Strenlich's who indicated his similar uneasiness with his stiff body language. Pushing aside the feeling of foreboding to perform his duty, Peter rose and lifted his glass to the married couple. "I'd like to propose a toast-"

A harsh voice rang out from the back of the room. "No. I'd like to make a toast. To Kermit Griffin and his soon to be dead bride." As he spoke, the waiters simultaneously threw down their trays and revealed the weapons.

Everyone stood up from their seats in shock while Kermit jumped across the raised head table as he recognized the man threatening his wife and friends.

"Larsen." As Kermit stood in front of the man who had killed his brother seven years before, Karen leaned her hands on the table and mouthed the words, 'Be careful.'

"Hello, Griffin." Douglas Larsen raised up his own weapon and pointed it in Kermit's face. "What's the old saying? 'Revenge is a dish that is best served cold.' I wanted to be here to see you pay. For my humiliation at Atterbury, for ruining my business, for stealing my wife away from me. Those years in prison left me with nothing. Now I want you to have nothing."

"Your wife left you because you beat her, Larsen. She didn't need any help from me."

"I'm not here to debate old times, Griffin. I'm here to see everyone you love, die." He waved his arms to his men who had the cluster of lower tables and the raised dais where the head table resided in their sights. "Hose the room."

"No!"

Both Larsen and Kermit looked up to the raised dais to see Karen shielding Holly with her body and holding up her hands in supplication. Larsen's men looked over to their boss for instructions.

"No. You will not hurt my people. If you want me, fine. I'll come to you. But, you will not harm my people." Karen spoke quietly but firmly as she pushed back her chair and turned to walk down the length of the dais to the short steps to the dance floor. Todd tried to keep his mother from going as she passed his chair, but she gently shook off his hand.

"Karen-" Kermit waved his wife back as she slowly moved down from the dais to reach the two men. Karen shook her head in refusal and continued towards them until she was next to Kermit and a few feet from Larsen. Kermit held her back from giving herself over to the man he hated.

"She's brave, Griffin. I'll give you that." He signaled for his men to halt. They lowered their weapons back to their ready positions. "I respect bravery." He looked Karen straight in the eye. "I'm not an unreasonable man. If you and your husband come with me, my men won't kill your people. You have my word." He held up his finger at this point, "But, my men stay here until I come back with news of your deaths."

"No." Karen responded resolutely. "My children leave now. Forgive me, if I don't trust your collection of killers and drug runners." She turned to the raised dais and signaled to Todd. "Todd, take Holly. Now." She turned back to Larsen and dared him with her eyes to stop her orders. Todd obeyed his mother though his whole body cried out to stay and fight. As he passed his mother with Holly crying in his arms, he stopped and let her caress his face with her hands and whisper in his ear, 'Call the precinct. Ask for Lasher.'

Karen kissed both of her children and said 'I Love You'; then, she let them continue out the door. Douglas Larsen inclined his head in a signal of his benevolence. Then he pushed his gun back in both Karen and Kermit's faces and beckoned with his fingers.

"Now, Mr. and Mrs. Griffin. You're coming with me. A trip to the roof will do all of us some good, I'm sure." He pointed his gun in the direction of the side door which had a clearly marked sign which said 'Observation level'. Kermit and Karen looked at each other and at their friends. Then, they reached for each others hands and walked with Larsen to the stairs and disappeared through the door.

Peter, Strenlich, and the rest of the guests present watched in silence as they walked past.

Part 1   Part 2 

Back to author's index      Back to Story index