Author Notes - And here's another chapter where Brianna gets to bond with the newest addition to the group! Like I said, we gotta slow down and get to know the grown-up Guppies before we move the plot along too far.

CHAPTER SEVEN - A FERRY FUN TRIP

By some miracle, they managed to get the cars on board the boat. Goby had his own car, and thank goodness because Nonny's car was starting to get kind of crowded.

Seeing as it was going to be a slightly lengthy trip, most of the Guppies left the car. Nonny stayed in his seat, while Oona and Zooli went to the front of the boat to marvel at sea animals. Yes, sea animals in an ocean under the water. Not sure why you'd think that's strange.

Brianna, however, found Goby by himself at the back. He was holding his hand out, feeling the water spray from the ferry's motor. Brianna joined in right away, leaning so far over she would've fallen over if she wasn't a mermaid underwater.

'Hey, kid,' Goby said. 'I'm not sure if I really got your name. My old friends called you… Brianna, was it?'

Brianna nodded. 'Yeah! And I already know your name. Goby. Or, seeing as you're a geologist, Dr Giller. And I know the names of all your old friends too.'

Goby let out a sigh. 'I'll tell you the truth. I had totally forgotten about that band. I didn't recognise Oona or anyone until you started singing. And if I'm really honest, I still don't really remember. I hardly remember my friends at all.'

Brianna frowned. 'Oh…'

'But, I know one thing. I like being with them. How odd is that? I've known them for about an hour, and yet I feel like I really belong with them. Like we've been friends for years. Now how could that be if it's like we've never met? There's a part of me, deep within my mind, that still remembers. And always will.'

Brianna looked up at him. Even with the ferry's motor right there, it seemed like the world was silent. Just her, and the man standing right in front of her.

'When I see those guys,' He said. 'Oona, Nonny, even Zooli, I feel… happiness. I hear laughter. Really, I should feel nothing. You can't get attached to people you met that day. Not like this, anyway. But I know there's more to it than that. My brain may not remember the good times. But my heart certainly does.'

Even if she wanted to, Brianna couldn't think of anything to say. Goby was always a Guppy whose details were often unclear. He didn't talk too much on the websites or announcement videos, preferring to let the more social Guppies - namely Molly, Gil, and Deema - do all the talking. And since he chose to become a simple geologist instead of anything 'extravagant', he wasn't super famous as an adult. And now here he was, talking to her like she was an old friend.

'But that's enough about me,' He said. 'Let's talk about you. The others said you're a big fan of ours. Well, of our old band, anyway.'

'Yeah!' Brianna said. 'Your band really helped me through some tough times.' She paused. 'Hey, I have a bit of a hot take.'

Goby smirked. 'Oh really? I didn't think the band was popular enough to even have hot takes.'

'Oh yeah, there are a lotta them. Some people didn't like fan-favourite Nonny. Others thought Deema was really unfunny. Heck, there were even some people who thought that Molly-slash-Gil was a bad pairing!' She chuckled. 'But, uh, here's mine. It was such a shame that you only sung, like, three songs because you easily had the best singing voice out of the lot!'

Goby stopped smiling and his eyes went wide. The kind of expression that reminded Brianna of one of their songs. Then all of a sudden… SURPRISE! Jaw drops, eyes open wide. That perfectly described the look on Goby's face.

'You… you really think so?' He asked.

Brianna nodded. 'Absolutely! Like, the solo you got as part of the 'Puppy and the Ring' promotion was simply amazing. Your voice was so cool. So… sleek.'

'Sleek?'

'I don't know how else to describe it, man! The real question is, though, did puberty ruin your singing voice or are you just as good as ever?'

Goby stared into the water. It wasn't that he didn't like to sing. On the contrary, he loved it. A carryover from his days as a Bubble Guppy, most likely. But it had been years since he sang in front of someone other than his family. Or anywhere else that wasn't his private home or his car. He liked to imagine that his singing voice was good, but of course, everyone seems to think that their singing voice is good. At least in the shower.

'I shouldn't,' He said.

'Give it a try! Just sing a Stylee song or something. Oh, like that song all about style. You guys sang a cover of it once, and it sold like crazy! Do it!'

Goby glanced over his shoulder - the land was still at least ten minutes away. Well, there was plenty of time. He let out a sigh.

'Alright,' He said. 'But just this once.'

Brianna stared up at him like a little kid staring at a candy bar. Goby cleared his throat, tried to ignore his nerves, and took a deep breath.

'What you wear,' He sang. 'Can say a lot about you. It's your style. It's up to you to choose.'

Brianna's eyes sparkled. His singing wasn't just as good as it had always been. It was better. When hearing his gorgeous voice, she wondered why anyone thought that Molly had the best singing voice. Yeah, she was great, but she was only a close second. Goby was about to sing the next part, but Brianna couldn't help herself. She had to sing it. The song was just too good!

'Walk your walk, be true to yourself. Celebrate. You're like nobody else!'

Goby laughed. 'How about we just do the next part together?'

Was Brianna going to pass up the opportunity to sing with one of her icons? Of course not! She was about ready to explode from the offer alone.

'High fashion, low fashion, everybody's got their own passion!'

You'd think a ten-year-old girl and an out-of-practise geologist singing together wouldn't sound so good, but you'd be wrong. Somehow, by some miracle, it sounded great. Goby's singing voice was simply gorgeous without any effort, while Brianna's years and years of singing along to Molly's songs honed her vocals.

'Play it safe-' Goby sang.

'Or just go wild!' Brianna all but shouted.

They got so deep into their singing that they forgot they weren't the only ones on board the ferry. Oona could see them and hear every word from her spot. It put a big smile on her face.

'I don't know about you, Zooli,' She said. 'But I think Brianna will do us a lot of good.'

'What makes you say that?' Zooli asked.

'Well, look at 'em. Goby barely knows her but she already got him to come out and sing. And listen to his voice! Not to mention the way she's managed to get the four of us back together, in such a short amount of time!'

'Do you think she could really get the whole gang together again? Four out of seven is impressive, but now we're moving onto the really famous guys. I mean, Molly and Deema are celebrities in their own rights! What chance do we have at becoming their friends again?'

Oona shrugged. 'I don't know. But we won't know for sure unless we try. I mean, we're already on the freaking ferry to the damn city. We might as well keep going!'

The conversation, and the singing, came to an end when a voice rang from the speakers.

'We're approaching the shore!'

The trip to Big Bubble City was long even at the best of times. The Guppies may not have been able to remember it anymore, but their trip to see Stylee's concert took all day. Thanks to a broken car, a missed ferry, a mishap with a dragon… But time had passed since then. And since then, a dedicated bus system was in place just for anyone getting off the ferry. A bus that took them straight to Big Bubble City.

Oona and Nonny shared a seat, using the opportunity to chat to each other about everything. About how their lives were going, who they had met, what they planned for in the future, and - just maybe - what name they might give their kid if they ever had one. Zooli sat at the front, in a single seat so she had a chance to think about what brought her to this spot.

Brianna chose to sit next to Goby, to make up for 'lost time'. They didn't need to talk. In fact, she spent most of the bus trip staring out the window and watching the big castle go by. Goby, meanwhile, spent most of his time on his phone just to pass the time. That was until he got a notification from someone and it made him laugh.

'Hey, Brianna, look at this,' He said.

He showed her message, which got her attention straight away. It was a picture of a toddler Guppy. She had a crayon in her hand and was scribbling all over the wall.

Brianna chuckled. 'Who's that?'

'That's my niece,' Goby replied. 'Goldie.'

'Niece? You have a niece?'

'Yep. Two, actually. My oldest sister has two daughters. That's Goldie, and there's also little Mackerel.' He laughed. 'My sister says that Goldie inherited her creativity from her uncle Goby. And she's not happy about it.'

'... You have sisters?!'

Goby chuckled. 'Yeah. Two older sisters, to be exact. They always drive me insane, even after we all moved out into different houses, but I still love them. You got any siblings?'

Brianna's smile dropped. Very quickly, she told him about the state of her family. She didn't give him as many details as she gave Zooli. Just enough to get a general image.

'Oh…' Goby said. 'No wonder you got so attached to our, uh, band.'

'You're so different now,' Brianna said. 'Cos, I mean, of course you guys are. But I can still kinda feel that connection, ya know? You may look different and act a little different too, but you're still the Bubble Guppies.'

'Kid, I barely remember the band now. You know that, right?'

'I know. But you're still that boy from all those years ago. Just a little older, ya know?'

Goby nodded. 'Yep. What's that like, anyway? You know me as a little kid. And now you're seeing me as an adult. Must be weird, huh?'

'Oh, it's SO weird! Like, in my head, you shouldn't even be able to age. You should've just stayed kids forever. But that's not how that works, obviously. So you're sitting right here, looking almost as old as my parents. It's really, really weird.'

'Almost sounds like something my parents said to me way back when.'

For reasons even she didn't quite understand, Brianna leaned on Goby's body. Like a young child cuddling up to her father. Which took Goby by surprise. He had interacted with his nieces plenty of times before, so it wasn't like he wasn't used to having small girls cuddling him. But, of course, this wasn't either of his nieces. It was some random girl he had met mere hours ago. A girl who was only getting close to him thanks to his association with a band he hardly remembered even existed.

He didn't push her off. Maybe he had almost no connection to her, but she had a connection to him. By the sounds of it, she could use a fatherly figure in her life. And Dr Giller, experienced with young children who loved their uncle, would be happy to fulfil that role for her. After all, a third niece didn't sound so bad.

'What's it like being an uncle anyway?' Brianna asked.

'Oh, it's the best,' Goby replied. 'My nieces adore their Uncle Goby. Apparently, they're always asking when they'll get to meet me next. Mackerel also loves her Auntie Tetra. Goldie, on the other fin? Not so much. Between you and me, she gets really fussy when Tetra's around but I'm not.'

The two Guppies were so invested in their conversation with each other that they didn't see the giant buildings getting closer and closer. The bus driver announcing 'Big Bubble City, dead ahead' also went unnoticed. In fact, they wouldn't have noticed it all if Oona hadn't leaned over her seat and tapped Goby on the shoulder.

'We're almost there, Goby!' She said. 'Big Bubble City!'

'Big what? Oh!' Goby said. 'Right! That's why we're here.'

'Oh yeah,' Brianna said. 'Almost forgot.'

It didn't take much longer at all for the bus to reach its destination. As they drove into the city, Brianna had her hands up against the glass. She had only been to Big Bubble City one time in her life, years ago. And now she was going there with four of her greatest heroes!

'Uh, are we sure we should've left our cars at the dock?' Goby asked, once the bus came to a stop. 'We're gonna have to swim everywhere.'

'Believe me,' Zooli said. 'A car is basically useless in the city. The traffic is awful. You could probably swim across the entire city before a car reaches the end of the bridge. We'll find Ms Swimmer a lot faster if we just swim.'

'What are we waiting for!' Brianna said. 'Let's get looking for Ms Swimmer! And maybe the others too.'

Author Notes - As Goby's family grows bigger, so do the fish names. Perhaps unsurprisingly, his nieces are also named after fish. In this case, Mackerel and Goldfish. That remark about Goby's singing voice being the best wasn't just a random opinion I decided to give Brianna, by the way. I really do think that Goby's singing voice is fantastic, and he got a criminally low amount of songs for it. Seriously, listen to his singing in 'A Long Long Time Ago' or 'Snowy Guppy Realm'.