Author Notes - This chapter ended up quite a bit longer than I was anticipating, but I doubt any of you are complaining.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN - A FRAGMENTED BAND

Goby's girlfriend was to meet him in the park. According to him, she believed it was the most romantic place of the entire neighbourhood. Sitting on a bench right next to Oona, Nonny couldn't help but to agree.

It was quiet, a silence filled only with the sounds of happy children, singing birds, and frogs playing around in the pond. The grass was so green and lush, and the trees provided abundant shade. The air wasn't too warm nor too cold. The bird-shaped fountain in the middle was the cherry on top.

'This place is really nice, isn't it?' Oona asked.

Nonny blushed slightly. 'Y-Yeah, it is.'

'Deema will be here any moment now,' Goby said. 'Don't worry. You'll recognise her. You can't miss that hair. Think of a big stack of golden cinnamon rolls. Her words, not mine.'

'I'm surprised she never changed her hairstyle,' Nonny said. 'I know it's iconic, but it could not have been practical.'

Oona giggled. 'Well, the thing is… it's like that naturally!'

'It is?!'

Nonny spent his time waiting just simply enjoying the scenery. Fishington had a park too, but that town had a lot more buildings than Bubbletucky had, even now. Parks like this were rare, and what Fishington did have was usually quite small. Thinking about it, he felt kind of bad for never coming back to this wonderful town.

'Oh!' Goby said, taking him out of his thoughts. 'I see her! And any moment now, you're gonna hear her too.'

'Hear h-?'

Nonny couldn't get any more of his question out, for a loud and zany voice cut him off.

'GOOOOOO-BYYYYYYYY!'

A voice that, despite coming from across the park, was loud and clear. It made Nonny jump. Pretty soon, they were approached by a curly-haired woman charging at Goby seemingly at the speed of sound. Goby held out his arms for a hug, and the woman slammed into him with the force of a freight train. A stack of golden cinnamon rolls… What an apt description.

'OH, GOBY!' Deema wailed into Goby's shoulder. 'I missed you so mu-uh-uh-ubch!'

Goby patted her back to calm her down. 'It's alright. It's only been a couple of months, and we've been talking plenty in the meantime.'

'I-I know-ho-ho… BUD IB IS'DT ENUFF!'

Nonny was taken quite aback. Not just by her over-the-top reaction to seeing her boyfriend, but by the nostalgia. That overdramatic way of greeting was too familiar.

'Don't worry, Nonny,' Oona said. 'This is normal for her.'

'It's strange, but… I know that,' He said. 'I can remember her being this way.'

'Well, it's hard to forget!'

It didn't take long before Deema was reduced to a wailing, snivelling mess in Goby's arms, despite his methods to calm her down. It took awhile before she stopped getting tears and mucus all over his shoulder (as gross as that may sound), and broke up the hug.

'It's, uh, great to see you again, Sweetheart,' She said. 'Are we still doing the cutesy nicknames?'

Goby chuckled. 'Only if you want to.'

'And I never want to stop! My beloved. Honey. Cutie pie. Mi corazon!'

'Even in different languages too? You spoil me.'

Oona braced herself for a rather intense greeting. It wasn't rare for her to join the couple on their meet-ups, but it still didn't happen every time. Meetings between the girls were rare, and Deema always made up for lost time. Oona, however, did not get the usual greeting.

Deema gasped so deeply that she should've fainted. 'NONNY?! IS THAT YOU?!'

'W-What?'

That was all Nonny could get out. She remembered him straight away? How? He had no time to process anything else, because Deema immediately seized him and brought him into a… well, it can't really be called a 'hug'. It was more like being constricted.

'IT'B BEEN SO LONG!' Deema cried.

'H-How the hell do you remember me?' Nonny asked.

Deema broke up the hug so she could look him in the eye. She was a complete mess of fluids by this point, and Nonny could not help wincing.

'How could I forget?!' She said, talking a little louder than she needed to. 'You were the coolest kid in the whole class! … Except for me, of course. But you were a close second.'

Nonny laughed, a sound that made Deema absolutely giddy.

'No, seriously, I can't believe I'm finally seeing you again!' She said. 'It's been for-ev-uh! How old were you when you moved away?'

'Uh, I think I was about five years old,' Nonny replied.

Deema's eyes went wide. 'No! And I haven't seen you in person since then? That's a crime! Anything cool happen while I was gone?'

'I… got my driver's licence.'

'Oh, that is AWESOME! You remember all those emails I sent, right? Well, I'm not sure if you would. I kinda forgot about those emails myself after a while. But my life got so busy! If you do remember them, you should be able to remember those two over there!'

She pointed to a bench not too far away. Two teenagers were seated at it, pushing and shoving each other over who got to sit closer to the fountain. Both had curly blonde hair, brown eyes, and green swirly tails. They almost looked like identical twins. Almost; one was a boy, and the other a girl.

'Kind of?' Nonny said. 'They're your younger siblings, right? And I think they're twins too.'

'Yep!' Deema said. 'Julia and Ben. Mom named them after her favourite Shakespeare play. Apparently, she wanted to name them 'Romeo and Juliet', but Dad put his tail fins down on that one.' She laughed. 'They don't get to visit Bubbletucky very often, so they like to come with me when I go here. They're, uh, a bit of a handful, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.'

At that very moment, Julia pushed Ben right off the bench. She laughed it up while he gave her a nasty glare from the ground. It didn't take long for him to drag her into the grass too. Where they proceeded to brawl it out some more.

'Though,' Deema said. 'I wish they wouldn't fight so much.'

'It's… been nice, meeting you again,' Nonny said. 'Should, uh, I head off, so you and Goby can have your date?'

'WHAT?! Absolutely not!'

She shouted loudly enough to make everyone flinch. Heck, it even got her twin siblings to stop fighting for a few seconds.

'It wouldn't be right for our meeting to be so short after so long!' Deema declared. 'We're all spending this day together, no matter what! I don't care what we do. We can go to a museum. Read books in the library. Have popcorn at the farm. Heck, I'd be fine with just watching paint dry if it meant spending time with you again!'

'I had an idea,' Oona said. 'Since the four of us are together again, I think there would be nothing better for us to do than sing the songs we wrote all the way back in preschool.'

Deema gasped deeply again, except this time she gasped so much that she actually coughed. And for a little while too. It got to a point where the other Guppies began to worry. Eventually, the coughing fit stopped and she continued like it never happened.

'That's an awesome idea!' She said. 'And I still know the words to… most of them. I listen to our old albums almost every single day!'

'I haven't really listened to those songs in years,' Goby said. 'Except for those rare times they were replayed on the radio, I guess. There's no way I still know the words after so long.'

'You never know!' Oona said. 'The first few notes might be enough to light a spark in your memory. There's only one way to find out!'

The four Guppies (six if you count Deema's siblings) went to Oona's house for this celebration. While Oona set up the music player in the living room - and while Julia and Ben were wreaking havoc in the kitchen - Nonny found himself chatting with Deema and Goby. They should've felt like strangers to him, and yet they talked as if they had known each other for years.

'There's something I'm curious about,' Nonny said. 'How long have you two been dating for?'

'Almost a year at this point!' Goby replied. 'Deema was visiting Bubbletucky as part of a film shooting, and we happened to meet at the shops.'

'When I looked into those gorgeous brown eyes,' Deema said, as dramatically as she could. 'I knew at once that it was my beloved Goby! And yet, he was so different. No more was he this little kid. Now, he was the prettiest man I had ever seen!'

'We talked for hours. I didn't remember her at first, but it came back to me eventually. And as I stared into those lovely blue eyes, somehow, I knew it was meant to be. She was actually the one who asked me out. She made a big show of it. With confetti and everything! And when I said yes…'

'Oh, I cried the hardest I ever had! I couldn't believe that he really said yes! We tried to keep our relationship under wraps, but you know the media. There were plenty of tabloids about it for weeks before they moved onto whatever was going on between that singer. Molly, I think it was? You know how it is.'

As they talked, Nonny's gaze drifted over to Oona. Though he listened to and understood every word, he couldn't help wondering… had Oona always looked this nice? He hadn't thought about it when he first met up with her again, but after getting to know that sweet and caring personality - not to mention that adorable voice…

'Ooh, I know that look,' Goby said. 'That's the same look Deema gave me right before she asked me out.'

'W-What does that mean?' Nonny asked, blushing slightly.

'You'll find out soon enough!' Deema said. 'Trust me. You'll know.'

That answer was worryingly vague, so Nonny chose to ignore it. With perhaps the best timing imaginable, Oona had finished setting up her music player.

'All done!' She said. 'So, what song do you guys wanna play first? I've got every song we ever made on my phone. Do you have anything particular in mind, or do you just want me to hit shuffle and see where the playlist takes us?'

'Oh, shuffle!' Deema said. 'Absolutely. Leave it to luck! See what we get. And let's see if I can guess what song it is just from the first few notes.'

'I'm with Dee on this one,' Goby said. 'We'll never play anything if we try to choose something ourselves. Like, do we start with our first ever song? A fan favourite? One of our solos? Not that we got many. Let luck decide. What about you, Nonny?'

Nonny shrugged. 'Shuffle sounds fine.'

'Shuffle it is!' Oona said.

She hit the 'shuffle' button on her phone, and looked away from her screen as soon as the song loaded. It immediately began with 'icy' music, like something you might hear from a Christmas song, but a lot louder and more intense than you'd expect from that genre. Just a few notes of it played, and Deema recognised it immediately.

'I love this one!' She said. 'It's the one about the arctic!'

Before Goby had the time to ask how she could possibly remember that, the lyrics kicked in. And they certainly confirmed that Deema was right.

'In the summer, there's no night-time. The north pole is made of ice!'

Goby's mouth went agape. 'You were right!'

'Of course I'm right!' Deema said. 'How could I forget a song as good as this?'

Deema was able to sing almost every line perfectly, only stuffing up the occasional word. Oona was able to join in during the choruses, but Goby and Nonny didn't remember the song nearly well enough to sing along too.

'This is the Arctic liiiiiiiife!' The girls sang as the song came to an end.

When the song ended, Nonny couldn't help giving them a round of applause. Their singing skills had not waned through the years, though you could tell Oona was a little out of practice.

'Thank you, thank you!' Deema said. 'I really am quite talented, aren't I?'

The applause didn't last very long, because the next song started. It began with a dramatic organ and a clap of thunder. 'Cos It's Spooky', which did an amazing job at being a Halloween song for something that never mentioned the holiday by name once. Oona and Deema had so much fun singing it, and Deema practically turned into an opera singer during her solo.

And that was how it continued for a while, with the songs being selected at random. And Away We Go. Underneath the Sea. The crossover song with Stylee (Nonny couldn't believe that had really happened). When 'Big Bubble City' played, Deema almost lost her mind. It was, after all, one of the only two songs where she sang the lead.

'Big Bubble Cit-aaaaayyyyyy!'

As soon as the song ended, Deema picked up the phone and paused the music.

'Okay, seriously,' She said. 'Someone wanna tell me why Molly and Gil got all the solos? You heard that song. My pipes were awesome! You too, Oona. Your singing voice was great! And the one solo you got was a verse in… I think it was the song about chores? I know there was that 'Puppy and the Ring' promotional thing we did, but that was it.'

Oona shrugged. 'I just wasn't one for the spotlight. I didn't want too much attention.'

'Did I get any solos?' Goby asked. 'Because I can't imagine a single one.'

'I've got one right here.'

The song began with a slow piano, with calm singing to accompany it.

'Thank you for calling the Snow Guppy line. Whereeee's everything white and it snows aaalll the tiiime.'

'Oh my god!' Goby said. 'Wait, wait, I remember this. This was part of that promotion Deema just mentioned. How could I forget about this?'

The singing voice was, unsurprisingly, nowhere near as deep as Goby's voice was now. As was to be expected. Still, the kid had some crazy pipes on him.

'This snowy realm is the realm for me. Spend some time here and you will see!'

Deema and Oona definitely knew the words to it, but they didn't dare sing over Goby's only proper solo in the band's history. The whole point of the promotion was to give some solos to the 'lesser known' Guppies after all, even if the three songs were essentially the same thing with different instruments. As soon as the song finished, Oona paused it.

'I always thought you had the best singing voice,' Deema said. 'It's such a shame you barely used it!'

Goby scratched the back of his neck. 'Well, I-I was never really one for the spotlight. Kind of a waste, I guess, but I didn't want to put myself out there that much. It's part of why I like geology so much. Not many people watch me do that.'

Deema crossed her arms. 'Well, I always wanted more of that spotlight. Frankly, I think Molly had an ego problem. It always had to be her who sang all the time. I counted it once, you know. She had more solos than the rest of us combined! And yes, I'm including, erm, the blue-haired kid.'

'No wonder she became a pop singer,' Oona said. 'But I'm glad she did. Have you heard those vocal cords? She's gotta be one of the best singers I've ever heard!'

A few more songs went by. Win the Winter, At the Salon, Summer Time… Nonny was quite surprised to hear his own voice playing back at him when the song about flightless birds started playing! But what really got their attention was the song Heart and Lungs. Not just because it was a really nice song and one of the only ones played on an acoustic guitar, but because there were two voices singing at once.

'Wait, I remember that kid's name now!' Deema said. 'It was, uh, something like… Bill?'

Goby shook his head. 'No, it was Gil. I kinda remember him. Haven't seen him since his family moved to Finfield a few years back.'

Oona laughed. 'What, haven't you heard the recent news? About him and… Molly?'

'I try to stay away from the tabloids. There's way too many people losing their minds because she, I dunno, ate a burger a little sloppily that one time.'

Nonny quickly got out his phone and searched the internet for 'Molly Andersfin'. He had a feeling he knew where this was going, but it was only when he read the thousands of headlines that the shock of it really hit him.

'They're dating?!' He cried.

'Apparently!' Oona said.

'I'm not surprised,' Goby said. 'I swear, those two have been super close to each other since they were little. If anything, I'm surprised it took this long.'

Deema pulled out their phone and checked the latest news. You'd expect her to have an over-the-top reaction to it, but she hardly reacted at all.

'Huh,' She said. 'The tabloids say they wanna name their son 'Daniel', if they have one.'

'That's all you have to say?' Nonny asked. 'Usually you'd have a bigger reaction than that.'

'Eh. As a famous actress, I know the tabloids aren't always reliable. And even if that's right, why do we care so much? Now, if they actually had a son, that would be big news I could get behind!'

Nonny was so focused on Deema that he didn't notice that Oona was approaching him slowly. He didn't notice until, of course, he felt her grabbing his hand. A strange heat surged through his entire body, and his cheeks turned redder than a burning flame. The blushing only intensified when he looked into her eyes and saw a little grin staring back at him.

'You know, Nonny,' She said. 'It looks like almost everyone else has a partner now.'

'Y-Yes, it does,' Nonny said, stuttering like he never stuttered before. 'Kinda nice, isn't it?'

Oona giggled. 'Oh, there's no hope that you'll make the first move, is there?'

'F-First move?'

'Nonny, you can say 'no' if you want to. I won't be upset. I just want you to be happy. But, if you want… I'd like you to be my boyfriend.'

'B-BOYFRIEND?!'

It was very rare, even now, for Nonny to shout like that. And especially for him to shout so loudly that his voice cracked. Deema and Goby were staring at him in shock, while Oona was just smiling like she hadn't dropped a massive weight onto him.

'You don't have to say yes,' Oona said. 'If you don't want to, I won't m-'

'N-No!' Nonny yelled. 'I-I mean… yes. Yes! I-I'd like that. To be your boyfriend! I'd like that a lot. We can start now! O-Or later. Or, um… I'm gonna stop talking now.'

Oona laughed again. 'That's alright. Looks like we're on our first date anyway!'

Nonny, instead of just letting Oona hold him, went out of his way to hold her hand too. He was overwhelmed with a lovely feeling of warmth and love.

'M-My dad will be happy about this,' He said. 'He always wanted me to have a date. I'm sure he'd love to meet you. The problem is that it's kind of a long drive. But if we get going now-'

'We don't have to move so quickly,' Oona said. 'Besides, we can't leave today. I think one of Zooli's documentaries is airing tonight, and we can't miss it!'

'Well, we can't miss that!' Goby said. 'A few more songs, and then we're totally watching that.'

The joyous moment was interrupted by the sound of something cracking in half somewhere in the kitchen. It came loudly enough to make everyone jump. It was soon followed by a voice.

'Oh, JULIA!' Ben shouted. 'Now look at what you've done!'

'What I've done?!' Julia yelled. 'You're the one who bumped into me!'

Deema sighed. 'But first, I'll have to take care of that. Mind telling me where the glue is?'

After that little situation was resolved and the plate was glued back together, everyone sat down on the couch together while the wildlife documentary began. The rowdy twins, however, settled for the floor. Nonny sat at the very end of the couch, keeping a hold of Oona's hand. It was what felt right, and her hand was so soothing to touch. Oona leaned up against him, her shorter height making it easy to place her hand on his shoulder.

'So, Nonny,' She said. 'Does the name 'Kiyoshi' sound nice to you?'

Nonny cleared his throat nervously. 'I, erm, maybe? I-Isn't it a bit early to think about having kids?'

'I'm not saying we should have kids right now. Or at all. It's just been on my mind since we talked about it. That's all.'

'Well, if we do have a son… I-I'd like that name very much.'

The documentary began. A series of didgeridoos played a simple tune as the logo popped up on screen - ZOOLI, DOWN UNDER. In case it wasn't obvious, it was a documentary that took place in Australia. Deema was already humming the tune to a very catchy chorus.

'Australiaaa…' Oona sang quietly. 'It's a world of wonder…'

It didn't take long for Zooli herself to appear on screen. She looked just about the same as Nonny remembered her, just with a different hair accessory and purple eyeshadow. And a lot taller, of course. What Nonny wasn't quite expecting, however, were those big visible muscles on her arms. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't admiring them. Deema was really admiring them too, if that dumbstruck stare was anything to go by. Luckily, Goby didn't seem to mind letting her stare.

'G'day, mates!' She said to the camera. 'And welcome to Australia, the land down under. This beautiful country is known for its wide variety of unique creatures you'll find nowhere else. But many of them are quite dangerous. Watch out for kangaroos that could destroy a car with their feet! And beware of the venomous spiders and snakes that lurk at your feet!'

She was in the outback, where you'd expect any documentary about Australia to start. There was a kangaroo with an adorable joey in its pouch right next to her. But they weren't the only people on screen. A woman, about Zooli's age, was there too. She had fair skin, long cyan hair in a ponytail, and a swirly tail coloured a lovely deep shade of blue.

'But we'll be fine,' Zooli said. 'Because I have an Australian person right here with me. Everyone, meet my new partner: Bindi! No relation to the Irwins.'

'I knew it,' Deema muttered.

'Knew what?' Goby asked.

'That she liked ladies. It was always so obvious!'

Nonny focused on this cool documentary as well as he could, but it was a little tough with Oona by his side. Every now and then, he'd take the time to look over and see her beautiful smile and lovely brown eyes. He couldn't help regretting how long it took him to come back to Bubbletucky, and to see his beloved friend again.

But he was happy that he was finally here.

Author Notes - With a few exceptions, I chose almost every song featured in this chapter by simply hitting the 'shuffle' button over and over again and going with whatever song came up. I'm still annoyed that they haven't officially released any albums that I'm aware of, except for that 'Bubble Bops' album which doesn't even contain half the songs at the time. But nothing's gonna stop me from ripping them directly from the source!

There's going to be one more chapter, and it's going to function as an epilogue of sorts. Because otherwise, this kind of story could potentially go on far longer than it probably should. Choosing a place to stop can be so difficult sometimes.