Author Notes - One last chapter from me for the year, and then it's off to 2025! And hopefully next year, I will continue to publish Bubble Guppies fanfics. For this chapter, we have the drama queen herself! Don't worry. Deema hasn't changed as much as it might seem. Not at all.

CHAPTER ELEVEN - ONCE A DRAMA QUEEN…

Brianna and the others were just about to head out the door as some of the only customers left in the shop, when a voice shouted through the PA system.

'WAIT! STOP!'

It was definitely enough to stop them.

'Did the PA system just tell us to stop?' Gil remarked.

Nonny cocked an eyebrow. '... Was that Ms Swimmer?'

Oona gasped. 'You don't think-?'

And that was as far as she got with her question before another sound interrupted her. It wasn't on the PA system, however. It was in-person. And it was heading right for them.

'WAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT!'

All they could see was a yellow blur zooming towards them at ungodly speeds, screaming at them to 'wait right there' and 'go no further' as it rushed down the escalator.

'Deema?' Brianna said with a smile. 'Is that-?'

Brianna got knocked to the floor as the yellow blur zoomed right past her and embraced Oona. With that much speed, the blur and Oona were spun around several times before the momentum wore off. It won't surprise you to hear that this 'blur' was, in fact, Deema.

'I'M SO-O-O-ORRY!' Deema wailed. 'I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T RECOGNISE YOU ALL AT FI-I-IRST!'

'W-What is happening?' Zooli asked.

'M-M-Ms Swimmer!' Goby gasped. 'You're… you're… you're back.'

'Okay then,' Gil said, throwing up his arms. 'I guess this is a thing now.'

Brianna got off the floor, dusted herself off, and could hardly believe her eyes. The busy and serious store owner who was on the phone to her talent agent was, at that very moment, giving one of Brianna's new friends a massive hug. Oona was so shocked by the affection on display that she forgot to return it.

'Uh, alright,' She said. 'So, you do remember the band after all?'

'IT HIT ME!' Deema said, still wailing. 'I REMEMBER YOU A-A-A-ALL-UH!'

Brianna burst out into laughter. 'She does remember you all after all! And she hasn't changed a bit.'

'I REMEMBER YOU, OONA! A-And…' She sniffled, loudly. 'Nonny. G-Goby. Gil. Zooli- OH I SBILL CAN'B BELIEBE I DIDN'B REBOGBISE BOU!'

Deema was sobbing so hard that she was becoming hard to understand. And Oona was quickly realising, much to her horror, that it probably wasn't just tears that were soaking her shoulder.

'It's been a long time,' Nonny said. 'Of course you don't remember. Uh, didn't.'

'I'B SO HABBY BO SEE BOU!' Deema cried.

'Yeah,' Gil said. 'I think we got that.'

Deema finally broke up the hug and gave Oona some room. And she was a mess. An ugly mess of tears and snot that was ill-fitting for such a talented and famous actress. She wiped her eyes and nose with her sleeve, accomplishing nothing but getting bodily fluids all over her clothes. It was an unpleasant sight for everyone involved. Fortunately for everyone, Dale was still around and saw the awful state his boss was in. He was quite used to seeing her like this, and simply handed her a clean handkerchief with a smile before walking out the door.

'Thanb bou, D-Dale…' Deema said, still unable to keep it together.

'So!' Oona said, clapping her hands. 'Now that you remember us, we can-'

She was cut off when Deema blew her nose into the handkerchief. Loudly. Very, very loudly, at that. You'd never guess that she was a two-time award-winner actress with that kind of look.

'Uh, is this always how Ms Swimmer is behind the scenes?' Goby asked.

'Crush going away, huh?' Gil said.

'Nope. I-I think it's getting stronger.'

'This is exactly how I remember Deema,' Nonny said. 'I am impressed.'

'Oh yeah!' Brianna said. 'Deema was well known for her overdramatic and goofy style. She was at least 70% of the comedy. Of course, a lot of fans didn't really like her and found her humour to be kinda forced and annoying. But a lot of other fans thought she was hilarious, including me!'

It took a minute or two for Deema to recompose herself. By which point, the handkerchief had been soaked through.

'S-Sorry for all the tears,' She said, chuckling. 'I'm just happy to see you all again!'

'Ya don't say,' Gil remarked.

'I don't know how to describe it. One moment, you were all strangers to me. Just some riffraff that showed up, trying to get on my good side. But then… it hit me. You guys were the greatest friends I ever had! I just wish I knew who the heck this little girl was. Did any of you have kids when I wasn't looking?'

Brianna laughed. 'No! I'm just a big fan of the band you used to be a part of. The name is Brianna, and I'm on a mission to reunite all the Bubble Guppies back together again!'

'Back together again, huh? There's something about those three words together that feels… special. Really important. Like they should be said with great emphasis! But I can't quite put my finger on it. Hmmm… Oh, who cares about that? My old friends are here at last! The store's closing up shop, so I think it's only right that you guys come and stay over with me at my place for the night!'

'No, that's okay,' Zooli said. 'We have a-'

'I insist! No old friends of mine deserve anything less than that!'

'I-I think we should!' Goby said, rushing out his words. 'I mean, it's an opportunity to hang out with Ms Deema Swimmer herself! Do you know how many people would kill for a chance like that?'

The Guppies glanced among themselves, silently coming to an agreement without having to say a single word to each other.

'Yes,' Nonny said. 'We will take your offer.'

'Oh, thank you so much!' Deema said. 'I'm s-so happy that you said yes. I-I…' She began to tear up again. 'I-I can't believe I actually got to see you guys again. I…' She sniffled. 'I lobed bou guys so mubch…'

Zooli let out a sigh. 'And here we go again.'

This was unprecedented. Not only had Brianna managed to get even a celebrity like Deema back in the band, but that was almost the entire band back together! Zooli, Nonny, Oona, Goby, Gil, Deema… six out of seven. Just one more to go! But Brianna could wait, just another day at least. Ms Swimmer was taking the gang back to her apartment. Which was a penthouse suite at the very top of a massive skyscraper!

When the elevator doors opened, Brianna had never seen anything like it. It looked just like all those epic suites she had seen in the movies, except even cooler because it belonged to one of her heroes. She rushed into the room and swam about like a young child high on sugar, taking in all the glorious (and expensive) sights.

'You LIVE here?!' She cried. 'I mean, of course you do. Famous people live in places like this. But still. I can't believe you actually live here!'

'Yeah, it's pretty nice,' Deema said. 'But really, I only live here cos it's the only place big enough and with a floor soundproof enough for my rocking parties! The other apartments just aren't big enough for that kind of stuff.'

'You didn't have to do this,' Zooli said. 'We wouldn't want to bother you or ruin your, um, pad or anything.'

'Ruin the pad? Pfft. I don't care about that! I ruin this place enough whenever I drink a little too hard. Mi casa, su casa. Raid the fridge. Throw the pillows. Admire the epic view. Do whatever you want! Old friends of Deema deserve nothing less than that!'

'In that case!' Oona said, before dashing off from the rest of the group.

She plopped herself right down on one of the expensive couches, leaning back into it and savouring every bit of comfort it offered. Zooli shrugged and sat down next to her, albeit with a lot less energy.

'Come on, boys!' Deema said, sitting down in the living room area too. 'There's enough room for, like, twenty people here. Come on!'

'Welp,' Gil said. 'None of this is how I was expecting my day to go. But I guess I'm just along for the ride at this point.'

'O-Of course!' Goby stammered. 'I, uh, would love to join you! On the, ahem, couch, I mean.'

'Don't see why not,' Nonny said.

So the three men joined the ladies on the couch, with Brianna sitting down right next to Zooli. It was unbelievable. Six of the seven Guppies, all grown up, in the same room, sitting right in front of her! She pinched herself just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, it hurt.

'So!' Deema said. 'Give me all the details. I gotta know what my friends are up to.'

'We're not celebrities like you,' Nonny said. 'Your life story is far more fascinating.'

'EHHH! Wrong! As a celebrity, my life story is all over the internet. You only have to google me for five seconds to find out what I had for breakfast this morning. But you guys? Those are stories that society just ignores. So they're way more fascinating than my over-told story. Even if you think it's boring, tell me everything!'

Of course, telling her 'everything' would take forever, but the others still told her all the good stuff. Zooli's wife and documentaries. Oona's life as a teacher. Goby being an uncle. Gil's ultra-serious attitude. And, best of all, Nonny dating Oona once again.

'Oh, go Nonners!' Deema said. 'I knew ya had it in you!'

Nonny cocked an eyebrow. '... Nonners?'

'That was her nickname for you!' Brianna said. 'I know this cos she used it sometimes in the promotional videos and stuff. Oh man, did the Neema shippers go crazy over that!'

'... The what shippers?'

'Hey,' Deema said. 'You seem to know a lot about us. Brianna, is it? How'd you end up getting us all back together anyway?'

Brianna blushed. Being asked a question like that by any of her heroes would be blush-worthy, but especially when it was someone as big as Deema. She wasn't just talking to her heroes anymore. This was the real deal. She didn't hesitate to tell her everything, even talking about her family situation briefly. By the end of it, Deema was beginning to tear up again.

'T-That's amazing…' She said. 'I can't believe we're still g-getting new fans, even today.'

'And I can't believe how successful I've been!' Brianna said. 'Zooli. Nonny. Oona. Goby. Gil. And now even Deema, super-famous Ms Swimmer herself! And do you know what that means? There's just one more Guppy to get. And that's Molly!'

Most of the other Guppies cheered. Even the ones who barely even remembered who Molly was anymore. Just one Guppy to go. Just one more Guppy and the team would be complete. The Bubble Guppies would've reunited for the first time in years and years! But one Guppy wasn't cheering at all. In fact, she frowned and crossed her arms.

'Hmph… Well, if you want Molly back,' Deema said. 'Then I can't stop you. But I'm not talking to her.'

The others gasped. Except for Gil, who just let out a sigh.

'What?!' Oona cried. 'Why not?'

'If I were you,' Deema said. 'I wouldn't even be trying.'

'But we can't stop now!' Brianna said. 'Not when Molly herself, the face of the band, isn't here yet!'

Deema sighed. 'Look, Bri, Molly isn't that sweet little kid you know from all the videos and stuff. She's different now.'

'Now how would you know?' Zooli asked. 'She seems perfectly fine in all her concerts and meet-and-greets. You haven't even seen her for years!'

Brianna put her hand up. 'That's not… entirely accurate. Just a couple years ago, they had been collabing a lot. Molly would often provide a song or two for one of Deema's movies. And then, one day, they just stopped.'

Deema stood up from her seat and swam towards the nearest window. Brianna climbed over the top of the couch, but everyone else stayed in their spots.

'I'm not going to give you the details,' Deema said, facing towards the window. 'But Molly and I had a massive falling out. And it was all her fault. See, we're the only OG Guppies who stayed famous after the band broke up. But I always tried my best to make sure that the fame never went to my head. Didn't always succeed, but I tried. Molly, however… I swear, she was actively trying to swell her own ego.'

'Come on, Deema,' Zooli said. 'It can't be that bad.'

'Look, I'll help you find her. I can even pull some strings to ensure you get to talk to her. But you shouldn't. Turn back now. It's not going to work. Molly doesn't care about us anymore. She only cares about her own fame.'

'Maybe it was just a misunderstanding,' Nonny said.

'Oh-ho, it was not! I'll help ya, but I can guarantee that she won't listen. Keep your hopes low.'

An uneasy feeling bubbled in Brianna's stomach. With how often Molly and Deema used to collaborate, Deema would know Molly far better than any of them. But that couldn't be right. Molly had seemed so nice in the videos. And her friendly feats had been well known long before Brianna was even born.

Not to mention that Molly had always been her favourite…

'We'll try,' She said. 'I'm not giving up now.'

Molly couldn't be that bad…

Right?

Author Notes - Deema's part of the story was an intentional bait-and-switch. Considering that Gil has changed a lot, it wouldn't be impossible for Deema to become a serious jerk. But, of course, Deema actually hasn't changed a bit. And yes, her mentioning that the words 'Back Together Again' (the title) were 'special' in some way is a little fourth-wall break. If any of the Guppies are going to break the fourth wall, it's going to be Deema.

As for Molly, well... we'll know when we see her. Let's just say, it might not end very well.