A/N: I now present to you the very first Bubble Guppies fanfic ever posted on this magical thing they call the Internet. Or at least, if there were more before this, I haven't found them yet. I'm the one who requested the Bubble Guppies fanfiction category because they didn't have one, anyway, so I'm assuming I'm the first.

Anyway. People may ask me: why do you watch a preschooler's show? Simple. I found it for my little brother, and I like it. It makes me feel nostalgic since it's similar to the shows I used to watch when I was little, like Blue's Clues and other stuff like that—not like the trash they have on TV nowadays. I mean, Yo Gabba Gabba? Even the name sounds stupid. I hope to raise Bubble Guppies awareness. :P

At any rate, here you are. This does have a bit ofMollyxNonny, yes. Now, I love MollyxGil when they're little, but I think their personalities would clash a bit as the get older. MollyxNonny's pretty awesome. Admit it. Nonny's the best. Okay, I'm pretty sure I'm rambling, so I'll shut up now.

Read on!

Age 7

"Hey, Gilly?"

Gil swam over to Molly, dragging his newfound treasure chest with him. "Yeah?"

The pink-haired mermaid was looking upwards, at the sunlight streaming through the water and shining on the spot where she was floating. "What do you think is up there?"

He shrugged and sat down on the sand, fiddling with the lock on the chest. "I dunno. Does it matter? We've got all we need down here."

"Yeah, but… what's it like, up where the sun is?"

Gil didn't reply. "I need either a key or a hammer to open this. Do you have a hammer, Mols?"

She sighed helplessly. Gil wouldn't be of any help. "No, sorry, Gilly, I don't. You can ask Deema, though, I'm sure she has one."

"Alright, I'll go see. Thanks!" He started towards Deema's house, lugging the treasure chest behind.

Molly glanced upwards one last time and darted off after him.

Age 12

"Don't you ever feel like seeing the surface?" inquired Molly to Deema. "I mean, there must be something else, something that no one down here has ever seen. Just think, there's some world out there that needs to be explored!"

"Honestly, Molly, I don't care," Deema said, painting the last of her nails a shade of orange and admiring them from afar.

Molly let out an exasperated sigh. "What's happened to you, Deema? When we were little, you'd have been so curious, so excited… now all you care about is your hair and your clothes." She pushed the makeup on the bed away from her and turned back, staring at the posters that decorated Deema's wall. "Pop stars and actors… you're so… so trivial."

Deema looked up at her friend, and when she spoke her voice was hard. "Maybe I like being trivial. Maybe I like caring about my appearance. Maybe I do. You just don't get it, Molly, you haven't changed one bit! Too innocent, too naïve… I'm changing, I'm accepting it. So why won't you? I thought we were friends."

"We are!" the girl exclaimed, shocked at the coldness that Deema had suddenly acquired.

"Then why won't you just let me be?" she screamed.

Molly was fighting back tears, and Deema could see it. "You're such a baby, Molly."

"Am not," she whispered, and swam out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Age 13

Molly seemed particularly depressed that day, and Oona asked what the matter was.

"Today's the day that Deema and I stopped talking to each other," Molly said quietly. "Exactly a year ago."

"I think it's time you two made up," Oona said comfortingly. "It's crazy that you guys have been ignoring each other for this long."

"Isn't it?" Molly laughed weakly.

"What did you fight about, anyway?" Oona prodded. "Gil? It was Gil, wasn't it. I knew it!"

Molly kicked her, reddening. "No, it wasn't about Gil! I told Deema that she was becoming… different. I was wondering about the surface world and she didn't care. I miss being five, Oona, when we were all happy and we didn't care about looking good or wearing makeup… when we used to have fun."

"I kinda miss it, too," she said softly, smiling. "But you know, Mr. Grouper never did tell us much of what was up there."

Molly grinned. "Mr. Grouper… never thought I'd hear that name again. Does he still work at the preschool?"

"Dunno," Oona shrugged. "But it must not be too important if he never explained anything to us. Neither do any of our teachers nowadays. Just let it go, Molly. It won't do you any good."

"I guess so," she murmured, but while she suppressed the burning desire to know what lay above the water, the curiosity still lingered.

Age 15

Molly smiled and spun around the gym, watching her new blouse twirl gently.

"Someone in here?"

She looked up. Goby had entered the building, a basketball in one hand. "Oh, hey, Molly."

"Hi, Goby," she said, stopping her dance. "Practice again?"

"Yeah. What're you doing here, anyway?" He dribbled the ball absentmindedly. "I thought you and Gil—"

"Forget… about… Gil," she said, her guard suddenly up and her voice hard. "Just… please."

He gave her a funny look, then shrugged, and shot the ball into one of the hoops on either side of the room. "Sure, whatever."

Molly watched Goby shoot hoops for a while and then said, "Goby?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever wonder…" She stopped, hesitant. She had asked this question far too many times, and the answer always disappointed her.

"Do I ever wonder what?"

"Never mind."

Age 16

"Y'know, I think you're the only person I've never been partnered up with," Molly said, dropping her backpack on the couch and swimming to the kitchen to fetch snacks. "I mean, I've been with all the other Guppies, plus the rest of the grade… but you, I don't think so. Peanut-butter crackers and milk okay?"

"I'm allergic to peanuts, but crackers are alright," Nonny said, floating awkwardly in the middle of the living room. "Are we still referring to ourselves as the Bubble Guppies? I thought you got rid of that name years ago."

"I dunno." Molly came in and set a plate of crackers and two glasses of milk down on the coffee table. "You guys might've, but I always thought it was cute… even if we did split up." She quieted for a moment and then looked up. "C'mon, Nonny, sit down!"

He sat on a chair across from her and took a cracker, munching thoughtfully. "So a hot air balloon… we'll need ripstop nylon… a wicker basket… what else?"

"Nonny, can you stop thinking about school for once?" Molly said, grinning and shaking her head. "We have more than a month to complete this thing."

"But I'm here to study," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but can't we just… hang out, for once? Don't you do anything else with your life besides studying?"

Nonny looked away. "Well, I work well with computers and I like observing the constellations. Just… social stuff… not my thing. Besides, I'm okay with studying."

"Hey Nonny, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Molly asked suddenly.

He blinked, surprised at the sudden change of subject. "Um… I don't know. An engineer, maybe."

"Mm," she said, lying down and staring upwards at the ceiling.

After a while, Nonny said, "Did I tell you they're installing a skylight in my room?"

She set herself upright, propped on her elbow. "No kidding! That's so cool. How big is it gonna be?"

"Six feet, I think," he said. "I'll be able to see the stars from my bed, and it'll open, too. Hey, we can try the balloon using the skylight—one of us can sit on the roof and the other can light the fire and send it up."

"That'd be cool," Molly smiled. "I wish I had a skylight. Then I would be able to see the surface from my room…" She trailed off, her smile fading.

"One of the advantages to having one," Nonny said quietly, taking another cracker.

Molly sat up completely, her fingers gripping the edge of the seat cushion. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "Just that being able to see the surface is one of the advantages of having a skylight."

"And… why do you think that?" She felt a wonderful, terrible feeling of burning excitement building up in her; and while she was trying to hide it she sensed the attempt was failing. "Why?"

He leaned over and stared at her, his green eyes wide. "Because… Because I've always wanted to see what's up there."

Molly shot forward and hugged Nonny, laughing. "Yes, yes, yes!" Pulling back with her hands still on his shoulders, she grinned idiotically. "Yes. Finally, after a decade of wondering if I was the only one… and you were here the whole time,
Nonny, you were always here." She giggled.

"Are you… crying?" Nonny said.

She placed a hand to her cheek and felt dampness. "Oh… I suppose I am. Tears of unspeakable joy, I guess?"

Nonny revealed one of his rare smiles. "Don't tell anyone, but I think I'm tearing up too."