Author Notes - I'm slowly losing control of my own creation (once again), but that's okay because here's a chapter about Nonny going to visit his friends again!

CHAPTER TEN - A VISIT

'So, what's it like in Bubbletucky anyway?'

About a month had passed since Nonny met Abyssa. School had been alright, if a little scary at times. Abyssa was the only friend he had managed to make, but that was alright with him. A friend he trusted so much, he was bringing her along for a trip to Bubbletucky.

'Haven't you been?'

'Nope! I think I've spent my whole life in Fishington.'

Nonny sat in the middle seat in the back, between Abyssa and his older half-brother Nicholas. His parents were in the front, with a specially-installed seat between them for his 'half-sister' Tonya. Nonny had met them once or twice during his time here, and he was already considering them a part of his family. Nick and Tonya's parents allowed them to go with Leo and Allison to Bubbletucky.

'Oh, well… Bubbletucky is a wonderful place,' Nonny said. 'It isn't as big as Fishington, but there's still a lot to do. The people there are very nice.'

'They must be!' Abyssa said. 'If that's where you're from.'

'Yeah, it's a cool place,' Nick said. 'I didn't really live there very long, but it's nice. A bit small compared to Fishington, though. Kinda rural.'

'I… don't know what that means, but sounds nice!'

The car trip was about as long as Nonny expected it to be. In fact, little Tonya had fallen asleep about twenty minutes before they arrived. Nonny couldn't get the best view from the middle seat, but he kept his attention out the window. Waiting to see something familiar.

Abyssa gasped and pointed out the window. 'That sign just said that we're entering Bubbletucky! We're here!'

Nonny leaned across her to get a better view. At first, he didn't recognise much. He hardly ever visited the edge of the city, so nothing was very familiar. It only took a few minutes before everything came flooding back to him. The familiarity rushed into him, feeling him with a sense of nostalgia so intense that it was almost overwhelming.

The first building he saw was the hospital, so big and white that it was easily visible even from a distance. Just one look was all it took for him to get hit by memories of visiting Avi and the Mayor. He smiled as he thought about Deema claiming Avi couldn't leave the hospital before they did their 'Doctor Dance'. Which they did, much to the chagrin of the other people in the hospital.

It was the first field trip he had ever gone on.

'So that's the hospital, right?' Abyssa asked. 'It's so bright!'

'Strange word to use to describe a hospital,' Nick said. 'But you're not wrong.'

The path Nonny's mother was taking brought them down a few more landmarks that Nonny knew so well. One such location was the train station, where Ol' Reliable was standing. Alas, the old girl had finally broken down for good, but the winner of the cow-filled Triple Track Train Race was not to be forgotten. So, they stood her out in front of the station like a statue. The whistle fell off once again as the car drove past, forcing her 'conductor' to pick it up again.

'Woah, they have the supermarket on a hill?' Abyssa said with a laugh. 'That's gotta be annoying. Especially when a shopping cart gets away from ya.'

A shopping cart that once destroyed Bubble Puppy's dog home, Nonny recalled. The same doghouse that they had spent so long trying to build, gone because of a simple accident. But that was okay, because they got the whole neighbourhood together to fix it.

'Wait, where are we going again?' Abyssa asked. 'Sorry, but all these cool landmarks kinda distracted me.'

'To a home belonging to one of Nonny's old friends,' Allison replied. 'All of his old classmates are waiting for him there.'

Abyssa gasped. 'Wait, I'll get to meet his friends - the Bubble Guppies - in PERSON?!'

She yelled loudly enough to stir Tonya from her sleep, but only for a moment.

Nick chuckled. 'I take it that you're excited.'

'AM I?!' Abyssa said. 'Of course I am!'

Driving through Bubbletucky reminded Nonny just how far apart the Guppies really lived. Molly and Gil lived on the same street, but otherwise everyone was in different areas. Deema lived near the heart of Bubbletucky, where all the busy streets were. Meanwhile, Goby and Oona lived on the outskirts, but a good ten minutes driving from each other.

Which is why it was taking so long for them to reach their destination.

'Oh, I GOTTA meet the King and Queen!' Abyssa said. 'I know they don't really have much power and they're only there cos'a tradition, but still!'

'Well,' Nick said. 'We kinda have royalty in the car right now, because-'

'Cos Nonny is a knight! I know! It was on the official Bubble Guppies website and everything. I don't know how, like, official it is, but still. Sir Nonny.'

It didn't take much longer after that for them to arrive on a rather familiar street. A street with nine houses on it, making for a rather quiet part of the neighbourhood. 6 Flounder Street… Nonny had that address embedded in his mind, and he'd never forget it for the world.

'We're almost there, kids!' Leo said. 'Just a little further to go. In fact, you can see our destination right about now.'

Abyssa leaned forward and looked out the window. 'Oh, where?!'

'See that little girl in pink?'

When Abyssa saw the girl in question, she gasped. 'WAIT, THAT'S OONA!'

That was loud enough to wake up little Tonya. You'd expect the baby to scream and wail after being awoken from her nap, but she just grumbled like a cranky cat.

'I don't get it, bro,' Nick said. 'You're the quietest kid in the world, and yet you end up befriending the most wild of people. There was Deema, and Oona. Gil too, I guess. How do you manage that?'

Nonny shrugged. 'Wild people bring out the best in me.'

He began to regret taking the middle seat, because it was near impossible for him to see Oona from his spot. It pained him to think that it would take a few extra minutes for him to finally see those sweet brown eyes in-person again. After an eternity, the car parked by the curb. Abyssa got out of the car first, pumped to finally meet the other Guppies in-person. Nonny hopped out after her, only to be greeted by-

'NONNY!'

A genuine Oona hug from the original Guppy herself. After a month of poor imitations, Nonny was not prepared for the real thing anymore. Not until he found himself being crushed in her arms.

'H-Hi, Oona,' He said, unable to say much more.

'I'm so happy to see you!' She yelled cheerfully.

A chuckle came from behind them. 'You don't say.'

Oona and Nonny broke up the hug to see Goby standing behind them. He smiled at Nonny rather sheepishly, as though this very meeting made him nervous. As if he worried that Nonny wouldn't even recognise him after just a month.

'Hello, Goby,' Nonny said. 'It's good to see you again.'

'It is? Oh thank cods…' Goby said, his tense muscles relaxing. 'I-I was so worried. Don't know why. But I'm glad to-'

'NO-O-O-ON-NEEEEE!'

Before Nonny could even blink, he was wrapped up into another hug. It wasn't quite as tight or as loving as Oona's, but it was certainly a lot more wet. And a whole lot more yellow.

'I'B SO-O-O-O HABBY D-DO SEE YOU A-A-AGAIB!' Deema wailed.

Nonny would've drowned in her tears if Goby hadn't grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her away. Now that Nonny could look at her properly, he realised that she was even more of a mess than she was when she said goodbye to him.

'Uh… hello to you too, Deema,' Nonny said, chuckling just a little.

Deema sniffled loudly before continuing, 'S-S-Sorry thab I'b so e-e-motiobal, b-bub I'b jusb so habby thab you're bab!'

'As you can see,' Goby said. 'Deema hasn't changed a bit.'

Nonny laughed again. 'And I hope she never does.'

Nick hadn't said a word yet, so baffled by Deema's behaviour and Oona's immediate hug to think of anything to say. He looked back at his father, as if silently asking if these guys were really Nonny's closest friends. Abyssa tried to remain silent, but squeals slipped out of her mouth.

Zooli gave Nonny a wave as she approached him, a wave that he returned. She had a little guest with her: her pet seahorse, Zelda. While Zelda spent most of her time in her tank, Zooli sometimes took her along for special occasions. And what a special occasion this was. The little seahorse nudged Nonny's hand with her nose, indicating that she wanted a pat. A pat that Nonny promptly gave her.

'Hi, Nonny!' Zooli said. 'You can't imagine how wonderful it is to see you again! I know it's only been a month, but it feels so much longer than-'

'IT'D BEEN SO LONB!' Deema yelled, cutting her off.

'Uh, yeah. What she said. It's weird how long this month has felt. But it's awesome that you're here! So, you wanna introduce us to the guests?'

Nonny, in his excitement at meeting his friends again, had managed to forget about his extended family. Much to his embarrassment.

'Oh, uh, right!' He said. 'This is my half-brother, Nicholas. B-But you can just call him Nick.'

Nick gave them a little wave. 'Yo.'

Deema, though she still had tears and mucus flowing down her face, giggled. 'Half-brother? H-He looks pretty whole to me.'

'No, that isn't what he means. It means we only share one parent instead of both. We have the same dad, but different moms.'

'Oh! That… doesn't make much sense, but I kinda get it!'

Zooli and Goby giggled too, and Nonny couldn't help joining in. Nick, however, looked at them all in slight horror. He leaned down to whisper something in Nonny's ear.

'Are they always like this?' He asked.

'My friends? No,' Nonny replied. 'They're usually a lot more wild.'

'... More wild?' He backed away. 'Well, they're your friends.'

That was the last thing Nonny heard before Oona seized him by the wrist. It was quick enough to give him whiplash. He forgot how forceful she could be whenever she got excited.

'Come on, guys!' She said. 'Molly and Gil are inside, setting up the party!'

'T-The party?' Nonny said, unable to do anything but parrot speech.

'Yeah!' Goby said. 'Okay, so it isn't really much of a party. But it's got cake!'

'We weren't gonna outdo the last-day-of-school party,' Zooli said. 'But I think the cake makes up for it!'

Oona dragged Nonny inside, leaving the rest of his family a little confused and dazed. Still, they followed the other Guppies into the building. When Nonny made it inside, he realised that it really wasn't much of a party. No decorations or music. Which he didn't mind, seeing as he wasn't expecting a party anyway. Molly and Gil were in the living room, placing a big cake on the coffee table.

'Hey!' Molly said, putting her hands on her hips. 'Watch what you're doing! We don't wanna drop it.'

Gil scoffed. 'Coming from the Guppy who spilled the flour all over the floor.'

'Says the boy who broke an egg in his hand!'

'Says the girl who almost put in salt instead of sugar!'

Molly and Gil clearly hadn't noticed the others yet, since they were too busy glaring at each other. Nonny's eyes widened with worry.

'Uh… they haven't been like this for the past month, have they?' He asked.

Oona shook her head. 'Nah. They're just a little stressed cos they wanted to make you a cake, but they had a few difficulties. And attending a different school to the rest of us doesn't really help either.'

'But it's fine,' Goby said. 'Cos they have each other!'

'Hi there, dudes!' Deema yelled, waving. 'We're here!'

Molly and Gil, almost in an instant, went red. Their cheeks flared up so quickly it looked like they were coming down with fevers, and they gave Nonny nervous smiles.

'Y-You… you didn't hear that, did you?' Gil asked.

'Every word,' Nonny replied.

Molly let out a fake laugh. 'Heh. Wow. That's a bad first impression after a month. But, uh, you're back!'

'It's okay. I'm just glad to be here.'

Gil dashed over to him and put his hand up. 'High-five, buddy!'

Nonny hadn't quite remembered how wild Gil's enthusiasm could be, recoiling like he thought Gil was going to hit him. Fortunately, Gil didn't seem to mind, and Nonny quickly gave him the high-five he was looking for. Followed up by them smacking their tail fins together.

'Arf arf!'

That was a bark any Bubble Guppy would recognise. Bubble Puppy came charging around the corner, yipping in absolute joy at the sight of Nonny. Many slobbery kisses were had, and Nonny laughed as the dog's tongue tickled his skin. It had only been a month, but Bubble Puppy was looking bigger already.

The day the name 'Bubble Puppy' was no longer meaningful was getting closer and closer.

'And who's your new friend?' Molly asked.

'Hello!' Abyssa said, waving. 'My name is Abyssa, and I'm from Fishington!'

'Really? That's so cool!' Gil said.

Abyssa introduced herself and Nick to Molly and Gil, while Nonny swam over to the cake. It was covered in orange frosting - his favourite colour. There was messy white piping on the top that spelled out a simple message - WELCOME BACK NONNY.

'You didn't have to make me a cake,' Nonny said.

'We know,' Molly said. 'But this visit is special. We had to give you a little treat to welcome you back to Bubbletucky!'

'And, I mean, come on,' Abyssa said. 'Are we really going to complain about a cake? It's a cake!'

'You don't hear me complaining,' Nick said. 'So how about we just dig in already!'

And dig in they did. The Guppies settled in around the room, some sitting on the couch while others chose to sit on the floor instead. Nonny ate his slice (which was just slightly bigger than everyone else's) with a spoon, unlike the others who just used their hands. Despite its orange frosting, the cake was flavoured with white chocolate. Nonny's favourite.

They remembered my favourite flavour, Nonny thought to himself as he indulged. Yes, it had only been a month, but his favourite flavour of cake was something he had only mentioned a couple of times. For them to remember a detail as minor as that, well… it really hit him how much they loved him.

'Your friend Nonny is sooo cool!' Abyssa said, getting cake bits everywhere. 'He's, like, the smartest person in the whole world! Or at least the neighbourhood.'

Gil swallowed a big mouthful of cake before speaking. 'Wow. I've only known your new friend for a few minutes, Nonny, and I already know that she's awesome.'

'You're… okay with me having another friend, right?' Nonny asked.

'Of course we are!' Molly said. 'Wouldn't want you to be lonely in Fishington. I thought you knew that already.'

'I did. I just wanted to be sure.'

Deema wolfed down her slice of the cake before anyone else was even halfway through, carefully placing her plate down on the table. She ended up letting out a little belch, much to the entertainment of the other Guppies.

'Oh, excuse me!' She said, giggling. 'Sorry.'

'Remember, Deema,' Goby said. 'You shouldn't eat your food too quickly.'

'I'll be fine. What could possibly-? HIC! … Oh no. I think I've got the- HIC!'

The room was silent, but only for a moment. Oona cracked a smile and began to laugh. A laugh that quickly turned into uproarious giggling. The laugh must've been contagious, because the other Guppies laughed one by one. Even Deema. Nonny was the last one to get caught up in it, but even he wasn't immune to the pull.

'Well,' Deema said. 'This is some way to - HIC! - celebrate Nonny coming back for his first - HIC! - visit!'

'You definitely chose some… interesting friends, bro,' Nick said.

Nonny had almost forgotten how much he loved it when Deema made him laugh, which she so often did. Across the entire month he had been living in Fishington, he never laughed nearly as much as he did when he was around Deema.

'What even causes hiccups in the first place?' Zooli asked.

'They're caused by spasms in your diaphragm,' Nonny explained. 'That's a muscle in your lungs that helps you to breathe.'

'Now that,' Goby said. 'Is what I've missed the most. Hearing you explain stuff.'

Oona put her plate aside and gave Nonny another hug. This one was quick, as if to say that she couldn't agree with Goby more.

'Even more than the singing?' Nonny asked.

'Yeah, uh, about that…' Gil said.

Molly sighed. 'We haven't had the time to get together and really work on songs like we used to. We're too far apart to do that. So, we were thinking… it might be time to break up the band.'

Nonny's eyes went wide. 'Wait, what?!'

Author Notes - Quite possibly what hurts the most about the show ending is that we'll no longer get any new songs. I've already heard them all dozens of times and learnt all the words, so it's strange to think that we won't get another one. Unless Nick Jr does a bonus music video or something, a la 'Pencil Case', but I doubt it. In order to reflect this real life situation, the Bubble Guppies themselves are going to break up the band.

The address for Oona's house was totally made up, inspired by how Clam's cousin Sam's address was stated to be '6 Starfish Street'. The part about there being nine houses on the street, however, was taken directly from Oona herself in the episode 'Guppy Movers'. Which, other than Deema saying that her house was 'white with round windows', was the closest we ever got to finding out anything about their home lives. Oh well. At least I can make up whatever I want and the now-cancelled show will never retcon it.

I know way more about a show aimed at preschoolers than any adult ever should, but I don't care because it makes me happy.