Author Notes - Gasp! Molly has returned!

CHAPTER TWENTY - IT'S TIME FOR BUBBLE GUPPIES!

The Guppies stared in silence. The woman who was dragging herself onto the stage was none other than…

'M-Molly?!'

They could not believe it. The very same woman who had brushed them off now stood before them. Looking like she had run herself ragged. Her hair was a tangled mess and her make-up had been applied in a hurry.

'Don't you dare start the performance without me!' She said.

For a minute or so, the crowd had gone silent from the shock. It took no time at all, however, for them to start shouting. Screaming!

'IT'S MOLLY!'

'Molly came back after all!'

'OH MY GOD, MOLLY'S HERE!'

Very soon, their cheers and shouts overlapped each other and turned it all into a cacophony. You couldn't understand a single word in that mess. It was so loud that Nonny had to cover his ears. It didn't take long before Molly spun around.

'CAN YOU ALL SHUT UP FOR A MOMENT, PLEASE?!' She shouted. 'I'm trying to have a conversation here!'

The crowd obeyed her order right away, partially out of respect for such a talented singer and partially because she had genuinely frightened them. Molly groaned and looked back at her former friends. None of them seemed very happy to see her there.

'What the hell are you doing here?!' Oona cried. 'You totally blow us off and then decide it's alright to just show up?'

Zooli laughed very nervously. 'Uh, s-sorry for the delay folks! Seems like we've had an, uh, unexpected visitor. I hope you don't mind us delaying the performance for a bit while we sort this out.'

'Mia!' Goby whispered. 'Close the curtain, now!'

Mia, unsure how to feel about her sister suddenly showing up right the hell out of nowhere, closed the curtain as quickly as she could. She herded everyone like a sheepdog to the backstage where hopefully the crowd outside wouldn't hear whatever argument was sure to start. Everyone else glared at Molly. Brianna, however, was too astounded to feel anything else.

'Okay,' Molly said. 'I'm sure you have a lot of-'

'You just randomly decided to show up right when the performance was about to begin,' Gil said. 'You bet we have some questions.'

'You couldn't let us have one performance, could ya?' Deema said. 'You just had to show up and make this one all about you, too. I knew you were petty, but wow.'

Molly held her hands up. 'Wait, no! That's not-'

'Yeah, Deema's right. I knew you were petty,' Goby said. 'But I didn't realise you were this bad.'

The others hounded Molly with unpleasant accusations all at once, unaware - or perhaps willingly ignorant - to the despair written all over her face. She could not get a word in.

'Uh, guys,' Nonny said. 'Maybe we should…'

His voice was drowned out by the others. Mia backed away slowly, hiding behind her clipboard and unwilling to get involved in his affair. There was only one voice that managed to pierce through the accusations.

'HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!' Brianna shouted.

That managed to get everyone to shut up. They all turned to the little girl, who swam through the crowd and approached Molly. Her heart hurt looked up at her former idol. No matter what, she couldn't forget the cruel words that Molly had said to her just a few days ago. But she could recognise the despair in Molly's eyes. Something told her that there was more to this story than the others realised. That Molly hadn't arrived just to bloat her ego some more.

'I think we need to give Molly the chance to explain herself,' Brianna said. 'Even if she was the most petty person on the planet, I don't think she'd bother coming all the way out here just to interrupt a concert for a band she doesn't care about.'

'You remember what she said to us last time we met!' Oona said. 'What she said to you. If you think I'm trusting this freaking witch for a moment-' (Oona certainly had not called Molly a 'witch')

'Oona!' Nonny said. 'Language.'

'Wait, hold on,' Goby said. 'Brianna's right. It just doesn't make sense for Molly to go out of her way just to sabotage our concert after she spent so much time saying that we don't matter to her. What would doing that accomplish for her?'

Deema sighed. 'Yeah, you're right. Molly's a big fat jerk, but she never went out of her way to hunt down people to get mad at.'

'I'm standing right here, you know,' Molly said

'After everything you've said to us? Yeah, I know.'

'Let her speak!' Brianna said.

She yelled loudly enough to make Deema, a woman a good twenty years older than her, flinch and shut up immediately. Everyone looked at Molly. And waited for her to speak. Molly stared back at them. She tried to maintain eye contact, but her gaze seemed more interested in everything else in the room than the Guppies in front of her. Her hands fidgeted with each other. Slowly, the others were starting to realise that her intentions weren't malicious after all.

'I… I got bored as hell after you guys left,' She said. 'And out of morbid curiosity, I ended up watching some of those dumb music videos we'd make when we were kids. I only meant to listen to one song and give up. But I-I kept watching. I looked so happy in those videos. And I was happy. It took me watching those old videos to realise that singing with you guys were some of the happiest moments of my life.'

The others watched in awe. This conversation had certainly not taken the turn they were expecting. Their angry glares faded away.

'And… a-and when I watched those videos,' She continued. 'I-I realised what I had done. And… and…'

She shocked everyone in the room when they heard her sniffling. Sure enough, tears began to flow down her cheeks. Nonny put aside all of their prior fights and rushed to her side to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

'And I realised that this isn't what Mr Grouper would've wanted!' Molly cried. 'When he d-died, I was leaving everyone behind. That's how he died. He died knowing that I had abandoned my friends! I didn't learn anything. I just kept getting worse, and worse, and worse… And when my friends finally showed up after all these years, I blew them all off like they never mattered to me!'

'It's okay, Molly,' Nonny said. 'Mr Grouper wouldn't know that you-'

'I know that! I know Mr Grouper isn't around anymore to see what I did. But I know that if he was still around, he'd hate to see what I've done. H-He'd be so disappointed. Mr Grouper was one of the most important people in my life, and now he's dead and all I've done since his death is insult everything that he tried to do! I'd gone so far that even Mr Grouper's death wasn't enough to make me realise how awful I've become. Mr Grouper died seeing me as a disappointment, and I haven't learnt a thing from it!'

Now, she was sobbing hard. The tears were coming out like a busted dam. She didn't mean to, but she ended up leaning against Nonny's shoulder. The taller man offered her whatever comfort he could. Most of the others were too shocked to even move, let alone speak.

'Oh, Molly,' Oona said. 'I'm so sorry.'

Molly tried her best to regain her composure. A difficult task, for she was a sobbing and sniffling mess. To think that this was the same woman who had called them all 'nobodies' just a few days ago. But, eventually, she managed it. She dried her tears and did a convincing job making it look like she hadn't been crying to begin with.

'There's no need to be sorry,' She said. 'Not when I'm the one who screwed up. It's all my fault. I had my friends right there, and I let them go.'

'Uh-huh,' Deema said. 'And what? Now that you've come crying to us, you think we're going to let you in, no questions asked?'

Goby gave her a big shove with his elbow.

'No!' Molly said. 'Obviously not! I'm a dickhead, not an idiot. I just wanted you guys to know that I'm sorry. I screwed up. And I couldn't just say all this on the phone because it's something that had to be said in-person. And… and there's something I want to ask for.'

Deema groaned. 'Of course.'

'Let me finish, Deema. I know I've done you wrong, but I want you to let me finish. Feel free to say 'no', and I certainly wouldn't blame you if you did, but…'

Molly placed her purse on a stool and reached into it. Most of the Guppies, Gil most of all, stood and watched with anticipation and curiosity. Deema, however, had to put in considerable effort to keep paying attention. That was until she saw the object that Molly took out from her purse. It made everyone gasp.

It was a microphone. But not just any old microphone. It was the same tail-shaped microphone that was coloured like her tail. Its paint had faded and the metal parts of it were chipped. It clearly wasn't going to work anymore. But still, Molly had carried it with her. She held it up to her mouth like she was about to sing.

'I want to be part of the performance,' She said. 'I know, with all of my heart, that seeing me up on stage and singing with my old friends would've made Mr Grouper happy. That's what he would've loved to see. His video to me was laden with disappointment for what I had become, and I didn't listen. I know it won't make up for everything. Hell, it probably won't make up for anything. But I want to join. Maybe performing in this silly band again will tank my reputation. I don't know. I still want to do it. But if you guys say no, I won't blame you.'

She let out a very heavy breath. Finally. It was off her chest. Part of her was embarrassed to be here, that she was practically grovelling to these people to let her back into the band. And that part had been dominating her life for the past few years. She couldn't bear to look at her former friends, lest she see six angry expressions coming her way.

The Guppies were silent. That was, until…

'Oh, get over here, you!'

Oona suddenly spoke up. Molly had all of a single second to react before Oona forced her into a tight and loving hug. Though Oona was noticeably shorter, she certainly had more muscle on her and Molly was caught.

'I don't think I can forgive you just yet,' Oona said. 'But I'm willing to start all over again!'

'Me too,' Nonny said. 'I see no reason to decline your offer. If getting the Guppies back together was the point, then we should include all of them.'

'Yeah!' Goby said. 'And who are we to stay mad when you're trying to do better? We can't leave you out when you're trying to fix your past mistakes.'

Zooli shrugged. 'Well, I suppose I'm all for it too! Things just aren't the same without the face of the band.'

'Alright!' Mia said. 'We're so back!'

Molly's eyes began to well with tears once again. But this time, she cried through a smile. After everything she had done to them, she never expected them to welcome her back for even a moment. She didn't even believe that she deserved this. But her former friends - perhaps not so 'former' after all - disagreed. Her gaze drifted onto Deema, who was still standing there with her arms crossed. For all of three seconds. It didn't take long at all for her to un-cross her arms and smile.

'Oh, who am I kidding!' She said, tearing up already. 'G-Get over here, you! I'll take any chance to start again!'

She, unintentionally, pushed past everyone and gave Molly a tight embrace of her own. It wasn't just tight. It was wet too. Any tears Molly had shed were nothing compared to the absolute waterfalls that were pouring out of Deema's eyes.

'BIS IS AB OBBORBUBIBY BOO SBARB ABEW!' Deema cried, which your narrator can only assume translated to: 'This is an opportunity to start anew'.

'Uh, thanks?' Molly said. 'I'm happy that you're giving me another chance too. But, please, stop crying on my shoulder. Your nose runs like crazy when you cry.'

Deema sniffled loudly. 'T-That's true.'

She backed away from the hug, revealing her wet face for all to see. Not exactly her prettiest look, and certainly not what she'd want her fans seeing. She did not want a repeat of her last Goldfish Award acceptance speech. Mia swam over with a box of tissues in hand, which Deema took gratefully. Deema was nice enough to swim into the corner so she could recompose herself without making anyone watch it.

'You really surprised me, sis,' Mia said. 'You really did it. And not just to fix your reputation either!'

Molly chuckled. 'My reputation doesn't need fixing. It's good enough as it is. But I couldn't leave Mr Grouper disappointed. If I couldn't get myself together while he was still alive, the least I can do is try to right my wrongs now that he's gone.'

'Then let's get on that freaking stage already!' Oona said. 'Seriously. That crowd is going to get really antsy if we don't get our asses on that stage right now.'

'Oona,' Nonny said. 'Language.'

'Not quite right,' Molly said. 'There's one more thing I need to do before we get ourselves anywhere near that stage.'

Her eyes met Gil's. He had been standing at the back in total silence, hoping that they would just get on stage already. Now, however, he was looking directly into the eyes of his ex-girlfriend. She gave him a soft, gentle smile. The kind of smile he hadn't seen from her in years.

She sighed. 'Gilly…'

One use of his old nickname was enough to make Gil's heart skip a beat. Those suppressed feelings regarding her and the way he used to love her - the way he still loved her - breached the surface.

'I know it's been a few years since you broke up with me,' Molly said. 'And if you don't want anything to do with me after this, I understand. I don't think I'd want anything to do with me either after what I've done. But…' She took a deep breath. 'I still love you.'

Those four words completely rocked Gil's world. His jaw fell open as wide as it could go, and all that came out of it was half-formed words. He blushed harder than he ever had. Four simple words had completely shattered the super-serious persona that had been building up slowly over the years.

'Y-You do?' He stammered, like a lovestruck teenager.

Molly nodded. 'Always have. The day you broke up with me was one of the worst in my life. And so soon as Mr Grouper's death too… The death was worse, of course. Much worse. But the split-up broke my heart. I don't blame you one bit for it, but I really wish we could go back. If you don't have it in you to love me anymore, then I'll back off. But I-'

That was as far as she got. Gil dashed over and gave her a hug even tighter than Deema's. He held on tight like he could lose her at any moment, and tears came to his eyes.

'I-I love you too, Molly!' He cried. 'Even after the break-up, I never stopped loving you. I don't even know why. You'd become such a jerk! But I've always loved you. Long before I knew a thing about romance. I'm willing to give our relationship another chance!'

The loving couple embraced each other, enjoying their company for the first time in years. Somehow, they just knew from the hug alone that it was meant to be.

'I knew it!' Brianna said. 'All those fanfictions were right!'

Molly and Gil chuckled together. Right, the fanfictions. The ever popular 'Golly' ship, arguably the most popular ship in their fandom. One of the only things the old fandom seemed to agree on was that Molly and Gil made the most amazing couple in the world and were destined to be together. To the point where some people even created hypothetical children for them.

It was quite the rollercoaster. At first, it seemed like the fans had nailed it. Then their relationship went downhill, and it looked like the fans couldn't have been more wrong. But now, perhaps the fans weren't so wrong after all.

'This reunion has been awesome and all,' Mia said. 'But I'd just like to remind everyone that we're supposed to be on stage now. So-'

Molly gasped. 'Of course! We gotta get on that stage and now. What song is first?'

'Uh, it's meant to be the one about colours.'

'Scratch that. We're singing that one later. If we're going to put on a concert for the first time in years, we better start off with the very first song we ever performed on stage.'

'You mean 'We Totally Rock'?' Goby asked.

'That's the one! Are you up for it?'

The Guppies had already planned to sing that song at some point during the concert, but they had no qualms about playing it first. Molly was right. It would be the perfect song to start with! They rushed to the stage to start their concert for real, but Molly stopped right before leaving the backstage.

'Hey, Brianna!' She said.

Brianna jolted and gave Molly her full attention, almost like a soldier listening to their general.

'If you're as big of a fan as you claim to be,' Molly said. 'Then you must know the words to all of our songs, right?'

Brianna scoffed. 'Do I? I know them all better than I know myself! Give me a random lyric, and I bet I could finish it.'

'... Let's kick it-'

'-Off with strings today, violins pluck away!'

Brianna puffed out her chest. Being able to recognise Bubble Guppies songs so easily was something she was quite proud of. And she was especially proud when Molly gave her an impressed grin.

'I need your-'

'Light shining brightly, cos it gets dark nightly!'

'Crickets, moths-'

'Ants and beetles. Skeeters, wasps, and boll weevils. Butterflies and honey bees! Ladybugs and circus fleas! Leave no d-'

'Okay, okay, I get it. How would you like an opportunity to sing on stage with me?'

Brianna gasped. There was no way. Had Molly really just offered to let her sing with her? She gaped at her hero.

'If you don't want to after what I did to you,' Molly said. 'I understand. But-'

Brianna proceeded to slap herself across the face very hard, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. The sound was loud enough to make Molly flinch.

'HECK YEAH!' She yelled. 'Let's get on stage and make Mr Grouper proud!'

Author Notes - As if the other Guppies weren't going to let Molly back into the band! They might not quite be able to forgive her yet, naturally, but they're willing to give her another chance. And right on time, too. Next time, we got the concert! For real, this time.