CHAPTER TWO - A DAY AT THE MUSEUM

It took some time and a lot of stamina, but Zooli managed to catch up to Brianna. The young fan stood at the steps to the museum, and Zooli was just about catching her breath when Brianna grabbed her by the arm and dragged her inside.

'Come on!' She yelled. 'We gotta look for Nonny!'

'Nonny?' Zooli said, before getting yanked through the door. 'WHOA!'

Brianna didn't stop until they were well into the museum, stopping at a gigantic fossil on display. Once Zooli's world stopped spinning, she saw that it was a triceratops fossil specifically. A completed one, too.

'So, uh, why did we go to the museum?' Zooli asked. 'I like dinosaurs too, but I don't understand how that's going to help us.'

'Every Bubble Guppies fan knows that Nonny loves dinosaurs!' Brianna replied. 'He was really well-known for a bit cos he managed to find an entire triceratops skeleton. And this is that very dinosaur fossil!'

'Uh, right. So why are we here?'

'Simple. If you want to look for Nonny, you look for him in a museum full of dinosaur fossils! Even if we don't find him here, we're bound to find someone who can point us in the right direction.'

'… Ooo-kaaay?'

'OOH! Like that lady!'

Before Zooli could ask what she was talking about, Brianna had already zoomed off to someone else. Specifically, an older snail woman who was wearing the uniform of the museum's employees. Zooli thanked the cods above that her dark skin hid her embarrassed blushing and followed after her.

'Hello, Ms, uh…' Brianna said, peering at the snail's nametag. 'Ms Anning! This may seem like a random question, but-'

'Do I know where Sir Nonny is?' Ms Anning guessed with a chuckle.

Brianna's jaw dropped. 'How did you know?'

Zooli rolled her eyes, though she was grinning. 'She probably overheard you yelling about him.'

'Indeed,' Ms Anning said. 'And you're in luck. Often, Dr Whitefish spends his time in archaeological sites to look for old fossils and artefacts, but today is one of those days where he comes to the museum to help us organise all the papers!'

Brianna looked just about ready to explode. From excitement, of course.

'Normally,' Ms Anning continued. 'He doesn't like to have visitors bugging him. He's quite the introvert, you see, and he prefers doing his work in solitude. But…' She looked at Zooli. 'He might make an exception for Zooli.'

Zooli's eyes widened. 'Wait, me? How do you know my name?'

'Oh, you'd be surprised. Come with me.'

Brianna didn't hesitate to follow Ms Anning into the 'staff only' section, and Zooli was close behind. It didn't take long before they reached their destination, and good thing too. Brianna would've exploded from anticipation otherwise. They arrived at a door with words written on blurry glass - Dr Nonny Whitefish. The only reason why Brianna wasn't shrieking with delight was because she knew how much Nonny liked his silence. Let it be known that it took a lot of self-control.

Ms Anning knocked on the door.

'Dr Whitefish,' She said. 'You have a visitor.'

The room on the other side was so quiet that you could hear Nonny putting down an artefact lightly on the table.

'I don't want visitors,' He said.

His voice took Brianna by surprise. It's not like she was expecting him to sound the same as he did in the albums and old videos. Obviously. She knew puberty was a thing. But the difference was astounding. He sounded nothing like he did before. His voice was much deeper, and there was the slightest hint of annoyance in his voice. Just the smallest bit of emotion.

Zooli took a deep breath and took a big leap.

'Nonny,' She said. 'It's me. Zooli.'

She didn't think that was going to work, but she gave it a try anyway. If Ms Anning could recognise her, maybe he would too. There was silence from the room at first. But it didn't take too long before Nonny's voice spoke up again.

'Zooli? Is that really you?' He asked.

Zooli was truly taken aback. He remembered her?

'Uh, yes,' She said. 'Zooli.'

It took no time at all for the door to open. And there he was. He looked so different from what either Zooli or Brianna could remember. The once tiny boy was now so tall his head almost reached the top of the doorway, and his scruffy hair of old was now well-brushed and neatly-parted. He wore a professional suit, and even those iconic blue goggles had long been replaced by a mundane looking pair of regular ol' glasses. Brianna wasn't too surprised to see him looking so different, but Zooli found herself unable to stop staring.

She could easily remember Nonny as being the 'baby' of the group, thanks to his tiny size and being the youngest in the class. The gap of about a month seemed so much larger when they were only about five or six years old. And now here he was, a grown man who was almost a whole head taller than her. It was almost like watching your kid leave for college, and Zooli didn't even have any children.

Nonny stared at her in silence, the same way she stared at him. Like both were trying to figure out if they were looking at the real thing or just an illusion.

'Oh my god…' Nonny murmured. 'It really is you.'

'That's right,' Zooli said, speaking without really thinking. 'It's been a while, hasn't it?'

'Too long. Far too long.' He looked down at the little girl. 'And who's this?'

'I'm Brianna!' Brianna announced. 'And I'm a big fan of yours. You only got to sing, like, two or three songs, and that's a crime!'

'… Songs?'

'You know. Back when you were in the Bubble Guppies!'

Hearing the name of his old band, for the first time in years, shook Nonny to his core.

'Do you remember anything about that, Nonny?' Zooli asked. 'I wouldn't blame you if you didn't.'

'I remember far more than you could imagine,' Nonny replied. 'Come on in. The both of you.'

Brianna didn't need to be told twice. She dashed inside before Zooli could try to stop her. Zooli swam into the room too with a long sigh. Ms Anning laughed and left them to it, carrying on with the rest of her day's work.

The inside of the room was much like you'd expect. Brianna drifted around and awed at all the photos pinned on the wall and cool artefacts littering the tables. There was a lot of paperwork too, probably more than the interesting stuff, but not enough to damper the amazing sights before her. Then one thing caught her attention completely. It wasn't some ancient artefact or dinosaur bone, but instead a cork wall hanging up on the far corner of the room. There were all sorts of photos pinned up on it. And they weren't photos from Nonny's job.

'Zooli! Zooli!' Brianna said. 'Come look at this!'

Zooli's jaw fell. Every single photo on that wall was of a Bubble Guppy. She could recognise all of them. A few photos depicted herself, though she could hardly believe it with how much younger she looked. Each Guppy was bunched together, with a name pinned up. Zooli. There she was. Showing off her new pet to the class. She could remember Zelda the seahorse so well, even if the poor thing's lifespan was nothing compared to her own.

'What… what is this?' She asked.

'I never wanted to forget my friends,' Nonny said. 'You and the others were so important to me. You taught me how great it was to go out there and make friends. To have adventures. To make sure I didn't stop trying to overcome my problems. Without the Bubble Guppies, I wouldn't be half the person I am today. If I forgot about my friends, I would've forgotten so much about me.'

'Did, uh, anyone think you were weird for keeping pictures of young children on your wall?'

'I am very much aware of how strange it looks to anyone who doesn't know. Hence why I don't show this to many people. I don't want them getting the wrong idea about me.'

He stood by Zooli's side, admiring all the photos on the wall. Most people would have long forgotten their times in early education. Of course they would. But Nonny just needed to glance at these photos just once and the memories came flooding back to him. He could remember the songs, the stories, the field trips. And he could remember the pain and the tears.

He could feel the tears coming to his eyes as he thought back on it all.

'Don't get me wrong,' He said. 'I love where I am now. I'm doing what I like best. I have a steady career. I have friends. Family. But sometimes… I-I miss the good old days. I miss…'

He took a deep breath to keep his emotions under control. To most people, he was a stoic man who hardly ever showed emotion. A man who could keep his cool in any situation. But sometimes, he had to let it all out, and never in front of people. Besides, what would Zooli and Brianna do if he suddenly broke down into tears in front of them?

'I miss them,' He said. 'Molly, Gil, Deema, Goby… O-Oona. And, until now, Zooli. The classes didn't matter. Or the stories. Or even those songs. It was the Guppies themselves that were so important. I'd trade my job away in a heartbeat if I could be back together with them once again.'

Zooli placed her hand on his shoulders, making him flinch. She took her hand away for a moment, but put it back. Nonny raised his own hand up to hers and held onto it. Brianna wanted so badly to say something, but she knew that it wasn't the time. So, she sat down in a nearby chair and waited for the perfect opportunity in silence.

'They really were that important to you, huh?' Zooli asked.

'More than anything in the world,' Nonny replied. 'If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I am now. I was the shyest, most quiet kid around before I met them. And yeah, maybe I'm still a little shy and a little quiet. But I'd be a shell of a man without them encouraging me and gently pushing me out of my comfort zone so I could try new experiences. New adventures I never would've dreamed about having before.'

'Then why didn't you try to stay in contact with us?'

Nonny sighed. 'Believe me. I did. For many years. But after a while, everyone just stopped talking. I don't blame them. They all had their own dreams they were chasing. Deema and her acting career, Goby and geology. They didn't have time for me anymore. They were busy, getting into relationships, going to new places. There just wasn't any time.'

The room fell into silence. Zooli wasn't sure what else to say. She hadn't expected one of these meetings to go down like this, and certainly not when it was Nonny. Nonny, too, didn't have any more words. He stopped himself from talking because he knew he'd probably start crying if he kept going.

But Brianna knew what to say. She hopped out of her chair and swam towards the duo. Seeing them together made seeing them as adults even stranger. Especially with the pictures on the wall. They were obviously the same people as those pinned up on the board, but so different that it was uncanny.

'Hey, Dr Whitefish,' Brianna said, keeping her voice low.

Nonny worked up the strength to look at her. 'Yes, Brianna?'

'I sorta brought Zooli here, specifically to see you again. I figured that, hey, Nonny was known for loving dinosaurs, he'd probably be at the dinosaur museum. See, I want to try to get the Bubble Guppies back together again. Just one more time, you know.'

Nonny perked up, just a little. 'You do?'

'Yep! Maybe we won't succeed at getting everyone. Maybe we will. Heck, I don't even know where most of the other Guppies would be. But you seem to remember them really well. Maybe you could figure out where they might be. You know, if you want to.'

Nonny glanced back at the wall again. At all the photos of his old friends. He'd been wishing for years that he'd one day have the chance to see them all again. And now here it was: that chance. It was right in front of him.

And how could he let it pass him by?

He took a deep breath. 'If there's a chance to get the band back together, even if just for one more song, I have to take it.'

'You will?!' Brianna shouted, making him jump. 'That's awesome!'

'Uh, yes. It is. I've kept hold of all my old memories regarding the other Guppies, so I could make some guesses as to where some of them might be. Most of us moved out of Bubbletucky. But I think we might find... someone in Fishington. It's an hour long drive, but-'

'Then let's go to Fishington!'

Nonny sighed, and glanced at the clock. It was still fairly early on in the day. A drive to Fishington and back wouldn't take much time. After all, he was used to driving out much further to reach the dig sites in the desert. He swam right past Zooli and Brianna to reach the door.

'Ms Anning!' He said, upon swinging the door open. 'Do I have any appointments for the next week or so?'

Ms Anning was quite surprised to see him busting the door open like that, but she answered his question nonetheless.

'Nope,' She replied with a smile. 'Your schedule is all clear for almost a month now.'

'Great!' Nonny said.

He slammed the door shut, leaving Ms Anning even more confused.

'That settles it,' He said. 'We're going to Fishington.'

Author Notes - I chose to have Zooli and Nonny be the first 'recruited' because, in the show at least, they have less focus than the other Guppies. Nonny is the quiet one who often stays on the sidelines, and Zooli only appeared in the two retooled seasons after their initial cancellation. Making Nonny a palaeontologist seems like a common outcome in Guppies fanfics, entirely thanks to the episode 'Can You Dig It'. So why not do it here!

By the way, Ms Anning is named after Mary Anning, who was a major player in field of palaeontology. Seeing as Bubble Guppies likes its punny names (a librarian named Mrs Dewey, a golf-playing knight named Sir Mulligan), it seemed rather fitting.