Author Notes - In this chapter, another important plot thread gets resolved: Deema's relationship with Gil. Seeing as it was more-or-less what started this entire story, it's important to resolve it before the climax.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - ALL MY FAULT

'Nonny, I have some news for you… Gil said that he doesn't want to be the leader.'

Tuesday had arrived. With its arrival, the one week 'anniversary' of the accident was just the day after. Almost seven days ago - though it seemed so much longer than that - one of the members of the most popular preschool band under the sea was hospitalised. Any outsider may have thought that it was one simple joke that resulted in the accident, but the members of that band knew that it was the result of a hundred awful jokes piled on top of one another until the final 'prank' toppled the tower.

That final part was the one that Deema was still struggling to understand.

'Okay Deema. Today, you're gonna march straight up to Gil, and then…! Um, you'll do something?'

She gave her cheeks a light slap while she tried to psyche herself up. Even though she had just gotten out of her front door and was just going to the hospital after a quick school visit, she acted as if she was about to climb a mountain. Of course, in her mind, this was a mountain, or at least a proverbial one. If it was a real mountain, it'd be taller than Mount Everest.

'I'll call it… Mount Confronting-Gil-At-The-Hospital!' She blurted out. 'Oh wait, no, that's too long…'

On her way to school, she spent the whole journey debating with herself over whether or not she needed to go talk to Gil on that day. With the one week anniversary approaching, she debated if she should've waited until then for a meaningful date. But 'meaningful dates' really meant nothing when the situation was this serious.

You have to do it sooner or later, so might as do it now! Oh, no, I'm not ready. But I have to confront him eventually! But should I stall it? No, I have to do this now. But he's gonna hate me for it. Oh, no he isn't, you idiot; you know he won't. But I was the one who caused the accident. Except, no, I wasn't, because it was a bigger problem than that.

She continued this mental battle for so long that…

'Oh, hi Deema!'

'AH!'

She didn't realise that she had already arrived at the school. Oona giggled at how easily she accidentally jump-scared her friend, and Deema was quick to laugh along too. The laughter died down quickly, but for a few seconds it was nice to feel like everything was how it used to be. The Guppies, minus Gil, were already all waiting for her to arrive. Even Molly had a big smile on her face. It had been a while since Deema arrived long after Molly did.

'So, I take it, you'll keep coming to school?' Oona asked.

Deema nodded. 'EE-yep! Did you really think I could stay away from the greatest friends in the world?'

'Does that mean you'll still be my friend?'

Deema averted her gaze, and Oona wasn't sure how to take her silence. It was better than the 'no' she would've received just a few days ago, but it wasn't as good as a 'yes' or even a 'maybe'.

'You know, Deema,' She said. 'Gil has forgiven Goby.'

Deema gasped. 'Wait, he has?' She smiled. 'That's awesome! Those boys have always been super close, so that's fin-tastic news!'

'I'm so happy that Gil could forgive him!' She sighed. 'Sorry Deema. I would love to talk more, but I have to hurry to the hospital.'

At that moment, Deema remembered what she came out here to do in the first place. Before Oona could swim away to her destination, Deema grabbed her wrist.

'Oona, I wanna come with you!'

The lavender-haired Guppy was quite surprised, to say the least, but she responded with a friendly smile.

'Okay!' She replied. 'You're gonna try talking to Gil again, aren't you?'

'Yeah…' Deema said with a chuckle. 'I mean, what else would I do? Except maybe for getting some advice for this black eye, but it's been a week. I think I've already done everything I can do for that.'

So, the girls waved goodbye to their friends and headed out the door. The moment the sliding door closed behind them, Oona sighed. She turned to her friend, making sure they were eye-to-eye with each other.

'Deema,' She said. 'I need to be honest. I'm not sure if Gil will forgive you. He told me yesterday that… well, I'm sure you know.'

The curly-haired Guppy stared at the ground. 'Oh. Well, I guess that doesn't matter. I mean, he might, and even if he doesn't I have some things I gotta say. For starters… I'm kinda sick of hinging all of my friendships on his forgiveness.'

Oona's eyes widened. 'Wait, what?! Really?'

Deema groaned. 'I don't know! I thought for certain that everyone was better off without me in the band, but… it seems like everyone's way happier with me here. Molly looked happier when I met up with her again. B-But that can't be true! Not after what I did to Gil…'

She sat down on the stairs leading up to her school, resting her head in her hands with a sigh. Oona sat down next to her, and tried to smile.

'That's because we are happier with you around.' She said. 'You're like our sun. We move around you slowly because you are the only one.'

Deema giggled. 'Yeah, I remember that song too.'

'We're all important to the band, but I think you're something else. You're the goofiest, silliest, most fun-loving out of all of us, even Gil. You keep everyone smiling and laughing, whether you realise it or not. Think about all those times you managed to make Nonny laugh. That isn't easy to do. You're like a ray of sunshine, and we need it at a time like this. I… I need you more than ever.'

Deema cursed her sweet little friend. Even when she wanted to feel bad, Oona assured her that she couldn't.

'Alright!' She declared, getting off the ground and puffing out her chest. 'Let's go talk to Gil!'

Nonny stared out the window. That window was a bit of a favourite when it came to looking out during more dramatic moments, seeing as Oona, Clam, and even Bubble Kitty all used it to think. Now, Nonny used it to think about his future as the new leader of the Bubble Guppies. Molly sat right behind him, letting him stare out into the open blue sky.

'Don't feel pressured to do it.' She said. 'Remember, you're not the only one who I think could make a good leader. I just chose you because you're smart, kind, and brave. Not to mention, the fans adore you.'

He took a deep breath. Then, he did something that Molly never thought she'd see him do - he clenched his fists, and stood up like a knight going into battle.

'I'll do it.' He said. 'I said that I would take it if Gil didn't, so I have to stick to my promise. I'll take over your role as leader.'

'WOO-HOO!' Goby cheered from the other side of the room - the indigo-haired Guppy was busy building a tower made of blocks, one for Gil to see if and when he returned.

The random cheer from one of his friends got Nonny to blush, for what must've been the twentieth time since this leadership thing was brought up.

'I know you can do it, Nonny!' Molly said.

'And I-I think I can too.' Nonny said. 'B-But I don't think I want to take the role just yet. There's just too much going on right now. I don't think I can control this situation.'

'I'm sure you could do it easily, but that's fine. I'll try to handle everything before you think you're ready to take on the role for real.' She paused. 'Do you want to make an announcement video like I did?'

He shook his head. 'Not yet. I need some time first.'

Zooli and Mr Grouper were over at the computer, scrolling through the comments on their website. Less than a day, and already the fandom was going crazy over the news. Fortunately, most comments were just shock and amazement and not so much anger. Still, Zooli couldn't find a single comment that wasn't about this new revelation, aside from one dude politely asking people to read his fanfictions about the Guppies as teenagers (a rather common but certainly interesting idea for fanfics).

'There's already been about five forums discussing this topic. Today.' Zooli remarked, clicking on one of them. 'And three of them are locked. Probably because this person is using kinda crude lang- OH!'

Mr Grouper quickly clicked away. 'And that's enough of that! There are some words you are too young to know yet, and that was definitely one of them.'

A fan had started a poll, and - unsurprisingly - the question was 'Who Do You Think Would Make the Best New Leader?' with each of the Guppies other than Molly (including Bubble Puppy) as the options. Most of them were even in numbers, but Nonny won by a landslide. Bubble Puppy was last, and Deema - typically divisive among their listeners to begin with - followed soon after him.

'Look at that!' Mr Grouper said. 'Even the fans think that Nonny is the right one for the job!'

'Honestly, I'm surprised that I'm not last.' Zooli said. 'But I'm glad that so many people want to see Nonny as the leader. Hopefully, that means the fans will accept him taking over.'

'I don't see why they wouldn't! But we should make sure Nonny stays away from the fansites after he takes over, just in case. I know you were able to handle all the terrible comments, but someone like Nonny won't be. I still remember the wars between the Neema shippers and the Doby shippers...'

'Yeah, I've heard that was awful. Weren't a few people accused of being racist or something? And then it turned out that some of those Neema shippers really were just kinda... awful?'

'Our fanbase does worry me sometimes…'

Deema wanted to be sick. Her stomach churned like milk in a butter factory as the elevator arrived on Gil's floor. The 'ding' as it stopped made her heart skip a beat. Oona turned to her friend as they swam down the hallway, and found herself concerned by how she seemed even more pale than usual.

'Do you want to back out?' Oona asked. 'It's okay if you want to.'

'What? No!' Deema replied. 'Certainly not. I've spent too long freaking out over this to just set it back another day. I can do without another sleepless night, thank you very much.'

'You didn't sleep last night? You certainly don't look like it.' She giggled. 'Then again, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised.'

'Well, I'm gonna crash tonight anyway. Cos I'm sure this talk with Gil will absolutely exhaust me.'

Before she knew it, Deema had entered Gil's room. She could see him in the hospital bed, looking little better than he did last time he saw her. Gil was in the middle of playing a game on his DS, with Bubble Puppy sleeping by his side, when his eyes darted to his visitors.

'Deema?' He said, putting his game down. 'Hey! You're looking better? Are you feeling better?'

She stared at him in silence, almost forgetting what he looked like before the accident. He still had that cheerful look in his eyes, but the bruises and bandages covered it up almost entirely. In the back of her mind, a thought still nagged at her.

I caused this…

She tried her best to ignore it, to follow what her friends had told her, but it wouldn't go away.

'Deema?'

'Oh! Yeah, I'm fine.' She replied. 'I've been better, but I've been worse too. I'm never held back for long!' She said with a giggle. 'Did anything interesting happen to you?'

He shrugged. 'Nothing you don't already know. Oh, other than my family's lawsuit.'

'Your family's what now?'

Gil chuckled. Oh, how he missed the blonde Guppy's Deema-ish ways. It seemed that even that black eye - that needed at least another week to heal - could hide her spirits, and it perked up his own spirits just a little.

'My bro told me he talked to you.' He said. 'Sounds like it went well!'

'Oh yeah!' Deema said. 'Your brother is so wiiise.'

He chuckled again. 'Wise? I don't think I've ever heard anyone in my family described with that word before.'

Oona took Deema by the hand and brought her deeper into Gil's room. Once they were halfway, Deema took over and swam herself over to the bed. Bubble Puppy stirred from his sleep for just a few seconds, and when he saw Deema his tail started wagging.

'So, uh, Gil…' Deema said, scratching the back of her neck. 'I-I wanted to talk to you about… stuff.'

'Well,' He said. 'Then you've certainly come to the right place.'

'Hey, that's my line!'

Gil laughed, and that little sound made Deema's heart soar. She had almost forgotten how much she loved the sound of laughter, especially when she was the one who caused it. It meant that she succeeded in making her friends just a little happier, and that meant so much more when it was Gil. Oona swam back and sat on a chair on the other side of the room, to give the two silly Guppies their own space.

Deema tapped her fingers together. 'Sooo… there's been a lot going on.'

Gil nodded. 'Yep. That's true.'

'And you've been… here for the past few days.'

'Uh, yeah. That's true too.'

'And… I have no idea what I'm doing.'

'Clearly.'

Deema laughed, the kind of laugh one makes when they have a video camera pointed right at them. With all of the thoughts bouncing around in her mind, she had come up surprisingly speechless.

'Look, I know what you're here for.' Gil said. 'Just come out and say it, alright.'

She did as instructed, and after taking a deep breath in and out…

'I-am-so-sorry-Gil-I-didn't-mean-to-do-the-thing-I-did-I-just-thought-it'd-be-funny-but-it-wasn't-and-I-don't-know-why-I-thought-it-was-funny-cos-it-really-wasn't-and-now-you're-in-this-mess-and-it's-all-my-fault-and-I'M-SO-SORRY!'

She managed that rapidfire speech all in one breath, and by the time she was done she felt extremely lightheaded. So much so, in fact, that she had to lean up against the hospital bed for a moment to regain her balance. Gil had to stare at her in shock for a few moments, for his brain needed some time to understand what she said and even more time to properly comprehend it. It didn't take him long to simply give up, for he knew what she was trying to say anyway. Even Oona, who was usually used to her varying levels of craziness, had difficulty understanding that one.

'You're… you're still going on about that 'all my fault' thing?' Gil asked.

'Yes, I know.' Deema said. 'Everyone keeps beating it into me that it wasn't my fault. That it's just because… something about it building up or something? And I know that. A little joke like mine wouldn't have scared you so much if we didn't keep making fun of you. But… it was still my 'joke' - if you can even call it that - that got you hurt! Even after Molly told me that everything that happened between you and her was all on her and not me, I'm still the one who sent you here in the first place. And that's… that's hard to forget.'

Gil remained silent, well aware that he was dealing with sensitive territory. He allowed her to say everything she wanted to before he even thought about responding. Deema rested her head on the edge of the bed, and sighed.

'That's why I've been worried about staying friends with everyone.' She said. 'If I could hurt you this much by accident, what could I do to my other friends? That's why I said I was gonna leave the band. I didn't want to hurt my friends more than I already have. But then I noticed how much everyone loved me anyway. Even Nonny smiled when he saw me again! So now… I don't know what to do.'

Gil thought about his next sentence for a moment. 'You know, Deema… for someone who's scared she's gonna hurt people again, you sure are putting a lot of effort into not hurting anyone again.'

She gave him a look of confusion. 'Hah?'

'If you're gonna put this much effort into making sure you don't hurt anyone again, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. I don't see you making this mistake ever again, even by complete accident. If you want to go so far as to leave the band, then you'll never let something like this happen again. Especially not with Nonny as the new leader.'

Deema stared at him with sparkling eyes, the same look she gave Dorson after he delivered his own 'wise' speech.

'How are you and your brother so wise?' She asked.

'I'm just saying what's coming to my mind.' He replied. 'You can be extra careful if you want, but you don't need to leave the band.'

'But what if I-?'

'No. I'll be having none of that. Believe me, you add way more to the team than you take away.'

Deema took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. She thought back on how happy everyone was to see her again, after so many days of missing her. She looked into Gil's eyes, and at the joy to be found within them.

'It's kinda funny.' She said, rising up from the bed just a little. 'When I said all that stuff about quitting the band, I… I was kinda sad. Really sad. I mean, I'm still kinda sad now, but not as much. So, at the time, quitting the band seemed like a good idea. Especially after Molly… you know. I was convinced that it would be better for everyone if I left the band. But, I've come to realise that I may be more important to this band than I ever realised.'

'You got that right!' Oona said, from the other side of the room.

'And I don't think I'll ever be able to really get over causing this. Even if everyone tells me it wasn't my fault, I won't be able to let it go. But I don't need to let that hold me back! And, after what you've just told me, I think…' She paused for a few seconds. 'I think I'll be staying.'

Before Gil could say anything - likely something along the lines of 'that is awesome!' - Oona suddenly dashed from the other side of the room and brought Deema into a tight and loving hug.

'Thank you so much, Deema!' She cried. 'I'm so happy to know that you'll be staying!'

Deema returned the embrace. 'I don't know what I was thinking when I said I was gonna leave. You guys love me too dang much. And I really can't blame you - there's so much to love.'

The two girls shared a hearty laugh, and Gil couldn't help but to join in for a moment. After Oona freed her friend from the spine-cracking hug, Deema turned back to Gil and leaned forward.

'Like I said,' She said. 'I am soooo sorry for what I did. Not just the accident, but everything else. Like the suit of armour thing. And that time we pretended to be a jaguar. And there was that time with the dragon. Look, you get it! I've made it quite clear how upset I am over all of this, so… I'm sorry. I cannot say that enough, but I am sorry.'

She unleashed a deep exhale nearly as heavy as that weight on her shoulders, a weight that she had now finally lifted. With that done, she let go of the bed rails and turned around. She only got a couple of feet away from the door before Gil spoke up.

'Wait!' He said. 'Where are you going?'

She turned back around to look at him. 'Oh, back to school. I'm gonna go tell the others that, right now, I'm deciding to stay. I just came here to apologise, so I'm leaving.'

'You can't leave yet! I need to-'

She shook her head. 'I don't care about forgiveness. Really, I don't. I don't even think I deserve your forgiveness after what I did to you. All I wanted was for you to know that I'm sorry.'

He sighed. 'If you want me to be honest… I'm not sure if I can forgive you yet. But I still consider you a friend! And, I accept your apology. Thank you, Deema.'

Deema grinned. 'Thanks to you too, Gil.'

And with that, Deema turned around and swam out the door. She didn't say a word as she left the room, believing that she had said more than enough.

'Goodbye, Deema!' Oona said, waving. 'I'll see you tomorrow!'

Gil managed a small laugh. 'I'm so glad that she'll be staying. It just isn't the Bubble Guppies without her. And… maybe I'll be able to forgive her soon.'

'What about Molly?'

He was really hoping that she wouldn't ask him that question, but he wasn't surprised because it was the next logical step. He had forgiven Oona, and Goby, and sorta Deema. Molly was the only one left. And Gil - as much as he hated it - didn't want to think about her at that moment.

'I… I don't know.' He answered. 'Everything between me and Molly is, erm, complicated. With everyone else, even Deema, it wasn't much. But Molly? There's so much.'

'She feels horrible for what she's done.' Oona said.

'And I know that. I wouldn't expect anything less from her. But it doesn't undo everything she's done to me.'

Oona looked to the floor. 'Yeah, I understand. But you'll think about it, right?'

'I barely do anything but think about it.'

'Okay Nonny, just imagine we're ducks.'

'… huh?'

Just after Deema left, Nonny had asked Molly for leadership advice. She had no idea why he would ask her of all people, but she was the one with the experience. And that tip was all she could think to say, for she was certain that Nonny already knew everything that he needed to know. It got her a weird look, and despite how stoic he normally was, he conveyed his confusion fairly well.

'Why ducks?' He asked.

'Don't you remember?' Molly replied. 'The marching band?'

His eyes widened. 'Oh, of course.'

'I know it's been said, but it should be repeated. If you can command a flock of wild ducks to put on a fin-tastic performance like that, you'll be a great leader.'

Nonny sat down on the floor, and hung his head in thought.

'That isn't what I'm worried about.' He admitted. 'It's the 'people' thing I'm not good at. That's why you were so good. You understood what people were feeling, and what they were thinking too. I can't do that.'

At that moment, Molly felt her heart get torn into two when Nonny frowned. He almost never expressed sadness, so it was all the more heartbreaking when he did. Thank goodness Oona wasn't there, or she might have started crying. And at that moment, Molly decided that it was about time that she acted like the leader she still was.

She sat down next to him, and put her arm around his shoulder. 'Do you really think that's true?'

'I could never understand people. It's because I'm… different.'

Molly spun him around so he was looking her right in the eye. She didn't like manhandling her friends normally, but this was simply too important, and his words triggered something in her that prevented her from thinking straight.

'Don't ever say that about yourself.' Molly said.

'That I'm different?' He asked. 'Molly, you know I'm-'

'No. I mean, I won't have you saying that your 'difference' makes you a terrible friend. Your empathy levels are nearly as high as Oona's, and that's saying something. If anything, it's you and your difference that makes you such a wonderful friend. You know exactly how to help people, and even if you don't, you still know how to make people feel better.'

Molly looked at his face closer. It had to have been the first time she ever saw him trying to hold back tears.

'But… what if I mess up?' He asked. 'What if I say or do the wrong thing? What if I do something that makes everyone hate me? What if I make a stupid decision, and then… then…?'

'You? Nonny, my carelessness as a leader has gotten my best friend in the hospital - with hearing damage to boot - and even I haven't become the most hated person in the world. Excluding Zooli, who hasn't been here long, you were the only one of us who Gil has trusted from the beginning. My attempt at making everything better was pinning the blame on Deema. Do you really think that you could do anything nearly as bad?'

'T-This is what I mean, Molly. You're saying this nice stuff, a-and I wouldn't have any idea what to say. I-I'd probably just make it worse, a-and then…'

That did it for him. The idea of screwing up so badly that he ruined his friendships was too much for him to handle, and he broke down crying. Molly's first instinct was to bring him into a hug and keep him and his precious nature safe from the outside world.

He thinks I can make everything better, She thought. And I couldn't stop him from crying. He doesn't understand just how amazing he is.

'It will be okay, Nonny.' She said. 'I promise. If the thought of upsetting your friends is so awful to you that it upsets you, I know you'll be fine.'

In just a few seconds, the sound of his sobbing could be heard throughout the entire classroom. Goby and Zooli stopped whatever they were doing, and rushed to his side. They would always rush to a crying Guppy in need, but it was so much more important when it was Nonny. They didn't say a word, and joined in on the group hug.

Mr Grouper watched the display, and sighed. 'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all... But I know he can do it. He just needs to know that.'

Then, the front door opened.

'I'm back, guys!' Deema announced as she swam into the room.

She expected to be swarmed by her friends, and bombarded with questions about how her meeting with Gil went. All she saw instead, however, was half of her friends crowding around a crying Nonny. The sight of it made her gasp.

'Oh my gosh… Nonners!'

And she rushed over to be a part of the group hug too, and almost broke down crying herself. She didn't know why he was crying, but it didn't matter. Seeing him cry was all the motivation she needed. Maybe telling him she was going to stay would make him feel better, but that news had to wait.

Author Notes - I'll admit, this ending scene with Nonny did not go down the path I expected. I know that sounds weird, given that I'm the author, but something happened and I ran with it.