Another Squirrel in Town
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Summation: When SpongeBob meets Mandy Tails, a squirrel new to Bikini Bottom, they quickly become excellent friends. When Sandy and Mandy meet, they just might become so much more. But, will Mandy's sorted past destroy their chances at happiness and the very foundation of Bikini Bottom? Can two squirrels truly find something special under the sea, or will secrets and circumstances tear them apart? A romance that spirals into action. Sandy/OC and some SpongeBob/Squidward (establishing)
Genre: Romance, humor, and drama that leads to action and suspense
Rating: General K+ (Some vaguely suggestive language and scenes)
Pairings: Sandy/OC (Mandy Tails), SpongeBob/Squidward, Plankton/Karen, some other mini pairs
A/N: This is a slash fic with f/f and m/m

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One: Stranger Squirrel

The Kelp Forrest. It was an eerie place to wander during the day, but it had an even spookier atmosphere at dusk. The dull glow caught the silhouette of Sandy Cheeks as she packed her scientific equipment. After a long day of research and testing her latest invention, a contraption able to harness oxygen from kelp, the Texan was ready for a Krabby Patty and a visit with her favorite sponge and starfish.

That's when she saw it.

It was only a flutter in the corner of her eye, but it was definitely movement. The light was fading fast, yet she tracked the shadow with her vision. A figure stood on a rock face above her, and it moved in slow and calculated strokes. It was a form of tai chi, but that didn't interest Sandy nearly as much as the figure's outline.

The suit looked exactly like hers in the dark.

"What in tarnation…" she mumbled and decided to go in for a closer look.

By the time she scaled half of the stone, the figure vanished into the cover of night. Disconcerted, Sandy gathered her things and tried to shake the sighting. Maybe she only imagined it. After all, it'd be unlikely that another squirrel would settle in Bikini Bottom. The chances of that had to be next to nothing, right? She laughed at her vivid imagination and wandered towards the Krusty Krab without a second thought.

Mandy Tails walked in the opposite direction towards her house.

The following afternoon, SpongeBob's laugh echoed through all of Bikini Bottom. Patrick's low chuckle mingled with the noise as the game continued. They both wore floral-printed scarves on their eyes like blindfolds, and they scampered about town without a second thought. Whoever ran into something first lost the game. So far, they had only caused three boat accidents and disturbed two playgrounds and the snail park.

Compared to last time, that was an improvement.

Finally, SpongeBob smacked face-first into a rock. Patrick heard the collision and removed the scarf in celebration. "I win! I win!"

"Well played, my friend," SpongeBob giggled and rearranged his jumbled facial features. "How far did we get this time?"

Patrick swept the landscape and pointed at a landmark in the distance. "There's Sandy's house!"

"Wow, we must have gone in circles to get here," SpongeBob scratched his head, as they started near the Treedome in the first place. "Let's go see her! Maybe we can all go jellyfishing!"

Chasing each other and tripping over coral and rocks, the duo awkwardly rolled and stumbled to the glass of the Treedome. They pressed their faces to the glass, but they didn't see Sandy anywhere. Patrick decided that it'd be best to continuously knock louder and louder until she answered the door. While he banged away, SpongeBob watched for activity.

"I don't see her, Patrick. Maybe she isn't home."

Suddenly, they heard the door squeak. How had she gotten to the door without SpongeBob seeing her through the glass? The sponge didn't dwell on this inconsistency. Instead, he excitedly joined Patrick at the door. As the entrance swung open, both boys gasped and leapt backwards in shock and awe.

Sandy looked different. It was obvious that a squirrel stood before them, but everything else wasn't right. This mammal had grey fur. The suit was bright orange with a peanut decal sewn to a breast pocket. This round helmet didn't have any decorations, such as the flower on Sandy's. What could have happened to their Texan friend? She looked fine the night before…

"What happened, Sandy? Are you sick? You look so peaked!" SpongeBob dramatically cried.

"I think—" the new squirrel started to speak, but her strange accent caused Patrick to panic.

"Stranger squirrel! This isn't Sandy, SpongeBob! It can't be with that face and that horrible voice. This squirrel must have eaten Sandy and taken over her house!"

Since SpongeBob couldn't think of a different explanation, he had to agree with his friend. "Oh dear Neptune! We have to get Sandy out of that thing!"

Both of them piled on top of the squirrel and tried to pump on the rodent's stomach. With ease, the squirrel sent them both flying backwards. Dusting her suit, she raised her hands in a defensive position. "Now, listen—"

Powerfully, Patrick went running towards her like a linebacker. She simply side stepped him and he ran into the interior door. SpongeBob, upset that his pink pal had blacked out from the blow, let out a war cry and used his karate. With one hand, the squirrel fought him off with a bored expression. He tired himself out, and Patrick came into consciousness. The pink star attempted to tackle the squirrel from behind, so she effortlessly turned and caught him in her arms.

"Let go!" Patrick flailed. "SpongeBob, it's going to eat me like it ate Sandy!"

"Listen, I didn't eat anyone," the squirrel finally spoke. Gently, Patrick was released and the squirrel took a moment. "I don't even know who Sandy is. This isn't her house. It's my house. I'm Mandy Tails. I just moved here a week ago. I'm from Massachusetts, a scientist, that's all. I'm not a monster."

"But, this is Sandy's house," SpongeBob argued.

Mandy shook her head. "I copied the look of a dome across town. It's literally just the outside of it. An image, nothing more. I didn't want my house to stand out too much. I'm sorry if I startled you. Really, I promise that I haven't eaten anyone."

"We can't trust a stranger squirrel!" Patrick declared.

SpongeBob sighed. "Patrick, I guess she seems okay to me. We're sorry about all that. We just thought that you were a vicious murderer with an appetite for flesh."

"That's okay. An honest mistake," Mandy lightly smiled and extended a hand. "Truce?"

"Absolutely," SpongeBob took her hand with a hearty shake. "I'm SpongeBob SquarePants. This is my best buddy, Patrick Star. Welcome to Bikini Bottom!"

The squirrel grinned at the friendly sponge. "Thanks. So, I've meant to find somebody to talk to about the town. Do you know any good restaurants around here? I love to cook, I finished making lunch a few minutes ago actually, but it'd be nice to go out for dinner tonight."

"Boy, do I! I'm a fry cook at the Krusty Krab, and it is so delicious. Best food ever. You have to come by!"

"Excuse me," Patrick dryly interrupted. "Did you say that you made lunch?"

Mandy chuckled and motioned to her house. "Come on in. I have enough food for everyone."

It just so happened that Mandy had a few extra suits in the entryway that could hold water as well as air, so the sea creatures suited up and followed her inside. She gestured to her house with a modest smile. "I call this place the TARDIS: tree adaptations radically developed inside seas."

SpongeBob and Patrick realized that this was not an ordinary dome. Oh no. This was bigger on the inside, and it didn't resemble the faux exterior at all. The welcome area was a beautiful autumn scene with trees, a stream, and a Zen garden. Astonished, the boys took in the surroundings as Mandy shed her suit. The squirrel in plaid boxers and a ripped tank top began the brief tour.

All four seasons were represented in separate biospheres, and the boys found the Winter Biosphere the most amusing. A shiny button started a snow machine, and a pond coated with ice served as a skating rink. The spring area was nothing but blooming trees and a fountain, so the sponge and star were bored by the beauty and ready for the warmth of summer.

Her living area was inside a giant tree in summer just like Sandy's, so they gathered in her quaint kitchen for sandwiches. SpongeBob raved about her cooking for at least ten minutes before Patrick noticed screens fuzzing in the next room. "Mandy, what's with the TVs? Can you watch all the channels at once? Oh, oh—can I come over and watch them all at once too?"

"Oh," Mandy uncomfortably laughed. "Those are security feeds. You know. To watch over my house."

"Why would you need that? Bikini Bottom is really safe, you know," SpongeBob commented as he reached for his fourth sandwich.

"It makes me feel safer. Anyone want some chips?" Mandy left the table and reached for something in the pantry, revealing a long scar on her side.

Patrick, again, panicked. "There's a zipper! She isn't who she says she is! She's hiding in someone else's skin!"

"It's not a zipper. It's a scar," Mandy assured him. "I was hurt at work a while ago."

"What'd you do?" SpongeBob wondered.

"A lot of things. I'm just glad to work for myself, collecting research on currents and the impact of human interference on sea life, that kind of thing. So, anyways, I have some dessert ready. Anyone want some after lunch?"

The boys cheered and they continued their lunch without any other serious questions. SpongeBob and Patrick quickly began to like and trust the new squirrel in town, and it appeared that she could become a great friend. Mandy genuinely enjoyed the company of the odd sea critters as well.

However, this squirrel harbored a secret that was bound to cause trouble…and maybe even destruction. Time would reveal everything. Perhaps too much. But, for now life could go forward without a single complication. Well, there was one little detail that could complicate things.

The inevitable meeting of Sandy Cheeks and Mandy Tails.