Author Notes - This story is slowly approaching the end at this point. I was not expecting it to reach over twenty chapters but here we are.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO - THE SHOW AFTER THE SHOW

The show had been a roaring success. Every single Guppy got the chance to sing a few songs all by themselves. Even Brianna got the chance to sing one! And the crowd loved every one. As soon as they ended their concert - with none other than a triumphant cover of their theme song - everyone was cheering and screaming until their throats hurt. What a glorious feeling.

Each Guppy had forgotten how much they loved performing on stage until they finally got the opportunity to do it again.

Many of the patrons left soon after the concert ended, likely going home to rest. But plenty of people stayed behind. The chance to meet up with these guys after so long was worth staying up and staying out for! Every Guppy wore their hands out signing all the autographs, especially Molly who had to be very careful not to smudge the ink (a very left-handed problem).

Brianna waited backstage. No one was approaching her anyway, which didn't surprise her. It'd surprise her a lot more if someone did ask for her autograph. And she was quite thankful for it. All those people asking her to sign all sorts of things? She didn't even have a signature yet. But it didn't take too long until the crazier fans who only wanted their signatures left. Things quieted down a lot more.

Nonny was easily the most exhausted by the end of it. Being the fan favourite back when meant that he was getting the most attention, and since he was the one who could cope with it the least, well… As soon as his final fangirl left the area, he collapsed to the floor.

'Tell me we're done…' He murmured. 'Please.'

'Not quite!' Mia said. 'We got a few more people who wanna talk to you.'

He groaned, loudly.

'How many left?' Goby asked, exhaustion obvious in his voice too.

'Not many!' Mia said. 'Just a few guys who've told me you left a really big impact on them. Maybe they're just trying to get your attention, but you never know.'

'Bring 'em on the stage,' Molly said. 'If a fan wants to see me, I'm going to make sure they can.'

'I don't think anyone would mind too much if you said no,' Zooli said. 'It has been a long night, after all.'

'Nope! I have a lot of time to make up for, and I won't be making up for it by declining the first opportunity that comes my way. Sis, bring the fans onto the stage!'

'Since there aren't many left,' Mia said. 'I think we can bring them in a little slower.' She spoke directly into her microphone, 'First person in line, you're up!'

After dealing with all those crowds and howling fans, the Guppies were quite relieved to see just a single fan walk onto the stage. He was a lobster man wearing glasses, about the Guppies' age. Most of the people at the concert had been adults, unsurprisingly, who had listened to their band as a child. Many of them had brought their own children to bring the music to a whole new generation. The man nervously looked at his claws as he tapped them together, but he quickly summoned the courage to approach them.

'Hey guys!' He said. 'Awesome concert!'

'Naturally!' Deema said.

All seven Guppies stood up, approached him, and gave him their greetings. They expected him to ask for yet another signature or selfie, but he requested nothing of the sort.

'There's no way you guys still recognise me,' He said. 'But I remember you.'

'Yeah, your face isn't ringing any bells,' Gil said. 'If we're supposed to remember you, then you might wanna give us a hint.'

'The name is Skip.'

None of the Guppies seemed to recognise that name, at least not belonging to a man who looked like this. Brianna overheard them talking from her spot backstage and gasped.

'Maybe I should elaborate,' Skip said. 'I was really new to the neighbourhood. My family had just moved in and I didn't have any friends here in Bubbletucky. And then you guys came along, helped me move my stuff into my room, and-'

Oona gasped. 'And we had a sleepover with you!'

Skip snapped his claws. 'You got it!'

'Wait!' Goby said. 'I remember that too!'

One by one, the Guppies remembered that day and the little boy they helped feel right at home. The memories were vague, but they could remember dressing up as workers in a moving company (they couldn't recall why, however) and having a sleepover together with Skip. All except, of course, for Zooli, who hadn't arrived in the class yet.

'Yeah, I remember that!' Molly said.

'I… don't,' Zooli said. 'Must've happened before I showed up. Well, that's a bit unfortunate. What are you gonna do, I suppose.'

'Wow,' Deema said. 'You grew up.'

Skip chuckled. 'And so did you guys! I never forgot what you did for me. When I moved here, I was so nervous. But you came along and I made some friends before my family was even done unpacking. If it wasn't for you, well, I don't think I would've liked moving to Bubbletucky at all.'

A couple of the other Guppies chatted about what they could remember about the sleepover. You'd think Zooli would have to back out of the chat because she hadn't been there for it. But on the contrary, she smiled as she listened to Skip describe the night.

'You know,' She said. 'I had an experience like that myself. When I first moved to Bubbletucky from Big Bubble City, I wasn't sure if I'd fit in. I didn't have any friends in my old school, so I didn't think I'd make any new ones here either. I only found out who my new classmates were gonna be when I saw them. And I was… kind of excited.'

'Kind of?' Gil said. 'If I recall, you were so excited that you literally fainted.'

'Heh heh… Anyway, the Guppies really changed my life when I moved to town too. They have a way of doing that, you know?'

'Oh yeah!' Skip said. 'I wasn't the only one. A lot of people had their lives changed by you guys. So many kids tuned into the radio just to hear you sing. You know Ms Diamond Dust?'

'I've heard of her,' Goby said. 'Her tricks on the ski jump are insane!'

'Well, she was a friend of mine from Shellyville. And it was your song about winter sports that encouraged her to go into them in the first place!'

The Guppies could hardly believe it. To think that one of their songs had inspired someone to pursue winter sports, and end up being one of the most famous people in the business! How many other people had their music inspired?

'Our songs had one hell of a reach, didn't they!' Oona said. 'Imagine that.'

Molly, though happy for Skip, couldn't help frowning a little. The words she had said to her friends just a day ago wouldn't leave her memory.

'I remember being in a band, but I don't remember anything about the people in it. Why would I bother trying to remember a bunch of complete nobodies?'

'I'm not meant to be in a band full of people with no relevance.'

'I've done just fine without you for over twenty years now. I certainly don't need you now.'

She winced just thinking about it. Her friends may have been willing to move past it, but she couldn't. No amount of apologising was going to change the fact that she had said these things. Not just to friends, but to friends who really had helped people out. The little band she had thought of as irrelevant had been important to more people than she could possibly imagine.

'Molly, are you okay?' Gil asked.

'Y-Yeah,' Molly said. 'I'm fine. Just… regretting things.'

He smirked. 'Talking about what you said to us?'

Molly gave him a playful shove. 'Oh, shut up.'

Their conversation hadn't interrupted Skip's. He would've gone on and gone about all the ways the Guppies had influenced him and his friends, but Mia reminded him that he only had so much time before the next person was to show up. So he shortened it to the most important story of all.

'See, I developed a crush on this other boy named Hopper,' He said. 'And I wanted to ask him out. But, uh, I was really nervous about it. I hadn't even told my parents that I liked guys. I know Bubbletucky is really accepting of things like that, but there's always going to be people who aren't. So I was really hesitant to tell Hopper that I loved him.'

'And…?' Oona said.

'And then I listened to 'Rock Your Style' again. I couldn't explain it, but some of those lyrics stood out to me. Walk your walk, be true to yourself. Just let it out. No need to hide. Don't be shy, it's time for you to break out. I know it was just a song about fashion, but those lyrics really spoke to me. Like you guys were telling me to just go and do it, that I didn't have to be ashamed of who I am! So, I asked Hopper out.'

'How'd it go?' Goby asked.

Skip grinned. 'We plan on getting married early next year.'

The Guppies cheered on him like he had cheered on them during their performance. Had he been a mammal or humanoid animal like them, he would've blushed. Not that mattered, since he was already all red.

'Congrats!' Oona said. 'I never thought our music could have an effect like that on someone.'

'Oh, you'd be surprised,' Skip said. 'Practically everyone I know was inspired by your music in some way. Maybe not all of them would've been moved in the same way I was, but I wouldn't have had the courage to ask Hopper out without you.'

'Wow…' Molly said, softly. 'Looks like that old band was a lot more important to people than I realised.'

Mia approached them while looking at a watch. 'Hate to say it, but we gotta move on to the next guest soon. Wrap it up, lover boy!'

Skip hurriedly bid his goodbyes, got some autographs for his journal, and went to enjoy the rest of his night. Everyone waved him off. Molly stood back, the only one who wasn't smiling. Irrelevant. That was the word she had used to describe this band. A band that had literally helped at least one person summon the courage to ask someone out. A band that had gathered crowds and crowds of people who wanted to watch them perform after a couple decades.

Of course, Molly's behaviour would've been awful even if the band really had been irrelevant and no one cared anymore. Seeing all the people who did still care about it just added salt to that wound. She took a deep breath; she could have her little interpersonal conflicts later. Right now, she had people to greet.

'Alright!' Mia said. 'Next guest!'

There was not just a single guest this time, but instead two fish children. A girl with blue scales and a boy with purple scales. They dashed onto the stage at once, smiling and cheering about being able to meet the stars at last. Oona recognised their species immediately. And she was quickly proven correct when a much bigger blue fish swam onto the stage after them, looking slightly embarrassed that they got away from him like this. Oona lit up like a Christmas tree.

'Avi!' She said. 'It's you!'

Avi chuckled. 'Long time no see, Oona.'

Oona wasted no time in giving her old friend a hug. Brianna peeped in through the curtains and smiled. Avi had shown up a couple times in the promotional videos, and made a rather prominent appearance in the music video for 'Get Ready for School'. All Bubble Guppies fans knew who he was - a very close friend of Oona's. Brianna's heart warmed when she saw that the passage of time hadn't touched everything.

'Oh, it's been years!' Oona said. 'But I'd recognise that face anywhere. Who are the kids?'

'Avery and Ana,' Avi replied. 'They're twins, actually. You see, I'm a father now.'

Oona gasped. 'You are?! That's awesome!'

Indeed, it was. If rather mindblowing. Someone the Guppies knew as kids now had his own kids. Brianna's jaw was almost on the floor. The only pictures she had seen of Avi before now were those of a young child. And now he was standing right there, old enough to have children himself. Children who would've been around for at least a couple of years.

'You're my favourite, Oona!' Avery said.

'You're my favourite, too!' Ana said.

'Hey, I said she was my favourite first!'

'I like her even more than you do!'

'No you don't!'

'Yes I do!'

Unsurprisingly, an argument between two very young kids about who liked Oona more wasn't exactly the deepest discussion in the world. It quickly devolved into a back-and-forth of 'no you don't' and 'yes I do' for minutes on end.

'Well, you're both wrong!' Deema said. 'The one who actually likes Oona most of all is Nonny.'

Nonny blushed immediately. 'A-Am I?'

'Yeah you are! And you know it!'

Avery and Ana glared at Nonny, apparently ready to fight him for the honour of 'the one who likes Oona the most'. Despite being several times older than them, he found himself rather nervous. It didn't last long, however, before Oona took him into her arms and gave him a big kiss. Right on the mouth! It was quick and she broke away with a satisfying smack. She smirked at the kiddies as Nonny blushed redder than ever.

'You were saying, kiddos?' She asked.

The two kids, as kids often do when they see two adults making out, reacted with disgust and swam away to stand by their father's side. Avi couldn't help laughing.

'Now, now, kids,' He said. 'Let's try to be on our best behaviour for Miss Oona and her friends. I must say, Oona, I'm not too surprised to see that you're with Nonny now. I always had a feeling there was something going on between the two of you.'

'Right on the freaking money, Avi!' Oona said.

Since the contest was over, she had gone back to using her typical foul language. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that there were kids there. As soon as Avery and Ana heard what she actually said, they gasped and snickered to themselves.

'And it looks like Auntie Oona has just taught the kids a new word,' Deema said. 'Nice!'

Oona blushed. 'Uh, oops. When the mother-in-law gets mad about the grandkids using bad language, let her know it's all my fault.'

'That doesn't surprise me much either,' Avi said. 'Ever since you were in high school, you swore enough to make a sailor blush. I'm sure all of your old fans would've been shocked to hear you say things like that, though. Imagine sweet little Oona dropping an F-bomb like that!'

'Well,' Oona said with a shrug. 'Time passes. Sh- Stuff changes. And sometimes it doesn't. We're still friends, and the Guppies are still together!'

The Guppies were so happy to meet an old friend of theirs that they didn't notice Molly was staying at the back of the pack. And they certainly didn't notice her slinking back into the backstage. She ducked behind the curtains silently, letting out a forlorn sigh.

'Whatcha doing here, Molly?' Brianna asked.

Molly almost let out a yelp when she heard Brianna's voice, spinning right around to look at her. She had all but forgotten that the little girl was still here. For once in her life, Brianna had done a good job at staying quiet.

'I-It's nothing,' Molly replied.

'It didn't look like 'nothing' to me,' Brianna said. 'Chatting to an old friend like that shouldn't make you turn around and leave. Especially not you. You love it when people praise you!'

'Who doesn't? Look, it's nothing. Really. I just…' She sighed. 'I'm never going to be able to take back the things I said. Not to my friends. And not to you.'

She sat down on a stool and rested her chin in her hands. Her friends were willing to let her back in, yes, but that didn't mean her bad actions had magically never happened. Every cruel word from that day bounced around in her memories. They refused to leave her alone.

'It's okay,' Brianna said. 'You-'

'Don't pretend you've totally forgiven me,' Molly said. 'I know you haven't.'

'I-'

That was all she could get out. She didn't seem to realise that by saying nothing at all, she had just confirmed what Molly had been saying.

'It's fine,' Molly said, with a faint hint of a smile. 'I mean, I was kind of a dickhead, as Oona called it. Your idol says crap about you? That's tough to forgive. Especially this early. I don't even want your forgiveness.'

'Why not?' Brianna asked.

'I don't really deserve it.'

Brianna approached her and placed her hand upon hers. She was half-expecting to be shoved away again, but Molly just grabbed her hand.

'I think you do,' Brianna said. 'Some people don't deserve forgiveness, but you're not one of them. You were mean. But you weren't cruel. You didn't hurt anyone. Not permanently, anyway. Your words hurt. They really did. But look at me! I'm still happy. I'm still cheerful. And I'm still willing to give you another chance!'

'I don't need your forgiveness, Brianna,' Molly said. 'And I shouldn't need it. I'm not going to hinge my mental health on one kid's opinion of me. I just wish I had never said those things at all. I hurt people. Even if it wasn't permanent, that doesn't mean the hurt I caused never happened. I hurt you. I hurt my friends. I let someone I cared a lot about die disappointed in me, and I waited until a few years after his death to do anything about it. Forgiveness isn't what I want. All I want is to fix the mistakes I've made. I can't undo my mistakes when it comes to Mr Grouper. I lost my chance. I'm not letting these other chances pass me by now.'

Brianna wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't even look Molly in the eyes. So she just looked at Molly's hands instead.

'I got lucky,' Molly said. 'Mr Grouper is the only one who I lost the chance to make reparations with. My friends were willing to give me another chance. I can't imagine what would've happened if any of them had died before I could speak to them again. There's a version of me out there who had to deal with never making amends with you or Gilly or any of them before they died. So I'm taking this chance while I've still got it.'

'You've already started,' Brianna said. 'You've gotta give yourself that at least, right?'

Molly smiled a little wider. Yeah. She did have to give herself something. Sitting around and feeling bad about it certainly didn't accomplish anything. It just made her feel worse.

'Oh!' She said. 'Speaking of which, what am I doing sitting back here for? What's feeling sorry for myself going to do? If I wanna make things right, I gotta do something! Come on, Brianna. Let's get out there and talk to the fans like we should!'

Brianna 'jumped' for joy. 'Yeah, let's do it!'

And they embarked onto the stage together, to spend the rest of the night with old (and new) friends and fans from long ago.

Author Notes - Writing a story taking place in the future and not using Avi in some way would be criminal. The revival run may have gotten about him, but I certainly didn't!

Skip's story about how the song 'Guppy Style' encouraged him to ask Hopper out is based on actual stories I've read online. Specifically, stories about how Disney's song 'Let It Go' helped give countless young people the courage to come out of the closet to people, thanks to its empowering lyrics. 'Guppy Style' can be interpreted in such a manner if you listen to some of the lines.